Our first trip out this morning there were big flakes gently dropping from the sky ... it wasn't a blizzard by any means. Stella was pretty hesitant about getting out into the snow. She started, then stopped. I am pretty sure she didn't pee this morning during her first trip out as I poured breakfast kibble. Sadie and Heidi always do but Stella is always more interested in eating food than anything else.
Of coarse Sadie was out and down over the ditch before I could tell her to stop. That is a place she is not allowed to go but has gone to dump her tanks lately. Stella on the other hand was remembering just how nice that warm bed felt ... she didn't get any farther than this.
Sadie wanted to stay outside more and play but I needed coffee after my late night/early morning book reading marathon last night. I had to force myself to put the book down and go to sleep, sometime a little after 2am.
It may have snowed a little through the night but nothing that was record breaking amounts. At times it pays to live in 'the tropics' when storms are involved.
With two cups of Seattle's Best Coffee moving all my blood cells around, plus Sadie having a severe case of "I want to go outside NOW" ... I decided that a "half" walk might work to bust that ball of energy she has had since the time she opened her eyes this morning.
Both hounds shot through the door to go outside and it was instant wrestling. Even a little bit of snow seems to energize them. As it did last winter.
Sadie wanted to make sure of the depth of snow before she would be attacked by Stella. As I have mentioned before, when outside Stella is the aggressor, when inside Sadie is the one that has Stella down on her back.
It's always good to see and hear that this is all in fun and doesn't lead to a dog fight.
Sadie making a move to win in the end.
Once my feet hit the field, they both sprinted around me and headed out. They didn't know that I had planned, due to the freezing temps and snow, to only do a half of a walk. They started running and didn't stop.
As fast as they took off and kept going I was sure they had found strong deer scents and my plan of a half of a walk may not happen. I wasn't sure they were going to stop and I was already pretty far behind them. This next pictures is with a 200mm zoom setting.
Stella stopped and almost headed to the left wooded area. She stood like a statue facing that direction so I started walking faster and looking toward that area in case any deer would jump out of the woods and take off. I was sure she had either heard or smelled deer staring back at her.
Once again I yelled their new keyword "hey" and they both turned their attention away from the left wooded area and started around our first turn.
I wasn't able to keep up with them today. Most of the time I wasn't sure they were going to stop but with 19° and a frozen snow, I did not want them staying outside very long. It wasn't feeling colder than yesterday but the digits were lower.
Right before they got to the turn of the far right corner, I make a left myself way short of the normal path and head back across the field to our return path, telling them "lets go home". They turned and followed me for a short time before moving out in front of me.
Sprinting again ... I wonder if feeling that cold snow on their paws makes them run like this, if they even feel it.
Sadie curled her sprint around and headed back to me. She rammed her nose/head into my knee to let me know I needed to walk a little faster, then turned and sprinted toward Stella. She has been nothing more than huge ball of energy since she got outside.
There was one last scent she had to check out before she turned for the house. Stella was already enthused about the "milk bone" words I has yelled. I don't feed them that brand name of bones but it's my words for their treats. They are not passed out a lot but they know what they are and where they are.
I am reading my 2nd book this week and it is just as good as the first book I picked up from the library this week. I read Bryan Cranston's new book in a 24 hour period. The current book is older but one I missed somehow when it came out. It has smaller print but a fast read as I started late but still had 100 pages read by the time I put it down.
I thought about doing a test run with the Mini Countryman today and find out how it handles a little snow while going up my driveway. Yet, after seeing that snow plows making a few trips up and down the highway spraying their salt/sand/chemicals mixture to clear the roads I decided the Mini would stay parked where it was. The highway is now clear and slushy with the melted ice and snow.
Temps in the 40's and rain are only four days away. I have the cabinets and fridge stocked with enough food to where I don't need to go anywhere if I don't want to during this kind of weather.
I didn't get any pictures scanned yesterday because I couldn't stop reading the book. I almost read through dinner time until I realized I had not had anything to eat since a bowl of oatmeal at breakfast.
Well the 'half walk' worked for Sadie. She has finally stretched out for a nap on the floor until lunch time. Stella just walked into the computer room to let me know it's 11:28am and that's close enough for her lunchtime kibble. She is currently sitting like an end table, with her eyes closed and head bowed ... it's her way of telling me that she is starving and hopefully I will feel sorry for her, enough to feed her.
It's a look she does many times ... when she wants fed or when she wants Sadie or Heidi to move off her spot on the couch. She never moves from that pose until she gets what she wants.
Nothing is planned for the rest of the day besides reading the rest of the book and possibly starting a new one. If I had not looked in the upper right corner of my monitor to see "Thur 11:31 AM", I would have had no idea what day it was.
Five days into January and it's been a very mild and warm winter so far in 'the tropics' of southern Indiana.
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