Last weekend, I was in Florida, with the crazy cousins, and my sister took this picture with my phone

In case you were wondering, this is me happy, dancing like a fool because I am not wearing 20 layers.  I am not just happy, I am exuberant, ebullient, vivacious, alive!  Today, a week later, it has snowed a foot in Montreal, and I occasionally look at this picture on my phone and smile, remembering the warmth on my shoulders, the sand in between my toes, the peaceful sound of the ocean around me.  Then I look outside at the snow, and cry and cry and cry.

Want to see another happy picture of me?  Take a look at this one, again, exactly one week ago.

I spent something like six hours in a spa, where I just felt all the stress just melt off of me.  I had no treatments done, just spent time relaxing and eventually taking the deepest, most profound nap of my life.  I am pretty sure my snoring ruined the serene experience for everyone else.

You know what else made me happy?  Hanging out with these crazies

We were all melting at this point.  We walked in there tense and full of anxiety, and left unknotted, relaxed and limpid.  Everyone was escaping from something.  Some from work, some from responsibility, some from husbands, some from this little screaming terror waiting for her at home.

How could you call this little cutie a terror?  Look at those eyes!  Look at that smile!  She melts my heart.  She is nothing compared to the little terror waiting for me at home

No dog, I will not throw that ball again for you, no matter how pathetically cute you look.  We are alone at home this week, and he is always looking for an opportunity to cuddle up with me.  Which would be great, if he didn’t smell so dog-like.  And didn’t snore.

I guess I have him to thank for exposing me to the beautiful scenery tonight.  Otherwise, I had no intention of leaving the house.  I was planning to pump up the heat and put back on my sundresses and pretend I was back in the sauna.  But instead, I put on my woolly layers and took Rusby to the dog park, and quit my grumbling about the weather long enough to enjoy the sunset.