Lake Effect

Those crazy, 6 feet high snow drifts in my backyard were sculpted by the fierce wind from the lake. The snow is really pretty, but the dogs are not pleased--until I shoveled some paths for them, they just sat dejectedly by the gate. They had no problems with the snow in Norway, but winter in central New York has already defeated them!

The Suburban Jungle

I was supposed to be at Petsmart today, taking pictures of pets with Santa (the profits go to the local animal shelter). Instead, I'm stuck at home due to intense snow, wind and sleet. I did go to Petsmart yesterday, which was so much fun. I love seeing all those cute dogs, although I have to wonder if tiny leather dog jackets and pink dog dresses are really the best use of expendable income! One customer came in for a picture with her python--I felt sorry for Santa, but he was a pretty good sport about it. (Except for when it started slithering up closer to his face!) While the snake was hanging out with Santa, I chatted with its owner. She said she dresses it up for Halloween, at which point I blurted out, "As what, a sock puppet?" Yeah, tact isn't always my forte.
My animal adventures weren't over once I left the store. When I got home and let the dogs out, Kermit saw the neighbor's little Yorkie hanging out in its yard. He raced over to the fence, which is wrought iron with bars spaced about 4 inches apart. My 75 pound collie managed to squeeze his head, a leg and one shoulder through as I watched his contortions in horror. At some point, the hard, cold reality of physics hit him, and he realized he was stuck fast. He tried to back up, he whimpered, he wiggled, and finally he collapsed in a pile of defeat, his head still wedged through the bars. At this point, I was a little panicky--what should I do? Call 911, call his veterinarian, or just slather his head in butter and hope for the best? Thankfully, my ill-conceived butter plan never came to fruition, as Kermit gave one last mighty heave and his head popped back through the bars. I would love to think that he has learned his lesson, but I have a feeling that the next time a dog or cat or squirrel darts past the fence, he's going to try to follow it again. Maybe I should invest in a tub of Crisco to keep on the patio, just in case?

Let It Snow!

For the past 24 hours, the local meteorologists have been announcing that a "snow event" is approaching. Unfortunately, if the howling wind and Arctic temperatures are any indication, I think this "snow event" is going to be less about jazz hands and show tunes and more about icy roads and frostbite. Oh well, I'm sitting by the fire with a mug of hot cocoa right now, so bring it on!
(It doesn't sound like Kevin is faring much better in Norway--he said it's currently about -15 Celsius. And he has no cocoa!)

Everyone I Know is Afflicted with Pica!

I just got off the phone with Kevin, who is still in Norway. He mentioned that he tried lutefisk for the first time last night, and that it wasn't too bad. I guess the consistency is less like jello and more like a hard-boiled egg (does that really make it sound more appetizing?) and he actually kind of enjoyed it with some mustard. He also voluntarily ate rakfisk last night. Kevin is staying at the old inn owned by the company and raided the fridge--to me, this rakfisk/lutefisk combo sounded like the nastiest midnight snack EVER! Anyway, as I was making "eewww" and "gack" noises on the phone, he went on to tell me that he plans to eat more of the rakfisk tonight, because there is a lot of it left over at the inn and he doesn't want it to go bad. At this point I cracked up, because how can fish which has been fermenting in the ground for the past several months go bad? I mean, hasn't the rakfisk really gotten as awful as it's going to get?

Speaking of conversations with people who will apparently eat anything, let me share an insane chat I had with my mom:
My mom: I need to get a new alarm clock.
Me: Oh, did your old clock break?
My mom: No, but it was made in China.
Me: Um, okay, and why exactly is that a problem?
My mom: Haven't you heard about all the Chinese product recalls? There's lead in the paint!
Me: I think the recalls are just for kids' toys.
My mom: Well, if lead isn't good for kids, it's probably not good for me either.
Me: *blink, blink* Toys with lead-based paint are bad for kids because kids put their toys in their mouths. Unless you're planning to gnaw on your alarm clock, I think you'll be safe!
My mom: All the same, I think I would feel better if I had a new alarm clock.
Me: Ok, whatever you want to do. *sigh*

Note to self: never tell her that the walls in her 100 year old house are most likely coated in lead-based paint!

Yikes!

Kevin's company hasn't sold our old car yet, so he has been driving it around Norway over the past few days. Unfortunately, as he was driving back from a bank meeting in Oslo yesterday, he got caught speeding by one of those pesky little photo boxes (he knew he was caught due to the blinding light which flashed in his eyes as he drove past). The good news is that since Kevin was caught speeding in Norway, the infraction won't affect our insurance here in the U.S. The bad news is that since Kevin was caught speeding in Norway (a paltry 8 miles over the speed limit) the ticket will probably cost more than our mortgage payment. Is it wrong that I'm really grateful that this happened AFTER I got my fabulous little laptop Christmas present?

I No Longer Speak English

Kevin arrived in Norway this morning, and he said that Gjovik doesn't have as much snow as we have in New York right now. (As you can see, the dogs are very pleased with the weather!) It has snowed off and on since Friday, so unfortunately our plans to replace the leaking roof have been postponed until the mercury reaches 40 again. We also realized that our snowblower is somewhere adrift on the Atlantic, so we needed to come up with a plan to deal with the drifts in our driveway. Kevin called several guys who advertised snow plowing services, but none of them drive out as far as our neighborhood. In a last desperate attempt to find someone with a plow before leaving for two weeks in Norway, Kevin decided to make a "Help Wanted" sign for the front yard. Sadly, our brains are a bit soft and mushy from the stress of the move, and we couldn't figure out how to word it. Kevin wanted to write "Plowman Needed" but I thought that first, that's sexist and might offend plowwomen, and second, it's a little old fashioned sounding. We could really go old-school and spell it "Ploughman"! I suggested we write "Snow Plower Needed" but Kevin said that "plower" isn't a real word. It was ridiculous--we discussed what to write on this sign for 20 minutes, and finally resigned ourselves to the fact that we are not clever, and that our English skills leave much to be desired! We ended up writing "Snow Plower Needed" and the very next morning, we got a phone call from a guy with a plow. What a relief--instead of spending hours outside shoveling the driveway, now I can use the time to brush up on my rusty English!

TNR

On Sunday, I volunteered at the local feral cat clinic for the first time. There are lots of farms around here and people tend to dump unwanted cats at farms, assuming that the farmers will be happy to take care of them. Unfortunately, cats multiply quickly, and 3 or 4 cats become dozens in no time. Once a month, one of the area's animal rescue groups hosts a free spay/neuter clinic to help combat the cat overpopulation problem. Most of these cats are terrified of humans and not adoptable. Instead, they live in feral cat colonies, residing in barns, mousing and being fed by the colony's caretaker. Because the cats are wild, their visit to the cat clinic may be the only veterinary care they ever receive. The cats are trapped in humane traps, brought to the clinic and anesthetized. Once asleep, they are spayed or neutered, given rabies and distemper vaccines, microchipped, treated for fleas and ear mites and their ears are tipped to show that they have been sterilized. Yesterday, 42 cats were treated at the clinic (apparently, that's not very many--in the spring, the clinic takes care of up to 70 cats!)
The weather was awful (snow and freezing rain) but so many volunteers braved the roads to help. Veterinary students from Cornell drove more than two hours to assist with the surgeries. It's easy to become angry at all the irresponsible people who don't take care of their animals, but yesterday I was reminded of how many people are out there trying to make a difference, trying to make life a little easier for all those poor stray cats. I was amazed at how efficient the whole process was. Five veterinarians assisted by vet techs performed the surgeries, then the cats were carried to my station where one lady vaccinated and chipped them and tipped their ears while another lady recorded the chip numbers and vaccine batch numbers. My job in the assembly line was to put the cats back into their traps and carry them over to the recovery room where another group of people monitored their vital signs and kept them warm with heating pads.
Time seemed to fly, and before I knew it, the last cat was beginning to wake up in the recovery area. I know I had just a small part in this whole process, but I still felt so fulfilled at the end of the day. At the same time, it's heartbreaking to know that this clinic was only the tiny tip of a massive iceberg--there are so many more cats out there, and there will be so many unwanted kittens born this spring. When I finally made it home through the snow and ice, I hugged my own kitties tightly (and gave them some catnip!)