First Snow Day of 2010

Oscar did some snow removal today, especially on the trees and truck. We may get more snow tomorrow, so in order to save some tree branches and to have any hope of getting out of the house before spring, he got bundled up and Zoe tagged along to get the cold & wet work done!



She thought it was loads of fun; Oscar seemed a little more intent on getting the job done and getting out of the cold!


Claris had her Kong, and was sunning herself while licking snow out of her toy. She tried very hard to stay under Zoe's "jealous toy" radar, but that only works for so long... especially when this is the best poker face you can muster (note: Kong hidden under paw).

















Zoe caught Claris and attacked her for the Kong (Notice that no feet are touching the ground in this picture?):























..and the Victory Lap:

Deer Living on the Porch...

We have a small herd of deer who have taken up residence on the porch at Dog Days. They are eating the shrubbery while relaxing out of the snow. I thought Ewe bushes were quite poisonous (I even think that Ewe poison was used to kill victims on the Forensic TV show "Bones" if I remember correctly), but the deer do not seem to mind and the shrubs are almost completely denuded of their foliage. Wonder if like some insects who eat poisonous plants in order to use the poisonous compounds to protect themselves from predators, the deer will become inedible too? Might not want to eat Dog Days Deer, they pack a punch!

Think Maybe They Will Sleep Well Tonight?

We bundled up, grabbed the camera and braved the deep snow for a little romp around the yard. Zoe is still a little over-enthusiastic about the snow, while Claris seems to be enjoying it more now that Zoe is big enough to really play with!













Oh, JOY! It is a Snow Day tomorrow... the fun continues!

Water Dog in Snow

I think most of today Zoe has been spent her time split between two things: playing outside and napping.












So how many inches is this?

STILL Snowing 1:58PM...

Orchids

I have never owned an orchid: I feel it would be somehow disrespectful to own something so beautiful that you were destined to kill. I know my limits. Outdoor plants I can keep going, and some less-finicky indoor plants may survive my care, but an orchid would be headed for an early grave if it had to rely upon my ministrations.



















That does not mean that I do not appreciate them. There are more than 23,000 species of orchids out there, and they find hundreds more every year. There are exotic orchids in lush rain forests, but there are also beautiful ones native to Virginia as well. Men have died attempting to find and posses the rarest orchids, and there is a thriving trade in orchid poaching. While there are many different orchids and some are plentiful there are others that are extremely endangered, and countless others have disappeared even before we had a chance to study them due to habitat loss.







Thankfully if I want to enjoy orchids I can always take a quick trip to Ginter Botanical and wander around their collection and enjoy the beauty of the exotic tropical flora, along with the talent and hard work of people who know what they are doing. I appreciate the plant-nerds out there!

Daydreaming flowers before the storm

There is a snowstorm coming, and I am thinking of building a flame-thrower. THAT would clear the driveway in no time, but I am sure Oscar would object vociferously. I have a habit of losing eyebrows when I play with flammables, so he does have a valid point. But still, it would be a whole lot easier than shoveling again, and I believe we have already hit the Virginia Snow-quota for this year, so I feel entitled to whine a little bit.











To keep my mind off of the snow, I have changed my desktop background to display a set of floral pictures. I figure if I look at them I will not feel that spring is so far away; not sure if that is foolish hope or wishful thinking, but it works for me either way.



I always want to get very close looks at flowers- they are one of the few things that get even more beautiful and interesting the more you scrutinize them!










So if the groundhog sees his shadow, please don't tell me. I want to live in denial for a little while.