Quincy and his friends on a cold February Saturday at the dogpark

Quincy slips on the ice

springer-doodle

hot(?) pursuit

the Italian mastiff

I've been bad this week. Too often the cold has been keeping me away from the dogpark.

When it got down to single digits my hands would get numb and I couldn't stay longer than an hour, even though I kept them in my pockets most of the time. It never fazes Quincy; he never wants to leave. So now I make sure I have gloves or mittens when we go to the park.

When I found myself dancing around the park because my feet were freezing, I made sure I had warm boots & socks the next time. When the jacket wasn't enough, I bundled up with lots of layers. And of course I always wear a hat to the dogpark. It's right by the water, Lake Erie and the Niagara River.

I've solved all those problems and the temperature hasn't been back down in the single digits, but now I'm left with my freezing eyes and I don't know what to do about them. I sound like a whiner, but really I'm not. I rarely complain about the cold. I guess it's a combination of the location of the park and the possibility that my circulation might not be as good as I get older.

Because of my new found lack of tolerance for the cold, I've been slacking on taking Quincy to the park. Since we don't have a yard, it's his only chance to run free and play with his friends. But the best I have been able to do is three or four days a week.

He's thrilled. (You need to experience driving him to the park that last mile when he realizes where he's going) He has so much fun there and is always confused about why I want to leave.

Quincy has his own blog, The Tao of Q. I noticed that he hasn't been posting much lately. I wonder if the cold has been affecting him too.