Damn but it’s cold outside!
It snowed just enough to look ugly outside, and then the temperature dropped and now the weather is in status. It won’t snow, and it won’t warm up. It was below freezing when we went on our morning walk! Brrrrr.
Apparently, Tweed’s manly chest hair WAS predictive, because if this keeps up it’s going to be a real long, real cold winter. I like admiring his extra floofy coat!
He’s not sure it’s doing its required job though … while he may be warmer with all that hair, he sure brings a lot more snow home with him!
Today I played a game that I was saving for you all until I had a working video camera, because it’s really best viewed in action … it’s called “Where’s The Bunny” and it goes like this.
Me, in a high-pitched shrieky panicked voice:
“WHERE’STHEBUNNY?!WHERE’STHEBUNNY?!WHERE’STHEBUNNY?!”
TWooie:
It causes the WooTWoo to go apeshit mental and it’s therefore no end of amusement for me. They start racing around frantically looking for the mysterious “bunny.” No matter how many times we play this game, they never fail to rise to the bait, even though they have yet to catch anything, or even catch a glimpse of anything, when I start hopping up and down and screaming “WHERE’STHEBUNNY?!” As soon as I yell it, they’re off and running. It’s the most amount of extended exercise they ever get.
I quite enjoy watching Wootie and his chubby little doppelganger do their hunting thing, even though I kind of miss Mr. Woo spending time with me and the other dogs. But despite the many years of pleading, training, luring, begging, yelling, pouting etc., Woo has never really been *that* interested in being interactive. He learned to fetch a ball because I asked him too, and he’ll still indulge in some Wootie Toy™ from time to time, but he’s never really been an enthusiastic games dog. He’s always been more interested in looking for something he can dig up, or hunt down, than me and the other dogs.
And since The TWoo arrived, at least he has a partner in crime, and doesn’t lead such a solitary existence when it comes to his leisure time.
The border collies would rather hunt one another.
Or maybe YOU!
The dogs look so pretty in the snow.
But I wish we’d either get more, real amounts of snow, or it would go away and warm up. It’s quite difficult to take photos in weather this cold, because my camera’s battery gets cold and quits. And also, I can’t shoot with gloves on, so my fingers turn into little icy sausages.
Although I shouldn’t complain too much … at least I don’t have to sleep in a plywood shack outside! My stepdad is here right now installing a heat lamp in the chicken house so my feathered little friends don’t become frozen nuggets :)
Did somebody say frozen nuggets??
pam says
Love the puppies in the snow! Great photos as always! The WooToo just makes me laugh with their antics!
Sue K says
You are a wonderful photographer. Your pictures are always awesome!
Patricia says
Come to Alberta, its snowing right now and its -20 in Edmonton, boots needed for most dogs and coats for thin coated dogs, but the dogs seem to love it, they are super active this time of year. Love the pictures, so nice!!
Pamela says
If these are the photos you take with fingers like frozen sausages….
Just beautiful!
Michelle says
Love the Woo “on point.” Sure there’s not some spaniel in there somewhere?
Catherine says
What a lovely face your Tweed has. Re Woo’s hunting pose – I have a BC x husky (I think), and while she looks like a smooth-coat border collie, she has the curling-over-the-back tail, and totally cat-like hunting style – freezes just like Woo with one paw up, then leaps 3 feet in the air and lands on…..well, usually, nothing. I always laugh when people ask me if she’s litter-mate to my single breed rescue BC -yes, she’s black and white, and roughly the same size, but what a different way of behaving!
Carol says
Brr! I am a bit tired of the string of colder winters we’ve had on the west coast! The Giz is totally skinny and has some short-coated hunting dog in with his BC/Aussie mix, so he gets super-cold. He looks so pitiful shivering away on his outings. We can haz El Nino winter??
Christine Hibbard says
Have we considered setting up lure coursing out there in the sticks? I have to think that the WooTwoo would dig it!
I always love seeing the different personalities of all of your dogs which your photography (and captioning) show so well. Keep those sausage fingers warm!
Anda says
Brrrr! We got a mix of sub-freezing temps with a side of 60’s for few hours, then back to freakin’ cold a bit later in the day. The pups look like they’re enjoying the thin layer of powder, so yay for that :)
We play a “Where’s the Squirrel” game here – Ouzo goes apeshit every time I ask him that, then he DEMANDS that I ASK him where the stupid rodent is or else he’ll bark at me until I do. It’s associated with the same crazy running, usually to the nearest tree and back to me. It’s a never ending game. Imaginary squirrels/rabbits are so much fun :))))
Evie Douglas says
Tweed could not be more handsome!!!
riosmom says
How can you call Twooie Woo’s “chubby little doppelganger” when he looks so svelte in that first picture? While Woo … well, enough said. :-)
It is “Where’s the squirrel?” here – sure to generate barking and tree climbing. Rio used to play a variation of the game by looking up into a tree which would bring Gracie running and jumping against the tree – as Rio walked away thinking, I am sure, “Silly little twit”.
Love the pictures of Woo – he reminds me of Gracie but he is lovely in his own right. And Tweed is Mr. Handsome. And Dexter is … Dexter.
kristy says
We are getting our first snow tonight in southern WA! I think the doggies will be thrilled in them morning!!
Benny says
Ha – we play that game here too. Baxter loves to search for the rabbit.
Enjoyed the pics of your pack as always, your frozen digits are a small price to pay for the great pictures of the crew.
Julieb says
Ok that photo of Twooie running at the camera gives him an uncanny resemblance to my boy. It’s really crazy how much they resemble each other in some photos…
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=11230854&l=86f2b34535&id=520205719
skeeter says
Hey Food Lady….I would like to complain about you asking for ‘real amounts of snow’! Its falling right now and I’m not happy about it!! You come over here and take your fair share back to the mainland with you! I was very happy with just a dusting unlike SOME people. If your ears are burning its not from the cold its from me cursing you.
The Food Lady says
“I would like to complain about you asking for ‘real amounts of snow’!”
I said OR warm up! I did! I didn’t say only snow was acceptable! It’s not my fault!!
“Ok that photo of Twooie running at the camera gives him an uncanny resemblance to my boy.”
You think so? I don’t really see it too much. Maybe just the open mouth business!
“Come to Alberta, its snowing right now and its -20 in Edmonton”
No thanks! The whole reason I live here is to avoid the cold and snow ;-)
Adrienne says
It was blissfully warm/coolish fall temps her until about two weks ago. The winter settled in with a thump. Temps are 15 degrees and tonight we had some rather wicked wind. That’s 15 degrees F, I never can figure out the Celsius to Farenheit thing. All I know is that 32 is freezing in Farenehit and 0 in Celsius. The rest is negotiable.
EllieC says
Love your photos, as always. I’m particularly fond of the Woo. :)
We’re still waiting for the severe “winter storm” predicted to come our way… it’s starting to get a bit anticlimactic.
Elizabeth says
Wonderful photographs! Almost makes me feel better about snow coming!
Jonathan says
Ever considered pulling together a book? I do think it would sell, either as a mainstream conventional book or as a kindle self-published edition. And you do have a group of people here who would happily go over and post rave reviews.