DOGGONIT!!

Snow is the icing on the winter cake. The punks build snowmen until midnight, an igloo is under construction as soon as there's enough snow to roll a ball, and if you go outside while they are out there you better be prepared to DUCK! Then there are the snowmobiles for exploring the fields and woods, and snowthrowers to carve paths out and about (although that's not the most favorite activity), and maybe even some maple syrup snowcones.
But the punks aren't the only family members who are eager to get outdoors when the snowflakes start piling up. I'll let Happy Dog tell his own story:



"Looky there! Tally ho!"














"You little rascal, you just THINK you can get away under that timber pile."

















"I know you're there, pal, I saw ya! Just stick your pesky pink nose up here...come on, I dare ya...."














"Shhh. Ya gotta stand real quiet. But alert. That's right - alert. This is how ya do it. And you havta keep one paw up, that's important. They won't move if you have all four feet on the ground...













"OK, there's more than one bunny in the burn pile. I can always DIG ya out, ya know..."




(Do you think he noticed the bunny door on the other side??









"Ready or not, here I come...."

(Nope, I don't think he noticed. That bunny is looonng gone...

"Hmmpph. Doggone rodent. I know they run all over here, there's gotta be another one someplace. "

"Whoa! Stop the presses! Is that a WOODCHUCK out there?? Now that's prime huntin', I can actually CATCH one of those guys!"

Sad but true. Although the last one he caught, the boys ended up dispatching with a BB gun to finish it off.










"Ahhhh. The rewards of bein' a huntin' dawg.
Warm fire, comfy rug, someone to pick the snowballs from between my toes.... If I hang out right here, none of those punks will sneak out the door without me..."














What's this? A lost polar bear?
Oh - nope, that's just Opal. She is old and decrepit, but that doesn't stop her from hittin' the snowfields when she comes to stay at the farm for a couple weeks.














"It's not nice to laugh at old dogs. You could at least provide snowshoes - or get that snowthrower over here and RESCUE me, doggonit."













"Ah, that's better. Hey, I could be a sled dog! Yep, I could. See my extra thick coat? I can even curl up and sleep in snow banks with my nose under my fluffy tail muff, just like those snobby Huskies. They got nothin' on a gen-u-wine Wisconsin mutt..."





She drives us crazy. She hates being indoors, barks to be let out within 30 seconds of being dragged in to thaw out. She has serious health issues, she's old, and probably senile. Ya, that's it, she's gone back to her puppyhood. When she is outdoors she lays right on the ice, or the nearest snow bank, and makes like a sled dog. We're negotiating with Santa for a harness and sled...




"Puppy? Was I a puppy?"

"Ok, turkeys, I got no coat, mom shaved it off and didn't even have gramma knit a sweater for me. Here I am, shivering and turning into a Schnauzer-cicle... Open that door, for pity sake, and come in and sit by the fire so I can get in your lap!"

Nikki's problem is that she wants to be where ever the punks or other people are. If they are out in the snow, that's where she goes. If they come indoors, that's where she goes. She has a distinct bark for each situation.

BUT. As you may have noticed, she is only 11" tall, has no fat on those skinny little legs, no hair left on her skinny little tail, and no brains between those ears. We have to keep a close eye on her and limit her outings to only 5-10 minutes or we would be putting her on a stick and licking her. Thhpppt.

Actually, she thinks she is a cat. Honest.