A day in the life of us....: It's a Snow Bird....no...it's, it's a Snow Dog....

You know you are in Kodiak when....

When traffic reports are replaced by the FISHING REPORTS
The water on the floor mat in your car is frozen
You automatically remove your boots when entering someone's home
You use flat-rate priority mail boxes more than envelopes
In Winter, you know who is taking their Vitamin D and who isn't
If you don't already have auto-start on your vehicle, you wish you had it
You know what a Coastie is, and it doesn't mean you live near the beach
You know what Xtra Tuffs are, and you have some
You have to do the Kodiak Stomp before entering a store
Just because you have a ticket to fly, doesn't mean you will actually leave that day--"weather permitting"
It's cheaper to buy DVD's than to have cable TV
Store clerks actually wish you a "Merry Christmas"
You hear people complain about having to drive "all the way to the other side of town" (10 minutes)
Traffic congestion is 3 cars at an intersection
Your car doesn't have a chance to warm up before you arrive at work
When looking out the window is more reliable than the weather forecast
You go to work, church, and shop with the same people
Driving a rusty car is "no big deal"

Monday, December 1, 2008

It's a Snow Bird....no...it's, it's a Snow Dog....

Cindy Lu and Matt

Kisses for Daddy

Cindy Lu, our black poodle, has arthritis in her legs. We found that she does better in the summer, opposed to the colder winter weather. We also have stairs in our house that she does navigate, but slowly.

Matt's mom and step-dad live in Arizona, where the temperatures are in high 80's at this time of year. We talked with them about the possibility of Cindy Lu spending the winter in Arizona--they agreed to take her to see if this will help.

Over the Thanksgiving weekend, we put some miles on the car. We started with Thanksgiving in Shelton, WA, then took our daughter back to school in Eugene on Friday and continued driving south on I-5 to California, where we met up with Matt's parents, who also drove a long distance to help us out.

Matt walking the dogs at a rest area, Bear, Checkers and Cindy Lu

Breakfast at Black Bear Restaurant in Redding, CA

Norm and Cindy Lu

Not sure if this is the first case of a dog "heading south" for winter, but we are glad we have the option for her. She's such a sweetheart, and we love her so much that we want to do what we can to ease her pain. Her Grandma and Grandpa have promised to spoil her with love.