Bath Time!

Saturday morning was bath time for our dogs, all six of them!  Bathing six long haired dogs is not something we can rush.  Of course, we end up using every towel in the house, and the floors are still sopping wet, but things get all straightened out eventually.  Since we heat with wood and sunshine, the dogs are able to dry out nicely before the dog door is allowed to be accessed.  Winter fur takes longer to dry since it is so full and dense.

Today our dogs smell heavenly....well as heavenly as a pack of wet dogs can smell...lol.  We got around 4 inches of snow, and the dogs went in and out of the house all day, bringing most of the wet stuff right into the house with them.  Our Collies and Shelties love the snow, and get a kick out of burrowing under it to cool down, then heading directly for the dog door, to be inside when they shake.  How nice of them to share with us so many many many times in one day!  

My husband and I spent a wonderful Sunday together with our dogs and birds, and felt totally relaxed and content in our tiny home.  Ralph did some preliminary work on our taxes, and I washed a big load of sopping towels, followed by yet another.  Ralph started up our old tractor and plowed back the new snow that fell in the driveway, and I did the cooking (reheating, really)...baked beans, of course.  Very predictable New England cuisine.  We share our chores well, get things completed, and then snuggle in, play on our laptops and just enjoy the peaceful quiet of our home.  

Hope anyone who reads this is finding some time just to be still, embrace an hour of quiet, and discover that sometimes that is all that is needed to feel satisfied.  

Take care of yourselves!

Gardeningartist

Winter Wonderland

I guess I write about once a year, but that is okay.  No one is keeping score.

We got heavily pounded today with a foot of snow.  Schools were closed, so my husband and I spent a beautiful bonus day together.  I like it when the weather closes everything down and we are forced to experience a simpler sort of day, giving us unplanned time to catch our breaths.  It is a special gift.

With our old 1930-something Ford 9N tractor, my husband has plowed all the snow out of our long entrance driveway, our parking area, plus the whole area around our agility building.  He is now taking a quiet walk with three of our six dogs.  This will give him some precious time just to amble down the dead end road, listen to the stillness of the woods, and take in the beauty of the heavily laden fir branches spotlighted by the moon.  For city people, a solo walk in the snowy woods at night might seem a little lonely and spooky, but to us New England country folk, it is just another one of those super special treats that our remoteness has to offer.  

I am snuggled under a heavy comforter in our cozy wood-heated home, listening to my budgies chatter softly.  It is nice to enjoy the company of the three dogs (who chose not to walk), and to have some time to write down my thoughts.  This is one of those treasured moments of contentment in an often very chaotic world.  Mother Nature is forcing us to slow down and enjoy what we have.  At this moment, we need nothing more!