Cabin fever strikes Lynnwood!

Happy Sunday and we did have some sun! Dennis decided to get out of the house and try riding his snowboard even though the snow wasn't really deep enough to get in any great rides. The neighbors dogs were all "out and about" today, as well, and had alot of fun following us around. Dennis said he would go hiking with me afterward so I did yesterday's loop again today! My legs are feelin' it right about now too! There's one huge downhill that is difficult in the best conditions, much less when there's 2" of snow on it. I told Dennis, as we cautiously slid down, that it earned a five star rating in the "ass bustin'" category!!! hahahahaha At least I had my poles to help. Dennis had nothing! He said his legs felt like jello after that. So we came on home and looked at our pictures from the day. Lots of good shots! Then I made chili and cornbread and now I am watching the birds eat bread on the patio. Shaggy dog came by and sniffed the bread, stuck her nose in the air as if to say, "this is a meger offering to such a spledid dog like myself!" She then pretended to be offended and started to wander off. But then she turned around and forced a couple of pieces down (she wasn't foolin' no one!). I yelled "Shaggy" and she quickly turned around and ran home! hahaha

Walkin' in a winter wonderland!

After spending lots of time inside, I thought it would be nice to do my walk in the woods instead of the road this time. Hiking in the snow provides some different challenges like not really knowing what your stepping on or in. That's where the hiking poles came in handy. I would stab the ground in front of me first then take a step. I could also follow the numerous deer tracks through the woods. Not seeing any giant pits with deer in them, I could assume their path was a safe one! haha It also felt alot like walking in sand with all the slipping and sliding but it was well worth it. So peaceful and quiet.....The above picture is the pipeline road on top of the ridge.......

This is the trail on out the ridge where I usually see lots of turkeys.......

Who knew there was a waterfall up the hill?! I hiked straight up the hillside to get this shot of a fallen tree with it's roots around some rocks and the frozen water below. Cool stuff!!! Hard hike!

Dennis always has to get a picture of me ready to go. I guess he figures he can use it to show the authorities in case I don't come back???! "Yes, officer, she was wearing jeans, black jacket, etc." hahaha I always carry a radio with me and so I can keep in touch with Dennis from anywhere I hike! Quite handy!

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.
Albert Camus (1913 - 1960)

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
Anne Bradstreet (1612 - 1672), 'Meditations Divine and Moral,' 1655

Lovin' the white stuff!!!

Can you believe all this snow?! I guess Mother Nature got tired of all that wishing for snow and said "OK, I'm gonna' let you have it already!!" I think it's absolutely fabulous and I was really glad they let us leave school early. The students weren't told until the last minute, which was kinda' funny. Here they were going to lunch about 1/2 hour early and no clue why. Some suspected but nobody would tell them because it would be chaos! haha So we left 2 hours early and took off for home. I was about 4 miles from the Kenova exit at about 1:30 when it just started with a few flakes. A little bit later it was pouring the snow! Lots of little birdies but no deer. I guess they are hiding in the bushes hoping for some sunshine! Time to bake some cookies!! Wheeeeee!

Things that make me smile!

TWO HOUR DELAYS!!!!!! It doesn't get any better than that!!! SWEEEET!
(Just had to vent some joy!)
Got the little deer their very own heated water bowl this evening! Mommy deer was the first to get a good long drink from it. One of the young bucks looked at her as if to say. "Hey, what are you doing???! That looks pretty good!" and then he sniffed her mouth! haha Hopefully, all the little animals will get some use out of it. I feel sorry for them in all this cold weather!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Ohhhh nooooo! It's almost over!.......

Yes, vacation is almost over and you can hear the sounds of crying and moaning all over the place...and the kids probably aren't too happy either! I have enjoyed the break so much and did get lots of rest, which was good. Would have liked to see more snow, of course, but maybe we're saving the big snows for snow days! Yay! I have also been able to get out and run/walk during the day instead of working all day then racing outside before it gets pitch dark. I even went out this afternoon! You wouldn't think you could actually sweat as cold as it is but you can! I had on Under Armour tights and shirt, extra tights, fleece shirt, windbreaker, hat, mittens and a TurtleFur over my mouth and had to unzip my jacket and take off my gloves because I got tooo hot! I did my usual road route but the neighbors' black Lab was out and it looked to be a "nipper". Its' sole purpose in life is to bark at me. I heard it before I could even SEE it. It barked the whole time I walked past it and kept barking even when I was a half a mile away!! It wagged it's tail but then growled and barked. So which end do you believe?! Anyway, I was not going to give it the satisfaction of going back past it and I cut through the woods. That meant a HUGE hill climb but they say you need to amp up your workout sometimes to burn more calories. All those people who are in an exercise rut...just work in a big black Lab who acts like someone took its last bit of kibble and you'll get your workout kicked up a notch! hahahaha Dang dog.......Anyway, Dennis and I did get out earlier. He had to try out his new skateboard and I took pic's of him going down the old airport road. He had fun doing that a couple of times, until he got too cold. Then we went to the grocery store and I picked up a couple of staples. You know, bread and Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookies. After a stop by Wendy's for lunch, we came home and then I went on my little run for about 45 minutes. Now I am kickin' back and watching a football game, counting down my last hours of freedom. Til next time!

Stay warm out there!

Merry Christmas, everyone!! Hope you have a wonderful day in spite of the yucky weather! (Mother Nature is definitely not in the holiday mood...boo hiss) Dennis and I opened our gifts to each other this morning at 7:00 then had some fried eggs and toast. (Dennis got me a couple dozen eggs on Wednesday so I could make some for his office luncheon yesterday. He didn't realize I had already gotten a couple dozen and so needless to say, we are eating lots of eggs lately! haha) Saw a deer below the deck and tossed out some bread but it seemed more interested in chewing sticks. But what do I know? Maybe sticks ARE better than day old white bread. hmmmmm. My suet feeders were empty and so I had one left to refill. I always just grab whatever is handy and this package was the "hot pepper" variety! Now the wood peckers are chirping "mucho caliente' !!!" and flying backwards!!! ahahahahha

Yay for UGG boots!

What a busy day! Went to work for a few hours then went on the search for Uggs. First the Huntington Mall, then the Ashland Towne Center! You would have had more luck finding a sweater with three arms than those boots! At least in my size! Dennis had seen them at the Scioto Shoe Mart so after stopping by to pick up Mom, off we went on Ugg Hunt 2009. After finding the store, we found that they had about 4 different boxes with shoes that could possibly fit my big dogs, as Dennis affectionately calls them. Two size 7's and two size 8's. Turns out, I am a 7 so it was good that I didn't just order them online. They had one pair of the above boots in a 7 and success! I had found my Ugg's! They are super soft and I would be wearing them now but I had to pretreat them to help keep them clean. I also like the fact that they have a higher sole on them which will help too. Love them!

I also just finished making a buzzilion "evil eggs" for Dennis to take to work with him tomorrow. That egg cookin' is a real good time........ Oh, and Mom and stopped by the "Flowers Bakery" store that sells discounted, old bread stuff. The Christmas break means no snackies for my deer buddies and I had to find an alternate snack source. I picked up about four loaves of the cheapes bread then turned around and there they were. I swear there was a heavenly glow surrounding these giant bags filled with old loaves of bread, buns, and bagels! So heavy, I could barely lift them and all for just 4 dollars! Boy, what those little deer would do to get a few hours in that store! Who knew that they actually sold such things just for the little animals? Seriously awesome! So I paid my 4 dollars and hefted it out to the Jeepster like Santa loading his bag of glee inspiring goodies into his sleigh! We now have 5 deer licking their lips with a satisfied twinkle in their eyes. Merry Christmas, little dudes!