[nagdu] Debbie's walk in the snow, and snow in general

Dan Weiner dcwein at dcwein.cnc.net
Wed Aug 5 11:37:07 UTC 2015


Well good for you, though, Debbie for being intrepid and trying it out.
I like cold weather but snow and ice can be interesting.
I mean actually it's a bit scary when you are caught in snow drifts or
you're on slippery ice.
I remember with my first dog, snow, visiting places where there is snow that
is because I live in Florida now--lol. Anyway, what to do, Grant must have
thought, snow. "I must not do anything with it, that mountain of snow looks
like an obstacle, let's not proceed any further, Dan, I don't care what you
say you nincompoop, it's an obstacle I was trained for intelligent
disobedience, no way.". So we would just stand there, finally after me
coaxing him (I was hoping he'd treat it like something to go around) he
tried to jump over it. That mean t he jumped and mostly got across and I
fell in to it.

Those of you who have more snow experience than I do? What do you do with
snow drifts. My snow experiences were Russia again--lol Maryland where I
worked and Ohio where I studied plus about eight visits to New York city but
only two or three during winter.
I never found a good way to deal with snow and ice.  I remember once in
Laurel, Maryland, it was December, 2005.  It had warmed up nicely to around
forty and I thought surely, Evan (dog numerous dos) and I can go on a nice
mile long walk around this park they had around a man-made lake. As soon as
I got in the park I realized 1. "Dan, you idiot why did you wer sneakers
there's ice on the ground" and 2. "damn it there's ice on the ground and
nothing else.". 

I think snow had melted and refroze over night becoming a sheet of ice that
was all across the sidewalk. I knew as soon as I got in the park it was a
mistake, but Evan, who had a stubborn streak, seemed to think "Hell, we're
in the park now, why are you directing me to leave, let's keep going". Dan
didn't want to keep going
I took the decision that leaving as fast as possible was a good idea and I
just couldn't figure out how to direct Evan out of the park, I got turned
around, I heard a passer-by. "excuse me, can you help me figure out the way
to get back on to the highway and out of the park?" (Dan has learned to be
very specific with questions).  "Oh, " said the jogger, "go that way.".
Excellent, such helpful directions are always appreciated.
Well I finally sort of got out because I went towards the sound of traffic.

Now all my encounters with ice weren't that way of course, you wear proper
foot ware and are prepared then you can deal with it. I wish though I had
had the type of footwear my Scandinavian friends on skype tell me about
which has traction so your feet keep traction on ice.  Hell maybe I needed
snow shoes
I mean I like walking so if I were to live in a colder climate again, what
footwear or techniques would I have so that I an take long walks in the
winter?
Dan the man, Parker the nut
.
-----Original Message-----
From: nagdu [mailto:nagdu-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Debby Phillips
via nagdu
Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2015 11:28 PM
To: NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users;
nagdu at nfbnet.org
Cc: Debby Phillips
Subject: Re: [nagdu] Be careful when someone says "you can"--lol

Dan, I loved it! What a great story! And to think that you ran into that guy
again! You just never know, right? As for crossing streets and other
such....

It was 2004.  We had just moved to our house 15 miles out of Colville,
Washington.  It was early November and we already had snow.  My husband and
I were returning from town, and I was itching to go for a walk.  I had my
Golden Retriever Cleo.  She was an intrepid soul.  I told Craig when we got
to the edge of our lane, (which was about a half mile to the house) I told
him to let me out, I wanted to walk home with Cleo.  He told me that it had
snowed, and maybe I might want to rethink this particular walk.  Oh no, I
said, a little snow was no big deal.  So he let me out of the pickup and
drove away.  The silence was magnificent.  There were no cars going by on
the county highway, and just Cleo and I stood in the snow.  She shook all
over, and when I picked up her harness handle and said, "Cleo, forward." 
she seemed to be trying to fortify herself.  The first step I took found me
sinking into knee-high snow.  I pulled my foot out of the snow, and began
moving forward.  Almost every step I took, the snow was knee-high.  It's
hard work walking in that kind of snow.  We finally arrived at the house,
and Cleo and I huddled close to the stove the rest of the afternoon.  I have
learned since then to listen more closely to what my husband says.  I
sometimes decide that I can walk or do something he is hesitant about, and
sometimes I'm right, but I do it more with a sense of 
prudence than before.  (Smile).    Debby and superstar Nova P.S.  
Colville is in northern Stevens County, and our house was only nine miles,
as the crow flies, from the Canadian border.

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