So I suppose we should be grateful for our three hours and 49 minutes we had today, an extra 2 minutes from yesterday. And we are very grateful at being able to pass through our winter solstice to gain those precious minutes of daylight every day.
It will take a while for my brain to get back up to speed and feeling normal again. I could feel my body slowing down a few weeks ago and now being plagued with headaches and on the fringes of depression I am anxious to get through the next week and soak up as much sun as I can when its available.
Every year the dogs help pull me through this tough time and this year is no different. I am struggling to gain the motivation to do just about anything right now but knowing they are hungry, need to kick up their heals and honestly glad to see me makes all the difference in the world. They get me outside there, smiling again and seeing the world in a much brighter way.
But while I'm struggling mentally my hands have not remained idle... here are a few shots of my latest projects... you can be sure there are more to come...
Mercury tests out Hermes' dog house during our Christmas run.
I truly believe that this style insulated house will be the type I will use for all the other dogs. I really like the design, Hermes really likes it and there is very little condensation to the inside even in the depths of winter. The lack of condensation helps keep the straw dry which keeps the dogs dry and very warm.
Hermes is a chewer though so I installed a larger frame around his door. Im hoping that it will take him longer to chew through when he gets excited so I wont have to replace it in winter. Ive also built the house to make that part easier to take out and replace so Im not too upset that hes using that area to chew on. Far better that than the roof or one of the walls.
More photos of the inside of his house can be seen here:
http://leaddoggraphics.blogspot.com/2009/11/photos.html
Gaea sports her new coat!Due to the rising cost in mushing equipment we have resorted to making a lot of our own gear.
Close up of Gaea's coat and new name tag.This is an embroydered tag from http://www.1800nametape.com/
Its the same style used for the military and it works great on the dogs harnesses, dog coats and just about anything else! And at only $1.50 a piece its cheap enough to use on many things!
We will be getting some more made with our phone number to put on each dogs harness. This will work very well for dogs who may get loose and need to be identified to save themselves a trip to the shelter. It will also be ideal for our shier dogs who refuse to be caught by strangers. A quick call to us and we can make sure they are back home safe and sound in no time.
Juno's new h-back harness!For the past 12 years I have been searching for the perfect harness for my team and have come up short every time or if we find a company we like they go out of business or have changed their design to accommodate modern day sled dogs that have more hound in them than husky. These new designs don't fit my dogs at all... so after all this time Ive decided to teach myself the art of harness making!
Its not as easy as it looks but Im learning so much with each one that I complete. Now Juno, Gaea and Calypso all have new harnesses to wear and its a toss up if Boreas or Thani will be the next to receive their own custom wear.
Juno wears her new digs after testing it out on our Christmas run.It looks great on her while she was running and still holds well at rest.
Harness fit is very critical. Its like a backpack to humans in that it must fit well, be comfortable over time and take the weight of many miles hauling weight.
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