Walking the Dog in 20 Below? Roseville MN has an INDOOR Option for That

For the past few years or so, my household has been cat friendly and canine free. However, this winter we have a guest in our Ham Lake acreage home. Spencer is a St Paul resident who's normal life includes daily doggie daycare, keeping the bunnies out of his fenced backyard and sharing the sidewalks daily with his canine friends. Spending weeks in Anoka County without neighbor dogs to hang with has been boring. The squirrels and white-tailed deer that frequent our backyard are fun to watch from the window but when Spencer goes out, only the tracks in the snow remain.

This past week has been the worst. Brutally cold below zero wind chills have made tracking interesting scents a less enjoyable adventure. Spencer is not an winter dog. As a terrier mix, the cold makes him shiver. He has had to don not only a coat but four  little booties to keep his feet warm as well. Anything longer than a 5 minute walk can be rather painful.

So early this morning we packed up Spencer and drove south about 20 minutes to Rosedale for the weekly indoor dog walking event. As feline owners, we were not prepared for the hundreds of people and pets walking through the Roseville shopping center so early in the morning. The final lines from Dr Suess's Go Dog Go came to mind..."Big dogs, Little dogs, Red dogs, Blue dogs all at a dog party!"

Spencer was in heaven! Forty-five minutes later after taking three laps around the mall, we were all ready for heading back home.

While living on acreage is an adventure, visiting other areas in the Twin Cities has it's perks. And as a local real estate agent, I find many fun events in the areas I serve. Roseville, Minnesota and other north metro communities have much to offer and it is fun to explore whether it's warm and sunny or seasonably cold.

Thinking of buying a home in the Twin Cities? Call me and let me help you find the perfect home to meet your family's requirements (and your pet's requirements too!) 

READY to Make YOUR Move? It IS essential to have a knowledgeable agent at your side. If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me, Teri Eckholm of BOARDMAN Realty, a call at 651-336-7073 or visit my website for a FREE Home Buyer Success Guide or FREE Home Value Report. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

 
Copyright 2019 terieckholm.com

Teri and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad, Subzero MN Winter Day

In Minnesota this week we experienced a once (or twice) in a canine lifetime, finger-freezing, pipe-bursting, cold snap….or should I say ARCTIC BLAST? I know that half of America felt a bit chilly this week as that horrible, no-good jet stream swooped down from the Arctic into states as far south as Florida. But I frankly have no sympathy for someone suffering in 30 degree temperatures when ours are 30 degrees below zero. I think it is time to pack up the hateful flannel railroad pajamas and head to Australia!
There is no other way to describe subzero, bone-chilling weather…30 degrees below zero weather is NASTY with a capital N! The wind freezes the skin in a matter of seconds. Dress in layers takes on a new dimension as people, who never wear hats, gloves, boots or scarves, swaddle themselves in mismatched accessories and ugly holiday sweaters in order to walk out to warm up their cars…If the cars will start that is.

Thank goodness I didn’t have to show houses during the snap. As a Minnesota REALTOR®, it is cold enough when trying to show a winterized, heatless, and foreclosed home on a 30 degree day. In this weather, taking off your gloves to work a combination lock box can be a painful reminder of how quickly frostbite can overtake essential extremities…like fingers!

Our 17 year old dog, Tikki, played dead when I try to coax him out the door to take care of business. When I was finally able to push him out and down his dog ramp, he was too cold to do anything and he sat on his tail with his frozen paws in the air. I had to put on boots to go out and lift him back to his feet to get him inside. A few minutes later, we had an accident in the house.

School was delayed or even cancelled in many communities for fear that kids will freeze at bus stops or walk to school in their usual jacketless, bootless, gloveless and hatless state. I guess common sense still isn’t being taught at Minnesota schools…or maybe it is just that teenagers still don’t believe that minus 30 is COLD! Heck as a Minnesota teen, I chose style over warmth too no matter how low the temperature got.

Those who have to venture out in this weather have all the supplies…gloves, blankets, boots, hats and energy bars in their winter survival kits…Who am I kidding? It is advised to carry one of those kits in your car but I don’t know one Minnesotan that has one. I did see someone get one as a Christmas gift once but I’d bet the Hershey’s bars were eaten long before any possible incident where the car hit black ice and went into the ditch.

On days like this week brought us, if I have to go out, I make certain to wear boots and thick, woolly socks. Once your feet get cold in this weather, they never warm up!

There was some frigid weather fun…The news people froze a wet t-shirt into a pancake-flat work of art in a matter of minutes and overnight a banana hardened into a “bammer”…fruit so hard it could pound in a nail. Hot water thrown in the air creates an instant cloud and blown soap bubbles freeze and shatter like glass. Great times…Yeah right!

It was over 90 straight hours of below zero temps before we started to warm into the single digits…Next week it may be just warm enough to wash the thick, white crust of salt residue off the sides of my car. That groundhog better NOT see his shadow in a couple of weeks! It is SO time for spring! OR maybe a move to Australia!


If you are buying, selling or relocating to Minnesota and need help from a professional REALTOR®, give me a call or visit my website for a FREE Relocation Packet or Homebuyers Success Packet. I specialize in acreage and lakeshore properties in the north and east Twin Cities metro area including Ham Lake, Lino Lakes and all communities in the Forest Lake School District! Serving Anoka, Chisago, Ramsey and Washington Counties in Minnesota.

Buying a Home? Check out my new HOME BUYER'S BLOG!

Copyright 2009 terieckholm.com