First, the weather. Crazy times here in Austin. Two snow storms already this year. Marshall got to play in the snow in Denton at Christmas but there have been two additional opportunities right in his own back yard. While he still isn't too fond of his winter coat (required by Lori for all walks when the temperature is below 40 degrees) he is getting more used to it, and is even trying his hand at attacking snowballs, a trick taught to him by his Houston cousins.
Don't get too worried for him though, there have also been plenty of warm days already. That means Lori is spending time out in the backyard with Marshall while she reads for her classes on the weekend.
Another sure sign that the weather is changing is that Jimmy took the cover off the patio table and unpacked the swing's cushions and the hammock that were stored under the table's cover. Funny thing about that, it also solved the mystery of why we didn't have any squirrel nests in our tree this year. We have seen several every year until this one. Well, turns out they made their nest in the hammock this year, so when Jimmy unpacked it he found three tiny babies crying out for their parents. Less than 30 seconds later Jimmy was inside the house trying to keep Marshall out of this particular episode of Mutual of Omaha presents while one of the parents turned up to take the babies to an undisclosed location in the yard next door. Where was Lori? In the back office searching Google to find out how many babies were likely to be there. Google was right, squirrels average 2 to 4 babies at a time, and ours had 3.
Better weather also means more trips to Lady Bird Lake to visit with the other dogs, if Marshall is good. Of course, with the Olympics on there have also been plenty of opportunities to kick back on the couch and watch Bob Costas make a fool out of himself, and to sleep through the performances that make our country so proud. Marshall thinks Apolo got cheated in the 500, by the way.
Marshall also got to spend a full week at his private retreat / boarding kennel (Stay N Play Pet Ranch) earlier this month, because Lori and Jimmy flew to Tulum, Mexico to help with Lori's friend Melanie's wedding. Marshall passed his time with special play sessions and long walks in the woods near his kennel.
And finally, the really big news around here: Marshall turned 2 years old on February 22, 2010. We celebrated with a small gathering (just Marshall and the humans) and a dog bone cake from a local dog bakery. It was banana flavored and Marshall ate from it all week.
I think that does it for now. Thanks for reading.
