A DOG'S LIFE???

There are some people out there that believe a dog has a perfect life; however, I'd like to argue that, in reality, a cat actually has the perfect life, or at least my cat does.

I have both a dog and a cat; both are foundlings. In other words, both animals were rescues. Harley, our dog, was adopted from the animal shelter. A garbage man had discovered Harley and his brothers and sisters. The puppies had been placed in a plastic bag and thrown into a dumpster. When we went to the shelter to find a puppy, Harley was the only one of the "foundlings" left. Spike, the cat, was also a "foundling," but he had been discovered with his brother under a co-worker's hedges. The two kittens had been abandoned by the mother, not the owner. Now both loving pets dwell in harmony.

Spike is a smaller creature and a cat, and it is virtually impossible to stop cats from jumping onto furniture and counters. So, whereas Harley is not allowed on the new furniture, Spike can be found snoozing on the back of the couch or crawling across my stomach to snuggle under my arm as I type. Harley is kept off the furniture and curls up in various corners. Wouldn't you rather be a cat?

Even on the coldest winter evenings, Harley must be let outside to "do his business." The cat, on the other hand, has a litter box under the sink in the bathroom. Which pet would you say has the better deal here?

Although Spike generally gets his bowl filled with dry cat food, on Sundays he gets treated to a pouch of moist cat food. Daily treats, as well as catnip, are put in his bowl at random. Harley's bowl, however, is filled with the same food day in and day out. His treats come every time he has done something rewardable, like staying in his yard when I decide it is too cold for me to traipse outside and wait for him to do his "business." Harley will also find himself the recipient of various table treats. On diet, I'll agree that the dog might have it better, except that it is legal for the cat to get "stoned."

Dog or cat, there are many days that I would love to lay around all day in the patch of warm sun and take a nap when I want.

SNOW!

In the grand scheme of things, there are three different ways to look at white flakes that fall from the sky and accumulate on the ground: snow.

The first way we look at snow comes from what age you are. Little children look at snow with fascination and want to go out and play in it. So parents bundle them up so completely that they can hardly move. School age students look at the snow and watch for an excessive accumulation so school is canceled and they can have a day off. Early and middle adulthood look at snow as a form of recreation: snowmobiling, snowshoeing, skiing, sledding. If, however, the adult has a home but no children, the snow must be moved off the driveway and/or sidewalk, and that takes effort and time after working hard all day. If the adult has children, the idea of "child labor" takes on a new meaning; if you shovel the drive, I'll pay you $10.00. Older adults look at the snow and worry about who will shovel or worse, what will happen if they fall.

The way we look at snow depends on how long the season is lasting and how much snow has fallen. The first snow fall looks pretty and sparkly, at least until the salt, sand, and cinders have destroyed the pristine picture. By January or February, especially this year with the amounts of snow that have fallen, we look at the snow and wonder how much more will fall with the "I'm tired of all this white stuff."

The weatherman has a different take. Have you ever noticed that the weatherman always talks about a "light" snow? Since snow is white when it falls, how could it ever be thought as something other than "light," until we have to shovel it. Each individual snowflake is light in weight; so again, "light" fits.

So, what is your take on snow?