There is stark disorder in the world view of our melancholy and confused little sun dog. Riley cannot understand what has been occurring. A full week of abruptly-occurring summertime weather last week, breaking all previous springtime records for transition from winter to spring. When suddenly the sun smiled graciously upon us and the atmosphere warmed to an incredible 26-degrees-Celsius. Unheralded.

And very, very much appreciated by little Riley who had become thoroughly sick of snow and ice and freezing temperatures. The brief periods when the morning sun shone through our dining room windows and he was able to bask in its warmth kept hope alive in his little breast that better days were ahead. And suddenly, there they were! Mightily confusing the garden plants which began thrusting our their hopeful green spears toward that balming sun.

Up came the irises, up came the lilies, and there are already blossom buds neatly assembling themselves on the barbed branches of the Japanese quince shrubs. Even the poplars in the ravine and the willows have begun to blush green. And then, the ambient temperatures did a turnaround, abandoning us back to memories of the winter just recently departed, back into the uncertainties of early spring.

Last night's temperature dropped to minus-9-degrees, and the howling wind didn't much help. It was icy-cold, and so was this morning, at minus-6-degrees. Before noon, Riley was anxious because he could see the deck was sun-kissed and he wanted to be out there, kissed by the sun. We patiently explained to him how cold it was, despite the sun, and he is, after all, a very small dog who thoroughly detests cold.

But he insisted, and out he went, laying himself out on the deck in full view of the sun's kissing rays.