GEEz today was busy

  I started out by having to run down to my sisters to pick up the windown that I bought last year for the kitchen .  Michael helped me put it in the car and Ed took it out.  Yay ED.   I painted the window frames in the bedroom while Ed was painting the hard part. We dismantled the bed in anticipation of putting down the floors but ran out of time. Ed took my wood bed downstairs for storage because I am going to use my iron bed when the room is finished. The iron bed was taken outside and washed off. It's been sitting in my cellar for 16 years. Surprised it looked as good as it did. Needs painting  though.  I will be sleeping downstairs for a while .

Meanwhile throughout all this I am picking up and vacuuming and straightening etc etc.  You can't tell though. After Ed left, I went out to Walmart and picked up some impatiens and some veggies to plant tomorrow.

I had to pull the huge tarp off the hay and rearrange the gates for the sheep so they could get something to eat. They were all complaining at me this morning but tonight they were fine so they found something to eat somewhere.

I picked up another sample color for the bedroom. this time it's a vibrant green. I will try it on the wall tomorrow. 

Day 2 of porch work

Edge's crosstraining class

I'm having fun with this class..  It's all food and happy happy.   I think Edge is learning to not react to the other dogs movement which makes me very happy.  Today we worked on a new trick/exercise which is called Switch. As you are walking you ask the dog to switch the side he is on to the other side by crossing in front of you. I'm not sure I want my dog to feel it's right to cross in front of me but oh heck --It's just something else to teach him.
So practice this week will be switch, spin both directions, chin on something while I get some distance from him.  Fronts and heel position. back up by my side and in front of me. sit down stand. Jump and touch my hand and althought they didnt' work on it this week, I will teach him TA DA which is putting his head between his front paws as if in a bow. Also right foot and left foot.

This afternoon I fixed 2 screens and put them back in.  That was  long term project.  I tried to do it 2 weeks ago and the screen kept ripping so I bought some new screening and tried it again. It's a bit dark but it's heavier screening and was a lot easier to  install.  That was a job that was supposed to get done last fall and I found it wasn't done and I needed them now to keep the damn mayflies out.

I replanted 2 big clumps of Hosta because they were around the porch and the porch is no longer. I also planted some new plants in the shade garden

As I look around the yard and there is stuff everywhere, I have decided that I need another garden shed and it will fit right next to the porta potti and then I can put my wheelbarrows away.  They have been staying in the barn but I need that for the livestock and the shed out back is too far away and they wont' fit in there when the tractor is put in there. So add that to the list.

Thc contractor found a great deal on metal roofiing for the porch and we decided on windows and ordered them and he got them at a good  price too.  Off we go!!

Garden

   Time to start the garden even though the weather has been cold.   I planted asparagus ,peas and scallions today.   I hope the asparagus takes because I love it fresh from the garden.  I guess it takes 3 years to establish though.

Working dogs

So this week I had 2 nice new dogs come basically for instinct tests, but they both enjoyed it so much and the dogs did so well, that I expect to see them back at some point.  Thursday it was a nice shepherd who was a nice temperment and well put together. Today was an oversized mini aussie who was very enthusiastic. She was as big as Peaches and very nice looking.

I have decided that I need to work on my entry into the Pen with Edge. He seems to think he can run in and start chasing immediately. Hmm , wonder where he got that idea. However, his That'll do is much better.

I spent the morning working on the paperwork for the ASCNE trial, but it's not done.  I'm waiting on some more update on the stuff from Maine.  I would like to get the sanctioning in asap so I can cross it off my to do list.  Tomorrow will either be trial or tax stuff or both.  But not much else.  I'm on a mission.

I worked on Edge's new trick this am and he "got" it.  It's lifting up his right front leg.  I am going to try to teach him to hop on 3 legs.  I also worked on him putting his chin on an obstacle.

New Project!!

The contractor called me last night and gave me an estimate and said he could be here today .  I thought about it for half a sec and said come on over.  So here is the start of the porch renovation and it starts with a porch demo .  Yee haw

Jan Wesen Clinic

4 days of clinic are over. I worked 2 dogs every day. Mostly Edge and Dually.  Edgie finally got some regular work and he now looks like a trained dog after  days.  We still have a ways to go of course but I am truly surprised at the things I pushed him to do and he did.  We did some take pens and some fetching and some corner exercises and then some driving. We worked flanks in just because and worked his That'l do and call off.  We worked on doing nothing and he is a bit busy footed so will do much more of that.
Dually worked on pressure pressure and more pressure. Pressure in the corners and then square flanks and inside flanks at the same time,staying behind and not going to the head, also a little more on pace. He took a lot of pressure but kept on coming back for more.  \\

I didnt' work Dare much but I do know what I will be working him on and it's square flanks and releasing pressure and getting off the heads.  Stay  behind you bad doggie.

The weather didn't cooperate.  It was fairly nice on Thurs, Fri was horrible, rain and cold. Sat was overcast and cold, Sunday was supposed to be nice but it was cloudy and windy mostly all day.
It made me start thinking about a viewing room in the barn with heat! Might be really nice for more April clinics.

Jan did a great job with everybody. She pushed them to do things they had no idea they could do. They did them well too.  We started 2 new pups,Barbs aussie and Bob's BC pup.  Nice pups.

My fridge stopped working mid clinic.  We took everything downstairs and put it in the other fridge and Ed vacuumed under the upstairs one. We didn't think that worked but it seems to be working again now.  I am going to buy new appliances but not until I need them this summer.

We worked dogs again this morning when Greg and Laura came back to take 4 lambs home with them.  They took some of my favorites so I happy they are going to a herding home. Jan and I went to Kaizen for  lunch and then I drove her into Boston oblivious of the bombing at the Marathon finish line. Never knew what was going on till after I dropped her and started home listening to the radio.  What a tragedy!