Tag: Winter

Not Again?!

Pazlo2 Comments

Hello friends!

Boy oh boy I’ve had a great winter. Lots of snow and lots of cold. Walks in the Wonder Woods with my person. But, gee whiz, it looks like spring is around the corner. It’s up to 27 degrees F today, and yesterday’s snow is already melting in the bright sun. The last of the snow is just about gone in all those little nooks and crannies amid the tangles and tumble-down rock walls. I suppose I should get used to this, and give up my dream that one day winter will never leave us, and we can have snow all year.

Yep. Shallower than last time
Warm Earth
Maybe I Should Accept It
Might still be snow in the Wonder Wood!
Great mud, but no snow in there.
Is it Under The Evergreens?
The Signs Are Everywhere
Where does snow go, anyway?
Oh, sweet last patch of snow.
Punch-Through
Nope, no more snow in here.
Well, some new territory is nice.

One redeeming quality to spring is that it brings the birds back with it. Black and yellow birds, orange and black birds, red and brown birds, stripy birds, iridescent birds. They really show up now, too, because mostly the world’s gray-ish where the snow is gone but it hasn’t started greening yet. By the porch those first little yellow and purple flowers came up a couple days ago. These get caught in a frog’s throat and make that noise. I know this because my person calls them Croak Assists.

I don’t know what’s happening with my fictional doppelganger up in the Arctic. We haven’t heard from them for months. It can be a pretty rugged place in the winter, and it’s not unusual that we don’t hear from them until spring, which is still another two months away for them. Lucky stiffs. I expect that we will get all the winter’s mail at once and catch up with the many adventures they’ve had in the season of total darkness.

Wandering around the yard by the driveway I found several great bones, some old snack scraps and a few things that I don’t know what they are but they smell edible. Luckily I beat these little yellow birds to them. I guess maybe there’s an upside to putting the snow away sometimes.

I just wish we didn’t have to wait so long for it to come back.

Wag more, bark less.

Sasha

House Tree Season

Pazlo4 Comments

Hello friends!

Life is getting better every day here at the Engleville Tick Ranch, growing steadily colder, and snow falling regularly. The trees are bare so you can see the squirrels all the way at the top, but the thick carpet of crunchy leaves makes it impossible to sneak up on anything. My person keeps saying “How pretty!” and walking through the leaf piles, kicking them up and making a tremendous amount of noise.

The Wonder Woods smell great now. Crisp, cold air and all those leaves. It’s a really busy place now, too, as all the critters are getting ready for winter, eating their own weight in beech nuts and stashing them in caches. Or maybe they’re just getting ready for Christmas. My people gather a bunch of things at Christmas, then other people come and take them. Sharing the bounty, I suppose.

Wet Woods
Chuy’s Trail
I heard something
There’s a thing in the log
Thursday Trail, still green
I excavated the log
I’m sure it’s in here
Hmm. Empty.
Trees Are Bare
Off to the next place
Dreaming of Christmas bones

Of course they’ve done that crazy winter thing. Maybe it’s the solstice celebration. Or maybe, I’m starting to think, it has something to do with Christmas. So, every year they bring a tree into the house and stand it up in front of the window. But instead of admiring the beautiful tree, they try to hide it with colored lights and things hanging on the branches. Maybe it’s ceremonial, like a totem, ’cause this is where they gather the bounty to be shared.

Things are a little different this year. They put the tree in the living room. It was always in the parlor, but now they have those awful, noisy drums in there. I’d rather have a tree than drums. You can chew on a tree, and lay under it. And it’s quiet. They need to get really big before they make any noise, and then it’s just the tiniest squeaks and creaks when the wind blows them. Birds like trees, too. Do you ever see birds landing on the drums? I think not, and rest my case. Trees good, drums bad.

Here’s hoping your people let you have your own stocking like mine do, and they stuff it with your favorite treats for Christmas. (And I hope nobody in your house gets drums for Christmas).

Wag more, bark less.

Sasha

From Blooms To Booms

Pazlo2 Comments

Hello friends!

It’s been quite a while since my person posted correspondence for me. Paws are superior to delicate human hands in many ways, but computers are designed for people, so I need to rely on his fingers.

We’ve had a rough year on the ranch since mom died last winter. My person was distant and seemed inconsolable for a while. That’s when I sat quietly and patiently beside him. That’s what friends do for one another, and he is my closest friend. I know I am his, too, because he tells me he loves me.

Life has taken a new shape now, with mom gone. My person works three days a week, and his puppy Ryan is living with us now, so he is here on most days when my person works. When they both work, Aunt Kerry comes over in the afternoon to visit me. Good thing, too, because I usually need to pee by then.

We’ve watched many sunsets together this year. Each day, the sun is a little further south as it rises and sets. Thank goodness, winter is coming. On Saturday, we saw the first snowflakes of the season. It was a brief flurry that didn’t stick, but it was like a balm to me and my person. The wood stove has been fired up a few times, and the windows are getting taped shut (or whatever it is he does that makes them not open until spring). The plow has been put on the truck, and the dreadful mower has been parked in the cabana. He’s a mowing maniac, though, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him mow again before snow cover. The outside mower does not work as good as the inside one, which sucks up all the cat hair off the floors. He drives that one around outside and it just keeps blowing the leaves from one place to another. Maybe it’s just a form of entertainment.

In Engleville, we’ve passed the season of blooms, and now we’re in the season of “BOOMS”. Those guys with their long guns are out marching around in the woods looking for things that need to be shot at. Boy do I hate loud noises. So sometimes it’s not bad when they’re far away, but when they’re right behind the house or across the road I need to run into the house. The booms I mean. I’m not afraid of flowers. I just want to be clear that I don’t run and hide from flowers.

Well, my person hastily scribbled another chapter for my book and he wants to put it on my site, but it’s not good. Not good at all. I don’t mean his writing, I mean the story. Here in Engleville, we’re thrilled that the temperatures got down to 23 degrees F, but up on the polar ice cap they’re looking at temperatures that are 30 or 40 degrees below zero, and nothing to stop the wind. While we have been on an extended hiatus, they have been trekking desperately across a thousand miles of frozen wasteland, bound for the sea for which I am named. I hope they make it soon, because everyone in the caravan is starting to wear out. Boy, am I glad it’s fiction!

Birdwatcher

I’ve heard rumors of the turkey holiday. I know it’s soon after the leaves leave. It sounds like they are planning a gathering of all the family here at the homestead. I’m very happy about that because these people really need each other this year. I’m also happy because it means a lot of turkey and also pies and maybe cookies for me. But mostly I’m glad for them.

It has been a strange year of change. But now winter is returning and maybe things can get back to normal. I’ll be glad for all of us.

Wag more, bark less.

Sasha

So The Snow Goes

Pazlo2 Comments

Happy Dog

 

Last time, my person hogged up all my space with the first chapter of Caravan. It’s a bit nerve-wracking for those in the story, so I’m glad it’s fiction. Meanwhile, back at the ranch…

I must admit, even I was happy we had a warm, sunny, springy day to walk in, even if the snow is fading. I really love the snow and the cold weather. My folks are from Siberia, you know, so it’s normal for me. But sometimes the warm sun feels good, and I see we have some different birds in the yard these days.

On the trails, we thrilled to the last of the snow. It uncovers hidden treasures as it recedes, and we can find mouse runs and bits of leftover kills. I found some bunny scraps left behind by Brer Coyote. Scraps is right. Nothing but fur. Ever heard of sharing?

Enjoy it while it lasts
Pussy Willows that don’t look like cats
Crystalline Snow
Last Snowshoe Hike
Yep, it’s melting
Sure smells good
Hidden Treasures

Well, I can read the signs. This is the Melting Snow Moon. I can smell it.

It’s the Snow Geese that take the snow with them. We saw a flock fly over and listened to their funny squeaky honk that sounds more like quacking. Yeah, when the snow geese go north, they take the snow with them. It’s a sure sign.

Windfall, Avenue of the Pines
Snow Geese
Melting Moonset
Taking The Snow
Snow Geese and Moon
In The Pine Stand

Days are getting longer, so that’s a good thing. Gives me a little more time to try to ambush the skunk by the side of the house before the people call me in. And on to the next season!

I like mud, too.

 

Clear Trails,

 

Sasha

 

Skunks And Yoga

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On The Widowmaker

 

Snow! Snow! Snow! Gosh I love snow. You can eat it and dig in it and run through it. You can spin three turns and have yourself a bed in an instant. And you don’t get overheated on your hike.

My person is excited about the third volume of my stories, as he finally got started on Caravan. I’m glad it’s fiction, because it’s a lot colder up above the Arctic Circle than it is here. It’s 16 degrees (F) here today, and with the wind, feels like 2 below zero (F). My team on the tundra is facing far lower temperatures and far greater winds. It must be fifty below where they are. I’ll just lay here by the wood stove and watch the old man write.

Cold, Snow, Perfect!
On Chuy’s Trail
Practicing My Macrame
Sniff, Sniff.
Paw Print
Dog Yoga
Listen!

I took up two new hobbies. One is Yoga. I don’t know what it’s about but they have this thing called “downward dog”, and I’m a natural at it. This Yoga thing must be right up my alley.

The other thing is macrame. You know, tying knots. The only thing I have to work with is my jorring lead, but I’m making progress.

Had a skunk come around this week. Time for them to come out of hibernation. He was close to the house in the night, but in the morning was nowhere to be found. I suppose that’s good, cause every time I get a decent layer of skunk scent on me, my people wash it off with this awful-smelling, perfumey shampoo. Eww! And it will be three moons before I’ll be able to find a dead thing to roll in.

I know that skunk’s here somewhere.

 

Clear trails!

 

Sasha

 

Snow And Gunpowder

Pazlo2 Comments

Nishan Hill

 

Woo! Hoo! More snow!

We had a good snowstorm blanket the ranch with fresh powder up to a Chusky’s knees, and we went for a great hike on Sunday. Uncle Matt cousin Max and some other people friends came over to do some rabbit hunting. I was ready to see them cry when they saw how I could run much faster than them, and I still have trouble catching a rabbit.

Well, I guess the rabbits found out about it, because nobody saw a single one! They must have been hiding in their dens.

We went for a long walk and rooted around through some grapevine tangles, and never scared up a bunny. As we were heading through Chuy’s trail eastward, a war broke out. It was a small war, I guess, and they took their time shooting. Still, I’m afraid of loud noises and the gunfire was between us and the house!

My person ducked into Mr. Nishan’s machine shed, and we waited it out. The wind blew all around and snow continued to fall as we waited. It was really cold, so we were glad to be out of the wind.

At one point, my person pointed to the window and said “Okay, I’m going to knock out that window. You go to Dawson and get Sergeant Preston. Understand? Get Sergeant Preston!” I think he thought he was in the TV show for a minute.

Finally, the shooting stopped, and we came down through the Avenue Of The Pines to discover it was our own people that came for rabbit hunting. Geez, I should have thought of that. They never intended to run after the rabbits!

Rooting Out
Winterberries
My Bone!
Two-pawed Tenacity
Do deer eat bones?
Was that gunfire?
Winter Sunset

I was really tired by the time we came in, and I had a good long nap in front of the wood stove. I pretended I was huddled around a fire with my teammates on the frozen Chukchi Peninsula in Siberia.

When I woke up, I was glad I was home and warm.

 

Clear trails!

 

Sasha

My Birthday!

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I forgot all about it last week, until my person came home with a larger-than-usual bag of snacks and goodies. Then he said “Happy Birthday! You’re ten years old!” (It was the day they call “the third”, though it seems like there have been a lot more than three days in the last few years)

I’m not really sure what the big deal is. I didn’t do anything special. But I guess my people thought I was special for the day, and that made me very happy. The Jack Link’s beef jerky meant a lot, too.

Is it spring already?
Tenacious
Receding Snowline
Littered Trail
Off To The Wood!
January Sun
My mark
Sasha Dreams

Most of our beloved snow has melted away, and today it’s rainy. Maybe winter is over? Gosh, it seemed really short, or maybe that’s just because I’m getting old. How often do we get birthdays, anyway? Maybe I’ll have another this week, and more jerky.

 

Clear trails,

 

Sasha

Snow Shoe Heaven

Pazlo1 Comment

I’m so glad we had plenty of snowfall, and my person finally got out his snow shoes!

We had a great hike last weekend, around all the trails out back. Snow smells great, and it’s really easy to track things like bunnies and mice. Their scent sticks to the snow, and it’s easier than trying to pick it out of grass. We move slower when my person has snow shoes on. It’s kinda nice to go slower sometimes, though I never think of it. Usually I want to cover as much ground as I can, check out all the trails before it starts to get dark. But when I’m forced to slow down, I notice a lot of things I usually just run past.

I noticed a huge wasp nest in the cherry tree, and I was scared at first and wanted to run. I didn’t see any wasps, and in some places the paper-like stuff of wasp nests had begun to tear. I guess they must have moved out or something, or maybe there’s a lot of frozen wasps in there! I better remember that when spring comes around.

On the trail, my person, slow enough as it is, insisted on stopping and taking photographs. At one point, I could smell the bunnies in the thicket right ahead of me, and I forgot that he said the “Hold up!” command. I took off after the bunny scent and pulled him over on his backside! I didn’t mean to, but afterward I thought it was kinda funny.

Snow!
Boy It’s Deep!
North Loop Trail
In The Wonder Woods
Sprint!
Look!
Wood’s Edge
Snowing On Thursday Trail
What’s That I Smell?
Slow Going
Nishan Hill
Where’s That Rabbit?

Great news! I was out in the driveway and smelled something familiar. I dug and dug and guess what I found? It was the bone I thought the snow plow had eaten! It was buried in the snow. I dug down to it, but it was frozen to the ground. Fortunately, my person understood my quandary, and kicked the bone loose! Now I’m ahead of the game, since they put another bone in that sock for Christmas! Don’t tell them, but the “beef tip” snacks were terrible. Maybe Doone The Cat will eat them.

Clear Trails!

 

Sasha

A Tree In The House?

Pazlo7 Comments

Wow! We had a good blizzard drop about a foot-and-a-half of snow on us. It sure looks pretty, but has impeded my person from snow shoeing or ski-joring. Hopes are high for this weekend!

I don’t know what gets into people at this time of year. Maybe it’s to celebrate the return of the snow, or maybe snow makes them crazy. All kinds of decorations come out, and every room is smothered. My person tacked up colored light bulbs on the front porch, and put out his cardboard painted snowman.  Then, they brought this little pine tree into the parlor. I remember they did this last year, too. I mean, there are thousands of pine trees around the house, so it seems a little odd. Next thing, they’ll try to hide it. They’ll put colored light bulbs on it and then a bunch of shiny things like birds put in their nests. They’re not fooling me. I know they have a tree in there.

I see the sock hanging up, the one with black paw prints on it. I didn’t walk on it, so I don’t know how that happened. Probably Doone The Cat. The important thing is that not long after they hide the tree in the parlor, they load up that sock with some of my favorite treats!

So I went out to chew on the ham bone Mom gave me, and when I got to the driveway, I discovered the snow plow had eaten it. I never knew a truck would eat my treats, but you can bet I won’t be leaving any lying around again.

 

Snow, snow, snow!
I know that’s a tree
Unbridled
Maybe a bird took my bone?
On The Trail
Blizzard!
Now where is that hamhock?

Clear Trails!

 

Sasha

 

Snow!

Pazlo2 Comments

I’m so excited! I knew I smelled it, and as soon as the door opened, there it was, a foot of new snow!
It  was really deep over by the pine trees, and I had to hop from one step to the next!

This means my person will get out his snow shoes. Sheesh, if you thought he was slow before!
Or maybe those ski things! Then I can run down the hill!

Avenue Of The Pines
Dig! Dig!
On The Widowmaker
Slow Going
Nishan Hill
Action Shot
Helloo?
To The Woods!
Snowy Wonder Woods
Cool Comfort

We went for a great walk in the snow. Everything smells different, and it’s easier to see tracks than smell them!
Hope you get lots of snow where you are, too.

 

Sasha

Lodge Release News

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Hello everyone!

I’m excited to announce that today my human published my second book, Lodge!

These stories pick up where Homestead ended, and take us through our first summer, our first trip to the Summer Festival at Tunkan, and our first look at dogsled races!

It’s available in paperback and ebook on Amazon. Search for Sasha Of The Chukchi Sea, or go to my human’s author page at: amazon.com/author/scottroconnor.

I hope you’ll enjoy reading it!

 

 

Meanwhile, here at home, we’ve finally made a good turn toward winter. Temperatures were down to 9 degrees F last night, and we have a modest layer of snow. Still not enough for sledding.
The smell of the skunk still lingers a bit around the cellar door, but it’s fading.

Clear trails!

Sasha