Off to Turner Sheepdog Trial

Janet and I are headed down (as in now) to Turner,  OR for a one day sheepdog trial. It's part of the local fair and quite fun.  They have a parade also. Rainey ran very well last year in PN and got High Overall and a cool chair. Maid and Nan supported the other dogs in Open. I am only going to run Nan and Maid in Open.  Janet is going to run Sava and Jude in PN. Janet did all the travel arrangements, something she is spectacular at, where as last time I booked a hotel (with Kathy Davis) we had our own ant farm in the bedroom. Plus the non-smoking room section BUT the neighbor's next door, stood in our doorway and smoked outside so their smoke came into our room. They left quickly once when I opened the door and they were there (I knew that) and smartly said, "Can I help you?"...meaning go smoke in front of your room door! I think my lip curl was key.

 

Jane got us a high class hotel that had a breakfast and real coffee. She has it all planned out and I have to do is be ready at 5:00 pm with dogs, overnight bag, cook, whistle and camera. She has the rest covered including the snackies. She gets the best snackie where as I get the dull and boring stuff. Not to mention, I have a temp cap on my front tooth,  so I can not use the front tooth until I get my cap net week. I think she got me old people food though....oatmeal, gruel and water (just kidding). Seriously, she texted me the snackie list and I bet I will have my part all devoured by the time we leave the Carnation city limits. She scored bonus points as she got me root beer. That is my weakness!

 

I will be offline until Sunday and maybe (or not) be able to answer emails. wish us luck. Oh, yes, I sure hope she remembered to plot the side trip home to VooDoo Doughnuts. Those are well worth the side trip!

 

That reminds me to pack my size bigger than I am wearing now pants for the ride home.  Amazing how those doughnuts can expand the waistline in two minutes. Doughnuts are considered dinner, right?

 

Be sure to wish Janet Thorpe, "Happy Birthday" as it is today. I am going to take her out for dinner, her choice as she probably will put the kibosh on Arby's for her dinner.

 

The Sign says....

Guess they didn't read the Signs!

 

It's not parking, it's just resting.

 or fold or spindle or mutilate...

 

 

Maybe he walked on the rocks

 

I used to scuba dive but this isn't me.

 

Maybe it is a pretend fishing pole

 

This is not a dog, but a fur-kid!

What point is that?

Almost, but not quite there.  

Coconut Prawns

I got this recipe from I don't remember where but I have modified it some. You can use any type of coating and paprika to give it a bit of a kick.

Ingredients

• Pam Cooking spray
• 1 1/2 pounds raw extra-large shrimp or prawns, peeled and deveined and tails on
• ½ cup buttermilk
• ½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
• ½ cup Panko
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. and spray the large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Place shrimp in a large bowl, add buttermilk and turn to coat.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine coconut, crushed crackers, salt and pepper.
4. Remove shrimp from buttermilk and shake off excess buttermilk.
5. Transfer shrimp to coconut mixture and turn to coat both sides, pressing coconut mixture firmly.
6. Place shrimp on prepared pan and bake 10-12 minutes, until shrimp are opaque and cooked through and coconut coating is golden brown and crispy.

 

Sands of Time - Hilary Petit

There comes a time when a person makes an impact in your life then crosses over the rainbow bridge and you wonder why? Why such an impact for a short time and not a lifetime? Perhaps, the powers above, whomever they maybe, decided this person need to touch many people in a short time, then leave us and watch us from above. Vibrant, witty, loyal, loving are some of the many words that describe Hilary Petit. Heart the size of Texas and enough love to bridge all wounds. Dedicated to animals who adored her.

A female version of James Herriot.  Talented writer that made the stories like you were right beside her, smelling the aroma, feeling the wind, tasting the wine and making you feel so very alive.

I met her many years ago on the Border Collie Boards. She was the one who got me interested in the Iditarod.  Her brother Laird wrote of the race from the beginning to end and we all lived through the tales. 

Hilary was our wild frontier connection, of the eras long past, of the wild west, of wolves, moose and all things in the Great North. She took us in her journeys, letting us forget out daily grind and we lived through her adventures. We had our own Jack London.

And as a vet, her compassion for her charges was deep. She loved all, not matter what. Her stories had you in stitches  glancing furtively at work, making sure your co-workers did not notice you were having a good laugh. Stories that had you believing you were next to her, stroking the soft fur of the cat,  or perhaps seeing the adoration of the eyes of the dog for their owners. Stories that showed the truth and made us all wish we had chosen the route she had followed. But alas, we had to live our lives through her writing. 

She not only wrote of her charges but of her life. With her stories, you could wake up next to her on top of a mountain, step out and smell the crisp air and drink the dark, aromatic coffee with her. Stories came alive and when you were done, you felt recharged and grounded. 

She lived life to the fullest, doing what she loved.  A bright star that burned with passion. She didn't believe in going slow, when there was so much to do. Enjoy life and don't be cautious. Laugh. Live. She was beautiful, yet failed to see that.  She lived the dream we all wanted. She was so vibrant that you were drawn to her. 

We shared the passion for the Border Collies and herding. She was a fellow writer and a mentor for me in my writing.  We would talk about writing and what it meant to us. She often reviewed my material and provided generous feedback. Once when I had writer's burnout, she flamed that passionate fire again for me. She was my rock in writing and my sounding board. 

She was brilliant, a shining star and an Angel. We talked of loves lost, of passion for life, the dogs, goals and our dreams. Of living, love and life in general. She gave freely of herself and loved everyone. She was adored but didn't see it. She was greatly admired and when I told her of that, she laughed. She didn't believe it and I told her that I wanted to be like her when I grew up. She got silent. 

She had no idea the impact she had on others. Her impact was great and she assumed she was nothing. I told her otherwise. 

Life goes by at a fast rate; like the sand slipping by at the end of an hour glass. One day you realize your hourglass has come to an end.  It was that for her and I only wish I could put more sand in her hourglass.  I would give her all the sand she needed and then some more.

 

 

Her loss will be felt by many people and now I feel like she has given me a gift. To finish the book that I had sent aside last year because she is now perched on my shoulder, whispering in my ear. 

And when she is not whispering in my ear, she is playing havoc with the Angels.

Hilary, I wish miss you more than you will ever know. You touched many people and left holes in our hearts. I will have to read your stories again to fill that hole.  You are part of many people's lives and made an impact on so many of us. Your time here was short but I can see you now that you are taking care of your charges in Heaven and making the Angels fear for some joke that you will waylay on them. And mostly of all, you are still here in our hearts.

Good bye, my dear friend, Hilary Petit. Jan 20, 1962 - May 23, 2013

Sunday results and some Monday

Well, I am home and have internet connection so I can actually update the blog. It was wet and cold and very chilly and I am so happy that I had the trailer. The heater worked just fine! The sheep were nice and the Open course was quite tricky and the shed, pen and single was very difficult. One you got your spilt, you had to stay in the ring and drive the sheep into the pen and take them back to the shed for a single. Not easy at all. The drive was a left hand drive through four panel and long. Again, not easy but it sure was fun.

 

Nan was the first of my dogs and ran quite well. A little hard on the sheep near the fetch panel but got that line straight. Nice straight driver but handler error on the missed panels cost us dearly. The sheep did not want to settle in the ring and we raced about and finally got that and she drove them right into the pen. A little more dancing in the ring for the single and with time to spare.

 

Rainey was next and had a perfect outrun , lift and then her fetch was off. We had the turn and a nice straight line to the first panel, then she flipped the sheep back to me. I walked as it seems like she is having hearing issues. I am going to have her hearing tested. Yesterday was the same and she showed the same issues at Karen's trial.

 

Maid was at the end of the day and was full of muscle. I had fractured a front tooth and was unable to whistle very much and it didn't help. She was full of herself and pushed through my downs. Missed a panel on the drive. Just had the spilt as time was called so it didn't count. Nice outrun and lift and pushy on the fetch.

 

We all went out to Mexican food and I had crab enchiladas. Then hot tea back at the trailer and bed time was early. Maid, Nan and rain pretty much hogged the entire bed so I had a little corner to sleep in. I told them to move over and not one even budged. Rotten dogs!

Sunday at MacDonald trial

Spotty internet connect so no uploads. Nan ran 2nd this morning, did well placed 4th. I retired Rainey as she may have hearing issues or too much eye. Maid timed out on the shed but was super pushy and happy otherwise. Did not take a single lie down but took them as steadies instead so homework  this week with her.  Kathleen did great with Gael and placed 12th and had a nice drive.

 

Will update tomorrow.

 

 

Day One of MacDonald's Sheepdog Trial

Just a quick note on the trial.  The course was quite tough with a 5 gate drive. The first leg was normal, then in the middle of the crossdrive, you had to put the sheep through the panels. Then through the last crossdrive, then do a U turn through another panel next to the last set. Then back through the middle cross drive panel.  Got that!?

 

Then a split and a pen in nine minutes.

 

Rain ran out nice, nice lift and then offline the entire fetch. Her come bye was broken so I retired on the last part of the first leg. 

 

Nan ran out well, good lift and good fetch. wonderful drive and pretty much slid by each panel. Darn it. Got the shed and the sheep were hard to shed and we were closing the pen when one ewe busted out. So we got 70 and placed mid pack.

 

Maid was the last one and ran like a champ. Only lost 4.5 on the outwork and not a point lost on most of her drive when one lamb broke and she spun it for a DQ.  This same lamb had his head buried in the food and  bucket and refused to move so she carefully and kindly got them down the course.  She was very good and took every command. Judge Rob Lewis said it was the winning run and it was superb. I got tons of compliments on her run even though she did a grip.  On her score sheet she had lost zero on the drive at that point.  Oh well.

 

Spotty internet connection so this is what you are going to get. Bonnie Daley is camped next to me so life is complete! I love her as she is a wonderful person.

 

 

 

Good Bye my dear Friend, Hilary Petit

Today we lost a wonderful soul and dear friend. Hilary was not only a superb Vet but a dog lover, a quick wit and my sounding board and good friend. She passed from respiratory arrest due to very serious pneumonia.
 

When I get more details I will post.

 

 

Jan 20, 1962 - May 23, 2013

Sheepdoggin'

This is a great video. Well done and it says it all.

 

Sheepdoggin from Eric Larson on Vimeo.

Waitsburg Firemen Dressing Competition

Ever wonder how the firemen dresses when he  or she is on a call. At the Waitsburg's Celebration Days, they have a "Firemen Dressing Contest". It is amazing that they can get all geared up in just over a minute.

This is a friendly competition between District Two and District Three.

 

This was held next to the area that we had the sheepdog trials. They had this right after our completion just finished.

Mutton Busting at 2013 Waitsburg's Celebration Days.

Not much but a short clip of two kids doing mutton busting at the Waitsburg's Celebration Days. The second rider is the daughter of the lady who sponsored Maid in the Sheepdog Trial.

 

Celebration Days - The Start

I don't have score so you are going to have to wait. I have some cool videos of mutton busting and the firemen dressing competition, so maybe tomorrow.

 We stayed at Karen Mohney house. I had the hugest bed and it was so comfortable. Notice that Rain and Nan have made themselves at home? I got the top right corner. If you are observant,  Rainey is not hooked up to the iphone charging cord! But it sure looks like it!

 

 

The program. Wonderfully done by Karen. She poured her heart and soul into this trial. It was a lot of work and put together in a short time.

 

more later......

 

 

Celebration Day Two

It  was a longer than normal drive home due to an accident so I am going to post a little bit then clock out and go to bed.

 

First of all, it was tough but fun. I love Fair. I love cotton candy. I love firemen getting all dressed up. I love firemen with their big hoses. I love goat tying. I love mutton busting. I love cotton candy. Oh, Did I mention that already. Well, I really love cotton candy.

 

On the trail,  the sheep had the course and escape route all figured out. They busted thru the exhaust gate so rigged it up again and I got a blanket from the truck and covered the gate and that solved the problem of sheep busting thru or over the gate. The sheep pretty much won today. I don't know the scores but I think we placed yesterday and maybe today?

 

Rainey was super cautious and left her come-by at the cotton candy stand. The only time she got out of a slow walk was when the sheep bolted. Then she ran like a bat out hell, got them settled and was very slow. It was like pulling my fingernails out with pliers...very painful.....we did get a score of 12 which was the lead for a long time but we got bumped out later. I was quite annoyed at her for not listening and letting her eye stop her. But she got the pen at least.

 

Maid's sheep were hard to set and kept running back to the setout and bounced off the fence while we were at the post. They finally got them set and I sent Maid and they ran back to setout. She got them off and down to the field and we started and they ran and ran. One ran to the bleacher and two ran down the driveway. No fault by Maid as she tried her heart out and they ran over her and had no interest in being work. After our run, Maid looked at me as if she thought she was in trouble. so I patted her head.  Her eyes were downcast and she looked unhappy. She really tried and wasn't a bad dog and her sheep just were bad from the get-go. She knew the run was over when two bolted down the driveway and I hit her with a huge down then called her to me. She ran well the day before and did all I asked today and didn't lose her temper but tried her best to contain them. One ran over her and she grabbed it for a quick nip, let go, then waited for it to turn. I saw one foot of the ewe hit her head during this. After I gave her the pat, she soften up and was happy. She had a better set the day before and her run was much better. I wasn't mad at her as she did everything I asked of her.

 

Nan ran out nice, and stopped at 9 then I walked her in. We were one of the last runs and the sheep had decided to not play any more. We got partway through, then one bolted so I let it. You could go through the course with any amount as it was time and points. So we did a course with two sheep. They were wildly running so I did the bare amount and penned. We got a score but it wasn't much. Maid and Nan have a lot of power and the sheep were hair trigger to them. Next time I will have a better idea of what to do.  Tequila for my dogs to slow them down and a glass of wine for me!

 

But it was a tough, tight course with tough, wild sheep which made it a challenge. I enjoyed it and will be going back. Much thanks to Karen Mohney for hosting this trial.

 

I took pixs and videos of the firemen contest and mutton busting. Tomorrow I will put more up on the blog on the other fair events.

 

The cotton candy was wonderful!

 

We stopped at KFC and each dog got a chicken tender and biscuit. Off to bed soon as we are all beat.

Day one of the Celebration Days

I got up early and headed over to Waitsburg, WA for a fun arena trial. Karen Mohney hosted it.   It was a blast. I will post more about it later. But Maid did great and placed in the top third but I don't know the placing yet. Nan's and Rain's sheep bolted off course so I walked. It was a small arena and quite tough. I enjoyed it and had a blast. It is a return trial. More tomorrow.

Gone Trialing

A good friend of mine is hosting a time/points sheepdog trial in Waitsburg, WA this weekend. It is called Celebration Days.

LINK

I am taking Nan, Maid and Rainey. It should be fun as it is a big festival event. All of them are in Open. It's the first  time they have hosted a trial so it should be a blast. Now you know as much as I do. I don't have  a run  order but I think 28 dogs are entered.

I will bring the laptop and try to post. However, if there are no posts on Sat or Sunday, then here is an advance 'sorry.'

Wish us luck.

Useful dog Tricks by Jesse

This has got to be the cutest Jack Russell (aside from Suzanne's Trouble). Someone spent quite a bit of time to train this dog and she did a great job

Potential Lyme Disease Vaccine Shows Promise

(This is a great study so go to the link at the end of the post)

A vaccine for Lyme disease may be on its way, following a promising phase 1/2 clinical trial from investigators at the Stony Brook University School of Medicine and Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The finding was published online in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, and revealed that the vaccine resulted in significant antibodies against all targeted species of Borrelia - the agent that causes Lyme disease in the United States and Europe.

Lyme disease, contracted via ticks, is an infectious disease that can cause the following signs and symptoms:

• skin rashes
• headaches
• fevers
• depression

MORE.....

Other Farm updates

Just for your knowledge even you think my life has gone to the dogs, which is pretty much true, I want you to know that I have a new hobby. I am raising show quality chickens. The breeds I have settled on are Black Copper Marans, Blue/Blue Copper Marans and Wheaten Marans. Also I am getting Cream Legbars. My laying flock consists of Rhode Island Reds (mainly), white and brown Leghorns, Cochins (Blue and White), Orpingtons (Buff and Lavender), Silkies (White and Black)  and Easter Eggers. My Marans are in separate pens and not let loose. The main flock gets to free range. I am going to set up an outside yard for the Marans but want it predator proof.

 

As it was, a neighbors black lab got into the barn and killed three of my show Marans. Chuck said he would pay for the hens but I have yet to see the check. I told him to keep his dog locked up. If he doesn't pay, I will contact Animal Control and put a report on his dog. His dog has roamed to the neighbor above me, the neighbor two miles west of me and the neighbor 1.5 miles east of me.  I hope he does right by me. His dog has been roaming for months.

 

Back to the post on chickens. I have learned to find out what is show quality and as a result, weeded out a lot of my original flock. For the Marans, I am looking for feathered legs, copper hackles, and dark eggs. The eggs are rated 1-10, 4 being the standard to 10 being the darkest. Mine lay 4-6 standard at this point.

 

The Marans are a rare breed and quite beautiful. For those of you that are a 007 fan, James Bond only ate Marans eggs.  They are a nice sized bird and very friendly. Docile and easy to keep.  When I decide to incubate any eggs, I pick the darkest eggs (that is consistent over two weeks per hen). I just had my first hatch and all the chicks have nice feathering on their legs. I will grow them out to see how they turn out. I will be adding fresh stock to my flock and try to get close to the egg desired color rating of 10. It's a work in progress and I am learning tons as I go along.

 

Of course, I still have my sheep and dogs but sometimes, after I work the dogs, I want to do something fun, for now, the chickens are my fun hobby. I am keeping only three pens of the show chickens so that will keep me in check.  Any hens that don't make the egg criteria, will move into laying coop. And I will have some breeding trio for sale later.

 

Maid and Rainey are my partners in this chicken adventure. They make sure the hens don't escape as I feed them. And if I need to catch one, they are so happy to "pen" one for me. They are very good and gentle and know the routine.  Maid is very gentle with the hens and air snaps if needed.

 

So far, I am enjoying this side adventure, We shall see how this goes!

 

What breed of chickens do you have?

Mother's Day Delight

I was too stuffed yesterday and in a food coma on the couch so had no Mother's Day wrap-up. Luckily, I did recover from the food overload, made it into work and now trying to get caught up on the blog.  I meant to take some pixs but naturally forgot until just now. Amazing what fresh fruit salad does to your brain.  My mom wanted to cook so we told her only to make a fruit salad. So, she and Kimiko made fruit salad, home made Japanese potato salad, cucumber salad, sushi rice, broccoli and green salad. (I helped on some) She wanted to make shrimp gyoza so I told her only to make fruit salad but since when does Mom listen to their daughters? No wait, she did listen to me...she didn't make shrimp gyoza.

 

It was overcast but soon warmed up and made for a wonderful Mother's Day. Getty made bbq chicken which my Mom loves. We made a bunch more so she could take them home. Nelson made his version of potato salad and corn.   We also had asparagus and tiny cherry tomatoes.  Everyone made something and we had a huge feast.  We stuffed ourselves and it was great. Much laughter abounded and we enjoyed ourselves.

 

Sarah, the feral kitty heard mom and Kimiko arrive and dashed up to the house. She got her can of kitty food and I told my mom that was enough. My mom gave me some tax papers to review and keep busy while she snuck out another can to Sarah. On her third trip, I looked up and she said, "Sarah is hungry and I hope you don't mind if I feed her. The can is open"

 

Oh, yea, sure what answer can you give to that? I quickly buried my head back in the paperwork. Nan, Maid and Rain were absent from the couch and I could hear giggling form the kitchen as my Mom and Kimiko told them to "sit down" ...I told them to say Sit or Down but not both as it means two different commands but they seem to forgot and the dogs have figure out that it means to sit. I heard the box of treats being fed to the girls and pretended not to hear that they just ate a box of treats. I heard another treat box being opened and asked my Mom, "Are you opening another bag?" She ignored me so I went back to the paperwork.

 

Kimiko (my Mom's best friend and our "Aunt") had a great time feeding the dogs as well. Between the two of them, they have a blast with all of the animals. Of course as soon as they arrive, the girls go wild as they know they get tons of treats, the barn cats race from the barn to the front door for their canned kitty food. And the sheep, Oh My, they make the straightest and fastest fetch line to my mom. At a DEAD RUN, while bellowing all the way. As soon as they reach my mom and Kimiko, they get bread, grain and treats. The poultry start to shriek and swarm around their feet like piranhas in the Amazon and they get tons of grain and bread.

 

Of course, Getty and I are well fed and I am not about to say anything about my mom an Kimiko feeding everyone extra food as it may endanger my food supply. I just smile and laugh as they have a blast.  The girls have learned to weave around my mom's legs as she is feeding the bread to the chickens as they get a piece (like 5 pieces before I say enough)...and Maid has learned that my mom's commands supersede my commands. Such as when I say, "Maid, that'll do" and my mom says, "Maid, sit down"...Maid looks at me, then my mom, then sits down. Maid learned this behavior from Tess, I let the girls have their day with my mom and they adore her. They have learned she and Kimiko arrive with treats and toys. They adore Kimiko as well as she is the one who tosses the ball for them. Tess was especially fond of Kimiko.

 

After the feeding frenzy we wanted back and had fruit salad. Mom made homemade fruit salad and it was very good. I certainly didn't have anymore room in my stomach but naturally being the trooper that I am, I cleaned up my plate.

 

Mom and Kimiko wanted to get home before it got dark and off they went. I fell down on the couch and went into a food coma with Rainey in my arms and Maid nestled at my feet. The farm animals were all quiet, all probably in their various states of a food coma. It was a great time and I enjoyed the time with my mom. She is a real delight, and gave us the world as we grew up. As a child I used to have lots of animals, tame and wild and she encouraged me. She is an animals lover and this is where I get my love for animals.  But she drew the lines at spiders and snakes.

 

I draw the line at spiders and snakes as well. My brother, well  his lines are fuzzy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Mother's Day to the best mom in the world

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Birthday XE Maid

Happy Birthday, MAID. (It was actually yesterday but I never had time to post as I didn't get home until after midnight).

 

Maid is nine years old but certainly doesn't act her age. She thinks she is a young pup and runs around all the time at full speed. We got Maid from Scott Glen about 18 months ago and she has brought me great joy. I needed another Open dog and she arrived to take over Tess's position.

 

We had to learn to work with each other and she finally figured out that I was slow and deficient so decided to quit rolling her eyes when I was slow to give her a command or over command and she began to teach me how to run a dog. You could see her shoulders sag when I was giving her 500 rapid fire commands and when I saw that, I would slow down, then her shoulder would perk up. She tried her hardest to do all the commands and not be bad. We worked through our issues and settled on a common ground.

 

Then one day, it seemed like magic. Instead of DQ or RT at a trial, we began to place. We often tied with Nan. She quit gripping and trusted me and I trusted her. At one trial, one lamb kept breaking at the pen and she never lost her cool. She would look at me, shrug her shoulders and get the lamb. The lamb wanted to join his buddies in the pen so kept breaking for that. 

 

On the drive, she used not want to release the line but now she does it willing. On the shed, we exchange the sly smile at each other and I call her in for the shed. I used to do that sly smile with Tess and now it is with Maid. It's a wonderful feeling and I am so blessed to have such a talented partner.

 

I enjoy her tremendously. She is a gracious housedog and sleeps next to me at night. I often have an arm over her side. She likes to have her head on my pillow. She snores.

 

She has fit in the pack and Rainey and her have developed a truce. It took a while as she wanted to establish her place in the house pack. When Tess was alive, she was the boss and Maid will lay next to her and Tess would clean her face. Maid adored Tess and would follow her everywhere. They would snuggle on the couch. Now Rainey is the boss dog in the house but Maid is the alpha otherwise. They have learned to get along and even sleep next to each other on the couch.

 

Maid loves to work the chickens, Guineas and ducks. She is my right hand at night when I do chores. I let the chicken free range and most of them go back into the pen but some will want to sleep outside. So Maid's job is to put them away. Watching her work three chickens who go three different ways is amusing and she knows she cannot bite them She will air snap near them to make a point. She enjoys doing the night chores. Sometimes she will have to hold sheep off the feeder or move them to a new pasture.

 

 

She has also  learned to tend the sheep. I will let the sheep graze on the lawn, grab a chair and pop and watch them. I set up a boundary and the sheep have to stay in the boundary. Maid quickly figures out what the boundary is and then tend the sheep to stay in the area. Each time we do this, the area changes so it is not a routine. Nan and rain also do tending. This is where Maid had to learn to work as a team with Rain on tending. They make a great team.

 

Tonight Maid will get some steak for her dinner as well as a smoked bone. I showed her the bone and she got big! She keeps running back and forth to the kitchen eying her bone and then to me, as if to say "can I have my bone?" She will have to wait until after dinner..

 

She is a grand dog and we are happy that Scott let her be part of the family.

 

 

Happy Birthday, MAID.

 

 

 

 

Friday Funny

Feeding Circle Frenzy

The geese and sheep love to eat the Livestock Guardian's food. The LGDs do not like to share their meal. Heidi was a tough puppy and my pick of the litter. Outgoing, bold and very tough. This has served her well as the sheep and geese like to chase off the LGDs from their food and eat it. Heidi learned at four months to stand up for herself and protect her meal and not back down.  Stella on the other hand, is generous with her meals so I have to use a Border Collie to hold the sheep off her meal.

Tonight was feeding time and the moochers moved in for a free meal. Notice Heidi is in the middle and is surrounded by the geese and sheep.

You will also notice that she has her paws wrapped around her bowl and the sheep and geese are a respectful distance away from her. The geese have been grabbed by their beaks and the sheep by their noses. Just a grabbed enough  to make a point and it works. Once she is done and walks away, they all rush in to her empty bowl. Sometimes they will find one kibble.  Heidi just laughs at them as they fight over the one kibble.

Japanese Fried Chicken

I haven't done this recipe but it looks close to what my mom makes. I will be trying this soon. if you try this, please comment on your rating in the comment section.

 

Japanese Fried Chicken

Chicken: 10 ounces boneless thighs

 

Marinade: Mince one 1½-inch piece ginger; mix with 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon sake. Marinate chicken in sauce, 30 minutes.

 

Coating: Dredge chicken pieces in about ½ cup potato starch (katakuriko) or cornstarch. Pan fry chicken until done and set aside.

 

Sauce: Combine in a small skillet: 1 tablespoon each rice vinegar, soy sauce and finely chopped green onion. Add 1 teaspoon grated ginger, a pinch of sugar and a few drops sesame oil. Heat on medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Add chicken and stir. Serve sauce with lemon wedges on the side. Let chicken and sauce cool completely or eat directly.

Sheep book and librarian

The Barn Comic...the best ever!

 

 

Whose dog are you?

This weekend someone's dog came visiting. However, it was not the type of visit I wanted. The dog snuck into the farm between dusk and morning and got three of my show chickens.  We had Stella and Heidi chained with the sheep as they have been chasing the coyotes over the highway.

 

The dog is a field black lab, obviously well taken cared of, as he/she was sporting a bright, green neon collar and looked well fed. This morning I chased the dog from ripping into my duck pens and stopped it from killing a duck. I tried to catch the dog but it ran off.

 

None of my neighbors know who owns the dog. Apparently, this same dog has visited my neighbor at dusk for the last six month and trying to kill his ducks.

 

We figured out it is someone's pet as it is well taken care off and has a nice collar. Do the owners know when they let the pet out, that it leaves their property and hunts down their neighbors ducks and chickens?

 

Maybe we can solve this mystery soon as I don't want to catch someone's pet and take it to the shelter. And they need to pay for the damages. The other neighbor is waiting for this "visitor" with a gun. The dog jumps in his pond after his ducks.

 

I will be calling the other neighbors who live farther down to see if they know who owns the dog.  I bet the owners just turn it loose, expecting it to hang around and not realize their pet wanders off to kill poultry. Getty is letting Stella loose and everyone is in pens or stalls, in full lockdown. Shame that I can't even let my animals out to wander when I get home as when dusk arrives, the killing spree happens. I put up hog panels which is far better than chicken wire and that has saved the poultry inside the pens.  This explains why the LGD and the barn dogs go crazy as night as the dog goes inside the barn as well.

 

We will keep you posted and hopefully the owner will do right and pay for the damages and keep his dog contained. Some other farmer won't be so forgiving.

 

Mystery solved. Neighbor about 1.5 miles away. His dog has been doing over a two mile circuit, visiting everyone who has poultry. He said he will pay for the chickens.

 

 

Poultry Power

We had out first hatch of chicks! I am so excited. I got a new incubator and it's really cool .  It is a Brinsea and holds 20 eggs or so, and has a humidity pump. Well, the pump is not working and we are working with the company to resolve this. But the incubator is great.

 

We had seven Black Copper Marans, three Blue Copper and three Wheaten chick hatch. I had a Wheaten hen go broody so I gave her the chicks and she is a great mom. She gives the Border Collies the evil eye as they pass her cage.  She took to  the babies right away hop all over her.

 

Then I had another Wheaten hen go broody. I had a  chance to snag two Cream Legbars rooster chicks that were one week old so stuck them under her and she took to them. They are so happy to have a mom that they pester her all the time. Another friend gave me a five week old Cream Legbar Rooster so now I have three roosters. I am getting some hens. The Cream Legbars are a very rare breed and lay a beautiful blue egg. I plan to start a flock with them.

 

This year I have decided to raise some rare breed of chickens as well as my standard hens. Once I figure out my foundation flock, I will sell my extra. It's a cool hobby and I am limiting my rare breeds to the Marans and Legbars.

 

One of the Black Copper Marans hens has decided to be my pet. She follows me and eats out of my hand. The Marans hens are very friendly and lay a dark, chocolate egg. So between my leghorns, Easter Eggers and the brown egg layers, I get a great color choice of egg colors.

 

My other laying hens are Rhode Island Reds, Orpingtons, Leghorns, Silkies and Cochins. I have ducks (runners) and Guineas. I also have Endem Geese but don't collect their eggs. They just wander all over the farm and give their opinion on everything.

 

Low Input Lambing & Kidding

Here is a great document you can download on managing lambing. It is put out by Cornell University, Animal Science Department.

 

 

 

A Resource Guide for Managing Lambing and Kidding Efficiently Without Sacrificing Animal Well Being

Glow in the Dark Sheep

A team of scientists from Uruguay have genetically modified a flock of nine young sheep, causing the lambs to glow in the dark whenever they are exposed to ultraviolet light.

 

article

Getting Plucked

Yep, true either way.

 

Dixson meets Sarah

Dixson adores Sarah. Sarah likes to play coy. Dixson follows Sarah around and just wants to play. But Sarah will play when she wants to and usually the pup that she picks to play with, will get the short end of the stick. Meaning,  the pup will be pounced upon!

So Sarah likes to get comfy in my chair. Dixson want to play. Sarah was annoyed as she was sun bathing.

Hey Dixson, quit bugging me!

Let me show you my sharp claws!

 

Well, she decided the best defense was to ignore him. She decided she had to scratch her ear and after than took a snooze. Finally, Dixson wandered off.