Edgemanny gets to work

I have been feeling pretty good the last couple of days. Headaches still coming but less severe and the O2 is taking care of them pretty well. So I have been working with Edge. I have decided he needs to gate sort because all of my dogs gate sort. So what if he is a baby and knows nothing. What a great place to teach him flanks and walk ups and Hold. The first day he would not stay at the gate and walk up and hold them off. The 2nd day he would stay there but when I asked him to walk up he busted thru them. Today I caught him on the bust thru and told him No and by golly he seemed to get it. What a smart puppy. I have also been sending him to get the sheep out in the 100 bhy 100 because I hate to walk out there. He is willing to leave me but then he gets stuck holding them to the fence. I walked out today and helped him a little and the sheep came right in with him flanking around behind them. What a good puppy. He's 2 you know. I then took him out to the cows. I feel I have enough control on him so that we won't get in too much of a mess. I wanted him to hold the cows off while I put grain in the pans. My plan wasn't very good and he went in the middle of them and heeled a couple for fun. I got the grain down and got the heck out with him. I'll plan it better next time. I worked Dually on A course Cows and I guess it was hot because he was kinda slow even for Dually. I walked around with him because the cows were being hard to move and he won't heel and I dont' like him to go to the heads and move them that way. The cows always end up going in the wrong direction. Cow twirling Raining tonight so I have no excuses and I have to work on the Farm trial stuff. I've been putting it off but I am going to sit on my new wicker in my nice porch and turn the fairy lights on and listen to the rain on the metal roof.

Skip a day

My clusters have been skipping a day which is nice for me but yesterday, I had one at 1:30pm that wiped me out for 16 hrs or so . I could barely get out of bed, the cluster would not quit, It was still going at 7am this morning. It's gone now and I called my headache DR who ordered O2 for me and I'm waiting for the supplier to call me about delivery. I have never been that sick with a cluster. At least I don't remember one that bad, well maybe one. I had dry heaves and chills and all that stuff is not normal with clusters. I cancelled all my lessons for today and I am glad I did because my brain is not really working right yet. I think that is due to lack of sleep. Although I was in bed for a long time, I didnt sleep a lot. Ed came and picked up the 2 horse to scrap it. He got $154 for it. Not bad. I am going to try and pick up the new stock trailer tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully without a headache. Just worked Dually on A course ducks. I insisted on a better outrun and then I made him stop at number 4. He is getting better at it. Good dog. I worked him on A course sheep yesterday and he was a little wild. It's been a bit windy and maybe that is winding up the dogs.

last night

I just looked back on the blog and the first cluster I reported was April 15 so they should be receding at this point. It's interesting to me that I am getting them only every 2 days. I have never had that happen before that I can remember anyway. So of course I had one at 11:15 last night and it took 45 min to get rid of it and then again I was woken up at 1:30, but that was a short 15 min one and it allowed me to go back to sleep. I woke up at 7 with virtually no residual headache which are usually the things I hate the most. So Betty will come over and I will give her a lesson and make her help me with my dogs so I get to work too today since it is my day off.

Stock Trailer

AFter last weeks accident with the horse trailer and knowing I had to scrap it, I've been looking on Craigslist for a stock trailer. I found one yesterday and emailed the owner and I went to Ct to look at it today. Nat and Joe met me and we agreed it looked in pretty good shape so I bought it. I am going to pick it up tomorrow evening and I post a pic or 2. It's bright red! I worked Dually on the sheep in the arena and he made the crossdrive from 4 to 5 just perfectly. Maybe working the ducks on that is helping . I dont' know but I'll take it. Then we worked the cows and we had one cow that wanted to go anyplace but where we wanted her to go. Dually's tongue was hanging after that work out. I put most of the A course up by myself this morning except for the crossdrive panels. I will put them up tomorrow if I feel well and Betty comes over to help me. I also put the numbers up in the arena so we can have a visual. Tonight might be a headache night since last night was not. Gosh I hope this cycle ends soon. Chinese food for supper and now I am going to make some popcorn.

Duck herding demo

Betty talked me into a duck herding demo today at the TouAfstone community school in Grafton. It was some kind of spring fling day with all kinds of kids (lots of kids)did I mention kids? Betty and her students and friends were just finishing up an agility demo when I got there. While they cleared the little tiny field, I unloaded some panels and the bridge and the ducks. I had brought 87 ducks but after I saw the space, I only brought 4 out to work. While I worked the dogs, Betty held the MIC and told anyone who was listening what I was doing. Not sure anyone was listening. Then we allowed the kids to herd the ducks individually. Some did well and some were terrors. It was short and sweet and I packed up and went home to a lesson that never showed up. After last nights lack of sleep, I am looking forward to tonight and hoping the clusters skip a night like they have been doing.

more clusters--excalation

So I was tired last night because I am not getting my normal amount of sleep and I went to bed at 8:30 and immediately got a bad cluster as soon as I laid down. I did get in the shower because the hot water helps but I ran out of hot water because I no longer have the big 80 gal hot water heater :-(. Finally get rid of that one 1.5 hrs and lay down and immediately get another one, but not as bad. get rid of that one and fall asleep and wake up 30 min later with another one. NOt a good night. but it was midnight now and it let me sleep until 6am. I feel kinda woozy this morning but hopefully no clusters today. I have lessons this am and then I have a duck demo this afternoon at a school in Grafton. Not sure which dogs to take. I can only take 2 because I need room in the truck to take panels and the bridge and the duckies. Should be fun as long as I feel ok.

Cluster update

I had a bad cluster night before last night at 10pm and then when I got rid of that one, I had another at midnight. It wasn't a bad one, but then I got only 6 hrs sleep because I had a lesson at 8am. I gave lessons all day then met some friends for dinner at Cracker Barrel. I got a hot fudge sundae to go but they put chocolate syrup instead of hot fudge and they are going to hear about it next time I go in. Totally not worth it. Home and bed after talking to friends until late and then up at 7 to see them off. So no headache last night but not enough sleep either. After they left, I had breakfast and went back to bed until 12:45. then of course it took me a while to wake up but I had nothing pressing so I took my time. I decided to take 3 sheep out to the side of the arena to graze so I used Edge to sort them and take them out and then I used him to take the rest out to the arena. I worked him out there on flanks and driving. Such a cool pup. Easy and biddable. After working the pup, I got oiut my clippers and shaved Peaches belly and did her feet. She looks better but still needs a combing out. I was thinking bout going to the movies tonight but it's too easy to just eat dinner and sit down. TV is looking just fine tonight.

AKC TRIAL

We had a good weekend, but the judge on Sat was a bit out to lunch. Dare's first run on B course Ducks was a no go because he had never been on that field and really had no idea why he was there and when I sent him he ran up to the judges tent but to socialize but had no idea what I was sending him for. The 2nd time in was much better. I sent him the opposite way and I walked him half way up the field when I walked in so he could see the ducks. We did the whole course fairly well and did a nice shed and she didn't Q us. Dually had an ok run in the am but no shed and the afternoon run was gorgeous but no shed. I tried to teach him the shed 2 days ago, I guess I need more time at it. lol. Dare had a couple of ok A course runs , the PM run was good because the old Dare with the twinkle in his eye started to show up. He has been rather down as of late. Dually Q'd AM, PM and got RHIT . He also won his class on Sunday and finished hi ADV duck title which means I can start collecting points. He also won an ADVs leg. So it was not a bad weekend for us. I ran Bettys BC Fios in STDs and won the class. I also ran him in STDd and we won that too and HIT!! So I had a cluster last night at 9:20 , again at midnight. It let me sleep until 6 and then hit me again and I went back to bed till 10am. I am up but I feel crappy. damn clusters. I did get up and plant my herb garden though. gotta do something. What a nice day today is. So glad , there are no lessons today and no contractors here. It's so nice and quiet and warm. Love having the windows open and it's quiet with no pellet stove running . nice nice nice. Might take a nap in the sun on my window seat.

Never a dull moment

The clinic is over and the ASCNE stockdog trial is over and I am back to lessons. I had some free time this afternoon to load the borrowed sheep and bring them home. I loaded 2 lambs into a crate in the back of the truck and hooked up the horse trailer and loaded in 8 sheep. I drove down to Nat's and dropped off her 5 sheep and then drove up to Shelleys and dropped off the lambs and her five sheep. Then back on the highway and almost all the way home when BAM the truck starts jumping up and down and there is some ungodly sound coming from the trailer. I pull over and the ramp is on the ground. It looked like the rivets gave out on one side and the tailgate dropped and twisted the trailer all to shit. I called Ed and he came and we tied it all up and he followed me the 3 miles home. When I drove into the pasture on rough ground it started to make a whole new set of noises. After parking it and looking at it, It appears that the rear axel broke and caused all the problems. . It's a piece of junk now and Ed is going to take it for scrapmetal tomorrow. I offered to follow him but he said he would be fine. HOpe so.