Jiminy! It's minus 20 degrees with the wind chill and while our regular Tuesday visitors arrived for their play day, most of our time had to be spent either in the cabana or the house. Stephanie did take us out for short periods and managed to get our photos but we quickly retreated to the comfort of central heating. 

    

We were a little worried that Georgia's ears might have frozen in the upright position but, once we returned to a warmer environment, they returned to their normal position.    

   

   

Stephanie did not put the horses out in their paddocks due to the high winds and cold temperatures, so they enjoyed a day inside the warm barn eating a big pile of hay and listening to CBC Music. The neighbours horse who arrived yesterday will have to spend another night here because it's too cold to get the fence repairs done over at her place but she's not complaining.

In the afternoon, Stephanie slipped away while we were napping and did some grocery shopping for Mary and when she got back, we did manage another short run around outside before dinner. Soon the day visitors were all reunited with their humans and there was not a lot of chit-chat at the gate today.

We were up early to welcome Sadie Bea and Stephanie and the breakfast preparations were soon in full swing. The sunrise was a textbook 'Red sun in morning, sailors take warning.' display and the day that followed was full of high winds, snow, freezing rain and a crashing surf at the beach. Of course, this meant that we could not get to the beach which was a disappointment but Stephanie did her best to keep us entertained and exercised. 

After the regular Monday crowd arrived, Rooney also joined in the fun and we all took some time to socialize and follow Stephanie as she went about her chores.

    

   

Mid-morning brought an interesting development as a neighbour called to see if Mary and Stephanie could help her out. It seems that she needed a place to put her mare after her other horse died and there were some repairs needed to the fence and barn before the younger horse could be secured. Stephanie got busy in the barn, preparing the spare stall for the mare and a short while later the neighbour arrived with her and she was turned out in the paddock next to Tallen   . After some noisy introductions, the visitor settled in and enjoyed exploring her new environment while Tallen watched and tried not to appear too bored by this newcomer. We were all curious about the activity over at the barn but the weather was getting steadily worse so we decided to wait and see what would happen and avoid getting cold and wet. 

Jake's humans arrived to pick him up and the weather got steadily worse so, that by the time most of us were to be heading home, the rain and wind had us soaked before we could reach the gate. Tonight, we are waiting to see if we can postpone our late walk until the rain has stopped but Mary is getting impatient to check on the new horse. Let's hope the weather improves soon.      

We did not get to see the Snow Moon due to overcast skies on Saturday night in addition to a big rain and wind storm. Earlier in the day Kelsea took us down to the beach so our two day visitors, Chase and Charlie, had loads of fun playing in the water and racing one another. 

    

 

Sunday brought back the sunshine but the wind continued to roar up here on the hill and the surf pounded the shore. Both Parker and Hunter  , the Brittany Spaniel duo, were busy most of the morning checking out all their favorite haunts and Jake arrived mid-morning with a plan to get down to the beach as soon as possible. Kelsea made his wish come true and soon we were watching the big waves being blown backward by the wind and checking out all the new beach debris. Kelsea really likes to get those Black Labs lined up for their photos and they are always eager to please. 

     

Later Maggie was picked up by her humans and Parker and Hunter bid us farewell as the sun was disappearing behind some clouds and the sky was turning some lovely shades of eventide.  

 

Someone, and I'm not naming anyone in particular, didn't get around to posting a DogBlog for Friday. I'll have to step in and get a few details and some photos to update the humans who are likely checking on their critters and wondering what's been happening.

I'm Maggie   and I'm going to do my best to get us back on track. There was such a big crowd here on Friday, I spent most of my time just trying to keep all the names straight while making sure that I didn't miss any biscuit hand-outs.  A handsome Black Lab called Ollie was the first to arrive and while he did his best to sweep me off my paws, I made it clear I was not going to have a fling with him. Quiver arrived next, then Jasmine and then Odin, Sam and Sophie,  as unlikely a trio as you would ever expect, came through the gate and got busy right away saying hello to everyone. 

Quiver and Sam                                                 Jasmine, Ollie, Odin                                        Sophie 

     

My good friends, Baxter and Nala were joining us for the day and I was pleased to see the two of them and then I got to meet Marlea and Mylea, two Russian Spaniels, who move so fast and make such a fuss about everything, my head was spinning. We then got started on all of our regular jobs with Stephanie like Poop Patrol, barking at the Ravens and watching Odin empty a water bucket in one gulp. Then we stood back and watched to see if he's going to throw the water back up again and make sure we're out of range. Quite a challenging way to pass the time so I left the rest of them with Stephanie and returned to the house where it was much more civilized.

Later, Stephanie took us to the beach with a good supply of orange balls and I had a great time as you can see even though it was hard to ditch Ollie who thought he could beat me at fetching.  

          

   

   

The remains of the day were pretty much as you would expect and the most exciting part for me was dinnertime.  That's pretty much the high points so I won't embellish because I'm not getting compensated by the word. Mary has said that I'll get one biscuit once I'm finished so as that famous little pig used to say, "Th-Th-The, Th-Th-The, Th-Th... That's all, folks!"

   

Some might say today was a typical weather day in Nova Scotia. You often hear them say, if you don't like the weather, just wait a minute or two and it'll change. That's kind of what we had today, one minute it would be sunshine and then suddenly these big grey clouds would gather and we would get snow, hail or heavy rain and even some thunder booming overhead. Before you could decide to bring in any dogs that might be outside, the sun was back out again accompanied by blustery west winds. 

One thing we wanted to follow-up on was yesterday's bird identification quiz. Stephanie photographed the one on the left at the beach at about a thousand feet away and today, after doing some lookups, she and Mary have concluded that this was a juvenile Bald Eagle. The photo on the right is a photo they found on the web and they look  pretty similar. 

        

Back to our day of entertaining our day-visitors, including Juno, Merle, Maybelle, Bella, Nala and Joey.  Stephanie gathered us together for a beach hike in between the squalls and the sunny periods and we enjoyed ourselves in spite of being sandblasted when we didn't have shelter from the wind. 

    

   

When we saw those dark clouds moving overhead, we figured we had better get back to the house before the rain or snow began again. 

 

Our Black Lab girlfriend, Maggie  , had arrived while we were at the beach and she was trying to interest Juno in a game of ball when we got back. Juno wasn't real keen but Nala joined in the fun right way and Juno joined Joey in a game of their own.   

  

  

  

The usual routine was followed as four o'clock rolled around and then we enjoyed our dinner and the remaining guests were picked up and we could race to get our favorite bed for our evening nap. 

 

 

 

It was a day of mixed cloud and sun and the temperature rose to plus seven in the afternoon. Our new buddy, Bronco, arrived for his second day-visit and he was much more relaxed when he got here compared to last week. Stephanie spent lots of time taking his pictures and he loved going to the beach with us. This handsome boy was not shy about posing and he seemed to like being the 'focus' of attention.  

      

   

Briar Rose wanted to show off her football goalie skills but when that silly Ollie got hold of the ball he didn't play by the rules. 

  

This is the parade, that Stephanie caught sight of, as we were out on a Poop Patrol and since they were downwind of us, we didn't even know the eight of them had passed by. 

When we got down to the beach, we had loads of fun splashing in that fast-running channel but the water did rush over the tops of Stephanie's boots getting her feet wet in the process. She got a photo of this bird perched on a seaweed covered rock but Mary is still investigating to find out what it is and why it's sitting on this rock. Any suggestions would be welcome. You can email them to ccsitters@hotmail.com.      

   

      

    

Here's Hali   looking all perky and we have all been told that we mustn't tell her that she has an appointment with the vet this afternoon to get jabbed with a couple of needles. She got all excited when she thought Stephanie was taking her in the car for a drive and the rest of us stayed home with Mary and waited to see how she was going to handle the big deception. 

    

  

As it turned out, the biggest impact was felt by those of us who were waiting for Stephanie to get back and give us our dinner. Hali said the jabs were a no-never-mind but the vet clinic did keep she and Stephanie waiting for thirty minutes which meant that they were late getting dinner started. Meanwhile, Mary had managed to get all of the four o'clock departures dispatched so the rest of us didn't have to complain about the wait for too long. So, another eventful day winds down giving us lots to think about as we settle down in our favorite beds.  

It looked, early on, like it was going to be a sunny day , after last night's rain, but the sight of the sun was shortlived as the clouds soon blocked it from view. Of course, we didn't let that get in the way of our fun as our regular visitors arrived starting at seven o'clock and we got busy checking out all the stuff that had been buried under the snow for a few weeks. Stephanie accompanied us with her bucket and shovel so she could pick up anything that we shouldn't have and later she took us down to the beach where we were all keen to go for a swim in the deep channel that runs from the pond to the ocean. 

   

Price found a great piece of driftwood and we all took turns trying to drag it away from him but he wasn't about to let his treasure go. At one point, Georgia did take possession and drag it into the channel but Price quickly recovered it. 

   

  

Charlie, Luke, Bella and Arthur kept the pace at top speed as they raced one another back and forth across the channel, barely stopping to have a good shake before diving back in again. 

     

Benny   explored the interesting piles of seaweed and swam across the channel at a much more sedate pace in keeping with his senior status.

Those that could not accompany us to the beach, Opal, Oak and Maggie, enjoyed the opportunity to keep Mary company and take a few forays outside to explore the area at a more leisurely pace. When they came inside, they were very interested in Owen's meal preparation as the aroma of cooked beef liver and sweet potato was not to be ignored. 

After we all returned to the house, the sunroom was a great place to get dried off and have a little break and we were all tired out from that hard climb back up the hill as there is still a fair amount of snow to slow us down. Our friend, Briar Rose, arrived just after lunch and she spent some time checking out the yards with Luke before he got picked up by his humans. Later, there was a mass exodus and we had to hurry and say goodbye to Tali, Price, Benny, Opal and Oak before we stopped for dinner. After we ate and took a walk with Stephanie, the remaining day visitors departed and the quiet descended as we settled down for our naps. 

It was a busy day with eight critters being dropped off and Stephanie was keeping us all organized after an early start. Mary is still trying to find the right food for Owen as his digestion has been in a turmoil lately and, due to his severe malocclusion, he has a difficult time picking up some types of food. Today, some raw ground chicken and vegetables were on the menu for breakfast but the soft foods are a real problem for poor Owen to pick up so a lot of the food ends up staying stuck to the sides of his dish or on the floor.  Arthur has willingly accepted to job of clean-up guy so the dish and the floor are his project.

We did a major Poop Patrol with Stephanie while we waited for Joey and Tali to arrive and when they got here, we heard the big news. We were heading to the beach and the level of excitement was noisy and unequivocal. Off we went in a mad dash through the snow and here we were later after getting back to the house. We were tired from that hike back up the hill through the snow but glad that we had the opportunity to go.

  

So here are the photos taken of us down on our beach, which we had all to ourselves. 

Sadie Bea and Rooney                                      Tali                                                                    Gracie  

     

Hali                                                                       Nala Jr.                                                                   Price

      

Baxter                                               Arthur and Owen                                             Karter 

      

Joey and Nikku were enjoying themselves so much they couldn't stop for a photo while Nala Sr. had stayed home with Mary because she wasn't feeling one hundred percent today. She was happy to be Mary's consultant in the kitchen where a batch of delicious-looking meatballs were being prepared and roasted for Owen. The size of the meatballs was very important as Mary figured that they had to be big enough for Owen to scoop them up with his mandible but not so big that he couldn't chew them up without losing any pieces on the floor. It will be interesting to see if the one-inch diameter meatballs will do the trick. They are made from ground chicken, carrot, broccoli, eggs and bread crumbs.  

 

After lunch, we were relaxing in the sunroom when the little whirling dervish, known affectionately as Luke , arrived and that got us moving again as he raced around trying to lick everyone's muzzle by way of a greeting. He was disappointed to hear that he had missed the beach walk but what he didn't know was that he would be staying overnight, so he could likely go tomorrow. The remained of the afternoon was pretty routine and after the four-o'clock crowd go picked up, we had our dinner. 

So, time for the big test, would Owen be able to enjoy his bowl of meatballs? The answer was a resounding yes, as he ate all twenty-four and he didn't leave anything behind in the bowl or drop any bits on the floor. Needless to say, Arthur was not a happy camper! 

It snowed all day Saturday so the day was busy with one arrival, Rooney, and lots of shovelling, plowing and walks in the light and fluffy snow. We kept ourselves diverted with naps and playing in the snow which continued all day and well into the night.  

Sunday was a lovely day with lots of warm sunshine and we got to meet a new Beagle lady called Lucy. She was a little shy at first and, like most Beagles, her nose took her all over the place.  She would like to come and spend some time with us in the hopes that the social time will help her overcome her shyness. She was certainly a pleasant enough little critter and we hope she'll come back and give us try. 

Kelsea kept us on the move most of the morning and we spent lots of time exploring the North field and the East pasture. After lunch, Kelsea left for a trip into Dartmouth to run a couple of errands and we enjoyed ourselves outside in the sun and snow. 

      

   

Finley got picked up by his humans just before dinner and later Lily was summoned to the gate as well.  Tonight we are all being pretty lazy but we know that, before long, Mary is going to roust us up from our beds and take us for a late walk under the stars.  

 

It was another busy day on Friday and here it is Saturday night and we're just getting the DogBlog posted. We had our usual bunch of Friday guests for the day like Quiver, Jasmine, Charlie, Marlea, Mylea, Baxter and Nala. In addition,  there were three overnight guests dropped off for the weekend. That was Price, Karter and Lily. 

So, there was a day full of bum sniffing and wagging tails and other critter greetings. While we still could not get down to the beach, we had lots of fun playing games and having our pictures taken. But, to add to our enjoyment, we looked way up to the top of one of the front-yard spruce trees and this is what we saw. 

    

This guy and his mate were probably waiting to enjoy a tasty snack put out by our neighbouring farmer after he finished butchering a steer and they took turns keeping an 'eagle-eye' on the surrounding activity.  They didn't pay much attention to us as we circled their look-out tree and then we got diverted by the herd of seven deer   that moved onto the field behind another neighbour's house across the road to nibble on some of the exposed grass.  To top it off, we also looked up into the south-western sky and saw this strange cloud pattern blocking the sun    . Now to be honest, we didn't really care about a cloud but Stephanie took the picture so we thought we should mention it. 

Finley is enjoying the time he gets to spend with his new friends and learning which ones don't want to be his bosom buddies. Marlea and Mylea are typical Spaniels who think that Golden Retrievers are not as smart as they are and, Charlie and Jasmine are so busy wrestling with one another, they don't even see him.  He has also learned that it is not a good idea to interrupt Owen and Quiver when they are napping. 

   

   

Lucy and Rusty were picked up by their human today so we gave them a noisy send off and later there was lots of commotion as the day-visiting bunch started to clear out before dinner. And so, we close out another week of our adventures and await the start of the next snow storm which is forecast to begin overnight.