Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash? ~Robert Brault, American writer
I Monkey here.
Everybody’s taking part in Robin‘s Walktober, and I want to, too. She never said pups can’t walk along — why, I have it on good authority that Princess Katie always got her own special walk! I might not be royalty, but there’s champion blood running through my veins, and by golly, I mean to tackle this walk-thing!
Mama’s taking the pictures, but I’m pointing out what she needs to shoot. The story, of course, is all me. Let’s GOOOO!
Here I am, all suited up and ready to scout the neighborhood:
Mama says it’s too early for Fall color, but you can see the trees are starting to turn:
Wait! Let’s pause for a squirrel. See him attached to that pole (huh, and he thinks I can’t see him there!):
This tree had oodles of green balls (about the size of tennis balls) underneath it. Mama thinks it’s a walnut. She almost tripped when she stepped on one and it started to roll — be careful, Mama:
Some of you are aware there’s a “holiday” coming up that’s almost as frightening to us little pups as Scary Boom Day (you know, Fourth of July). Mama says it’s called Halloween. She doesn’t plan to partake in festivities this year, on account of me being anxiety-riddled over it.
Perhaps you need a refresher so you won’t scare the pups in your neighborhood? I recommend you avoid stuff like this wicked inflatable thing:
and this 13-foot tall skeleton (I kid you not — the box was outside the house, and Mama almost tripped again while she was reading its description):
Something like this is okay though:
Or a relatively tame lineup of mums and pumpkins:
Another thing to watch out for is the woolly-worm. These critters, Mama tells me, should change into a moth or butterfly down the road — gosh, I hope I never turn into something different from a dog!
Anyway, woolly-worms are supposed to predict what kind of winter we’ll be having (although that’s probably as crazy as believing a dumb ole groundhog!). Here’s one we saw inching across a sidewalk:
Folklore tells us the black bands indicate a particularly long, harsh, snowy winter. We’re also supposed to believe that where the black bands fall tells us when the weather will be bad. Like, if the worm’s head section is black, the winter will be harsh early on (and vice versa).
I’m no meteorologist, but this one looks all black to me, so I guess I Monkey will be hibernating like a bear for a few months:
Thanks for joining me on my first Walktober! And Miss, Robin, thanks for letting me participate. Slowpoke Mama will be along in a few days with her own walk so don’t stray too far from this site.
Musings by an ND Domer's Mom 
Wow Monkey! Awesome walk! Katie liked to get her walk in first too, congratulations! (I THINK you’re first, not sure of course!) You had a fine walk, with a bit of color and a bit of science and a bit of wisdom. Good job!
Aw, thanks, Miss Dawn. I Monkey appreciate your kind words … especially since Mama says your eyes are still leaking on account of your missing your Princess and all. I think she and I would’ve gotten along great — and Mama says for sure I could have learned something from her about royal behavior. Huh!
Oh, Monkey! You liven up any walk, Walktober or not. Sure hope there are more “Walking with Monkey” posts.
Seriously, Miss Laurie? You’d like to hear more about my escapades?? I Monkey think that’s super. Now if I can just sidetrack Mama long enough to commandeer her blog more often, we’ll be all set!
I sure would! Hope Mama takes note.
Oh I Monkey will for sure make certain she does, hee hee!
Yay!!!!
Monkey, being a HUGE lover of all things Autumn and Halloween, I LOVED this post!
And what FUN that must have been. And btw, you (and MAMA) did a great job on the photos!! Great capture of the squirrel on the pole. I see them all the time in our parks here; climbing trees.
WOW, that skeleton is HUGE! I like how all your neighbors decorate for Halloween. So festive!
You’re right, Monkey, that worm does look completely black. I don’t see any stripes at all.
Okay, and that last photo of you is beyond precious. As I’ve shared before, you have got the most precious little face!
Really enjoyed this post, Monkey! Thanks for taking us along!
X to you and Mama
Mr. Ron, everybody seems to get into the Halloween spirit here. Except Mama, of course. She’s into the “tame” version of decorating because she doesn’t want me Monkey to freak out more than I normally do. I guess mums and pumpkins are okay — for sure I don’t like those blowup scary things that blink at you when you walk by. Sometimes, they even make spooky noises!
Glad you were able to walk along with me — it’s always more fun when there’s a crowd! Enjoy the THREE cold fronts we’re sending your way in the next few days — bring on the hot cocoa! XX
Great walk, Monkey. Tell mom thanks for sharing the trip
Thank you, Mr. John. We enjoyed having you along. As you can see, it was a pretty day, and Mama says those are numbered. We could be having frost/freeze this weekend — glad I have a heavy coat!
Yes I remember when I lived in Illinois. Stay warm.
I Monkey have a heavy coat (so does Mama, but hers is removable and mine isn’t!). We’ll be nice and toasty!
Always a good thing.
Great tour of the neighborhood, Monkey! I’m with you on the decorations, I prefer the less scary ones, too. 🙂
I’m glad I’m not alone, Miss Eliza. I Monkey don’t like things that jump at me … or flash lights and “speak.” Mama told me she saw a dragon one in the store today, and its huge wings moved — ugh!!
What a great walk! Any walk that includes squirrels and woolly worms is a good one, although I agree with you, Monkey, that those scary things are best avoided. It was great fun to have you show us around — Happy Walktober!
Aw, thanks, Miss Linda. I Monkey enjoyed having you walk along. Mama chose a pretty day for it — she’s cautious about getting me wet, like I might melt or something. Huh! I’m happy you liked the squirrel and woolly worm, too. We see LOTS of squirrels at this time of year. Mama says they’re gathering food for the winter.
That tall skeleton scared me too Monkey. Loved the tour!
Oh, Miss Cindy, I Monkey thought my mama was going to topple on her face when she saw that thing! There she was, reading the description on its big box as she walked, while I Monkey was trotting along FAST to get away from it. The woman really needs to pay closer attention. I mean, this walk was about ME, not her. Huh!
Oh dear, Monkey, I do hope that your woolly worm is wrong about the coming winter weather! Around here we call them woolly bears and the ones spotted so far are indicating the same thing. Brrrr…. The 13-foot tall skeleton is very impressive! May your Halloween be as peaceful as your Mama can make it.
Thank you, Miss Barbara. Around here, houses not participating in Trick-or-Treat leave their porch lights OFF, so that’s what Mama plans. Not that she’s selfish with her candy or anything (well, maybe a little bit!), but she can imagine how I Monkey would react to small children in scary costumes screaming and laughing.
Oh, Monkey, pleases don’t worry about the worms and halloween! You’ll be okay…just stay inside and let your mom handle the trick or treaters. Have you mom make you a nice little cozy spot with your own blanket and chew toys, well away from all the noise and scary excitement! You’ll get through it…and the bonus is, the next holiday is Thanksgiving, which means lots extra food for you!
Miss Ann, I Monkey have only had one Thanksgiving, so I don’t remember much about it … except that The Kid was home, and we had a feast! That’s a much more sensible way to celebrate than setting out scary decorations. Who doesn’t like food?!?
Thanks for taking us with you on your walk, Monkey! Goodness, that skeleton is big, isn’t it? And I bet it’s not even made of real meaty bones which would be yummy! The squirrel probably would be quite yummy, but you’d have to learn to climb trees. My cat can climb up trees but unfortunately has never properly mastered the art of climbing back down, So don’t do it – just get Mama to give you nice post-walk treats, which will be just as yummy and safer…
Well, Miss FF, I Monkey haven’t been very successful in training Mama to give me treats on demand. She seems to think I have to WORK for them! Huh! I don’t know where she went to “Mama School,” but they should’ve taught her that good little pups should get treats whenever they want. Just because. Don’t you agree??
Well, maybe I agree with your Mama just a little bit, but Tommy is totally on your side!
We beloved pets need to stick together!!
Hi paw Monkey,
Yorkie here loves reading all your posts, especially this Walktober escapade. Both momma-dog and I Yorkie are freaking out since October 1 rolled around on our street block.
The cousin of your 13’ Skeleton about to eat those pumpkins is scouting around five homes down our street.
Your coat is beautiful and would never want to remove it! I too have very long hair which I’m attached. It’s hair that has to be trimmed sometimes because it’s not fur. When momma-dog sneaks out the scissors it is more terrifying than that purple pumpkin face pop-up giant monster! I love your last photo-op best.
I’m off to inform momma-dog to keep the porch light OFF… We will be joining your tradition by hiding safely in our back bedroom listening to our CD RELAX collection with lots of blankets and snuggles 🍂🎃🐾
Yorkie, this sounds perfect — snuggles and a relaxing bit of music! Let the crazies have their fun; we sensible pups know our fun is, well, MORE fun!!
Mama takes me to the groomer often, and she trims my furs and gives me a nice sudsy bath. I’m glad you like my coat (I do, too!) Glad you were able to join in my walk — the more, the merrier, huh?!!
What a wonderful walk, Monkey! I hope this means you’ll be doing this yearly? You’ve done such a wonderful job.
Aw, gee, thanks, Miss Dale. No way would I want to step on Princess Katie’s dainty toes, but I could be persuaded to do a Walktober again. I mean, it’s not like I’m not walking anyway, right?!!
I think she would be pretty proud of you for your very first Walktober and would do like me, and encourage you to come back. Right! Why not give a purpose to the walk!
Thank you, Monkey! And thank you to your mama, too, for helping you out with a Walktober walk. I think we should always, always pause to look at squirrels. I hope you’re going to share some more of your walks with us. That was fun! 🙂
Why, thank you, Miss Robin. I Monkey am honored you deemed my walk interesting enough to be included in your famous Walktober! And if you’ll let me, I’ll be happy to do it again next year. And that’s not all. I Monkey will be posting more often, now that I’ve figured out how to get Mama’s laptop to work, heh heh!