God Bless the Dog Walkers

This blog entry was going to be named, "It Is Not Always As Easy As I Make It Sound." We've just entered the real cold weather for the first time this season. Last year my youngest was just a baby in a giant fleece suit that covered her hands and feet, but this year she is a willful one-year-old who doesn't care for mittens and LOVES her snow boots, but for exactly 29 minutes at a time and no more!

So, she has to learn a few things like how much the cold air hurts your little fingers if you don't wear mittens and I have to remember a few tricks that I must have used before because this is my 6th year of cold weather running with one or more children in the stroller!

Yesterday things were not going so well, but when it is cold, nothing is gained by stopping - it just prolongs the whole process. I gave up on the mittens early because she's figured out she can pull them off with her teeth. I put the boots BACK on three times before I gave up on that. She was still wearing socks plus she was inside the wind shield. She had moved on to trying to climb out from behind the plastic - and then we saw a dog.

Screeching in the uppermost frequencies that humans can hear, and probably those that only dogs can hear too, my dog-adoring child forgot all about the boots and hood and cold hands and empty cup and she sang at the dog and yelled at the dog and looked at the dog and waved at the dog. Though we passed by quickly, the excitement carried us to the next dog sighting and the next.

So, to all you loyal dog-walkers who are out and about in the cold morning weather: thank you and God bless!