The other night I was walking Bonnie, who found a tiny bit of what was once a stick, but now was just a couple inches of a barely-there twig. But she totally digs the twigs. And I can see why – there you are doing your business and sniffing around, and oh my god – a STICK! Time for fetch! I threw it a few times, but we eventually lost it. It was nighttime after all. So then she looks up and sees a tree we see every day, which on every other day has just been a tree. Today, however, it is full of STICKS! She starts jumping up, standing on her hind legs (one day if she’s not careful I’m selling her to the circus), and going crazy for all the sticks that she can see, but not reach. So I find another little bit of a stick on the ground and toss it again. The next day it was just a tree.

And here I was worrying about missing the snow by living on the east coast? Ha! I love the way snow looks, I love how you can play in it, I love how my dog loves it. But I don’t love how the DC area is not prepared to deal with it, so I don’t expect to be able to drive for at least a couple days, given that it’s not supposed to stop falling til tomorrow evening. This normally wouldn’t be an issue, but I have stuff to do. I’m on my way to Colorado next week for a temporary work assignment, for which I’m totally stoked. It’s funny how things just fall in your lap sometimes. But I guess for now I’ll just catch up on my reading and play with “Bon Hiver,” nickname number 11 for  the snow-addicted canine princess.

The road into the northern tip of Shenandoah National Park was closed today because of yesterday’s storm, which glistened the upper elevations with ice and sleet. It made for a rare occasion of walking along Skyline Drive with no cars. The normally busy road and popular trails probably enjoyed their rest as the melting ice showered the park in slush, puddles and drips.  Paired with the blue sky and cool temperatures, it was a spectacular combination. After walking south for a few miles and then returning to the car, the day got even better with a trip to Front Royal’s Apple House, and their magical apple butter and cinnamon-dusted doughnuts. All in all, an excellent escape from urban life.