Go, Go and more go!!

Today was one of those super busy days. I had dropped my nightly pain meds to half to see if I could deal with it. I woke up late in the night and had to take a ½ perco which isn’t bad considering I have taking a ½ perco all along. My goal is to take only one pain med every twelve hours than two every twelve hours. Pain meds can be addicting and I certainly don’t want that to be my addiction. I prefer my addiction to be coffee and trialing dogs. That is much more fun!!

Nancy and Courtney got here and I went down to see them. Then Ben arrived. He is the other half of Deborah and Indy. Courtney gave him a lesson with Tess and then later he worked Tess in the upper pasture. He was doing well and I saw Tess was working well for him. I think I saw him slip her some bread and we all know she loves to eat. Ben and Deborah brought me some absolutely delicious Italian Chocolate. I brought it into the house and later my mom, Kimiko, Kathy, Jeff and I ate some of it. It was so good and just melted in our mouths!! Thanks very much to Ben and Deborah for that.

I figure by the time Deborah gets back from her internship, her husband Ben will a dandy little handler!! Tess and Scott will sure help him on this path.

Courtney and Nancy moved the lambs from the pond pasture to the back lawn pasture. The foolish lambs ran several directions and after a bit, they got it all settled and everyone was moved. This was a good hard chore as the lambs and two grown sheep had no idea where they were supposed to go and teamwork was required by the handlers and dogs. In the end, it was done and by a pair of 20 month old pups. Yes, we could have used Tess but how are the young ones going to learn? I remember when I first moved here eight years ago, Tess was just 2 years ago and we had to learn all of this the hard way.

We set up several chairs and watched everyone work their dogs. Nancy and Courtney worked their dogs and each week I see progress. Meg was working light sheep and then a nice size slow flock. She did a bit of driving. She and Courtney are going to be a team to be reckoned with. Nancy did well today and she has a tough dog to work. Blaze is a lot of dog and he requires a firm hand. Nancy is getting there and soon I think she will have him well in hand.

Logan and Jack did well. Each week they learn something new and they retain it. It is a real pleasure to watch them.

Tony and Lori (and Gillian) came over. The have been puppy sitting Sava for me. Tony has been working her for me. She is a handful. She is different than Faye so it was a challenge for Tony to work her. Having horse experience makes a big difference and he did a good job with her. He worked her in the big field on over 20 sheep. Prior to that, Sava had only worked in the round pen with five sheep. He did great working her in a big field with a large flock. Tony also worked Faye using his whistles and they did right on. Nice, smooth and good flow. I even could understand his whistles.

It was good chatting with Lori. She is very nice and loves her dogs. She had a tremendous Aussie named Luke that she was working with. He was very talented and worked hard for her. He passed away but prior to that, he was doing well and was almost ready for an ASCA started course. She has two young Aussies now, Tessa and Kate. They will be the future herding stars.

I think Gillian had a blast. She is a very cute and adorable girl. She LOVES to feed the ducks, chickens, geese and sheep. She is very good and I enjoy her company. Not to mention, she is very cute (like her mother, Lori).

Kathy had arrived earlier and worked Jill. Jill is the same age as Tess and they (Tess and Jill) have been fast friends since they were two. They spent most of their lives working sheep, going to trials and hanging out. Since Kathy moved to Medford, over 2.5 years ago, Tess and Jill have not seen each other as much. But you could tell the tight friendship was still there.

Jill worked quite well. Kathy worked her several times and they had a blast. Jill was so excited to work the sheep. I know she will sleep well tonight.

All this time, I was making sure that I would not overdo myself. It was good seeing everyone. Sitting in the chair was a good idea. It made it so I could stay out longer. It was nice to talk to people and not be so drugged up.

Everyone worked well and I was pleased to see their progress. It’s amazing when you are dedicated and do the work, the results will show it.

Tony dropped off sheep that they sheep-sat for me. They went to the other field to get fresh sheep and Nancy and Courtney went to help. By this time, I had been out in the barn for a bit and needed to go and rest. Everyone left and Kathy and I went up to the house.

By this time, my mom and Kimiko had shown up. They were in the house and we all hung out. We watched the Olympics but mainly chatted. Mom and Kimiko adore Kathy. It was a good visit.

After a bit, I had to do my walk so Kathy and I went down to the barn. She worked Jill and we ambled about. It was relaxing. Jill was having a blast. She thought she was in heaven. She got to work sheep again!!

Later, we had our family dinner. Mom and Kimiko made Tempura and sushi. Jeff had green bean with bacon (fresh green beans from the garden) and his special potatoes and onion fry. He grilled some steaks and by the time it was all done, we were stuffed. I ate ¾ of my steak, quite a bit of tempura (just as much as everyone else), a good amount of green beans and a serving of potatoes. I ate just as much as everyone else. I was also trying to stuff myself so my stomach would expand. I was happy to be able to eat as much as I did.

After dinner, Mom and Kimiko had to go. They want to get home before dark. I was happy they came over and made such a delicious meal.

Kathy and I waddled, yes, waddled and not walked down to the barn. I was so full. It was a good feeling.

I had the bright idea that since the ducks needed to be put away that Jill could do it. Apparently I forgot to coordinate this with the ducks. Normally, when they get put away at night, Jeff and Tess do it. They have a routine. Well, Kathy and Jill are not Jeff and Tess. The ducks refused to get out of the ponds and certainly were not going to work with Kathy and Jill. After all, it was not part of the “Duck Unions Contract”.

Kathy had to work Jill back and forth and around the pond to get them out. She got Jill to go into the water and finally the ducks decided they had put enough overtime in and wanted to go to their coop. So will Jill working them and Kathy handling the coop door, the ducks were put away for the night. Not bad and a lot harder than any ASCA course.

We thought we were done and I was feeding the sheep at the barn when I saw some sheep were on the far side of the lower pasture. Those were the sheep that Tony and Lori had brought back and not yet flocked up with the main group. I didn’t want them to stay on the far part since it was getting dark and I didn’t want them to be coyote bait. The heifer was over there too.

Kathy took Jill and sent her. That part of the pasture is chest high in some places and the sheep were hidden. Jill adjusted quite well and cast far out to cover the deep pasture and got all the sheep. That was good thinking on her part as it was hard to see the sheep. She got them all and it was good honest work. Kathy was very proud of Jill and rightly so!!

Today was a busy day and it felt good. There was a lot of good stockdog work. Students are doing well with their dogs. There was good camaraderie.

My chest didn’t hurt as much. I am healing and enjoying life again.

Oh yea, did I mention it rained. So much, it was almost an inch so far. I don’t have to worry about watering my lawn!!

Later, Jeff and I watched the last of the Olympics. For some reason, a few hours after my huge meal, I was hungry again. Jeff made me a double ice cream bowl and I covered it with hot fudge. I gobbled it down. It must be from the entire arm chair herding that I did today.

Who knows but I am hungry AGAIN. Its two hours since Jeff fed me the ice cream but I am going to rummage in the kitchen and see what I can find. Tess, the ever loyal dog is next to me, ready for this feeding expedition.

Life in general

I sure glad that I took yesterday off to rest. Because today, was a fun filled day. Jeff left about 7 this morning to go to an Ultimate Frisbee Tournament. He needed to have a fun day since he has been working as well as taking care of the farm and me!!! Tess and Nan took up duty by lying next to me on the floor.

About 7:20 a.m. Tess and Nan started to growl and their hackles rose. I woke up from a la-la land sweet dream. They were really worried and their growls got louder. I managed to sit up and looked but didn’t see anything. Then the dogs in the barn were ballistic. I got dressed and went to the back porch and looked over at the barn but didn’t see anything. It figures, I am alone and something is out there. Like the X Files.

Ok, I decide that I am not a weenie and go to the barn. With Tess and Nan as my bodyguards. Nothing, Nada, zilch. All was quiet. I have no idea what set them off. I called Jeff to see if he had any idea. He saw nothing when he left at 7:00 a.m. So, who knows what it was but it has happened twice in the past 2 weeks. But with Tess and Nan, I am safe. If you would hear them growling this morning, you would NOT have come to the door.

After my jaunt to the barn and my call to Jeff, I decided that I had enough excitement so I went back to sleep. I decided to sleep on the bed instead of the couch. Tess was delighted as she got to snuggle next to me on the bed. She and I shared a pillow and she licked my hand. She was so happy to be on the bed. Nan snuggled next to my legs and made sure that one part of her body was always touching me. The two girls made sure they were right next to me.

We got up and fussed about and Janet arrived. She came to clean the kennels and work Tess and Scott. I went down and chatted with her for a bit. She worked Tess and started to learn how to drive. She was doing great. Tess was working well for her. She can sort, drive and do all sorts of stuff. Tess is happy to be her partner.

Janet ran Scott. They did quite well. In addition to the mini course, I had them do figure 8 in the field. They both had fun and learned from their mistakes. Tess and Scott worked well too.

Kael got a couple of Kongs with treats in them and he went to work. He is a chow hound like his mom. He was using his paws like a monkey and looked like a younger version of his mom. Sleat was happy to be let out and sat in front of me, expecting me to fuss over her. Of course, I did!! She would run around and then check in with me and get her pets. She loves to be fussed over and I love fussing over her.

It was a good afternoon and shortly after they left, Nelson and Jim came up. They borrowed my truck and cut up some wood. It was in the middle of the day and hot as Hades. I sat in the shade and watched them work. They loaded up a truck load of wood. Later, they returned the truck and I am sure they are beat from unloading the wood too!! I know that I got tired watching them.

So today I did a lot of walks to the barn and visiting. It felt good and now, at 11ish, I am not wore out. A little tired but not wore out. I have trying to cut back on the pain meds so for tonight I took ½ of my nightly pain med. I hope that will be sufficient for me. If not, I can take my backup ½ perco pill. I am making sure that I am not addicted to the pain pills. I am taking enough so I don’t feel the chest pain. I am not taking more than that.

Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. Kathy Davis is coming over for a visit and dinner. My mom and Kimiko will be here. I hope my brother, Nelson can make it, and I also invited his friend Jim. Jeff is going to grill Filet Mignons and Mom and Kimiko will make Tempura and other assorted Japanese dishes.

We also have a full crew to work dogs. I won’t be giving lessons but my students are advanced enough to work on their own. I love seeing their progress.

It’s nice to see my progress is going well. I am reducing my pain pills, my chest is not hurting as much, my stamina is better and I enjoy life again. I remember when all I could do was drink a few sips or take a couple of bites before passing out. Or having my mom walk me to the bathroom. Or my mom helping me to take a shower. Or even dress!!

A lot has changed in the last seven or so weeks. It takes a long time to recover from that but what you learn when you are facing a crisis is what truly is important to you. Let go of the little things and look at what is really important. Family, friends, your faith, love….that is what is important. Holding onto to a grudge or being mad at someone for something stupid…that is not important. Remember back in High School when someone dissed you….in the grand scheme of life, is that really important? What is more important is telling that person in your life that your love them. I love my brother and I tell him every chance I can. I almost lost him a few years ago to a head-on accident. This year he realized that I was going through a hard surgery and then had to be rushed back into OR due to complications. When you come close to losing someone you love, you then realize, even though you love them and you show it, you need to say it. Those simple words mean a lot. When Nelson told me that right after the operation, it meant a lot to me. Nelson is not like me. He is very quiet and laid back and not one to chat. Opposite of me!!

So off my soapbox for now. Just remember what is important and if you get one bit of info from reading my blog, let it be this. Love life and live life and love your family, friends and your faith.

You will never know when your time will come but at least you know you will be a better person.

Love to all of those you cared during this ordeal. It means a lot to me and I am blessed to have you as my family and friends.

Really BORING DAY...ZZZZZZZZZ

Today was a fairly easy day. I am on a routine with the meds so that helps. I slept in after I took my morning meds. I was really tired from the day before. Yesterday was an extremely full day. So today, I slept in. I got up and had breakfast. Breakfast of Champions …..”Frosted Flakes” I love Frosted Flakes and I believe it is on the top of the best breakfasts to eat. I am sure of it.

Tess and Nan got a nibble of the Flakes too. Nan is getting much better about taking it from my fingers. We took a stroll down to the barn. It was a nice and sunny day. Tess found an old stuffed toy pig that was left outside so I tossed it for her. It was small and lightweight so therefore easy to toss. Tess was delighted that I would toss a toy for her. She couldn’t believe her incredibly good luck. I tossed it for her during our entire walk and she was so happy.

The dogs in the barn were happy to see me so I let them loose for a bit. Sleat super loved and just wanted to crawl in my lap. She is a darling dog and I am going to miss her. She has turned into a loving dog. I love her deep blue eyes, they have passion in them. Kael was happy to pester his mom, Tess. They all ran around like hellions and had fun.

But good times must end so they only had a short run. I was not up to very much and limited on what I can do. But a short time is better than none.

The sheep look good and all came running up to the fence for some treats. I didn’t feed them anything as I was tired from walking. Besides, they are fat and Jeff feeds them twice a day. The heifer looked at me to see if I had any food and when she saw that I had none, and then walked off. She is not dumb. Jeff needs to name her. I suggested Brownie and I think he rolled his eyes. He wants to name her after a cut of meat.

So for my second walk, I decided to clean the kitchen. First job was to load the dishwasher. Bad idea, as when I was done I was hurting. It was from all that bending down/over to fill the dishwasher. I had bent over at my chest area numerous times in putting the dishes inside. So I finished and then had to take a ½ perco for the pain. I won’t be doing that again!!

I was hungry so then made a grilled tuna and cheese sandwich. I ate half and saved half for later. By then the pain pill was working and I was tired so I took a long nap. Like most of the afternoon!!! Nan decided she was on the nap shift and slept next to me. Tess stayed in the office. Apparently Tess thought that Nan had passed the *Guardian Role* and let her take over her duties. Nan did quite well and nosed me when I stirred. After my nap, I polished off the tuna fish sandwich and a bowl of nuts.

Chuck came over and did a sheep check for me at the other field. It’s been a while since I was there and I wanted to make sure that the 27 sheep were still there. They were all there and Emmy too. He said all looked fine. He worked Teddy and Teddy did great. Teddy did nice flanks and worked well considering the field was full of tall grass and the field was huge and it was a new situation. That’s good he did well.

Chuck also did his bee keeping stuff when he was here. The bees have been busy this year. They have been producing quite a bit of honey. I like hearing his bee stories as it is very interesting. I have learned quite a bit about bees and gained a new respect for them. I am still allergic to them but now respect them. I enjoy Chuck’s company when he visits. He is a very knowledgeable about a lot of stuff. Plus he loves his dogs!!

Jeff came home and we relaxed. He made grilled Salmon and we finished off the tasty pasta that Audrey had made. I did some short walks around the house but mainly took it easy.

I hadn’t heard from my brother so I called him. I had to update him on my progress and he was happy. At least he is not freaked out anymore about me not eating or recovering. I know if I don’t eat enough in his eyes, he will lecture me!! Or not walk enough or too much walking!! It’s good that he cares.

I am trying to catch up on my emails. I am so far behind. At least now, I can sit down and answer the emails. Before, I would just be in a stupor. I am trying at least.

I really didn’t do much today. It was a really slow day but I needed it. I am healing and slowing getting off the pain meds. I am more alert now and able to take better care of myself. I still have limitations but at least I am doing something. One week ago, I would not been able to cook myself the grilled tuna fish sandwich. Today, I did. Now that is progress.

Grand Central Station

Today was a super busy day. I had tons of visitors and didn’t plan on them. I was planning on watching the Olympics and relaxing. I had taken my pain med (still on reduced medication) and trying to get used to the new level. I am taking perco as needed for the pain instead of taking another oyxcontin. It is getting better each day but I feel the pain sometimes. Just enough to hurt but not enough to take a full dose. So I am taking a half dose. I hope soon that the chest pain will go away so I won’t need so many meds. I had a huge cranberry muffin that my mom had left for me.

So Gerhard knocks on my door. He had come to give Emma a hoof trim. She was good for the front feet but was being a brat for the back feet. So I had to hold her for him. She was fine, of course. She really needed a good trim as she had a large creak in her front hoof. He did a good job. Thanks to Gerhard for doing the trim and Lisa for setting it up for me!!

I got settled back in the house to enjoy a hot grilled cheese and tuna fish sandwich. I wolfed half of it down. It was super thick as I used a full can to make one sandwich. I didn’t even share it with Tess or Nan. I then strolled about in the kitchen looking for snackies. I ate some chips and felt like I still could go for more snackies.

Chase, the neighbor from up the steer showed up. His steer had jumped the fence and was roaming the neighborhood. We checked out my pasture and no steer. His steer is somewhere around here. My calf had jumped the fence to join his herd. She decided she wanted to be with his steers. She still is there and has no intentions of being caught. I will have to sell her while she is at Chase’s place. I’ll keep a lookout for his stray steer.

Audrey and Neal came by and dropped off Kael. They are going to compete in an Ironman race this weekend. I am so impressed. Kael is looking nice and very cute. He is getting taller and is just as big as Sleat. I get to spoil him for a few days. It’s gonna be hard to spoil a dog that is already pretty spoiled. I hope that Audrey and Neal do well on their race. I posted earlier in my blog on details on the race. I’ll be looking for the standings on Sunday.

So by now, I had done three long walks to the barn. Two in the morning with Tess. One with Chase and Audrey and Neal. I was tired as the last one was a longer one. I went back up to the house intending to relax. I got to see the Olympic Show Equestrian Jumping competition. A bunch of people had tied and they had the jump off for the Bronze. There was a tie for the Gold so again, there was a jump off. The Canadian won and it was great jumping!! I love watching the horse events.

Jeff came home and brought me a ¼ pounder with cheese. I had a hunger for it and called him and asked him to bring me one. I ate it in record time and Jeff was impressed on how fast I ate it. That was just a warm up for dinner that we would have later tonight.

Last but not least, Chuck came over. He cleaned up the wood pile and worked the dogs. He worked Teddy, Clip, Rainey and Scott. I think he had fun working them. The dogs are all completely different in working styles. We chatted for a bit and it is fun talking to him about the exploits of the dogs.

Jeff made spaghetti dinner tonight and we inhaled it. My mom had made a huge batch and we have been living off that. I think with the four meals today and my nightly ice cream that I have done well in the food department.

Bet you thought I forgot about my fourth walk. Nope, I went outside with Tess and Nan and did a walk and tossed a small ball for Tess. She was so happy to chase the ball. She could hardly believe her eyes when I was tossing the ball for her. It’s has been a long time since I had done that.

Hey Nelson (brother), you didn’t give me my nightly call! WAH!!!!!!

Ironman in Canada

Guess what!!


Audrey and Neal are going to run in an Ironman in Canada this Sunday!!

WAY TO GO!!

You can track their progress by entering their names

Audrey Baldessari
Neal Goldberg

http://ironman.ca/


I am so impressed by them!! The Ironman is by far the toughest race known to mankind.

Swim 2.4 miles
Bike 112 miles
Run 26.2 miles

Let's all cheer for Audrey and Neal and wish them well!!

Audrey and Neal have Jeff, Dan and Kael. Their dogs are spoiled. Imagine that!! They are some of the neatest people you can ever meet!!

Keep your fingers and paws crossed for them this weekend!!