The day the earth stood still and tumbleweeds reclaimed the earth

Have you ever watched one of those doomsday documentaries where all the people on the planet

suddenly disappear and nature takes back the earth, at a speed that makes your head spin? 

That's what I think of every time I walk down my road.

Here is Smooch sitting in the road outside our front gate. 

Behind her you see the well-traveled path my truck takes once a week going to and fro from town.

Here is Smooch sitting in the same spot but looking in the opposite direction.

Behind her you see the road never traveled. In the past few weeks,
the tumbleweeds have taken over – sort of a tumbleweed armageddon.

Tumbleweeds are opportunistic little buggers. They spread and flourish wherever they can find a bare patch of dirt. 

When they're green and fresh, their points are sharp and prickly. When they're brown and dead and tumbling,

they're downright lethal to my precious pooch's paws.

Our evening walks now are a tiptoe through the tumbleweeds, and we're not having as much fun as usual.

But look at how good Smooch is getting at her sit-and-stays.

So good that my arm remained attached to my shoulder when a pair of bunnies tried to lure her away.

Good dog, Smooch.