I am one of the first to admit that I am rarely happy with the weather. I usually gripe when Fall comes because it means Winter is just right around the corner. Never seems like it lasts long enough to enjoy it. This year is different. We’ve had cold days and we’ve had a bit of snow, but overall, we’re getting absolutely beautiful weather. I’m thrilled!

It’s making our walking challenge much more doable. Dare and I still have 87 more miles to go to meet our 1000 mile goal. We could have walked to Texas by now. LOL Course if we had walked straight to Texas we might need to look up an Austin Veterinarian to take a look at our feet/paws. I think we’ll stick with our 4 miles a day, instead.

I’m debating whether to continue next year with the same goal. I think it’s been really good for my stamina and I’m sure it’s been good for the dogs too, but boy is it hard to find the motivation to get out the door most days. You always hear about how it takes a certain amount of time for something to become a habit, but I can honestly say that whether it’s eating right or exercising….no matter how long of a stretch I do either of those things, it would be easier to go back to my old bad habits. Course both the dogs and I would be more likely to need an Austin Veterinarian if we go back to our former exercise, or lack thereof.

The last few weeks they’ve been moving cows from one pasture to another, so walking has been interesting. One of the days a calf got separated from the herd that was moved. It was really weird because the next day when we went for our walk, there he was, all by himself in the field. I don’t know how he got separated, (more importantly, why the herders didn’t notice), but the poor little guy sure couldn’t figure out where the rest of his herd had gone. Fortunately, we were able to get someone to stop that was driving by and he happened to know who the calf belonged to. So the calf is back with his herd now, safe and sound. No need for us to do a search for an Annabella Veterinarian, an Austin Veterinarian or anything else. It all just worked out on it’s own. I love it when things work out.

I understand why people like long weekends. I used to love them too. Not so much anymore. Long holiday weekends mean more work than usual with the kennel. So, while everyone else is dreading the end of their holiday, I’m looking forward to Monday. LOL

Actually all the dogs I’ve had this weekend have been really good. I’ve had some owners that I’d trade off, but the dogs are good. Started last Monday. I’d had a client call the Thurs before and wanted to drop off two dogs through Thanksgiving. I told them that the holidays fill up quickly, and that I had no kennels available for that weekend, or this one. I did have a kennel for Monday through Thurs. if they’d like that one. Well, they agreed and I waited all Monday and they never came. Tuesday night at 8:00 pm I got a message and they said that they wouldn’t be coming. Really? Ugh. Oh, but this was the funny part…the guy said that they’d keep me in mind for the next time. LOL I can assure them that I’ll keep them in mind too. and it won’t be positive. If a dashboard scorecard from InetSoft.com would help me figure out the best way to deal with clients, I’d look into it, but I don’t think it does.

So, It dawned on me last night when I was sitting here that I never had taken any pictures of the barn since my husband finished putting the siding on it. It was his big project for the year. Last year we did the fence and I tried to take pictures of the project as it progressed. This year though, I never did get around to taking before, during and after photos. So…you’ll just have to settle for the after, (well almost). We still need to put the X’s back on the doors, but other than that, it’s done. I think he did a really nice job. Glad he doesn’t have stenosis of the spine or anything that would keep him from being able to do all these projects around our place.

Maybe there’s something in the air. I know the days are just flying by for me, and I don’t seem to get anything posted for weeks at a time. It’s already been a month since Lucy died. We keep commenting how quiet it is around here, which I know sounds odd for someone that still has 5 dogs. Another friend just lost her old girl this week. It just is so sad to see a whole generation of dogs disappearing one at a time. Really makes me paranoid about how long before we’ll have to say goodbye to another of ours.

Enough sad thoughts. The weather here this week has been just awesome. I know it may not stick around much longer, but I sure am enjoying it while it lasts. We had a gorgeous walk today with just the right amount of sun today. Dare and I have less than a 100 miles to go on our goal of walking 1000 miles this year. Can’t believe the year is almost up. Earlier in the week they were talking about a possible storm tomorrow and Friday, but I think they may have changed their minds now. I’m happy about that, I’m not ready for weather that will require tire changers.

You know, I just got to thinking that I don’t remember if I ever posted any pictures of the barn since my husband finished re-siding it. I’ll have to go out and take some tomorrow so you can all see what a nice job he did. It should make it nicer to train in there this winter now that you can’t see through the walls anymore.

When we first moved into our house it had been sitting vacant for a number of months. So, we were joined by a quite a few mice who were bold enough that they’d just wander out into the living room and stare at us in the evenings. It didn’t take long before we’d trapped a dozen or so.

Well, since then, every year at the end of fall and beginning of winter, we have a few mice move in again. It’s pretty much inevitable since our house is almost surrounded by fields. We catch a few and that’s it. Not a big deal.

This year…it’s a whole different story. It started over a month ago. I picked up a piece of fruit off our buffet in the kitchen and noticed a weird spot on it. I looked closer and realized that it was a bite that had been taken out of the peach. I started looking at other fruit and saw that they’d all been sampled by our four legged friends. UGH!!! I mean talk about disgusting. I’ve always kind of liked mice, but I don’t want them in my house. I certainly don’t want them sharing my food. So, we set the traps.

I’m embarrassed to even admit how many we’ve trapped this year. With the one we trapped today…it’s got to be in the mid 20′s. Isn’t that crazy? Maybe if I look through some walmart coupons I’d find a sure fire way to get rid of them once and for all, but I kind of doubt it. I really hope that we’re nearing the end of them, but I guess only time will tell. I keep telling the dogs that they aren’t doing a very good job, intimidating the mice into staying outside. LOL

It’s been a busy week, not really for me, but for my husband. He’s been busy at work, and then he’s been busy getting ready for a couple projects for a committee that he volunteers on. Today he was in St. George meeting and getting measurements for on of the projects, and tomorrow he’s headed to Moab for another. He barely had time to get the truck loaded with the band saw blades and other tools and the cabinets that he’ll be installing.

The kennel has actually been a little slow this week, after the drama of the Yellow Lab. I haven’t seen him the last couple days, which doesn’t hurt my feelings at all. LOL I think it’s a little slow because everyone’s planning trips for Thanksgiving, so they are staying home working right now.

We are supposed to get a storm with snow this weekend, so I pulled the jumps and tunnels in off the agility field, but I’m not ready to totally surrender to winter just yet. I’m leaving the contacts out for a while longer, hoping for a few more weeks of semi-decent weather. It just always seems so sad to look out in the agility field and see it totally empty.

I don’t always write much about the boarding kennel, but the last couple of days are just too odd to not write about. I’m trying to figure out where to start. I guess I should give a bit of background about the dogs involved.

One is a young Golden Retriever mix that belongs to a retired couple. The were so concerned about leaving her to board initially that it made me nervous. They explained that she was an escape artist. She could get out of anything. She also has separation anxiety, so if you left her inside the building in a run, she’d spill all the water you could give her, shred her bedding, etc. Well, fast forward about 6 mo. or so. She has become a regular boarding client, she’s often here a couple times a month and she doing great. She loves to play in the field with other dogs and I started to wonder if the escape problems that they had described were simply a result of her being bored at their house.

The other character is not a boarding dog. It is a dog that appears to live in a trailer about 2 miles down the road. He is an intact Yellow Lab. He has a nearly daily routine of wandering down the road and passing our place on his way into town. I probably wouldn’t have paid too much attention except for the fact that one day I looked out in my boarding field and I had three dogs running and playing. The problem you ask? I only had 2 boarders out at the time. Ugh! This wanderer had wandered his way right over my 5 ft. fence to play with the boarding dogs.

I went out called my boarders inside the building, and thought I’d try to catch the wanderer. Well, he treated me to an athletic exhibition that I’ve only seen deer accomplish. He didn’t climb my fence, he just sprung over it flatfooted, like it was nothing. It truly was impressive, albeit frustrating.

Well, that brings us to yesterday. I got a call from the post office and they had one of my boarding dogs down there running loose. I was horrified!!!! Well, it was the escape artist Golden Retriever, who hasn’t shown any desire to escape. Well, I went and brought her back to the kennel and then watched her later in the afternoon. Sure enough, she went back to a section of fence and I watched as she crouched down, and slid under a hold and was out, once again. Fortunately, she’s a doll. She loves people, so I knew that she’d come as soon as I called her. So, with her secured back inside the building I went out to fill in the hole. Here’s the weird part. I get out there and realize that the hole was dug from the outside of the fence. All the dirt was flung out towards the road, not into the field. So, it was from a dog outside, trying to get in! My first thought was the wandering Lab.

Sure enough today, as I returned home from walking my dogs, I pull into the driveway to see the wanderer inside my boarding field, marking the perimeter like he owned the place. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!! As soon as he spotted me, he jumped my fence again and took off down the road, but I am at a loss as to what to do now. I really wish his owners would start a search for home rentals somewhere far, far away from me. LOL I mean I just can’t have a strange dog hopping my 5 ft. fence and getting in with boarding dogs whenever it wants to. I certainly can’t have him digging holes underneath my fence to release the boarders either.

So, the last couple of days have not been what I normally expect from the boarding kennel. Usually the challenge you face is keeping dogs inside my kennel, it’s keeping non-boarding dogs ouit of my place. LOL

I’m here.  I just have been busy and I haven’t felt like blogging much.  Thank you to everyone for your kind thoughts and words about Lucy.  My husband is doing much better.  He said that it took him by surprise how hard it hit him, but he’s definitely doing better.

Things have been busy here.  The week or so before Lucy passed away, I got a call from Sheltie Rescue of Utah asking if I would be able to help out with a Collie that was in a shelter a couple hours from me.  They were leaving for Greece, and needed someone to pick up the Collie and foster him for the time they were gone.  I agreed, and headed out on a Thurs. to pick up what I had been told was a 4 year old male Collie.  When I got to the meeting point, the 4 year old male, turned out to be a young, year to 1 1/2 year old female.   LOL

They had been calling her Lassie (of course)  and they told me how sweet and loveable and mellow she was.  Well, I decided to rename her once we got home and we got to see her personality just a bit.  Without further rambling….Meet Pearl.

Pearl is a beautiful Color-headed White Collie.  She was sweet, just as the shelter staff had described, however mellow….HMMM  that would not be the way I’d describe her.  She was energetic, juvenile in habits, which included mouthing all kinds of things, hauling around my shoes, plus size dresses, remotes, etc. Most of all, she had an unending desire to get my dogs to play with her.  Unfortunately, they all hated her.  The more she tried to play, the more they tried to make it clear to her that they were simply fed up with her.  She never did get the message.  LOL  Poor Twist was so frustrated with her!  I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so irritated with a foster before. We were very relieved when at the end of a couple weeks, another foster home was willing to take her in, where she has two other Collies to play with. From what I hear, they have been more successful in communicating to Pearl when they are done playing. Must have something to do with their size.

At any rate, I enjoyed Pearl for the short while she was here, but I was also very happy when I came home from delivering her to her new foster home and my house was peaceful and quiet again. I hope she finds her new permanent family soon, she deserves someone wonderful.

Lucy always did things her own way. Most of the time, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really appreciate it. She was unlike any dog I’ve ever lived with in that she really just didn’t care what I thought. However, I could never have found a better dog for my husband. They truly were a perfect pair. They both love people. They almost always have a smile on their face and people are naturally drawn to them. Neither have the desire to waste time worrying about the future. They just are the opposite of me.

Lucy died unexpectedly on the 20th of October. To say that the house isn’t the same without her…is an understatement.