snow

A Drift of Snowbies

Snowby gazing lying on his back, gazing up at the stars.

Snowby lists to starboard.

Snowby with no head.

When I started writing this, I wondered if there happened to be a measure word for groups of snowmen like “a murder of crows” or “a tuxedo of penguins”.   Most of these interesting words are terms of venery – or words used by hunters.  Since no one hunts snowmen, there isn’t a ready made word for gatherings of them.  Drift actually refers to groups of pigs, but I thought it was particularly appropriate for snowmen.

This drift occurred Saturday.  After I walked the boys for the last time, I sneaked outside and had fun building the biggest snowballs I could manage.  I had two snowbies (snowbys?) facing the road and another lying on its back gazing at the stars.  By morning when I could get pictures of them, one was listing seriously to starboard, and the other had lost its head completely.  (It is a shame because under its head is a lovely hydrangea hat that I had given it.)

I found out later that the neighbors had fun speculating about the supine snowby that appeared overnight.  Did he fall over, or was he just lazy?

That yellow snow? Don't ask.

That yellow snow?  Don’t ask.

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Snowby II

 

Snowman shaped like a terrier.

Whee!  We got lucky and had more packing snow this week.  I couldn’t resist, and I built another Snowby (Snow + Toby).  Note the cinnamon swirl tummy and the heart on his chest.  It was actually a leaf that had been caught up in the snow – but how convenient!

When I was a kid, I didn’t get to build snowmen.  Now that I am old, I take great joy in them.  My boys like sharing in the activity but in more of a destructive role.  I have to keep Toby far, far away from my creations because he will tear up snow balls as fast as I can roll them.

Bitey sitting next to "surrendering" snowman.

“Aack!”

Puppy Geordie used to wait until I had the snowman assembled before he would destroy it.  I had to build snowmen with their arms in surrender posture so they were high enough that Geordie couldn’t reach them.

Toby attacks his snowmen by peeing on them.  I am pretty sure this Snowby is disgusted with us and is going to leave for the North Pole this weekend.

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The Coldest I Can Remember

 

Thermometer readsd zero.

This is how we started our morning.  I thought it was cold the day Toby arrived at 11 degrees, but we were nearly 20 degrees colder today.  I was shocked to see that by 10:00 pm, it had climbed to 30 degrees.  At night!  We haven’t seen mercury at night in weeks!

There have been some changes in dog laws in this area to restrict the amount of time your dog can be outside in these kinds of temps.  That is a great thing, but Toby has yet to get the memo.  If it were up to him, he would live outside.  He LOVES snow and can’t get enough of it.  His favorite thing is for someone to kick snow up in the air so he can leap up and try to catch it.   If the snow is too packed, he will kindly dig to loosen it so you can create a spray for him.  I have indulged His Naughtiness enough that now I am gimpy from pulled muscles.

Thanks, Snow Monster, I needed another reason for people to make fun of me.

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The Snowby

 

Cairn terrier pup standing in snow.

This is The Usurper.  He has outgrown his green sweater, but he has a green flower attached to his collar so you can still recognize him.  It turns out this little puppy enjoys snow more than most anything in life….except maybe tennis balls.

A Snow Toby that looks more like Winnie the Poo than intended.

Toby and I played for hours out in the snow.  I tried to build a Snow Toby, but it came out looking more like Winnie the Poo or Mickey Mouse.  (My audience is divided on that one.)  It was a nearly impossible task because Toby tore up each snow ball as fast as I could roll it.

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Is There Any Hope For This Puppy?

 

Tube of toothpaste chewed up by naughty puppy.

Yup, he got another one. (The other tube made it into an Amazon review for Petrodex.)  Toby is so excited about Christmas and snow that he is going nuts. I thought there might be a chance that Santa could bring him something for the holiday, but now I just don’t know….

Yesterday he was so wound up about going out in the snow that he chewed up one of my shoes, stole a sock and tore up a throw rug while I was getting dressed to take him out.  His outdoor, boinging joy is so contagious, though that I love being outside with him.

Geordie, on the other paw, could do with a little less puppy.

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First Week Memories

These memories are for when I look back and try to recall what Toby did at which stages of development.

During his first week….

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I had to add water to Toby’s kibble because he was too little to eat the chunks when they were dry.

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Toby didn’t know how to shake.  First he would shake the back end, then the front end.  He didn’t know how to shake them together to properly fluff his fur.

Grrrrr!

At first, Toby was too tiny to make the first step out of the front door, so I would carry him.  One time, I was carrying him inside my coat for the five steps from the front door to the snow when he just conked out.   I couldn’t bring myself to wake him, so I just stood there with the puppy tucked in my coat. Toby was too tiny to see, and as people drove past, they gave me the strangest looks.  (“Look at the odd woman standing in the yard looking at her coat!”)

Geordie wasn’t a happy camper because he had to wait inside.

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Walking in Deep Snow (or “My Little Problem Solver”)

Snow Saga 1 - Copy

A few years ago, we had a surprise snowstorm drop nearly 30″ on us overnight.  The snow fell so evenly that at first I didn’t realize how deep it was.  When I tried to step outside to walk the puppy in the morning, I fell…but what made me laugh was that although I fell, I didn’t fall down.  I was stuck in snow so deep that all I did was flop forward slightly at the waist.

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Geordie, on the other paw, did not fare as well.   Although he had to “go”, he was so unnerved by the deep snow that he wanted to go back inside right away.

I love to go exploring after a snowstorm, and today was no exception.  Getting around proved to be quite a challenge, though.   I didn’t have snowshoes, just boots, so wherever I stepped, I sank deeply into the snow.  Geordie was just heavy enough to fall through the crust and flounder in the silky powder beneath.

Snow Saga 3

To take a step, I would have to raise my lead leg as high as I could, extend it as far as it could go, then lean forward (kind of like goose-stepping).  Once my weight shifted, I would end up with my trailing leg extended straight  behind me, resting on the snow.  I had been doing this for a while, and couldn’t believe how exhausted I was.  I must be more out of shape than I realized!  Until I chanced a glance back to see how the puppy was doing.  This is what I found:

Snow Saga 5 - Copy

Through all my clothes, I couldn’t feel him standing on me.

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