Marching on

Pile of tired pups in bed (Bea, Evie, Silas)

I had to take a blogging break to focus on getting ready to go back to school.  Normally, I spend summers revamping and updating my courses and creating new materials/assignments, and in the three week break between semesters, I use most of that time getting my existing courses uploaded, setting dates, and that kind of stuff.  This winter break was rough, because I had three weeks in which to design my materials for all of my courses to be delivered remotely.  This is normally something that I would need a whole summer to do.  Instead, I worked pretty much non-stop over the break, creating pages for each class and recording lectures like a crazy woman.  

I had everything ready in time for classes except my Java class.  It's all done and loaded up through 4/5, but I'm still working on the pages and lectures for the remaining classes.  I've never been in a position where my entire semester's materials weren't all ready and uploaded to our LMS (learning management system).  I'm really hoping to be done with it in the next week or two.  The stress of keeping up with classes and trying to get my class finished is getting really old.  I thought I would have been finished by now and look forward to being done soon.

Post-walk bath for Evie

After almost a month of no dog walks due to excessive ice and cold temps, we were able to resume at the beginning of last week.  The dogs are so much better behaved when they get their exercise!  It's nice to be able to spend time outside, especially when it's sunny.  Currently Froggie isn't walking with us.  We took him on the first two walks last week, and he screamed the entire time.  He wants to "walk" (which for him is being pushed in his stroller) but hates being cold.  We're going to leave him home until it's warmer.  His screaming sounds like a goat being tortured to death, and we don't need that kind of attention on a walk.  So for now, Evie gets to walk alone (really she runs, and rarely walks), then Jezebel, Silas, and Bea get the second walk.  On the warmer days, the walks are followed by an Evie bath (she's very low to the ground and gets quite muddy) and thorough wipe down of everyone else as well as the floors.

He's wearing a full winter coat and wrapped in a blanket and still complaining.

"MAKE IT WARM!!"

Jezebel hates her coat and tries to hide from it.

I've made it through the whole winter of dog walks wearing only a hooded sweatshirt and a headband (to keep my ears warm) and was completely comfortable.  This is a notable difference from all of the other winters of my life.  I'd wear multiple layers from head to toe for our dog walks and still feel cold and miserable.  I've been using the Wim Hof method since last March, and it's completely reset my body temperature.  I went from being constantly cold and miserable in anything below 75 to being completely comfortable outside in the winter with no gear.  I was even able to sit comfortably in the snow in our back yard wearing only underwear for two minutes when the temp was 0 degrees with no shivering at all.  I take a daily ice-cold shower, and spending 3-5 minutes in 45 degree water every day is all it took to make me completely comfortable with cold.  

And...a couple of bonus shots from the herbivore room:

Bonus shot of the rabbits' and guinea pigs' favorite time of day (greens and produce delivery):  Ferrero (one-eared white rabbit), Wim, Wilbur, Anjali, and Scarlett

Scarlett grooming Ferrero