I can’t say it’s been a quiet weekend so far–I’ve really been quite busy–but it’s been a peaceful, snowy one.

We got over 9″ of snow yesterday–nice, light, fluffy stuff. I had already planned on taking Friday off from work because of Stollen, but as a bonus, the office actually closed for the day. (I know this because I’m the only one who knows how to change the message on the phone system, and so I get a call when a decision is made to close or have a delayed opening.) So, I got the day off without having to use one of my vacation days.

I wasn’t the only one happy about the Snow Day. As it happened, the snow here ended about 11:00 and then the sun came out, so there was plenty of opportunity for, say, sledding (if you’re into that kind of thing.) The house across the street looked like it was having a party–I’m not even sure who all these people are–but they sure looked and sounded like they were having a good time.

My time, of course, was mostly taken up by Stollen. But I did find some time for some other stuff. Like making a pot of beef stew for supper. Doing a little reading. Watching for the plow to make sure they got all the edges of the driveway done. And, there was at least one other thing, what was that again?

Of course. Taking Chappy out to romp in the snow!

You can see that he had a wonderful time. (The tail is a blur in the photo, in fact, because it was going so fast the entire time he was out there.) What we do is, I stand up on the deck and throw snowballs, which he mostly chases. Sometimes he actually chases them. Sometimes he just runs in the general direction as an excuse to run. Sometimes he stands right at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for me to toss them for him to catch. (He’s really quite good at it, but I try to make sure those are lightly-packed.)

I hope you notice his Sheep Impression? All those white snowballs in his fur, looking like fleece? If there’s any question why I insist on his wearing a coat to play in “deep” snow, this should pretty much answer it. All the fluffy, feathery ends of his fur grab the snow–much like a woolen mitten does when you’re making a snowman. You always end up with mittens heavy with clumps of snow. Well, just imagine having that all over your legs, in your armpits, on your neck . . . Brr! It doesn’t seem to bother him in the least while we’re actually outside, but the minute we come inside, Chappy starts grabbing them and pulling them off. (Katy–who used to have the same problem–used to stand there and shiver, waiting for me to get rid of them. Chappy’s feeling about them is just “get rid of them” I suppose he doesn’t care if he pulls some of his fur out. She was a girl, probably cared more about how her hair looked…)

Anyway, other than a hair dryer, or massive amounts of towel-drying–neither of which is practical–the only way I’ve found to get rid of these things quickly is in the bathtub. So, as soon as we come inside and I’ve gotten my coat and boots off, we head up to the bathroom, shedding little snowballs all the way. He doesn’t always love baths, my boy, but he never hesitates about going up to melt these snowballs. Really, that has to be so uncomfortable once you come inside and start getting warm!

Incidentally, I’ll put a word in for the fabulous dog coat Chappy’s got, from Apache River, better known for its horse blankets. Not cheap, but worth every penny. Unlike a sweater, it actually keeps his fur dry, therefore it keeps him warm, it protects him from getting those snowballs ALL over. Easy on, too–slipped on over his head and then the chest band goes between the front paws to velcro to the sides of the coat. Nice and secure–he’s never managed to jump out of this coat, unlike some other sweaters we’ve tried. In fact, I wish I could show you how funny he is in the snow. Because he DOES jump through the snow, just like a dolphin. I’d swear he has springs in his legs! But both he and Katy had trouble keeping their sweaters on . . . until this coat. I love this coat.

Otherwise? Gift stuff today! I wrapped my Christmas presents. (One, small advantage to Stollen Weekend is that since I have the house to myself, I don’t need to worry about anyone seeing me wrap their presents.) I did well this year–at least two things for everyone, but all small and portable. Getting them to my sister’s house will be easy for a change.

I also made some butter cookies–which I haven’t done in years. I’d even forgotten I had a cookie press . . . apparently, though, there was a reason for that. My cookies didn’t exactly come out in the shapes they should have . . . oh well. They taste just fine. And after all the time spent in the kitchen making stuff I don’t like, I wanted to have something I could enjoy nibbling, too.

I also got my last two packages out the door for the KRSP and the SP6 secret pal exchanges. A trifle late, actually, but since we had two snowstorms (and should have had a third) in the last week, I didn’t feel right asking my mail carrier to trek to the front door to pick up the boxes. (Today, out of desperation, I put them in a plastic garbage bag and hung them from the mailbox for her to pick up.) I’ve had fun with both exchanges, though one pal almost never updates her blog, and so I feel like I’ve been buying “blind” for her . . . I hope they like their last gifts, though.

Tomorrow, my parents come home. I’m going to have dinner ready for them when they get here–either pot roast, or lasagne–I haven’t decided yet. Both are flexible enough, though, that if they run into some extra traffic, the meal can wait. And now . . . tired again! Really, this snow-day stuff can be tiring . . . and I didn’t even have to shovel! (Well, Chappy’s bathroom, but that’s really not that big, and it’s got a roof, so there wasn’t much snow in there anyway . . . )

Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Weather // 12 Comments »