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   At this time of year, we should all be prepared for cold weather, but it seems to come as a surprise when it happens. It was annoying when daytime highs went from the forties to the twenties but was shocking when it dropped to below zero.

   Billie, the couch poodle, was even more surprised by the changes than I was. Sunday morning, bright and early, as is his normal routine, he rousted me from bed to go outside. When I opened the door, he stuck his nose out and said, “nope, I can wait.” He was content to go to his couch and hoped the feeling of urgency would go away. He waited for a couple of hours before he had to give in to the urge and go out. He did not waste any time doing what he had to do and came directly back to his couch to curl up.

   It warmed up to close to zero before he was ready to go out again and this was only if I went with him. I needed to get the mail so I bundled up enough to survive the trip to the mailbox, which is about a quarter of a mile away, up the driveway. With me along, Billie did not seem to notice the cold. He ran and played like a puppy. He enjoyed running at full speed while plowing the five or six inches of powdery fresh snow with his face. He checked every deer, squirrel, and rabbit track from the house to the mailbox. By the time we got back, Billie was caked with snow from top to bottom. We spent a fair amount of time in the garage with towel time and a brush. A fluffy poodle can carry at least a gallon of snow.

   It is easy to make light of our reactions to changes in the weather as though we do not expect it, but we also need to remember to be prepared in case we get caught out in it. It is no joke if a person finds themselves unexpectedly out in the weather when the wind chills are twenty or more degrees below zero.  A vehicle should have cold weather supplies in case a person was to become stranded. I always carry a blanket, a bottle or two of water, and some high energy snacks. If I slide off the road into a ditch, I do not plan to be there long, but I do not want to become frost bitten while I wait. My wife always comments on my gas tank level when it gets low. She thinks I am trying to see how long I can go before I run out of gas. I must admit, sometimes it gets lower than it should but during the winter, I am more cognizant of my gas gauge. It is best to keep a vehicle closer to full in the winter to leave less room for condensation in the gas tank. Also, more gas gives a person more time to run the engine to keep warm if they become stranded.

   Just like the temperatures dropping to intolerable level came as a shock to everyone, we will all soon be surprised by the sudden warm up. When it gets up to forty degrees, we will all feel like it is t-shirt weather. The thing we can predict about the weather is that it is unpredictable.

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