Mrs. Tischbaum does not like the cold. She doesn't like the rain. She's as lazy as can be in the morning and despite having to pee she plays dead dog weight when it's time to put her coat on.

We carry her down the stairs to go out since she's too small to manage them, but she climbs up them at her own slow, mostly distracted pace. What's that smell who's that barking that's a cat I smell chicken - this is after a walk spent mostly wrestling leaves and rocks and gum and dirt out of her mouth.

If we're lucky we'll run into a neighbor's dog and get an early romp in. It's 6:30 a.m. when all this goes down and everyone just wants to get out and in, but when Opal is in Mrs. Tischbaum mode she can pretty much get away with anything.