The Shaak Ti and Shadowfax Sheep Shuffle

Shaak Ti got a soft stuffed sheep toy for Christmas and Shadowfax got a chance to finally grapple with Sherman the Sheep.  Sherman the Sheep sat untouched for nearly a year, we thought he was too cute to be destroyed, but eventually Shadowfax and her winter indoor playtime needs took precedence.

The end result was a simultaneous sheep festival.  Shaak Ti playing with her stuffed sheep and Shadowfax disemboweling the poor, unfortunate Sherman the Sheep.

It was a good opportunity to fill the house with toy stuffing and for the people to practice their "sh" sounds. 

Shadowfax in the Snow

Shadowfax loves being outside, especially if her people are out there.  When it's warm and pleasant she spends hours just lolling around on the grass, thoroughly sniffing every square inch of the the yard, or supervising us doing yard tasks.

In the winter though, it's a different story.  She tries to fight it and stay out as long as possible, but she just can't manage it for very long.

If we're out shoveling snow Shadowfax tries to come out and help, but invariably after a couple of minutes just sits down and looks cold and pathetic.  We have to herd her back inside to warm up, usually shutting her behind one of our many baby gates to keep her from getting back outside.  This is OK with her as she's content to supervise from the window as well. 

Snowy Pictures

We got yet another substantial snow storm to start of the beginning of the week.  It's only just January and we're running out of some space in our favorite places to store the snow.

The official tally from this storm was just over 9 inches of snow in about 48 hours. The path from the door to the garage is a wall of ice and snow that is waist/chest high.  It's a lot like living on Hoth.  I fully expect to find a remains of rebel base somewhere in the backyard when the snow melts. 

Every year we toil to create a good space in the backyard for the dogs despite the snow.  They need both cleared space for "business" and sometimes some more fun or unusual features.  Last year I made a sweet terrain park for Shadowfax including a ramp so her fetching ball could get airborne, this year I went with the banked oval design.

With Tito's vision deteriorating we try to keep the paths in roughly the same area so he can find his way around outside.  We've seen Tito get turned around and flounder in snowbanks in the backyard, so we closely monitor when he goes outside to make sure he gets back in safely.