The picture of your Murph reminded me of my first dog Fritz (a short haired daschund).  He loved to burrow in the snow and then leap up in the air a foot later.  He would repeat this all over the yard until he had made tunnels everywhere.  He seemed to really enjoy himself.  Stay warm and safe in the bad weather.

We had one here too. The roads are horrible, but it is beautiful. Our first of the year. In fact, we have been relatively spared the last few years. My boy dogs went out, my girl dogs wouldn't.

awww look at Murph!  He looks like he had soooo much fun. You winter wonderland is gorgeous...

Cindy, the Murph sorta does the leaping as well. He ends up looking very much like a rabbit hopping through the snow.

Missy, I'm surprised this is your first. It's our second 4"-plus snow. We had our first one a couple weeks ago. Oh well, I'd rather have it now than in Mar which is what typically happens if we have a mild Dec.

Sally, but nothing matches YOUR paradise. It's probably hard for you to remember what "cold" feels like. ;-)

Elaine, So beautiful to look at..thaks for the memories... Your Murph is a tough dog to wade through that! So cute!

Ginger, beautiful to look at as long as you don't have to drive, huh? Do you ever wonder if dogs wish they could have picked humans who live where it's warm? ;-)

Elaine - What fantastic pictures, the snow is so beautiful. I just don't enjoy working with it when it comes to traveling in it or moving it! Sunshine is what I prefer to shovel. However, I just can't say enough how beautiful it is to look at and these pictures bring back some wonderful memories of when I was a child (back when I couldn't wait for the first snow fall). Love Murphy, what a trooper to play in the snow with you. Great blog and subscribing too!

Candace - I moved to Tucson in the mid-90's because I didn't like shoveling this stuff either! But after 18 months, I moved back because I cared even less for the poisonous critters I had to deal with. Having a tarantula sneak up within inches of my sandaled toes while I was filling the bird bath was a bit much. ;-) Yes, I know they're not harmful - but they're really, really ugly and BIG!

I DID LOVE sitting on the lanai on Jan 1st in shorts, viewing the snow capped peaks of the Catalinas. And I loved the sunsets over the Tucson Mts, and hiking in the Catalinas to watch the eagles soar on the thermals below us. Amazing country out there! Very spiritual.

The best Christmas Eve ever was singing Silent Night with many other strangers atop the Tucson Mts as the sun set over the mountain ranges to the west. The purple, lavendar, magenta sky with all the stars shining brightly, brought tears to many people's eyes. It was awesome!

Elaine - now that would make me think twice about up and leaving too! I have lived in Arizona now 33 years and I have to say I have never seen a life big & ugly tarantula. Nor have I had the pleasure of bumping into our more obvious critters the Mr. Scorpion or Mr. Rattlesnake...I have lived in highly developed areas and lots of concrete. You will find these favorites however in several communities that have offer a more desert living landscape, mountains and larger lots in more exclusive areas!! I know several friends and families that have had their share!

The mountain views and sunsets are spectacular here indeed! Gosh we need one spot on this planet that can give us all that everyone wants in one place. Either that technology needs to come up with a climate controlled remote to sift through seasons as we see fit!! Enjoy that lovely snow and keep Murphy & yourself warm! Happy Holidays!

I lived in a subdivision on the northern part of Tucson - not quite in the foothills but close. I also had a swarm of killer bees stop by the oleander hedge one afternoon when they were looking for a new place to put the hive. I had to keep my two Dobies inside while the bees were there. Every week I would kill about 4-5 black widows under my patio furniture. Had to check for their spider webs before I could sit down on the chairs. I wasn't bothered with scorps, but my friend got stung once when she picked up a dishcloth off her kitchen faucet. Near a flower bed I saw one of the snakes often mistaken for Diamondbacks, but it didn't have the triangle head.

I did become good friends with several hummingbirds, a couple of cactus wrens and a particular lizard who stayed around the patio. Then there was the cute little gecko that lived in the garage.

One of the first things I did when I moved there was to buy a book that identified desert critters. As I would see something new, I would fold the corner of the page down as a record. I had LOTS of page corners folded by the time I left! ;-)

Elaine, we saw the beauty of the snow this morning and more to come this weekend.  It is nice to see coming down and everything looking fresh and clean. 

Ah, yes, Gary, there's nothing like the beauty of a new fallen snow. There's some poem - don't remember the author - but it mentions the "snow arriving like little cat feet" - or something to that effect.