a zest for winter

We knew it was coming, so took Pepita out for one last walk...

 Then...snow!!

Definitely the most snow that we've had since moving here.  Thankfully it's powdery, otherwise clearing it would be a nightmare!  We were able to clear a small space for Pepita, who is torn between wanting to run and not wanting to be chin-deep in snow.

A more shallow spot...

Knee deep in places!

So pretty.

I love it.

Birds, not so much?  There are so many of the at the feeders!

Cats approve.

I made homemade lemon curd and english muffins for breakfast on the day of the big storm.  I used a European recipe for the muffins that had miscalculated the amount of flour in 2.5 cups (my flour bag said 2.5 cups = 300 grams, recipe said 355 grams).  Unsure which was right, I tried 320 grams...and dough was way too sticky.  Muffins didn't hold their shape and were more "drop muffins" than the traditional shape.  They tasted great, though!  And I love a tart lemon curd with a bitter tang from the zest.  I used this recipe but reduced both the sugar and the lemon juice to 3/4 cup.  Just like the last time I made it, I struggled to get it to firm up and had to add a bit of cornstarch.  I might try another recipe next time.  

It's not supposed to be above freezing for the next 10 days, which means that we can't take Pepita for walks.  She cries when she's out in the snow for more than 5 minutes (we're ordering puppy booties this week), so she's going to be housebound for a while.

Begging for attention, like the cats!

We tried to give the outside cats just as much attention.  Before the storm, Todd filled three large outdoor containers with straw and placed one along a fenceline and two in the white animal barn.  Our big concern is food, though.  We've got a raider.

There are so many raccoons around here, and they are emptying the cat food bowls as quickly as we can fill them.

All we can do is keep the food up high (where cats can jump but raccoons might not be able to reach?), and only keep food bowls on the ground during the day (raccoons are nocturnal).  Trudging through 15" of snow and single-digit temps to pick up cat food bowls is not ideal, so we're mostly putting food up high and trusting that cats can sniff it out.  

Hopefully they're all staying warm and safe out there.  We're going to try to minimize our outdoor movements too, at least until the temps are in the teens and we've been able to clear a bit of snow.

It's hard to say "Have a great week!" when so many atrocities are happening in our country right now.  Todd and I are both heartbroken over the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.  Todd has composed some very thoughtful essays, but I'm not there yet.  Too exhausted by it.  We feel beaten down by the hate-filled, greed-driven rhetoric and actions of our current administration.  Just taking it day by day.  

So I'll say...take care of yourself, take care of those around you, and practice self-care.  Do your best and just...keep...moving...forward!

an udder thudder

 Some warm, sunny fall days!

A little bit of color...but not much yet.

It's nice hiking weather.

But our regular hikes are over for a while...with Pepita, anyway.  She was spayed on Thursday morning.  She was one sad pup...spay instructions are NO hiking, running, roughhousing, jumping, or climbing...for two weeks.  No walks, no fetch, no jumping up on the couch...nothing.

She had to wear a post-surgery suit to keep her away from her stitches.  The website we ordered the suit from said to prioritize body length over other dimensions, but because she's part dachshund, she has a really long body.  Because she's part pug, she has a stocky chest.  The suit wasn't a great fit.

I had a lot of trouble getting the velcro straps off and on, although Todd got really good at it.  We ended up ordering a blow-up donut.

It's been a rough few days!  She doesn't seem to be very tender, but her pain meds (a prescription NSAID) caused diarrhea.  Particularly at night.  Because I'm such a light sleeper (and a terrible one...if I get woken up, I can't get back to sleep), Todd volunteered to sleep on the couch and take Pepita outside every hour all...night...long.  He's on day #3 and is really feeling it!  Once I realized that there was a meds connection, I stopped giving her the pills.  We're cautiously optimistic that tonight will be a little bit easier!

Somehow, amid the chaos, I finished the Halloween decorating.  Same stuff every year!  I can't help it...I like what I like.

A little bit of activity on the trail cams!

On the last video...I read that fawns bang on their moms' udders to stimulate milk flow.  Interesting!  We also saw skunks, possums, and coyotes on the cams.  

Looking forward to more of the same...have a great week!  

the cave dwellers

Last week was freakishly hot and humid...and this week was almost like fall.  Pepita spent a lot of time rolling on the ground outside and I felt like doing the same!  While keeping a sharp eye out for ANYTHING changing colors/looking like a sign of fall...

...I also enjoyed the last of the mid-summer flowers.  

Guys, you're facing the wrong way!  The garden's over there!

Another sign of the advancing season...tiger bee flies are back!  Telltale signs include white drips on the porch...

...larvae cases sticking out of carpenter bee holes on the upper portion of the deck...

...and, of course, the bees themselves.

They hatch, they mate...

terrible cell phone pic

...and they're gone. 

Lots of wasps are making nests right now.  We've got paper wasps building nests on the porch and in some of our bushes...

...and grass wasps carrying long strands of vegetation into pre-drilled holes for nesting.

Cooler weather gives me a great opportunity to actually be outside...and see things!

raccoon print in the mud

eastern box turtle shell

a skipper

Todd's and my 17th anniversary was this past week.  We decided to go to Bluespring Caverns and take the longest underground boat tour in the U.S.!  I got a photo of our walk deep into the cavern...

...but unfortunately, a cell phone that takes fairly terrible pics in broad daylight is not going to do well in a dark cave.  Oh, well!

At home, Frances is finally reaching his potential as the fat, lazy cat I knew he could be if he just put in the work.

Of course, he's earned his rest...he works hard at keeping Pepita in line, mostly by sitting on her leash so that she's unable to move.

He is a great  partner in crime to the Barnacle (what we call Barnabas 90% of the time), too.

Still not allowed on the dining room table, not that they care much about that!

Pepita is still learning "Be nice to the cats!"  She sees them as romping partners, or maybe big squeaky toys.  

the side-eye

It will just take time.  This whole experience is definitely teaching me patience.  Oh...and SOMEONE took a very important test recently.  It turns out that Pepita is NOT an Australian Shepherd...not even a little bit.

(Her "supermutt" is Australian cattle dog, chihuahua, pug, collie, and German shepherd)

It's probably a good thing.  We rather impulsively adopted her without considering the breed.  I read belatedly that Australian shepherds are incredibly high-energy, tend to bark, can be suspicious of those outside the family...I'm glad that our lower-energy people-loving mutt is exactly who she is.

Have a great week!