Who knew that dogs could get cankles? Well, to be accurate...SNOW cankles. Not me. But apparently, as my dog Watson experienced this morning in the first snow (and it's a blizzard too!) of the season, they can. And like pantyhose cankles, they are not attractive. Think white bloomers...
Unfortunately they are also a bit more of a bother to make go away. No tugging at thin nylon to smooth out. The poor pupper repeatedly flopped down and worked the snow boulders out of the hair on each leg using his teeth. He'd tug and tease each one, flinging the hair encrusted snowball to the side before going after the next. Made for many stops and starts to our walk this morning.
However, all was not bad. The stops and starts caused the 2 of us to slow down...Watson to de-cankle...and me to breathe in the glory of the woods this morning.
The deep silence magnified every moan of the weighted branches as they stretched down to the earth. Released by the insistent wind...they sprang up from their burdens...dropping snow making soft thuds onto the blanketed ground below.
I could hear the chickadees and juncos chittering and twee-tweeting under the shelter of bowed grasses. If I walked too close to the sheltering weeds...they exploded out...flying to the nearest branch...and immediately began to scold me for disturbing them.
Lovely heavy wet flakes were blowing sideways...sticking burr-like to the first obstacle encountered. The fence posts each wore a jaunty cap...several qualified as raffish! And the rough tree barks were smoothed even like an application of makeup. Except they were far more stunning...Au natural.
I heard each footfall I took...my steps sounded like I was making snowballs. Packing the snow firm and hard...silent evidence to be left that Watson and I had passed through.
So...despite dog cankles and all...I am grateful for His reminder to slow down...breathe...and give thanks for each gift a day brings. Especially when gift wrapped in glittery, fragile beauty.
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