01/09/2023 A Mid-winter Break

Lookit me. Posting again. What an overachiever. ? I decided I've been struggling with blogging off and on because I'm really not a 'heart on my sleeve, need validation, share with strangers' type of gal. And though I could blog about something else entirely, we all know my muses are not the 'let's just keep it in and ignore it' type of beings. So there you have it. Compromises must be made. I'm rather wishing Mother Nature subscribed to that theory. It's been a bit hard to get any training in for the past month and a half or more. One of the drawbacks to living in the upper midwest. When it wasn't cold, it was wet. So we had a lot of this

07/30/2016 Dillon’s Day

Yes, for once, a post about a dog other than Jig. Hard to believe, right? Well, up until now, Dillon hasn't done much training besides dry foundation work, a few twirls in the round pen, and one time in the small arena. Other than that, he's just been hanging out, going lots of places, socializing, and learning how to be a good puppy. He did get to go along  to my friend Diana's farm last week, where he met cattle for the very first time--on line, of course. Once Jig explained the proper procedures to the heifers, such as, 'if you put your head down and come toward me, you're going to get bit' and 'when I say move, I mean get to hoofing', I introduced Dillon to them. He wasn't the least bit intimidated by their size, and even brought out his big dog growl and held his ground when

03/30/2016 Out Like a Lamb…

I go into lambing each year with a mix of anticipation and dread. Lambs, like puppies, are adorable. I can watch their antics for hours. Once they start to discover their legs and each other, they begin hopping about like popcorn and organizing lamb races while the adults eat. Such displays can pull a smile and laugh out of me even on my most frustrating day. It's tempered by the complications and unknowns that can arise. Some years are worse than others in that department, but a big part of the reason I chose Katahdins was their ability to pasture lamb with little to no interference from me, and without the need for lambing jugs. Yes, I've had to step in from time-to-time and, yes, the occasional ewe will find herself confined for a bit if I think she needs help or her lambs don't appear as thrifty as I like. Overall, however, they

03/24/2016 Daily Dose of Cute

I'd forgotten how much fun, and work, a puppy is. It's been 8 years since we had a young pup in the house. Jig came to us when she was about 6 months old, so the last itty-bitty pup we had was Shaine. It's tough being the only youngster in the house when you have a lot of energy and no playmates. Dillon tries to play with Row, but she's beyond putting up with puppy shenanigans and too polite to explain it to him. Jig is still thinking he'd make a tasty hors-d'oeuvre. Grady would probably play with him, but the size difference between them is too great right now (think, tank vs. smart car). Amazingly enough, Her Royal Highness Princess Fiona The Cat (yes, she does insist I use her full title), will initiate play. She'll even seek Dillon out. Then, of course, Dillon slaps her too hard in the head, she gets all hissy, the

03/20/2016 Dusting Off the Lens

It's been a while since I hauled my camera out. The actual one. Not the cell phone one. A couple days ago, I discovered our hawks are nesting in a tree on the lot line This tree, as a matter of fact They've never nested here before. I suspected they were in the woods to the north of our property, but never knew for sure. Perhaps this is a new pair. A closer view of the nest, minus mom & dad. In any case, I love birds of prey. Always have. I'm thrilled to have the hawks and the Great Horned Owls on our place. Seeing the nest so close, inspired me to dust off my camera and see if I could get any decent shots of the parents. I decided I'd make a little walk-about out of it, and introduce Dillon to some of his new world. Unfortunately, this is the only shot I