Leaving Our Mark

Look kids, Lemon Flavor!

Despite a car-less December, we were able to pull it all together and successfully complete a trip up North and back over the New Year weekend. The car ran well, the tires hooked up in the slick snow, and the battery got us to the house but not home. Before leaving Sunday we had to make a stop to Sears for a new battery. Luckily it's a cold cranking 640 amps one as the weather this week in Nashvegas isn't getting over 20! Though I'm questioning my new wiper blade purchase as the wiper fluid has been frozen since Thursday. Completely useless.

What are you looking at? They made me wear it.

This would be the first trip for Monkey up North and his first experience with snow. With 3 hours left of driving, we hit the weather. Active snow with accumulation on the road. We pulled over at a rest stop on the Normal side of Peoria to let the pups potty. Above ankle snow and hillside was treacherous with 2 leashed Catahoulas. They caught site of a trail near the woods and dragged me, feet planted, across the snow field as if I were on skis. If we lived nearer to snow they'd be perfect ski-joring mutts.

She'll shoot your eye out. Pink Ryder BB gun.

The whole family was able to make it into town for the holiday, which made it a non-stop smorgasbord of treats for the pups, and did they take advantage of that fact! I'm not sure they ever really left the kitchen. Christmas and New Years were celebrated but felt rather muted. We spent several hours a day at the hospital alongside my Grandpa (more on that later this week) and bouncing back and forth between "sides" of the family. Good times, but muted under the circumstances.

Yay snow time!

With so many people crammed into the house and no bike, energy was burned off in the frigid out of doors in the snow. We suited up in our warm farm clothes (aka bite suits) and headed out into the fresh virgin snow in the back yard. Within minutes the yard looked like the aftermath of a massacre, not an unturned spot in the yard.

Quick stop, quick turn, but the boy is fast.

Launch for take down.

H. and Dish along Cedar Fork.

After destroying the yard snow, it was off for a walk along Cedar Fork. The pups tolerated the snow well, but after a few days their pads started to be a bit tender. Puppy pad wax is a must for next time. JD would pick up the scent of who knows what and start digging and biting the snow. Dish pretty much just wanted back inside so as not to miss anything that might be sitting out on the kitchen table.

Shovel attack!

Emergency roadside "Dumping".

The drive home was uneventful weather wise. The roads were clear and traffic light. For the first half of the trip though we enjoyed being reminded of the holiday feasts hourly as poor JD required several emergency evacuation stops. The remoteness of central Illinois often found us without exits and stopped alongside the highway. Parting gifts from the family.