Snow and Dog Shows and Staying Alive

It snowed in Oklahoma yesterday. A lot. It snowed a lot. Maybe around 5 inches, which is pretty heavy for this part of the planet. Tulsa got over 7 inches. Down south in Oklahoma City, they got a couple of inches of ice UNDER their 7 inches of snow.

I don't mind snow. I really do not. I love playing in it, and I like Listening to it. Did you know that snow is the Ultimate Quiet?  It is one of my favorite properties about snow. The Quiet. I like to go outside and listen to it. It makes my eyes big....

What I DO mind is Living in Purgatory.  You see, The Liddle Wolf Cubbie and I were scheduled to go to a Collie Specialty Show down in Oklahoma City this weekend. There were THREE shows in one weekend. I'd paid our entry fees, made (non-refundable) hotel reservations, and packed my car with grooming tools, table, crates, chairs, blow dryer, towels, show clothes---all the paraphenalia associated with a wonderful weekend of prancing my Collie around the ring.  To quote from the movie, Drop Dead Gorgeous...
"I was ready."

I knew that snow was predicted, but, being the person who sez, "there's Got to be a pony in here Somewhere," I was predicting sunny weather and Winner's Dog.....

When the world began freezing, I then became a resident of Purgatory.  Being raised a Methodist from the cradle, I never really understood that phrase.....Until this week. Now I see that Purgatory is its own special brand of hell. It's the "not knowing" the "you cannot Plan for this" that un-nerves my soul.  I think this comes from being a bit of a Control Freak.....I hate to straddle the fence...to Wait....to keep to myself until someone Else decides what I shall do.

And I must admit that I did not handle it to the Best of my ability. I was a bit snippy, maybe even whiny. Rob will attest to my dour mood. I don't DO dour very well....And tho, I DO try to remind myself that "Life is not a Dress Rehearsal," I did not bear this performance with grace...

By Friday morning, it was apparent that I wasn't going ANYwhere with my Collie....not even out of the cul-de-sac. We were in a Winter Wonderland, and no matter what the weather conditions might be down in OKCity, I was stuck in Tahlequah.  Then, the email came from the show chair.  The 2 days of shows (there were 3 shows) were cancelled.  Cancelled. Not postponed. Not rescheduled. Cancelled. Thank you for your contribution to the Oklahoma Collie Club......

Durn.

Crap.

Dirty toilet seats and pussing sores.

But you know what?! With that email, I was literally launched out of Purgatory, and a huge cloud was lifted from my cold, icy heart. It wasn't so Bad anymore. At least I knew what to Expect.....Cuddling on the couch, cooking delicous meals, romping in the snow, cleaning out the junk drawer, playing Where in the US is Carmen San Diego.....
So, first we romped in the snow.....

Here's a shot of The Cutest Boy in the World:

This is James' "tolerant" look.....He's not too crazy about getting stuff on his coat. He walks Around rain puddles. He will avoid the grass when there's a sidewalk available. He Prefers being inside. Were he female,

 we would call him a Diva.

Prosper, on the other hand, DElighted in the white stuff! He touched every one of his toys, rolling them over and chewing on them to inspect their "frozen-ness." He soared around the yard, leaping over the jumps, tumbling past the other two boyz.

Baden is the Hall Monitor. He can't keep up, rpm-wise with the younger Collies, but he makes up for it by barking. Barking. BARKing.

Prop and I played fetch with this oversized waterbottle until my hands were numb with cold. He found that the red handle was, well, quite Handy for bringing it. I'm thinking I'm gonna use this handle-grabbing behavior in the future and make it work big for me.

The yard was FULL of wonderful "designs" in the snow.  I truly wish I had my friend Joanne's "artist's eye," but I did capture a few artsy shots.  This is the bench in the backyard.

Back inside, I baked a WONDERful turkey pot pie. Rob made coffee, and we snuggled in for a warm, delectable dinner.

One more side note....Regarding Priorties in this household.....The snow has been on the ground/roof now for 2 days. Suddenly, we noticed that the satellite dish was not working. We were only receiving the "local" stations, nothing else. Well, this would Never Do, according to The Man Who Never Turns the TV Off.....

So, Rob went outside with a very long pole he found in the storage barn, and proceeded to tap the Dish until it was free of ice and snow....

Always there must be a Collie in assistance.  Here's Baden close by:

Inside, Rob cked out the TV......It Worked! He got to watch Queen and Paul Johnson, after all....

I Keep TRYIN to tell ya...This boy ain't rite. But he sure does make a good cuppa coffee.  And he Does have innovative ways of solving our problems....