Dogs of Our Lives: The Signs Say Prepare!

 (From September 20, 2025)

Whoa! What the... Look at that! OH NO!! I know what that means!"

Alert! AlertAlertAlertAlert! Everybody come quick! Important safety announcement!

Oh, good grief, Nash. We are all already here.

No kidding! I think he just wanted an excuse to howl.

Yeah, he loves to exercise those pipes of his. And now my ears are ringing.

Let's just go back inside. I'm sure it's not important.

Listen UP, I say. Take a look at what I just found on the patio!

Do you KNOW what that is? It's a Wooly Bear and its stripes tell us how bad winter is going to be.

If I remember right, that big orange middle means lots of heavy snow, ice, blizzards, zero degree temperatures with wind chills at minus 300, and being stuck inside for months at a time!

What?? Nooooo! That means I won't be able to play frisbee at the park! I'm shook!! SHOOK, I say!

It's true! And remember that sparrow feather we found in the yard? That's another sign it will be a bad winter - the birds are growing bigger feathers so they can keep themselves warm when it's 300 below.

The baby deer with antlers we spied in the neighbor's yard? Even the baby deer are preparing for a bad winter - they know they are going to have to fight for food, even the babies!

And while I hate to mention him (shiver), Mr. Toad is putting on the pounds. He's an old toad and been through several winters. He's the most reliable sign of all that it is gonna be a bad winter!

(The dogs crowd through the back door and race into the house.)

I call any place that has a sun puddle! That's where I will be sleeping when it's cold outside!

(Loftily) I can't think of just myself; Lynn is my partner and I need to make sure she is warm, too. We can snuggle on the couch when it's cold out. See? We are practicing.

(Yawn) I love the double blankets on this bed. So warm and comfy!

All right! Mission accomplished! I have warned my family about the approaching danger and now I can take a snooze, too.

This family would not survive without my leadership. ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz