E Course

   I set up the E course today and came in the house to have breakfast around 10:30, but I had to go and help a friend get her house ready for a showing so I didn't get to run it till tonight. I sorted off 3 of my lightest sheep since they hadn't been used in a while.  They were nuts.  I could not get them in the take pen with Dually.    I finally had to fetch them in.  They ran all over the field and he would not take his stops, outs or flanks.  He thought he knew where I was taking them but he was wrong.  Finally after trying for a while and only being mildly successful, I switched dogs.  Edge did better, because the sheep were more tired by then.  He also did better at driving than he had been.  I have hope.  No Really I know he will be fine, but he does need some miles.

new house

    I closed on the Fla house today from here.  I did not go down to close.  I guess wiring money is fine as long as they get their money. So supposedly she is all moved out and the house is empty.  My realtor will go back to check tomorrow probably.  Can't wait to get there and start making changes.

     Mosquito control really worked last night.  No bugs this am and I even sat outside around 8 and only 1 mosquito. There were more in the back pasture but not enough to drive me out.

     The ewe that was bit up it sore and limpy, but she is eating and getting around.  I bought some bug spray to spray her with. It's easier than  smearing Swat all over her.

     Edge got zapped by the electric this am and ran to the house and immediately after Kip got zapped and ran to the house screaming the whole way.  He's a little sensitive.  They both went out back wtih me tonight without much of a problem so they didn't get completely traumatized. At least not for life.

      Finally got some rain tonight but not near enough.  I think we need a day or 2 of soaking rain.

   

OH WHat a day!

 I started with an early 8 am lesson which was fine as was the 9 but the 10 lesson culminated in a bad bite which we \decided needed a vet.  I called at 11 and he said he would be there in 1 hr. Hmmm  maybe.   He did get there about 12: 15 but I had a 1pm dr's appt that i had missed the day before and really did not want to miss again.  Anyway I am sitting there holding this sheep while he is sewiing her up and the owner of the biting dog shows up to tell me she had bought a muzzle and stayed to watch.   I mentioned the appt and she offered to hold the sheep, I said hell  yes and ran in to change my smelly clothes.  I left for my appt about 1pm but I called on the way and they said I would be fine.
     The appt was follow up on my recurring wet and gunky eyes. Dr said they looked better and I said they really were not. She asked if I wanted her to flush them to see if there was a blockage and I said yes.  It was not painful and both eyes were not draining.  Yay my problem can be fixed and I will be able to see again clearly.  But I have to go to a specialist in Worcester and not until Sept.  I am thrilled I can get fixed though.

      Ok back home because I ran out without the bank paperwork I needed to close on the new house.  I grabbed it and went to the bank at 3 which closes at 4.   It took them about 1 hr to get all my ducks in a row and wire the money to Fla.  All done and I will own the house as of tomorrow.
     Left the bank and called about getting a haircut and ran down and got one.  nice and short.
     Back home and out puttin swat on the sheep to control flies.  Change clothes again and run down to Zorba's to meet Gail for dinner.  Great lobster stuffed mushrooms. Yummy.  Rushed thru dinner so we could get to 6:40 movie.  " Train Wreck"  Pretty darn laugh out loud funny. 
     Home at 9"15 and remember mosquito control was supposed to spray I think.  Texted MJ and she said yes and gave me the phone number. I called and he was just about in my driveway .   I went out in my robe and called the sheep in and forgot the electric fence was on and got zapped good or maybe  zapped bad however you want to look at it.  Then opened up all the gates and talked to the guy in the truck and told him to spray the hell out of it.  He was going into the back arena too.
    Back inside 10: 10 and I am so ready for bed.  Night

Trial update

We went to Maine for a trial last weekend.  It was a farm trial and an arena trial am/pm.  Dually needed 1 leg and ADV sheep farm to finish and he did a beautiful job. Almost perfect.  Edgie was next and he was almost as good.  So Edge Q'd in 2 ADV sheep and ADV duck runs and finished his titles .  They both need ADV multi stock titles but that was not offered this weekend.  Edge got High Combined Farm dog. 

Dually did really well this weekend in the arena trials but also showed me our weaknesses.  He won a .lot, but I can't give you specifics.  He did end up with High Combined Aussie, High Combined cattle  and sheep too.  We got excused onducks on 1 run so we missed that one.  He grabbed a duck and was spitting out feathers. The judge was not amused.

His Cattle runs were good and got better each day.  I am going to need to search out some hay and borrow some cows before Finals I think.   That is my next job.

Then on to a 3 day clinic which was awesome.  We did some really hard stuff on cows and on sheep too.  Great practice for Finals but again it showed me where we were weak.   Great fun having Jean Barrett  and Mumble there too to play off of.   She makes me up my game and get competitive in a good way.  Can't wait for the next clinic. She is going to come down here in Sept .

Some papers came re: the new house today and I can't make heads or tails of them.

Edge did some great work at the clinic too. He was really working much farther away from me and actually driving. 

So on the way home I stopped at CAmping world to get the couch fixed and the frig panel replaced. They ordered the wrong color panel of course so they will order another one and hopefully somebody can pick it up and bring it down and I won't have to drive up there again. The damn couch was not broken but the guy that I asked to demo it had no idea how to do it and so he thought it was broken and it really was not.  dumb dumb dumb. 

Off the be the Wizard

Presumptuous as it is.  I hope to do well at the trial this weekend.  On my way to Maine for and ASCA trial .Farm and arena. Edge is entered in Farm ADv sheep ducks and Dually is entered in Adv Sheep and then the arena trial.  Course D is one day,. And I think course C ducks . Should be fun.

I have the trailer all hooked up  and ready to roll. I have the food packed but no clothes yet.  dog food yes. towels and sheets. yes.   cleaned out the crate the Kip got sick in and put it back in the car. I think maybe I will try letting him ride in the wire crate and let Dually ride loose,.  I will also give him some ginger pills that I had for Dare.  Baby Dare  miss you buddy.

Poor Brownie

  I was sitting on the back porch reading my book actually relaxing when I heard a crash and realized the other half of they Y chute had fallen over.  I sorta thought I hope there isn't a sheep under that and went back to reading.  I went out to do some gardening about 3 hrs later and when I stopped I looked out there and there was something white and fluffy caught under the panels.  Poor old Brownie, I thought for sure she would be dead. You know how sheep can be.  She got up a little unsteady but not too bad and went in to the barn to eat  grain.  Hopefully she will be right as rain in the morning for lessons.  I would hate to lose her, she is my pet sheep if you can imagine.

I bought 2lbs of mussels for dinner and at them all. THey were darn tasty.

I have farm work to do, but not as much as other years.  I seem to have done a lot of the stuff I wanted to get done and now I am working more on maintenance and that is why I had time to read today.  Of course the dogs would have preferred it if I worked them but I am not fond of working midafternoon and I had a student here all morning. 

I haven't heard from the  Fla house owner about the lease agreement I sent her yet. i guess I should email and make sure she got it. 

I have an appt for dog massage on Monday. She  comes to the house.  Isnt' that funny? I want to keep Dually tuned up and see if she can tell me why Kip keeps coming up lame. 

Today ,   after a decent nights sleep yay for me I got up and worked Edge and Dually out back.  Both did another stellar job.  I locked Kip up in the house and so when he started barking because we were working, Dually could not hear him much so he worked much better.   Edge would not finish his flanks on the outrun so great another thing to work on. 

I weeded all 3 of the trees and then I put down landscape cloth and covered it with mulch. Now you can see the trees. 

Headed out around lunch to meet some family and sit around and talk for a while.  Back home and decided I should worm the goats. They  are kinda skinny so might as well. Seems like they are skinny no matter what you do but some of them are not mine so I wormed them to show I am taking care of them.

Kip jumped up and gave me a fat lip and a blood blister. Cash rolled in something disgusting and chewed up my gardening knee pad.  bad doggies.

My nephew might be living in my new Fla house while I am not there. Not sure how that will work out but it would be great to have someone in the house during the summer. Might be able to leave livestock with him too.  Hmmmm

Happy 4th of July

  I had a weird day.  I had lessons scheduled from 9-2 I thought.  My 9 cancelled at 8:15 so I could  not fill it.  I took sheep out and sorted them out in the arena but Dually was acting weird.  I think it was because Kip was barking at first and then he stopped so not really sure why Dually was not on his game.

My 10 am  lesson showed up and thought they had scheduled 2 hrs and probably had but I only wrote down 1 hr so my 11 am lesson was on her ownwhile I stuck with the10-12 lesson .  That worked ok for her though I think.  My 12 was on time and then I realized my 2 should have been at 1 because I has not scheduled a 1 and thought I did.   Geez what a mess. 

Finally done and decided to take my new pistol for a test run.  I read the directions first.   The first shot was scary and  then I got used to it.  However out of 10 shots I only hit the target 5 times.  Not good.  Might have to practice some.

Skunks appear to be gone.  

NEVER ENDING SKUNK SAGA

 I caught no 7 today.  He had gone in the trap to eat the bait but the trap didn't snap,so I put more bait in and made it harder to get so they would stay longer and readjusted the mechanism that snaps the trap and got him.   How many more are there?

Cash is back to stay for a few weeks.   He and Kip had a few words but nothing major. Dually growls at him and Edgie is staying out of conflicts way for now.

I went out back and  worked the A course with Dually who was a star .  I could not be happier with him tonight.  Edge worked the same sheep on the same course and did a passable job.  He did more away from me than he has ever done before do I was quite happy with him too. Then I worked Kip and he annoyed me a bit. He would not go around all the  goats and wanted to pick on the billy who is lighter than the other 2 and therefore more interesting. Too bad , work them all.