At least we had a white Christmas, but barely so.
The water table must be the lowest it has been since we have lived here because the spring hasn't flowed since early fall. Perhaps it has failed either because we've had so little rain and snow or perhapse the earthquake we had shifted the spring or blocked it all together.
Some of you may know that 2012 saw the last three of our dogs crossing over Rainbow Bridge. For the first time since 1976 I was without a dog and that was rough.
The internet is a wonderful place. There is a website called petfinder.com. One evening I started searching through it. One of the search parameters I entered was "German Shorthaired Pointer".
Skyllar's cat and dog rescue popped up with a likely candidate. After submitting an adoption application we had to wait for them to check us out with our vet and two other references.
The rescue called and was very excited for us to come meet Lily. They said there were 50 other applicants(!) but they thought we were the best choice. Maybe it was where it asked why we were interested in this particular dog I wrote that we were looking for a dog that would keep us active (hello, Jack Russell Terrier), had a sense of humor and was a scamp. Clearly, the rescue thought they had a couple suckers...and they were correct.
On December 23 we drove to Lakeville, Ma. to meet Lily, a rescue originally from Georgia.
She is part Jack Russell Terrier and weighs 45pounds and is between 18 and 24 months old. The other part we were told is German Shorthaired Pointer. We actually have a DNA test kit that we will use to try to figure out what some of the lotharios were in her mama's past.
Her coat was clearly designed by a committee in that she has long hair, medium hair and short hair. Some wirey and coarse and some soft.
We are using the "clicker" method of training her which really is a wonderful way to train. Very painless and stress free.
Oh, and her name now is Mollie. She didn't really respond to Lily so we figure the rescue in Georgia saddled her with it.
Considering she is a Georgia peach, Mollie LOVES snow! She loves to go out and run laps around the back yard. When it is snowing hard with big fat flakes Mollie tries to catch them. when she fails to catch one she digs in the snow like she is looking for one specific flake. Initially, Mollie was afraid of the fireplace. She now welcomes the flames and will lie in front of it.
One other thing. When one has dogs that live to be 14 or 15 years old, they tend to forget the energy that a young, healthy dog has.
Now, we are waiting for that special Boxer puppy.
Moving on from Mollie...our covered bridge is now closed for at least a year while it is undergoing badly needed repairs and reinforcement.
The closure effectively cuts the town in half. For anyone to get from one side to the other it is now a 30 minute trip (essentially from one end of the bridge to the other).
The folks on our side of the bridge have the comfort of having the fire station. The folks on the other side of the bridge have the firemen that would be driving the trucks we have on our side. Do you see a problem here?
Fortunately the neighboring towns will help out in case any fires pop up.
On Saturday I saw our first mink. It was in the sideyard and made a mad dash into the underbrush. It was near the deer feeder so I suspect it was hunting for bird or squirrels.
We are supposed to get a pretty hefty snowstorm overnight tonight (oh, please...pretty please). Right now, the best guess is 6-12". I'll be happy to see 4".
Well, I was right in not setting my hopes too high. We received a measely 2"snow and lost most of that when it changed to rain.
We did finally get some promised snow just last week. Actually received 6 inches of it.
Some pictures...
Introducing Mollie...
This is the only time she wore this coat. She LOVES the cold and snow.
"I've rolled off my bed...and I don't care.
Now, where did I leave that snowflake?
We figured out where the energy comes from. The two black patches are solar panels.
Gee, I guess it got out that big hole I just made in the plastic...
Watching as I make the deer feeding circuit...
Playing with her "ChuckIt" in the backyard. She certainly moves fast...
Wait, she was here just a second ago.
Oh, there she is.
The snowstorm that wasn't (but it was pretty)...
Mama manatee and baby frozen with surprise...
Our house from the driveway.
Empty deer feeder and path to the next one.
The front yard from the driveway. The weather station is on the far right.
A few pictures of the scenery on our road (Riverbend Rd).
Covered bridge closed for repairs...
You can see the plastice on the sides of the bridge to protect the interior after wood sides have been removed.
You can see the Mt Washington weather observatory on the highest peak. It wears the title of having the world's worst weather as three weather systems meet at this point. www.mountwashington.org
One of the last few grand hotels - the Mt Washington Hotel
That straight line that you see going up the middle is the Cog Railroad www.thecog.com
which is (appropriately enough) moved by a cog. The train goes up to the top in spring summer and fall.
The fruit of Linda's labor...she was elected to the NH House of Representatives.
No comments:
Post a Comment