Walking With Aaron

Aaron wanted us to take a walk around our circle today with Jackson, our Great Dane.  Since I am wearing a sling from an injury, I was hesitant to take our 200 pound doggie.  Besides, Jackson had already been outside with Gary, Aaron, and me - so I convinced Aaron to be happy to just take a walk with me.  And he was happy - he loves to take these walks.............and talk............a lot, as always.  I thought you might want to join us tonight.

Aaron had already changed into his shorts and shirt that he wears to bed and was willing to put his normal clothes back on - except that they were in the washing machine already.  I told him to just come as he was since those clothes don't really look like pajamas.  He was all about not having to change clothes again!  We set out on our walk and he immediately started talking about our neighbor's back patio and how he'd like to go back there to look at it.

No, Aaron, you can't go into their yard unless you're invited.

A couple houses away found him trying to reach up and pick an acorn out of a front yard tree.  Aaron, I've told you not to touch any one's trees......or bushes.......or grass.......or flowers.   Or mailboxes, Aaron - do not open their mailbox!  Here, just walk on this other side of me..........away from the trees and bushes and grass and flowers and mailboxes that don't belong to you.

Aaron, don't point at the pretty yellow roses.  I know you like them but don't point.  Why?  Because people will wonder why you're pointing at their house.

Ssshhhh, Aaron.  Don't talk so loud.  Yes, that's the house that had a fire last year.  "Mom, do the same kind of people live there?"

Uh, yeah Aaron........the same people live there again.  And no, I don't know how the fire started and yes, they still have a sign on their door and no, we are not going to go up and read the sign on their door.

We stopped and listened to the aspen trees in the field as the wind blew the leaves in that pretty little rustling way that they blow.  I like to draw Aaron's attention to these details because they interest him.......but soon he's on his way, looking both down at the road for something to pick up and examine, and looking around him for something else to talk about.  There's always much of the same, and occasionally something new.

Yes, Aaron, those evergreens have funny little seed things on their tips, don't they?  And yes, those are hedge apples in that yard.  "Mom, they look like brains!"  Yes, they do, Aaron.............and no, you cannot go in their yard to get one.

"Mom, look at that fishing boat!"   Aaron, don't point.  "So when do they go fishing?  In the afternoon?  Isn't it getting too cold?  Why do they have a boat in the cold?"

Aaron, quit barking at those dogs.  I know they're barking...........they're dogs.  You're not.

And our neighbor was walking out to put something in her trash cans, so we stopped to talk to her.  Of course, Aaron reached over and pulled the end off of one of her tall decorative grass plants.  Aaron!  But Cheryl said it was OK, and Aaron was very pleased.  He had wanted to pull one of those for a long, long time.  Cheryl walked with us for a few minutes.  Before she left, she had heard about Paradigm, EEGs, Cellulitis, and I don't remember what else.  Somehow she and I managed to get a few words in edgewise, as well.

I heard about the show he watched on the Sci-Fi channel earlier in the day........about the old-time dentists and their weapons that they used to pull teeth.  Weapons?  That was probably an accurate description.  He told me about how he had a stick one day when he was out with his group and how he poked Rosie in the butt.  I told him that it was very wrong to hit anyone............and besides, I thought he was always nice to Rosie.  "Mom, I didn't hit Rosie.  I poked her."   So we discussed hitting and poking and besides, you should never hit anyone there...........especially not a girl.  "But she knows I like her, Mom!"

Oh, Aaron...........who likes to poke and whack and pinch and thump on our heads............and point and touch and pull and examine.............because he likes to do these things...........and because he does like us.  Some days more than others, and today was one of those days.


It's fun to walk with Aaron.........to listen to him talk and talk and talk............to enter into his world.  I just have to work hard to keep him from entering everyone else's world as we do our walking!  Stay out of that yard, Aaron!