Cold Days

It's currently 6 degrees outside. We've had some pretty cold days in the past week. Today we had about 4-5 inches of snow, and I took the opportunity to fire up the new snow blower.



Today we took it easy. Payed some bills, played with the dogs outside, filled the birdfeeders, watched football, and we made suet for the birds for the upcoming bitter cold.





The dogs seem fine with running around outside and then just hanging out.




Not a lot of pictures from TG, but proof we got Mom J to use the elevator to get upstairs and cook some pies.
The dogs wanted in on the dinner but we put our foot (feet) down and held firm.

Another October Blast

We had quite the snowstorm last week. It started Tuesday night and it didn't stop snowing until Thursday night. On wednesday most of my appointments cancelled. I think I might have had 5 out of 17. On Thursday, the snow was so high I couldn't get out of the drive, with four foot drifts blowing across the bottom part of the drive.
Fortunately, we had a snow removal service ready to go and it was plowed. We had shut down the office for the day, and I had all day to play in the snow with my shovel.
We got about 2 feet total, but the wind was blowing pretty hard for most of the storm and it tended to drift.
On Friday temps were in the upper 40's and the snow started to fade, and yesterday, 10/31, we hit over 60, and the snow piles have gone down considerably. On the back deck, which catches the early and afternoon sun with the walls heating up nicely, Lori saw the thermometer at 85 degrees. I was out there clearing the snow away from the walls and doors, but the sun did most of the work.


Great Room view out the back to the east. The storm is raging with a white out.
The dogs had a blast, blowing wind and all.
Here they had to decide who was "it"
This much snow at the back of the house, about halfway through the storm.

The snow on the front porch built up fast. No, that's not a keg under my coat, it's called layering around here.
Max got tired of all the fun pretty quick.

View off the front porch. The drift is about 3 feet.

Sun at last. The dogs like the snow even more this way.



Sunrise this morning. The amount of melting already is remarkable. The way things were gpoing I thought we'd have this snow until April.

More storm pics at Flickr

This Place is For the Dogs

Deuce and Teddy cozy on the Big Bed. A quiet spot in the great room.



Max was there too, on his own private rug. He likes the expensive stuff.




Ready for a trip. We headed to the old house to rake leaves and the dogs got to play in the fenced in yard.


That's my chair in the study, with a very special dog rug for my feet.






Everyone seems comforable, and Deuce and Tucker seem to have settled into the routine of the house. The new guys have made "friends" with each other and tend to wander off together into the scrub, with Max and Teddy staying close to watch me. We've been working on the wandering.

More pictures on Flickr

We're Just a Little Crazy

We stopped in at a Petsmart last Sunday to pick up some supplies and a man, who had a cute little bundle on a leash, let us know this was an opportunity he hated to have to pass up. He introduced us to "Rodney", a little beagle mix who took an immediate liking to me. I was thinking about getting a third dog, but had something bigger and who would be more protective of the other dogs to ward off any inquisitive coyotes, of which we seem to have plenty of around here.
But this little guy literally stole our hearts, and we put in our names for his adoption and we got a call by the next day, and he was ours. He's perfect, now that we renamed him Tucker. Teddy and Tucker became quick friends, and now Max can go about the day without having to entertain Teddy.
What timing. Two days after we took Tucker home we got an E mail from our friend Jen, asking if we'd be willing to take in her dog Deuce. He's a Brittany, and Lori has wanted another one for quite some time, and before long he was added to the "pack". Deuce has already bonded in and is part of the household.
Four dogs is a challenge, and feeding time is an exercise in coordination keeping all the different bowls and portions straight. Walks have gone well, and the dogs have fun exploring and chasing one another. All the dogs have learned to respond to a clicker and come, for the most part, on command. It's been great, except I get to go out for the walks morning and night, rain, snow or shine.


Here's Tucker showing off for Max as he leaps the dry creek in the hunt for whatever.


Tucker, Deuce, Teddy and Max ready for a ride to the old house. We raked leaves and did yard/garden cleanup, as well as loaded up stuff from the basement.

I expect that these guys will keep us busy enough, since we don't have enough to do now that the house is done (snark).

Landscaping 90% done

The landscaping is about done. A few areas need more rock, and a few plants need to have drip hoses hooked up.