Buddy

The Utleys have two big dogs and one that could be easily mistaken for a large rat. Buddy is about 8 inches high. Six inches of snow fell this weekend. Big dogs ran and slid and played and barked. Buddy tried to keep his nose above the waterline.

It's hard to lift your leg when the snow bank is as high as you are tall. Buddy did his best. Later in the day, when we thought everyone had done all the "business" they should have done, Buddy went outside with his mother, Hannah, and her mother, and her mother. Three generations of women shoveled snow and cleaned off my car because I thought I had to get to work the next morning. Buddy checked out the mailbox, marked his territory, then slid into the street. I watched a couple of his tries to hop back into the yard, then forgot to watch as I tackled the next huge pile of sleet covered snow.

I kinda watched as Hannah walked down the driveway with Buddy in her arms. I carefully watched as she returned with no dog, but the sidewalk ice scraper and a shovel and a towel. She walked to the neighbor's house into their garage. That was interesting, because they have their own shovel, and I didn't see any neighbors in the garage. The 8 year old was brushing snow off their car. She came back, tools in hand.

"What are you doing?"...I know, the level of probing, intelligent, inquiry takes your breath away. "What are you doing?

"Buddy pooped in their garage."

Now there's a thought for you. When life gets deep or difficult, just find the most convenient, warm place and deposit your poop there. Someone will clean up your mess.