All Clean for Christmas

Cheyenne got her Christmas bath today. We tried to take a nice photo, but even with all the shots I took, we still didn't end up with what I had in mind. Oh, well, She's clean, shiny, and so soft. And she smells good, too!

Are we done yet??

Now, if only my house was as clean as my dog! How are your holiday preparations coming along? 

We've Got Snow!

There are many winters here in the western mountains of Virginia that bring no snow to speak of. Just an inch or two once in a while might be the pattern for the season. And then there are winters that put snow on the ground in December and keep it there until March, but those are few and far between. This winter has been marked by the extremely cold temperatures, along with a "fair to middlin' " amount of snow. Until last night, that is!

We are right in the path of this nor'easter that is hammering the mid-Atlantic, and this morning we got up to 15 inches of beautiful snow. Thank goodness it's not heavy and wet like predicted, but dry and powdery. This photo was taken just after daybreak.

Yes, the walk is already shoveled, and you can't see that the driveway is already plowed, along with a with swathe through the front yard for the dogs. My husband is not one to enjoy a cozy morning inside, relishing in the warmth and comfort while the snow piles up! He was outside by 5:00 a.m., keeping the snow at bay and hoping the wind doesn't start to blow.

The dogs were reluctant to follow Robin outdoors, but eventually Mother Nature's calling was just too strong and they had to go. Really. It was easier for the big dogs to find a workable spot for their needs, but poor little Cheyenne was bewildered for a minute or two. As she trotted up and down the walk Robin had shoveled, with the snow higher than her head, she finally found a spot to make do until we opened up that big path through the yard. Now all four dogs are inside with me, while Robin is still fighting snow outside. We have smart dogs.

Cheyenne

Ernie

Leah

Red

It's just past 10:00 a.m. and the snow is still coming down, although the sky seems to be getting lighter. I like snow and the homey feelings it evokes. It's a great opportunity to hunker down indoors and do something I enjoy, like reading a good book, making something with my hands, or cooking and baking. Robin, on the other hand, has to be out in it to feed the livestock and make sure they can get to water. And, if he doesn't do all that plowing and shoveling, we'll be stuck for a long time. Once the melting begins, all those paths he keeps clear will be the first to dry up and return to normal, making it so much easier to get from the house to the car.

How about were you live? Are you relishing in a gorgeous winter snowfall or hating every minute of it? There's really no use to worry and stew about it. None of our misery will make it go away any sooner, so we might as well enjoy the few sweet hours of peace and quiet it brings. It won't be long until the magic of this white winter beauty is gone.

Just Us Girls

It's just us girls at home today. Leah is "in a bad way" and can't go to the farm with the boys for another week. The puppies were fun, and I'm so glad we had them, but no more for a while, please.

Leah is surprisingly patient with the whole thing. Mostly she sleeps. She gets restless sometimes and barks a little. Maybe her tummy hurts. For the most part, though, she just waits it out.

This morning, after our walk, we played ball in the sunshine. Leah loves to play ball and will play endlessly if she has a willing partner.

Cheyenne loves to play, too. She is better at the fetching part than Leah and brings the ball right back to me for another throw.

Leah brings it within about three feet, then snaps at it until I walk over and throw or kick it again.

But Leah really gets into nabbing the ball. She shakes it so hard it's a wonder she doesn't hurt herself! And she'll do it over and over again as long as I'm willing to play. The following photos took place within about two seconds...or less!

I'm thinking there are some lessons for me here. This 50-something season of life I'm in has me bewildered. Some days I think it will just about to do me in. And it's doubling frustrating that I don't get any choice about going through it and there's not a whole lot I can do to change it. Kind of like Leah in her season. Maybe I need to follow her example:

Get plenty of exercise,

get plenty of rest,

 use plenty of patience,

and approach life with gusto!

And remember that this, too, shall pass.

Puppy Tales

It's been quite a while since I wrote about our puppies. Leah and Red gave us six beautiful, healthy puppies, born on January 8.

Just a few minutes old.

Now they're over four months old!

Tug-o-war is their favorite game.

They've done a lot of growing and changing since my last post about them. Three have gone to their forever homes.

Remember Chunky Monkey? For a while he was the biggest puppy, and round and roly poly.

Now he's known as Jeb and has a wonderful home on a dairy farm. Just before he left us, he looked like this. That's his forever mama, Cindy, holding him.

This little guy was the smallest of the boys. We called him Little Buddy.

Now his name is Ruger and he, too, has a wonderful farm home, where's he's living the high life. His forever mama, Donna, is spoiling him rotten. I'm glad.

This little girl was really a big girl! She was the largest puppy at birth. She and Chunky Monkey (Jeb) continually took turns as the biggest one of the litter. We called her Ginger because of her brown nose, which makes her a true red Kelpie.

Ginger is now Hou (short for Houdini) and she's also on a farm, learning to work beef cattle like her mama and papa. I'm wondering if the Houdini name is indicative of her talents...good ones, or bad ones???

This is Ernie. He's always been Ernie, and he'll stay Ernie because he's not going anywhere. The main reason we wanted to raise puppies was to hopefully get another dog as good as Red. I don't think we'll ever get one any more like his papa than Ernie.

He looks just like Red and has the same loving, easy-going personality. He's some dog!

We call this little girl Kate. She was the first puppy to learn to climb out of the puppy yard in the basement. She''s always been the adventuresome type.

She's headed for her forever home in another week or so. She'll be on a beef farm, too. Along with working cattle, she'll also be a companion for an elderly man and his elderly dog.

And then there's Gracie. She was known as Trouble for a long time. Even though she has always been the smallest puppy, she was the instigator of the litter.

Gracie is still waiting for her forever home. She's turning into quite a loving little girl, but she can be a bit hard-headed at times (like her mama). She's smart as a whip, though, and learns fast. She's a real beauty, too.

Since they're still with us, Ernie, Kate, and Gracie have been learning to ride in the truck and to leave the horses alone. They have gotten used to collars now, and we've even worked on walking on a leash a little. They've also made several trips to the vet for all their shots and such. Thank goodness they're all done with that for a year. As you can see in the photo above, they're in the chewing stage, and nothing is safe outside. Our yard looks pretty trashy with all their "toys" scattered around, but the hope is that having them readily available will keep the pups from chewing more important things, like the rhododendron bushes.

When I look at all the photos of the puppies when they were so small, it makes me want to do this again. But they have been a lot of work and worry, not to mention expense. Finding good homes for all of them is still a challenge. It's been fun, though, to watch them grow and learn. There's nothing any sweeter than a little puppy to cuddle and love, and we had six! They brought us a whole boatload of that pure, unadulterated joy we were longing for. Regardless of whether or not we do it again, it's been a good thing.