It was several years after we had acquired Butch before he experienced his first snowfall. It happened at the end of January. It had been getting colder since the 15th. The sky was looking much bleaker and gray and held the promise of falling snow in the near future.
Butch had already lived through several winters -- all without snow. He is our fair-weather, pig-tailed monkey, a descendent of the rock-e family.
Butch usually has the time of his life playing outside throughout most of the year. Only during the winter season would he rather stay in his cage in the house.
During one winter, my wife Pat, once gave him a baby blanket to help keep him warm through the old nights. Butch used that blanket every night from then on. Some mornings he would be completely hidden inside the blanket.
I remember in the early years when he was small enough to put inside my coat during the times he began to get cold. His little monkey lips would begin to turn blue and his voice would quiver as he uttered a pitiful "Ooh!", as if to say, "Daddy, I'm cold." Then I would zip him up inside my coat, where he happily snuggled up against my warm chest.
Like me I said, that was several years ago. Butch was older now and bigger. When I carried him now he would either hang his arms around my neck in front, or ride horsey-back. He liked that, too.
We were outside, Butch, me and the two dogs. Butch and the dogs got along great together. He usually tried to climb on their backs while they tried to dislodge him.
Suddenly, like a promise past due, it began to snow. Slowly at first, then gathering speed until the landscape was covered like a shimmering white carpet.
Butch had stopped playing with the dogs and was staring up now as the snowflakes fell upon his upturned face. I saw him sticking out his tongue like a little boy to catch the soft flakes as they fell. And I saw the snowflakes melt just as quickly as they touched his tongue.
Butch then tried to reach out and grab the falling snowflakes. But his hands remained wet and empty when he opened the back up. Then he noticed that his feet were sinking in the soft snow as it continued to flutter to the ground.
This falling stuff was new and strange. It was wet. It was cold. It was, it was fun! and suddenly Butch and the dogs were "Ooh-ing" and barking and rolling and playing in the snow. How wonderful! Little children couldn't have had any more fun than these three were having.
All at once I was down there in the snow with them -- laughing and shouting and throwing dogs and monkey through the air as they played the game "Get Daddy."
Twenty minutes later we were happy tired. That also meant we were wet and cold and ready to go back inside the house -- but happy, too. I unhooked Butch's 25-foot chain and carried him inside the house. Our two dogs were already there and waiting on us.
Mona (my pet name for my wife), was already there with three big towels. She had been watching us playing from the back window and knew what we would need when we came back inside. She's a good Mamma.
That was Butch's first exposure to snow, but not his last. But, then that's another "Monkey Tail."
Duce is the penname of Carman J.W. Vance at the Crest Yard in Fort Worth.
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