Just when you thought it was over...

This winter has been really warm. Few snow days and lots of days in the 30s and 40s. We even got a few 60-70 degree days in there. It was lovely. I even took a picture of the first green sprouts I saw. It made me excited to think that Spring was here!


But then out of nowhere, we got the biggest snowfall of the season when we least expected it. All the forecasts warned of flooding and heavy rains. Instead, we got some crazy snow--about 8-10 inches at least. The snow was heavy and sticky and made everything look like it was covered in cotton and icing. I should have played hooky to make a few snowmen!



Note how high the snow is on the left side of the picture. Before this snowfall, everything was brown without a speck of snow or ice in sight. Also note that Secret Agent Man is super awesome and scrapes, digs, shovels, and snow blows all the snow off my truck, out of our driveway, clears the backroads for us and our neighbor, along with the sidewalks in front of ours and our neighbor's house.


I don't know if Taylor is stalking Radar or squirrels.


Radar gets so tired trying to make his way through the snow...but he's so pretty!


I hope this is the last of winter but everyone tells me not to get my hopes up until June.

Sugar*mama

New Trick!

We can sometimes get our unruly dogs to do tricks. They were much more obedient when we would walk them and play with them or for the most part pay any attention to them. So the only way we can get them to do anything we want is if there's a treat involved (and sometimes not even then). Secret Agent Man, patient as he is, taught them a new trick.



Now, it doesn't look like much but we taught them to "freeze" with the treat on their nose. They've been getting lazy and letting the treat slide off. So he taught them to freeze with the treat in their mouths. They don't run off, they don't chew, they don't move an inch until he gives the OK....now, if we can just teach them "clean up." Heck, I'll settle for "fetch" or "be quiet" but I'll take "FREEZE!"

Sugar*mama

Snowmageddon-Doggie Edition

Snow might be novel for us and we probably enjoy it a little more than the average northerner might during this point in the winter but our enjoyment is NOTHING compared to what the dogs must be thinking. They are elated!

Here's Radar dying to play outside.


Here's Taylor trying to find her "spot." Note how high the snow is.


Taaayloooorr!!!


As you can imagine, manuvering through snow that deep is a tad bit more difficult for Radar. What this picture doesn't show is how high he has to jump to beable to propel forward; nor does it convey all the grunting sounds he's making.


But he's happy.


Meercats in PA?


Our dogs are terrible retrievers. So we were caught by surprise when Radar was barking and running around mad and Secret Agent Mad decided to throw a snowball at him (to get him to shut up) that he turned around and caught it! He was probably being a brat and showing up Secret Agent Man but none-the-less a new game was born!


Truth is that Taylor just thinks we're throwing food at her. She'll usually watch where the snowball falls and take a chomp out of it.


Radar can jump pretty high though!


Sometimes, they conk heads trying to catch the same snowball. It's very entertaining in a very sadistic way.


Here's a magic trick...how to make a dog disappear by the time I count to three...
One...

Two...

Three!


I wasn't fast enough with the camera but Taylor looked so concerned.

In the end, they even learned how to actually retrieve!


And here they are all pooped out, waiting at the door to go back inside. A tired dog is a good dog.


I'll leave you with this picture of our pretty boy snow fox.


Sweet times...
Sugar*mama

Shave Ice!

Or as Big Islanders say: "Ice Shave!"



Sweets for my sweets.
Sugar*mama

Let it snow!

Here are a few more pictures of the lovely snow around these parts. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...






That cow is a lot bigger in real life than in this picture.






As if this wasn't enough snow, here's Secret Agent Man making his own snow using a water sprayer. He actually got it to work at some point but then it would clog up because it was too cold.



Stay Warm!
Sugar*mama

Terrible Twos...

So the most enjoyable treats of fall are all the baking of pumpkins and apples and turkeys and breads. With the coming of the holiday season, now is the perfect time to warm up your mittens and whip out your whisks. What better way to get excited about baking than to bake an apple pie?

If you've ever baked an apple pie from scratch, you know what an ordeal it is. Not only do you have to deal with pie crusts to carefully mix, rest, roll out, and chill. Then you must make the apple pie filling: peeling, coring and slicing all the apples, adding spice and cooking it down and letting it cool. Then you finally get to bake the pie for over an hour and waiting at least 6 hours to cool. By the time all is said and done, it'll be 24 hours before you actually are able to slice into and enjoy a piece of apple pie.

You know where this is going, don't you? So, I baked the perfect apple pie with a great mix of local apples and we were patiently waiting to taste this piece of heaven and it sat over night to cool and the next morning, Secret Agent Man and I decide to run a quick errand. This isn't a big deal, we run errands all the time but for some reason that morning, the dogs decide to throw a tantrum. A MAJOR tantrum.

We returned home to find my lovely, beautiful, delicious pie on the ground, licked clean. And to finish it all off, they got hold of some altoids to hide their guilty breaths (no joke!).

We were so looking forward to eating a piece...I nearly cried. They know not to jump up for food off the counter/table/laps but when they throw tantrums, they know how to be royal pains. I almost took a picture but thought it was too depressing to share. So, coming up...directions for Apple Pie #2.

Guard your sweets.
Sugar*Mama

Love

How sweet is this face?



Everyone, meet Cody. He's the softest, sweetest, golden retriever you'll ever meet!
Have a sweet day!
Sugar*mama

My new love....

Well, my new long distance love...



Meet Gyatso! Isn't his eyes captivating? He's one of FOUR children belonging to my friend, Cheekie. Now, all of her kids were wonderful but Gyatso loved me most and he has the most peculiar habit: he sucks his paws, much like a child sucking their thumb. It's the cutest thing ever!

Shhh...don't tell my kids.
Sugar*mama

For a snort and a smile...

Let me introduce...Sweet-T.

Despite her batty ears and her miniature pony size, she's the biggest, sweetest, scared-ey cat there is. Let me name a few...

She's so scared of thunder that she trembles and cries. Secret Agent Man had to even sleep downstairs with her when a thunderstorm rolled in. He couldn't even sleep on the couch because a little rumble and she jumped onto the couch (a no-no in our house) and tried to dig her way UNDER Secret Agent Man. Sooo....he pulled out his camping gear, set up his bed on the floor and slept with her there (he's going to kill me...).

She looks like a vicious guard dog and even has a mean bark...but heaven forbid someone attacks you. Most guard dogs will stand between the threat and their master and growl and bark a warning. This girl will growl and bark alright, AFTER she's jumped behind you and pushed you forward toward the threat.

She's so scared of earthquakes, she can jump and clear a two foot baby gate (trust me, she's clumsy so this is ridiculously difficult for her) to hide with her brother, Sugar-Ray, who's a good 50 pounds lighter than she is.

But this one tops it all....she could be sleeping so peacefully in a little ball with not a care in the world....then pppffffft! and she jumps straight up in the air and streaks to us with a panicked look in her eyes.

She's scared of her own farts.

Happy Friday!
Sugar*mama