11/25/2021 Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. As you gather with family and friends, enjoy a quiet day together, or don't do anything at all, I hope you are safe and well. And if you're not, I wish you peace and strength. We're coming into that part of the year when many people have a hard time. I have several friends who I know will be struggling over the holiday season, coping with losses of loved ones, of jobs, of security. Please know I hold you in my heart and thoughts. Even though, personally, the past year has been a struggle on some fronts, full of new challenges and many changes, I have much to be grateful for. And many to be grateful for. To those of you on that list, I hope you know you're there, and I hope you know how much your support, encouragement, laughs, tears, friendship,

06/20/2017 Jig’s Journey ~ A Blast From the Past

This clip of 5 month old Jig showed up on Facebook's 'See Your Memories' thing. According to my post that day: Took Jig into the small arena today, just for grins and giggles, and Tija was able to catch some of it with her phone. At first Jig was obsessed with one of the ewes that wanted to stick to me, she just kept circling me and the ewe, trying to get her to move by heeling her a couple times. I put the lead back on her so I could direct her a little further, put the sheep back together and then just wanted to see what I'd get when I released her. Got lots of promise, that's what I got. [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdXYeJYM9Xs] Sometimes, to see how far we've come, it really helps to look at where we started. Five years and a lot of miles later Jig and I are *finally*

12/17/2016 And Now For Something Completely Different…

I don't often use this blog to pimp my writing endeavors (beyond the link over there --->), but I'm doing a bit of a media blitz this weekend, so bear with me. (And if you make it to the bottom of the post, there is something dog-related. Really.) If you read epic fantasy (with just a touch of romance), or even if you don't but might like to try it, now is your chance to get my complete Darkness & Light Trilogy as one bundled e-book, complete with six, full-color illustrations, currently on sale on Amazon for $2.99. That's right, all three e-books, one unbelievably low price. Have you already read the books, or just want to whet your appetite? You can get access to a private gallery of the illustrations by signing up here. You will also receive a free, short story entitled A Brief Interlude. What is the trilogy about? Glad you asked,

12/12/2016 That Time of Year

It finally arrived, complete with single digit temps and sub-zero wind chills that freeze the snot in your nose. Winter. Don't get me wrong, for the most part, I like winter. Seriously. I love the nights when the silence is so thin a single whisper fractures it, the way the stars sparkle, and the way the wind dances with the snow across the open fields, spiraling it upwards in crystalized waterspouts. The thing I hate about winter is that, for the most part, training comes to a grinding halt. Sure, there are those rare days when the temperature is bearable, the ground's not a frozen accident waiting to happen, and I can actually swing the gates, but those are few and usually hit during the week when the dayjob sucks up all my daylight hours. This year it's going to be even worse. Not winter, per se, but my impatience with being unable to work the dogs

04/01/2016 It’s That Time of Year

Yup. Now's the time I bore delight you with far too many numerous adorkable lamb pics. So far we have 4 sets of twins, with ram lambs outnumbering ewes at 5-3. I'm hoping that turns around and we don't have Year of the Ram. Pretty pleased so far with the size and coloring. The Captain has done well.        

03/26/2016 Photo Friday ~ A Day Late

Yesterday was a great morning to be out with the camera. The sun was blindingly bright, the sky deep blue and clear, sweatshirt temperature, and treacherously beautiful. The world sparkled. Encased in crystal. As the sun warmed, the air became filled with a sound like crinkling cellophane, or the crackling of fire. The light, silvery tinkle of the ice relinquishing its hold on branches and clattering to the ground. Even the fences were encased, the ice forming a glass-like echo as it pulled away. This poor robin was wondering what happened to spring. And the Bluebird of Happiness wasn't so happy trying to cling to the click sumacs.

10/24/2014 Jig’s Journey ~ The Coyote Classic

Last weekend we went to MN to attend the Coyote Classic put on by the Upper Midwest Australian Shepherd Club at Conroy Farm. As always, it was a great time. I got a great surprise when I arrived at Deb's and found Gail in the kitchen. That was the awesomesauce on the entire weekend, as I didn't expect her to be there. But she'd come to support me in the quest for Quinn's last cattle leg. That gets its own post so I'll move on to Jig. On the plus side, we ended the weekend with a Started Cattle leg, and came within two points of a qualifying score our first time running in Open Sheep. There were some blue ribbon moments sprinkled about, which was a good thing. Most of those came on Friday and Saturday. By Sunday… I don't know about anyone else, but by the third day of a

10/04/2012 Oops, There it Ain’t

So, it seems when I switched my domain to a new server, I didn't handle the Wordpress file transfer correctly and now have to rebuild my site.  <huge sigh>  Bear with me, it'll get there.