The Dog Days of Winter.

They are here!
Well, the Holiday season has come and gone like it does EVERY year. I have made mention here in my blog that I hate winter weather, and basically have no use for it. However, I can tolerate the crappy weather as it leads us up to Christmas and New Years. I don't mind a white Christmas, and I can even tolerate it at New Years. BUT, once January 2nd hits, I want to see every flake of snow disappear forever. There are a number of reasons that I feel that way, but one of the big ones is that winter never seems to end! It just drags on and on and on and on and on...
When I was a kid, I didn't mind that. There was sledding, and snowball fights, and fort building. Shoot, I'd bundle up and be outside in the snow all day. Snow days at home from school were like gold to me. My buddy from the next house and I would play ALL DAY! Now, things have changed. A LOT. When it's cold out, I hurt. When I have to shovel snow, I hurt. When I do the good Dad thing and take my kids sledding, I hurt. When I have to run my van for fifteen minutes before driving, thereby costing me more gas money, I hurt. So as you can see, winter hurts.
Even when I was young.
I said that when I was young that I loved the snow and winter time, and that's true. At least until I was ready to start playing baseball and golf. At that point winter never seemed to end. I live in Michigan and the weather here is just crazy sometimes. I've had baseball games canceled due to snowstorms the day after it was 65 degrees outside. And not just a little snow, but snow that accumulates. Then you deal with the wet ground for what seems like an eternity. So, I used to get really frustrated. I'd want to be outside doing things, and the weather just doesn't always cooperate. Trying to hit a golf ball out of ground that can only be described as soup, is not fun. So, the Dog Days of Winter are indeed upon us!
I sound like a Bitch!
I know I sound like I'm complaining about something I can not control; the weather. And that's probably true, but it's not my intent. I just look at my kids and see their disappointment that the snow has melted now, and their excitement when I tell them that it is going to snow again soon, and I just remember how I felt. Now things sure have changed. I just wonder if they will feel the same way I do when they get older. I hope not though. I hope they keep that childlike enthusiasm for everything they enjoy in life. I hope that they don't get beaten down by the responsibilities of adulthood. I hope they can look at something that most people see as dreary and ugly and see the possibilities in it. I hope that I can teach them that they don't have to be as negative as their Daddy sometimes is. Sometimes I can be sort of cynical(in case you have yet to notice) and I don't want my kids to have that quality.
Well, I've ranted again, what do you think? Also, I put a picture of our dog when he was a puppy to start this entry to signify the Dog Days that I refer to, but also because he was really cute. Don't tell my wife I said that, she thinks I hate the little butthead.