Signed copy of Key Dogs from the Border Collie Family by Sheila Grew

I am offering a softcopy of Volume ONE of the Key Dogs of the Border Colllie Family. The soft covers have two books, Volume One and Volume Two. I do NOT have Volume Two for sale.

The hardbacks have Volume One and Volume Two combined.

Excellent shape.

This book is hard to find and this especially so, since it is a signed copy by Sheila Grew.

Price $150.00 plus shipping cost and insurance.  You will have to sign for the book by the Post Office. The book will NOT be shipped until your check has cleared.

My email is tess at deltabluez dot com

Roasted Rack of Lamb with Herb Crust

Ingredients
2 racks of lamb (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds), trimmed
1 cup coarse, fresh crumbs from French bread or panko crumbs
2 shallots, peeled, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grainy mustard
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chicken stock


Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Place the racks of lamb in a roasting pan, bone side down, and roast 20-25 minutes for medium-rare. (If desired, sear the racks of lamb in a large skillet before roasting to reduce the roasting time to about 15 minutes.) Test for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer in thickest part of the lamb; it should read at least 125 degrees.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, shallots, mustard, basil, thyme, parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil and chicken stock; mix well.

4. Remove the lamb from the oven, turn off the oven and turn on the broiler. Pat the crumb mixture onto the lamb and place it under the broiler 2-3 minutes, until the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the broiler and let sit 5 minutes. Slice into chops and serve.

The USDA suggests cooking lamb to and internal temperature of 145 degrees for medium-rare. Whatever cut you choose, just don't overcook it.

Bobby Dalziel's Joe video

Here is a video of Bobby Dalziel's Joe. Joe is the sire of my Kinlock Wynn and Kinloch Kiwi.



Trial in Ettrick Valley

March trial update

I thought that I had posted this but did not so here it is, a couple of months late!

The morning came quickly and I struggled to get up. I had to leave by 6:30 to get the handler’s meeting and I was running, Nan, Roo and Faye in Open and Sleat and Taff in PN. Janet was going to go with me but was sick so I had to do the trek by myself. The frost was thick on the windshield so I let the truck warm up while I let the dogs out for a run and drank my coffee. I quickly loaded my gear and then the dogs all hopped in. Nan, Sleat and Faye were in the front while Roo and Taff were in the back and me next to the heater going full blast. I cranked the country western tunes up to full blast and sang along, badly I might add.

PN was the first class up and Taff was the first of my gang to go on deck. He was amped up and he was fixated on something other than the sheep. I had him set up to go left but he crossed at my feet. I stopped him and he took the down but kept focusing on the non-existent sheep to the right. Finally, he did look the direction that I wanted him to and sped up the field. At this point, his mind was on fire and he was pushing hard. He did a nice sweet stop at the top, nice lift then powered on like a runaway freight train. We struggled the rest of the way and it turned into a training session.  With Taff, if his mind goes awry, the run is over. So I need to stay on top of him and not him wired himself out of control. Homework for me.

Sleat ran out like a top and I had sent her to the right. she had to swim through a huge marsh pond that was over her head but she was game. Lifted nice and a off line fetch, Sweet turn at the post and then the sheep stalled. She didn't want to walk into the inside flank on the away side so at that point it turned into a training session, I finally got her to do the hard inside away flank but we ran out of time on the drive. It turned into a training session and she had some brilliant sections then parts she needed my help. I was happy with her efforts

Faye before her run.

Roo was my first dog up in Open. I sent him to the right to the water obstacle and he also swam. His lift was nice and fetch was good. On the drive, we had some bobbles and he got the pen. He ran quite well and I need to be crisper on some flanks and make sure he squares out better.  I also need him to settle a bit more on the top part of the fetch but overall, he did quite well. He was quite proud of himself when he was done.

Nan was sent to the waterside and she plowed through the water like a otter, had a nice lift, a bobble on the fetch. She had a nice drive but some difficulties at the cross drove, not wanting to release the pressure and got her pen. She also ran through the bit a little on her downs and I know what my homework will be with her. But all in all, I was happy with her run also.

Faye got in at the last minute and it was her first Open run. She went through the water but got hung up so I gave her a redirect and she took it. Her lift was nice and her fetch offline. She drive was good until the last part where she missed the crossdrive panel and I had to convince her to take the proper flank to bring the sheep to the pen. We had the sheep in the mouth of the pen when time ran out.  This was her first Open run and she was rusty since I had not run her since Oct in PN.

Nan got the third, Roo was fifth and Faye placed eight out of nineteen dogs. The lift was hard since the dog had to bring the sheep through a marsh and the sheep did not want to go into the marsh. of course, when the sheep saw Taff, they flew into the marsh at warp speed.!

A Dog Gone Day

Some days you need some dog humor.

This makes sense

Is that a Lite Beer?

Making his point!

Beach Corgis!!

A Boy and his Dog

Master of Disguise

Who is that person behind the camera?

I am the one that usually takes the pitcure so it is rare when you see a picture of me. Usually I press Janet or Bonnie into service at trial so I can get pixs of my runs. I tell them to take pixs of my dogs than me since that is more important to me.

Last weekend a bunch of us were working dogs. I decided to take some photos of Kathleen and her dog. Wayne Seward was taking some photos and he took some of me.

I am taking pictures of Kathleen and her dogs. Rainey loves being next to me, being the back up dog, stopping run aways, sorting and all sorts of stuff. Her mom, Tess used to be my go-to dog but Rainey has stepped into her shoes.

 More photos being taken and Rainey keeping my left side warm.

My back started to hurt so Wayne brought a chair out for me to sit in. That made a huge differnece and MUCH THANKS to Wayne. I think for my future photo shoots, I will be sitting in the chair.

Do you see the speedy Kelpie? I oftern will shoot hundres of photos to get a few quality ones. I try to set it up so the dog is in action, no blur, no distractions, etc....Rainey is bored by now.

Now you have seen lots of photos of my backside, here is my frontside!

I enjoy taking photos of my friends and their dogs.  I have gotten better over the years and still have a long way to go.

Thanks to Wayne for these photos.

My Buddy, Billie

Billie is my buddy. She is one of the females that I kept from the Roo x Nan litter. She loves to be next to me and that is like her mother, Nan. If I leave her chained up and leave the area, she carries on like a banshee.  Same as Nan!!

She loves to work the sheep. She is quite bold and if I am working another dog, she will sneak through the fence to assist me. Therefore I tie her up where she then carries on like a Banshee. I think I need to rename her "Banshee Billie"

She is a nice working pup and puts thought in her work. She will go both ways and has worked over 40 head of sheep. I only let her work for a couple of minutes then tie her up. Her formal training will start at the end of this year. I really look forward to that! She is only 4.5 months old.

"Billie, I have a cookie for you" 

 I love this pix.

 Big ears.....

 She has an intense focus.

She is such a doll. She loves to be by my side. She especially loves the chicken jerky treats.

Bessie the red head

It's hard to beleive the fat little pups of a couple of months ago are growing up. Bess is starting to look like a dog now and not a pup much more. She still has the goofy puppy personality still.

Next to my chair. I was sitting in this chair and taking pixs of a bunch of dogs.

 .....running about....

 ....faster.....

...almost there.....

At the cone and checking the sheep out....

Many years ago in a former life....

Many years ago in a former life, I used to play Ultimate Frisbee.....here is a photo from 20 years ago at a tournament called "Slugfest" in Oregon.

Can you find me?

Rose in the round pen....

Rose is Christine Koval's Sid and Alasdair MacCrae's Nap and was born in Dec 2010. She is about six  months old and just started to work the sheep. This is her second time on sheep. She is a serious working pup with her tail down and fire in her belly. We hope that Rose is our next superstar.

Kathleen is working Rose in the round pen. Kathleen is puppy raising Rose for me. She is the BEST puppy raiser and one of the best people to start a pup. She is one of my star students.  Kathleen is a wonderful handler and has some great dogs. She owns Duncan, Emma, Gael and Josh.

Thanks for Wayne for putting this video together for me. I really appreciate it.

Rain Reflections

Today was a day for reflections. With Rain by my side, the sun upon my face, I sat and thought about life.

Life is a journey

with many paths

to tempt and tease

but stay true.

Take not the wayward path

but the path of goodness

to lead to the path of life

and happiness.

Look deep into your dog's eyes

and what  you will see

is a reflection of your soul

of who you really truly are.

Hope that the person that you see

is one your dog can be proud of

of one that stands tall

and trusts with all of the heart.

Today I looked into Rain's soul

we smiled at each other

she leaned against my feet

and I brushed her with love.

My journey with her started with her dam

so many long years ago

and now it is passed on to her

and she walks by my side.

My journey with her

is of trust and love

and together we gathered the sheep

and again sat by each other's side.

The sun beat down upon us

and we looked up in the sky

and we both saw our journey

has just started to begun.

d. pagel may 2011

Crock Pot Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

 

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 pound ground lamor beef, browned and drained
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups frozen vegetables
1 medium onion, chopped finely, or 1 tablespoon onion flakes
1/2 teaaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika (then a bit more for garnish)
1 cup water
2 cups shredded cheese

 

 

Directions

Use a 4-quart slow cooker and spray the inside of your slow cooker insert with cooking spray

Brown the meat and onion on the stove, and drain any fat. Toss the meat with the spices and garlic. 

Put the meat in the pot and stir in the frozen vegetables, and a cup of water.

Add two cups of cheese on top.

Press the mashed potatoes down on top of the cheese and meat.

Sprinkle with a bit of paprika.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for about 3, then remove the lid and cook on high for 30 minutes to release the condensation and allow the potatoes to brown a bit on top.

How to spend a sunny day...

How to spend a sunny day in Washington State....

is not this....running around.....

but instead.....laying about....

....catching some rays.....

.....and thoughts of taking a nap.....

Pups at trials

I had to drop off two of the Roo x Nan pups in March at a Border Collie trial. Donna was picking up Kima and Hope was taking Hazel to Spokane so her owner could get her. So I brought Kima and Hazel to the trial where they got to met everyone and be spoiled. They had a blast and were social butterflies!

Hazel being held by Jo Roach and Donna is cuddling her future superstar.

Kima is like Roo but a female form. I see Roo all over again!

I also brought Reba to be socialized at a trial in April.  Jim was kind enough to drag her around all day for me. At first Reba was panicked but soon got over it. She was having fun getting pets and fussed over. She had a blast. Reba is Don x Lucy. Don is owned by Scott Glen.

Thanks to Jim for Reba sitting. Jim runs in PN with his Rodeo and has his own blog at sheepdogtrialling



Pitbull Blues

To those wonderful pitbulls out there!

A Tribute to Ivan. Loved by Wayne and Jan.

RIP dear Ivan.

April Clinic Pictures

Here are some pixs from the April Clinic. It was an all day clinic and we worked twelve dogs. I had a blast and we are going to make it an monthly event. Shirley hosted the clinic and her place is wonderful. Kathleen got the ball rolling for this event and it was a great idea.

This is me in the middle of the sheep. Marney has her lovely Aussie, Sally. She is one nice working Aussie that was doing great walkups by the end of the clinic.

Getting Sally to feel the bubble.

Marney and Sally getting a good session in and check out how well that Sally is feeling the bubble.

Shari and Ozzie learning how to properly work sheep through panels. Ozzie learned about square flanks and holding the pressure.

Talking about distance and being calm.

Lucas. This Kelpie was simply awesome at the clinic. Pam has put great work into this dog and he shone like a diamond. I was amazed at how great this talented dog worked the stock.

I'll just stand and watch this tremendous team pen the sheep. They are a team to watch out for!

I am working DeltaBluez Jude for Janet. He is a year old and full of himself. He not only learned to feel the bubble but by the end, he was doing outruns.

I did a second clinic but I didn't get any pictures. I will see if someone else took pictures. I will do that write up in a couple of days.

I had a grand time and the students were open to growth. I am really going to enjoy doing this series of clinics.

Rivendell - A name of a Champion

Rivendell is owned my dear friend, Kathy Davis. He is a five year old  Hanoverian gelding. He is currently in dressage training in Washington. Kathy lives in Medford, Or but her horse is up. She used to live up here and she still comes up to visit. After he completes some more training, he will go down to be with her. Kathy also owns his dam, Alana. Alana lives in Medford and Kathy rides her in dressage.

I remember when he was a gangly colt. All legs and full of life. Times sure goes by fast when I see him now and he is doing dressage! Rivendell is being ridden by the Assistant trainer.

Kathy took these pixs but we are going to do a more formal photo shoot on her next visit up here in June. We will even do a video shoot.

Doing a medium trot.

More of the medium trot.

Medium canter.

This is the speed that I like to go on...a loose rein walk. This is Kathy on her horse, allmost16.3 hands high. He is about 2 hands higher than I like.

Kathy going on a nice trot.

Still on a nice trot.

Now going on the trot with the Assistant trainer.

A nice canter.

Rivendell's sire is Regazzoni. He was bred in Germany but now is in the USA. Alana (dam) was accepted by the Hanoverian  Society into the stud book.  Her offspring will be Hanoverian registered if she is bred to a Hanoverian. She is a tall chestnut with a charming sweet personalty.

Kathy and I used to trial our Border Collies together before she moved to Medford, Or. She had Jill and I had Tess and we spent many hours together working the dogs and going to trials. I sure miss those times so the few times that I see her now are cherished times.