Polar Bears and Ticks and Owls Oh My

Bundle up and stay warm for the next day or so, winter has arrived. Treat yourself to a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. It is important that you eat in cold weather and drink plenty of water. Both of those things help you stay energized and hydrated which helps you stay warm.  I also suggest finding a sun spot on days like today and just think about it being July again.

Make sure if you are heading out in the car you have enough gas and have brought along extra warm clothes or even a blanket in case you get stuck somewhere. I keep snack in the car as well, back to the eating thing again. There is always room in the car for one more pair of boots, warm socks and cheetos.

Another real important thing to remember is that our pets can't stay out very long in these temperatures. If you are taking your dog for a walk remember his paws are directly on the cold ground so keep it short. When you get back in the house be sure you wash off your dogs feet to remove the salt from the road. They will lick there paws if their feet feel cold and this means they will ingested the salt mixture that helps defrost the streets. It is very very toxic and can make them really sick. I always use a warm towel which also helps their feet warm back up.

So now that I have sounded like your Mom, bundle up and enjoy the next few "Arctic" days. Who knows maybe it will kill off some ticks, that would be a good thing. And some cool things come around with Arctic Temps, like the Snowy Owl, maybe we can catch sight of one of them again on the river front.