Merry Christmas

Shadowfax fell back asleep waiting to open presents.

All of us here at Deaf Dogs and Benevolent Gnomes wish you the Happiest of Holidays and a Merry Christmas.

Idaho Snow Snakes

Alycia spotted a snow snake yesterday, hanging from a power line. I scampered outside as fast as I could to try to snap a photo. It had snowed the night before. A few inches of the wet, heavy, sticky snow that collects on fence posts and tree branches. And power lines.

The sun appeared in the late morning and it warmed up throughout the day to the low 30's. An occasional light breeze stirred the trees which shed their accumulated snow in glorious little avalanches.

This snow snake only lasted a few more minutes after we took the picture, then it was gone. As we mentioned on Thanksgiving, there's a lot of cool things out there in the world to marvel at. Take a minute to be thankful, appreciate the little moments of brilliance the world creates for you...even if it's just a bit of snow starting melt off a power line.

Our Christmas Eve plans involve lounging around, wrapping some presents, and making some fudge as presents for our new neighbors. What better way to become part of the neighborhood than to deliver some packages of sure-fire, sugar-induced paroxysms of Holiday spirit!

We're Listening

It may only be one ear, but we're listening.

Yup, one ear is all you get.  That should be enough. We're pretty cozy in our nice warming bed and will return tomorrow at our normal business hours...

Another Tough Sunday

The storm that's bringing rain and snow to much of the West swept through the area this morning. It was a cold 36 degrees and rainy on our morning walk. Visible lack of enthusiasm from the dogs for being out in such weather led us to cut the walk short.

There were no objections. We made it back in the house, toweled off the pups and fed them breakfast.

After breakfast there was a doggy exodus to their warm beds, covered with blankets.The rain turned into fat snowflakes as the pups snored away the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone

We had a cool and rainy stretch over the last week. Early one morning I stood on the back patio, with a hot cup of coffee in my hand.

The cool and damp night had soaked the wooden backyard fence and the warm morning sun made individual rivulets of mist rise off each fence slat. I stood in stillness and watched the quiet morning scene.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, take the time to stop and savor the small scenes of beauty that the world sets just for you. It may just be a damp fence post drying in the sun, but it can be a special moment in time worthy of being thankful for. Hug your loved ones, snuggle those animals, and have another piece of pie.

Sunday Morning Snuggling Seminar

Professor Snuggles hosts her Sunday morning upper division snuggling seminar. Class is invitation only, warm blankies are provided.

Class is generally quiet, surely they're busy taking mental notes of the lecture.

Deaf Dog Playtime

We haven't posted a video in quite some time, and it's possible that you'll watch this blurry video and think "thank goodness".

With Alycia out of town at a conference, the girls had some extra playtime energy to burn off. Oddly, when both of us are here, they rarely play. And when I'm out of town they don't play together, it's only when Alycia is gone.

You'll notice a few things:

- Tito is not involved. He wants no part of this at all.
- My poor Birkenstock sandal somehow got dragged into the fray. I'm not sure what he did to deserve this treatment.
- At the 0:41 mark, Shadowfax attempts the butt whiparound maneuver, which Shaak Ti slips like a pro boxer. It's a good thing too, Shadowfaxs' butt is large and powerful. If that had landed we would have had to stop the action and put Shaak Ti through the concussion protocol.

Shadowfax Napping

Shadowfax was napping this afternoon, as usual.

She may have been completely asleep, but her ears weren't.