Having spent Christmas with family, which included lots of dog walking in lovely mild weather, I returned to New England just in time to be attacked full force by that white crap. I feel sorry for all the drunks who were planning to drive tonight. Me, I’m going to cancel my 'outside plans' to sit home all cozy with my dog, trying to convince myself that I really don’t mind heaps of snow all over my recently melted world. Tonight I’ll contemplate my new year’s resolution, which is to make a road trip south very soon. If my dog is to be a boat dog, even if it’s simply to day sail or to kayak the bay this summer, she must learn to swim before she gets too old to like it. Since ice is not a great medium in which to teach a dog to paddle, and since it will remain way too cold to toss a small puppy into New England’s frigid waters any time within the next six months, I will be forced to drive my dog to Florida, where we can both splash around in warm, alligator infested waters. Honestly, that’s the only reason for heading south. It has nothing to do with wanting a break from winter or any such thing. I simply have to drive to Florida to teach my dog to swim. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
