Sunday, January 5, 2014

Baby, it's COLD outside!!!

 It is a classic January day in the Northern Plains.   The HIGH temperature today is supposed to be around -20 degrees (F) and that is NOT the windchill; it's the actual air temperature.   With windchills down in the -60 degree range, it's a weekend to stay home, make soup and play with the dogs!   They go potty pretty fast when it's this cold, and I give an extra measure of grace for an occasional accident!   I don't tie Princess up when she goes out, but even she is tied up when it's this cold.   She loves to go next door to my neighbors but sometimes they're not home and she'll stand on their back deck and patiently (or not-so-patiently) wait.   I can't have her doing that when it's this cold!



 We had a wonderful Christmas!   Due to Scarlett's illness in December we were not able to travel to Michigan as planned, but my brother came here for four days.   It was his first time to meet the puppies and he loved them (and vice versa).   Zak was all over him; somehow sensing that there was another guy to hang out with!   The four days that he was here were a temporary break from the sub-zero temperatures so we spent a lot of time outside.    It was good for body and soul! 

Zak in a Box

Scarlett is doing well.   She's off her medicine, and her blood will be re-checked in a month to determine if she has Von Willibrand's Disease.   If everything comes back normal, then we'll go with the assumption that she ingested some kind of poison, though we may never know what it was. 

Zak had his 'little boy' surgery on Friday which was kind of an emotional day for me, as I just hate to see him grow up!   He is 18-1/2 lbs now - a pound more than Princess weighed when I got her (at age 18 months).   He is only FIVE months old!   He's not overweight, but is solid and muscular - a very healthy boy.   The worst part of the surgery for him was not getting any breakfast on Friday.  He was MAD!!!  I made him scrambled eggs and boiled chicken that night so hopefully he has forgiven me!  I'm also hoping that is the last veterinary bill for a long while!    It's going to take a while to recover from 2013, but I have no regrets.   These dogs bring so much joy and they are worth every penny I spend on them.

Tim and Zak work on a plumbing project
As you can see, one is doing the work and the other is giving directions

3 comments:

Unknown said...

It's 33 with high humidity here in south africa!our pets are flat out panting, loved your corgis, your last comment very close to our hearts, they are worth every cent we spend have a good year!

Unknown said...

How can I subscribe to your blog, I cannot find the button

Beth said...

Hi Kari, You can subscribe by entering your Email address in the box under the picture on the right side of the page. You will get an automatic notification when there is an update to the blog. Thanks for your interest!