The rains came this week and washed away most of the snow, leaving ice bergs every five to ten feet across the backyard. Cricket took it as her duty to explore each little island of snow. She climbed up to the highest point of each one and seemed to be contemplating names for the new nations, given the amount of time she spent inspecting each crevice, deep in thought. This one I shall name Mathilda, for my Australian friends who have never seen snow. This other one I shall name Pluto, because it is so much smaller than all the others that it may not even be a real ice berg.
The new nations.
“What shall I name this new nation?”
“Shall I poop here?”
Cricket took her job very seriously, but then she was distracted when she reached the one remaining snow bank up against the retaining wall, because there, over yonder, was a pile of cat poop that had not yet been claimed. Ahoy!
The endless variations in landscape that come across Cricket’s yard keep her enthralled – from the autumn leaf piles, to the desiccated brown grass over the summer, to the variations on the theme of snow. She could write a treatise on the magical world of her backyard, if she could only figure out how to type on the computer, one key at a time. Weqjhrgweop.
“Mine!!!!”
For Butterfly, the rain meant that she could get closer to the bird seed that our neighbor spreads on the lawn each day. Our downstairs neighbor likes to feed the birds every day, so that they will congregate on the snow in front of her apartment and she can see some life in the midst of the cold and icy winter. When I look out the window there is always a line of birdseed on top of the snow and a huge squirrel stealing the food brazenly from the tiny birds. Butterfly would like to line up with the cardinal, and the mourning doves, and the squirrel, and at least sniff communally, but they seem to think she looks too much like Cricket and do not yet trust her intentions.
The leftover smell of little bird feet still fascinates her, though.
Bird feet smell so good!
As the snow melts, both dogs help me find the rocks of cat poop that solidified over the winter and now dot the landscape. This is not my favorite task, but the girls enjoy it immensely.
If the groundhog was right, and winter has only a few more weeks left, then the backyard will soon transform again, into its green-shoots phase, and then its over-come-with-weeds phase, which is Cricket’s favorite. She loves to help Grandma pull up weeds, and drag them around like trophies, and then lovingly chew them down to nothing.
“Yum!.”
It is truly a wonderful world.
rachelmankowitz 
Love your words and love hearing about your fur kids. Best wishes from hot and humid Texas.
Thank you! And stop gloating!
I’d actually prefer to have your weather. We have kind of missed winter which means bugs and mosquitoes will be horrible here this year. We are already being warned about ZEKA and West Nile and it’s only Feb!
If I lived there, I’d have to make all of my clothes out of mosquito nets, and Cricket’s and Butterfly’s too.
Hey Rachel, I love Cricket, and I love Butterfly. And I love reading The Cricket Pages. Thank you for such brightness. I really enjoy the kids pictures in the snow, and today “the new nation”! Call in Cricketflyland! Or Butteretburg! I’m sure it has a dwindling population as the weather warms! take care…your friend snoozie.
Cricket keeps trying to use her melting nations. She’ll be standing on a speck of ice balancing on one paw until the whole thing disappears.
Wonderful pictures! Hilarious story!
Thank you!
We love reading all your stories. What imaginations your two furbabies have, and how wonderful for you to interpret them for us!
They are endlessly interesting, it’s true!
And a wonderful weather in the middle of February!
It was almost Spring-like today. Crazy!
And this is a wonderful post!
Thank you!
As Louie would sing: What a wonderful world….!!
Butterfly loves that song!
Good taste! 🌎
Fur kids rock! Until they bark at night. Great post.
Thank you!
What a sweet post! I LOL at the Pluto reference! Our yard is snow free but muddy as a swamp. I can’t wait for Spring!
Thank you! As long as the whole yard is overgrown with weeds, Cricket will love Spring too!
I must send Cricket a picture of our cat sitting in the Australian snow…
Yes!
Thank you for this post. I smelled my feet and, frankly, I think I can use a little Dr. Scholl’s.
Butterfly has unique tastes.
I love it when you post about your fur babies! They’re so adorable 🙂
In Maine, we’ve had our snow demolished by quite a bit of rain recently. It’s quite disappointing.
Thank you! Supposedly there is another potential storm. Cricket is crossing her paws.
I am sure she will dutifully check all the new snowbanks. 🙂
I like the view of Cricket tugging on the leash
I get that view twenty times a day!
Lovely post Rachel. Your babies are so much fun. 🙂
Thank you!
On behalf of Australian dogs I must bark a correction – we have seen snow! Not on your scale, it’s true, but it does exist in the mountains.
Sshh, don’t tell Cricket, she’s gonna want to travel.
Sorry I can’t invite her to stay here. My cat wouldn’t stand for it. A pity, because she could learn to surf….
I can’t even imagine the craziness of Cricket trying to surf!
We had the same weather effect here, Rachel and I was glad to see the snow go. My cats are indoor only for their health and safety but they would never get the enjoyment from being out in wet and cold your girls do. It was fun to “watch” them doing their thing.
They like to keep us entertained!
so funny- on that tiny hill of snow!! I am glad the rain washed it all away!
Miss Cricket is not sure why I keep laughing at her when she poops.
Our dog, Pepper Jax, always smells every plant for cat spray. His nose to the ground to smell-out who was here during the night. Sometimes we see a possum, or rabbit and twice he had run into a skunk and been sprayed both times but the last time he must have remembered what it was and was not totally covered with the spray but the smell was strong on his collar. He loves to chase the squirrels up the oak tree.
Thank God we have no skunks nearby, or Cricket would stink every day.
Welcome to the club 😊
I love your comments about how Cricket was so dedicated to learning about and exploring each one of the snow piles (nations). My Golden, Libby, used to enjoy playing in the grass and then laying on the snow to cool off a bit. Cricket sure does sound like a character carrying the weeds around. She must be very proud of her job!
Cricket takes her work very seriously.
What a cute story! I love that Cricket spent so much time contemplating the names for each of his new found nations. 🙂 All of our snow here has melted and we had a downpour of rain, so it is really mushy out. No long walks in the pasture until it dries up a bit. Tippy’s okay with that. She is not fond of the rain.
Cricket is trying to convince me to buy a snow machine.
hahaha My Tippy would like that too. She loves the snow.
Walker Percy said, “Every adventurer names his island Formosa, beautiful.”
Cricket is grieving over some of her melted islands today, it’s lucky she didn’t name all of them.
Alas poor Pluto! Great story again Rachel 🙂
Thank you!
Cute, I also like Cricket’s ‘perception’… 🙂 But WE wish we could have had some of that snow rather than the on/off/on rain – but it IS Seattle…
Hopefully you’ll get a break though, but at least the dogs do enjoy it.
They’ve been very disappointed with the lack of new snow. They’ve been doing a snow dance each time they go outside, to encourage things along.
As our summer comes to an end, I like to see your snow, and think of your forthcoming Springtime, and all the fun your girls will have… Best wishes from us in Australia 🙂
Thank you!
🙂
Such gorgeous photos. Love how green the grass is underneath the snow. Looks like so much fun to be able to explore each snowy island. 🙂
Cricket had a blast!
Your writing and your darn cute dogs always make me smile. Thank you Rachel, Cricket and Butterfly!
Thank you so much!
Wonderful verbal image of the smell of little bird feet. Their noses are amazing!
And the things they prefer to smell are truly strange!
Love her “thoughts” on naming the ice berg nations. She is very clever. 😉
If we could get a brain scan in there, my God, she has so much going on all the time!
With the snow, green grass, and colorful leaves you’ve got three season in one go! The S’mores deal two seasons, Chilly and Blowtorch, with brief intermissions of nice weather in between.
I think we have ten or fifteen seasons around here. We’re very indecisive.
Our dogs are enjoying the beginning of The Melt now, too, but we have a ways to go before things are green. Enjoyed this!
Every last speck of snow is gone, and I am in mourning. No fair.
just when i was getting lost in it, the story ended, much too soon 🙂
Uh oh!
Such beautiful pictures of Cricket! 🙂
She loves her Grandma photoshoots!
Hi Rachel. What a cutie and great pic. Thanks for the like on my post ‘Friends We Meet Along the Way’.
Why do dogs eat weeds and grass?
Cricket thinks they are delicious, but also, they seem to calm her belly when she’s feeling sick.
When Clare does this she vomits. I suppose some plants act as an emetic.
Lovely posts and photographs of your little darlings. I have been very upset as my Tide hurt his front leg (jumping off my bed) and I have had to go to the vet several times. He is better today.. Hoping he does not have arthritis, he will be ten in May. Have fun with your babies.
Lots of love and luck!
Thank you! Same to you!