Logs in Fog

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away"

When it is cold, the tough resort to baking...

I spent a good portion of this weekend baking things. I tend to hibernate when it gets cold, and in front of my DCS gas stove was a good a place as any to spend the chilly afternoon; I could practically do pottery firings in the thing, and it is nice place to park oneself as it gets warmed up... Zoe napped on the floor in front of it like she does the wood stove, so you know it has to push out some serious heat to make her happy.

I decided to work on learning to bake bread, and made a soda bread boule and some cinnamon swirl bread that was used to make French Toast. Then I got carried away and made the Pecan Rum Butter coffee cake and some pecan fudge. I hope Oscar is feeling hungry...

Christmas 2009

It was a white Christmas at Dog Days this year! More than a foot of snow covered Floyd and pretty much the whole state of Virginia. Everything ground to a halt, and we all enjoyed the beautiful peace and quiet that came with the bountiful white blanket.

Thankfully we have some wonderful neighbors with heavy equipment, and we were plowed out fairly quickly. People came up to check on us by ATV, tractor and even horseback throughout the holiday. We had ample supplies, lots of firewood, and kind neighbors to see us through the wintry weather, and the holiday was so much better for it!

Where the Wild Things Hide

Having a "baby" in the house can be exhausting for the other "family" members, even if they are the hairy sort. Zoe is a handful for all of us, with her boundless energy, sharp little teeth and penchant for creating chaos in her wake. I know Claris & Morty must appreciate the time each week when Zoe goes to puppy camp; when she is home they sometimes find places to hide to get a few moments of peace and quiet. Just the other day I found Morty hidden in the bathroom, behind the door...

Claris is often the target of Zoe's insatiable need to chew (teething!), or at least her tail is. She will try to hide that exposed and sensitive appendage, and finds ways to back herself up against something to try and preserve her favorite body part. She likes the kitchen fireplace; it provides protection on almost all sides! I suspect she will be spending a good amount of time in there until Zoe loses those wicked baby teeth!

A little Princess...

Zoe has an air of entitlement about her; It is as if she expects to be treated like a little Princess at all times. She likes to have an escort when she goes outside, picks the best spot on the couch to sleep, and wants all the toys and food to be reserved for her exclusive use. The cat and Claris are her personal toys, and Oscar and I her servants. If she were not so cute...

My Heroes!

Several weekends ago Oscar and I were sipping our morning coffee in front of the woodstove when we realized that we'd not seen the dogs in a while. We called in and around the house but there was no sign of them. Even if they managed to wander off before, a few calls and they would come barreling back to me, looking mildly sheepish, but not this time! With walkie-talkies in hand, I set out up the mountain while Oscar ventured downward towards the barn and our main creek - two likely spots for mischievous labs. The fall hurricane and several storms had dumped enormous amounts of rain on the region, and all the creeks were not just higher than usual, but raging torrents, and I was in a panic. Where else would a Lab go, but right to water, mud or stink?

It was 20 degrees with the remnants of a recent snowfall still on the ground. After about 30 minutes of searching the forest and nearby logging road, we met back at the house. Just as we arrived, Zoe bolted into the house as if on some desperate mission, soaking wet but not muddy. We immediately ascertained that she had been in deep water, but where was Claris? We had no idea the Lassie-esque moment we were having. Panic dug its vicious claws into me, and we raced back out to find our "big girl"!

About a half mile from the house, we heard a strange barking in the distance. The bark was higher-pitched than Claris' normal bark, but I followed the barking supposing that Claris had stumbled upon a hunting party and was joining them in their game chase, plausible since our land does back up to a 700 acre hunting preserve. I called and called for Claris, and each time I did, the bark replied. I knew it had to be her, but the bark was getting weaker and higher pitched each time. I felt a cold fear rising in me, and started moving towards where I heard the bark coming from. I kept calling, but suddenly there was no answer!

I started running, or really, mostly stumbling through the swampy reeds as fast as I could. This part of the creek is very wide, with steep banks, deep water and fast currents. I raced alongside the water, and heard a frightened whimper. Wedged between the bank and a fallen tree was Claris, barely hanging on. She looked terrified, and was shivering and trying to hold onto the tree with her claws. I could see the cold was weakening her, and that I had little time. I got on the walkie-talkie and tried to call Oscar to me, but I am sure it all came out as an insane blubbering mess. I was so upset I could not form complete sentences, but somehow Oscar understood.

I had no idea where we were in reference to him, but somehow he found us within seconds. He was on the other side of the water, and saw the abject fear in my eyes. I think that kicked his adrenaline system into gear, and he plunged right into the water without so much as a word. There were logs and debris swirling around in the chest-high water, but nothing deterred him and his fight to get to Claris. I was now scared for both dog and man, but Oscar made it to Claris and found enough strength in that deep and frigid water to lift her 120 pound body over the tree that had her pinned and pulled her and himself up over the tall bank and out of the water. He hauled her all the way up the mountain and into the house as fast as he could (I could barely keep up as he nearly sprinted through the forest with Claris in his arms). Later he told me that he was worried that she had been in the cold so long that she might have died from hypothermia (much less the possible frostbite she may have had), so was rushing to get her to the warmth of the wood stove. I still cannot believe that he got her and himself all that way back- it was quite a distance, all uphill, and they had been immersed in freezing water!

The rest of that day was mostly spent next to the wood stove. I kept Claris under a blanket and fed her warm treats and water, and hugged her tightly. Amazingly, we all survived with little more than a few bruises and abrasions. Obviously it could have been so much worse. And about Zoe; is it really possible that a 4 month old puppy ran by herself up the mountain to warn us that Claris was stuck in the creek? She couldn't tell us in words, but in retrospect, there was definite urgency in her behavior. Oscar and Zoe were my heroes that day, and Claris' too!

The Zoe Chronicles

I think I have written, and re-written this post 100 times already. I thought it would be easy to post Zoe's "Welcome Home" message, but the right words kept eluding me. I had originally wanted to just give the dates and other factual details, but that just does not do the little furry terror justice. Data is important though, so I will finally post the basics and then move onto the juicy bits...

On July 28th, 2009 Zoe and her brother and sisters were born. She is one of nine puppies, all girls except for on lone boy (there was a second boy, but due to complications at birth he did not make it). I counted the days until our pickup date, the 26th of September, and waited very impatiently for the breeder to upload pictures to their website (dunwoodlabs.com) and email news on the pups.

Dunwood Labs is in Oxford, Pa. so I imposed upon my family and stopped in for a little visit. Mom had broken her ankle while trying to check on the drainage system in the yard during one of the late summer's torrential downpours and I wanted to check on her. Bringing Zoe home to them after the pickup was not really a good option (I could just see her tripping mom up and breaking her other ankle), so my sister kindly took us in. Barb is uniquely patient and forgave the puddles that Zoe created in her adorable brick house in Atglen (a lovely little town in Amish Country that is ringed with farms and rolling countryside. Sigh.).

Zoe loved chasing Barb's other two dogs; the Cairn Terrier was just her size (much to the chagrin of the terrier who probably got the worst of those sharp baby-teeth). Zoe immediately fell in love with my niece Mia and I was worried I might be going back to Virginia puppy-less, but I pried the puppy (and it felt like myself, as I love spending time with Barb; She has always been the coolest big sister) away and we headed back to Richmond to introduce Oscar to his new "dog-ter".

Zoe almost managed to climb through the car's dog gate on the way home, but a stop at the Maryland House Rest Area for a little walk and a new stuffed animal (to tear up) from the gift shop and we were just fine. Every time we slowed down for traffic she popped her head up and looked around. Considering my license plate is "Bad Labs", the folks behind us got quite a chuckle.

We got home and Zoe immediately decided that Morty was her own personal living squeaky toy, and Claris was the biggest chew toy ever created. I do not think I saw Morty for the first two weeks; I put food out in the morning and it just disappeared when I got back in the afternoon to clean up. Claris seemed very excited until Zoe began gnawing on her... but as Zoe has grown and begun to play more and bite less, Claris is starting to enjoy her new little sister. Morty has even started allowing Zoe to get a sniff or two in before he swats her and makes a run for higher ground.

The comment that Oscar made about Zoe's arrival really sums it up best though. He said "I wish it took her a little more adjustment time to get settled in". Zoe walked into this house, looked around and claimed it and everything in it as hers. She might as well have just shouted "MINE". Sounds strangely familiar...