Thursday, March 17, 2011

The rites of Spring in northern Michigan...

 
It happens every spring. I play chicken with the melting snow thinking that I still have time to rummage through the storage room for the basket of old towels I use to wipe muddy paws clean. Every year I put off the task just one - day - too - long and when I do, I pay the price. Mounds of pristine snow once called my backyard home. Now, newborn mud puddles have opened their little, beady, black eyes to greet the world - the little stinkers growing larger and healthier each day.

I lost today and the mud puddles won. I waited too long. I gambled. The puddles called out to Scout and Freyja, "Come here cute doggies. Come play with me. Come dance in the cool, oozing mud I have laid out for your pleasure." Being the obedient dogs that they are - they went and they danced and they frolicked and they celebrated spring with unbridled passion.

Needless to say, after Scout and Freyja made it through the back door to do an encore of their 'happy dance of joy' on the kitchen floor, a good mopping was in order and my basket of towels was pulled out from Winter storage - fluffy soldiers to be sacrificed over and over in the coming weeks ensuring a clean kitchen floor and my continued serenity. Snow doesn't melt in a day up here in northern Michigan, it takes a while - and - it takes a lot of patience and a little humor before I, too, do the happy dance of joy in celebration of Spring.
National Canine Cancer Foundation

17 comments:

♥♥ The OP Pack ♥♥ said...

Ciara the mud princess would love to come join the dance:)

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!!!

Woos ~ O'Phantom, O'Thunder, and O'Ciara

Sam said...

Just look on the bright side - at least it was the kitchen and not somewhere that youd find a rug or carpet :)

Two French Bulldogs said...

we don't like wet feets
Benny & Lily

Mrs. JP said...

oh, we fight that same battle! I like the snow but always know that it's gonna melt and make for lots of paw tracks. I've made friends w/ the local carpet place and get their scraps for the door area.

Tweedles -- that's me said...

I know all about towels. They are a mud puddles best friend.
Scout and Freyja are welcoming in spring,,, just getting a head start.
love
tweedles

houndstooth said...

Morgan would be happy to come and share her version of the mud dance with Scout and Freyja! If it makes you feel better, you're not alone fighting the battle with the mud.

Maxmom said...

Hey Mimi.
Beautiful writing always comes from somewhere deep within.
Happy Spring!
Sending lotsaluv
MAXMOM IN SOUTH AFRICA

Teddy Bear said...

Oh, muddy puddles are so much fun.:)

Love,
Teddy Bear

3 doxies said...

Hehehehe...soryy but I did haves to giggle invisionin' dis dance. We do it too and gets on mum's nerves when we come in all muddy but, ya'll is so mucher bigger.
Oh Spring where is you at?

Puddles

Frankie Furter and Ernie said...

I LOVE MUD!!! My mom.. not so much.

Isn't the soil kinda sandy in northern MI ?

Angel Ginger Jasper said...

Oh dear mum all over the kitchen floor is not good for your mum but I bet you had so much fun.. Te he Hugs GJ x

rottrover said...

Mom just keeps a big pile of towels in our laundry room -- always ready!!

D.K. Wall said...

Mud is the most fun and we love to see how much we can get on us.

Oskar said...

We are in south-eastern Michigan and finally the last of the snow is gone. And I LOVE mud season!

Nubbin wiggles,
Oskar

Sagira said...

Maybe next time you will get the puddles. :)

^..^Corgidogmama said...

The snow is preferable to the mud as far as clean up! I trimmed both corgis' hairy toes last week, hoping that would make cleaning feet easier...some, but mopping is necessary a lot more often now that the "thaw" has happened!
Hope all is well, and that Spring pushes through to stay...not just these little bits here and there.

ForPetsSake said...

Great post - you had me cracking up. I, too fight the urge to pull out the towels and find myself late each time.
When we lived in Maine, we had mud season while the feet of snow melted around us, leaving these baby mud puddles everywhere. Funny how they grow so robustly, huh? ;)