I let my dog outside so he could "do his morning business" while I warmed up my car, prior to leaving for work today.

I noticed my dog had "assumed the position" and was sneaking furtive looks at me to see if I was watching, so I pretended not to look at him, all the while checking to make sure he did what he needed to do (I'm not proud of it, but it's got to be done. Every good pet owner knows they have to watch to make sure their pet is regular.)

Our 6+ inches of snow was still very much in evidence, probably because after it fell last week it was covered by a thin sheeting of ice that froze it in place. My dog didn't think much of the ice, probably because he couldn't walk on it and the crunch he made as he cracked through what he thought was solid was something he wasn't enjoying, much like the rest of us.

I stomped my feet and stared down at the ground, waiting for my dog to leap and bound ecstatically, hopping and wriggling and ready to play ... a sure sign that he was about 5-lbs lighter after his morning purge. Instead, out of the corner of my eye I saw something on the ice covered slope on the side of the house.

I looked up in time to see a little tiny dog-log go sliding by, followed rapidly by another and then a third. I couldn't help it; I guffawed. I bent over and laughed until tears formed little frozen drops on my cheeks. Unfortunately, my dog took umbrage (good word, used way too infrequently ... not that I will take umbrage!) and glared at me from behind the 4" wide naked tree trunk.

Poor dog thought he was being inconspicuous, hiding behind a tree and doing his business; unfortunately, as Martha Stewart is discovering, privacy is a dicey commodity, especially when you're trying to hide some shit ... as we all know, shit rolls downhill. On thin ice, it's even faster.

Okay, I just saw this and had to read it. I am now sorry I did because at first I thought it was something humorous, based on the lead in ... unfortunately there was a picture. Since this is a pictureless blog site you will be spared the graphic photo, but so you don't feel slighted here is the story:

Decomposing Whale Explodes on Taiwan Street

TAIPEI (Jan 29) - The decomposing remains of a 66-ton sperm whale exploded on a busy Taiwan street, showering nearby cars and shops with blood and organs and stopping traffic for hours, local newspapers said.

The 56-foot dead whale had been on a truck headed for an autopsy at a university earlier this week, when gases from internal decay caused its entrails to explode in the southern city of Tainan.

The whale had died after it was beached on the southwestern coast of the island.

My question? Why did they feel it necessary to put it on a truck and haul it through the populace, just to do an autopsy? It had been alive, now it is dead. Give it a burial at sea or on the beach ... it is 56 feet long ... and had you seen the picture you too would know that it's entrails and blood doused buildings and cars lining both sides of 4 lane road. UGH.

Snow. Sleet. Freezing Rain. You name, we got it. :)

So far we have about 7 inches of snow. Last night it was covered by this loooooovely 1/2" thick sheet of ice (took me 25 minutes to hack my truck out of the deep freeze this morning!) Right now it is a confusing mix of snow/rain although it will make up its mind in time to dump more snow on us this afternoon. :)

I love snow.

I hate when it starts getting dirty from exhaust fumes and orange from the dirt/sand they dump on it to "improve traction" ...

Hmmm, now that I've said it, I need to clarify my "I love snow" comment:

I love snow from indoors and I love snow when I'm outside at night, yet it's almost as bright as day, and the only sound you hear is the slight hiss as falling snow continues to build up. Traffic noise is non-existent or so muffled it no longer sounds like the belching dragon of truck engine backfire, the angry mutter of slow moving, rush hour traffic.

I don't, however, like snow from behind the wheel of my car (I am definitely not a good snow driver and not ashamed to admit it. (That's why I need a big strong man, with 4WD and the ability to use it properly, to care for me all the days of my life) I also don't particularly like snow as seen from behind the handle of a snow shovel. :)

If I ever move to an area that has tons of snow (Idaho, South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, places my heart yearns for) I will have to have a snowblower AND a snowmobile because I am a real weakling when it comes to shoveling. (Again that "big strong man" statement comes to mind.)

Hi Sharondarella! :)
I am sorry to hear you were sick! :( Hopefully you are feeling better now?"

Ooooh! Thank you for the well-wishes! Damn if I'm not counting every single "sorry to hear you were sick" and "hope you feel better soon" because they sure are few and far between. People seem to fall into two behaviors: they hear you were sick and they treat you like you have typhoid or leprosy. (aka, "avoid you like the plague") OR they want to hear your symptoms so they can tell you they had the same thing, and theirs was MUCH worse ... yet they still managed to come to work (aka, "aren't you the big baby for giving in so weakly.")

What has happened to our society? It used to be that if you were sick you stayed home until you were better. Now it's a "come to work unless you are dead and if you're dead, bring the corpse" mentality.

Why would you want a sick employee coming in so germs can be spread to all the coworkers? It's ludicrous! And doctors are wondering why so many people have gotten the flu this year? It's because of the "noble" people who come in, clutching a box of tissues, coughing/sniffling/sneezing/wheezing yet proclaiming "I never use sick days."

Of all people, perhaps YOU should because now you're going to spread your funk to those of us who have beaten the odds and are still well. Lordy, what a society.

So, yes, I am still sick, but thanks for asking.

Actually, truthfully, I feel better, much better, but I can't get rid of this damn cough and I'm not sleeping well at night because of it. Kind of sucks, but I'll live to complain another day. Meanwhile I keep coughing like my spleen is stuck in my throat. ;D

Sorry to have been such a bad correspondent. "Bad, really BAD, couple of weeks" is my excuse and "I promise to do better" is my mantra. :)

I think I have SARS.

I can’t think of another explanation for why this cough won’t go away! I’ve tried antibiotics, Robitussin CF cough syrup (boys and girls, do NOT try this once your stuffy nose clears up, you will throw up! “Better tasting syrup” my ASS!) and bags of cough drops both menthol and not. All I got was a tongue that has turned an interesting shade of purplish pink, depending on the flavor of the cough drop currently dissolving in my mouth. ARGH!

This is 2-1/2 weeks of this coughing nonsense!

And before you laugh, remember, I could very easily wish a cough on you that is so severe you spring little pee-pee leaks every third cough. As if it wasn’t bad enough to be having chills and fever over Christmas, and weak and lethargic over New Years, I also missed ALL of the after Christmas sales! WAAAAAGH! :’(

I’m telling you, someone wished bad karma on me, either that or they sneezed on me … same thing. End result: SARS and a cough that sounds like the hounds of hell have taken up residence in my chest.