Alternative to the Thundershirt

   This all started when Amy posted a picture of her dog Cisco, who is scared of thunderstorms, and he was sulking while wearing his Thundershirt. Another friend commented that her dog Rocky was sulking too.

   I asked if the shirts actually calm dogs, because Aki is afraid of storms too. Amy said, "Yes! Whether it's soothing, or it just breaks their spirit because they feel like they're wearing a training bra". So I couldn't help but do this (poor Aki was a great sport!). The girls' version:

   But, speaking of things that dogs DO like, anyone who knows dogs and cats will get a kick out of this:

Golden girl / Tetris

   You know it's cold outside when the dogs wanna sleep on my feet and the kitty wants to sleep on my lap! The couch is a bizarrely-furry game of Tetris lately.

Everyone knows it's windy

   It is super duper crazy windy outside. And the wind is driving them crazy. So they're paying it forward by driving me crazy.

   Sing it with me:🎵 Who's sitting down right by my bedside, snapping her jaws & whining at me? Who wants outside though she JUST came inside? Everyone knows it's Aki! 🎵

   An intensely-alert dog can be surprisingly irritating. Cute, but definitely irritating. ;)  She's hearing the wind howl and is doing a little howling of her own.

   I peeked out back and my barbecue grill cover is missing… not sure if it was the wind, or Taylor. Chow Hound strikes again?!!!

Massive Shiba cuteness!

Super Foods

   さいきょみそ black cod (sablefish) with caramelized balsamic portobello kale. I have to thank my Aunt Marty as well as my Alaskan friends Greg & Peggy for this feast. Greg shipped a huge box of the fish to Marty for Christmas, and she passed half of it on to me. Most black cod goes straight to Japan, as it is too pricey and not as valued by Americans. It swims deep and is harder to catch. It is truly the best cooked fish I've ever had (usually, I vastly prefer my fish raw). The flavor super-rich and buttery, yet mild, perfectly accented by the miso/mirin marinade.
   I am trying to foster a love for kale, as it is supposedly very healthy—a "superfood". I love that it keeps seemingly forever in the fridge—I've at times kept it for more than a week and it was still perfectly crisp and bright. Kelley got me into it when I visited her in LA for Sean's birthday back in October. She throws a handful of kale into smoothies. I've grown to like the flavor, though it does turn smoothies a medium concrete-gray which is a little strange. I've found that it's truly delicious with frozen peaches, blueberries and banana and a splash of milk. 
   I needed a big, healthy dinner tonight, after spending a total of 3.5 hours shoveling 12+" of very heavy snow today. That brings me to 6 hours of shoveling in as many days. And although I LOVE the snow, my lower back is ready for a little break. But I'm very thankful that I am healthy enough and strong enough to do the work—it is fantastic exercise. And the neighborhood looks beautiful enveloped in a heavy blanket of snow.

All clear!

   It took a total of 2.5 hours to clear the 14" of snow off the driveway. My lower back is not totally happy about that. But I keep reminding myself that strong arms and back = a strong rock-climber, so count me in. And I may have finished just in time for the next big snow (fingers crossed). KMBC said six to ten inches. And NPR just said eight to TWELVE inches! Bring it!!!

Friday night hangout

RAIN!!!!!!!!

   I was beginning to think we'd never see it again. A nice rainy Friday night. (And the rain continued for over 24 hours... finally!) Fortunately, it couldn't dampen the indoor activity I had planned...
   I go climbing with friends once a month or so. It's a great way to end a long work week, and Ibex is open 'til 10 pm on Fridays. It is SO MUCH FUN. Mentally, I could go all night, but after 3 or 4 hours my fingers are begging for mercy. Better shape up, fingers! We have more climbing to do!!!

Time to make like a squirrel!

We're slightly less blurry in real life. Unless I remove my contact lenses.

Here, as you can see, Britten's cracking me up.

   Surprise, surprise. Just like while I'm planking in yoga, her jokes make it VERY hard to concentrate! She & Rich & I had a ton of fun.

My new favorite path, if only for the name: Serengeti Yeti.

I cannot wait to try climbing in the wild someday...

Jim, on the right, is a lot of fun. And William, on the left, is FREAKIN' SPIDERMAN!!!

   And after our climb, a great, big burger at Clancy's Irish Pub. The rain was still falling, but it was a quick run across the parking lot. About 20 of us hung out and traded stories over our meals. That's what I call a happy hour!

Gray Skies are Gonna Clear Up...

   Put on a happy face! The scattered showers throughout the weekend gave way to bright blue skies. Little to be unhappy about this year, with the mild temperatures, blue skies, and gorgeous blooms. Here are a few photos from my back yard:

Smithville Hike Photos Posted

Check out the awesome hiking weather we had in January!
...and the trouble Aki got herself into!

Sunset at Heritage park

Not a bad place to spend a beautiful evening with the dogs!

It's nice outside...

Don't make me beat this door down!!!

A tree at sunset, Stoll Park

Glorious blooms!

In the last few days, it suddenly seems like spring!

Time for yard work! (BOO!)

Strange Clouds

   Not sure what type of clouds these are, but they proceeded the storms this week, and I love how dramatic they look, like a vortex around the setting sun! I saw these in LA when I visited Kelley last July, too. Fascinating!

Dog Parking Lot

   It was over 60 degrees today (had to check the calendar... Yep, still February!). So I took the beasts to Stoll Park for an afternoon romp, hoping to burn off some of their beastly energy. Seriously, this month off of my feet has been trying in many ways, not the least of which being that bored dogs will follow trouble anywhere they can find it.
   About 100 other dog owners had the same idea, including our friends Traci & Pete, with Shiba Rinni, and SEVEN other Shiba owners... TEN Shibas in all! I've never seen so many at the park at once, other than an organized meetup! (Unfortunately most were young dogs from "breeders"... when will people learn?!)
   Taylor was in rare form and raced around like an idiot for over an hour. All I saw was a whirling blur, like a canine Tasmanian devil. Aki seemed to enjoy herself, too, and I think a bit of sunshine and fresh air was good for me.

Stopping for a second for some attention

Aki, Rinni, and Taylor

I (heart) LA

This is me on LA. And it is good.

   20 degrees at home, 70 here. If I can't be snowboarding, I might as well be sitting outside on a  patio sipping blackberry-pomegranate soda, listening to birds singing and enjoying some nice weather!

Photos from Breck & Vail

   This "remix" was made by EpicMix from my professional photos taken on-mountain yesterday & today. Yesterday at Breck was a mixed bag of TONS of fresh powder (12"+ overnight), snowing all day, some sun, high winds, and blowing snow to near whiteout conditions at the end of the day. Quite an experience. Today in Vail was the PERFECT bluebird day, with tons of fresh, groomed powder, bright sun & super-blue skies all day long.

You're spoiling me, Colorado. But oh, how I like it!

Powder Day!!!

   Day 1 on the mountain was awesome, and today (day 2) we woke up to TEN INCHES of fresh powder! Off to carve like crazy!!!

All smiles here!

   We're having our first real snow of the season. Hoping that Denver is getting some fresh pow too! Just picked up my freshly-tuned snowboard yesterday (ground/filled/waxed) and can't wait to use it!!!

Behold Multnomah Falls!

This is as much as would fit on a Blackberry...

Portland I Love You

   Nothing like a brisk 3-mile hike in the pouring rain, to see a spectacular waterfall, & then enjoying leftover pad Thai in the car. This is my kind of vacation! ;)