Is this Wonderland?

White. For now.
London, ON, December 2010

About this photo: We're closing out Thematic's transition theme (click here for a last-minute fix), and given the weather that's been repainting much of the landscape for so many of us this week, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit the winter that was - and apparently still is. Sooner or later, the great transition known as spring is inevitable. (New theme launches tomorrow eve.)

As you can see, Frasier is not the world's largest dog. Mind you, for a Miniature Schnauzer, he's somewhat outsized for the breed, taller and broader than most others we've seen. Yet another thing that sets him apart and makes him special.

His size works against him in conditions like this. Huge snowdrifts block his view and make it hard for him to leap into the snowpack - as he'll eagerly do when the packed snow doesn't tower over him. And when he does, it's quite the joy to watch him take it all in. He bounds through the white stuff like a jackrabbit, sticking his head deep down when he finds something he likes. You know he's really enjoying himself when the snorting reaches fever pitch. I like to stand there and just drink in his energy.

Around these parts and elsewhere, it's been a winter and then some. And the Twitterverse (and blogosphere, and Facebook planet, and...) have been rife with endless complaints about the weather. But as I hold the leash and feel him pull me along, I can't help but think that whining about the weather is a pretty useless practice. It is what it is, and nothing we do will change it. So why not be like Frasier and throw ourselves into it? Good question: Looks like my dog taught me something, after all.

Your turn: What else can animals teach us?