The weather outside is dreadful. Also very muddy.

I would much prefer snow to mud. A few weeks ago we took a break from our Winter weather and briefly enjoyed what is called out here a mid-winter thaw. In some years past that thaw has lasted several weeks. So much that the trees and shrubs began to sprout new buds. This time the thaw lasted only 3 days but it felt very nice while it was here. Then the cold came back with a vengeance. For an entire three week period the temperature did not rise above freezing (32 degrees). To top it off we had some freezing rain that coated the cars with a layer of ice. 

Now I don't usually go away from the house very often except for a doctor's appointment or to the supermarket but the one day I had to go out to buy milk I discovered the windshield wiper arms encased in a layer of ice 2-inches thick. To make matters worse, after chipping and scraping away what I could see the wipers still wouldn't sweep across the windshield so I realized there was more ice under the cowling that covered the actuators. I poured several pots of hot water on it and after trying several times to get the wipers to work I thought I had damaged the motor. The next day I had grave thoughts of needing some expensive shop work done to replace the motor but when I started the car the wiper blades made a normal sweep across the windshield. And boy, did I feel lucky.

So while we are currently enjoying a prolonged taste of warm weather and hoping to see an end to the ice and snow, we are now dealing with mud. The temperature went up to 55 degrees yesterday. All of the snow is gone and its been raining. The top 1-inch of ground has turned to mud but its still frozen solid below the surface. And, as funny as this sounds, our frozen Lake Urine has become a puddle again that can't be absorbed into the soil because the ground is frozen. When I take Ruffin out to pee on his leash he always makes a mad dash to one particular spot all the time. Over time all those smaller pee puddles became one large pee puddle and then it all froze in a miniature lake. Now I have to drag him down the sidewalk to another pee spot that hasn't become super-saturated. Its the only way I can avoid having to walk in the mud and track it into the house.  BTW, when Ruff moves its like being pulled by a tractor. He is so strong it is hard to keep him off his favorite place that is all muddy now.

I have been keeping busy going through my collection of Rottweiler photos and trying to sort them out. I compiled a list of some nice pictures of all of my Rottie girls and I want to share them with you. In the order of their appearance there was my first girl Mocha, 1995-2008 followed by her mother Felony, 1990-2001, then came our first true rescued Rottweiler Sassy, 2003-2014, and lastly my sweetheart Bess, born in 2014. Each of the older girls helped to raise the next younger Rott that came into our home. The only exception was when we adopted baby Bess there were no other girls in the house and she was raised by Ruffin and partly by grandpa Axl.

OK, here they are. All of my beautiful Rottie girls.

Mocha 1995-2008
 

   Felony  1990-2001

Sassy 2003-2014

Bessie 2014 – present