University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum

Alycia had a conference in Minneapolis in early April and I accompanied her down to "the Cities" for a long weekend trip.  We had some great food, took some lovely walks along the Mississippi River, and visited the University of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

It was early April, and the tulips had barely poked out of the ground, so this wasn't an optimal time to visit.  But neither of us had been before, so we considered this a little scouting trip.  In one "lawn/prairie" section there were some tiny flowers blooming, really one of the few things flowering at all. 

Some espaliered Honeycrisp apple trees.  These are trained and pruned to grow flat along a fence line. If space is at a premium in your yard, this is a great technique to train trees and still get the benefits of fresh fruit without sacrificing a ton of yard space.  You can do this with just about any kind of fruit tree, and probably any kind of fence too. 

This was gonna be a lovely place to visit once everything was blooming.

A few of the other things that were blooming at the time - dwarf irises.  We have some similar irises (Siberian irises) on the homestead, and they're usually the first thing every Spring to bloom.

This is a still dormant European Weeping Larch and we're going to get one of these for our yard.  They only get about +/- 6 feet tall and have a weeping habit.

There was a lovely pond and bridge, and walking trails ran through the entire property.  Behind Alycia there was a vigorous Canada Goose fight/gangland rumble going on.  The details of the fight are sketchy, but it was indeed a throwdown if there ever was. 

Your author likes to sport the plaid-on-stripes look.  Alycia thinks it's better than my breathtaking plaid-on-plaid look.   My fashion success benchmark is generally "if no children come up to me and expect to make them a balloon animal", then I know I've dressed appropriately for the occasion.

They had a demonstration of a living roof.

We somehow just missed the maple sugaring season, though it should have been in full swing.  Sap runs in the Spring during warm days and cold nights, which we had unluckily just missed out on.  I was looking forward to some maple syrup tastings. 

This is the maple syrup collection machinery and tubing that runs back up into the woods to collect sap.  It takes about 40 gallons of sap to cook down to a gallon of syrup. 

Even though we missed syrup time and not much was blooming, this was a highly successful scouting trip.  We'll be coming back to the University Of Minnesota Landscape Arboretum at a future date and checking out all the cool plants. 

Pileated Woodpeckers

It's been an awesome week of woodpeckers.  There's no coincidence that Week of Woodpeckers makes the acronym WOW! It's been a wow week for us here at the homestead, who could be gently described as bird enthusiasts. 

Sunday morning I spotted this Pileated Woodpecker on the power pole at the corner.  I quietly made my way to the front mud room to get a photo without scaring off the bird.  After about 30 seconds the bird flew off to the West.  Things get crazy because as I turned around to go inside...

...a second Pileated Woodpecker had been on the suet bird feeder the whole time!  Whoa!

I've seen glimpses of Pileated Woodpeckers before, but usually from some distance and usually obscured by trees. This is by far the closest I've had a look at one, and definitely the longest amount of time I've been able to watch one.  And to top it off, two of them at the same time.

After about a minute on the feeder, the bird few away...

...and alighted on the tree on the Northwest corner of the homestead, then flew off just moments later.

Sadly Alycia was out of town and didn't get a chance to see this very cool bird.  It's the first time we've seen a Pileated Woodpecker at the suet feeder in the front yard, I'm hoping that one of them will want to come back for a return visit.

Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker Sighting

There was an awesome bird sighting on the homestead this morning - a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker!  I was way more excited than I should have been, and he hung around so long that I was nearly late for work.  I spent the better part of a half hour watching him work up and down the tree.

This completes my woodpecker sightings for the local area. I've seen the downy, hairy, red-headed, Pileated, and Northern flicker.

We've seen a Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker before when were on vacation in Glacier National Park in Montana, but this is the first time we've seen on at the homestead in North Dakota.  I was pretty dang excited.

UPDATE - My co-worker who is a woodpecker expert, seriously he's writing his dissertation on downy and hairy woodpeckers, has alerted me that there are in fact more woodpeckers to see here in North Dakota - "You are missing Red-bellied Woodpecker (Melanerpes carolinus) and can also see Blacked backed Woodpeckers (Picoides arcticus) a few hrs from here."

Dog Bed Tortilla

One of the MANY (I can't bold and underline and emphasize this enough, she's a strange little dog) odd things about Shaak Ti is that she loves to be squished up in her slumber ball.

Here she's fully enveloped, like a burrito. 

This gets her really ramped up during doggie play time. John will even pick up the entire ball and let her rock in the air. 

Shaak Ti in her element - being weird and enjoying every second of it. 

Raise Your Paws Fundraiser

The annual Raise Your Paws fundraising dinner for the Grand Forks Circle of Friends Humane Society was a few days ago. We had a lovely time between the silent auction, live auction, and Newman the painting dog.

One of the things we worked hard to win in the silent auction was this drawing of three billy goats.  It speaks to me. 

And here's Newman sitting patiently for a treat prior to painting. 

And here is an action shot. 

Newman is a very cute little pup and quite the artist indeed.  He had several original works up for bid in the silent auction.

Tug-Of-War Video

Shaak Ti and Shadowfax playing together with their awesome 6-Foot Rope Toy.

This may look familiar to some loyal Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes readers...it is indeed the Valentine's Day present that Alycia received this year.  We embrace the non-traditional around here. 

They enjoy this monster rope toy and Shadowfax plays with it (supervised) almost every day when it's too cold or snowy to play outside. 

First Sweater Day

So while it was 70 degrees last week, this morning it was a balmy 11 degrees with a couple inches of new snow. Perfect for giving Grandma's sweater a first try! 

The one thing we realized is that the bulky yarn makes Shadowfax's harness a  tight fit. We may have to invest in a special "winter sweater" sized harness for next year.  

You Can't Escape the Sunbeam

It reached 70+ degrees here in Grand Forks, North Dakota last Sunday.  Well it reached 71 at the airport a few miles west of town. It officially only got to 70 here in town, well above seasonal averages.  Fargo got to 74 degrees and recorded the earliest 70 degree day in the history of the city.

This was the first time the pooches had been exposed to a powerful sunbeam since last Summer.  They were ill prepared for the power of the sunbeam in all of its nap-inducing majesty.  Shaak Ti and Shadowfax were unable to resist the tractor beam like pull to snooze in the warm afternoon sunshine. 

Shaak Ti Vs. Sasquatch

Shaak Ti had a battle with a Sasquatch the other day.  Apparently she lost.  Either that or she has some kind of strange deaf-dog crush on Sasquatch, we don't really know.  Shaak Ti is an odd little dog, there are myriad possible reasons why she's snuggling up with Sasquatch's foot, but those reasons remain her own.

The Sasquatch Statue was a Christmas present for John.  It seemed like every plane flight we took he would pine over the awesome Sasquatch Statue in the Skymall catalog, so we finally got him one for Christmas.  It is a fairly awesome addition to the house. 

In Shaak Ti's defense, Sasquatch does have a pretty mean glare, maybe that's why she lost this particular tussle. 

Hand Knitted Dog Sweater Follow Up

It's only been a week, but we have an update on Shadowfax and her hand knitted dog sweater.  I know you were all begging for closure on this topic as we've been deluged with literally hundreds of e-mails asking for some resolution (and more photos). 

One thing you should know about Alycia's Mom, she's one speedy knitter. It didn't take her long to make the adjustments from the previous fitting session and get the sweater ready to go!

No final fitting session is complete without some play time in your new sweater.

Hugs from Alycia and pets from Grandma.

She has a tail, I promise.  It's wagging so fast in this picture that you can't see it.

There we go.  Slowed down our wag-rate a smidgen so you can see the tail. Look at how nicely that sweater fits - well done Grandma!

Shadowfax has become pretty good at posing nicely for the camera.  In case there are some people who are looking for a deaf pittie to model sweaters, Shadowfax is currently available for work. 

Shadowfax has become pretty good at posing nicely for the camera.

The only bummer in this whole sweater ordeal?  It's in the 50's today and is supposed to stay nice all week.  We're probably not completely free of Winters' icy grip, but we might be out of dog sweater season.  This lovely sweater may have to get shelved until next winter when it's cold enough.  Sweaters are usually on clearance about now, so you might be able to snatch up some pretty good deals if you're so inclined. 

Hand Knitted Dog Sweater Photo Montage

Alycia here. So my mom has been knitting ferociously for the past year or so. She's knitted me a hat, fingerless gloves, mittens, and a few scarves. Recently she decided to take on a more challenging project: a sweater for Shadowfax.

Today she and my dad stopped by for a sweater fitting. The following photo montage shows how that went.  The photos are all from an iPhone, so they aren't the best, plus Shadowfax was a blur of happy activity anyways, so pretty tough to capture.

So far so good, but that's all about to change.

Shadowfax is thinking that this might be s new fun toy.

Here comes the sweater, Grandma is checking her tummy for proper measurements.

The first attempt at putting on the sweater, a barrage of kisses and wiggles ensues.

Waiting for dinner

Every day Shadowfax sits and waits patiently in her crate while the other dogs eat. Today she's a little more tired since it was warm enough to play fetch outside.

I'm not sure if this is comfortable but she's been laying like this for 5+ minutes.

I guess it isn't bothering her lips and gums. 

Happy Valentine's Day

While we're not big on the greeting card holidays, we couldn't resist getting the fur-kids some new toys for Valentine's Day. And the toys' arrival was very timely since today's high was not forcasted to be above zero, so no outside playtime today.

Shaak Ti enjoys her rope-ta-pus

Shadowfax modeling the beauty of a 6-foot rope toy. The length ensures that she won't jump up and accidentally chomp our hands...

Tito being Tito and refusing to participate in photo time.

Chilly time, snuggle time

After an unseasonably warm couple weeks, we're back to below zero temperatures. The girls have the right idea and are snuggling to keep warm.

Don't Worry - We're Still Here

Wowzers have these last few months raced by me.  Don't worry, I've got my excuses. But they're the same old tired excuses that I trotted out back in October.  We're going to try to ease back into the routine of posting pictures and stories and local events and the happenings around the household.

We'll ease back into this process nice and slow.  Maybe just a picture of Shadowfax on the kitchen rug.  This is her favorite place to supervise the humans when we're in the kitchen.  Later this week we'll try and post another picture, maybe a photo of her romping and playing with one of her favorite toys, the Jolly Ball. 

Monday Mornings Are Ruff

It can be hard to wake up on those dreaded Monday mornings.  Start slow, just an ear.

Now maybe open those eyes just a little bit, you're on your way.  Now for the first cup of coffee (for the people at least).

Thanks

Thanksgiving and the Holidays are officially upon us!  Many folks will return to their ancestral homes, share food and drink with loved ones, and bask in the proverbial warmth of kith and kin.  This is also the time when many stop and reflect on all that they have in their lives and express thanks and gratitude.

We do things a little bit differently around here at the Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes homestead.  The big important things in our lives are too amazing to only express gratitude for them one day a year.  We spend 364 days a year being grateful for the big things we have.  Not a day goes by where I don't give the misses a hug and tell her "I love you".  Not a day goes by that I don't pet our furry companions, or tuck them in at night and remind them they are loved (even if they can't hear).  We try to always express our gratitude for our family and friends, our health, and the countless thing that bring us comfort and happiness in our daily lives. 

Since we spend the rest of the year being grateful for all the big important things we have in our lives, we usually spend Thanksgiving being thankful for the little things that make small moments or ordinary days special.  Today we're thankful for:

Warm afternoon sunbeams.

Bowls of freshly harvested currants.

 

The ability to explore our world and discover cool things, like Harlequin Ducks.

Monarch Butterflies in the garden.

The ability to try and fail, and learn from our failures, like the failed sauerkraut experiment.

Things that are beautiful just for the sake of being beautiful.

The little things in life, they're pretty darn special too. 

The Professor and The Puppy

The girls hanging out on the floor for snuggle time.  Shadowfax has very good posture when she sits up straight.

Online Fundraiser for Circle of Friends Humane Society - Grand Forks, North Dakota

It's been our good fortune here at Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes to have gotten involved with our local animal shelter - the Circle of Friends Humane Society in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It is this involvement over the last month and a half that has prevented us from making more frequent posts, but it's all for the greater good of helping out the furry little critters in our community.

This post is a request for action from our awesome Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes readers.  The Circle of Friends Humane Society is having an online fundraising event where they're trying to raise $5,000 in 5 days.  If you can, both me and the little creatures of the greater Grand Forks area would be eternally grateful if you could make donation.  Here's the website for donating to Circle of Friends.  They would be incredibly happy for any donation, no matter how small.

If you're not in a spot to donate money, that's fine!!!  They would love to feel your support in other ways. One of the easiest ways is through the Amazon Smile program.  This is a charitable arm of Amazon that donates 0.5% of all purchases you make if you've linked up your Amazon account to the Circle of Friends Humane Society.  It's super easy to sign up for this and doesn't cost a thing.  Go to smile.amazon.com and type in "Circle of Friends Humane Society" in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It should come up in a search box, then simply click on it.

Your Amazon page will now say "Supporting: Circle of Friends Humane Society" at the top left of the web page.  Then just use Amazon as you normally would and we'll receive 0.5% of the proceeds of stuff you buy AND we'd be forever grateful for your support.  Thank You.

First Snow of the Year Means Warm Dog Beds

The official arrival of winter means no more messing around when it comes to being all warm and snuggly.  Now here in North Dakota, we don't wait for the Winter Solstice (December 21st) for the beginning of winter.  Winter starts when the first dusting of snow falls and sticks.  We had a thorough dusting of snow on Sunday that has stuck around for the start of the week, and flurries are still falling as we speak.  Thus, winter is upon us. 

Snow on the ground means the dog bed heaters are added to all their big ole’ fluffy dog beds.  The dogs (yes are spoiled) really seem to appreciate it and nap time seems to take on a whole new level of importance.  

UFO Abduction in Cavalier, North Dakota

Devoted Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes readers alerted us to the fact that there was an alien abduction just yesterday right in Alycia's hometown of Cavalier, North Dakota.

You can read about the alleged alien abduction here. 

We'll ignore the facts that there is only one (1) security camera in the entire town of Cavalier and it just happened to perfectly catch an "alien abduction", and there are literally hundreds of more remote roads in the area that would be much more ideal to abduct someone from.  More than likely this was a bored teenager, who should at least get some kudos for putting Cavalier, North Dakota on the viral interwebs map. 

Awesome Nephew Pics - Blog Authors Included

Two weeks since our last post?  That sounds about right.  Two posts in a month?  Sadly, spot on.  It's been a crazy month or two.  Between work (an unfortunate fact of life), Fall chores, gardening duties, multiple family visits, and a sudden onslaught of volunteerism (more details on this later, probably much later) - we've been negligent in our obligations to our millions of readers here at Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes.  Sorry.

Here's a picture of Alycia, myself, and our two awesome nephews.  They came for a visit a few weeks back, and we had a kid-filled, hectic household for a while.  These two little dudes are sprouting like weeds and it took all of our energy and gumption just to try to keep up with them. 

We'll get back on track with pictures of all the Fall happenings, Doggie Halloween Costumes, canning, leaves, pumpkins, and all the wonders of the season here in North Dakota.  Until then, stay warm and enjoy Autumn!!

Shadowfax Performs Again as Pig-Dog

Shadowfax has performed again as the melodious pig-dog.  We've chronicled her pig sounds before (Is It a Pig or a Dog), but are always amused by her snorfling, snorting antics and thought we would share her encore performance. 

Her Luna Ball makes her nose and snout get all squished and she snorts like a pig. It's quite funny and she seems to enjoy snorting up a storm. And yes, she's a delicate lady.