Short Summer?

Well, I THOUGHT that spring was here. As I sit in my chair at work and gaze out the window at the parking lot, I see huge, heavy snowflakes falling. Unbelieveable -- it's April 25 and it is snowing. Looks almost like someone is using one of those foam bubble machines and is blowing the mess everywhere. I'm not kidding you, these flakes are ginormous.



Last night I took File' for a walk. We did almost 2 miles and she was still rearing to go when we finished. In fact, she was virtually dragging me down the road. I think it's time to get her a mini harness and let her pull to her hearts' content...

Bye-bye, ovaries

Well, a few weeks ago I half-heartedly convinced myself to get off the fence about what I wanted to do with my kennel.  Seems like there's been a lot going on in my life lately and I figured I needed to get at least one thing straightened out.  Did I want to keep any of my dogs intact for breeding purposes, knowing that Matt has his mind on racing in the next year or two?  Or did I not want to bother with the hassle of monitoring interactions between the sexes.

I decided on the latter.

Clover came into heat about a week ago, and luckily I had already made her spay appointment at the Anchorage SPCA.  It was for today, for the low (really, truly low for AK) price of $80.  Scheduling her spay was a tough phone call for me to make, since I bought Clover in November with the intent of breeding her in the next few years.  She has already whelped two litters of pups that Ed (Iten) is using in his race team.  She's been to Nome twice.  She has a happy-go-lucky attitude, she's built like a tank, and she can go for miles.  But, I decided after witnessing the DeeDee/Zed litter, I'm too busy to raise puppies.  I don't have the space for them or the time.  The old girl would be better off without those female reproductive organs anymore, so she can run loose in the yard and forget all about what heat pens are for.  Next will be File' (in a few months) and Zinger (Clover's half-sister, who doesn't live here yet).  And possibly Zak, her half-brother...but we'll see.  Maybe we can leave those man-parts alone :)

Soooo, yesterday Clover had her first bath EVER in her life (see the photo in the post below) and she handled it like a champ.  No worries, she wasn't nervous.  She was confused but she trusts us.  Bath, nail clipping, spray with gardenia scented body spray (that was mine)...she was ready for her 10-day recovery period in the house with us.  Matt said that the lady at the SPCA this morning commented on her being the cleanest sled dog she'd ever seen.  She said they are usually "scratch and sniff."  EW!  

She's recuperating in the dog room right now.  Poor Clo.  But she'll be happier in the end -- and so will I!

Sunset from Skyline Drive in Eagle River

Cass, the happy dog, soaking up the sun

Clover doesn't mind her first bath ever

Zed smiles during an afternoon jog with me

File' naps in the sun

Spring is Here

So, I'm sure you'll notice that I changed the blog background and layout. I hope it's a pleasant change (if anyone has any objections due to readability, etc. please let me know...) I changed things around because it looks like spring is FINALLY here in Chugiak and the blue and snow background needed to go!! No, all of the snow has not melted, there's still plenty of it everywhere I look, but the Mat-Su Valley is gloriously snow-free! In fact, today at lunch I took a nap in my warm, sunlit car. Gosh, talk about good sleepin'...

Happy Spring!!

Observation

There's nothing quite like climbing all the way into a dogloo in your pajamas (in 22 degree weather) to retrieve a dog bowl to get your morning started out right...

Payback is hell

All this time I have been a real stickler for having clean dogs (at least house dogs, anyway.) Most of my guys gave up resisting long ago and Guy even climbs right into the bathtub when I tell him to. With the addition of File', though, things have been a little bit more difficult. She spends a pretty extensive amount of time in the yard with the sled dogs, but she's been sleeping inside every night and accompanying me to work each day. Sometimes she smells downright raunchy from playing in the dirty melt-water outside so she occasionally gets a bath, much to her chagrin. I tell her to suck it up, that it doesn't hurt, and to deal with it, no matter how many protests she throws my way.

On what would seemingly be an unrelated note (but I think there's a karmic connection) one of my favorite indulgences is to take a long, steaming bath at night before heading to bed. This morning I woke up at the normal time, 6 AM, after very little sleep. I've been having trouble sleeping at night for some unknown reason, but I just haul myself out of bed anyway and go about my business. Today it was especially difficult because I had to work at the office until about 2:30 and then head over to the Mat-Su Home Builders' Home Show at the Wasilla Sports Complex, where we had a booth set up. I was scheduled to man the booth alone from 3 - 8 PM tonight and since I'm not really a "people person", by the time I got home this evening, I was more than exhausted. Dragging is really more in line with the way I felt (and still feel!)

I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the faucets, adjusting them to give me the perfect almost-scalding-hot temperature that I crave for my evening baths. As I glanced up at the nearby shelf, I realized that I had an unused container of Burt's Bees bath salts just calling my name. "Put me in the water!! I smell good!!" it called, and what could I do but oblige? I popped open the lid and poured in a heaping helping of bath salts that smelled faintly medicinal but definitely all-natural. Mmm, I couldn't wait to settle into the tub, I thought as I gingerly tested the water with my big toe. It was the perfect temperature and I'd definitely be able to relax and read for quite a while. Or so I thought.

As I reclined into the delectable warmth that was my salted bath water, I noticed a slight tingling sensation at the backs of my legs. Ooh, invigorating! I thought. But then the tingling started to migrate to the front of my legs...and turn into a burning sensation. Hmmm...burning? I'm not too sure I'm into that. Then suddenly....OH. MY. GOD. I am on fire!!! What is going on?? It felt like swarms of bees were attacking me all over, but how could there possibly be bees in my bath water? No, there were no bees, I was definitely having an allergic reaction to my delicious bath salts. In a matter of seconds I had leapt from the water and was cursing like an (Irish!) sailor as I yanked the drain from the tub and turned the faucets on full blast yet again. Where was the soap???? I had to get this stuff off of me, and pronto! Thank goodness the body wash was in within easy reach and within seconds I had mostly scrubbed away the offending organic skin treatment.

So, after I emerged from the shower disappointed and decidedly out of hot water (no more bath for me tonight!) I got to wondering -- was karma paying me back for all of the bathing that I do to the dogs? Did File' have something to do with this? And more importantly, does anyone want a free container of Burts Bees Bath Salts?????

If I had 1,000,000 Dollars (the Musher's Version)

Due to the recent acquisition of a particular CD (yes, I know, I'm long overdue for buying BNL) I've finally gotten to listen to one of my favorite cute and silly songs of all-time -- "If I had 1,000,000 Dollars". Because I'm a musher, and perhaps also because I don't have a whole lot going on at work right now, I rewrote the lyrics to become the "If I had 1,000,000 Dollars (the Musher's Version)". Strange, I know, but entertaining to me at least, even if nobody else likes it :)

So, here goes!

If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
I’d buy you a house (I would buy you a house)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
I'd buy you furniture for your house
(maybe a nice couch for the dogs)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a dog truck (a nice reliant automobile)
If I had $1000000 Id buy your love.

If I had $1000000 Id build a dog lot in our yard.
If I had $1000000 you could help, it wouldn’t be that hard.
If I had $1000000 maybe we could put a storage shed in there.
[wouldn’t that be fabulous]

If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
I'd buy you a fur ruff (but not a real fur ruff that’s cruel)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
I'd buy you an exotic pet (like a wolf or a wolverine)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
Id buy you Sam McGee’s remains (all them crazy burnt-up bones)
If I had $1000000 Id buy your love

If I had $1000000 we wouldn’t have to walk to the store
If I had $1000000 we’d take the dog truck ‘cause it costs more
If I had $1000000 we wouldn’t have to eat moose for dinner.
(but we would!)(Of course we would, we'd just eat more of it.)

If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
Id buy you a green parka (but not a real green parka, that’s cruel)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
Id buy you some art (a van Zyle or a Garfunkel)
If I had $1000000 (if I had $1000000)
Id buy you a jackelope (haven’t you always wanted a jackelope? !)
If I had $1000000 Id buy your love

If I had $1000000, if I had $1000000
If I had $1000000, if I had $1000000
I still wouldn't be rich ('cause I'm a musher!)