Iditarod
Last year, I went to Alaska. As part of my preparation for the trip, I watched many of the Alaska themed television shows. The topic of one of these shows was the Iditarod.
This famous dog sled race is run each year in March – dozens of mushers and hundreds of dogs make the 1,000 mile + trey through the frozen Arctic landscape.
Last year’s shows made it sound as if the dogs were running along in the Mohave desert. What, with Global Warming and all, the snow was already beginning to melt in March!
Well, I too became inspired to enter the race. I have decided to enter the first all chihuahua team. Comprised of 61 Chihuahuas, my team should be able to outrun even the most experienced dog sled team. Training has already begun – for three hours each day, I turn the heater off in the office so that Gracie will get used to the cooler temperatures; the thermometer here in the office has been known to dip down to 74 degrees! Brrrrr….
That is only one part of the training; as for myself, I have been watching coverage of the 2009 Iditarod. Unlike last year, instead of warm temperatures and melting snow, they are reporting cold and icy conditions. What changed? Could it be that Global Warming has subsided? Is the planet getting cooler? Maybe!
On February 20, 2009, Bloomberg.com reported that the US National Snow and Ice Data Center had underestimated the Arctic ice sheet by 193,000 square miles (that is about the size of California!) due to a “glitch” in satellite sensors. According to a report in The (UK) Guardian, 2008 was the coolest year of the decade. There are many, many more reports like this; all you have to do is seek them out.
The “Gorey” myths about Global Warming may melt away under the heat of scientific scrutiny, but the Arctic Ice is here to stay. Don’t worry Gracie, there are plenty more years of Iditarod races ahead of us!
The Honey Hound
The only reason for this post is so the the whole world can see The Honey Hound on my blog.
I am a dedicated, lifelong Cat person. My partner is a veterinarian and a dedicate Dog person. He kept making noises about bringing home a chihuahua. I told him I did not want another yappy dog in the house. As a puppy, Gracie was abandoned at his hospital with parvo. After she recovered, I was suckered into bringing her home. She was not potty trained and too tiny to be left alone, so I had no choice but to take her to work with me. That habit has continued for more than three years now!
Genetic testing has confirmed that she is descended from the Royalty of the State of Chihuahua and is indeed heiress to the throne. On day, she will rein as Queen of Chihuahua!
During their 2007 springtime convention, all of the Queen Honey Bees of the world met. BY UNANIMOUS RESOLUTION, they all agreed to hang a picture of Gracie Mae in every bee-hive in the world to serve as inspiration to make Honey – thus her title of Honey Hound.
Her personal blog can be found at http://www.dogster.com/dogs/568477