Madison, WI

Started walk at 6:20 a.m.

It was dark and overcast. Just like yesterday but without the flurries. The temperature was mild and, once again, gloves were not always needed.



It snowed and rained during the night. In fact, I slid into a ditch during the night because of the slick roads. I was driving down a hill and was approaching a 90 degree turn. When I put on the Subaru brakes it simply refused to slow down. I was still a good distance from the turn and had plenty of time to think about the potential consequences of different actions. There was a fence about 15 feet from the road so I didn't want to plow hood first into the ditch. I decided to turn the car and hope that four skidding wheels may slow up momentum and possibly carry me through the turn. The former happened but the latter didn't. I did slow down but I still went into the ditch. But, I didn't hit the fence. With the help of a friend and a good samaritan, the car was dug and towed-out in less than a half hour. The rest of my drive home was very, very slow and I didn't get home until almost 1:00 a.m.

Even though I didn't get much sleep I was ready for the morning walk. The main roads were no longer icy and an early morning runner had already tracked the new snow.

I heard an owl, heard a hawk, heard some crows, heard the ducks, heard a jay and heard snow blowers. I saw deer tracks, rabbit tracks, dog tracks and the small paw tracks of an unidentified creature. The scrub branches that lined the path in the woods were so burdened down with snow that I had to bend at the knees and lean forward to pass. One low branch temporarily removed my hat. I quickly retrieved it before Chance could claim it as his new toy.

Yesterday I described Chance playing on the ice. Ironically, my wife called me yesterday around 5:00 p.m. to tell me that Chance had gone through the ice. She gallantly saved him from a frozen death by inching out onto the thin ice on her belly and pulling him out of the water. Later she mused that Chance reminded her of Leonardo DiCaprio in the movie, Titanic. The water was too deep for his hind legs to touch bottom and he didn't have the upper body strength to pull himself out. Consequently, all he could do is put his front paws on the ice and keep his head above water. Her original thought was to run for help but Chance's scared whimpers brought her back. She grabbed a branch that Chance had been carrying and used it to nudged him up onto his front legs. Luckily, she was then able to grab his legs and pull him out of the icy brink. As it turned out, Chance was cold but none the worse for the ordeal. I forgot to ask my wife if she imagined herself Kate Winslet when she was face to snout and belly-down on the ice.

This morning, Chance and I returned to the scene of the action. Surprisingly, Chance didn't readily learn his lesson and ventured boldly back onto the ice. However, my calls quickly brought him back to the shore.

Coffee -- Costa Rican -- OK. Muffin -- cranberry -- few cranberries -- dry.

Oh! I almost forgot. Chance did ensure that he picked out a long branch to carry during the walk. Maybe he did learn a lesson. Make sure that you always carry a big stick.