March 1, 2013

Snow Dogs and Musings on Winter

Coco, my snow dog, from last winter when we actually had snow.
My snow dogs want to know…where’s all the snow this winter? Roscoe and Coco are eager to get out and frolic around in the fluffy white stuff. Yes, fun for them, but not so much fun for me attempting to shovel the stuff while bundled up so tightly I can barely move. Expert shoveler, I am not, LOL! Ah, but watching my dogs run around joyfully playing in the snow is fun (if only they could shovel and play!).

This photo shows all the snow we've had so far this winter and the season is nearly done. Now you see why my snow dogs are complaining. Many areas farther up along the Northeast have had heavy snow storms, but my area was spared the brunt of those storms. I call it being "spared." My dogs call it being "gypped."
You call this snow? Roscoe and Coco are not impressed!
Although snowfall has been sparse here this winter, I am not complaining. My dogs are the inquisitive ones regarding snow. I could take it or leave it. In fact, when I lived in sunny Southern California years ago, I can say I never missed the snow. Not once. But like Dorothy in Oz who finds she’s not in Kansas anymore, I’m not in California anymore. When you live in the Northeast USA, it will snow every winter, at least a little bit, and sometimes a whole lot.

I grew up in New Jersey and as a child, loved to play in the snow and especially enjoyed snow days off from school. As an adult, I eyed sunny California and didn’t look back when it came to winter. Now I am back on the East Coast again, not in New Jersey, currently in Maryland, but the weather is similar. That being said, I don’t totally hate snow. A new snowfall can be a lovely, peaceful scene. I’ve always loved those Currier & Ives prints of snow scenes in early America with winter travelers happily riding through sparkling white snow in horse-drawn carriages. 

Currier & Ives. Isn’t this a lovely scene…and look, there’s a dog in it, too!
There is something inviting and romantic about watching the snow fall outside while sitting inside so cozy by a fireplace holding a mug of hot chocolate, or sipping a glass of wine by the warm glow of the fire….OK, I saw that scene in a movie lol!  Sounds lovely, though. 

More often the reality is: shovel, shovel, toil and trouble, white fluffy goodness turns to mushy mess and patches of ice you don’t readily see cause you to fall hard on your butt. Ouch! Well, perhaps you are more coordinated than I am, but it's a scenario I've experienced more than once. I now prepare by wearing extra layers...everywhere! Still, for my sweet pups, I wouldn’t mind just one nice snowfall so they can play around in it. Then I really must give them lessons in shoveling. Hey, maybe I could attach a shovel to the end of a sleigh and they could pull it. After all, they are Northern mixed-breed dogs. Roscoe is Collie, German Shepherd, Chow, Akita mix; Coco is German Shepherd mix. Well, one can dream, and I am always thinking!

My dogs are clamoring for me to post more photos of them. Such attention hounds! Look for them to be guest blogging here again around St. Patrick's Day (I am part-Irish, so my dogs get to be Irish too). Since we have no good snow photos for this year, I am posting their pictures from last winter. Aren’t they just adorable? 


Roscoe and Coco last year when we had snow worth playing in



Let’s Play!

Coco likes what she sees!

OK we cleared a path. Now for some rest!

Dig In!


Roscoe thinks it doesn't get any better than this!

I'll close this post with a photo I took of a snow bird on a fence singing for spring. My dogs can have winter, I’ll take spring. Sing, little songbird, sing!


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©JerseyLil’s2Cents 2013 

48 comments:

  1. Rosco and Coco really are adorable, and I'm sure they're just as excited about spring as you are. I loved the snow in Kansas as a kid, but now that I've lived in GA for most of my life, I don't know if I could handle cold, snowy winters. I think I'm a California sweater-weather girl at heart :-)

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    1. Roscoe and Coco are adorable, aren’t they? Thanks Kris! Yes, they love spring and autumn too, not so much when it gets blazing hot in the summer though. Although I grew up in New Jersey, I am not a fan of winter! Yes, I could easily be a California sweater-weather girl again. :)

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  2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this post! (You knew I would!) :) And I'm with Coco and Roscoe! Romp away my furry little friends!! And I would feel totally gypped too if that's all the snow I got! I don't know how you lived in Cali with no snow. I.would.die! I love the pic of the bird. So cool. And here's the secret to the shoveling. You get to know the kids in the neighborhood who want to make a couple bucks and have them do it! :D And.. I have sat by roaring fires with hot chocolate and sipped wine. It's heavenly.. :) I will miss my beloved winter. Guess I'll just go pout with Coco and Roscoe.. :(

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    1. Mimi, I know how much you LOVE snow!! Roscoe and Coco are nodding their heads in agreement with you. Oh, I think you might just fade away if you lived in a place with no snowfall LOL!

      Thank you about the bird photo, I was so pleased catching that shot. That’s a great tip on shoveling if you can actually find kids willing to do it anymore. I tried to find some high school kids to shovel last winter and was very willing to pay them, but one kid never showed up, another said he would come over then called to say he was tired after shoveling his mother’s driveway, and a third actually came by, shoveled for a short time, then left for lunch and never showed up again LOL! Your kids are tougher there in Michigan. If I have to be in a place with snow, I dream of sitting by a roaring fire, sipping wine. Well, it’s a nice dream. :)

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  3. Great photos. Karla always used to love the snow too.

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    1. Thank you, Dale. Roscoe and Coco are pleased to hear that Karla used to love the snow too! :)

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  4. Coco and Roscoe are adorable. I enjoyed your post and the pictures. I confess I love snow! Thank you for visiting my blog today and for reading my flash fiction piece. It was a wonderful surprise.

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    1. Julia, I’m very glad you enjoyed the post and pictures, thank you! I have many friends who love the snow too. Can’t really say I love it but my dogs sure do! I really enjoyed your flash fiction piece and I’ll be reading more on your blog. :)

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  5. Look at those cuties! They look happy regardless of the snow, or lack thereof! Very happy, upbeat post :) You and I agree....Spring can't come soon enough! btw, perfect names for your furry friends!

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    1. Michelle, thanks for your nice comments on my post and my dogs! They are cuties and both very good-natured dogs. Glad you liked their names. You and I definitely agree on spring! :)

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  6. Enjoyed the pictures JL. Beautiful dogs & they look like good company & good fun too.

    Have to say - although only having travelled through heavy snow - don't think I could live in those environs. Much prefer your imagery of sitting inside by a crackling fire with a big glass of red & looking out the window.
    Cheers, ic

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    1. Hi Ian. Thank you about the pictures! My dogs are excellent company and great fun, too. About living in snow, well I prefer warmer climes myself. But if one must live in snow, sitting by a crackling fire with a big glass of red while gazing out the window is the only way to experience it! (Btw, I just found your comment stuck in my spam box for some unknown reason, so that’s why I’m late in responding. Glad I found your comment!)

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  7. OMG They are so beautiful. Sure wish you were all here. It snowed for the past 4 days on top of all we had. We had a blizzard before Christmas and it hasn't stopped. Our car was hit twice in less than 2 weeks. I had a heart attack about 1 1/2 yr ago and don't shovel. Can't get out of the driveway. A neighbor got so stuck, 3 tires were off the road, the car was perched on ice. I can't wait for it to be over and plan to never spend another winter here. Snow looks pretty if you don't have to live in it, but seeing your dogs really put a smile on my face. I came back to look at your funnies and got a big surprise! Looking forward to Irish dogs with a blogs jersey style, who needs Disney? Awesome post!

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    1. Thanks CrazyMama, I think they are beautiful too! Way too much snow there in Wisconsin for me. A blizzard that hasn’t stopped since Christmas, wow, no wonder you want to leave! Sorry to hear about your car, that’s awful. I remember you telling me about your heart attack. I sincerely hope you’re feeling OK and you certainly cannot be shoveling. Getting snowed in makes everything so difficult, hope you can move to a warmer area before next winter. Totally agree that snow looks pretty until you have to live in it (or unless you are Mimi and you can’t get enough snow LOL!!).

      So glad you enjoyed those funnies again! I was hoping they’d make you smile. Yeah, who needs Disney? I’ve got my Irish dogs blogging Jersey style...Like that! :)

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    2. Haha, yeah Jersey is the new Disney!

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  8. Oh and yes to MiMi, that's a beautiful photo of the bird.

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    1. Thanks so much! I enjoy taking photos of birds when I catch them before they fly off.

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    2. Do you see a lot of variety/ We have blue, red, yellow all the time. Except now. I swear there is a 20 foot mountain of snow piled on my street and they say it's gonna snow again Monday. At least they said the temp is going up by the end of next week. Right now it's like 3. But I remember that horrible storm you had a few months back, so I can't be too jealous of your lack of snow.

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  9. I must admit that those dogs do look as if they are asking 'where's the snow mate?'

    I just love to see dogs playing around, and you have such good looking ones too. They look so fit & healthy with lovely thick fluffy coats of hair. I want them both JerseyLil. Maybe next year you will get more than a dusting of snow so Roscoe and Coco can have fun frolicking around. But remember, more snow requires more shovelling, ha ha ha ha. Great post. Give Roscoe and Coco a big doggy hug from me.

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    1. Hi Rum-Punch Drunk and so happy to see you up and about, visiting blogs. Hope you are feeling better! It’s funny that when I took that photo, they looked as if they were saying, “where’s the snow mate?” LOL! Seeing that, I had to write a post around it. Yes, watching my dogs frolic around in snow is fun.

      Thanks for your great comments about Roscoe and Coco! I’d love to share them with you across cyberspace. :) Both dogs were adopted (at different times) and I’m very lucky that they have such great personalities after having come from abusive situations. I think that adopted pets are very appreciative when you provide a good home, regular meals and lots of love. I will certainly give them both a big doggy hug from you!

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  10. Madilyn, snow's a whole lot more fun when you have a Roscoe and Coco to share it with. But what's even better is to have a Roscoe and Coco to play with at the beach on a bright, sunny summer's day. I lived in Tucson for 8 years and didn't miss the rain, snow or cold for a single moment.

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    1. Thanks Marty! Yes, snow is a lot more fun when you have a Roscoe and Coco to share it with, but even better to be playing with them on a sunny beach on a warm, summer’s day. Absolutely agree with you on that! :) I’ll take a warm day at the beach over snow anytime. I stopped in Tucson for a day many years ago on a trek across country, liked it. I like many places in the Southwest and prefer the dry heat to the humidity in the Northeast.

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  11. Your dogs are beyond cute. I love dogs but I'm a cat person :)But the difference between how much a i like dogs compared to cats is not very big. When I'll have my own house I'm gonna make sure to adopt some dogs from the shelters, as well as some cats :)

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    1. Thank you, Gabriel! I have dogs now but I had cats years ago when I lived in New Jersey. I love both dogs and cats. Yes, adoption from shelters and rescue groups is the only way to go. Roscoe was adopted from a shelter, and Coco was adopted from PAW (Partnership for Animal Welfare). I like that you want to adopt both cats and dogs, and I know when you have a house for them, you will be an excellent pet owner! :)

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  12. :) I would share some of our mountains of snow with your dogs, but their owner might not be so happy? I'll sing with your songbird, if it will usher in spring faster!

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    1. Hi Melody, thanks but no thanks on the snow LOL! Yes, please sing with the songbird for spring. :)

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  13. Dogs and pictures are awesome!

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    1. What a lovely picture. I know what you mean about snow being romantic. Here in England we don't always have snow (although we've had quite a bit in recent years) but I remember staying in an 18th century inn in an old town in Yorkshire one winter when the snow began to fall, and looking out at the scene it was awfully like your print! I can't remember if there was a dog there or not though!

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    2. Hi Jenny, thank you for stopping by and for the lovely comments! Yes, my dogs know how to have fun in the snow. The 18th century inn in Yorkshire sounds like a place I’d love to visit. Bet it was romantic looking out watching the snow fall. I’m glad you liked the Currier & Ives print that I included. Currier & Ives specialized in creating idyllic scenes from early America, primarily New England. Their images often appear on Christmas cards here in the U.S. :)

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  14. I clicked Post before I added that I liked the photos of the dogs - they do know how to have fun!

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  15. your Coco looks very similar to my Daisey Mae. (half germane-shepherd and ?) I write about her a little on my blog, here is the first one on her. We rescued her last year. I love her to pieces!

    http://mymorningcupofcoffee.blogspot.com/search/label/Daisey%20Mae

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    1. Hi Coffee Lady and thank you! Daisey Mae is a pretty name for your dog, and how interesting that she resembles my Coco, who is a German Shepherd mix. Coco was rescued too, when she was 7 years old, from Partnership for Animal Welfare (PAW), after having been abandoned and losing nine teeth trying to gnaw her way out of a yard. Someone found her, took her to PAW, and she was adopted at a Petco adoption fair. I will definitely check out your blog and thank you for the link, and for joining my blog! :)

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    1. Thanks Ana! I think they are beauties too!! :)

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  17. beautiful dogs! they look so good in snowscape! i love the way roscoe and coco complained... they would complain more if they lived in north carolina. great photos and lovely words. they do show how much you know about your dogs.
    i lived in new york state for 4 years, do miss snow, but not the cold and shovelling!

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    1. Yun Yi, thank you for your nice comments on the photos and post! Roscoe and Coco do look good in the snow. Yes, I think they would be complaining more if they lived in North Carolina, I don’t think you get a lot of snow there. I am really not a fan of cold weather either! :)

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  18. Hi Madilyn, Wonderful photos. I'm on my way to see my son in Chicago soon, and they have 2 dogs, whom I adore. In fact I love Bonnie so much, that I joke about starting up a facebook page 'Bring Back My Bonnie To Me". Great post, as always.

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    1. Hi Neil and thanks! Dogs are such wonderful companions. Like your idea for "Bring Back My Bonnie To Me" lol! Have a great time with your son and his dogs in Chicago! :)

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  19. Oh my gosh, your dogs are adorable. I want to squeeze them! And i love the last photo of the bird. Gorgeous shot. Glorious, beautiful snow. I wish we'd have gotten that much this year for an extended period of time so the kids could play in it.

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    1. Thanks so much, Linda! My dogs are rather huggable. I appreciate your nice comment on the bird photo too. I was so pleased to get that one. There hasn’t been a good amount of snow for an extended period this year, maybe next year. :)

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  20. Great post. I lived in NJ, moved to So Cal for 14 years and came back. Had a friend who did the same but moved to Philadelphia. One winter there was an ice storm and his car slid down the steep driveway sometime during the middle of the night and hit another car. When he told me that story, he said, "If I ever meet another person from CA or FL who says they moved back east because the 'missed the ssasons', I'm going to punch them in the nose."

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and for your great comment, monkeybellhop. Interesting that you went from NJ to CA and back again. After leaving NJ, I spent several years in both Southern and Northern CA before moving back East again (and it was Not for the weather lol!). I am inclined to agree with your friend’s comment. :) Hope you’ll stop by again.

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  21. Not so fast Lil, you have another award. Exhausting, isn't it?

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    1. Wow, yet another award, I am flattered and honored! Oh yes, exhausting, especially the ones with Q & A's lol! :)

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