Unusual Tree

Yellowstone Park opened for the summer season on April 17th, and Mike and I were there on opening day. I have lots of pictures, but most of them are still in the camera. Here is one of a rather odd looking lodgepole pine at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone.

The Season For Sharing

I have not been able to get a good picture of them sharing their double decker doghouse, but here are Rose and Mary sharing the couch.In honor of the season, here are some Easter balloons.

Old Mary

My old dog Mary is still trucking along. She lost a lot of weight last fall because she stopped eating. Turns out she just didn't like the food (a new brand). Now I've got something she'll eat, and she has gained the weight back, but because of her age, she still looks rather bony. She is about 15 years old now.

Mary is actually doing better this winter than she was in the fall. Last year she was having a lot of trouble getting up the stairs onto the deck. Now with the snow here, she just walks straight onto the deck from the top of the snow. Even at the back door where there is a gap in the snow, there are only two steps left uncovered, and she seems to have no problem with those.

First Pansy

First pansy of the year. Okay, so the plants have been growing in the house since last fall, and only one out of four show any desire to flower, but with the snow still four feet deep outside, it is still neat to have a flower.

Melting

Warm temperatures are starting the meltdown process again after last week's brief delay. This is not the sharpest picture, but I hope you can see the interesting melting pattern outside my window. You are looking at the snow on my deck with the tips of trees showing above (and behind) it. The light spots below the top of the snow are actually gaps. What is causing this?

The topmost layer is dense ice created by melting snow that drips off the roof and then refreezes into a solid layer. Underneath this dense ice is snow deposited during the last snowfall or blown in by the wind. When the afternoon sun hits this side of the deck, it melts the porous snow much faster than the ice, and these fanciful gaps result.

Snuggling Indoors

Sparkle and Eggnog have found a comfortable spot on top of my Carhartts. How ironic that the Carhartts are now covered in cat hair rather than dog hair. While Eggnog looks much bigger than Sparkle, she actually weighs one pound less, so both cats are quite comfortable the way they are arranged here.

The wet, heavy snowfall has ceased for the moment and clear skies have prevailed. The sunny days are warm and beautiful, but the nights do get quite cold. We were down to minus 5F last night.

Double Decker Doghouse

This doghouse sits near my front door where it is convenient for the house dogs to use. I added the second story last fall, but this is the first year that the lower house has not been completely covered. Mary and Rose, my two oldest dogs, are sharing the bottom story.