Saturday, March 10, 2007, 14:46
Melting
A week ago we were digging out from under another 17 inches of snow (for the second time in a week).
Friday afternoon the temperature rose up into the low 40s, and now the snow has started melting. It is incredible how much the snow can settle on a warm day.
The temperature is supposed to stay in the 40s for the next week. And that means a substantial portion of the snow is going to melt away.
It does not bode well for getting out on the snowshoes again. Randy and I went out once after the first foot of snow two weeks ago. Then we got the next 17 inches, and I was hesitant to go out on the snowshoes again with the dogs. After all, I simply cannot start wandering around in the woods and fields without the dogs coming with me. Pixie and Charlie would be *so* disappointed if they didn't get to come with me.
The reason I was hesitant to go out with the snowshoes after the second snowfall is that it is somewhat of a misconception to think that you can walk on top of the snow with snowshoes. If there is two feet of snow, you will only sink down into the soft snow for a foot with snowshoes. Without them, you would sink down the entire two feet.Once you have gone over a snowshoe trail a couple of times, it's much easier to navigate.
With 30 inches of snow on the ground, I would have sunk down about 15 inches. That means that the dogs, who would be walking behind me, would have another 15 inches of snow to walk through. For Charlie 15 inches wouldn't be so bad. Being a Springer Spaniel, he's a bigger dog.
Pixie would be up to her belly snow if it she was walking in 15 inches. Not that she wouldn't try. Bless her little brave heart. But it would be tough going.
And now that the snow has started to melt, it is impossible to go out with the snowshoes. They simply do not work very well in crusty snow.
I don't know how long it will take the snow to melt completely. Could be a while. Which means it will be a while before I can get out in the woods and fields with Pixie and Charlie. Until then, we will be confined to walking along the road.
Of course, now that the township has ground the blacktop off the road past our place, it's essentially a dirt road again. And you know what that means. Mud. Friday evening we left Pixie in the house when we took Charlie for a walk. Pixie ends up with mud all over her paws and on the long hair on her belly and behind her legs.
And Pixie is not that crazy about getting a bath. (Shelties, of course, are *not* water dogs; and they don't want anyone to think they *might* be water dogs.) Pixie doesn't even like a foot bath. I've tried that, putting some water in the dish pan and dunking her paws. She puts up with it. But she's not crazy about the idea. Given the chance, she will run into the living room to "hide" -- which defeats the purpose of trying to wash off her feet before she roams around the house.
The temperature dropped below freezing overnight, so I'm going to try to get the dogs out for a walk along the road this morning before everything turns slushy and muddy again.
The other thing I've noticed is that over the past few days, Kajun and Isabelle have started to shed out their long winter hair. It's only a little bit right now, but if the horses are shedding, then spring is not far away. And since the weather is warmer, which means I can be outside without gloves, I'm going to have to start brushing them.
Daylight Saving Time -- I'm sorry, but it is going to seem very strange to turn the clocks forward tonight. Now it's going to be dark first thing in the morning again, and when I get up, I'm going to be thinking it's January instead of March. On the other hand, it's going to be light later in the evening, so instead of March, I'm going to be thinking it is early May. In the morning it will seem like January. In the evening it will seem like May. Talk about time going fast, huh?
LeAnn R. Ralph
Wednesday, March 07, 2007, 22:11
Mr. Effalent Goes to the Emergency Room
Mr. Effalent needed stitches today.
Well, actually, the little blue stuffed toy elephant needed stitches the other day, which we discovered when I took him out of Snowflake's kitty carrier so I could use it to take Gilligan and MaryAnne to the vet clinic for their regular shots.
"He needs to be sewn up," Randy said Monday morning as he examined the back of the little toy after I had taken it out of the kitty carrier.
"Yes," I said, "he does. But I will have to do it later."
"Later" came Wednesday afternoon when I was in my office.
I got up from the computer to do something, and there was Mr. Effalent, on the floor behind my chair. The split along his back was bit longer and stuffing was beginning to stick out of the hole.
No wonder.
Tuesday evening while I was brushing the other kitties, Snowflake was playing with Mr. Effalent. She would bite his head and then kick at his backside with her hind feet. When she grew tired of that, she would toss him in the air and then pounce on him when he landed. At other times, she would pick him up in her mouth and carry him around the room.
I had no idea she liked Mr. Effalent so much. The little toy has been in the kitty carrier practically from the moment I brought Snowflake in the house last October when she was no bigger than Mr. Effalent's leg.
Mr. Effalent came to the house with Pixie when she was a baby. The lady at the Sheltie Rescue had put a bunch of stuffed toys in with the litter of puppies so that the toys would acquire the "puppy and mommy smell." Then when the puppies went home, each of them got a stuffed toy to help ease the transition. Pixie's toy was Mr. Effalent.
I put Mr. Effalent in with Sophie last year when she was so tiny and so sick. She used to snuggle up with him when she was little, but she never played with him.
As for Snowflake, when she was only a week or two old, one day when I put her back in her box after she had eaten, she had started crying and screaming and carrying on. That was highly unusual for Snowflake, who generally settled down right away when her tummy was full. The crying and screaming went on for a little while, so I decided I had better peek in the box.
Mr. Effalent had fallen into Snowflake's cubbyhole in the corner where she curled up next to the radio that was playing outside of her box.
When I removed Mr. Effalent and Snowflake could get into her cubbyhole, life was fine.
So, as you can see, Mr. Effalent has had quite a hectic life so far. I picked the little elephant up off the floor from behind my chair in the office Wednesday afternoon and went to get my sewing box. Then I locked myself in the bathroom with Mr. Effalent so I could stitch up his back.
I have tried mending things before this with Snowflake around, and it's quite dangerous -- both for our little black kitty and for me. Snowflake loves strings of any kind, and she likes to pounce and bite at the thread, white claws slashing every which way. I might manage to stay out of the way of her claws, but I am afraid she will poke herself on my sewing needle.
It only took a couple of minutes to sew up Mr. Effalent. When I was finished, I put him in the rocking chair beside Snowflake.
"There you go Snowflake. Mr. Effalent is back from the emergency room. Try not to be too hard on him," I said.
Mr. Effalent is back from the emergency room?
Jeepers. The way I act, you'd think Snowflake was like one of our children.
Oh, wait. That's right.
Snowflake *is* a member of the family. It's just that she's a four-footed member . . .
Bright and sunny -- It is really bright and sunny today after snowing all day yesterday. All together we got about three inches. The weather forecast now says we may get freezing rain Thursday night and Friday. I hope not. I would rather have snow.
LeAnn R. Ralph
