Slice of Life 3/5/2025: Ollie's Grand Adventure

I click on several posts, but know that I can get lost in those for hours. 

So I head to my saved posts on Padlet. (I couldn't come up with that word for a few hours several days ago. Why do the nouns escape my brain so easily and so often?)

I find a format that should work. I'm sure it's been used by many slicers, but my saved one is a Yesterday/Today format from Margaret at Reflections on the Teche.  

Yesterday I walked with grandson Ollie and then I stop because I realize I've found  today's slice. 

When I arrived to relieve Grandpa for the rest of the morning,  Ollie said he wanted to go for a walk. Wonderful! I can get some steps in before my one hour+ car ride, two hour wait in the airport, and four hour plane ride to Utah. 

We head out and I ask him which direction to go. He indicates left. We head for Napper Drive, a locale that always puts him to "pretend" sleep. Before we get there, he says he wants to see the water, so we make a U turn and head for the drainage pond. I spot some geese on the water and maneuver the "bob" up on the grass, hoping he can see them. But they're gone and I almost turn the bob sideways. Best stay on the pavement, Grandma!

We stop to admire a tree in bloom with a stone sculpture of a dog or a wolf under the tree. It's so lifelike, but we talk about how we know it's not real.

A neighbor's dog, Indy, is playing in his front yard. Ollie wants to see the dog. We pass several houses. Indy barks loudly at us, but can't come closer due to an invisible fence. His owner, Kelly, is doing yard work. She invites us to come closer and says that Indy loves to play.

And for the next quarter hour or more, Indy and Ollie frolic in the yard. There's the soul filling sound of a child's laughter and the fun back and forth between Indy and Ollie, as they take turns being the chased and the chasee. Indy's tired and lies down under a tree on the other side of the driveway. Ollie joins him there, lying on the grass and receiving a kiss or two in the process.

Refreshed, they come back for more play. This time, it's hide and and seek in the neighbor's front beds. Indy loves lying low and then popping up to Ollie's delightful squeals. Once again, Indy heads off for some rest time beside his owner. That's when Ollie learns that Indy loves to chase a stick. After a few retrievals, Indy lies down again, and his owner says he will take a good nap this afternoon.

We head back up the road to Ollie's house, stopping to admire the daffodils in bloom along the way. Spending time outside with a three and a half year old is the perfect recipe for morning joy! And adding a neighbor's dog just increases the delight!