Day 363/365

     Sunday was a much needed day to sleep in and have fun, and I did just that. It was bitterly cold out, but extremely sunny, making it prime window-watching time for Kip.

Day 357/365

     Every time I walk Kip at night since there's been snow on the ground, I keep noticing the funky shadows that the fencing in my apartment complex casts over everything. I keep telling myself to take a picture next time, so on Monday night/day 357 I finally remembered. Not my best, but there's only so much you can do when you have a leashed energetic mutt vying for your attention.

Day 335/365

     This morning was spent at the cabin, and the dogs were ecstatic when we all woke up to a fresh dusting of snow on the ground. 

Day 326/365

     Today was all about the snow coverage, and this afternoon I got to go out to a park in Frankenmuth to shoot people sledding. Most public schools in the area had snow days, so there were plenty of kids and families to be seen. My favorite picture ended up being this one though; it's not much to look at visually but it was fun to witness in person. A mother was trying to teach her 2 year-old daughter how to make snow angels, and the little girl was transfixed by the whole thing. I doubt she understood, but she looked like she was having fun with her mom nevertheless. 

Day 325/365

     Last night/day 325 storm Nemo finally hit Saginaw... about an hour before midnight. I went around the area with a reporter, (who thankfully offered to drive), and got photos of the first signs of all the doom and gloom. At one point we decided to check out the view from the top of one of the parking garages in downtown Saginaw, and I ended up putting together this panorama with the results. Click on the image to view it larger!

Day 321/365

     When I was out and about running a few errands this past Sunday/day 321 I drove by Cheboygan Creek and saw that the layers of ice were piling up on one another to form large masses of the frozen chunks. It'll be interesting to check back on the creek and the river when all of that ice starts to melt...

Day 310/365

     One of my assignments tonight was another basketball game. I didn't get to stay for the entire game since other assignments and a bit of spot news popped up. I would've liked to have stayed; the game was pretty close the entire time I was there, and both teams seemed to be playing well. Plus, it was freezing cold outside and the snow was coming down pretty steadily making the roads pretty bad. Eh well.

Day 307/365

     It's certainly been a cold couple of days. Granted, I'm much more of a winter weather fan than I am of extreme heat/humidity, but lately the cold air's been getting extreme as well. We're experiencing single digits up here in Michigan, and subzero temperatures with the wind chill factor. There's warnings about people limiting their outdoor exposure, and there've even been reminders to keep pets in mind when letting them go out in the cold as well. 

     Kip's been experiencing some cabin fever, I'm sure, as we haven't been able to go on one of our typical lengthy walks because he starts to favor his paws too much for my liking within about ten minutes of being outside. He also has a short coat, so his daily outside time has decreased majorly. It's supposed to be back up in the 20s or 30s by the start of next week, so I'm hoping to make up for it then.

Day 301/365

     Monday/day 301 was a slow workday, as Mondays too often are. It was at least sunny out, even though there was a bitter chill in the air. After I got home from work I bundled up and took Kip on a nice long walk. As almost always is the case, Finch was waiting in the window for us, (well, most likely me more so than Kip), to get back. It makes me smile each time I see him do it. He runs to the door when I get home from work too! He breaks about 90% of cat stereotypes, which is one of the major reasons I love him so much, I think. He plays fetch, comes when he's called, (most of the time, but dogs blow you off too), and he cuddles. Anyways, when Kip and I got back from our walk Monday I went over to my living room window and went to take a picture of Finch, when Kip noticed he was in the window and decided to say hello!

Day 284/365

     One of my assignments on Friday/day 284 was to get some photos of some of the migratory birds in the Saginaw area. One of our editors noticed a lot of them at a park nearby, so I went out and saw literally hundreds of Canada geese and a few dozen gulls walking around on the ice and in the few open patches of water. It was such a bitter cold day, I wouldn't have wanted to spend it here if I were them. 

Day 283/365

     The morning of Thursday/day 283 was spent in Ohio for an hour or two, before I left a bit early to drive the rest of the way back to Michigan a day late due to the snowstorm that came through. I'm pretty sure my family's cat, (actually my friend and former roommate's that we're taking care of while she's in the navy), was a bit upset with me for taking my cat/her buddy away from her. 

Day 266/365

     To make up for the major delay in updates here's a holiday-themed pet post! We were finally able to get our Christmas tree for my mom's house and put it up on Monday/day 266. My cat, Finch, was especially happy about it it would seem. I can't wait to go back home for Christmas and smell it. Christmas trees and home are easily my favorites when it comes to the holiday season. 

Day 252/365

     Today I was in a bit of a weird mood; it was one of those days where I wasn't necessarily unhappy, but I definitely wasn't happy... just kind of a 'meh' kind of mood. Anyways, to cut short my rambling, I ventured out on my own more often than I stayed in the office today out in Bay City. It was a relatively quiet day and the only assignments I had were little last minute ones here and there. The area got its first snow of the season this weekend, and I didn't get a chance to get pictures when it first arrived Sunday/yesterday morning so I attempted to go out and get a few shots of what was left today. This photo was taken in Wenonah Park, which is a nice little park right along the Saginaw River in downtown Bay City. Most of the snow is now gone, but I'll definitely be ready for when it really hits and makes everything look like a winter wonderland; I love it when it does that. 

Day 251/265

     Saginaw got a dusting of about an inch of snow overnight, so waking up to a little wonderland Sunday morning was a nice surprise. It was Kip's first time seeing snow, and he absolutely loved it. I wish I had time to go to the dog park, because when we went out for a walk it was so easy to see how much he was dying to run around and bound through it. It's since melted away for the most part, leaving just a little bit here and there with a bit of ice. Next time it snows though, I'll have to make sure to let him loose so he gets a chance to play. A

Day 249/365

     After stumbling through early-morning Black Friday coverage bleary-eyed and almost completely fed up with people in general, I got a bit of a pick-me-up with my afternoon assignment. Since the day after Thanksgiving is a big day for Christmas tree farms, a reporter and I went to a few of the local farms to interview and photograph families picking out their trees. This little girl was hilarious; she got bored while waiting for her parents to finish paying for their Christmas tree so she climbed into the tree baler when she thought no one was watching. The whole afternoon made me a bit nostalgic, but it was nice to see the fun side of the holiday season after having to deal with the greedy and crazy side this morning.