With temperatures edging within a few degrees of the 80 degree mark, we're quickly forgetting our freezing temperatures last weekend. There will be many more episodes of cold weather from now until mid-April that could activate alerts to protect vegetation, pets and pipes in addition to transportation authorities preparing for episodes of icing and glazing. I received a "scathing" reminder last Friday about the greater importance of pets than pipes in our coverage. During our younger years, it was rare to have an "indoor" dog and when an expected blast of Canadian air arrived, it meant that our "outside dog,"  Pooch, was permitted to spend the cold evenings in our basement. We called him Pooch, Mom called him Poochie and our grandfather referred to his as "Shiner." Gramps would often provide  table scraps for him, standing at the backdoor yelling, "Here Shiner, here Shiner, Ya, Ya." Getting him to the basement was often challenging. Once let loose, from his outdoor confines, he acted like an escaped  prisoner. Once again, Gramps would corral him with  the "Here Shine" routine. Meanwhile, back in the basement, Pooch enjoyed sleeping next to Uncle Emery upon his late night return from the Elks Club.