Today is officially a sweet day. The birds are coming back home after vacationing in the south for the winter. The sun is out. The temperatures are in the mid 50s. The snow is disappearing quickly.
It’s days like these that make it all worthwhile. On-call doesn’t seem as bad. Worries seem to follow the snow and disappear.
Tom is getting a little picky with going outside as he gets older. When he first joined the family eight years ago, he was outside regardless of weather. Even in the deadest of winter, he’d go out, sit on the porch and survey the area to make sure everything was as he intended. Since moving to the new house last year, he doesn’t seem nearly as interested in going out in the wintertime. It’s the same routine day after day. He’ll make motions like he wants to go out. I’ll open the door. He’ll sniff the air, catch a glimpse of something and stare at it for about 10 seconds, twitch his tail three times and then he’s done. As the nicer weather grabs hold, now he’s in and out like a yo-yo. Out the back door. In the front door. Out the front door. In the back door. This afternoon I’ve finally given up and just left the back door open during my lunch hour. There’s really no bugs to worry about this time of year, and the fresh air does wonders for the house. And he can come and go as he pleases. Since I’ve started writing this entry, he’s been in and out around 15 times. A stroll around the deck, inside to eat two bites of kibble and then back outside. I think my lunch hour is disturbing his routine or something.
My only frustration with the onset of spring is that I can’t get out there and ride my bike because of on-call week. I’m hoping that everything stays nice through next week so I can get out there Monday night and do some serious training. The Ride For Missing Children is a month and a half away, and I need to get my legs in shape. By the way, if you’re interested in contributing to this worthy cause, please contact me. Any amount is most welcome.
If you get the opportunity, get out and enjoy the weather. Put some spring in your step!
