It’s snowing again here in Maine. Not an unusual occurrence, certainly, but we have had enough I think [LOL].

This storm’s snow is light and fluffy, and luckily for me, easy to move (shovel!) I don’t tell anyone, but I enjoy being outside, snow falling, as I work to clear the paths and driveway. (of course the enjoyment ends when it goes below zero and the wind whips up… they can wait till spring then!) Anyway, as I was working down the driveway, I saw that the plow had left a huge mountain of snow ahead of me. Now I had just shoveled all of this out about 2 hours before, making sure that I had moved enough snow so that WHEN the plow went by, we wouldn’t get much “backlash”. Of course my neighbors didn’t, so guess where theirs went?! I stood looking at it for a few minutes. (The dogs stand in the yard, on the other side of the fence, thinking I am playing this great game and why aren’t they invited?)

I decide my plan of attack, working small sections and sliding each shovelful, up the driveway and to the side. This area works better for me as far as lifting goes, no snow banks, and I can pile it against the trees. For a while I am busy, attacking each area, standing back occasionally to see if I need to alter my plan or direction. Before I know it, there is only a small little hill of snow left and then that is quickly dispatched. It gives me a good feeling, I have accomplished something….then the wheels start to turn.

I look at the Beardies in the corner of the fenced yard, wagging their tails and wondering when they can play too. My “mountain” experience makes me think of all of the times my guys have done that Beardie thing we call “problem solving”. Mac comes to mind of course [G]. He would see his objective, wait till he thought we didn’t know what was going on, then go for it! He waited 3 months for his chance to climb onto the couch, step on a stand, go to the bookcase and start climbing that, to reach the stuffed bunnies he loved (but wasn’t supposed to have) His mind works like this and I have seen others do that too.

I love to watch a Beardie when they are thinking (yes they think, although sometimes it seems doubtful) . They get this expression on their faces, their eyes seem to drift off someplace, yet you can see the wheels turning — it’s amazing. They don’t seem fazed that the problem may be too big for them, they analyze, find the best course of action and just do it.

So I wonder, as I stand in the falling snow, pleased with my accomplishment — do I love these dogs so much because we have the same traits? Or has their ability to problem solve, rubbed off on me in the years they have been in my life? Maybe I’ll never know. Maybe their real gift to us, is that they bring out our best qualities. We are able to do things, to be better people, to be more than we thought we could be… BECAUSE they give us all of this love and laughter and trust (and sometimes frustration [g]) and it enables us to go out there into the world and do more, be more than we ever thought we could.

Thanks guys. Now let’s play……

Val