Let's try this again

Here is the post I tried to put up last week but couldn't get the graphics to cooperate. So I took it down but apparently it was still showing as being up, but no one could open it. One of the computer goddesses at work helped me find larger graphics this morning. She also brought blueberry cobbler for her birthday. I think I love her. Happy birthday, Jennifer, you rock!

Anyway, NOAA came out with their 2010-2011 winter weather outlook last Thursday and since I know you're all as fascinated by the weather as I am (or not), thought I'd share it with you. Forecast outlooks being what they are, you can agree or disagree or agree to disagree or go out and burn your Old Farmer's Almanac because it doesn't say the same thing. Whatever. If you don't like this outlook, get on the Internet and check around, maybe you'll find one you like better.



I have my own personal way of forecasting (and even influencing!) the weather. It's pretty darn simple. Here's the formula:

For a pleasant winter with little snow and mild temperatures, go home and immediately put away all your dog training equipment. Store all jumps, contact pieces, tunnels, weave poles and ring gates securely in your garage before the calendar turns to November 1. Do not plan to get them out any time before April or do any outdoor training of any kind.

For a winter that is an absolute freaking mind-numbing pain in the arse, leave everything outside. It will disappear under a glacier before Christmas and you won't see it again until April. If you're lucky.

This works. Seriously.

My sheltie Connor was not a good jumper. He needed regular jump work in order to keep his rhythm. Any time off from regular jumping meant stutter-stepping next time we were in the ring. So in late fall of 1999, I came up with the outstandingly brilliant idea to leave a jump out in the yard all winter long so we could practice.

It snowed early that year. It snowed often. Whenever it snowed, it snowed a lot. The jump disappeared under a drift within weeks of my brilliant idea, not to be seen again until springtime.

You'd think I'd learn but I did the same d*mn thing with Phoenix's weavepoles a few years ago. He was just mastering them in November and I was excited to keep working him. I left my weaves out in the yard. One snowstorm after another put a quick end to that idea as snow piled up to within six inches of the top of the poles. They would have been great weave poles for a pomeranian or a rabbit.