There is something so totally charming about snow fall…even if one has not been lucky enough to see it in reality! Somehow it has always eluded me. Two days after we left Darjeeling, I believe it happened (got to see the picture of snow clad Darjeeling in the newspaper) . I was told that we had really missed something in Bhatwari, it had snowed the previous day. One had to be satisfied with the after-effects. I felt cheated. It was just not fair.. one had been to the hills so many times in winter.
Well , it was too late, at least for this year as it is already the month of March. It didn’t prevent me from grumbling. I don’t know whether walls have ears but there is no doubt that dogs do! Also, the dogs are always only too ready to oblige.
Let me tell you exactly what happened. If you have been reading our blog then Maggie needs no introduction. For those of you who do not know her, she is one of our rescued dogs who is a perfect nutcase. She is one determined character who refuses to take a ‘no’. She dotes on my daughters and is happy only when one of them is in HER room. She is miserable when left alone but can’t be let out as she has a lot of bones to pick with the other dogs.
As luck would have it, Maggie was to spend the night by herself. B had an awful crick in the neck and decided that for once she would use the bedroom and not the couch, which she usually does to humour Maggie. Some cats usually sleep with her and Maggie but since B was not going to be around to discipline , they were shooed out of the room.
The night started with some plaintive howls of protest which were stoically ignored.
Maggie gave up. She knew we were heartless and she was fated to spend the night alone. She put her thinking cap on… if we could go all the way to Darjeeling to see snow fall, surely we would go up to the living room to see one?! She got into action.
After half an hour, when all seemed quiet on the western front, I began to get suspicious. I could not believe that Maggie had given up so easily. I had mentally prepared myself for her howls through the night and this just did not ring true. Ultimately I decided that I would have to investigate or I would end up with a sleepless night. I crept to her room (if you wake up the animals untimely they presume its food time) and switched on the light.
I could not believe my eyes. The room was covered in soft white cotton, very like snow. Through a huge mound of cotton wool, I could see Maggie’s bright eyes. They said … told you not to leave me alone!
My reaction? Zilch! The unseasonal White Christmas and the fate of my poor beloved sofa had quite cancelled out each other. As a chemistry teacher would put it- neutralization reaction.
Now my sofa lies in a body bag, waiting to be cremated.
four legged nonsense 