Frigid, frigid day

Bundled to the max, my little HuggaMutt and I braved the cold to visit the Chemung. Once again, I would warn anyone who visits the boat ramp to forgo it until the ice is gone.

Ellie loves the levee because it is tamped down for her. At her height she hates to slog through the snow.

Ellie inspects a deserted raft. There is no snow beneath it, but surely no warmth.

She willingly follows deeper into the Island.

Here is an unusual view of the raft behind the Water Board, taken from the ice on the Chemung River. Ellie loves Foster Island: there are lots of trails to inspect. Also, the scent of deer and muskrat and other animals is quite strong, even in winter.

We slog away at it until we are faced with the loveliness of blues and browns and whites. This feeder is Hoffman Creek, still unfrozen despite the frigid temperature. But even total beauty doesn't make up for the mean cold wind. We are glad to get back to the Tracker, spin it a bit and inch our way up the levee to go home.

pb

Little Pond

Too cold to go river doggging...

It's -17C (2F) and it's too cold. The river is freezing hard, and that will make for interesting visits next week. The HuggaMutt will return home to stay with foster littermate Jake for a week.

We did try a visit before the deep freeze and nearly had to camp out on the river bank.

A short walk to the post office resulted in me carrying the Mutt. When we arrived, I had lost my letters while picking her up. We retraced and retrieved and retreated back home, leaving the letters to be picked up by the carrier.

Any more trips this week will be by the lone River Hag.

Stay warm.

pb

Little Pond

It was a miserably cold day, but Ellie and I were getting cabin fever, so I bundled her up in a sweater, skirt and scarf and hauled her down to the Chemung River. Up on the levee, the breezes made us shiver even more, but HuggaMutt was game.
The Chemung itself was blue, blue, blue and not just my camera's settings. The bright sun would change all that, but in the shadows, well, it was daunting. We were too cold to enjoy the sight.
My little dog got ice in her pads, so I bundled her into the car and warmed her a bit. Then I took her down to the boat ramp, just to get a tad closer to the real deal. And it was worth it.

Here Ellie is walking on water. Very thick ice, that is. While she is usually quite cautious, this time the River Dog seemed to think that the ice was more than enough to protect her. For my part, though, well, I got way too nervous to let her enjoy much more than a few seconds on the water.

Mind you, we didn't hear any cracking, even with my weight. Just to be sure, though, I called her in.

As beautiful as the shadows are on the snow, keep in mind that the bright blue sky is a sure sign of absolutely frigid temperatures. Ellie got enough snow in her suit to make her shiver. I took her home and set her before our gas fireplace, where she fell asleep.

And dreamed of summer, no doubt.

pb

Little Pond