Nosy

Stopped by the neighborhood mailbox tonight to check the mail. A single letter which I immediately dropped on the ground. The arthritis in my back made it a bit difficult to bend over at the waist to pick up, but I somehow managed.

While I was completely bent over, I felt something very cold and very wet touch my right elbow. I'm literally looking upside down and backwards and see one of the biggest dogs I've ever encountered in my life nudging me with his nose.

With the benefit of hindsight (pun intended) I now realize it was a Weimaraner dog, but at the time I just saw a massive mound of grey fur, teeth and yellow eyes staring at me.

I jumped up, startled, and yelled. Three mistakes in a row. I scared the poor dog, who was just seeing who was at the mailbox, and he got into an aggressive defensive stance and started barking furiously. I tried giving him a wide birth and circled around the mail kiosk trying to get back to my idling car, the dog got it in his head that he was going to keep me from doing just that.

We did an awkward little dance for about thirty seconds and then Fido felt like he'd made his point and left.

Whew!