Monday, February 11, 2013

Snow Happens

We had us a little snowstorm here on Friday, although it wasn't quite as devastating as the media built it up to be.

Things rarely are.


It snowed almost all day on Friday and was still snowing hard when we went to bed that night. We ended up with about 10 or 11 inches,  and woke up thankful to be residents of NJ as opposed to Connecticut. They got between 30 and 40 inches of snow there. Yikes.


One thing about living in this part of the country is that counties are equipped to deal with big snow.  I've lived in the south, and two inches of snow in Knoxville Tennessee is more of a problem than 10 inches in Northern NJ. Our driveway was plowed sometime during the night and again on Saturday morning.  The roads were clear and hubs and I trekked to the mall to have lunch and run a few errands.

The best thing about the snow has been watching my dog. She likes cold weather and is so funny in the snow. Hubs was out with the snow blower clearing the sidewalk on Saturday morning, so it was up to me to get her feet in her snow boots. What a workout!

Me, not her.


She resists the boots, which are actually more like booties, and I had a few people asking why we insist she wear them.  Our dog is a Setter and has furry feet. When she walks in the snow it ices up into little balls that stick between the pads on her paws. Once that happens she refuses to put her feet down, hence the boots.


I don't remember where we bought them, but we ordered online a few winters back. You slide her paw into the boot and then it Velcros around her.  Sounds so simple, doesn't it?

First you have to catch her.

Once she's caught, she promptly sits so you can't get to her foot. The next step is to swear a little, but also to remind yourself you squashed a squirmy toddlers foot into snow boots once upon a time, and by golly you will get this dog's foot into the bootie too.

Toddlers only have two feet so 'dressing' a dog is twice the fun. Once the boots are on she walks around very tentatively. She lifts her feet high off the ground which is hilarious, but as soon as she gets used to them she's off.


She absolutely loves to run in the snow and will periodically stop to throw her face in for a snack.


Can we all just agree she's the cutest dog ever?

Sunday afternoon hubs talked me into going for a walk in the woods. I'm still a little draggy, a month after catching whatever respiratory crud I caught, and it was only 26 degrees outside so I balked.  Hubs kept saying it wasn't cold, but even with the sun shining numbers in the 20's are pretty cold.  The sky was a bright beautiful blue, and I was tricked by the gorgeous sunshine into believing him.

I like this particular park.  We walk here often, and for some reason I was thinking the paths would be clear like they normally are when we visit.  


Forgot about that little snowstorm.  I mean I knew there'd be snow, but I guess I was thinking the walking paths would somehow be semi clear.  It was quite the walk through some pretty deep snow.


Gorgeous day though!  I love the sight of a frozen lake-

Well, mostly frozen.


Seems someone felt the need to test it, and fyi-that someone was not my hubs. He is a risk taker, but he's an intelligent risk taker.

It was cold out there yesterday...the lake was frozen and the path was knee-deep kind of snowy, but the sun was bright and the sky was clear blue beautiful.

I never regret a walk in the woods.


Neither does she.

"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.
~ Henry David Thoreau

25 comments:

  1. I had a Britteny Spaniel, so I'm very familiar with the "snowballs between the toes" during snowing outings. Those booties look great. I wish that they would have been available when I had my puppy dog, but I'm sure that it's quite the adventure to get your puppy into them. But, she does look like she's having such fun out there. And, since my dog has passed, I can agree that yours is currently the cutest dog though my Fossy was pretty darn cute. ;)

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  2. You all seem, and I'm including the dog, quite adventuresome to me! Glad you enjoyed it and that you still have electricity!

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  3. So pretty. Been two years since we've had snow like that in Edinburgh.

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  4. It was a beautiful day yesterday. Ashley got Tucker boots but I think they are too small for him and he won't wear them. She just wants a picture of him in them but I don't think that is going to happen.

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  5. She sure is a cutie! I love when they dive into the snow or, in the case of August who is only 11 inches tall, SWIM in the snow! Glad you went out to enjoy it all.

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  6. I love that picture of your dog running with her ears STRAIGHT UP!!!! Such JOY!
    Glad you made it through Nemo swimmingly!

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  7. Sounds like you all had simply a wonderful snowfall ... enough to be fun yet not enough to be a disruption. How I wish we could have a nice snowfall like that. And it certainly looks like you all had a wonderful time walking in the snowy woods.

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  8. Very pretty walk - it is such a good workout when the snow is deep :-)

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  9. I was just cracking up reading this and picturing you wrestling the snow booties onto Dixie. P.S I LOVE your new coat! So cute!

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  10. I'm glad you got just the right amount of snow...enough for a fun outing and some great pics. I love the pic of the dog with her ears flying.

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  11. What an interesting photo of your dog's legs with the snow boots :)

    You're a trooper to walk in "knee deep" snow! Kudos to you! The dog certainly seemed to enjoy it!

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  12. My little jack russell mix likes the snow to a point. But she doesn't like going out like yours does lol! She starts lifting up her paws when they get frozen and she needs to come back in and burrow under the blankets on the bed. :) No booties for her- she is too dumb to know they will help her- she tears them off. My daughter doesn't like the snow either- come to think of it neither do we. Guess she reads us well! :)
    We definitely lucked out this time- Long Island and CT got slammed! :) Ugh!

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  13. You all have had quite the year for weather. I'm glad this one wasn't so bad. I bet those booties keep your floors cleaner too!

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  14. I love the look of snow but you see in this hear neck of the woods we don't know how to 'deal' with it and we donm't plow. So the whole ding dang city shuts down. So when it snows here it's a pain in the neck. Pretty, but painful.

    Oh and look at you so sassy with your last two post titles. LOL

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  15. Pretty pictures! Looks like you weren't having a bad time in the snow! :)

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  16. I'm jealous. I want snow! But no more than four inches because I live in the south. Ten inches would put the town out of commission for a week.

    I've had long haired Dachshunds for years and they get the same way in the snow. If we got a good snow here more than once every four years, I'd buy them a pair of those booties and probably swear a little when I put them on. ;)

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  17. Beautiful snowy pictures and the boots on your dog crack me up. And yes, she's a beautiful dog!

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  18. 30 inches of snow in CT? Crazy!! Glad the snowfall wasn't as devastating as originally thought. Yes, your dog is a cutie! :)

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  19. I love the way you told the story about your dog! I even had to read it to my dad! We both got a good chuckle out of your adventures trying to dress your dog! You tell it so beautifully! I'm really glad you guys made it through NEMO without damage. I miss the snow. If we get a couple inches a YEAR it seems we're lucky. Although we did have a nice snowfall just after Christmas, but it didn't last long. Have a wonderful week! Kelly xoxo

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  20. As much as I hate winter, I will say the snow is pretty. Probably because you got the snow and I didn't. ;)

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  21. LOVELY. Really. We got about 26+ inches. But kept power and such.

    As for the south.... UNC cancelled classes for a WEEK my freshman year. Total amount of snow? 3 inches maybe. And it got to 60 degrees on Friday afternoon. This New Englander was in HEAVEN.

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  22. your dog appears to be on cloud 9 - in every way. ;) what beautiful scenery for a walk. love it.

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  23. Beautiful pictures and I love the ones of your dog. I remember we had boots for our Sheltie when I lived in Chicago. They were a pain to get on and she was alot smaller than your dog, so I imagine you did get a work out. lol
    Glad you did not get as much as they thought!
    until next time... nel

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  24. Wow...that is BEAUTIFUL, Joyce! Looks like a winter wonderland! I don't think I've ever seen that much snow up close and personal! Love your dog's booties...how cute are they? Our dogs love playing in the snow...on the rare times we've gotten some. Bella's coat always gets covered in little snowballs!

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  25. Love the boots...I can see how much he loves the snow. I love how adventurous you and your husband are!

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