It's Finished!!!

Since Christmas break I have been working on a fairly challenging project...that of building a dog house! We needed something to chain Sadie to for whenever we left the house, and thus the dog house project was born.

I found a really simple design online and set myself to work. The house has a very simple frame of 2x2's with a 4x4 base topped with a plywood floor. It was amazing how much work the whole thing required! I had all the tools I needed for the job, thanks to a nearby Harbor Freight tool store and my father-in-law, who donated the tools he bought to work on the house they bought rented out here in Tucson. There was a lot of sawdust in the garage by the time I was done with the woodworking. After hammering many nails and making lots of measurements, along with a simple paint job using painter's tape here and there, here is the finished product!




















We got the shingles from the Habitat for Humanity store here in town for less than half the price you would pay at Home Depot, so we were really pleased about that and how it added a great touch to the house. Lindsey got some wood chips to provide a cushy floor for Sadie to lie on, but as you can see it made a bit of a mess until I put the piece of 2x2 at the bottom of the door.

Being the typical engineer that I am, I probably built the thing a lot more robust than it needed to be, but yet that just ensures it will last a long time through several dogs' lifetimes and I shouldn't have to make another one.

Snow in the Mountains!!

Lindsey and I did something brave this week...we went camping in the cold (Tucson winter cold, i.e. 40 deg F). We both had a difficult time sleeping even though we were bundled up in sleeping bags and a blanket. But, besides that, we had a fun time. The night we were there, we went further up the mountain (Mt. Lemmon) to the snow and hiked the short distance to the church camp.

There was snow all over the place, between 3 and 6 inches, maybe a foot in the snow drifts. The church camp is at about 7500 feet elevation and 45 minutes from our house. We timed our hike so that the sun would be going down. The sunset was gorgeous!! The bands of orange sunlight on the snow was wonderfully picturesque. Sadie had a lot of fun in the snow--running around all over the place. She was at first curious about the snow, but then it didn't seem to affect her as she roamed around in it as we hiked around. She is a good trail dog as she stays close to us as we hike and doesn't run off.

It was great to see snow again! Lindsey and I were so happy to be in it since it had been a while since the last time. Tucson, though it gets snow in the mountains every winter, is always fascinated with it. On our drive up to the snow from the campground, there were a lot of cars and trucks coming down the mountain with snow purposefully piled up on top of the cars and in the truck beds. Some were so enthralled with the snow they had a snow man on their hood or on their roof. It's really funny to see the fascination of people with snow that don't hardly ever see it on their own property.

A Very Merry Christmas!!

What a wonderful Christmas at home in our cozy little cottage!! It was so much fun having our very own Christmas Eve and Christmas day to celebrate our Savior's birth.

We even tried starting/continuing traditions from our respective families. Lindsey used a recipe she found in a cookbook of hers for angel thumbprint cookies. However, they ended up turning out to be angel elbow-print cookies, as shown in the photo!! We had a good laugh about it.

Officially Christmas!!!

So, after much waiting and anticipation, we are now officially a part of the Christmas season--we have a Christmas tree!!!! Lindsey didn't want to get it until this weekend because of how dry things are around here in Tucson. I don't blame her. Getting the Christmas tree was kinda' funny, though. Lindsey, being from Oregon, is very picky about her Christmas trees. I pointed out the first 'good' one in my eyes, but she didn't like the few holes in the side, even though it looked perfectly fine. So, I quickly gave up and leisurely wandered about the lot while the expert did her work. A tree finally passed her inspection.

We got the tree home, set it up (under the curious scrutiny of the dog), and then decked it out with lights and the few ornaments we have. We love it!