Invasion of the Hummers

Just went out to feed the hummingbirds... they are going thru 5 cups of syrup a day.... anyway they had been out of feed for about 30 minutes, I walked out with one feeder upside down, and instantly there were 2 Rufus's trying to feed out it UPSIDE DOWN...so i turned it right side up and just stood there... instantly there were at least 10 hummers there feeding out of the feeder, I didn't even get it on the hook, so i just stood there and marveled at them... i could feel the breeze of their wings on my face, and they were flying between me and the feeder..6 inches at the most... We have more that we can count.. especially at night when they are fueling up for the night...i did count at least 20... and this is before they have their babies.. Clara was here last night trying to get pictures of them, but she couldn't get close enough... now we know... starve the little suckers and then feed them out of one feeder...
Weather sure has been cold... freezing every night... feel sorry for all the folks who buy their bedding plants too early... i did buy the tomatoes, but left them under the roof of the porch and they are okay.... poor Yankee hasn't been out for a week, cold cold wind...
Larry has never like his name, so he decided he wanted to be called "ED" his name is Edwin Larry....so he taught the bird to say... "where Ed"  "Here's Ed", and he (Yankee) is driving me nuts with it... he has also learned to say  "Yankee is an Eagle"..
Meat birds are growing fast, a couple more weeks and they will be in the freezer..also have 2 turkeys sitting on eggs, should have chicks by next week... maybe... have to go find a picture of them... nope can't find any... better go take some... they are so pretty...   Off to agility tomorrow... hope Levi goes well, Denise and I are off to a one day trial in Kelowna, at the park just as you cross over the bridge... beautiful park, right next to the lake, just hope it is warm, but will take my winter coat just encase..Still trying to decided if i am going to go the  Regional, just to help out and volunteer...better make up my mind soon... will probably go down on Friday and spend Saturday with Mom, and then go to the trial on Sunday (that's the day they need help) and then just come home from there..It is in Abbottsford... should be fun... just have to decide to see if i can afford to go............have a great day

ZERO, ZIP, NADA

Yup.... a truly rotten weekend... sorry I have taken so long in writing about our escapades at the Leaps and Bounds Agiltiy trial this past weekend, cuz i was worn out... kept falling sleep all day on Monday.....We left Merritt around 1 PM on Friday, had a good trip down to Cloverdale... Denise brought her GPS..I have never had anything to do with one... so she programed in the address and away we went..we took 176 St... which turns out that I know it well... I never pay any attention to the street numbers when i am down there, I just know where to go..but it is a wonder that the GPS knows where to go... anyway..we had to stop at Sears as Denise need new runners and I forgot my sweater... and was lucky to find a very warm hoodie with a zipper..which i wore most of the weekend... anyway... we got there in plenty of time, I volunteered to change jumps for the evening, so i didn't have to do any during the weekend... I don't mind volunteering as i get to watch every dog, and every handler so i learn lots of tricks..We headed off to mom's for the night... had a nice warm shower and then off to bed... but of course we never sleep well the first night... and I had forgotten Levi's bed in the truck and he won't settle down..but i wasn't going out in my nightie for it... We stopped for breakie at Timmie's, Levi sits in the drivers seat while we eat... when we got back into the truck, Denise tried to put Levi into the back, and Pip (her dog who weighs all of 7 lbs) growled and Levi won't go into the back..turns out Pip got into the cooler bag, and he ate over half of his treats, got into Denises salad, so he won't let Levi into the back... didn't want to share i guess..we laughed as we figures Levi was playing Lookout for him...Gail and Karen came to support their Spinny friend (me).. and of course Levi just wasn't with the program... too busy looking around, and checking out the ring crew.. so we never did get a clean run.. and way over time in every run...very frustrating... but i wasn't the only one with a dog not paying attention... we slept better Saturday nite, and didn't get finished until about 5:30 as Denise and Pip are running  the Masters courses and they didn't get finished too early... there were at least 75 Master dogs compared to 40 Advanced dogs and 30  starter dogs..I have to keep telling myself that is is suppose to be fun... took Levi to classes on Tuesday,(we have moved up to Maureen's home place for the summer so our classes will be during the week now.)... and of course Levi ran okay, not great but okay...did everything I asked of him, still not too fast but better than the trial..
Came home to some nice gifts from Joe's new girlfriend and her kids... a shade tent, a bouquet of flowers and a gift certificate to Garden Sushi... we told her she didn't have to do it, but Joe says she likes to do things like that...Matt gives me my BCAA membership for Mother's day and my birthday, and Joe gave me a card and a coffee mug..(a new dishwasher is coming)...and Mom gave me $$ for part of the shade tent...
Joe brought home 2 laying hens this morning, they stopped at the boat launch on Nicola Lake, and Joe found 2 young laying hens... they were friendly and he didn't have any problem catching them... so we have two new girls in the bunch..   this is Denise and Pip.. good picture of her, but not great one of Pip... also now known as TC ( trash can)

One very bored Austrailian Cattledog with his one and only ribbon from the last trail we were at... poor boy... 

Cold cold May

Hi... sorry i have been so long getting back to ya all... L and I headed off to Ohlalla Washington on Saturday last weekend, a quick trip... we took oldest son's pick up, as we were picking up JUNK...for his old motors and drag saws... by the time we got to Merritt (20 Minute drive), i was feeling car sick..I have driven Joe's truck before and never had a problem with it, but for some reason when Larry drives it, he over drives it...and we sway back and forth... and I can not handle that... so I drove from Merritt to the toll booth... but that was as far as i could go..and then he drove, and i put the seat back and slept... made it to Mom's and headed for bed, and stayed there till morning... how i hate getting car sick, and i have been doing it all my life..you would think i would get over it by now..and it always takes me a day to get over it, so we talked youngest son into going with his Dad, and it was a good thing as they had a good time..Grandma gave them $$ for lunch as Larry wanted to go to "red Lobster"...which they did... they had laughs and travelled well together... I drove home and was fine...
Andrea and Sheila S and I went to one of the local schools on Wednesday,(one of our guild members is the Librarian there)... and showed off our spinning skills... we had a great time... and the kids were great, very friendly, polite, and very willing to learn... a couple of times we got overwhelmed as the classes changed, and there were 30 kids around 3 wheels, but we all had fun..
Levi and i were off to agility yesterday, and he is doing okay... he is not a speed demon, but i just want him to be calm and clean.. Karen and Gail, I will be down at Cloverdale again this coming weekend..for another trial, not sure if my friend will be there, as her little dog got into chocolate covered macadamia nuts, and plain macadamia nuts..and both are toxic to dogs...
I know it is time to change my picture but the tulips aren't open yet, and my batteries need charging, boy they sure don't last..
It is sure cold around here today... cold wind... there go my great plans for working on the garden and getting it ready for planting... only one of my 120 garlic bulbs came up... what a disappointment..will try again this fall..decided not to plant spuds as they go so mushy when cooked, over watered... unless i can talk L into making another bed for the spuds where they aren't close to the main garden, where they get sprinkled all the time...I am waiting on a whole box of tulips.. they are just about ready to bloom, they will probably bloom the weekend i am away...   I chopped off two of my rose bushes.. golden showers i think they were called... the shrub of yellow roses...they were getting very tall and spindly.. as i cut out the dead branches it really looked even worse... so we cut it all back... and then dug out the one by the deck that also was very ugly...Moved that one near the fence.. hopefully both will come back... my peach tree has blossoms.. hope it doesn't get too cold for it... as they are so good.. little and sweet..can't remember what they are called..it is a self pollinating tree... Well better go and start thinking about supper... beef roast, roasted potatoes, and Yorkshire puddings and gravy and asparagus..

One thing after another

Had a wonderful weekend at Desert Mesa Retreat...weather was good, we even got to sit outside for a couple of hours... we are losing our Managers, they are retiring.. so we hope that the new managers will be as considerate as Carol and Orst...Everyone had a great time.. we laughed so hard, my jaws hurt...i even got a couple of cheques for the fall retreat..
Before I left for the retreat, my dishwasher wasn't working.. Larry didn't have time to look at it while i was gone, but he checked it out on Monday, and of course these new dishwashers are not easy to fix... so i am washing dishes by hand... and while Larry was under the house shutting off the water, he noticed that the hot water tank was leaking.. of course being a OLD mobile, it has fibre board on the floor, and it was soaking wet.so he had to take out the floor and replace it before he could put in the new tank... a simple tank replacement has turned into a real renovation..he had to take out one wall of the closet.. he is not a happy camper.. I did get the bird cage mucked out today... we have two cages for him.. one outside and his inside cage.. he gets it so dirty... i had to use the pressure washer to get then clean... Yankee has been yelling at Willy (old cat), willy has a bad habit of howling when he is lonely, hungary, thirsty... and we yell at him... Willy, shut up.... well that silly bird yells at him while he is howling.. and tells him.... Willy  shut up.... really makes me laugh as he does at the right time....    the trees sure came into leaf while i was gone for the weekend.. even my peach tree make it thru the winter... cherry trees look good, and both my apple trees are getting ready to leaf out... hopefully my crapapple trees will get fruit this year... two apples on two  trees last year...
i am not looking forward to tomorrow... all the clothes from the closet need to be put back..i had to put them on the picnic table on the deck as Joe is in the spare room.... which i would have used if he wasn't there..oh well... he did pick up the hot water tank for us, so that saved us a trip to town..  I made Amish cinnamon cake, sure didn't turn out like it was suppose to... but it does taste good..  I need to start walking and riding my bike soon... need some excerise..  well i had better go see what the hubby is doing and if he needs any help

Spring Retreat

Our Desert Mesa Spring Retreat is just around the corner.. Friday... i can hardly wait...a weekend just for me.. I never get one... yah right... Levi and I went to our first agility trial last weekend in Cloverdale.. We got down there Friday afternoon, as Denise had to run "PiP' on Friday night..Levi did well for his first trial.. he even "Q"ed.(ran the course with no mistakes, and with in the set time).  much to my surprise.. and came close to a second "Q"... but it was taking a "Country dog" to the City... lots of noise, and people and other dogs... but he did well... although it did take him some time to settle down. there were 12 of from Iron Mountain Agility there... and everyone did well and everyone "Q"ed, .We will be back in Cloverdale May 7th weekend..and i will do things a little different..I will take him out to the bleachers and get him used to the sights and sounds..on Friday nite..
I sure haven't been sleeping well lately... i wake up at about 3 am and then can't go back to sleep..old age i guess..
The weather was beautiful today... the sun was so nice and warm... i have to wash the truck tomorrow, it is so dirty...also have to make the carmel corn for the retreat...I had even forgotten to get a gift for the gift exchange.. don't know where my mind is these days... CRS... can't remember shit... and i am so tired... will write again after the retreat, and hopefully i will remember to take some pictures.... nite..

Happy Easter

Time sure flies as one ages.... seems like it was just Christmas...
I have been thinking about all the shawls i have made in the last few years... I think the first one i made was for me, feather and fan, out of hand spun Shetland from Carol Arthur i think it was, I have since found out that the correct name for that pattern is "Old Shale"...read an item about comparing the two similar patterns... so when i started that one, my criteria was that the 'pattern' be no more than "4" rows of pattern...and that was a good one, cause actually it was only 1 row of pattern, and then 3 rows of knit and purl rows... so i handled that one okay, the next one was "Charolottes' easy shawl", again not a whole lot of rows of repeat... but lots of counting as one row had more stitches than the next... ended up doing two of those, one for my now ex daughter in law, and one for me... then i did one for a friend turning 60, and she was very ill and her family weren't sure she would make her 65th birthday, she is not 65 yet, but is still with us... and that one again was a really easy one "garter and lace" the body of the shawl was garter stitch, and then the lace was knitted on... again a simple one, but i just couldn't figure out how to add the lace.  I checked with my knitting guru, Louisa (Dameslfly), she wrote me a very detail email explaining it to me..but i still couldn't figure it out, so we made arrangements to meet at Fibres West?? and she proceeded to tell me that i was trying to put the lace across the top of the shawl instead of down the sides... her patience won out and i finally got IT... so over the years now i have made lots (last count i think was 18) of shawls, and my plan for April is to show you pictures of them all, the ones i have pictures of... have to go dig them out of "my pictures"... anyway the main reason I started thinking about the shawls, is i started knitting a cute little summer hat for a friends Grand baby... and after about 15 rows, I got BORED... i am going to finish IT... I am knitting a shawl for Toni..(she will be 60 in November), and would you believe   "there isn't two ROWs the same thru almost 300 rows of pattern... and I am winning the battle... I am at row 254... but no pictures of that one until OCTOBER..haven't had time to look for shawl patterns, and i have to go find a picture of something for the blog...  Went out for supper last night... turkey, nice not to have to cook it... Matt is coming up tommorrow, so i will cook up a half a turkey for us... so we can have left overs...
Levi and I had a good class yesterday... Maureen our instructor makes us run tough courses, we are just Starters, so when it comes to our trials, we should have an easy time of it... we have 7 runs next weekend in Cloverdale..the first one will be tough as i will be nervous and that will affect Levi... so I just plan on donating $$ for the first run(we will screw up)... I know we won't do well till my nerves settle..and then the weekend after that is "Desert Mesa"  which i am really looking forward too..two weekends away... poor Larry but he enjoys a nice quiet weekend with out me...  have a great day...  hopefully i will get some pics of Levi next weekend............. sheila