Forgot

I forgot it was February and time to change the picture... how do ya like the squirrel, sure is a cutie..

Forty two years of wedded bliss

Ya right... it is really hard to believe we have been married 42 years... Feb 2... ground hog day...    We decided to go out for supper on Tuesday, and Merritt doesn't have anything exciting for a restaurant... so we went to Kamloops, I had to pick up my Christmas present, MY new sunglasses...and return a dog halter.. of course i didn't have the reciept for the halter so had to take a credit, which is fine, but i just didn't have time to look for something... i wanted a retracable leash for Levi, but theirs were way to expensive, they have the same type at Wally's world for half the price, so will save the credit for a toy for Yankee... Levi could pull out of the halter, and that is not what i wanted, so i bought another one, and he hasn't been able to pull out of it yet... he has such a square head and short nose... Then we went out for supper to "the Keg", a very nice restuarant... as we were celebrating our anniversary they gave us a nice dessert... but we were so full we couldn't eat it... Larry had scallops wrapped in bacon, and lobster and steak, and i had calamari and then Prime rib... (my favorite steak is rib steak, which is prime rib cut into steaks..) and as they didn't have rib steaks i went with the prime rib... it was really good.. could hardly eat it all... it was nice to spend some quiet time together and just chat about life..

Levi is doing really well with his agility, he is finally getting the idea that this is suppose to be fun... one of my agiltiy buddies was laughing at us last week, he wasnt going too fast, and i told him to hurry up, and she said he speeded right up..I have been practising "weave poles" and some jumps at home, and he is finally starting to bounce through the weave poles.. it is a front two footed bounce.. makes them go faster..I am really pleased with him... although as soon as we get to the class he won't do it... but as long as we keep practising he will learn that he has to do it all the time...I can hardly wait to take him to a trial...we are going to the earliest class on Saturday as we are playing cards early on Saturday..it should be interesting as these are dogs that he doesn't know... so he might get a bit snarky...so this is when the halter will work...

Weather has been nice, hardly freezing at night..it can stay this way till April for us...

One of the Shetlands hasn't been feeling to good this week... this is her taken this summer after she was sheared.. "Hay stack" is her name... i know a really weird name, but she was an orphan we bottle raised, and she always followed us around, and when we feed the sheep from the wheel barrow she was always under your feet, and kept getting hay all over her... so  "haystack" cause that is what she looked like... gave her some 'ketamalt' whick is like a good dose of cod liver oil, and she is feeling better.. don't ya love the horns... they make good handles..well better go do some laundry, wash the floor, vaccum the living room... too many damn animals in this place.... have a good one.

@#%& Dog

Anyone want a 4 year old Bouvier really CHEAP.... yesterday the yard gate was open and Jackson the Bouvier and Levi took off barking up the hill behind the property about 3 pm, no sign of them at 3:30, so i went looking for them, I got back at 4:15 and there was still no sign of them, Levi showed up at about 4:30, but no Jackson..it was so unlike him, he has gone walk-about before, but has always been home with in the hour... so Larry went looking for him today, and found him about 3kms from here, and he was in an absolute frenzy.. won't come to Larry and just won't settle down..Larry finally settled him down and put a leash on him... I saw Larry coming home and thought the worst as he had only been gone 20 minutes..but he had a very wet, tired, excited dog... right now he is laying in the living room dead to the world.. I had called the neighbours to see if they had seen him, and Peg told me that there had been a bob cat around, Jackson has a very good nose so maybe he was out chasing the cat, he has been frantic about the squirrels the last couple of days, and it is a full moon tonight... so i am sure all things combined he lost his mind, and forgot about coming home... it was so unlike him... but i am glad he is home

January 25-2010

Just where does the time go... the older i get the faster time goes... again it was a beautiful day, no sun, but nice and warm, we woke up to 1/2 inch of snow, just enough to freshen it up... and cover all the crud on the lawn... 5 dogs do make a mess...We had a great guild meeting last week..spinning, laughing and just plain chatting.. I am still spinning up some wonderful very fine Merino that i had bought from Andrea, it was 17 microns, it was sent to Canada in error, they usually save the very fine merino for their own use... I figured i almost had it finished when Andrea gave me the 100 grams she had saved for herself..what a sweet heart... I have put aside my Glacial Green jacket, as i am having a bit of a problem with reading the pattern, I think i have it figured, but i wrote to the author, i did hear back from her, but she didn't really answer my question... so i will wait another day or two before i pick it up again.. so i decided to spin up the merino from Andrea on my traveller... I have been spinning my orginal on my Joy, which i take to meetings..both being Ashford makes the spinning very similar..i do love to spin fine.. I got the pattern for Toni's birthday shawl... can't tell you what it is as she does read this occasionally..now just have to decide what fibre to use...  I have got a few more shawls planned as some of my friends are much younger than me... one in her late 40's and one in her early 50's, so i have decided that they won't have to wait for their 60th birthday.. as i will be too old to knit by then...
Yankee bird is doing well... he has learnt to say "Larry's a geezer"... just as clear as can be... did i tell you that Larry and one of our card buddies have major disagreements when we play cards... and their favorite gripe at each other is "a card laid is a card played"..well Glenys' hubby taught Yankee to say " A card laid is a card played, Glenys, ha ha ha"  and it is so funny as the laugh is Dave's newfie laugh... very deep and definitely Dave's laugh..
Agility started on Saturday with me about ready to retire.. really bad first run.. dog wasn't listening and i was in the wrong spot at the wrong time..i am the oldest one in the class, one is a teenager,(19), and the other two are in their 20's, and then there is me... ancient...with a beginner dog.... the only good thing is that i sort of know what i am doing... i have trained 2 other dogs, so i am not a beginner handler, just one with a bit more experience.  But Levi is getting better, we worked on some weave poles today, and he is getting faster, but we both slipped on some ice, so will have to wait till all the ice is gone.. Jackson has been chasing "Squirrels", have any of you seen the movie "UP"... and Doug the dog says "Squirrel" that is our dogs... Jackson stands up on the tree barking at them... and the squirrels just tease the dogs, they come down to 10 feet, and chatter at the dogs.. went to feed the birds today, and the squirrels have been getting to my birdseed, they leave me all kinds of things, just like a pack rat... this morning there were 'pine cone' clumps of dirt, pieces of plants, piece of plastic, and some stale pretzels that i had put out for them...and hunks of rope from the outside parrot cage..I know most people hate squirrels, but we don't, we find them fun to have around.. Yankee calls the one who lives here, "Squirrel Mackie"  we do have a dog called Mackie, but Yankee put the two words together on his own...well better go do some spinning........... S

OH what a beautiful day

HI... what a gorgeous day, above freezing, and i was able to have the front door open for a while today... so nice to have fresh air in the house... not doing any spinning as i am trying to get my jacket finished, almost got the back done, and then just the front to do... very easy pattern as long as i don't make a mistake... making a mistake on such an easy pattern makes me feel like a fool... but i am learning how to correct the errors without frogging it..
Levi and I had a good agility day yesterday, he is learning and is running faster although he still figures he know where he is going, he loves the A frame, the Dog walk and teeter... i got him to fly over 4 jumps and then thru a tunnel, and then the plan was that I would tell him 'tunnel' again as he was in the middle of the first tunnel, and he was to turn left and go thru another tunnel, but he does love the A frame, and he could see it as he came out of the tunnel, so he ignored me and headed for the A frame..then stood on top of it while i stood at the bottom... but he is learning... I feel that we aren't progressing, but my agility buddies come early to watch us, and they say that he is doing well... so i will try a couple of trials this spring.. and maybe only a couple of runs a trial... don't want to push him too hard... i need someone to take some pics of him so you can see him run..
Better go get supper organized, Joe is here for supper, we sure see a lot more of him these days since he and the spouse have separated..but i know he is lonely..we found the house a little crowded over Christmas with him and Matt hanging around for 4 days...it was okay when they were growing up, we got used to the extra bodies around, but now that they have been gone for 10 years, we have gotten used to just us here.. we live in an old mobile, would love a new house, but we do have a roof over our heads and it and the 10 acres are paid for... see ya soon

HAPPY NEW YEAR...  don't ya love my new picture... this is a pic of a Sewhet Owl, that lived in our barn a couple of winters back... should go check the barn to see if he has come back... might have to change it as it is really large.... hugs

Great Day but no Dinner

Dec 31... started writing Christmas Day, but never finished it... so here is what i wrote, then i will start over again..

Morning... had a lovely Christmas Day, Matt arrived Christmas eve... We were all up early, Joe had to work Christmas Eve, but they let him off early so he was here about 8:30, Larry and I had done the chores, so we opened gifts as soon as Joe got here... Lots of good stuff.. I got new boots that i wanted, and a fancy knife sharpener, an electric one that even sharpens serrated knifes.. and lots of gift certificates to WALMART... I know that isn't too exciting, but I wanted a pair of Prescription sun glasses and they are very expensive, but Walmart has a good selection of frames... so will end in to Kamloops soon to get them ordered..

 Dec 31.... We suppose to go up to friends for dinner... but as i was getting dressed, i decided that i wasn't feeling up to going out... stomach was quesey..so Larry and the boys went with out me... I was very disappointed, but would rather feel rotten at home then up at Clara's   so i had two pieces of raisin bread for supper... Matt's little dog drove me nuts, she is definitely a one person dog, and she was really stressed while he was gone... Matt and Joe went to Kamloops to a movie one nite, and she had calmed down nicely...
Anyway... it is hard to believe that tonite will be 2010... seems like it was just yesterday that they were saying the world would crash and burn when the clocks turned over to 2000...we made 10 years with problems...
We will be in bed by 11 tonight..card buddies will be over for supper tomorrow early, so we will play cards for a couple of hours, and then have a lovely Prime Rib with twice baked spuds, ceasar salad, brussel sprouts and peas and corn, and the a delious chocolate roll stuffed with REAL whipping cream and iced with a light chocolate icing..girlfriend had given me this recipe over 30 years ago with instructions never to let anyone else have this recipe... I mentioned it last time i saw her, and she can't remember telling me that, and that she didn't care if i passed the recipe on...all these years i had been so good not letting anyone have it..oh... guess we change as we get older..
Weather has warmed up nicely... Hens are laying very well, had 18 eggs one day.. i have a whole fridge of eggs... will take some to guild meeting, hopefully will be able to sell them all...
I messed up the other day and didn't drain the hose that we use to water the sheep well enough and then the prairie water tap froze, so Larry is trying to thaw it out...
Got my Finn all spun up... got 2500 yards out of a pound... now just have to decide what to make out of it... I have restarted the glacier green merino and silk yesterday...had to go up two needle sizes to get it the right size for my BIG hips...it is the feather and fan pattern done in a sleeveless jacket... hope it fits this time...
I got an email from a very good friend who taught me to spin 25 years ago... i h ave been trying to get Anja to start spinning again, anyway she told of me of this new lady that she met who is also trying to get her to start spinning again... are you ready for this... this new friend of Anja is known in their valley as "Rattlesnake Annie" and has run guys off her property with a 'shot gun'...  doesn't she sound like an interesting character... i would love to met her...
Better go and make up my baked spuds for tomorrow... we are playing cards early in the afternoon, so will have to have everything ready in the am... have a Truly Great New Year's Eve... please don't drink and drive...hugs