Snow, Snow and More Snow
What's that on your face, Ace?
Our snowy winter has continued into the New Year. It hasn't been that we have had a lot more snow than usual. It's that we have had a long time without the temperature getting above freezing - almost a month. Usually when we get snow it melts off in a a day or so, maybe two or three days at most. But it has been cold enough that nothing has melted and we just keep getting more and more snow. On January 4 we broke the official record for the amount of snow on the ground in Boise - 14 inches. The previous record of 13 inches had been reached in 1983 and 1985. Total snow level for Boise has only been measured since the 1940's so it isn't that impressive a record but it is still more snow than I am used to seeing and I have lived in Boise for almost forty years.
Since the snow settles over time, we have actually received over twenty five inches of snow over the cold spell. We capped it off with more than six inches on the day that we broke the record. It seems like all that I have been doing the past few weeks is shoveling snow and it is definitely not my favorite activity.
That and walking the dog. It's actually nice to walk her with all the snow. It's been cold but not frigid so it is comfortable if I bundle up. The cold doesn't seem to bother Abby at all. She loves to go out and just roll in the snow. Since it has mostly been light powder snow, she doesn't get that wet. She rolls in the snow and then just shakes it off. That coat of hers must be really warm.
Both of the Abbys love the snow
Another advantage of having all the snow around is that not as many people are out walking in the park. We have even had two snow days. Since there is a school right next to the park where we walk, that makes a big difference. That means I can let Abby run off leash most of the times that we go out. She minds pretty well except when there are distractions, so the fewer people (and other dogs) around the better. A few other people still walk their dogs and we see Abby's sister fairly often. Once Melissa and Katie were out on a run with Big Abby and offered to take Little Abby with them on their last lap around the park. When they were done I had to put the leash back on Abby - she wanted to keep going with them. I guess if you are a lab it is more fun to run in the snow with your sister than to walk with your old, slow human. You should have heard her crying when Big Abby left and she had to stay behind with me. So much for my ego.
Pretty tired of shoveling snow, or maybe just pretty tired
But most days it's just me and Abby. And she seems to have plenty of fun playing on her own in the snow. You can see from this video that she has a blast in the snow. And in this one too.
The day before yesterday the temperature finally got to freezing with a lovely mix of snow and freezing rain through the day. The glare ice on our driveway was so bad that when I took the trash out to the curb that night, I couldn't walk up our driveway - I had to walk in the snow. But yesterday it finally warmed up. It was in the low forties most of the day with rain off and on. The snow and ice started to melt although there is so much of it that most of the storm drains are blocked. I spent two hours chopping ice to clear the drain in front of our house. But it was wet and sloppy everywhere. Today was even worse. It snowed another two inches overnight that turned to rain. It was the heaviest snow I have had to shovel in a long time. Then it just kept raining all day and all night. It's still about freezing so not much snow melted but everything is a wet, sloppy, slushy mess. Ithink that Abby won't be enjoying romping in the snow on our walks anymore, at least for a while.
