L. R. Trovillion

White Dog Walks is about going out in nature and not listening to anything but my thoughts. It can produce all kinds of revelations. Today, I started thinking about fear.

No, not because a boogeyman was stalking me in the woods or because I’ve been listening to too many true crime podcasts (which I have), but because fear and anxiety is pervasive in our lives today. I wanted to give some thought as to why.

It is a complicated question, so I started simply by observing what causes fear. One...

But seriously, no dog walks for us today.

Today the air quality here in the Mid Atlantic is Code Red, meaning it is so poor that those with compromised health should stay indoors with windows shut. The Maryland Department of Health issued a Code Purple (I’ve never seen this one) for most of Maryland. This comes after a 3-day heat dome, trapping extremely hot temperatures at ground level both day and night.

It feels like the apocalypse.

I’m sure my dog,...

The Ancient Myth That Makes Today's America Feel Uncomfortably Familiar

Happy Friday! Happy Independence Day (tomorrow)!

On the day before our country’s 250th birthday, the temperature here is about 102-degrees F. And humid. Imagine someone soaked a heavy woolen blanket in warm water and threw it over you. There is very little movement in the air and what little there is brings no relief. No, it is more like a giant dog panting on your face without respite.

It doesn’t seem too long ago that I...