Wannabe: I don’t care how thick the ice is, I walk gingerly on a frozen lake – as if walking on the balls of my feet somehow makes me lighter. It’s the same as squeezing the steering wheel harder when you’re running out of gas.

Rick: Kbarton would never kick the Wonderdog – he’s just a brownliner trying to stir up trouble. And besides, there are lots of better reasons for kicking him.

Harry: Wally the Wonderdog already gets the best spot near the fireplace, the prime spot at the foot of the bed, the key begging spot in the kitchen, and the door opened pretty much whenever he wants it – now you want me to give him top billing on my own blog too?

Come to think of it, I bet if you ran a reader poll about whose picture they would most like to see in a post Wally or ??, Wally would win it hands down.

Wasn’t it Thomas Nast that said something about the mission of the guy who sees somebody kicking a dog. – not stopping him so much as kicking the guy?

Best for the new year.

Rick

On Eagle Lake–which takes a lot of freeze to be frozen–the only way I can describe the sounds I would hear is that the ice was singing. I was told it had something to do with the shifting layers of ice. No idea, but it was surreal.

When goose hunting on Honey Lake, we would set up the decoys around openings in the ice where the birds would land to drink. As I lay there on my stomach under a camo cover, I always wondered, if the ice was thin enough to allow open water holes, how thick was it under me.

And the most beautiful were probably the full moon, midnight cross country ski treks on frozen McCoy Flat reservoir (between S’ville and you).

Thank goodness for hot chocolate with Rumplemintz (not necessarily in that order).

Based on the location of the dog bed, I’d say once you’ve got the fire going Wally is as firmly rooted as an oak tree.

Oak trees respire too.

Beautiful pot! I’ve just recently become aware of your blog. You have a heartwarming style that makes me feel all mash potatoes and gravy on a cold winters day. Hope you don’t mind if i “borrow” lightly some of your techniques like parenthesizing inner thoughts and idealizing the bat chronicles.

Keep up the good work!

Despite sharing many heartwarming traits with humans; farting loudly, smackin his lips when eating pot roast, etc., be advised you’re suffering from a multi-year marketing campaign of PETA’s making.

If it lifts it’s leg to pee, it’s a flea bit, thick skulled, odiferous, emotional sponge – a.k.a. Hydrant-kitten.