[Dailydrool] The Daphneyland Winter Storm Update

[Basset911 at aol.com]

To give everyone a taste of life during a blizzard with 101 bassets - here  
is how the day here at Daphneyland went today....
 
At midnight last night while closing down the kennel - a few teeny tiny  
snowflakes - we had been advised of an arctic storm brewing, 3 - 6" and so we  had 
made proper precautions and arrangements etc.
At 2 a.m. I went to bed, and there were a few hardier flakes hitting, but  
that's normal, we typically get snow 4 or 5 times a year up here.
 
At 8 a.m. the phone started jangling off its hook.  Full blown  blizzard 
conditions, 50 mph winds and drifts of about a foot or more.   Local area kennels 
were calling in as a blanket delivery had been scheduled for  this morning, 
very obviously that was not going to happen.  Aunt Rita who  does the Weds a.m. 
shift called to say there was no way possible to get  here.  I downed about a 
pot of coffee, grabbed the monster can I had  stashed for just such a day - 
and went out to little pepe to drive up and start  the hounds day.
Well, little pepe the 4 x 4 decided 2 feet was enough thank you very much,  
spun out so I parked him.
Aha though I - if I drive the golf cart on the dirt part, I should not hit  
ice - yea right.  Wrong.
So, I joyfully hiked up to the kennel in a foot of snow with 50 mph snow  
blowing in my face clutching my monster drink.  And the hounds were not  amused.
 
Although the kennel is configured so that the plate doors dropped will  block 
wind etc, this wind and snow were blowing in at a direct angle from  the 
north, and snow had drifted to above the back doors - I lifted them for  a potty 
break and within 10 minutes the entire kennel was covered in 2 inches of  snow. 
 EEK!!
Snow melt took out all the dry bedding, and breakfast, pottying and  cleaning 
were made even tougher by power outages non stop all day.   Drifts of 5' of 
snow made for a very interesting trek back and forth and the  outside runs are 
solid pack snow to above the dogloos.  Thank goodness we  could move the dogs 
from those runs into the emergency crates donated by Club  Mutt, Helene 
Hurford and the AKC.
 
If you have a hound you know - they hate the rain.  I can attest they  also 
really hate the snow, and pee breaks finally became just pee wherever  breaks.  
 Water stopped about 2 p.m., whether because of frozen pipes  (I doubt it)or 
the pressure pump being buried under snow and triggering off - I  can;t tell 
you.  By 5 p.m. I was beyond done and told the hounds to be good  and decided 
to attempt the hike down the hill.
 
So my rear end is about 2" less of skin as the snow drifts were by now at  
3-5".  The neighbor called and wanted me to feed her horses and check  on her 
animals next door - so I missed a boulder and went head over heels into a  snow 
bank and slid several yards downhill.  Where is that sled when you  need it?
 
As I hit our gate - and went to roll it open - I realized.  Not  going to 
happen.  5 feet of snow on a gate track does not allow you to open  a gate dummy. 
 Okay - can I climb over?  Well, even I am not that  stupid and the horses 
faces watched me from next door as I attempted to make it  anyway.  They are 
fine, peeking out of a barn.
 
The winter storm advisory has been extended thru midnight, so we're tucked  
in - and knowing that tomorrow is going to literally be one sh*t day - I have  
decided to call it a night.  If there is anything good on TV you guys let  me 
know okay??  Another factor of country living is no satellite dish in  weather 
like this.  Perhaps I can put in some old DVD and cuddle with my  hounds 
while Alaska blows right here onto Daphneyland.
 
Blanket needs are at an all time high.  This weekend help would be  greatly 
appreciated - the wind has killed us, the free standing runs will be mud  city 
and there will be 101 hounds complaining about their bad weather  week.  All 
in all we've held up okay - but I can honestly say I am VERY  happy I do not 
live in North Dakota.
How folks in the Great North do it I'll never know.
 
May your week be warm - 
Dawn and the Hounds at Snow Covered Daphneyland
5 feet deep and holding. (That's snow, not poop - well, actually will let  
you know that in the morning!)
_www.barniatdaphneyland.org_ (http://www.barniatdaphneyland.org)    
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