Cabin Fever

Normally, there's very little that prevents me and Cliff from taking our daily walk, rain being the main hindrance. We've gotten out there in single-digit temperatures, and as long as our hands, heads, and necks are well-swaddled, we're fine.

Yesterday, though, with the wind blowing and temperatures in the low teens, we skipped it. Today if the wind isn't present, we'll probably walk, even though it's only three degrees. Forcing myself to get out there and "just do it" seems to help my mood. I'm one of those people who tends to be somewhat depressed in winter, especially when it's bitter cold. I'm a prime example of someone with Seasonal Affective Disorder.

Something about cold weather makes me want to cook things that really aren't so good for us, and then I eat too much of what I cook and get depressed with myself. Of course when my husband, who has heart issues, eats along with me because after all, it's what I cooked, I feel guilty.

So yes, I'm a mess. Somebody know a good shrink?

Meanwhile, my dog doesn't understand why we don't go for our walk on days like yesterday; she follows me and Cliff around, whining under her breath. If one of us gets out of our chair to go to the bathroom, she's right at our heels in hopes we're getting ready to walk.

I turn her out by herself more than I used to, so she gets some exericise: she's gotten well enough acquainted with all the neighbor dogs that they bore her, which means she isn't so likely to follow them off. She's learned to bark at the door when she wants in, which is pretty cool; she barks twice in succession and waits for me to let her in; if I take too long, she goes to the other door.

She seldom stays out more than an hour, and seems to stay close to home.
Our neighbor across the fence shoots a deer or two every year, and he dresses it himself. He leaves the skin, feet, and other useless parts in his yard to rot. Sadie has discovered these delights from time to time; I think my daughter's dog, Hawkeye, has been a bad influence: he's always on the lookout for goodies when he visits. I'm sure Sadie would never think of playing with carrion otherwise.

Now I really can't complain, because my dog shouldn't be on the neighbor's property; if they want to live with rotten deer parts in their yard, it's their business.

Yesterday evening I called Sadie home and she came prancing, proudly bearing the lower part of a deer leg with the hoof intact. She was in heaven, I tell you. I told her to drop it, and got her in the house. Then I put on my coat and went out to retrieve the nasty prize. Trouble is, it was so cold I didn't want to walk all the way to the disposal place, so I put it just inside our garage and closed the door. It's freezing in there, and I figured I'd feel more inclined to get rid of it with the dawn of a new day.

Yeah, right. I'll get to it before the next big thaw.