Very cool cat

After the passage of a modest clipper overnight, the temperature plummeted. It had bottomed out in the single digits when I got up early to get everything in order before firing up the car to pick up my brother in Warwick then heading up north for a Bar Mitzvah. Before I left, I had to get the stove stoked for the day and bring in plenty of wood, so that my wife, who was packing for a trip to South Carolina, could keep the home fires burning. As was his usual practice, my cat Arlo made a mad dash for the snow-covered outdoors. While I hauled wood, he scurried around, sending snow flying as he looked for a likely bathroom spot. Arlo and I finished our morning business at about the same time, and while I was heading for the basement, my arms full of split, seasoned oak and maple, he let out a plaintive yowl that said to me, "Enough!" I looked at him and replied, "Hey, buddy, we're not even into February yet. This is just the start of the snow season. Just the start." Arlo wasted no time in dashing inside with me, and by the time I got the wood into the pile behind the stove, the cool and definitely smart cat was already drinking in the warmth.