Layla was being a good girl, which she usually was when we took her out to dinner.

All in all, it was a great experience and after the heavy meal we were definitely ready to walk it off on our way back to the farm.

Strider, now our steadfast companion, was waiting patiently outside the door of Alma’s and happily greeted us as Alma opened the door to let us out. With hugs all around from Alma, we promised to soon return for more pie.

Our walk back was uneventful. We took our time.

Finally arriving at the gravel drive, we meandered our way back to the house. As we approached the back porch, I noticed Sam’s truck was parked about a hundred feet away near the grape vines and the trellis.

I mentioned to Maggie, “Looks like ole Sam took down the hornets’ nest while we were gone.”

“That’s good,” Maggie replied.

Opening the back door, we decided to let Strider in so that Layla and Strider could hang out on the big open living area off the kitchen. We set Layla down on the old rug and marveled at how gentle Strider had become.