Our mid-Winter thaw plus the rain causes lots of cabin fever.

  
First the snow melted as the temperatures climbed into the high 40's then came the rain. Lots of rain that would have created about 3 feet of snow if it had been colder. Rain makes for muddy fields and we have lots of grass out back and that meant the three Rottweilers spent all their time indoors except for when the went out to potty or go for a ride in the car. I don't mind just the rain and we keep piles of towels next to the front and back doors of the house. The Rottweilers enjoy the toweling ceremony every time they come back in when they are wet. It's the mud that I can't stand. Not only does it cover their feet but they come in with their entire undersides soaking wet with muddy water from running through the grass.

So we spend lots of time watching television. And taking naps. Them, not us. The Rottweilers sleep as much during the day as a baby does. Sometimes it sounds like a dormitory in the middle of the night with multiple snoring sessions going on. And we find excuses to go for rides in the car. We have owned two Rott-mobiles since 1998 and when the older one died last year we immediately searched for a new replacement. Believe me, we felt totally helpless for about a whole week in before we got the new mini-van. Most of the problem was that for some reason most of the car manufacturers decided the mini-van had become unpopular and they replaced them with SUV's. That would have been OK except the SUV's were smaller inside and had higher door sills making it more difficult for the older Rottweilers to jump inside. Here is a picture of one of our trips to the park a few years ago in the old van. The padded box replaced the third row seat and was light enough to slide out.

The same wood box now fits inside the new van by the three Rotts prefer to ride on the second row seat so I covered it with a heavy drape. I haven't any pictures of the inside of the new van but I have this one showing it in the background, behind the boys playing.

So back to our two weeks of boredom watching the rain. The Rottweilers seem to be very adaptable with their environment. If the two humans are inside watching television they are going to watch television, too. Here is a shot of Ruff and Axl, Ruff curled up on his favorite chair and Axl on his favorite couch right next to his Mom. I wonder if the old warning about sitting too close to the television was bad for your eyes? 

Spring is only two months away. Snow has been forecast for next week. It'll be great to go outside and play again.