Wintery Note to Self

When taking your cabin feverish dog and puppy for a winter walk in 20 degree weather with ice and snow on the ground remember the following:

Wear contacts - when you wrap your face, mouth and nose in your scarf in a pitiful attempt to keep them warm, your warm breath will fog your glasses making it impossible to see where your dogs are dragging you.

Use sidewalks - do not traipse down the unsalted, unshoveled alleys with their thick coat of ice because you will slip and come perilously close to falling on your butt - repeatedly. Especially when your dogs go nuts trying to get at another dog behind a fence and you are tangled in two leashes.

Bring tissues - cold air makes your nose run and while it is so nicely covered with your scarf it still kind of grosses you out to think snot is running down your face. Also, then you have to wash your scarf when you get home.

Bring bags - more bags than you think you will need for poop patrol. There is this odd phenomena that occurs when the leash is attached to your older dog's neck - it becomes the world's best laxative. This dog will then poop more in the 10 block walk than she will the next three days in your own yard. (However, this is a year round reminder, not just winter walks!)

I sincerely hope this serves to remind myself, and possibly others, of the dangers of winter!! No good deed goes unpunished :)