Snow has been falling off and on at The Golden K for a week now. I’m amazed at how alive dogs become in the snow. Impervious to the cold – seemingly energized by it – with the speed of a gazelle and endurance of a marathoner they run, roll, jump and chase only stopping occasionally to catch their breath. And I believe, as they stop and look around, that they realize their world is different for the moment and they appreciates the beautiful playground that Mother Nature has created for them. Then all at once they are off again…
Kloe and Koda – The red girls as I call them – have had a lot fun with snow play this past week. Although The Golden K is located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills we’re just about at the snow line at 3100 feet elevation and don’t receive a lot of snow each year. As inconvenient as it has been this past week in some ways it has also been special. The red girls have taken advantage of the velvety layer of cold white powder sitting on top of what is usually a hard and muddy landscape this time of year.
For the past week the red girls have alternated between this:
Kloe and Koda stopping to catch their breath and appreciate their velvety playground
And this…
Koda” “Dad you’re embarrassing me. I’m not cold and I already shook off the snow.” Kloe: “It makes him feel better. If it was mud we’d both be up in the bath right now.”
Our Traditional First Snow Walk
Earlier in the week we took our traditional first snow walk with the girls to the top of The Golden K. It was a little melancholy for me because as we headed out of the immediate area of the house and headed up the hill Kali was struggling. Kali, now almost ten with bad hips struggled in the deep snow making it too difficult for her to follow along. She tried but as she labored to make gains up the hill to follow me I could see in her eyes that it was too much for her. As much as I wanted her with us and as much as I know she wanted to be by my side I took her back to the house while Holly and the red girls waited at the trail head.
Holly” “If only the red girls were attached to a sled they could power me up the hill… Mush!”
Kali last year on our traditional snow walk to the top of The Golden K
Kali: “My hips are frozen – this feels great!”
And so it goes during winter at The Golden K. Rain follows this snow storm and then more snow, and then more rain. Hopefully we’ll have a few days to dry out in between all of that. I’m convinced the earth is spinning faster with the way time flies by. Before the girls know it they’ll be running on the hard clay ground in sunshine, sitting patiently by the BBQ for a little “sumpin’-sumpin'” and looking for shade to cool down in. But for now we take what Mother Nature has to give and enjoy the beauty of the Golden K all dressed in white.
The red girls running, rolling, jumping and chasing. How great is it to be them!
Golden Kali 