Smells like ... Spring...

As Franklin and I walked outside this morning we both stopped to smell the air. This is Franklin's normal morning routine, not so much for me though. What caught my attention this morning was the warmth and heaviness of the air. Even though the temperature was in the 30's and there was no sun to be found, it smelled like Spring. 


I know Franklin felt the shift in the air too because he was super excited about his walk. We saw a few other doggie friends and he even played and ran with them, which almost never happens. 


Coats, gloves and scarves are still required for now, but it makes me feel better to know that before long flowers will be blooming and I can shift from a heavy coat to a light wind breaker. Right now, that sounds like heaven. 

Sunny days, sweepin' the clouds away...

As Franklin and I stepped outside for our walk this morning, the sun came out to greet us. It stayed with us for the entire walk and is still shining. It was warm and bright and oh so lovely. 


We are suppose to get more snow tonight and it's suppose to be super windy for the next few days, but if the sun comes to visit again, it will all be fine. Happy Wednesday everyone!

A Companion for Franklin?...

For the past three years,  probably... maybe longer, my husband and I have debated getting another dog. We debate the ins and outs of a new dog, like who is going to get up in the middle of the night to take the puppy out, or how do you crate train one dog while the other one stays free, or how do we keep Franklin from being jealous. 


Most of the questions we debate are easily answered, which is why we think an older dog would be ideal, but for me, my biggest concern is Franklin. How will a new dog affect my little guy. How will we bring another dog into Franklin's house and make him understand that this dog is here for good. I worry about other things like size compatibility and temperament and sleeping arrangements... and.... and... and..., it could go on forever. The idea of getting another dog is exhausting and we haven't even moved beyond the discussion phase. 


I imagine these are the same kind of conversations that people have before they have another child. Although I am not comparing my dog to a kid, he is like a kid to me and I worry about his well-being and happiness.  


**As a side note, my blog has really become a Franklin blog but I promise that there will be more than just Franklin happening around our house as soon as Spring gets here. 

Doggie Regression {Around the House}...

I'm not sure if it's the cold, the left over snow or the lack of sunshine, but over the past two weeks my lovely little dog has regressed back to his stubborn, obstinate teenage phase. I completely understand his frustration with the snow as it has taken over every sidewalk in our neighborhood and has forced us to walk in the road with the salt and brine mix which hurts his feet. I also understand his frustration with the cold because I too feel angry when I have to put on 4 layers of clothes just to walk down the street to go get the mail. And, I completely understand his frustration with little or no sunshine for weeks on end. Franklin is a part beagle so he loves to lay in the warm sunshine while he naps the day away. 


But, for the past two week Franklin, who is 5, has decided that he is not going to listen to anything I say. Walks that use to be enjoyable are now full of me telling him to get out of the middle of the road or me saying "no, this way." Then when we get home he refuses to come inside and finally when he does he stands and stares at me for minutes on end with his super hateful "I'm mad at you" look. Trust me, when you see the look you know he's mad at you. 

This phase is definitely not as bad as the original teenage phase was, but I am ready for this regression to end. I am also hoping for more sunshine, warmer temperatures and Spring to come soon. Until then, Franklin and I will continue to go on walks and I will try to be more patient with him. 

Winter Olympics {Around the House} ...

The next two weeks will be a very exciting time around our house... it's Winter Olympics time. My husband loves the Olympics in general, but he is definitely more infatuated with the Winter version. I admit, I enjoy the Olympics too. I find it amazing that snowboarders can be as graceful as figure skaters - I've been snowboarding and trust me, I was not graceful - how hard on the knees the moguls must be and how devoted these athletes are to their sports even though they do not earn the multi-million dollar salaries that other athletes do.

Even as I watch these athletes in wonder, I am nowhere near the fan that my husband is. He was positively giddy as short-track Speed Skating started on Saturday night and last night as the American's raced in the finale of Snowboardcross he was yelling the play-by-play to me as I watched Franklin from our doorway as he went outside to go to the bathroom. Occasionally, Franklin will look at me in disgust as his Popi jumps off the couch and yells at the t.v.. I simply tell him that it's Olympics week and even though I don't think he really understands, he seems to accept that as a good answer and walks away. Happy Winter Olympics everyone!

Snow hibernation...

After the big snowstorm last weekend, the D.C. area was blanketed again last Monday with more snow. My house ended up with an additional 10 inches, which brought our total to... well.... a lot. With all the snow on the ground and the roads, Franklin, my husband and I went into hibernation mode. 

Very little was done around our house last week. We made dinner a few nights, but mostly ate leftovers and frozen pizza's, I think I vacuumed once and did the dishes once or twice. It was nice to have a week full of nothing to do and nowhere to go, but next time that we have 7 days together with nothing going on, I would like to go on a vacation to somewhere warm with frozen drinks instead of staying inside with three feet of snow outside.

Today, though, we decided to leave the house and rejoin civilization. The roads are decent around town, but it's iffy going into our neighborhood. Poor Franklin is still a little traumatized by the snow when it comes to going outside to go to the bathroom and I know he missed his dog walking pals this week. Hopefully, all of this beautiful snow will continue to melt and in it's place flowers will bloom. But, until then, it looks like we are going to get more snow in a few days. *Sigh*  

*These pictures were taken on a Winter day a few weeks ago when it was sunny and much warmer. 

Snowpocalypse Day 2...

Last night, we let Franklin out to go to the bathroom before bed and the snow was already up to his belly. The look he gave us was one of complete annoyance. Since then, we have had many, many more inches of snow. My husband and doggie went out this morning to shovel more snow. This kind of turned into a block party with all of our neighbors joining in the shoveling fun. Franklin and his favorite doggie friend, Kaya, played in the snow and had a great time. While the boys were outside freezing, I stayed inside and made a bacon and cheese quiche and homemade hot cocoa. Yum....

This afternoon, the boys braved the cold once again to shovel the driveway. Although Franklin was exhausted, he jumped up the second that I asked him if he wanted to go outside again. I'm not sure what the total numbers are right now. But, I know that we have a lot of snow and we are running out of places to put it.