Molly's meanderings

In the mornings I head out for my walk: down the main street, past the pond, through the smaller horse field, through the large field (as long as the cows are in one of their other fields), past the old church, and into the forest. Once I've gone far enough, I turn around and head back. This seems to be the route most Oddingtonians take.

In the large field I routinely run into Gordon and his dog Molly. She always stops, eyes me, tries to discern if I'm people friendly, and then once she's pretty sure I am, she charges the last 50 yards. This is always somewhat unnerving, as Molly weighs at least 70 pounds (especially the first time she charged- before I understood that this was the routine!). But she's super friendly and just wants a few pets and then Molly walks back to Gordon.

The other day The Village Newsletter for October arrived. I had happily perused the September issue when I first arrived. It's mostly announcements for charity functions and church services, but it also has a The Way We Were column, which highlights some historical aspect of Oddington (wartime recipes & rations in September, cricket legacies in October- of which our handyman is one!) and my favorite article, Molly's Meanderings, which discusses Molly the dog's adventures from her point of view. She talks about the large bull, Angus, she ran into last month (which is why I don't cross the large field if the cows are in it), plunging happily into a river, and eating apples fallen from the tree before her mistress realized what she was up to.

So I confirmed with Gordon that Molly of Molly's Meanderings was indeed his Molly. He concurred that she is a very good writer, with a good sense of humor. Then Molly posed obediently for a fan photo, and then they went on their way.