All-weather Parker

There isn’t much that prevents Parker from enjoying his walks outside. During the summer, all was well, but when autumn came, and the leaves fell, he was puzzled. He didn’t mind the leaves, but he couldn’t find the grass. I saw him pawing at nature’s new carpeting. The sturdy-boy eventually found the grass underneath, and that seemed to satisfy him.

Then came some snow. We didn’t get much, but it changed the setting somewhat. Parker was bemused by this change, too, but not for long. He did a lot of sniffing, smelling the small patches of snow. He may have seen such precipitation before, but only from within a house. I don’t think he was impressed with what little aroma it had.

Parker is pretty much an all-weather harness-cat. Wind, he finds, brings him all kinds of scents. On windy days, we stand more than walk. As someone remarked, why should he go anywhere when the smells come to him?

He doesn’t care for rain. A few drops won’t deter him but a constant fall is not to his liking. He tried it once, and decided to go back inside very quickly. It’s a rare instance when he is eager to abandon the great outdoors.

But he has yet to encounter deep snow, or slush that is spattered across sidewalks and lawns. And he hasn’t had to brave very cold temperatures. When these days come, I will let him decide what he thinks of them. This winter, my all-weather Parker may prefer to view all the weather - from inside.