04/05/2020 Dancing in the Rain

You would think this forced quarantine would give me more time to write and more to write about. Turns out, when I have a lot of free time I also have a lot to fill it with. There's a long list of chores on the side of the fridge waiting for decent weather and time, things like fixing fences, rehanging gates, cleaning the barn, spreading manure

03/14/2020 A Dog’s Eye View

When I ran agility (which, for those wondering, was eons ago), one of the things we did while walking the course was to squat down to our dog's eye level and survey our intended path. It no doubt appeared strange to onlookers. Heck, it felt strange the first time I did it. It also made it instantly clear that what I was thinking and what my dog was going to be seeing were two vastly different things. That, in turn, usually altered how I originally planned to handle that particular sequence. Honestly, I haven't given this much thought since those long-ago agility days. What brought it to mind now were some images I shot last weekend when Jig and I had some work to do. It's tough getting pics of my dogs working when I'm by myself. My phone is getting old and the camera in it isn't what it used to be. So

03/08/2020 Shaking it off…

I realized it's been quite a few weeks since I last posted anything. I've been meaning to, I just haven't had the energy or the motivation. It's a late-winter-not-quite-spring thing. This time of year, with the promise of nice weather right around the corner yet not quite within reach, I tend to get impatient with not being able to venture out and do the things I most enjoy, which leads to being more irritable than normal, uninspired, and generally frustrated and restless. Besides which, not a whole lot happens this time of year and I don't have a lot to share. Jig appears to have similar issues as she's been moody lately. Actually, she's been a downright bitch, just ask Finn. Poor guy can't even look her way without her curling a lip. Seems Jig and I are both suffering from the winter blues. Thankfully, Saturday was gorgeous. A good

01/23/2020 The Healing of a Heart

It's been a bit over three months since we let Cian go. The Sad still lingers. It likes to raise its head when I'm tired, stressed, feeling overwhelmed, or driving somewhere alone. Too much time in my own head. I keep his picture at the base of my monitor because I need that little bit of him with me, though it's gotten to where most days I can think of him with smiles and not tears. On others, I'm not as successful. It's been a bit over a month since Finn claimed me. He snatched his piece of my heart with both paws and I'm afraid I love him too much already. I'm not sure I was truly ready for this because I've become extremely paranoid something will happen to him, which is very unlike me. It's to the point where, the morning after Dave told me Finn took off in

01/10/2020 Photo Friday

I haven't done one of these in a while. It was gorgeous today and we're due for a winter storm tonight and tomorrow because Winter has finally chosen to make an appearance, so, I decided to do one of those feed-the-soul things and take my camera on a little walk-about. This little guy was one of the few birds I saw out and about. When you have hair sheep, you have spindles of wool on fences. Linus

01/03/2020 2020

Happy belated New Year! I hope 2020 brings you more good days than bad, more happy than sad, more stories, love, and laughter than you've ever had. (I'm a poet and I know it and I'm not afraid to show it.) Moving on

12/30/2019 Winter Interlude

There's generally not a whole lot to write about this time of year but winter has been unusually and suspiciously mild around here so far. That, combined with some time off, has given me the opportunity to get in a bit of training. And, of course, there's this

11/26/2019 Teamwork & Communication

More teamwork. Due to circumstances we were forced to keep the cattle longer than we wanted (BTW, we still have beef quarters or halves available for any of you local folks who might be interested – message me for info). Anyhow, keeping the cattle over winter meant dividing the barn so they could be fed inside. Not something that thrilled me since four large beef cattle make a mess in a hurry. Thankfully, they prefer to spend the majority of their time outside, even in inclement weather, and only come in to eat. They're a pretty mellow group but still… large and pushy. The silver lining? Moving them off the feed bunker has become one of Jig's regular jobs now. It's one she thoroughly enjoys and I'm seeing vast improvement on how she handles them. No rodeoing, very matter of fact. She'll walk in on noses, hit if necessary, release pressure

11/18/2019 Two-by-two

Last Friday the weather was finally conducive to getting the ewes out with the ram so the afternoon became all about getting them sorted and moved. Knowing there would be a few challengers in the group I fully intended to give Jig the nod. Dillon needs more experience learning how to handle belligerent stock and though I've been working on it with him, we're having a few problems. It's well known; Dillon and I have communication issues. Then, in the way it often happens, the wise words of a friend popped into my head. Why not work Jig and Dillon together? How better to learn than side-by-side with an experienced dog? The team, ready to go to work. Jig's ear set says she may looking forward to it a bit too much. Right off the bat, someone has to cause an issue. Dillon isn't in the picture, but he's right behind Jig in