A Polar Vortex?!

HOLY CRAP, what a time to move to the Midwest. It gets cold here, everyone knows that. However, this year, it decided to have a Polar Vortex. Dumb name aside, what that means is, it reached records lows at below -50 and was colder than it is on Mount Everest where people have literally frozen to death!


Let me set the stage a little.... This first picture is a NORMAL Midwest winter day. The snow was about 11 inches deep and this all happened overnight. Notice the roads are clear though! It actually wasn't that bad if you really layer up.

We weren't the only ones that had to bundle up, Major got a dapper sweater and little booties! He actually didn't mind it. He's so cute! 

...and then there is Argos. He ENJOYED sitting outside when it was -3. You know, no big deal.

 It got so cold that the river iced over in downtown! I never thought it would get that cold!

However, all of this was nothing compared to the Polar Vortex. People weren't allowed to be outside for more than 30 minutes due to the risk of frost bite through clothes! Luckily, I was able to work from home the first day. On the second day, I tried to go into work but could drive my car because the ice had formed so thick inside my wheel well (below) that I couldn't turn my tires! I tried breaking it off with a hammer but it was too hard and my hand started getting frost bite through my gloves!! I do have to give props to my Subaru Outback though, during these insanely low temps, it always started. Sometimes it took a few turns and the breaks were a little stiff until the break fluid thawed but it made it. Thanks trusty steed! 

Anyways, i guess if we survived the Polar Vortex then we are ready for anything! Especially summer.... ha! 

// Hack //

Then and Now: Doggie Edition

Since this blog retained all my old posts from 2007-2013 I have been going back and reading them and I’m working on a Then and Now post because it is funny how the more things change the more things stay the same. That will take a while to get all that together so, in the meantime, I wanted to post some pics of the puppers!

We adopted Argos when we was just a little over 2 months old. At the time, i was a total cat person but James had moved in with me (scandalous!) and he really wanted a dog so he kept showing me adorable dog pictures and this handsome little fella finally caught my eye. We went to Young Williams Animal Shelter just to look at him. His whole litter of 5-6 was there. Some had the pretty blue Husky eyes but we couldn’t take our eyes off this guy. His given name was Thad and he was an absolute jerk! He was taking all the toys away from his siblings then dropping them only to go steal another one. He still had his calm demeanor but was still owning the show.

We brought him home and changed his name to Argos (The dog from the Odyssey) hoping he’d be as faithful. He is still a jerk, he only comes when he wants to and he knows he is big so if he doesn’t want to go somewhere then he just sits down but he is also still very loyal. He still lays right in front of the door until we return and has even protected us a few times when needed even though he is the friendliest dog you will ever meet (to both dogs and humans). Everyone that meets him instantly falls in love with the gentle giant.

We did the DNA test on him and he is a Husky/Malamute/Labrador mix. We recently moved to Chicago and he absolutely loved it. It would be -13 outside and he’d want to go sit on the porch for a while! Spring is finally here, it is sunny and 71 today. He still wants to be outside but the sun is rough on a husky mix. In fact, he just kicked me out of the only porch shade. (there’s that jerk side again...). He is pretty spoiled but how can I resist that handsome face??

I’m so glad James talked me into getting a puppy. He is such a unique dog and has enriched our lives 100x over. ❤️


Major came to us about 2 years later. We had just moved to a new farm property where Argos was free to roam and he kept breaking into the neighbors fence to play with their two Goldens. The guy kept threatening to call the pound on us and we were having trouble containing him. Huskies are freaking escape artist! Then my sister got pregnant and asked us to dog sit for the first 2 weeks when she brought the baby home. Even though there was the normal dominance issue at first, the dogs got along pretty well and Argos stopped bothering the neighbors. Major was a rescue that we think came from an abusive home. He was very timid but his bodyguard Argos seemed to calm him down. So, here we are 10 years later and they are inseparable.

Major is our little cuddle bug. His DNA came back as 50% Rat Terrier and 50% total mutt. I imagine it like one of those romantic comedies where some snooty pure bred royal decides to "slum" it one night and ends up finally letting loose and falling in love and thus Major was born! He doesn't care for other dogs but to humans he is the most lovable dog in the world. All he wants in this world is food and snuggles. For the longest time he wanted to sleep with us but we wouldn’t let him so finally he just started jumping into the bed in the middle of the night so we’d just wake up and he’d be there. He is a little too smart sometimes... so we finally gave in and now I can’t sleep without the little guy curled up right beside me. ❤️

Our dogs are definitely spoiled and truth be told, they actually run the house but that’s a fair trade for all the love and joy they give us. I wouldn’t have it any other way!

If you are looking for a lovable companion, please choose to save a life by adopting. Don’t support the immoral business of breeding. It’s never okay.

//SH//

Well....His Name IS Argos

For those of you who don't know this is where the name Argos comes from....

"In Greek mythology, Argos was Odysseus' faithful dog. He waited for his master's return to Ithaca for over twenty years while most presumed Odysseus dead." - Wikipedia

We chose the name Argos in hopes that he would be a loyal dog to us. Since he never listens to a darn word we say we chalked our idea up to a loss.

As most know we recently moved out to a property that has 2 acres around our house and then another 15 to the left (not ours) that is wooded and perfect for roaming. When we brought Argos over for the first time he ran and ran and ran until he literally couldn't take another step. It eventually got dark so James and I went inside for the night. We crossed our fingers that we would be able to find our dog in the morning. To our surprise he was laying right in front of the door faithfully waiting for us to return.

Then came the true test... we had to go to work. He chased our cars a little down the road but as we lost sight he just stopped and stared in our direction. (it was so heart breaking). Again when we came home we held our breath that he hadn't tried to find his way back to his old house. To our surprise we again found him patiently waiting in the porch for our return.

While there is evidence that he wonders while we are away (always a new pile of sticks on the porch), he always finds his way back before we wake/get home so he can loyally block the door so we can't open it...i mean, to faithfully greet us upon arrival.

So maybe he does live up to his name after all.