So now that we know -- in the wake of our appointment at the veterinarian clinic yesterday morning with our two little dogs -- what has been ailing them, we feel reassured. Jillie's condition will heal quickly, she's a healthy little dog. The wound she sustained when an abscess burst in her left anal gland and became infected is now a temporary inconvenience in that it has begun to itch as it heals and she constantly licks it as dogs will do.

They're both on Medicam, once daily, and since Jillie weighs more than her brother, she gets the larger dose. The vet's intuition and putting our narrative of events together after he gave Jackie a thorough physical during his examination led to the impression that the disturbing pain he was experiencing that has caused him to behave so strangely out of character would respond well to the Medicam. Previously for a week he had been responding fairly well to another prescription used both to fight pain and to calm nerves -- before he had a relapse when we took him off the medication.

We've seen a change in him already, so something is working well. He actually asked to be taken out to the backyard this morning, where for the past several weeks he has avoided going out, and instead of voiding his urine, retains it for almost a full day before finally squatting, not lifting his leg as usual, to pass urine. That's a huge plus. He's also wanted to play, with his sister and with me. When I flung one of his toys he repeatedly retrieved it, excited and happy.

Once again this morning we awoke to fresh snow down on the ground and more falling. Heavily overcast, the sun came peeping out now and again for the briefest of intervals, radiating light off the snowy landscape. It was cold, seeming colder than the 0C registering on the thermometer, and the wind was brisk; a combination that felt even colder. We dressed our puppies and ourselves for winter and went out to the ravine for a short hike.

We've always found that dogs are intrigued with snow. It interests them, they like to play with it, to lick it, and they become accustomed to its presence; seeming puzzled when it finally departs in spring. Both Jackie and Jillie took care to walk along the forest trails where the snow had been undisturbed, preferring the snow to the soggy, wet foliage dumped on the forest floor where the snow had melted.

Their vet's advice was that he would prefer they take only short walks, then progressively working them back up to the longer walks they're accustomed to. And that Jackie be kept on leash. It's just what we did, happy to be out even briefly in the forest. The scenery is bright even though a twilight atmosphere prevails given the overhead clouds tight to the horizon.

The fairytale look of every branch of every tree well slathered with snow is hard to capture adequately in photographs, but the breathtaking view of the forest interior immersed in the season's first snow, as flurries gently descend is lovely beyond description.