“It’s that time of year” can mean many things. For some, it’s the holidays, filled with family and shopping. For others, it can mean that summer has begun, so it’s time to relax and enjoy some nice weather. For dog owners, especially people who own multiple dogs, it’s the time of year that has been warm enough for long enough that you finally have to go out and pick up all the dog poo that has been hiding beneath the beautiful cover of snow for the last couple months. For us, it was so bad, I could actually see the land mines from the front stoop and the back porch. It was time. Poo-picking time. When I woke up to a fresh snow cover Sunday, I thought I was saved for another week, but the snow melted quickly, almost like it was a mirage, and my problem became apparent again. For some reason, my kids, the ones that aren’t at college, were very busy Sunday, so Travis and I went out to tackle the dog poo. By far, the worst location is what I refer to as the hot zone. It is the well-worn path from the back porch to the trampoline, which is tucked way back in the corner of the yard. I can’t be sure, but I think that the dogs actually think it’s funny to make this the hot zone of dog dumps. At points along the path, I picked up five dumps without taking a step. What was even more amazing than the sheer number of dumps along that path, was that there were no footprints, human or canine, in the dumps. Somehow, all had managed to get to their destination without stepping on the canine carnage. Circuitous routes must have been utilized.

Another problem in this particular yard is that the oak leaves never get removed in the fall. They are the last to fall, so it’s past the last mow or blow of the yard. Who am I kidding? All the types of leaves are out there. Some were mulched in the mower last fall. Most were not. So, finding the doggy land mines was especially daunting. Sometimes we stepped on a small pile of leaves and it slid a little. Hmmmm. We just left those for later. And all that brown on brown meant that you could stand over a section and simply not see the pile in front of you.

I began to wonder why we wait so long…surely there were breaks in the snow action where I could have done some damage control! Instead, I just waited for that next glorious snow and looked out over my domain with a fresh cup of coffee, marveling at the beauty of my yard…in complete denial of what lies beneath the fresh clean cover of snow. But those days are done now. A number of truths have been noted. First, Travis and I both yielded an impressive haul, carrying full, heavy Walmart bags full of excrement to the trash bin. Second, there is still a lot more canine carnage beneath the cover of leaves. Third, my poo-shoes (my yard and mowing shoes are poo-shoes) have more poo than your shoes. Finally, and most frustratingly, the dogs keep pooing at an alarming rate, so I already need to go back out into the yard and pick up again. It’s a good thing we love them. The dogs…not their poo.

So, good luck on your Wednesday adventure today. We are getting closer to the weekend. Maybe it’s time for you to go poo-picking. Your neighbors may be complaining.