Digging Out

After a three day storm comes teamwork in digging out.  The city crews are out, hired contractors are plowing, neighbors are running snowblowers, homeowners like me are shoveling and golden retrievers like Holly are playing in their white heaven.   Holly attacks the snow fearlessly, sinking her head and sliding her body through the drifts.  I swear she thinks she is fully submerged but her long body and wagging tail are hard to hide.  The 10+ inches of snow led to drifts of about 16 inches in spots.  Holly didn’t care.  As I’m shoveling the snow, she’s sliding down the banks and spinning circles often pushing what I tossed away right back on the path.  In time the job gets done, though it doesn’t always look neat and clean.

It’s not for me to complain however because my part in removing snow was about a fifth of what Pat had to do.  Pat is our snow remover in the winter and grass cutter in the summer.  He also is a dog lover who has stolen Holly and Helen’s hearts.   He shuts his snowblower off and drops into the snow to play with Holly at her level.  He makes certain Helen gets her fair share of time, somehow keeping Holly busy and happy.  Whenever I snap pictures of him with the girls, he asks me to send it to him so he can show his mother.   Is it no wonder that Holly & Helen adore him? 

My other snow angel is my next door neighbor, John.  He snowblows my garage skirt out before Pat arrives to do the sidewalks and steps.  This is his choice.  When I told him I had someone coming to dig me out, he sincerely asked if he could still do my garage. ‘Holly loves chasing the snow I blow at her’, he said.  While I’m trying not to let the snow storm bring out the worst in me, those who are shoveling out the bulk of my snow are showing me their best and its brought out by Holly.  

In preparation of the storm I placed Holly’s outside toys in the raised garden bed.  I didn’t want them to get buried in the snow.  I don’t know if Holly was watching me or if her nose told her where her grubby soccer balls were resting.  When I glanced over I find Holly standing with all fours in the raised garden bed digging for her toys.   This is the same dog that can’t bring herself to hurdle a 12 inch high jump at Rally class.  The raised bed is waist height for me, about 34 inches or so.  Holly & I are registered for Rally class again starting in April.  Stay tuned for jump updates!