More Snow Today, More on the Way, And The Thermodynamics of Dog Poop in Winter

Just when I thought spring might be putting on its pants and shoes and thinking about strolling over to knock on the door, Old Man Winter decided that he needed to give us a coating of light snow. We got an inch or so last night and should get another inch or two today.  It's light fluffy snow that doesn't amount to a whole lot and sure looks purty coming down.

There's a threat of more snow on Tuesday when a big storm should stay south of us (sorry Iowa, it looks like you're in for it) and the end of next week when a possible significant snowfall will come our way.  March is usually pretty stormy here in North Dakota as weather patterns and the jet stream start shifting and slightly warmer air (which holds more moisture) can bring larger storms.  I'm jumping the gun in wishing for spring already.  It'll be at least another month before everything melts, and the conversation changes to flooding issues, and at least another two months before I can get anything planted in the garden.

Yesterday before the snow arrived and obscured all the backyard treasures that the dogs left for us, Alycia (it was her turn to scoop) scooped up all prizes she could find.  We try to stay on top of outdoor poop management, and usually scoop every week, and definitely the day before a storm is due.  Our yard isn't big enough to ignore the poop and if not properly managed, when things melt in spring it turns into an ugly, sticky slurry of poop nastiness that can't be scooped away.  

Real Meatloaf and Psuedo Vegetarianism

I've sounded the rallying cry for my fake meatloaf (aka Neatloaf) recipe before, even using it for my first-ever guest posting on the From Blah to Ta-Daa blog late last year.  It's not only delicious, but freezes well for leftovers, and has become a household favorite for our vegetarian Celiac sufferer in the house (it's also one of my favorites as well). The other day though the unique opportunity arose to make actual real meatloaf, you know with meat.  I hadn't made a meatloaf in probably 8 or 10 years. Would I still remember how?

So...a bit of personal history.  Prior to my blissful cohabitation with Alycia I was what I can only describe as a psuedo-vegetarian, I ate a primarily plant based diet with occasional binges of meat, mostly when dining out.  My meat consumption was only 2-3 times a week and that was usually an In N Out Burger or the exquisite pork ribs at Phils Bar-B-Que in San Diego.

Header Number Two

I had pegged my number of "falling down on some wintry surface" incidents at one per winter season.  I fell once last winter on a slippery sidewalk.  It hurt.  A couple of weeks ago I fell again on an icy sidewalk that was covered with a dusting of snow, thus obscuring the ice underneath.  The puppy was with me on her evening walk at the time and though she wasn't really to blame, she certainly didn't help the situation.  Luckily since she was along I was able to foist blame upon her for the fall.

For some reason I thought it to be an intractable truth that I would only fall once a winter, and I'd already gotten mine out of the way.  I discovered this morning that this was not true. 

Perhaps it was because I thought I had gotten my allegedly annual winter fall over with that I acted this morning with less than an abundance of caution.  As I was taking the recycling bin (a large trash can) out of the back mudroom this morning I took a header down the back steps into Tito's priceless collection of artisan crafted yellow snow.  The cause was a complete lack of attention and due care, the price was a scraped up hand, shin and a rolled ankle (my good ankle unfortunately).  Bummer. 

The moral of the story is that you can't let your guard down around Old Man Winter, especially here in North Dakota where he looms large.  Not for one second.  Just when you think you've got him figured out, BAMMM!!!, he steps up and reminds you that he's still in charge and you should always respect his authority.

Cute Puppy Pics

More cute puppy pics for you, gentle reader.  That's what I deliver, a never ending cavalcade of deaf dog pictures...

Puppy asleep in the green ball, and she enjoys it now when we cover her up with the warming blanket.  If you look closely, you can see a bit of tongue sticking out, the sure sign of an intense nap.

Anytime we sit on the ground, puppy immediately wants to climb up and sit on your lap for some super snuggling time.  And since the puppy puts off so much body heat (and Alycia is always cold) it's match made in snuggling heaven.  Here the two girls enjoy a slice of late afternoon sunbeam together.  Puppy is teetering on the edge of sleepy-time and her eyes are barely open, and shortly after this photo was taken, puppy feel asleep in a poorly balanced ball of puppy goodness on Alycia's lap.

 Two spotted dogs worth of trouble, side by side and hatching their mischievous plans. 

Who Survived The Winter

This is my second winter here in North Dakota and my first real experience with anxiously awaiting to see which trees and shrubs survived the winter.  Last spring/summer I planted 8 bare root apple trees:

• 2 Ashmead's Kernel
• 2 Lodi Apple
• 2 Red Gravenstein
• 2 Honeycrisp

Each varietal is supposed to survive/thrive in North Dakota (Zone 3).  Some I admittedly have more confidence in, like the Honeycrisp, which was created at the nearby University of Minnesota, but the others?  I'm pretty sure they'll be OK, but really I just don't know.

We're in the Red River valley in North Dakota.  Essentially the entire state is USDA Zone 3, but along the Red River on the Eastern edge of the state is a bubble of Zone 4 which follows the Red River the entire length of North Dakota.   Theoretically I should be able to plant a Zone 4 hardy tree and have it survive.

The fruiting shrubs I planted are also supposed to able to survive Zone 3 (Red Lake Currants/Ben Sarek Black Currants as well as handful of blueberry bushes).  It'll still be another couple of months before the snow and cold abate and tree buds begin to swell with the anticipation of spring, so I need to be patient.

I did everything I could to help, mulching heavily in autumn the shrubs and staking and wrapping the apple trees to guard against the wind (a serious issue here) and munching bunnies (also a fairly serious threat in the area).  Hopefully everything comes through unscathed and we're able to see apple and berry blossoms come spring.  Fingers crossed.

My Urban Homestead and What It Means To Me

There was a big dust-up last week when some folks decided they would attempt to trademark the phrase "Urban Homestead" and "Urban Homesteading" among other things.  Though these folks (who shall remain unnamed) carry much capital on the subject of urban homesteading and sustainable living, and have been role models and a source of inspiration for many people over the last few years, the public has responded with a backlash of epic proportions against the idea.  The thought of trademarking such a classic, time honored, and public phrase such as "urban homestead" has generated a cavalcade of anger and disappointment. 

I first heard the phrase "Urban Homestead" several years ago in a Mother Earth News magazine article and added it as a byline to my blog - Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes.  What does an urban homestead mean?  Everyone has a different definition and they're all right.  Whether you live off the grid and grow 100% of your own food on 1/5 of an acre in Los Angeles or have tomatoes and herbs growing on your apartment balcony in Kansas City, you're an urban homesteader.

The call went out on the Internet to write a blog entry about what urban homesteading means to you.  I normally don't get all preachy and didactic on you, so sorry if this rankles or annoys you, but I couldn't ignore a call from the wilds of the Internets.  

Cute Puppy Pictures

I realized that it's been weeks since I've posted a sugary sweet puppy pic.  The name of the blog is "Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes" for goodness sake, and since the gnomes are still hibernating in the garage for winter, you should be getting plenty of deaf dog pictures and stories.  Well here you go!!!

Shaak Ti has a long winters nap in the cozy confines of her green slumber ball.  She needs all the rest she can get in order to try to keep up with the puppy. 

There must be seven or eight dog beds in the living room and dining room, and since there is comfy carpet everywhere, there are literally unlimited places to sleep, but for some reason puppy has to try to squeeze her way into the same bed as Shaak Ti.  As you can see, that doesn't work too well, and they wind up spilling onto the floor.

You may wonder why I always give you pictures of the puppies napping or asleep.  Well the answer to that is simple, it's the only way to get a decent photo.  When the dogs are awake and tearing around at high speeds, it makes it incredibly difficult to get a non-blurry photo.  Granted the action shots are more entertaining, but the degree of difficulty in obtaining them makes their quality unpredictable.  So even though they're not as entertaining, you're going to have to deal with sleeping puppies in high definition, instead of active puppies in blurry action shots. 

Heat Wave

It got up to 47 degrees in Grand Forks yesterday (Sunday), not quite a record, but definitely much warmer than normal.  It turned much of the snow and ice to slush on the roads and sidewalks (trudging through slush always makes me crave a cherry Icee) and generally made a mid-April mess in mid-February.  The heat wave is expected to continue through Wednesday as we're projected to continue to get high temps in the 40's until a cool down back to normal on Thursday.

In contrast, my Dad in Southern California reported that over they weekend they had 80 degree temps, not out of the ordinary for Southern California in February.  I can recall more than one February or March weeklong heat wave that caused my apples, peaches, and blueberries to bloom prematurely and lead to problems down the road.  There's no chance of getting 80 degree temps here in North Dakota, and it's nice to not to have to worry about that. 

The dogs, especially the puppy, took the warmer weather opportunity to scamper around the back yard for extended periods of time.  There's a six foot wide circle of exposed grass in the yard that's one giant mud pit now, and puppy loves this new found nirvana.  We quickly switched to Springtime dog maintenance, which entails having multiple old towels in the back mud room and jumping up every time the dogs come in through the doggy door to intercept muddy paws/legs/tummies with a wipe down.