Celebrating The Arrival Of Spring With The Dogs - Part 2

The snow in the north field had suddenly begun to melt. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the dogs and I went for a romp. They were quite happy and Jack, the new dog, joined right in:

Smiling ear to ear, Jack began to chase Fergus, who thought this must be the greatest game ever:

They sure had fun:

Big ol' Seamus ran at first, but quickly slowed down to a walk. I got him to run a bit each time I'd say, "Okay!:"

Jack and Fergus continued to run and play, while nearby, Clover and Daphne were also playing:

The smaller dogs slipped through the fence and investigated a brush pile. Poor Seamus had to wait and watch:

I called the dogs back into the field and we began to head back toward the barn and house while Jack ran in circles:

Whenever Jack slowed down, Fergus did the running. Daphne and Clover, usually the live wires, seemed tame by comparison:

Jack discovered the joys of cow manure and how much fun it is to roll in. Luckily for me, it was still frozen:

As we neared the fence line, road and barn, Jack wanted to run ahead. I called him back and put his leash on because I knew he'd run across the road and bark at both the cows and chickens. But Jack was a good boy, and truly became a member of the family on this day. When we got back, he curled up with the other dogs and took a nap:

Celebrating The Arrival Of Spring With The Dogs - Part 1

This winter has been one of the longest, coldest, snowiest, most memorable of them all. As other parts of the country (even Minnesota!) were having April temperatures in the 60s, we continued to suffer with nighttime lows near 0 and a snow cover which refused to leave. Yes, we had a couple of false starts to spring, cruel jokes of a sort. And then one day, the sun shining, I saw grass appearing in the north field - dead grass, to be sure, but it was still a memorable event. I decided to take the dogs for a walk in the field, but the gate was still frozen in place:

The small dogs and I could slip through the fence wires, but Seamus needed help. Nonetheless, we entered the field with great joy:

I still didn't quite trust Jack, so he was on an expandable leash. The other dogs went running on ahead while Jack smelled every smell he could reach:

I'm not sure if I've ever seen such happy dogs. Just look at Daphne, suspended in the air, as she leaps for joy while running full speed:

We continued on across the field:

I accidentally dropped Jack's leash and he behaved so well, dragging it along, that I decided to let him off leash and see how he behaved:

Seamus and Fergus danced across the still frozen field:

And I turned back toward the barn and house, where I could see the cattle, munching on hay:

We were almost to the fence line and woods when the dogs really got playful. Jack had been very well behaved, and now he began to show me his playful side:

The dogs were running in circles as we walked parallel to the fence. But the fun had just begun, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Evening And Morning In The Farm Apartment

This post begins with some photos of the dogs as they settled in for the night in the farm apartment. I'd been up since very early that morning, driven over six hours to get there and frankly, I was tired. So this was quiet time. The dogs seemed happy enough about it all:

Wally for some reason likes to position himself in the corner under the table. There's no soft dog bed there, but he doesn't seem to mind. He does get to sleep on the bed, though, so I suppose that makes up for it:

All the dogs except Wally are in this photo. If you don't see Seamus, look for the pair of glowing eyes to the left of the bed:

See? There's Seamus. He doesn't seem to require the softer surface of the carpet or the pillows:

And yes, Fergus and the puppies had to spend some time playing and wrestling:

"I think those puppies are awfully silly, Dad:"

A few more wrestling matches to prepare for bed time:

And soon enough, everyone tired out:

Daphne loves her big buddy, Seamus. Notice that Wally has again positioned himself in the corner under the table and Winky has found a carpet on which to lounge. Seamus once again avoids the softer carpet:

I took this photo of the western wall of my apartment to show my kitchen set up. That's the door to the bathroom just past the refrigerator. The patch of light is coming from one of the three big windows on the eastern wall, so I must have taken this picture in the morning:

Indeed, this picture of the barn as seen through one of the eastern windows also shows the early morning light. I wish I could include the sounds of the birds singing:

And looking outside the door on the north side of the apartment was this lovely early morning, dewy scene. That's the north hay field across that gravel road: