Still in Winter's Grip

I don't think the dogs know what to make of this snow dog in the front yard.

Yes, we have had more snow and more below zero temps and more frozen pipes.  I checked my Syrup Journal from last year and we tapped trees on Feb. 19th. By this time a year ago, we were experiencing 45 to 50 degree highs. Not every day, but on several days.   I don't think we have been above freezing for more than a day or 2 in the past 2 weeks, so tapping trees has not even been considered.  Sam did all that work on our new sugar shack and has yet to put it into use.  Maybe this coming week we will be able to tap some trees and collect some sap. 

The good news is that I was able to try out my snowshoes!  However, I found it was easier to walk up to the pond in the tracks left by Sam's trip up and back with the buggy than to use the snowshoes.  The snow was wet and heavy and every step picked up snow on the snowshoe that was then flung off as I walked.  Good exercise,  I am sure.  But so is walking uphill in snowy buggy tracks.

I missed posting a couple of weeks this month.  That was due to the fact that I flew out to Arizona to visit my brother's family.  My mom and her sister (photo on left)

had a house rented for the month and my cousin and I made arrangements to both be there at the same time with our moms.  We had a great time.  We went out to eat, we went to a farmer's market, we went out to eat again, we went hiking, I went horseback riding, Tracey and I spent some time lounging at the pool, we spent time at my brother and sister-in-law's house, we went to my niece's soccer game and nephews' football games.  And I think we went out to eat......

The weather was quite nice, fabulous in fact.  Sunny and warm enough to sit by the pool during the day, though the pool wasn't heated so it was rather cool for swimming.  The nights were cool enough for a light jacket, or in my case a handknit shawl when we went out (to eat).  I really really enjoyed the time I spent with everyone, since I usually see them all at Thanksgiving and that did not happen this year.  

 Here are a couple of photos I took on a sunrise hike at Santan Mountains Regional Park, just a few miles from my brother's house.  This is also where I went horseback riding and is a fabulous park.  

So then I came back to 10 degrees with a wind chill below zero and a snow covered car at the Columbus airport.  I still say there really is no place like home.

Grover and I went to agility class last night.  Of course there has been no working on our outdoor stuff at home, but I have been working with trying to get him to stop jumping on me, which has become a problem in the ring, and it seems to be working.  Time will tell.  He was better last night at class.  One of the other women and her husband made me a set of weave pole bases and poles and brought them last night, so we now have weave poles that can be moved without a tape measure and 2# sledge hammer and spray paint!   Now if only the snow will melt so we can use them.  Grover and I also attended a trial since my last post.  We ran in both novice jumpers with weaves and novice standard both days of the trial and we Q'd in novice standard on Saturday.  Since my goal was to get at least one Q, I was happy.  We only need one more Q in novice standard to move up to Open, but we still have not Q'd in jumpers.  We have a trial March 7 & 8, so maybe we will get a jumper's Q that weekend.

I finished a lot of knitting projects, or at least everything I had on my needles, since last I posted.  I finished my cabled sweater (I need a better photo), 

a hat I made for brother Mike, who was actually in Phoenix when I got there, but who returned to Ohio the next day and

 a pair of socks I started Thanksgiving weekend with yarn I purchased when Mom and I were visiting my aunt and cousin last June in Michigan.  These socks were my travel project:

And of course I have cast on a new sweater project and a scarf/shawl and something that will be a surprise for someone who may read this.  So for now that's all I'll say.

I'll leave off now with a photo of some very snowy 'pacas enjoying their hay.  In case you think it is cruel to feed them outside, there is also a hay feeder under cover at which they could be eating.  They do not seem to mind the snow and often sleep outside in it.