A Walk with the Dogs

We start by walking off the deck, down the yard and across the "pond" to our path in the woods. I thought I'd take my camera a couple days ago when I took our daily walk. It had snowed a bit and the temps were a bit chilly, but it made it lovely. Ps.147:16 "He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes."
We emerge from our woods trail onto an open area under the power lines. This affords me the opportunity to let the dogs run with more independence as I can see them!

We take off from the open power line path once again into the woods and down into another low area. You can begin to see my desire for snowshoes! At this snow depth, which seems to be one of the deepest on the peninsula, even the dogs stick to the stamped down paths.

I've discovered in this low "secret" place, even things dead have a grandeur when blanketed with snow. (The tree above is no longer growing, but still provides a roost for birds and shelves for the snow)
We continue to plod through the snow up to a forgotten road that I "discovered" this winter. I assume it to be unused often as there are tree-falls over it on occasion. I do not know the final destination of this road. We return as we came when we come across the areas that look to be others' property, if not sooner. Back through yet another low swamp land and back across the pond is the way home, but that last leg lacks the luster for the lens!

In like a lion?

Alright, now I'm used to lots of snow, but coming over the rails?! We've had more snow this year than last year, and it is compounded around the "drip lines" of the roof from the snow falling off. This snow from the roof is more like ice since it comes down with great force. This area off the front porch will likely be the last area of snow to melt due to the northern exposure. The packed snow below is really chest-deep!

When the snow comes off the roof, it comes with force as I mentioned before. When I am outside, I need to watch out so I don't get hit by it! It sounds like thunder inside when a large slide occurs!

The pots in my greenhouse are still mostly filled with frozen soil. I think it will be a while before they thaw enough to fill! Especially with the extra 4" that fell last night...

Garage Update

It's practically finished! We've been told that if we leave the siding undone, we won't have to pay property taxes on the garage. I have to say, as appealing as the Tyvek is, I think I may still opt for siding and pay the extra taxes. I know, it's a time to save money and this would save on two different fronts! I guess vanity will win this one out!

Here is a photo of the homemade ladder that I do not care to climb. I should be more specific: Climbing up is less of a difficulty for me, but crawling down is where I become a bit panicky.

Pat has been working tirelessly on getting the inside of the garage to a workable state. He has gotten all the drywall up and though we need to tape/mud the seams when it's warmer, he's also gotten some benches up. This enables him to begin projects with solid work surfaces. Note the wood bench for wood projects and the steel table for his welding bench! It's a bit too cold out there for me just yet!

One long entry...

Alright, I have neglected this blog for so long! I took my trip to Kansas and had a marvelous time! Here are some highlights:

Jackson scored 3 baskets this game! It was so much fun to watch! Raegan and I had fun in the furniture store while Mom got a new loveseat and chair!I had a ball spending time with the Cryer family!
I finally got to meet my nephew Joshua and had the privilege to see his amazing jumping abilities! He was such a joy! I also had some sweet moments with Hannah and Hudson. They have such loving hearts! I don't know how many times I heard "I love you Aunt Meli!" It was precious! Yes, we had some funny times, too! What's more fun than taking a funny picture!?

It was such a blessing to have Adam and Becky in Kansas again! I got to be reacquainted with my little princesses! I love it! Toby is too active to pose for pictures!

Bathtime Buddies!

Bellybuttons are so much fun! I can't believe how big Cambria has gotten!

Dress-up is the best with a friend!

I took some of the nieces and nephews to see our puppy and her older brother! I think we all had fun, but Ally/Allie seemed a bit overwhelmed by all the attention! Gus loved it!

I got to spend time with Marc and Katy and see them perform in their youth group's dinner theatre!

I was even able to see my grandparents! They made a detour and came over for lunch.

Before I left, I had to do a very Aunt thing and get my nieces and nephews these giant lollypops! I didn't get a picture of the Cryer's with theirs, but rest assured, they did get them, too! I asked not to have the dental bill sent to me - besides they are baby teeth still, right? Well, except for Sydney and Jackson...!

What We've Been up to...

Yes, we have been mostly in puppy play times! It has been so much fun to play and work with Allie (I don't know how they are spelling it!) When the last of the puppies left us, we made a pen for her under the table. It worked well, and even now the dogs both enjoy the little "den."
In an effort to give Rowdy a break from the pup, we have allowed him to get up on Pat's chair. I think he likes it!
We are really loving the puppy phase again! She plays hard and then crashes in our laps! It is the sweetest. She likes to crawl into my lap, but when Pat's home, I encourage her to love on him too!

Winter Play Time!

Fire and Ice

Okay, after that earthquake I shouldn't be surprised that one of the volcanoes is becoming active again! This is a picture from R. Clucas from the 1990 eruption of Mt. Redoubt. This is what we are possibly bracing for again. In 1989-1990, Mt. Redoubt erupted about 20 times from December through April. It steamed and lightly spewed for months afterward. I'm not sure what to think about all of this. We have to be prepared mostly for ashfall which can be extremely corrosive and abrasive to anything outdoors. Not only that, it can also be conductive, so electricity may be severly affected! While we have wood for our stove that will be able to keep us warm, the water that comes with electricity may be a factor as well as keeping our cold storage cold! Putting it outside to be covered in ash won't be an option! No one seems to worried about it up here, but it's in the back of our minds and we'll deal with it if it happens!

I Feel the Earth, Move, Under my Feet!

Yeah, we just had an earthquake. It's an odd feeling for those who don't grow up with it. Pat and I were sitting on the couch drinking our coffee when the house began to sway a little. It felt like someone was pushing the couch back and forth, on wheels. It was a relatively gentle sway! We looked at each other and Pat spoke the thought between us, "earthquake!" We looked up out our big windows and saw the trees swaying as well! It lasted about 10 seconds. It takes a few minutes to register on the websites, but we sent the USGS our responses. Come to find out, it was a 6.1 magnitude quake that was in the Cook Inlet, between Mt. Augustine and the Peninsula. Mom, you remember that? We saw it when it was spewing from Homer. Anyway, it was about 100 miles away and about 58 miles deep! Crazy Saturday morning! After that excitement, we are off to feed the puppies and watch KU play!

How cute am I?

Don't you love me anymore?!

Ugh

I have no picture for this entry. I guess I could take a picture of Pat's disgust, but instead I'll just tell you what happened. Yesterday, in light of our ridiculously warm weather which is causing the roads to melt and consequently ice, Pat came home early. It was a real surprise and treat for all of us at home! Pat came home to find me chipping away at the ice around the garage in an effort to create a trough for the mass of melting water that was flowing right under the garage doors, into the garage itself. We worked on several ditches to move the water away from the garage and house before we thought we'd take a puppy out to Pat's shop to let his boss see him. We had thawed a couple of T-bone steaks for lunch, so Pat got them all spiced up, turned the grill on to warm up and off we went. We left Bella in the house while we took 2 puppies and Rowdy to the shop. While the puppies were super sweet and tried their hardest to secure a home for themselves, Pat's boss has decided the timing just isn't right. We packed the pups up and came home. When we came in the house, Pat asked me where the steaks were. I looked at him with my "what?" look and said that I didn't know. His keen hunting skills were employed next as he carefully followed a minute blood trail that led him right to Bella's bed. There was very little evidence left that she had indeed jumped up and took both T-bones from the counter and took them to her spot and inhaled every bit, including the bones. She seemed quite happy with herself, and since we didn't catch her in the act, it was difficult to try and discipline her for it. We hoped that her stomach would do the work, but as we watched her the rest of the evening, it seemed that her tummy was just as happy. How annoying. I guess we learned our lesson.

Life outside of Puppies

Okay, this was the gift from Mom and Dad Teakell! Down Long Undies!

In one of our walk-about's we came home to a cow and calf behind the garage which made Rowdy very intrigued. I let him get a little closer since the cow seemed unaffected and I knew Rowdy can run pretty quickly!

This is actually after our warm-up! I finally felt like going outside for more than 2 minutes. It's been gloriously above zero for a couple days now and I'm loving it! It is actually snowing quite heavily right now, which will make me have to work even harder to keep up with Rowdy!

Dog Days of ...Winter

This is basically how we like to end our evenings! They are 4 weeks old today, and they have now had their first taste of puppy food! They have also had a drink of powdered milk to help a momma out! It seems that they instinctively know how to eat and drink out of a dish! They were surprisingly clean in their first endeavors. I also took the time this past week to give them all pedicures to help with those barbs on the ends of their paws. I can't say I've ever worked on a more compliant bunch!

New Years Puppies (yes, again!)

We still try to give Rowdy and Bella some attention, but those babies of theirs are so fun to cuddle with! They are starting to cut teeth and have become quite playful which will become more painful as the teeth grow out!

Here's just a couple rejects from the 30+ pictures I took for our most recent flyer. As evidenced by the photo below, the chocolates seem to be the most vocal and the first to do everything!

Here's a little clip of how loud and feisty the pups are becoming.