Protector of the Household

So Murphy had an interesting night.  It started out like any other night.  BearFace and I returned from dinner and settled down on the couch for some TV and relaxing, and Murph did a bit of chewing on his bone and then reclined on his bed.  When it came time for bed, I tucked him into bed in the kitchen, made sure the trash was locked (didn't know they made locking trash cans until recently...what a genius invention!), and shut the kitchen door.

Around 3 am, I woke up to find BearFace missing.  A few seconds later, I heard him open the bedroom  door and then heard Murphy's nails clicking into the bedroom.  This conversation followed:

Michelle: What are you doing? Why is he in here?
Drew: The kitchen door was open and he's freezing.
Michelle: What?! What are you talking about? Like the door to the outside? Why was it open?!
Drew: Yes.  Must have blown open and Murphy is shivering.
Michelle: OMG MY POOR MURPHY!  Come here and I'll snuggle you!
Murphy: SWEET I'M ON THE BED!  YES!

It being 3 am, this was really all the conversation we had.  I pondered all day until BearFace got home from work and I was able to get the full story from him.  Apparently, he awoke to a bang and heard Murphy crying in the kitchen.  He didn't think much of it, but decided he was a bit parched.  When he walked into the kitchen in his half-asleep state, he instantly noticed the frigid temperature, and saw the outside light beaming onto the floor.  He called Murphy, who happened to be just outside the door, shivering.

Our door has to be slammed shut or it will blow open, so this was not the real mystery.  The mystery is what Murphy was doing after this occurred.  My thoughts?  He was protecting the house and making sure nobody came in!  More likely he was wondering who the heck opened the door, and why his Mom would make him sleep in such a cold room without his coat on.  Either way, I feel very fortunate that A) Murphy is such a good dog and did not decide to go on a moonlit adventure, and B) Murphy did not invite any critters in to help him open the locked trash can.

Seriously...there were some curious critters 

out in our yard last night. 

Luckily Murphy was not too traumatized by the late night happenings, and was ready for a hike when I got back from job hunting in the afternoon.  I have been itching to get out and explore the trails in the area, especially because Salem County was extremely lacking in good hiking.  Sussex definitely makes up for what Salem lacked, with trails upon trails of varied difficulty levels, all complete with mountains as a backdrop.  I did some searching online today and found a bunch of nearby trails, some of which are part of the Appalachian Trail.  

Simply stunning.

Murphy just doesn't really get the magnificence of 

the view.  Too busy looking for poop.

Someone was in a hurry!

I especially love winter hiking because you can easily spot animal tracks (Of course I always assume they belong to mountain lions or dinosaurs).  Aside from this zigzagging pheasant, the pup and I also spotted some bunny hops, a deer, and perhaps a coyote.  For someone who enjoys the great outdoors as much as Murphy, BearFace and I do, I think we are really going to love it here!