Snow Shovels - An Artistic Photo Retrospective

When we bought our house here in Grand Forks the previous owners left a bunch of stuff (after asking us of course) for us.  These were all little things that individually aren't a big deal, but collectively have saved us numerous trips to the hardware store, many dollars, and untold annoyances.  They left us some garden tools, spare lumber, spare window screens, their old lawnmower - that served me well for a whole year, and about seven different snow shovels.

Leaving these snow shovels was truly the greatest blessing, not just because they probably would have cost $10 to $15 apiece, but also because I would have had no idea what I was buying.  Though I did live in snow country before (Massachusetts and Connecticut*), I really only had one snow shovel, and it was just a snow shovel.  I had no idea there are many different varieties of snow shovels, and for the snow shovel connoisseur/aficionado each one has a valuable place and serves an integral function in keeping the homestead properly snowscaped.

*These are also the two hardest to spell states, and they just happen to be right next to each other.  Coincidence? or sinister New Englander plot?  You decide.   I can't tell you how many elementary school geography quizzes/tests were ruined because I spelled Massachusetts wrong.  It's a friggin' geography test, not a spelling test, who cares how you spell it?  It's exactly like the Lisa Murkowski write-in vote recount controversy in Alaska, it's all about intent.  Who knew that my personal struggle with spelling Massachusetts 25+ years ago would be a portend of electoral issues in present day Alaska.  I am truly a trend setter...  

All of the shovels are legit, old school shovels.  Wooden handled, metal shovel, and sturdy as all get out.  None of this modern day plastic junk.  So without further adieu, I present the photo essay of the different kinds of snow shovels currently in use on the homestead.

The grain shovel.  It's best for large snowbanks or the berm left by the snow plow at the end of the driveway.

The mini-snow plow shovel.  It's blade is curved (hard to see from this picture) and is great for the driveway and sidewalks, especially if there's just an inch or two.  You just push along the ground and plow the snow forward.

The classic flat bladed shovel.  I use this for clearing the steps and sometimes the sidewalk.  It also is great for scraping/clearing the grass area for the dogs potty time.  I end up clearing about 400 square feet of space in the back yard to make sure the dogs have plenty of elimination location options.

OK, so this isn't technically a shovel, but it is an integral part of homestead snow/ice management.  This is the preferred tool for scraping ice from the back steps, and considering this is our main entrance to the house this tool is essential in keeping people and pups from falling on their backsides.

For those of you who used to live in cold climates this might stir echoes of the past and conjure up happy memories (yeah right) of shoveling snow as a kid.  For those who've lived in Southern California your whole lives this is probably completely foreign.

The Untimely Death of Harold the Dinosaur

Not since the death of Tourist Dog (see A Wake For Tourist Dog) have I witnessed such a callous disregard for life and wanton destruction of a stuffed creature.

Harold the Dinosaur has been with us for two or three years, is almost 2 feet tall and an awesome toy.  I purchased Harold with the full knowledge that he was too big for Shaak Ti, but hoping that it would help her raise her game, and attain new heights of dog toy chompdom.  Shaak Ti plays with him regularly and even though she had a couple years to work, hadn't established much more than a bulkhead crotch hole in Harold's tough dinosaur hide.  From this hole she was able to extract some stuffing (which we would promptly restuff) but leave Harold relatively intact.  This caused little concern (other than Shaak Ti's proclivity to attack the crotch area) for Harold's well being.  Enter puppy.

This was the scene of carnage in the kitchen the other day.  Stuffed fluffy dinosaur innards were everywhere.

Local wind currents in the kitchen from the puppy tornado had gathered the fluff into large piles. 

Poor Harold's deflated carcass sat sadly nearby.  I quickly put him up on the operating table (the kitchen counter) and began emergency re-stuffing measures.  After re-stuffing him his vitals stabilized and after a few minutes we thought he might be OK. 

But post-op Harold was quickly and mercilessly eviscerated again.

And again.

Single Puppy Picture

Puppy and Shaak Ti have grown to be good enough friends that Shaak Ti permits puppy to share the snuggle ball dog bed with her.  Those North Dakota winters can make you do some crazy things just to keep warm. 

It may be hard to see Shaak Ti, but she's underneath the fuzzy dog blanket on the right (you can just see a nose and paw sticking out). 

Super Hot Girl On Girl Action

This probably isn't what you were expecting based on the title.  And if you were expecting that, shame on you - this is a family blog.  Jeez, that's wrong.

Alycia and puppy snuggle/play together.The puppy has a body temp of approximately 340 degrees, so Alycia tries her best to encourage the puppy to snuggle with her and keep her warm (and thus the "Super Hot Girl On Girl Action" title).  Seriously the puppy is really, really warm, her entire undercarriage, armpits, and ears get bright pink when she's running around or playing. 

Alycia already posted this picture on Facebook, but I love it too much not to post it again.  I dig the super awesome chomping face puppy is making, plus it also illustrates an important issue that we face with new puppy.

You see...puppy loves to chomp on toys.  Puppy also loves to chomp on toys while snuggling with me/Alycia.  Puppy can be a bit careless/ADD with her toy chomping.  I think you see where this is going. We've both already been the victim of a few innocent misplaced chomps that were intended for a toy, but ended up being delivered on one of our limbs.  It's all perfectly innocent but it does require a certain amount of awareness when dealing with the puppy lest you become a victim of a misplaced chomp. 

The most recent accidental chomping incident involved the puppy playing with Shaak Ti.  They were both racing around and decided to wrestle near my feet (pictured above).  Puppy lunged at Shaak Ti who at the last second darted behind my legs, and the puppy chomp that was intended for Shaak Ti's neck got my lower shin.  Silly puppy.

New Green Sweater

When my sister heard about the new puppy she did what she does best, she ran out and bought some new things for our little bundle of joy.  Even though we're more than capable of providing cold weather gear for our (furry) kids, Auntie Alma would hear none of it and rushed us two dog sweaters for the puppy.  As such we're required by law to post pictures of the gifted sweater being worn. 

Here she models her new green sweater.  It fits her pretty well despite her odd body shape (long torso and thick neck).  We don't tell puppy that she has an atypical body shape as we don't want her becoming self conscious or developing a negative body image.  

This is not only an awesome sweater display pose but a powerful action shot as well.  For some reason puppy thinks that the camera is some sort of signal to start playtime, which causes her to race around at high speeds, crashing into household objects, people, pets, walls, etc., therefore making picture taking problematic.  Note the awesome pocket at the back of the sweater.  The puppy keeps her candy and stickers in here. 

I know I promised you "Puppy's First Snow" pictures, and I'm trying my best.  We've had 3 or 4 smaller snow events that have left a foot or more of cumulative total snow on the ground, so there's plenty of opportunities for "puppy in the snow" pics.  Most of my time outside though has been spent with shovel in hand, clearing, sweeping, and scooping snow around, which doesn't leave a free hand for picture snapping.  It's also been pretty chilly as of late, making picture taking with a mitten-less hand a chilly proposition.  Like all great outdoorsmen though, I'll forge ahead and get the requisite shot, just for you. 

Turkey Day Aftermath

We spent our Thanksgiving up in the country at the Cummings Family Estate in Cavalier, North Dakota.  Initial weather reports of blizzard conditions never quite materialized and though there was some snow and wind, travel as quite decent to and fro.  Puppy was introduced to the Grandparents who were quite impressed with both her manners and puppistic tendencies.

Today we're recovering from the three day parade of feasting and festivities by having a quiet morning at home, napping and resting and partaking in numerous leftovers.  I'm a happy camper with a breakfast of leftover apple pie, pumpkin pie, and strong coffee.  Is there anything better than leftover pie for breakfast in the days after Thanksgiving?

I'll get to work on posting more puppy pictures.  

More Puppy Pics

It's officially sweater season here in North Dakota.  The weather shifted from pleasant and 40 degrees to a high in the low 30's and very windy with wind chills near 0 and snow on the horizon.  We needed some doggy outerwear to keep that recently shorn tummy of the new puppy warm.  Shaak Ti's brown sweater fits her well (we got Shaak Ti a new sweater) since it's a bit longer. 

Here's a pose of the sweater modeler.  Keeping her warm this winter is going to be a challenge, but Alycia harnessed the magic of the Internets last night and ordered some more warm clothes for her. 

And not to jinx anything, but she's great in the house, ridiculously friendly to strangers, plays well with other dogs at the dog park, has been accident free in the house, and walks well on her leash.  I know this sounds like the bragging of a proud new puppy parent, but for her age, she is really, really well behaved.  Whether in the house or on her leash her default when she's not sure what to do is to sit and wait patiently, which is awesome. 

Our only issue is that she plays too rough with Shaak Ti and Tito (totally expected for a puppy her age) and doesn't understand yet that every waking moment isn't play time (again, totally expected for a puppy her age) with every dog she sees.  This is also one of the few areas where being deaf can be a hindrance.  With puppies and dogs, auditory feedback is important to communicate to/from your play buddy if you're playing too rough.  Since deaf pooches can't hear the whines, yips, or squeals from other dogs if they're being too rough, it can make the "learning how to play nice" process a bit slower.

So for now, puppy is on a leash during play time.  This enables us to pull her out of the way if Shaak Ti needs a breather or if puppy is playing too rough.  Sure it makes playtime stacked in Shaak Ti's favor (which she shouldn't need since she's a Jedi and all) but that's just fine for now. 

More pictures of puppy playing with Shaak Ti.

We got our first snow of the year last night and this morning, a nice comfortable dusting.   With a bit of luck, the next set of puppy pictures should be of the "Puppy's First Snow" variety.

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New Puppy Pictures

Here are the first (of what I'm sure will be many) puppy pictures.

Hello Everybody!!!  For the record, she is very cute and incredibly well behaved for her age. We're still not entirely sure what kind of dog she is, probably some mix of pit bull and dalmatian.

One of her MANY toys that she gets to play with.  If you notice too, her tummy was recently shaved for her spay surgery.  Alycia has (very reluctantly) accepted the task of buying some sweaters and other doggy outerwear to keep her warm this winter.

She enjoys tug of war time.  Actually she really enjoys just about all manner of play time. 

 

Shaak Ti watches apprehensively from her doggy bed.  She's been getting the full effect of the new puppy who desperately just wants to play with her every single minute.  Unfortunately the pup is just too rough/spazzy/crazy/flailing/bonking right now.  We're going to keep play time supervised for now and take little pup to doggy day care and the dog park where she can learn how to play correctly.  She's still really young (4.5 or 5 months or so), but she'll learn.      

Shaak Ti also has a bit of a short memory.  I certainly remember that this was pretty much exactly how she behaved when she first came to our house.  Many Tito snarls later she understood how to play correctly.  

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