i tried to walk the dog today. our usual walk. we got about a third of the way in and he stopped in his tracks, refusing to go any farther. when i suggested we keep walking, he reared up on his hind legs and banged me with his two front paws and then wheeled and bee-lined it back to the car.  apparently it was too cold for little lord fauntleroy. or perhaps a bit too windy. i thought of the constant prevailing wind that had shaped this sapling, exposed all winter in an open prairie, and i felt very little sympathy for my pampered puggle.

windswept sapling

rice creek regional trial, saint paul, minnesota