Good days of winter

Sunday was a cold day but the sun was shining and that's always a good day in my book. I took Maya and Sparky out for a hike. It took two miles before my hands warmed up, but we stopped after just three miles because I felt that was probably enough for Sparky. The dogs enjoyed it and I did too. Some of the trails had been walked on by people and other dogs, some only by deer, and some were covered with still virgin snow.

When you were in the sun and out of the wind, and properly dressed, it was possible to convince yourself that it was warm.

I should have taken Maya and another dog back out for another short hike, but I just took Trooper, Theo, and the rest out for a romp in the front yard instead.

Monday morning it's bitterly cold, 3-5 degrees depending on which thermometer you look at. I gave the foster girls a little play time in the dog yard after feeding them, but then brought them back inside. Everyone else is fasting until it's warm enough that I want to deal with it. But again, the sun is shining and the wind is calm, so it's going to be a good day.

Sparky looking very hound-like here.

This is Sparky's "Are you sure you know
where we are going" look. 

Maya following a single set of deer tracks. She spent a lot of time with her nose in the snow
and would have liked to follow the tracks when they left the trail.

Theo with a big, happy smile.

Trooper was more playful in the snow than he
normally is outdoors.

Trooper and Theo

Tails up!

We had about 4" of snow I guess. Not a lot, but enough that I didn't want to head out to drive to northern Virginia to an adoption event today.

I stayed home instead and worked on getting the kitchen back in working order. The wind blew and the snow fell throughout much of the morning, but at some point in the afternoon the sun broke out. We were all glad to see it. Everyone was inside at night, but I had the young foster girls out in the dog yard today to play. When the sun came out I got the rest of the pack out for a little romp in the front yard.

Vince's tail isn't straight, but he was holding it high.

The dogs were all excited by the first snow of the year, which was made apparent by how high the tails were held.

I should have put a coat on Gigi, but she wasn't out very long.
Her tail was up and she played with the other dogs.

Theo and Trooper running together.

Even Samantha was playful in the snow
and carrying her tail straight up.

Gigi and Theo

Samantha isn't as fast as the others but she wasprobably
outside more today than any other resident dog.

Sparky doesn't have much tail, but it was standing
up straight today too.

Vince

Samantha

Samantha chasing Theo

Trooper

Sparky

Theo's shadow

Renovation

The kitchen is probably the hub of any house and it's certainly true of ours. It's the door we use most often to the outside; it's the route to the dog yard; it's the route to the AC yard where dogs go to poop and pee; it's where food is made and medicines are distributed; where dog dishes are washed; and where dog laundry is done. Our kitchen has suffered a lot of wear and tear in the 16+ years that we've been in this house, with hundreds of dogs passing through it. We've never done a thing to it, until now.

It's not a major renovation, but it is a badly needed facelift. New paint for the walls and cabinets, new windows and doors, and most importantly, a new floor. Hardwood floors don't stand up to 10 or more dogs thundering through the house several times a day. If I was to ever build a house, I'd seriously consider heated concrete floors, but for this old house, we are laying tile. The tile looks like old wood and I'm very pleased with it so far. In a few more days it should be done, but in the meantime we are living with a bit of upheaval.

It's still a construction zone, but it's coming together.

The kitchen is more or less off limits to everyone, human or canine, except for Maya, who goes where she wants. There have been workmen at the house so I have to keep Trooper inside and crated. I'm keeping Theo inside because the dog yard is muddy and he runs and barks and gets himself covered in mud. Maya is leash walk only now. The two old dogs, Vince and Samantha still pretty much come and go as they please. They are all right with the workmen and not too much of a nuisance. Sparky is sharing his kennel and shed with Max during the day and they share the office at night. Gigi still has her bed, but she's getting fed in a different location and she doesn't much care for that. Nor does she care for not being able to come and go through the kitchen door. I've had the two fosters, Abby and Xochi in a kennel and/or the dog yard during the day, and they are staying out in the big shed at night, after I added a couple bales of straw to keep them cozy and warm.

I've had to say "no" to any new fosters for the moment, but it was very hard to turn down a young English Mastiff, so I just said, "not yet." When things are back to normal he may be coming here unless he finds a home before then.

Sun and something new

The "something new" is a new hiking locale, Chris Green Lake Park in Albemarle County. I had been there once but hadn't really investigated the trails like Maya and I did today. Actually the other "something new" was the sun itself, which we haven't seen much of around here in quite a while.

The fishing pier

I was actually headed up Rt 29 with the intention of checking out Bald Top Brewing Company, a new farm brewery which had just opened this weekend. I checked the website and Facebook page before going too far north, however, and discovered that they had already sold out of beer and were closed until next weekend. So we did Chris Green Lake instead. Maya was happy about it and it was what I needed too.

There isn't an extensive trail system at this park but we did what there was, about four miles worth. The trails were nice and we spotted a deer shortly after starting out. That was enough to pique and sustain Maya's interest. There is a really nice dog park that extends down to the lake, which would be great for a dog who liked to swim and retrieve a ball. Maya isn't really the dog park type, however, so we just checked it out and moved on.

There's a really nice fishing pier too, and it was a nice day for fishing. It almost made me wish I enjoyed that, but Maya would be bored and I probably would be too after about 15 minutes. It's a pretty lake and would be nice for a canoe, but that wouldn't interest Maya or get either of us the exercise that we need.

It wasn't a big hike, but it was new territory and a great day so we both enjoyed it. I made it home with enough daylight left to take Trooper, Max, and Theo out to the pasture for a good run too.

Max had a very successful dogging session today. He carried
a ball, ran with Theo or at least stayed near us, and didn't
spin, chase his tail, or scream at all.