After weeks and weeks of misery (at least for those of us who hate the snow), spring shoved the winter aside for a couple of glorious days. The 55-degree weather has started to melt the mountains of white stuff, which makes for an interesting study in contrasts.
Take, for example, our resident teenager. As desperate as the rest of us are for a break from the frigid cold, Chloe totally overcompensated for the unseasonal rise in temperature by wearing a tank top and sandals to visit her friends. When I pointed out that her choice of footwear put her in the same league as those posers who drive their convertibles with the top down in 40-degree weather or people who wear shorts when it’s snowing, she balked at my comparisons.
After the usual series of eye rolls in response to my gleeful mocking, Chloe finally admitted that perhaps she hadn’t really given enough thought to the possibility that she might sink her almost-bare feet into ice cold slush puddles while walking around town. You know your kid is evolving nicely when she’s actually willing to admit to her stupidity. I think that desperate optimism played a role in her foolhardy wardrobe choices today. How can I blame her for hoping that we had finally turned a corner with the weather and choosing to wear (pun intended) that hope on her feet?
Sophie was much more sensible with her outfit today. She wore long sleeves and boots to play in the snow. After a long and productive day working on yet another school project (I curse school projects because they’re a pain in the ass and make me feel like I’m the one in school), she ran Super Truffle ragged with his new toy, a Kyjen Tail Teaser, which is like a fishing rod with a stuffed animal for bait. Needless to say, Truffle showed both the limits and vast potential of his intelligence by running around and around and around in frantic circles trying to trap the toy in his mouth, and eventually realizing that he can hold onto the toy longer if he puts his paw on the rope while he chews on the bait.
Tonight, Sophie and Truffle are relaxing by chewing on Truffle’s big boy bed. Truffle loves his favorite Sophie because she’s genuinely interested in what it’s like to be a dog. Chloe couldn’t give a rat’s ass what Truffle’s life is like, but Sophie more than compensates for her big sister’s lack of interest by willingly entering her puppy’s complex and savage mind.
The cold will be back by the time we wake up tomorrow morning. But thanks to this taste of spring, we all have a little extra fuel to keep us going until it warms up for real.