First Snow

As I write this, we have just had our second snow. And forecast for more snow tomorrow. This first snow was at the end of a rainy week, and was more icy than snowy.

Daddy, do I really have to walk on the ice?

Boys, don’t eat the yellow snow.

Buck did a quick potty, then ran back inside.

Stanley does not enjoy the crunchy snow, and does the high step. Lipizzaner Stan.

Parker decides to just do his business at the top of the yard.

Stella on the other hand went to the far corner, and stopped mid poop run to pose for a shot.

The sun did come out later in the day, and Jaime dreams of warmer days.

Buck decided the best place was in front of the fireplace.

Stella decided that snuggling into the new Costco bed was a sure bet.

Jaime, like Polly, finds this a comfortable way to break in the new bed.

Huntin' Dogs

We moved from a somewhat rural area surrounded by civil war battlefields to an even more rural area surrounded by civil war battlefields. Many things come along with living in a more rural area. Huntin’ dogs hadn’t really come to mind.

Until a couple of weeks ago when a pack of dogs came pouncing through the area.. They were howling and baying and sounded like they were hot on the trail of something, most likely deer. The kids were quite interested in what the ruckus was outside. We didn’t think much about it until we were coming back from sushi with Trina that night to find a pair of eyes staring back at us from the road about a mile from house. At first we thought it was a deer, but it turned out to be her. A call to the number on the collar and she was quickly scooped up.

Later that night, we saw the same truck go up and down our street with an antenna sticking out the window, so I guess there were still some hounds loose.

A week after that, I was bringing Stella back from a vet visit. Almost at the same spot as the week before, another dog just standing in the middle of the street. I quickly pulled over, opened the back door, and he jumped right in. Stella was not happy. How dare I ask this stinky wet dirty dog to be in the same car with the Princess.

The kids didn’t want anything to do with this smelly outsider. I met his owner and he was dumped in the back of an F-250 in the cold rain. He said he had been lost for a week and a half, and having lost his radio collar, couldn’t track him anymore. Said his name was Chester, and he was a worthless hunting’ dog, and wanted to know if I wanted to adopt him. I almost called Kris to see what she thought, but I knew if we did, we’d have people dropping off huntin’ dogs in our back yard at the end of every hunting season.

Sabrina

Those who have been following my blog since the beginning know that Sabrina was not only one of our first fosters, but one of our first boarders too. She considered our house her home away from home. I am sad to say that she suddenly died on Tuesday. She would have been 10 in June. Not sure of the exact cause.
Sometimes she would be over when it was just her with our kids. On the couch of course.
Even when there was a big group at the house, Sabrina did not consider herself a mere boarder, and took her rightful place with our kids on the couch. She is in the corner spot between Stella and Stanley.
Sometimes she experimented with a new place to rest.
She was our model on a couple of posts for removing corns.
She was also our last boarder at the old house. She was supposed to come down this weekend to meet our new dog walker, for the next time she stayed with us.
We will miss you! You were a very sweet and very special girl.

Windy Wednesday

Last Guests of 2012

We had a last round of house guests the final week of last year. The kids have been enjoying not sharing so far in 2013.

We stacked all the beds (around 30) we brought from the old house to figure out how many to keep. Belle thought this was just grand. Stella is jealous she didn’t think of it first.

Belle, is that plush enough for you?

There is a set of four steps from the lower to upper deck. The greyhounds consider it a mere inconvenience. Vesta winds up.

We have take-off.

Easily clears it.

Successful landing.

Sunday and Beau enjoy the beds in front of the fireplace. You can see Stella’s reflection in the fireplace glass, as she presides over the room from the couch.

Finley agrees that napping on the couch is the place to be.

When the kids were doing zoomies in the yard, they were being supervised by the Elders: Shane and Stella.