I was hoping to spot mountain goats on their daily search for food on the south-facing slope of Mt. Juneau, had to settle for a magic show put on by the sun. Aki didn’t try to console me. The little dog didn’t want make this walk up the Perseverance Trail. She wanted to hang around the house in case some cheese dropped from the breakfast plate of her other human. She didn’t accept my assurance that it was an oatmeal day. 

            Aki exhibited her bad mood by barking the minute I opened the door. She barked at every car, person, or raven that moved as we walked toward the mountains. She tried to drop a pile of scat in someone’s yard rather than wait the seconds it would take to reach a more socially acceptable spot. The little poodle-mix stopped more often than usual to sniff and pee. When I tried to photograph the bright line painted by the rising sun across Mt. Juneau, she jerked at her leash.  Only when we made a turn for home did she show any enthusiasm for the walk or civility toward me.