Snow in the South

I love how everything shuts down when it snows in the south...correction...how everything shuts down when there is even a PREDICTION of snow. I just came inside from sitting on the porch with Dean. I couldn't resist it. I bundled him up (and myself), grabbed a cup of hot coffee, and dragged the rocking chair out on the porch. We sat out there for about an hour just watching the snow fall and the dogs run around like mad men. Dean was so still and wide-eyed, taking it all in. The dogs were dancing around like mad, digging their noses in it and throwing the snow up in the air, running and sliding on the deck, trying to get the neighbor's dog to jump the fence and come and play with them...it was beautiful! They have such unbridled joy. You can't help but get excited about what they get excited about. They have become little sissies though. We take them backpacking with us, even in the winter, and both have been on many snowy trips. The first trip we took Cooper on he fell asleep in a pricker bush in the snow and we had to drag him into the tent. Now he gets cold and acts so pathetic. It's pretty funny to see a "tough guy" like him (all show) with his butt tucked in, picking up one paw at a time so all 4 aren't touching the cold ground at the same time.


Now Dean loves the cold and the outdoors. When he was a newborn and would be really fussy we'd just take him outside and he'd immediately calm right down. Josh and I love this about him, since we are both outdoor nuts, and we take him to the woods whenever we can. It seems to put him completely at peace. When he was like 6 weeks old we had a cold snap and the high was something like 38 one day. Being down here with the 60 degree winters, I try to get outside when it's cold and pretend that I'm back up north (I don't want to live in that again, I just like to pretend). I put Dean in so many layers that he was like the kid on A Christmas Story. (In case you are wondering he has on socks, a onesie, a sweatshirt weight onesie, a hat, and a fleece jacket. He was sweating when we got home.)

Today my plan is to get Dean and the dogs and head to the woods. There are few things more beautiful than the trees covered in snow.