The Distinguished Return

Today's numbers: Nancy's Days Run: 161 Nancy's 2013 Mileage 753 Elly's 2013 Mileage 356.4 Money Found For Food Bank: $17.87 in change, $25 in bills

2012 Found-Money Food Bank Donation: $7.83

It's the comeback we all wait for around here ... let's all welcome back Jacques!!!

"I'm back! 'Glad you get the pleasure!"

We welcomed Jacques the Jockey to our family a couple of years ago, and we look forward to his annual return near Halloween! I got him out the other day, and Elly went nutty! She tailed me through the house when he was in hand, and every time I looked at her, she promptly and without being asked  sat down waiting for him to be put on her back. To her dismay, the only reason I was carrying him around was to collect my sewing things for his annual sprucing up. This year, I needed to reattach his hands so as to keep him from looking like he's making obscene gestures as we go. There's funny, and then there's crossing the line. We try to keep our running clean.

As he joined us this morning, I noticed his butt is probably going to need reattaching at some point this season. But, that's not critical until the extra bouncing puts pressure on the other sewn parts. Then, he and I will have another date with the needle and thread. For now, though, he looks great!

"Of course I look great! Now, keep up!"

He's pretty bossy, but that's what we love about him:

"There's no time for another potty stop,
dog! One paw! Two paw! One paw! Two
paw! Hut! Hut! Hut!"

"I love him, mommy, but is he a jockey or
a drill sargeant? So hard to tell. Can I go
pee now?"

Jacques does have a little bitty softer side, too:

"Cheeeeeeeese, dammit!"

I said it was little bitty ...

Both of my running partners were patient with me as I stopped to take this pic:

And, they were most compliant as our just-over-three miles together produced fortune today:

I don't even know what to say except to report the $1.19 total!

Today's run wasn't as much a run as it was an outing. An experience. An adventure covering a predetermined distance. They all can't be like this, or I'd never get anywhere in a long distance event. But, they don't all have to be about an event, either. My personal bottom line is that today's distance was covered, and we had a lot of fun doing it!

Today's running gang.

Jacques will be joining us for the next few runs before he rests up for Christmas! (Ohhh ... yes ... you might remember he is chock full of holiday spirit!) Speaking of rest, that's what's on the docket for tomorrow, so we'll see you from Thursday's Rest Day!