Snow Doggie

Mother Nature must be mad at us. She neglected us the last two winters, they were fairly mild and we got off easy. Now she is making up for it. It started late Friday afternoon and continued until early Saturday afternoon. I'm guessing we got about 30".

I cleared everything as soon as I got home from work Friday evening, around 7:00 p. There were only about 2" at that point, so it went quickly. I cleared the full width and length of the sidewalk and our parking spaces.

I went out again before bed, around 10:00p and cleared it all again. It took me nearly an hour that time, with about 8" having fallen in the past three hours. I cleaned off my car and cleared a moat around it. I figured that was that much less I would have to deal with Saturday. Good thinking... in theory, anyway.

This is what I saw when I put Oli out at 7:00a:
Oh my. Well. My game plan for Saturday was to shovel and watch dvds. I borrowed Stargate Atlantis (season 4) and Mad Men (season 2) from the library. I figured I could be snowed in all weekend.

So I got the shovel and got started. I cleared only a shovel-width this time, that is all that is required, and about all I had strength to do. I'd say we had about 2', give or take, by that time. I cleared a ring around the fire hydrant and a path out to the street. Lewis had worked a double shift and I knew he wouldn't feel like shoveling before he could even park, so I cleared a space for his car. I couldn't budge any of the snow where he usually parks, right behind my car, because the plow had shoved a bunch of snow there. I'm telling you, I was exhausted by the time I was done. It took me almost two hours.

As for Oliver, the snow was so high when he went for his first "out" before breakfast, that he did something I never, ever saw him do before. He lifted his leg on a dead porch plant! I told him he was a naughty dog, but really, what could he do?He was a bit perplexed until I started clearing the snow, then he was back to his usual barky dog self. Biting at the snow, snuffling around, "digging" the snow off the shovel for me. He had a good time. He's never seen snow this high and he was being very timid about it. By late afternoon, I realized I would have to clear some paths in the yard for him to do his business. Luckily the snow was still light and fluffy.

The snow walls were so high that I was even able to let him off his rope, something I would never normally do, and we ran around in the circles I made. He had a blast chasing me and trying to catch the snowballs I threw for him.