Look in the middle toward the back of the picture. There are the gremlins in the dark...waiting for the "let's go" command to race up the driveway.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Fire in the Night
It was a snowy but warm Saturday so Len decided to burn the "burn pile" since it was safe. It was a roaring blaze most of the day but had died down for the night. Took these pictures in the dark and snow.
Look in the middle toward the back of the picture. There are the gremlins in the dark...waiting for the "let's go" command to race up the driveway.
Look in the middle toward the back of the picture. There are the gremlins in the dark...waiting for the "let's go" command to race up the driveway.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Bits and Pieces
Well it is snowing here today, not much but enough to cover the ground. I am still "flu-bound" and a big haha to friends who phone and oink their hello-s. Three more days and I'll be good to go!
We had a sad week when we lost Will (2005-2009)to medical problems. He was my buddy and was the dog that stuck with me when doing chores even if the others were off playing, just in case I needed him. Was a little different walking alone those first few days. The pack setting has changed too, nothing I can describe in words but Rosie is missing him the most.
Here are some pictures of the whiskey jacks that came in to help clean up where we had butchered. They love the fat scraps and I save the fat trimmings for the winter and put it in suet boxes and hang it in the trees for them.
So I have sent Len to town to do grocery shopping. This could be really good or really bad. I will report about this later.
We had a sad week when we lost Will (2005-2009)to medical problems. He was my buddy and was the dog that stuck with me when doing chores even if the others were off playing, just in case I needed him. Was a little different walking alone those first few days. The pack setting has changed too, nothing I can describe in words but Rosie is missing him the most.
Here are some pictures of the whiskey jacks that came in to help clean up where we had butchered. They love the fat scraps and I save the fat trimmings for the winter and put it in suet boxes and hang it in the trees for them.
So I have sent Len to town to do grocery shopping. This could be really good or really bad. I will report about this later.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Carrot Eatin' Dog
This is what I woke up to this morning when I looked out. I wondered if squirrels or various beasts have been visiting in the night. I wandered off to do the day's chores and then watched the guys take the range cow and calf home that had wandered onto our property on the other side of the road.
Let the dogs out for their afternoon run and when I looked out I saw this..the culprit. Kip must really like her veggies. She pulled out the carrots, chomped them off to the root and left the green...wonder if she knew how well carrots go with chicken backs?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Maple Creek Open
Maple Creek Saskatchewan...a fun place to go for a sheepdog trial but we had one little glitch this time. Where the heck did winter come from? We arrived there on Friday night..yes proud as punch with the camper and the dogs. As Bev Sommer (who had arrived just before we did) and I stood at the trial field Friday night in the very cold windy snowy weather, we looked at Len and Norm the husbands and said...Wagons ho..the motel is 5 mintues away and that is where we are staying. No camping in this weather!
The field is a great field to work in, dips and hills and carragana bushes. On Sunday they do the Open outrun straight up the side of a hill (ok big dune)and Mirk did an awesome job of it. Alas, we didn’t pen so no shed either. Saturday wasn’t great for us. They just put the sheep out, no setting dog so Mirk went out, the sheep were behind a small hill and he was looking where he thought they were supposed to be, he started to cross at the top and Honestly! When I tried to whistle him back, my whistle was frozen! Not the only handler with that problem that day. Then I had the ewe that didn’t wanna stay with the others, made it all the way through to the pen and she broke and went to the exhaust. Dog trialling huh?
Will came in 7th place both days..good runs, didn’t pen. They just stood there and won’t move or moved darn fast. Kit was the 1st one up in ProNov on Saturday and it was her very first trial and she couldn’t find her sheep..white sheep, white snow you know the problem. They suggested that I run her in non compete on Sat. Worked great, she found her sheep and the next day no problem in ProNovice. She did a great outrun and when we started to drive, they wanted to break badly to exhaust so I walked from the post and we drove them there. No use trying to frustrate a dog that has just started driving. Put Rosie in non compete class as well….she did her outrun, lift and gripped both days on the fetch but took her lie downs and was steady. We leave it that she was a little stressed…we’ll put it down to know what to work on and her first trial. Len says she had the fastest grip time...what a cheering section!
It was a great weekend though and no one can control the weather so you make the best of it and have a good time!
Check here for pictures of the trial.
The field is a great field to work in, dips and hills and carragana bushes. On Sunday they do the Open outrun straight up the side of a hill (ok big dune)and Mirk did an awesome job of it. Alas, we didn’t pen so no shed either. Saturday wasn’t great for us. They just put the sheep out, no setting dog so Mirk went out, the sheep were behind a small hill and he was looking where he thought they were supposed to be, he started to cross at the top and Honestly! When I tried to whistle him back, my whistle was frozen! Not the only handler with that problem that day. Then I had the ewe that didn’t wanna stay with the others, made it all the way through to the pen and she broke and went to the exhaust. Dog trialling huh?
Will came in 7th place both days..good runs, didn’t pen. They just stood there and won’t move or moved darn fast. Kit was the 1st one up in ProNov on Saturday and it was her very first trial and she couldn’t find her sheep..white sheep, white snow you know the problem. They suggested that I run her in non compete on Sat. Worked great, she found her sheep and the next day no problem in ProNovice. She did a great outrun and when we started to drive, they wanted to break badly to exhaust so I walked from the post and we drove them there. No use trying to frustrate a dog that has just started driving. Put Rosie in non compete class as well….she did her outrun, lift and gripped both days on the fetch but took her lie downs and was steady. We leave it that she was a little stressed…we’ll put it down to know what to work on and her first trial. Len says she had the fastest grip time...what a cheering section!
It was a great weekend though and no one can control the weather so you make the best of it and have a good time!
Check here for pictures of the trial.
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| 2009_1012MapleCreek |
Sunday, September 20, 2009
It's About Time
Well I am finally going to post something. It has been hectic at home but things are all back to normal now...or as normal as they get. Fall is here and it is actually a welcome sight. Warm in the day, cold at night and lots of dew and rain. You'd hardly know that it was so dry here this summer. A little moisture goes a long way.
The wild animals were quite displaced by the fire and we had a new pack of coyotes move in that didn't know the Guardian Dog rules. They were quite brazen and came right into the sheep area. They grabbed two sheep but the brave Clairice chased them off with Sonny's help and saved them. Sonny isn't experienced with age but he is big. We treated them with antibiotics and washed the wounds up and this is the one ewe after a week. She had been grabbed on the top and bottom of her jaw as I am sure the coyote was trying to grab her throat. The other ewe had 2 punctures in her chest and is doing fine.
Here is a picture of Sonny growing by leaps and bounds.
Len is building a new pump house since the 10 year old temporary one collapsed. This one is very fancy, new insulated door and all! I am making new curtains and hanging blinds in the "new to us" camper.
Everyone is on their way to the USBCHA Finals so it'll be a long week of watching the computer for results. Good luck to all!
The wild animals were quite displaced by the fire and we had a new pack of coyotes move in that didn't know the Guardian Dog rules. They were quite brazen and came right into the sheep area. They grabbed two sheep but the brave Clairice chased them off with Sonny's help and saved them. Sonny isn't experienced with age but he is big. We treated them with antibiotics and washed the wounds up and this is the one ewe after a week. She had been grabbed on the top and bottom of her jaw as I am sure the coyote was trying to grab her throat. The other ewe had 2 punctures in her chest and is doing fine.
Here is a picture of Sonny growing by leaps and bounds.
Len is building a new pump house since the 10 year old temporary one collapsed. This one is very fancy, new insulated door and all! I am making new curtains and hanging blinds in the "new to us" camper.
Everyone is on their way to the USBCHA Finals so it'll be a long week of watching the computer for results. Good luck to all!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Home Again
A quick note to say we are home again. Will blog more as I find all my stuff and get life organized again. That is funny for those who know me well..organzied ha!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Gone
Just a short blurb. We were given Official Evacuation Orders as of 3:30 PM yesterday. So, once you're out, no going back in till they take off the Order. We are comfortable and staying with friends where the sheep are. The Border Collies think we are at a dog trial so they are settled in.
They have structure crews guarding the houses so we are fairly safe in that aspect. I don't think we will lose anything to fire. They are more concerned with loss of life so they hustled us out.
Will blog again when I have more news.
They have structure crews guarding the houses so we are fairly safe in that aspect. I don't think we will lose anything to fire. They are more concerned with loss of life so they hustled us out.
Will blog again when I have more news.
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