Downhill spiral

I know there is a twist somewhere...

This weather is killing me! It is so cold that I just can't spend enough time outside. I NEED outside. My dogs need outside. It is incredibly beautiful out there. The trees are tipped with frost. The slough is partially iced over and lined with mallard ducks. Hundreds of them. My son is working on a job out at Snoqualmie Falls and he said it is absolutely stunning with the ice crystals hugging the rocks. I want to be out taking it all in. But I can't. There is nothing worse than having my toes cold. The toes that are not there. How does one warm something that doesn't exist? My dogs want to run, but whenever I take them out Henry's split toenail begins to bleed as it rewarms. Since it has split laterally it is not something that can be cut and cauterized, although that option will be discussed with the vet next week. To top it off Kate is driving me crazy. I am stuck in this house with her. I feel guilty locking her in the kitchen so that I can get away for even a few minutes. She is hormonal. If I ask her to stay she moves. If I ask her to move she stays. She does it all with a dumb doofus look on her face. If I grump then she sits and looks at me with a blank stare. If I touch her left foot she moves her right. ARGHH!! I know that we would both be happier if I could wear her out. The ground is so frozen, and after Henry's experience, I worry about her injuring herself. She is ruthless with her body, and her body seems a bit disconnected with her brain right now. The cold has caused my lips to split. I have a concert this weekend. I really, really want this cold snap to end. I know, I know, we can't always have what we want. The Mommy Mantra. As my kids used to tell me, "that doesn't help."

My solution? I will go do my chores and get on the stinkin' treadmill and see if I can warm my toes. I will take Kate, and only Kate, out with me to feed the horse. Together we will scoop the poopsicles while Henry gets some peaceful chewing of his new bone. After about five minutes of that we will come in so that the dogs can snarl and argue over the new bone. No matter how many I put down they always want the same one. Then I will get back on the treadmill and try to warm those missing toes again. It's a vicious cycle and one that can only be changed by a temperature increase of about fifteen or twenty degrees. In this age of Global Warming that doesn't seem too much to ask, does it?

G2