Small baby puppy.

Today I saved a small, white baby puppy that looked like this, only a bit dirtier:


We were driving to the Sugar Bush to get some maple syrup and go for a wagon ride and on the way there the little puppy was standing in the middle of the highway. Luckily, my friend saw it in time and managed to stop. I was on the road-side of the car, so I checked for cars (there were several stopped in both directions), got out, and got the puppy onto the side of the road and grabbed it's leg. It bit me, but I was wearing super fuzzy alpaca mittens and it's tiny teeth couldn't get through and it didn't like the fuzziness. Then it realized (probably because of my beautiful knitwear) that I was nice person and it jumped up on my leg and wagged its tail and wanted me to help it. I noticed that the puppy had chewed through the piece of clothesline that it had been tied up with. And I also saw that its tag had a phone number, but a guy came running out of the house to collect the puppy. I hope he clues in that his dog could have gotten hit or caused a bad car accident, but based on the condition of the puppy, I don't think he really thinks about responsible things.

The time at the sugar bush was also eventful. We made taffy by rolling syrup in snow. Then we investigated the sap-collecting system. All of the blue tubes take the sap from the tree directly to the sugar shack, where it is slowly boiled down into syrup. They weren't boiling today though, since it was so cold the sap was frozen up.


We also went on a sleigh ride. The horses names are Cruiser and Cory. They are 9-years-old.

My favourite month.

I like the month of January a lot every year. New starts, fresh snow, birthdays, and hockey games. This January I was housesitting for a friend out in the country.

These are the two animals that live in the house. Sparky the cocker spaniel (I think that's what he is, at least?) and CP the black cat. They really like me and I really like them even though I have to take two antihistamines every day that I hang out with CP. This was laundry day. They both ignore me when I pull the camera out. CP really enjoys knitwear (one of the main reasons he likes me). He has taken his place on my Tomten sweater. He was probably kneading it before he needed to ignore me.


This is what we look like every night. We pile up on the couch in front of the fireplace. I knit and the animals fight over who gets to sit closest to me. In general, CP doesn't like people or dogs, so we're doing pretty well in this shot.


CP generally wins at who-can-sit-closer. Then he forms into a perfectly round cat shape and maybe kneads my legwarmers a bit.


Sparky being the cutest one, running around the couch with his favourite squeaky pork chop toy.


Close-up.



On the last day at the farm, Sparky and I went for a walk when the sun was beginning to set. This is the river that runs across the property down near the front road.



The laneway from the house out to the road.


The wetland area that the river opens into on the other side of the road.


The stone house. My favourite type of house.


The chicken coop where I collect eggs every morning and feed the bunny. And I feed the chickens too. They eat a highly varied diet of potato peels and citrus fruit and any other fruit or vegetable that my parents and Jayme and Brian want to dispose of.


The red door of the barn.


The barn.


A milkweed down near where the trail begins at the side of the laneway.


The chickens in the sunset.


Sparky! He loves going to the chicken coop because he might have a chance to steal an egg.


The chicken coop in the sunset.


The ice in the sunset.


Practice makeup for my sister's wedding. I'm supposed to look like a green hydrangea petal who's also the maid of honour. I had this done earlier in the day in East City.


Sparky running back home in the sunset. See his floppy ears?

Good-byes.

Mom just sent me an e-mail with pictures she took the day before I left Warsaw. I had to say good-bye to these two sweeties. And you can also see the size of my pack. It's pretty full. I needed to bring stuff for the conference, working at the research stations and the farms, springtime weather, and end of wintertime weather.

Please note the green Frisbee in my lap. Sammy pretty much has one thing on her mind at all times: finding someone to toss the Frisbee so she can make a spectacular catch.



The dryer lint likes a good belly rub, and don't miss the green Frisbee in the corner:



Mom also sent some pictures of us at the airport, but I can't post them because everyone looks too sad! Really, I'll be home before you know it and I'll probably call and e-mail way more than I did when I was in Guelph.