News Trend Gracie Plays In The Snow|Actual

I still cannot believe my good luck.

The snowmageddon that blanketed Seattle for most of the ten days I was in Seoul held out, and

I arrived home to be greeted by a true winter wonderland. Everything was covered in a deep blanket of snow, and flakes were falling heavy as we pulled into the garage.

^ Gracie, who of course had come to pick me up, immediately leaped from the car and ran willy nilly around the driveway, running her nose deep into the snow, licking up delicious tastes, and generally living her best life.

^ We soon set out on our walk together, with Gracie bounding through the drifts much faster than I could trudge along in my boots. Thankfully, she was patient with me.

^ I was so busy managing my wild dog and her long, frozen leash that I had little time to look around and enjoy the scenery. But when I did, it was breathtaking. I was living my best life too.

^ Though Gracie's senses are always heightened on her walks, the snow brought out even more curiosity and keen observation skills. Every flicker of a bird's wing, every gusting breeze, every call from the kids playing outdoors pinged her radar. I love watching my dog so alert and attentive to the world around her.

^ Over the years, I've enjoyed many a snowstorm with a loyal Irish Setter, but this is the first time I've played in the snow with Gracie. More so than my other dogs, she has quite a fascination with licking the snow, and had her head well buried in this mound of snowy bushes until I called to her.

^ And very much like my other setters, Gracie ends each snowy outing with giant snowballs clumped in her furry paws. It's hard to make out what's what in this photo, but the snowball engulfing each paw was easily five inches in diameter. I used my mom's old trick of dipping each red foot into a pan of warm water to melt off the snow, rather than allow the gargantuan snow balls to melt all over the house.

^ While I enjoy every moment of our wintry adventures, I also admit that I love the long, peaceful naps that my girl takes after a romp in the white stuff. Every minute of the day is special when Gracie plays in the snow.