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Winter Wonderland

December 15th, 2010

For years our winters here in Indiana have been fairly mild. By mild I mean temps in the 20′s at night and 30′s during the day. A little snow which usually doesn’t stick around for more than a few days. There will be cold spells and warm spells too. So far this winter has been a cold one, temps down to zero at night and only up to the teens or twenties during the day. We had a few snowfalls, and the snow still lingers on the ground, though it’s been blown off the roofs and tree branches. More snow is predicted for tomorrow.

9 degrees

Our hundred-plus year old farmhouse is drafty and chilly, so I’ve piled on the layers. Three sweaters, two pairs of socks. The cats are chilled too, and they head for my lap any time I sit down. At night they form a living, albeit heavy, comforter on the bed which keeps us warm. The dogs, on the other hand, hate being cooped up, and love running around in the snow.

Speaking of dogs, we had a stray show up in the neighborhood a few weeks ago. I saw her once, then not again for two weeks. The second time I marveled that she had made it through so many cold nights and wondered what had kept her going- she was so thin! I took her to my house, fed her and gave her a blanket to sleep on. She was an old Plott Hound, beautiful brown brindle coat,white around the muzzle with worn down teeth. Her collar (no tags) and friendly manner said she belonged to someone. The next day we took her to our local shelter, hoping someone may have reported her missing, or if not that they would be able to find her a home. I know some people cringe at the thought of taking an animal to a shelter, thinking it just means death or life in a cage, but we have a wonderful Animal Shelter in Brown County. The staff oohed and awed over the dog we now called Lady. They petted her, checked her for a microchip (none) and checked her teeth and ears. That night it was bitterly cold and I was so glad that Lady was now safe and warm with a new loving home in her future.

Lady, the stray dog

I set out to write about how cold I was, but slipped off track thinking about that dog and how glad I was that she wasn’t out there freezing somewhere. Funny how easy it is to get caught up in one’s own discomfort, or troubles, when there’s always someone else who has it worse. Could the world be a better place if we all just stepped out of our shoes for a moment and tried on someone else’s?

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