Dear Oscar, It's 50 degrees in February!! Will Winter ever come this year? -- Exasperated in Essex

Dear Exasperated,

This is a complicated question -- especially for a dog. You see, one has to take into account synoptic charts, additive data, advection, angular momentum, atmospheric stability, continental air masses, convection, intertropical convergence zones, absolute humidity, barometric pressure, polar stratospheric cloud patterns, radiational cooling, southern oscillation, and the total-totals index.

So having considered all of these factors, yes, I think we will see some more wintry weather.

Your friend, Oscar

Training A New Runner

I am not the only dog that has been running along our dirt road these days. Gladys turned one earlier this month, and she has been slowly ramping up her mileage. Usually you wait till a dog turns one before running with them, and Mark and Ali were true to that. Sure, they took her for a mile a few times before she hit the 365-day marker, but now she has been jogging right alongside me.

Let's get something straight. A dog doesn't just jump into the sorts of mileage that you have been seeing on my running log. For example, on Thursday, Gladys ran her longest distance to date -- 6 miles. On the same day, we left her at home while Mark and I took off on a "big dog" run -- 11 miles. Just too much for a rookie. But don't worry, Gladys. Keep training, and someday we'll let you join the big dogs.

For now, though, sometimes you're just going to have to sit at home.

Note: on my running log, I have been inserting the letters WG (with Gladys). Any number to the right of these letters indicates her mileage for the day if it was different from mine. On a day like Thursday, her mileage is not included because we ran at separate times. What, don't like that I don't include her? Well, then, she can get her own running log on her own blog. Sheesh!

Dear Oscar, Did you do anything special for New Year's? -- Father Time

Dear Timey,

Gladys and I escorted in the New Year in fine style -- with a New Year's Eve adventure!

Well, let's back up a minute. My New Year's Eve didn't start with fireworks: Mark and Ali walked down the street to a party... and didn't bring me! Can you imagine? What did they think I'd do -- jump on people? Eat all the party snacks? Drink all the beer? Well, of course I would have done all that, but what's a party without a little excitement and revelry?

Anyway, after that party, their walk continued back to the next door neighbor Sarah's, where there was a small New Year's Eve bonfire. Apparently, Mark felt bad (as he should have) and walked through the woods to get us.

It...was...awesome. There were like three or four other dogs there, so we played and romped. Someone also left some hot dogs by the fire and I almost got them before Mark intervened. After the hot dog incident, I decided to really ramp up the party. I wandered a little way into the woods before catching a scent... and off I went.

I always enjoy running in the woods. I barked and ran this way and that. I heard Mark and Ali calling for me, but when Lyle (golden retriever-slash-husky) and Gladys showed up, I got even more excited! I led them on an adventure that covered I don't know how many miles!

As always, I returned shortly thereafter -- 20 or 30 minutes -- or should I say, I encountered Sarah on the road who was looking for us 20 or 30 minutes later. She got me by the collar and returned me to Alison, who was also on the road. Funny thing I noticed: they only grabbed onto me. Lyle and Gladys got to continue running free. They're nothing but a bunch of followers anyway.

Still, it was an unbelievable New Year's. The next day, Gladys and I laid around all day. We didn't even follow Ali around the house. Hard partying like what we did requires serious recovery.

Happy New Year everyone! Oscar

Introduction to Winter

It sure took long enough this year, but we finally have some snow! You might wonder why a mature dog like me -- after all, I did turn 5 recently -- would be getting so impatient about something as uncontrollable as the seasons.

The reason is that I have been eager to introduce my younger sister Gladys to Winter and all its fun! As a southern dog (she comes from Kentucky and Tennessee), she had never seen snow before moving to Vermont. And her introduction wasn't immediate like mine. I came to Vermont from Virginia in the month of March, and there was still plenty of snow on the ground. Gladys came here in April. There was snow in the mountains at that time, but she never made it up. I bet she's been living all this time thinking that all of life was running in the grass, rolling in leaves, and swimming in the river.

How wrong she was! She got to see snow twice briefly -- once in October and once in November. But only with this last snowfall (not even a deep one, mind you), is she getting the idea that this might be sticking around for awhile. And although she was a bit tentative with the two earlier snowfalls, she is fully embracing this latest one. We are in full-on frolick mode, whether it's running in snow-covered fields or just ruckus-ing in our own backyard. We've been so excited that we both recently jumped the 40-inch fence in our backyard just to get to some freshies. I realize that it's no biggie for a dog my size to hop a 40-inch fence. But Gladys? Get real!

In fact, I used to be sad when my humans left for work, and I'd have to stay home. No longer. Now I look forward to it (please don't tell any humans -- I don't want to hurt any feelings). They leave, and the real fun begins. And I feel the same way about winter.

Let the games begin!

Celebration of a Great Life

Last week, Scout the cat passed away on the spot where he spent many hours of his life: on the laundry. This cat loved sleeping, laying, and sitting in laundry baskets, bath towels, or even just a sweater that had been tossed aside. One of his favorite spots was where Mark and Ali keep the folded towels on the second built-in shelf in our bathroom. I might have tried the spot, but, while it was a perfect nook for a 10-or-so-pound cat, there was just not enough space for a 70-plus-pound lab.

Waffle, Gladys, and I took turns visiting with Scout in his dying hours, giving him a wag of our tails or a good sniff. He paved the way for pets in this household, and we all appreciated and looked up to him for that.

He did things his way -- he took showers, he ate his food at his own pace, and he patrolled the grounds both indoors and out until the day he died. He was not the type of cat that tried to get credit for all of his contributions; in fact, not a mouse has turned up dead in the bathroom since his passing. Could it be that Waffle is not the great mouser everyone lauds him to be and that really it's been Scout all this time?

I wouldn't doubt it. Anyway, Scout the cat lived 15 years -- 5 of which were with me, 3 with Waffle, and the last 10 months with Gladys. We all have lots of energy, and I imagine we aren't easy for an old set-in-his-ways cat to put up with. But he never complained, and he served as a great role model and friend. We owe a lot to Scout and will never forget him.

Thanks buddy... We miss you!

Oscar

Dear Oscar, Would you say there are advantages for a puppy to have an older brother like yourself? -- Dog Psychologist

Dear Dog-Shrink,

The answer is obvious: that puppy has it made. Think about it. When you come into a situation where perfection is modeled for you every day, it's very advantageous. Take, for example, the hiking trip we took last weekend. Friday night, we drove out to New Hampshire, stopping along the way at Dog Mountain in St. Johnsbury. Dog Mountain is a place where dogs can run, swim, and play -- and even visit a special dog chapel and a gift shop. We visited both -- while running, swimming, and playing. We arrived at a campsite in Gorham where Mark and Ali set up a tent, cooked dinner, and climbed into their sleeping bags. I showed Gladys (and Berkley, who was with us for the weekend while his human visited a foreign country to the north of the United States) how to sleep through the night and keep the tent nice and warm.

The next morning, we were at the trailhead of the Airline Trail before dawn and at the top of Mount Adams, the second highest peak in the Presidentials, by 830AM. It was crazy windy, but I showed Gladys how to put her nose into the wind so that her ears flapped. That's so much fun!

We descended to Star Lake and then climbed Mount Madison. I stayed right on the trail and didn't even freak out when we saw a moose -- again, a good role model for my impressionable little sister. The way down was pretty rocky as we took a more obscure route -- the Watson Path to the Brookside Trail. The less beaten path proved to be a good choice; we saw about ten hikers, but at the trailhead there must have been 250 cars! Crazy!

It was a great weekend, but I want you to think for a minute. If I hadn't been such a great hiker all these years, do you think Mark and Ali would be taking Gladys on hikes? And when Gladys follows me everywhere I go on these hikes -- to all the good drinking spots and all the good smells -- do you agree that she's a pretty lucky dog?

I figured you'd see things my way.

Your friend, Oscar

Dear Oscar, What is your favorite weather to run in? Also, what season do you prefer for running? -- Track Star

Dear Star,

By far, I like cool and foggy mornings. In fall.

At least that was my preference THIS morning when I ran with Alison. Tomorrow I may prefer hot, sunny afternoon runs. In a couple of months, I'll prefer winter, for sure.

So I guess, to answer your question, it's a tie: I like all weather. And all seasons. My favorite? I just like running. As for when, where, or how, it doesn't matter. I like all of it.

Your friend, Oscar