The loneliness without you

The ache deep in our hearts

We've nothing left but memories

With them we'll never part

I love you Mother ♥

It's Official!!!

We have more snow than I remember ever having in Edmonton. And this is confirmed by my various neighbors who have been in Canada just a few years less than I have been alive. And since they were adults, they have a better recollection of those years in the 1950's!! If we get anymore snow, I'll be in traction!! Started Saturday off with my neck being out, shoveled out the front and back, but not the driveway, and then took Duffy for a walk. Met up with a Bernese Mountain Dog named Ranger, who Duffy has met before.  Ranger is 3 and just a little taller than Duffy and it is always good for Duffy to play with a dog who can wear him out!! LOL!! However, Duffy ended up with frozen slobber all over his face and ruff--yuck!! Thank goodness Collies don't slobber!! Bernese are great dogs--very friendly, laid back, but that slobbering!!!!

Anyway, while I was wrangling Duffy through this impromptu playdate, I must have twisted the wrong way and really pulled some muscles in my back.  I had a heck of a time completing the walk and had to stop several times and bend over to try alleviate the pain. I did manage to use the snow blower on the driveway and then heave the snow over the 6 foot pile and I later went out and shovelled again. It was really coming down on Saturday. My back didn't thank me for that added pressure and by the evening I could hardly walk or sit.  I did take a Motrin and went to bed at 9:30.  For anyone who knows me, I must have been exhausted and in great pain to go to bed early!! I had talked to my neighbor on the phone and she said her husband would take care of the walks for me.  But how could I let a 75 year old do that much shoveling?  In addition to his own place, Gus has been shoveling out another neighbor's and relative's place because Tony has a severe heart condition and almost died last year. So Sunday morning I dragged myself out there to shovel again!! It was funny, not haha funny, that shoveling didn't hurt too much but walking and sitting down and getting up did!! With the help of Motrin, I've kept up with shoveling and have had to carry a lot of shovelfuls of snow around to places where the snowbank isn't quite as high.  Let us hope we get some melting, some settling of the snow pack, and NO MORE SNOW!!! Please???? Here's what the place looks like as of yesterday--our first day without snow!!

The fence is 6 feet high

Getting up to the living room window!!

Down the south side of the house

Duffy working on a day old bone

Had to shovel out a path to Duffy's "Business Place"!

The Eastern Rockies!!

Duffy keeping an eye on me, while I cleaned up the big snow pile yesterday

Driveway all clean!!

A lovely wintery sunset--we got up to -4.5 yesterday!

PS There are periods of light snow in the forecast for tonight and tomorrow! Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

Dang that ear!!

So at what point do I resign myself to the fact that Duffy is going to be a lopsided earred dog?? The ear is coming unglued--again--and if I leave it the ear will pop straight up! Somehow this all goes with my head- strong, sometimes contrary Duffy!

And the snowstorm continues

We are at the end of Day 3 of the Great Blizzard of 2011--as the historians will no doubt refer to it!! It lightened up to really fine snow this afternoon, but once it got dark, it went back to more obvious snow. The temperature is dropping all the time too. My back has entered some sort of shock phase, whereby it doesn't seem to hurt as much as it did (or should, considering the punishment it's taken for the last 3 days). My arms are fairly sore--but not bad considering the shovel loads I carried into the yard from the driveway and along the sidewalks to places that didn't have as high a bank.  I haven't seen this much snow for years--it's looking like it did when I was much younger and living here.  But Daddy did the shovelling back then--now it's my turn. I am proud to say that I am the only woman in this block area, that does all this shovelling/uses a snow blower. The rest of the houses either have a man and woman sharing the duties or men doing it all. This is the biggest lot in the block at 53 feet wide and 150 feet long, so that's a lot of sidewalk both city and property, as well as a double driveway.  Today though, the young fellow that lives across the lane with wife and little girl, helped me out with the driveway.  I was laboriously carrying load after load into the yard, and maybe he figured he better help the old broad, or she'd still be at come next January!! Hahaha!! I sure did appreciate the help though! I ventured out with the truck up to Mac's and the Bargain Store--I was looking for Valentine decorations for my dad's' room. The truck has 4-wheel drive--no one in their right mind should be thinking of driving on those roads without it.  But I will be taking the buses to my meetings at the EG tomorrow!! My neighbor's daughter and son-in-law were in an accident on Highway 2 nears Olds and are spending another night in the Olds hospital. They were rear-ended by 3 successive vehicles, her air-bag opened and she lost consciousness and he's pretty sore and shaken. Poor Iolanda is pretty upset  and won't feel okay until she can see her daughter. The car is totaled and they will have to take a bus back to Edmonton. Moral of the story is, stay home when a blizzard is going on!!

Can you see much fun it will be when this starts to melt?  Luckily that won't be for another 3 months--hahaha!!

Duffy and his shovels!  He loves to sit like this--butt on the top of the stairs and front paws on the first step!

Just about my height!!

Great moisture for the flower bed!

Where's the bird bath?

Duffy sniffing the air for fresh game!! Or the smoke from the neighbor's wood burning fireplace!

The first snowstorm/blizzard for 2011

Duffy considering which snow shovel he should use--taken out the dining area window. The shovels are at the foot of the steps.

Duffy looking a little disgusted with all the snow--or maybe I'm transferring my own emotions onto him!!!

After this morning's clean-up

It started around 1:30 Friday afternoon and by this morning we had almost a foot of snow.  The wind is still blowing and it continues to drift the snow, both at the front and back of the house, and everywhere else!  You know you are in trouble when you look out the back door and there are 6 inches of snow on the back steps and you shovel your way around to the front of the house and the front steps are drifted in so badly, you can't see where the steps are!!This storm is supposed to continue all night and into the morning. I've already spent a total of 6 hours outside today, in 2 separate stints, shovelling and using the snow blower.  So we can look forward to more fresh air and outdoor activities tomorrow!! And I will take more pictures.

The Abominable Snow Woman of Edmonton!!

Pluffy Snow

Tuesday afternoon, it began to snow big, fluffy flakes of snow.  It was warm--hovering around -1, and was so neat to be out in. In honor of Diana, who has taken into her vocabulary the blog security word, "pluffy", here are some pictures.

This gives a good idea of what pluffy snow looks like!

His Duffyness with pluffyness snow on his nose.

For a change, a picture of the front of the house--including my mother's beloved Mugo Pine

See, it snows so much that we have to use 2 shovels at a time--one in each hand!! Hahaha

Duffiness

Intently watching the neighborhood activities.

Who else but a Collie would sit down on a cold, snowy concrete sidewalk?

Nice twist on the leash!! Nice tail!!!

"I nose everything!!"

January 2, 2011

It was a -1 this morning and snowing and blowing, so I took along my camera on our morning walk.  I had already shovelled the front walks and it started snowing harder--of course. But at least I could operate the camera without freezing my fingers!! So for Jolene and anyone else who likes looking at wallking Collie dog butts and snow--some videos!!!!