Sunday, February 1, 2009

Ice hounds!


Wow--has it EVER been cold and icy this past week. This hound woman is ready for spring. We got snow, then freezing rain, and it all froze on Tuesday night, turning our much-loved yard into an ice rink. Bernie and I both had a few wipeouts and quickly figured out that we had to slow down. Walks were only attempted during the middle of the day--Mom, like Wimsey's guardians, had visions of broken bones as a result of hound-towing and ice so she played it safe. Today was beautiful and we got some shots of the ice before things started to melt. Gus, I don't know how you survive the frozen north... this girl is definitely a southern hound!

By the way, I counter-surfed this weekend and took off with a bunch of garlic cloves. Mom caught me and made me spit them out. I didn't want to give them up, but at least I had a memento for my efforts--garlic breath!

3 comments:

Edie and Gus said...

Well, Marmalade, that's why I keep my "dragon claws" long! They help me dig into the ice and pull with all my might. No human is safe. Edie has learned to keep well away from the edges of the road when it's icy. You may have seen pictures of our driveway- it's a long drop off the sides, as it is all along our roads around here. She lives in fear of the day I decide to take a leap over the edge and take her with me. She doesn't worry too much about falling down the hill, she just isn't sure she'd ever be able to drag me back up!! I can't imagine why.

The funny thing is, when Edie wanted another hound, she picked our breed because she thought bloodhounds would tolerate the cold better than the treeing walkers. I guess it's a good thing I was born up here, because I do really well in the cold. I almost never wear a coat and only wear booties when it's about 30 below zero. She swears that I have a hide like a moose because my coat is thick, lush and brown.

I am doing my best to send better weather your way, as it looks like some of our Arctic blasts may be hitting you as well as Bentley. Unfortunately, all we have had is snow (about 6 more inches) alternating with cold weather. Tonight, Superbowl Sunday, it's almost 40 below again, the roads are still covered in nothing but ice, and all I hear is Edie complaining about driving all the time. Maybe she should just stay home and entertain me all day!

Dimond is the dog that hates the cold here. She is back to wearing an insulated coat all day everyday, and we have to drag her outside to go to the bathroom. Molly is pretty sturdy, just like me, despite being 12 1/2 years old.

I will keep working on sending Arctic warmth your way--

Frosty Gus of the North

PS Good work with the garlic!! What a GREAT idea! I'm going to try that next...

Bentley said...

Oh yes, Marmalade, do slow down on the ice. I'm pretty stable on the ice, but my brother Beau runs full speed no matter what and ended up with a bit of a limp on Saturday. (he's fine now). I don't slip on the kitchen floor like he does either. I think it's just the larger surface area of the paws, but no one really knows for sure.

Are there any bananas on your kitchen counter? There's garlic here, but I've never grabbed that. I did mush a banana with my paw a few days ago, and that turned out OK. Beau and I got to share it since no one else seemed to want it after that.

Bernie said...

What is it with bananas? Bernie is obsessed. He comes and begs whenever anyone is eating one. I'm not picky--I'll eat anything! The ice is all melted now...