Holy Crap That's a Lot of Dogs!

This weather has been absolutely disgusting. It's been rainy and overcast, cold (40's and 50's) and generally miserable. It's a good thing we finally got the yard finished for the sled dogs and we put loads of pine shavings into everyone's houses yesterday. They are quite grateful and even Zak, who I had never seen in his house before, has been snoozing in the lush padding of the wood chips.

At one point last evening, I looked outside from the living room and I was startled by the picture I glimpsed through the window -- "holy crap that's a lot of dogs!" Yes I know, maybe I was slow to come to this realization, but it just hit me. My yard is full. FULL! There are dog posts and houses in every available bit of space. Um. How did this happen? Never doubt the power of the mushing bug. Last year at this time, I had a green expanse of yard just outside the window. Now it's mud and...dogs!

In other news, Matt recently went fishing in Homer for salmon and halibut. The trip wasn't especially fruitful, but he didn't come home empty-handed. I drove him down to Turnagain Pass on Tuesday and met some friends there. We snapped a few photos. And, of course, I had to post the obligatory fishing photo. The fish were THIS big!!!

Say Cheese! Turnagain Pass

The Deadliest Catch. Just kidding.

File' Update

Just had to post some new photos of our baby, File'. She also answers to the name "SQUIRT!" What a cutie. I'd bet she has to weigh at least 35 lb. now. She's a bit of a chunk for a 5 month old. Not an ounce of fat on her...she's just...sturdy! She's due to be spayed on the 27th.

The Long-Awaited Photos

Yes, I finally got around to downloading the photos that I've been promising for so long.

Guy is caught red-handed sleeping on the couch in the living room. That's a no-no...he's not supposed to be up there!! This is his classic "I have no idea what you're talking about" look.

Zinger, who was spayed on Friday, contemplates the origin of the massive number of shoes by the front door. She's taken to being an inside dog like a fish to water. Uh-oh, we may have another house dog wannabe!

Zinger is always game for a good scratch. She loves to be petted! She's a quiet, sweet girl.

Me, mid-ride, on Sunday the 15th. We rode from the Talkeetna Spur Road turn on the Parks to Talkeetna, had dinner, then rode back (a total of 28 miles). It was a nice ride on a nice evening!

The new kid on the block, Skiff. She's from Jon and Bree Little. 2 years old and spayed, she's sorta the last of her bloodline, at least at Jon's. She hails from old Bill Cotter / Gareth Wright lines.

Ah, it's June

My apologies for not posting much in May. To be perfectly honest, I've been totally consumed with summertime activities. Granted, the weather here hasn't exactly been cooperative, but I'm trying to get out and do things anyway. I've taken lots of long (i.e. long for me on a mountain bike with knobby tires - 15+ miles) bike rides, have walked some on the trails, and am generally happy that summer is sorta, kinda here. It's been unseasonably cool, actually, with highs only in the 50's lately, and with overcast skies. I wish we would have some nice, sunny weather so I could enjoy some warmth of the sort that I had in Tennessee. Oh well, Alaska weather is nothing if not unpredictable. :)

On the doggy end of things, we are expecting our final addition to the kennel on Thursday. Skiff, a (now spayed) female from Jon and Bree Little, will be making her home with us. She's two years old and has excellent, old bloodlines. I can't wait to see what this girl can do. By all of Jon's reports, she is a very sweet, personable dog, and it sounds like she'll fit right in with my fur-kids.

Zinger will be going to the SPCA on Friday to be spayed. Unfortunately I wasn't able to schedule her spay before she actually came into heat. She's been living in the heat pen (something I don't like) for the last three weeks, so she should be on the tail end of her heat cycle. Poor girl. I don't know if she's ever had a bath, or ever even been indoors, but she can expect to have her first bath tonight (Clover did well, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!) and she can expect to live in the house for the next week or so. This could be a real challenge. File' will be spayed two weeks from Friday. That will take care of all of my females. I'll only have Zed and Zack still intact...both bloodlines available if need be, but without the worry of an intact female.

I'll try to snag some photos of the bath and of Skiff. Until then - toodles! And send some sun our way, will ya?