SIGNS OF THE TIMES

Her own snow-fort

A sign of the times (or season) was K-Lee making snow forts.  Yep.  She does.  When she needs more exercise, she acts clownish.  The other day she went outside and dug herself a snow-fort in the snow banking that we had plowed up.  Go figure!  The next thing I should probably expect is being hit by a snowball!  This is a clear indicator that we need to spend more time outside doing things besides plowing snow.  She needs mental stimulation.

"Hold" technique--sorta!

Since the weather had broken a little, we've been doing yard drills.

Can you see the droppings?

However, training isn't nearly as much fun as exploring in the nearby woods.  Even though there's snow on the ground, there are interesting things to find.  A few days ago--about 1/2 mile into the woods--I heard the whirr of wings and the excited yipping of my dog.  We poked around to see any 'sign'.


Sure enough, we had surprised a grouse that was lying under a birch log.    What we noticed was that the "droppings" were nearly white-not darker colored as we would normally see in warmer weather.

Cavities galore!  A critter hotel.

Later, we came across an old dead pine tree that could qualify for a "hotel" for critters.  They are all sleeping now, but we counted a whole bunch of cavities that were probably used by squirrels, birds and such.  It wasn't a Marriott, but I'll bet they liked it.

Farther along, we found a track indicating that its owner strode along the snow, then jumped onto a large boulder.  It finally made its way into some small pines.  I suspect that it was the track of a Fisher, but I don't really know.

Can you identify this track?

 The best "sign" that I  saw was in a McDonald's parking lot.  It was a pay phone--plowed in and unusable.  When I was a young lad, I would spend many coins in one of these.
 

Now.... well, it's just a sign of the times.

 

 

INTO "NEW THINGS" THIS MONTH

Winter has been a bit tough here, more snow than expected, colder than expected, and the old Toyota plow truck finally started seriously limping along.  Time for change....a change of vehicles that is.

We were fortunate enough to get an outstanding deal on a replacement, "new-to-us" 1994 plow truck.  K-Lee immediately claimed her seat in the cab and watches the snow bankings.  She's getting good at expecting the end of the push.

There's got to be one in here!

Occasionally, we need to stop and look for moles under the snow.  It's a healthy diversion for both of us.  I never realized how fast those little buggers can move!

Indoor weave poles

K-Lee at the "tunnel"--lots of fun!

 We also added something new to our training.  We enrolled in an "Introduction to Agility" class given by our friend Pat Niswander. We just want to have some fun and  learn things that could be translated to the field.

The introductory "tire"

At home, we continue with Come, Sit, Stay, Heel, Heeling on-leash, and off-leash, Down, Whoa, Fetch, Table, and more.  With the agility mode, we're learning "Weave", "Tire". "Jump" and "Tunnel".  I say "we" because she and I are both learning new things.

Soon it will be spring when we'll start working on birds again.  We're not setting the agility world on fire, but it's just another step in "unwrapping the package" (as my friend Suzi says) of a good, all around versatile dog.

She seems to like the old dodge. 
Perhaps red is her color.

A SIMPLE SOLUTION

Safety for our dogs sometimes means keeping a proper human-controlled environment.  For years, when traveling with dogs, my friends and I would be concerned about the temperature in the back of my truck.  The box of my pickup has a fiberglass top and there are dog kennels inside.  We had a rough idea what the climate was back there, but never knew exactly how cold—or warm—it was in the enclosed body of the truck. Hanging a thermometer in the back just didn't cut it.  Someone would have to get out, open the back to read the thermometer and close it again.  In the process,  heat was either let in or out--depending on the time of year.

 

That problem was solved this year with the purchase of a $9.97  home digital thermometer with a (wireless) remote sensor from our local Wal-Mart store. A  simple one with a large numerical read-out was selected for easy reading.   Using Velcro, I attached the read-out to my dash. (The Velcro allows for easy removal to change batteries.) Next, the sending unit was attached to the inside of the truck box—away from any sunlight.   Anyone can now look at my dash and easily see how cold —or how warm— things are in the back.  I should have done this a long time ago!  

Sending unit in "dog space"

Display is easy to read

WINTER WALKS

Snow has been keeping us busy--plowing, shoveling and sanding slippery spots.  It's been fun so far, and K-Lee is now an accomplished "co-pilot" in my (not-road-worthy) plow truck.  It's time to replace the truck this year, but not the copilot.  I plow the yard, then pick up pieces that fell off the truck and toss them in the back.  It's down to one or two brakes that function, a heater fan that only works on full blast, and tires that need to be inflated for each storm.  The little Toyota is old, tired, and pretty much "spent", but the little four cylinder engine pushes snow like nobody's business. To K-Lee, it's a wonderful truck.  She rides in the passenger's seat and when I come to a snow banking, she leans her head and shoulders into me and braces herself.  Nice!

Sometimes it's too cold to go play

It's been a cold winter this year.  When it's warm enough, K-Lee and I have been taking walks--snowshoes for me--into the woods. Both of us need the exercise!  The quiet of the snow-filled woods and the sound of our breathing seemed to connote a primal nature to our excursion.  The silence is only amplified as it contrasts the beating of my heart.

Deer sign --or  raisins?

We discovered sign and  tracks that reminded me that there are many things alive--even during the depths of winter.  Deer tracks, coyote tracks, tweety-bird tracks...the list could go on.

"deer food" (apples) soon to drop

Each day was a day of discovery, but nothing made me feel more optimistic than the ruffed grouse tracks that we found. They clearly showed where the bird sauntered through the pole-size saplings.  My mind did a "fast forward" to next fall, bird hunting, being in my camp and visiting my friends in their very respectable  "grouse camps". 

Snowshoe hare track

Dreams are a big part of hunting and fishing.  If it weren't so, new equipment and fancy gear would never be sold.  But you and I both know that it is so!  Therefore, from one dreamer to perhaps another, remember that anytime you're out with your dog, life is good.  It's another piece of "the dream" fulfilled.

Whose "grouse camp" is this?

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

It's that time of year when we tend to act on our better traits--kindness, charity, love, sharing and our relationship with Deity to name a few.  The Christmas season is such a wonderful time because of the things that Providence has done for us.  Here at the Swetthaus we extend our warmest wishes.

It's also a great season for renewal.  Even though the bird hunting screeched to a halt, we're holding out hope for at least another day or two before the New Year Holiday.   New Year's Day gives us a benchmark to begin again.  So, rather than feeling down about January, we're upbeat.

Co-pilot

K-Lee and I are already plowing snow together.  She has a cute little habit:  When we are plowing and pushing snow into the banking, she leans into me and puts her head firmly on my shoulder/chest area.  She braces her feet on the seat and leans right into me.  I find that rather nice.

See that grassy area in the field?  It  isn't a landing strip.  It's a section we've plowed in order to have an area for exercise and training.-- and avoid having to constantly struggle through knee-deep snow.

Not a runway

We still work on fetch, come, sit, down, whoa, heel, walking at heel, hold and anything else that comes to mind--though at 16 degrees F, the sessions are shorter.   This morning before going outside, she fetched my socks which had fallen to the floor. Cool!  Now I have an excuse for being a 'slob'.  I'll just call it "training"!


Looking forward to what we can 'chronicle' in 2014, we send our best holiday wishes as we settle in for a long winter's nap!