One winter on my walks with Barney I began to pick up stones to add to my growing rock gardens. At first it was just one. If picked up more than one, it had to be in odd amounts for some reason. So if I picked up 2, I had to find a third. They almost always came from near the end of the path by the ravine because the winter rains would loosen the stones from the mud. But rather than put them in my rock gardens I decided to line the rails of my deck and call them the Barney Stones as a homage to my Irish heritage and my walks with Barney. It became this ritual filling my pockets with rocks and stones. The stones became evidence of my time with Barney, trinkets from our little walks. Soon the rails of the deck were full and the winter turned into spring. The stones made their way to the gardens and the ritual of the Barney Stones was over.
