Meatsicle

« Double exposure panorama of the Sibelius monument and Jarkko acting goofy with Otava. Click on the photo for a larger version. »

One of the slight drawbacks to enjoying the company of a large, furry canine, bred to rescue people frozen in the snow, in your life is that when Helsinki becomes western Siberia you have to take the dog, who is oblivious to the cold, outside for a minimum of 30 minutes four or more times a day since every pile of snow must be leapt upon, rolled around on, dug into and thoroughly enjoyed. Thermal underwear is my best friend at the moment since I nearly froze last wednesday night when the wind was driving the 0F temperature down to the neighbourhood of -25F. It hasn't warmed up since then, either. Otava romps around as though it were a summer's day only with mountains of snow and balls of ice on his paws. He's like a kid where every day is a snow day. I just try to keep from transforming into a meatsicle on the other end of the leash and think happy, warm thoughts about moving to the surface of the Sun.