It’s been over 7 days since Kashi and Dune came to join us and things are going very well. There have been a few bumps along the road, but anyone bringing a dog home into your home and thinking that there will not be some issues to deal with had either re-think things or not bring that dog home. None of the bumps have been big ones. The main issue continues to be them feeling 100% comfortable.
Their first night here, they spent in kennels in the garage. The kennels had blankets in them and a larg blanket draped over the, so they were quite cozy. None the less, Nora, Grace and I were not comfortable with the idea of them being in the garage and everyone else in the house. So the next night, they spent in the house. We have a doggy gate that separates the mud and utility rooms from the rest of the house. It is where we put Huck and Bleau when they are wet and/or dirty. It is also where we put them when we are gone from the house, so that they cannot get into any trouble in the rest of the house (mainly garbage cans).
Kashi and Dune seemed a bit nervous coming into the house, but they slept well and seemed pretty at ease the next morning. They have spent the nights there ever since and now seem to have adopted it as their space. they now only are outside when we are all outside and spend the rest of the time indoors. We kept the gate closed for the first two days after moving them inside, just to get them used to being inside and not going potty. The did so well, that by Wednesday we were keeping the gate open. At first, the did not want to leave their space at all, but eventually they have become more comfortable with wandering around a bit. They still do not get too far from the utility room, but at least are exploring on their own. They also still are quite timid of Huck and Bleau. More Bleau than Huck, but that is because Bleau is younger and has way more energy. He wants to play and so does a lot of bounding around near them. That makes Kashi and Dune nervous.
We have been working with Bleau to tone it down a bit and in the past 2 days, I have noticed that he has done just that. Both Kashi and Dune did pee in the house a few times, but they do go potty outside just about every time we let them out and seem to understand that the inside is not for going potty.
I am sure that eventually, they will be 100 percent potty trained and also given time, they will be comfortable with Huck and Bleau. Their first 24 hours here, Dune was quite afraid of me and Kashi would come to me, but was also timid and nervous when she did. They both now come to me without reservation and will even wagg their tail from time to time while doing so. As with just about all dogs, treats have been a great ice breaker and motivator.
It’s been another week of not-so-great weather. With the exception of Wednesday, when we spiked to 56 degrees, our highs have been in the upper 30’s to mid 40’s for highs. Nights have not been too cold, with lows in the mid to upper 20’s, but this stuff is getting old. Our location in Jacobsville is proving to be much more windy than where we were situated in Mohawk. The place in Mohawk was surrounded by thick woods and unless it was blowing like a hurricane, we hardly had any wind in the clearing where the house and other buildings were. Here in Jake, it seems like every day the wind is noticeable. That will be a blessing once the warmer temps of summer come, but on days like today when the temp is struggling to rise above 35, it makes it that much colder. The worst winds are the east winds at this time of the year. They bring the air that has been chilled into the 30’s from the big lake over to us. South winds are a bit better, but can still be chilly, especially if they are from the southeast. There have been time when we are quite a bit cooler than the airport, which is about 20 miles north of us and also at a higher elevation. In contrast, the west and north winds do not bring the lake chilled air to us that much. We have enough land between us and the lake in that direction that we will be one of the warmer spots on the peninsula. Wednesday’s high of 56 was one such day.
We did get a bit of snow Thursday night into Friday morning. Just a dusting, but still enough to be a kick in the emotional gut. I am not sure if it was just coincidence, but Friday morning was also the first time that any birds had found the feeder I put up by the shop and in view of the AL Cam. Hopefully they will keep coming and will get paid visits by all of the colorful species that spend their summers here. I have a humming bird feeder that I will be putting up as well, once they arrive.
As is the case with the snows that fall this time of the year, the stuff on the ground Friday morning was gone by early afternoon. Grace and I spent the afternoon doing work outside (Nora has to work until 3:30). Grace’s main chore was to split the cedar logs we cut last week into pieces suitable for the bonfire pit. The previous owners left us their electric log splitter and while smaller and slower than a gas powered one, it does the job and Grace was able to take a chunk out of the pile of logs. We even had our first bonefire in the new pit Thursday evening and another Friday evening. I believe that is going to be a pretty regular occurence down here!
Yesterday was a tad bit warmer. I think we made it to around 50 degrees for a high. It was also mostly sunny, so not too bad of a day to be outside. So we did more work and then broke free in the mid-afternoon to hang out by the lake. Living just stones throw from the lake and also near one of the nicest beaches the lake has will be very nice once the warmer days of summer arrive. For now, we are content to hang out on the shores and relax.
It looks like a pretty big change in the upper air pattern will be unfolding as we get to late next week or more so late in the following weekend/early part of the week of the 18th. The change would bring much warmer air to all of the Midwest. There could also be better chances for showers and thunderstorms, but I will take a few of those if it means we can ditch the winter clothing!
Good Night from the Keweenaw..
–JD
