Grass, what a concept

We haven't seen the sun in days but the snow has FINALLY melted - all of it - and we have been above freezing for over a week. I know spring is definately coming because there are a lot more birds singing and at our feeder. The dogs and I did something we haven't done for ages, and that's go outside for a nice run and play. I was delighted to see green grass growing and the flower bulbs are sprouting shoots in the garden. Let it be said I adore winter and I love snow, but this winter was too much of a good thing. This spring will be especially appreciated - as will the eventual warmth and sun - as it's been such a long, cold, and dark winter.
After work I loaded Moto in the car and we headed for our downtown area. Mondays are quiet as most of the shops are closed today. My office has a fountain and a grassy area and lots of big sidewalks. Traffic very light but a few doors down on the other side there were some roofing guys. It would be challenging but I was curious to see if Moto could go into "work mode". As with every other place we go, when he first gets out he looks anxiously around. Rather than walk him around I told him we were going to work and did our Lining Up/Getting Ready to Heel routine. While he didn't snap into beautiful attention he did go into Work Mode. It took one positive pop (hey, we're working here) and off we went. Whenever he looked at me I spit food. Very very quickly we made repeated heeling attempts and went a few steps further each time. By the end of our session (about 20 minutes) he was relaxed and happy and I could see he was also in learning mode. We ended with some play time and belly rubs and he returned home a very happy guy. Once home all the dogs were let out and I admired the pretty green grass as I threw various toys and Shelties (and one BC) swirled around me.