Happy Trails

This past weekend Alex and I travelled to another northern Minnesota town, Walker. I found a great deal for a one night stay at a local hotel, dinner for two and snowmobiling for less than $100. It was nice to get away and it was the first time we left Cider. She got spoiled by our friends April and Steve.

Since we were heading North, we thought we would go a bit further and see one of the many Paul Bunyan statues in Bemidiji. Paul had his trusty ox, Babe, by his side.

The visitor center was pretty cool. They had a ton of Paul Bunyan artifacts ranging from his fishing pole to his shotgun, all Paul Bunyan life size. They even had his nail clippings. eew!!!

The next morning we woke up bright and early to go snowmobiling. It was my first time and probably my last. It was fun for the first 2 hours. But it was incredibly cold, and I am still trying to figure out the enjoyment of snowmobiling for a lengthy period of time.

Along the trails, we came across yet another Paul Bunyan statue. This time he was in Akeley, which claims to be his birthplace.

It was a fun getaway. We have decided that we are done taking trips North in the winter. Although, I still want to go mushing.

I was happy to get home and to pick up Cider. Apparently, Cider did not hold back and was her usual energetic self. Our friends were throwing her stuff at us when we picked her up. :o) They said that they admire us. They have 8 pets (2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bunny and 3 chickens) and that is so much easier than 1 puppy!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Alex, Cider and myself hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas holiday season. We stayed in the Twin Cities this year due to the wedding. We were sad that we weren't able to make the trip home to be with our families, but tried to make the best of it.

This year we tried to watch the Target Holidazzle parade, but due to poor planning, we missed the majority of it. I had heard a lot about the downtown Macy's Santaland. I should have asked more questions. It was cute, but more for kids than adults.

Since Cider is the master escape artist, she made herself comfortable in front of the tree. I think she was snooping to see what she was getting for Christmas.

I bought tickets to see A Christmas Carol at the Guthrie theater on the Mississippi River. It was a tradition in my family to see that or the Nutcracker each Christmas. I thought I would introduce the tradition to Alex. It was a great show in a great venue. During intermission, we went outside to a bridge that stops abruptly over the river.

Alex had the great idea to decorate Christmas cookies. We (I) got a little into it with multiple colors for icing. I found a recipe for the cookies and icing and made it all from scratch. It was fun, but again, would be a fun project with kids.

We decided to introduce Cider to hockey by taking her up to the neighborhood ice rink. She did well, considering it was her first time.

On Christmas morning, we woke up and Alex read the birth of Jesus Christ, a tradition in his family.

Santa visited our house and stuffed our stockings with lots of goodies.

Thanks to technology, we were able video conference the opening of our gifts with my parents and Joe back in Dayton. It was fun to see them open our gifts for them. It was like we were sitting in a large circle.

I would say Cider made out like a bandit this Christmas. She got lots of new chew toys and a new rawhide bone that lasted only 3 days.

She got her very own turkey dinner complete with a frisbee plate.

All worn out from playing with her new toys.

White Out!

You have to love Minnesota weather. Or at least pretend that you do. I honestly do not mind the weather here. I can take it or leave it. However, I have never seen so much snow in my life in one month let alone one day. The big snow storm that many of you were aware of that happened 2 weeks ago was the 5th largest snow storm in Minneapolis history.

Alex and I finally decided to break down and buy a snowblower. There is no way we could have gotten out of house. By the time Alex finished the sidewalks and moved on to the driveway, the sidewalks were covered again. It has proven to be a fun but very useful toy.

Cider loved the snow we got before because she could still run around in it and quite frankly, so could we. Unfortunately, the snow is so high now that we cannot get in. So her freedom to run has been limited to the length of her leash. She just got licensed so now we can take her the dog parks around the city and let her run around.

Alex pretends to not be obsessed with the puppy, but he absolutely adores her.

Jail Break!

Cider is growing very fast and getting smart. Since we can't trust her yet to roam free in the house due to her nasty biting/chewing/nipping and potty habits, she is confined to the kitchen with gates. The gates have now become her newest toy. Since she is much bigger and stronger she is actually able to crawl and jump over the gate.

As a temporary fix, Alex tried to put the cage in front of the doorway. That didn't stop her either. He has since rigged up a plexi glass cover so her little paws can't use the grating as a ladder. That stopped her for awhile too, but if she wants over she will get over. She proves that when there's a will there's a way.

Back to the cage . . . with her newfound skill she easily scales the side of her cage. She has been caught standing on the countertop (we think she jumped from cage to countertop). We have moved the cage to the middle of the kitchen, where she will simply sleep on top of her cage.

I have begun to wonder if there is some cat in her too . . .

Every beagle needs Woodstock . . .

I absolutely love spoiling Cider. It is so easy when she looks at you so innocently. Plus if it prevents her from using Alex and I as human chew toys, then bring on the toys. I found a very large Woodstock at the store and thought she had to have it. After all, every beagle needs their trusty sidekick, Woodstock. I loved her reaction and watching her carry Woodstock around.

It is amazing how quickly dogs find that special place in your heart. I thought for a long time after we said goodbye to our family's beagle, Tootsie Roll, that I could never love a dog the same way again. However, Cider has made it easy. At the same time it is a different love. Joe and I enjoyed the fun part of Tootsie Roll. We didn't do the hard work of training her and taking her to the vet and to the kennel. Sure we helped out but nothing in comparison to what our parents did for her.

Now Alex and I are doing the hard work of raising a puppy. I find myself calling my mom often and asking if what Cider is doing is normal or should I be concerned. Although Cider is part beagle, she is very different from Tootsie Roll. Then there are those moments, when she does things that the T. Roll did and it makes me smile. Partly because it is silly but also because it brings a little bit of my Tootsie back to me.

For example, why do they insist on putting their heads on the cold hard floor. Shouldn't this be reversed? (I am pretty sure I have a picture of Tootsie doing the same that I'll have to find.)

Rub-a-dub-dub Cider's in the tub!

*I was talking recently to a good friend, and it became quite evident that I am obsessed with our puppy. This blog has already shifted to be about our adventures with Cider. So get ready for more of our very loveable and absolutely adorable puppy!*

Cider's first bath was memorable. She also was being an absolute gremlin. We put her in the cage for a timeout which she proceeded to pee . . . a lot. Then she rolled around in it. Seriously?

It was late at night but Alex ran out in hopes of finding dog shampoo at our local Walgreens and CVS. He struck out at both places because they were closed. So Pantene Classic Care would have to be used. Not ideal or recommended but we had no other choice at that point.

I am guessing because of the Lab in her, she handled the water quite well. She only tried to escape once, but I think it was because she was getting cold.

While I don't recommend using Pantene on animals, it did leave Cider with a lot of fluff (volume) and smelling fresh.

Snow Cider

We received our first snow fall a little later this year in mid-November. I think the totals were about 6-8". We only had had Cider for a week. As I mentioned, I wish we had a bit nicer weather longer so she could enjoy it more, but that will have to wait until April or May.

Cider did not know what to think of the snow at first. We had a bit of a difficult time trying to get her out in the morning. After Alex and I suited up in our snow gear and were able to play with her in it, she seemed to enjoy the snow.

She really enjoyed running around in it with us.

It is amazing how quickly they find a spot in your heart. I absolutely adore love our little Cider/Gremlin.

She was definitely tuckered out after running around in the snow. Of course, so were we. :o)

I am not sure who enjoyed the snow more . . . Cider or Alex?

Cider quickly turned into a bunny and learned that hopping in and out of Alex's footsteps made it easier to maneuver through the snow.