Website Changes

I've been doing some thinking, and I've decided to create a secondary website for all my dog stuff. It will be my "kennel" page, whereas this site will remain my personal/portfolio website. I will also be starting another blog on my kennel page, but it will be for recording my team's progress - strictly mushing-related posts.

I'm sure some stuff will leak over from that blog into this one, and vice versa, but I think it will help those who strictly want to read about dog stuff.

It might be hard to believe, but I DO have other things to write about, other than dogs. And I think this separation will force me to focus on some of my other interests... some of which have definitely been neglected.

So, in the coming year, I hope to blog about the following:

• Food - I love to cook and I love to eat. Hopefully I'll have some interesting recipes or restaurants to review.
• Art - Drawing has always been a huge passion of mine, and I admit I haven't been honing my skills. I'm hoping to create more art and share it here.
• Photography - My photo-taking has dwindled down to pictures of the dogs. I'm going to get back in gear and start photographing some other subject matter. (And the dogs too, duh)
• Homesteading - This is the main reason this website isn't just a simple portfolio hub for my work. One of my main aspirations is to create a food-producing homestead by keeping a successful garden and small animals. Obviously, this is somewhat on hiatus until A. it's warm enough to plant and B. I'm able to legally raise chickens. But there are always things I can read and write about, in preparation for my future plans. And I need to get my butt in gear.

So there you have it. I'll be setting up my kennel page within the next week or two, and I'll post the link somewhere pretty obvious on this site. Stay tuned!

27-Inches

The final snow tallies are up, and it seems our town was buried under about 27-inches of the white stuff. I didn't go in for my weekly office shift today, as the road was still a mess when I woke up this morning. Plus, our shovel was held captive by our upstairs neighbors, so there was no hope for digging out the van.


Unlike those who quickly succumb to cabin-fever, I've been perfectly content stuck at home. To be honest, I spend most of my time at home -- I do work here, after all. But when I can't drive, I avoid making stupid purchases and wasting money. I have no choice but to make due with what I have, and that's a good lesson.

Speaking of sustainability lessons, I've been reading Jenna Woginrich's Made from Scratch: Discovering the Pleasures of a Handmade Life. So far, it's a great read, and I'm not surprised. I've been following Jenna's blog for a few months now, and she's been a huge inspiration for my own goals. She wrote this book a few years ago, so I know how a lot of things have transpired for her. What I didn't know, was how her journey began -- and that's where this book starts out. Jenna's book gives me a lot of hope -- as well as very practical reference materials, recipes, and guides. She began her farm while working a nine to five office job every day (coincidentally, she's also a graphic designer). I already have the advantage of working from home -- a luxury that will definitely make homesteading a little easier once I get into the thick of it. I will start planning my spring vegetable garden now. I'm going to start with strawberries, zucchinis, and tomatoes. My mom has grown these every year with ease, so I'm hoping my first round of crops will be just as successful. I'm hoping my next big move will allow for a small flock of chickens and a bee hive. Then I'll really be in business.

I'll end this post with a video of our very happy dog in Narnia, also known as our backyard.