Yup, it's Winter!

But first this:

Helen, a reader from the UK, wrote:

Your blog doesn't really give too much info about how Schmoo got under
your skin. One day you take pity on hi cos he's got a limp, three weeks
later he's yours without any sort of feeling of how his cuteness won you
over.

He's a lovely looking dog but it did seem strange.

I thought I should explain a bit more. The three dogs I've had as an adult have all been rescues of one kind or another. Maggie we got from a rescue organization and both the late, great Taffy-Jerome and the Shmoo just sort of walked into our lives. Now, I love all dogs, as does JM, but sometimes there is a dog that brings you something special. It's hard to totally explain; you just know that you were meant for each other.

At first, I really made an effort to not allow Shmoo a space in my heart. We weren't going to keep him as we already had Maggie and didn't want to do anything to cause her to feel displaced. But Shmoo has that "special" quality about him that is similar to what caused us to bond with Maggie so quickly. He has a way of looking at you that makes you aware he is truly trying to communicate. And, although he had been out on his own for at least a month it was obvious that he was a dog who was searching for "his" family.

He has a way of coming over and putting his head on your knee, or just snuggling up to you, that just let's you know that he has "chosen" you as much as you have chosen him. He also lives up to his name in that in most things, he clearly wants to please, I've never had a dog that learns things so quickly. Maggie is smart and understands what you want but doesn't always feel like doing it. Shmoo understands and just does it because you ask him.

As each day went by, he just wormed his way more and more into our hearts. We felt that if we send him away we would be abandoning him yet once more in his short life and we just couldn't stand hurting him again.

So, that is why he went from a stray to being ours.

Now, this weather thing. It's hard to believe that last week I was too hot in a cotton turtleneck sweater! This morning it was around -5 C and I think it's only supposed to get up to 1 C during the day.

We had a blizzard last night. The quantity of snow that dropped isn't huge, but it came with massive wind gusts and because it was so cold, the snow was that kind of hard, icy snow that hurts you when it falls. We took the dogs out for their evening walk at 7:30, and sometimes it was an effort to walk upright because the wind was so powerful. And, it was blowing right into our eyes, which hurt a lot!

Strangely, Maggie seemed to enjoy being out in it; I think she could have walked forever. Shmoo, on the other hand, seemed delighted when we said it was time to come home. This morning, it had stopped dumping fresh snow, but what is there has turned icy and walking in some places (especially on the bridge over the Blau) is scary and dangerous. I was a little nervous, to be honest, because I am not the most graceful creature who has ever lived and I pictured myself being pulled over by an excited dog and breaking a hip.

Still, we managed to get to the gardens, where everything was beautiful under a fresh, white blanket of snow. The dogs enjoyed this new experience, and even JM and I didn't mind once we were in a place where we could walk without breaking a bone.

Ciao for now and keep warm!

Randy

Wnter? Really?

We MAY be heading back for a dose of winter, although I must admit that I remain skeptical. The temperatures have certainly dropped again and I've felt the need to wear warmer clothes and eat soup. Still, we've been fooled before this year so I'm remaining guarded.

We're all really concerned that we're headed for a major drought this year. And, unless we get a lot of rain and snow in the next two months, I have no reason to doubt that assessment. Also, predictions are for this to be one of the hottest years on record. Frankly, I could do without that as I did not enjoy the 3 weeks of massive heat that we had last summer. With 2 dogs that will need walking no matter what the weather, that is going to be a challenge. I think that as Maggie gets older, we will really not be able to take her out at all during the hottest part of the day. I was seriously worried about her health several times last summer.

Speaking of the dogs, we had a little adventure last night. Our friend Hazel, who lives just on the edge of the village, invited us over for drinks with her and her son Jason who is visiting from Paris.

Hazel has 3 dogs (Tarquin, Horace and Rab) who are all considerably smaller than either of my 2, and she also has a lovely, large, enclosed garden. So, despite the size differential of the assorted hounds, she told us to bring Maggie and the Shmoo along with us.

At first, it was a bit hairy, as Tarquin and Shmoo were growling at each other a bit. But I'm pleased to say that after a few minutes of calming exercises with Shmoo, we were finally able to let everyone free to roam and enjoy themselves. The humans went inside and the dogs stayed out.

There were several attempts by Shmoo and Maggie to break in through the terrace doors, but they realized we were still there and went exploring. We checked on them several times and everyone came running when I whistled, no one appeared the worse for wear, and all seemed to be well.

I did a last check and went back inside for a final chat, then about 5 minutes later we decided we'd best get home to feed the hungry creatures. JM and I went outside and I blew my handy dandy whistle. Maggie came, Tarquin came but no Shmoo. By now, it was pitch black outside and Hazel had no outside lighting. After calling for a few seconds I realized that I heard crying somewhere in the darkness. JM heard it too and we were convinced that was Shmoo.

Even though Hazel's garden is enclosed, her property is right on the main road (although down an embankment) and that can have some pretty fast traffic at times. I had horrible visions of Shmoo lying bleeding on the road. Hazel found a couple of flashlights and Jason and I went around towards the back of the property. As we got closer, the sounds of Shmoo crying got louder.

Jason found him: he had managed somehow to jump into Hazel's above-ground swimming pool! I still have no idea HOW he did this, as it is a good 4 feet tall with no terrace or platform around it. There is a hill behind it, but that would have been a prodigious jump. With the fact that it had a tarp over it, so what he was standing on was soft and gave him no foothold, and also because the sides are just straight up and down, there was no way that the poor boy could actually get out. Luckily, the only water in it was what had collected on the tarp, so I don't think he risked drowning, but it was terrifying for all of us. Jason was able to pull him out, Hazel got some towels and we dried him off.

Unfortunately, the water smelled disgusting from the rotting leaves and god knows what else that had collected on the tarp. So poor Shmoo was subjected to yet one more indignity and dragged against his will into the bath.

Our lesson for the evening: we are right to not want to leave the dogs unsupervised in an outdoor area. We were lucky that no one was hurt, but I just don't think my nerves can take that kind of thing again!

Ciao for now.

Randy

Only 24 days till Christmas!

Happy December 1st! The official countdown to Christmas has begun.

Living in a place where it gets cold for Christmas and where there is an actual possibility of snow, was one of the things that JM and I most enjoyed last year. We had forgotten, after almost 30 years in Los Angeles, that Christmas has its own set of smells, sounds and sensations in a place that "does" winter.

The weather is finally cooperating, with nighttime temps getting down to freezing, and everything looking frosty and misty in the morning. When we go out for our evening walk, there is that distinct smell of winter in the air: a blend of woodsmoke and frost that you just don't find in a city. It tends to make both of have those Proustian "Memories of things past" moments.

Even the residents of the Possum Kingdom, who often tend to complain about the weather no matter what it is, seem to be quite pleased at the change. Everyone is getting into the seasonal mood, putting up decorations, making holiday plans, etc. It is a really cheerful time of year.

The downside of the cold is that you often don't see quite as much of the neighbors, as everyone does tend to huddle indoors on a winter's evening, but I guess we can't have everything. We're trying to lure them out tonight, with JM giving a slide show about California at the library. Noëlle and I are both baking treats to serve afterwards, so maybe the combination of pretty pictures and the first of the holiday goodies will be enough to tempt a few folks out of hibernation.

Ciao for now.

Randy