Happy Ground Hog Day. I didn't see any hogs myself so I can't say whether there will be 6 more weeks of winter or not. As the lows this weekend are forecast to hit minus 10 (-10f) I am thinking winter is here to stay for a bit. I can't really trust those other hogs since they don't live in Michigan. What do they know about our winters?

But my labs are loving this weather. Today we broke some trail into the oaks (that's what we call a ridge between our swamp and the nearest road in town. It's the highest point on our property. They followed me quite a bit since there is a thin icy crust a couple inches below the fluffy new snow and I bet that is hard on their feet. Kicking my feet through a foot of snow to make the path was very tiring for me but it was good exercise.

I hadn't picked up Yogi yet because he tends to run off if we get too near the roads. Since he wasn't trained by me and is essentially untrained by his owner he has a tendency to ignore me when he sees something interesting. So I really only trust him in the lower swamp. When we did arrive at Yogi's house his real sister Keisha and Chance were out front; Keisha was obviously off on her usual jaunt into town. She gets loose a lot because the little kids in her house can't seem to leave the front door closed. Thank goodness it's a small village we live in but still...

I had to wait till she disappeared up the trail (she won't be caught, either) and Chance ran home, to let out Yogi. Then off we went into the swamp for a brisk romp. There was no ice tea for me at the end till my second, shorter walk a few hours later as my neighbors were not home. It was a good fun day though and Rocket stayed for a nap at Yogi's while Luna came home with me. At just over 1 year old she doesn't want to lose sight of me in case I end up doing something exciting!