TMT shortened

I for one am glad you shortened TMT this week, its been a busy day at work and I just got back from fire safety training as well as getting my flu shot for the year.  My arm is already burning...its that possible?

What obstacles have you overcome this week, and what did you learn from them? This can be training obstacles, life obstacles, whatever obstacles you want to talk about.
Well I'm trying to over come an obstacle right now.  My battery is dead in the parking lot.  I get off at 4:30 and my son has a baseball game at 6 pm.  I must get AAA here, jump off my car, make it to the battery place to get a new battery and then to the baseball field in time for his game.....

My mind is working beyond the here and now right now so I can't tell you what other obstacles I have over come this week, though I feel there were many given how tired I am :)

Its TMT...I've lost track of my number and that's probably because this week grosses me out

So here are Laura's questions this week one induces nausea in me....


1. What is your favorite Little Debbie snack? If you hate Little Debbie then I bow down to your greatness. (I suppose you can include some other favorite snack. Maybe it'll inspire me to get over LD for today.)

Ummm yuck, how does anyone eat those and not want to vomit?????  I mean I guess if I was dying and that was all there was I could manage.  But gross, my child eats them and even the smell gets to me.  I'll take straight dark chocolate with almonds Thanks!!

2. What do you use for laundry detergent?

Glad to know i'm not the only person using the Xtra brand LOL.  But now I may need to steal your version of homemade detergent.  I have old bottles, I'll keep them out of the trash in case I can re-use them.

3. Tighty Whities or Boxers? (this, obviously, is open for interpretation)

Who wears underwear anyway??  Kidding...boxers or maybe those boxer briefs.  Tighty whities make me thing of redneck men who are drunk walking around in their tighty whities and wife beaters!

4. Dogs: On the bed? In the house? On the furniture? Never? What are your rules?

Well some are allowed on the bed, some are restricted to the floor...yes annoying dogs who can't be still at night are restricted to clicking around on the floor.  On the couches yes when there is room.  e don't really have rules, except muddy dogs are confined to the dog room!

5. Favorite dog-related website (aside from my blog, obviously har har har)? Favorite NON-dog related website? Can be blogs, or whatever.

Well like Laura, border collie boards are frequented but rarely posted on.  I like fugly horse of the day too, though its recently changed ownership and isn't nearly as controversial which takes all the fun out of it!

Tell Me Thursday #4

 So this week Laura wants to know......... 

1. If you won the lottery (a big one... I'm talking stupid muchos cash) what would you do with the money?

Ohhh I would buy a huge farm where I have various places to work my dogs and keep LOTS of sheep :)  And pay off other things such as student loans and cars.  Maybe then I could fly whatever trainer I chose out to my place to keep me and my dogs working properly too!  Other than that i don't think much would change.

2. After winning the lottery would you work a day job? If so, what would you do?

 

Yes, I would keep a day job but it wouldn't be working in an office.  I think I would go back to doing something with animals...vet tech, run a kennel/dog day care, back to being a horse trainer.....soemthing like that

3. Do you have any auxiliary dogs? Auxiliary dogs are dogs that are not essential to your main purpose (usually tiny, but not always). If you don't have an auxiliary dog what might you choose?

Does a non-working border collie count as an auxillary dog?  That's all I got, well and a retired, deaf, partially blind, loves to bark working dog!  But up until recently I had a pit/lab mix and a collie/greyhound mix as auxillary dogs.....I have kept my mom's min pin and while he's nice to snuggle with I don't think I could keep a small dog in my house, Jen tends to think small dogs are cats and wants to eat them!

4. Do you have a favorite crock pot recipe (or other recipe) you can share?

MMMMMMMM Crock pot macaroni....I want some now!

Crock Pot Macaroni & Cheese

 
1 - 8 oz pkg elbow macaroni, cooked and drained (= 1 3/4 cups dry pasta)

1 – 16 oz pkg sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 – 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 ½ cups regular milk

1 tsp salt

1 stick melted butter or margarine (I think you could use less…)

2 eggs, beaten

Combine all ingredients in crock pot; mix well.

Cook on LOW heat 3 ½ - 4 hours.

Tell Me Thursday #3

Wow everyone should be impressed, I've managed it 3 weeks in a row!!

OK so this week Laura (and friends) want to know this....

1. What movie do you love but are too embarrassed to admit you love it?

Ummm embarrased no....a silly chick flick YES.  Sweet Home Alabama.  And yes it is on every weekend over and over again and yes I watch it at least once every weekend, though usually in parts :)

2. Ann wants to know: How far do you drive/travel to attend trials, clinics, lessons? How far is too far?
Well hmmmm I haven't trialed much, but I did back in spring drive 8 hrs to a clinic for the weekend, it was great fun and I planned to do it again but alas I will not be able to through not fault of my own.

3. What is your theme song (circa Ally McBeal)?

I'm supposed to have a theme song?  Sorry this I do not have

4. Laura S wants to know: If you had to choose a new dog activity, one that you had never done before, what would you choose?
Well hmmmm maybe agility or search and rescue....

5. What would your dog choose (or scribe, if you're Pippin)?

Spottie would choose barking and she says don't argue with her that it's not a sport

Jen says is cat herding a different sport than sheep herding?  Ok how about cat biting?

Duke says he would like to take up sheep herding (and will need to find a new handler to do so!!)

Dutch would like anything that involved jumping on top of crates, etc...so maybe agility would be the sport for him!

Tell Me Thursday

Today Laura wants to know

Going forward over the next six months, what are your goals?

Hmmmm......that's a hard one since right now I am just trying to survive!

Lets see

1. Continue to improve my property (add fence along property line, add flowers/shrubs, etc...) and improve the pasture fencing as I can (horses are behind 3 strand hotwire)

2. Finish indoor home improvements (painting, putting floors down, more painting, putting up doors, etc...)

3.  Get my dogs out to work more places and try to have them both ready to trial in PN by spring - I'm down to only 4 dogs, 2 of which work so it really shouldn't be too hard, just need to find the time!

4. Become more organized - this may be scary for those who know the OCD me, but maybe being more organized will help curb the OCD?? :)

5. To continue to grow in my career and not get stuck in a rut - I like change and get more fairly easily at work, if it doesn't challenge me or soemone doesn't keep me super busy I find things to amuse myself like blogging....

Tell Me Thursday

So after my trauma of losing Oliver to hermangiosarcoma, having 1/2 of my lambs stolen and then the super traumatic experience of walking outside to Rottweilers killing my flock of sheep I'm back, maybe I'll keep up with my blog this time.

Here's what Laura wants to know for this week:

1. If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?
2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?
3. Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?
4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?
5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?

1.If you're not at the 2011 Sheepdog finals this weekend what are you planning to do?
Well Saturday is my birthday so mom and I are coming up to the Raleigh area for a huge tour of farms in that area.  I'm planning to look at some BFLx lambs while I am there and hopefully pick up some great naturally raised food as well.  I might even get to deliver Julie's puppy so that will make me extra happy to have puppy time :)  Sunday if I can borrow a computer I hope to watch some of the finals (we dont' get internet access at my house unless you want to pay like $125/month...i'm just can't justify that)

2. One item you NEVER walk onto the trial field (any trial field, or training class will suffice) without?Well usually its the nice yellow stick I work dogs with.  I don't know why but I feel a need to have it, I rarely use it, but one well know handler with the initals P.S. has used it to anchor me in one place since I tend to want to move with my dog!

3.  Katy wants to know if you have a pre-run ritual that you observe?
Well considering I haven't trialed much no.  I do tend to be very stressed that I am going to miss my run so therefore get my dogs out probably way too early.  But thats just me and my OCD.  Though I think that will come in handy with Jen since she needs to have that tendon warmed up before doing any work.


4. How old were you when you had your first real kiss?
I think 14.  A boy I met at the beach and I remember nothing of it other than it being dark, it was super hot and he wasn't a very good kisser though who can blame him I'm sure it was his first kiss too!

5. Bonnie wants to know what you do for yard mud control during the winter?
Your supposed to control the mud?  Ummm yeah I just don't.  I have a "mud room" which is where dog crates, etc are so I just let the dogs in there, I try to wipe feet and I do a lot of mopping of that floor! 





 

Revelations

I know...I've been AWOL again.  Winter just isn't my thing and the start of spring has proven to be busy with a new job, baseball, clinics, and GRADUATION!  That's one thing I can't wait for, yet I am considering going right back to get a Masters in Human Behavior Analysis....

But on to the dogs...

Jen is back to work, I even ran her in a trial.  It wasn't stellar, it probably wasn't even acceptable.  But she did it, the start of a P/N course.  You can't imagine the joy (and fear) of watching that dog leave my feet and do a beautiful outrun, lift and fetch after all she has been through.  There were times in her rehab that I never thought she would go back to work and there were times that I thought about giving up.  But we forged on and look where it go us.  Now if I can just get her back to taking inside flanks while driving we will be ready for so much more.  She is my inspiration, no matter what she never stopped trying.

Dutch is coming along nicely.  I attended another Patrick Shannahan clinic with him and we made great progress.  He is an interesting dog, not soft but very sensitive.   He is a true reflection of me, he wants to be right all the time no matter what.  He needs confidence and starting to drive gave him a lot of confidence.  He loves to drive.  Right now I am walking along with him, he is "brave" enough to push them maybe 20 ft or so ahead of me and he is starting to take inside flanks with just a "here" and then the flank.  He may be slow to mature but I think he will be a nice trustworthy dog when its all said and done. I've been thinking a lot about techniques and training methods since the clinic.  I really like Patrick and his methods make sense to me.  The make sense to my dog as well, obviously.  Dutch even came around and started to work for him!

Emma passed away on March 17, 2011 at 13 yrs old.  Bone cancer brought her down and  I wanted to let her go with dignity.  My house is awfully quiet without my personal doggie alarm clock, but I know that she is pain free now.  Its hard having old dogs...there are 2 more in my house Oliver, 11, and Spottie, 13, they are both doing great for now so I am hopeful for more time with both of them!