I awoke early this morning to the sound of howling winds. I knew it was very cold outside, and, being Saturday, I decided to go back to sleep.

A couple of hours later I again awoke. My husband was by my side, my dog at my feet – and the wind was still howling. But it was time to get up.

A.J. followed me downstairs where I made his breakfast, then made mine. We both ate our breakfasts, and A.J. lapped up the milk left at the bottom of my cereal bowl. I read the paper and waited for the wind to stop.

An hour later the wind showed no signs of stopping, and it was 24 degrees (F). But crazy dogs don’t care about cold or wind, so it was time to go. Greg and I bundled up; A.J. was happy in his fur coat. We went out into the cold.

Our walk was shorter than usual. About half a mile from home we turned a corner and it felt like a delicate Christmas ornament had shattered in front of our faces, sending tiny, icy shards into our faces. We put our heads down and trudged on. A.J. didn’t notice, he continued to check for interesting smells and keep a look out for squirrels.

We made it home; A.J. got a small treat, Greg and I made coffee. We spent a lazy Saturday in the house.

But, crazy dogs who’ve had short walks get restless. In the afternoon we once again bundled up and headed into the storm.

The wind was still blowing, the temperature had taken a small step up to 26 degrees, and a light snow was falling. We went to the park, where A.J. ran looking for squirrels (who are apparently less restless than crazy dogs and remained hidden). Greg and I, not wanting to stand still, walked around the park several times.

In spite of the cold and the swirly snow, I was happy to be at the park with A.J. Thinking of all the rainy days where we’d get home with a wet, muddy dog, I was glad the ground was frozen and I wouldn’t have to stand on the front porch with a bucket of water attempting to wash the mud off my dog.

We made our final lap of the park and reached the point where it was time to leave. A very happy A.J. took one last run through the park then came to have his leash put on. I looked at my panting, happy dog. I noticed a string of slobber frozen across the top of his nose. But what really caught my attention was the mud covering his paws. Sigh. Only A.J. could go out into a snowy, frozen park and come out covered with mud.