So Spirit did a thing today. I’m so incredibly proud of her for passing her CKC Urban Tracking Dog test (UTD) today at almost 7 years old. It wasn’t pretty and she struggled for a very long time at her second corner but ultimately we made it to the magical leather glove at the end. Thank you to our amazing Judge Donna Brinkworth, our track layer and friend extraordinaire Susan Dueck, my training partner Leslie and our coach/trainer Mary Ann. And of course thank you Coreen and Steve of Tailspin Bernese for sharing this big, shiny, goofy black girl with me.
Our amazing volunteer track layer and friend Susan
Brodie is feeling sorry for the himself. A bath, trim and mani/pedi to make him handsome for volunteering at #Muttstock. He much prefers eau de parfum “stinky dog” 😂😆
Brodie and I took an Intro to Parkour workshop today. I learned that he is a whole lot more confident/brave outside than he is climbing on stuff inside. I was shocked how quickly he took on each challenge. I am hoping I can transfer this confidence to his interior nosework searches. In SDDA Elite searches dogs need to be able to search up to 4 feet above a stable surface.
It has been almost 2 years since Brodie has been to Sprinters. We are signed up for a trial next weekend so we were thrilled to find out that there was a practice last night. As we were pulling into the parking lot it was clear he knew what was coming. My normally quiet, well behaved dog started moaning, barking and vibrating. I had wondered if he would remember the game or still enjoy it….. he LOVES it . He is so crazy at the start line that I can’t hold him….Don has to release him. It takes all of his strength to hold on to him as the lure is approaching the start line. I get to be the “catcher”. It takes all my strength to leash him up and drag him off the field. He is possessed!!! Took him 8.74 seconds to do 100 metres, which is just over 41km/hr. In between his 1st and 2nd run we had to put the shade cloth, doubled up, over the back of the car so that he couldn’t watch the lure go by.
We spent the past weekend in Olds Alberta at the Canine Coaching SDDA trial. Both dogs had a great weekend. Although Spirit had retired from SDDA more than 2 years ago, she came back this weekend without missing a beat. On Saturday so got an advanced title with 3rd place in exteriors, 2nd place in containers and 1st place overall. Sunday morning she ran in Advanced again and got 3rd place in interiors, passed containers but we timed out in exteriors. Sunday afternoon she tried Excellent and got 3rd place in exteriors and 3rd place overall. So proud of her. She got a Mickey D’s ice cream cone to celebrate her achievements.
Brodie ran in Elite on Saturday and Sunday. No title for us (or for anyone this weekend which is not that unusual for Elite). On Saturday he got a 2nd in Exteriors and Containers (we finally broke our container jinx) and Sunday he got a 2nd in Interiors.
It was so nice to reconnect with so many handlers that we haven’t had a chance to visit with in over a year. Overall and fantastic weekend.
Ice Cream Celebration Am I your best boy?It’s right hereNailed the nose at source alert
The garden seems very slow this year. I suspect the intense heat we have had may have something to do with. Normally we may hit 30 Celsius a few times a year. So far we have hit 30+ twelve days and it is only mid July.
Normally I have my first ripe sungold tomato by the July long weekend, just ate my first one this morning. Tried a new variety this year, Indigo Rose. It is so dark, I’m not sure how to tell when it is ripe.
I’m surprised that my peppers are still alive. Many days the greenhouse was close to 50 degrees Celsius. It was too hot to stand in there to water.
Took the dogs out early this morning for some tracking. Brodie did a 300 metre field track. The crop was taller than him and filled with dew and seed heads. The yellow seeds turned Brodie into a “ golden” Golden Retriever instead of a cream coloured one. Both he and I have thousands of little seeds in every crack and crevice of our bodies and my clothes. My pants were so wet from the heavy dew that they were weighted down and moving towards my ankles as I ran through the field trying to keep up with Brodie 😂😆
Th
Yellow seeds cover his head and chest Indicating his final articleSeed encrusted boots
Thank goodness we have a high powered dog blow dryer to get these seeds off.
Spirit ran a 700 metre urban track that was aged for 75 minutes. Unfortunately for the second time this week, just before we started to run the track, huge industrial lawn mowers went right over our track and articles. After a few expletives, I decided we would try and run the track anyway. She struggled for the first 200 metres weaving widely back and forth but eventually we made it to an area that hadn’t been mowed and she got back on track. So proud of her for handling this very tough puzzle and making it to end successfully.
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a crazy dog lady. There is almost nothing I won’t do for my critters. Case in point…..for the last 2 mornings I was up at 4am so that I could lay some urban tracks, let them age, have the dogs run them and back home by 8am. This morning it was already 26 degrees Celsius by 08:30. That’s crazy. No more tracking for us until the morning temps are below 20C.
The dogs sure enjoy their stuffed frozen zogoflexes when we get home.
We had some fun this morning at Chickakoo. First time Brodie and I have tried bikejoring in the woods instead of on sidewalks in our neighborhood. I am struggling to get him to run in front, he always wants to be in heel position. Brodie did almost 4km and then Don Ho and I went and biked another very hilly 5km. Can’t wait to go again. Thank you Angela Stuber for you excellent guidance and the photos. It really helped having you and your dog in front for motivation.
I’ve gotten into the habit of adding my sourdough discard into a container in the freezer. When it is full, I defrost it and plan a baking day. Yesterday it was crackers with everything bagel seasoning on them. So good!
Today it was overnight fermented monkey bread. Fermenting the dough makes the nutrients more available to the body and easier to digest. The kitchen smelled amazing while it was baking. It wasn’t out of the oven for 5 seconds before we both tucked in. All I can say is OMG!!!!!!
It is winter again! Is it just me or did spring and summer seem to only last a few days this year 😉😂. I am so glad I resisted the urge to plant stuff already (who am I kidding….my heart wanted to plant but my body had no drive/ambition – blame it on COVID fatigue). For once, procrastination paid off.
This morning
My greenhouse is overflowing but at least everything is still alive. Looks like we accumulated a few inches of snow.
We finally got our official title certificate from CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) for Spirit’s Tracking Dog title that she earned last September. I guess we can be grateful that it only took 8 months….some people have waited almost 2 years to get theirs.
Breaking News: a very naughty Golden Retriever was seen committing a very bad and dirty crime in broad daylight today. The perpetrator has not been seen in public since the “incident”. It is not known whether he is still alive 😩😡.
Our province, heck our country is not doing a great job getting the vaccine out in a timely manner. My age group was not scheduled to receive our first vaccination until June. Surprise, today they updated the rules and anyone 40+ now qualify. I started calling and going to pharmacy websites trying to book an appointment. I was so relieved when I was able to talk to someone and actually book one for May 10. Then about 5pm I got a phone call from one of the pharmacy’s that I put in an online request. They had a last minute cancellation and said that if I could be there in 30 minutes I could get my shot. We dropped everything, jumped into the car and raced downtown. I now have my first vaccine. I can’t tell you how happy I am. I feel like a won the lottery. It sounds so silly but that is how I feel.
Update: I was warned that I would feel really awful after my shot but I feel fine. My arm isn’t even sore when I move it. If I go hunting around I can find a little sore spot if I press on it but that’s it. I got the Moderna shot. Rumour has it that the second shot is harder than the first with Moderna.
Today we celebrated the skinny guy’s 2nd COVID birthday. Started the day with a nice off-leash walk with the dogs. We came home and I made him bacon, eggs and roasted potatoes. We have dog stuff tonight so Birthday dinner will happen on Saturday. To make up for the delay, he got to sample the lemon meringue pie today. He loves a huge mountain of meringue.
I think his delayed birthday supper was definitely worth the wait. Slow roasted bone-in prime rib. Mmmmm!!
In 2019, I made a special quilt for Spirit’s breeders, Coreen and Steve of Tailspin Bernese Mountain Dogs. Sophie, their foundation bitch and Spirit’s Mother, had been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer and had passed away just shy of her 8th birthday. In 2020, the Bernese Mountain Dog Club of America had their inaugural art and craft show and, as I surprise to Coreen and Steve, I entered Sophie’s quilt in the show. Today is was announced that Sophie’s quilt won best in show and that a picture of it would appear in the 2021 spring edition of the Alpenhorn magazine. I am so thrilled for them to have their girl honoured in this way.
Brodie and Spirit got mail from C-WAGS today. Spirit earned her Level 1 Ranger Ace title which means she earned 14 qualifiying runs (4 runs for the Scent Ranger Level 1 title and an additional 10 runs to get the Ace). This is the first time Spirit has earned a title before Brodie. Brodie earned his Level 4 Super Sleuth Title (4 qualifying runs).
On behalf of the CQA/ACC Board of Directors, I am pleased to inform you that your entry, Through Lucy’s Eye has been accepted into the virtual National Juried Show (NJS).”
An art quilt I made of Lucy was juried into the 2021 Canadian Quilters Association National Juried Show. Last year, a quilt I made of Spirit was juried into the show that was supposed to be hosted in Edmonton. Unfortunately it was cancelled because of COVID-19. They carried forward last year’s juried entries so that means two of my quilts will be in this year’s show.
I am not allowed to post any public pictures just in case they may be seen by one of the judges.
I wish I had smell-o-vision. The house smells absolutely amazing. Fresh out of the oven: a cinnamon raisin boule and 2 jalapeño, cheddar, roasted garlic and bacon 🥓 batards. Thank goodness I am giving some away because I don’t think I could be trusted not to eat them all immediately.
This evening I used up the rest of my discard on banana, raisin and walnut muffins for my sweetie.
Friday, sourdough discard bake day, started with some delicious fermented sourdough pancakes for breakfast (we snarfed them before I had a chance to take a picture). Then came chocolate chip cookies and liverwurst dog treats.
There is also a pail of sourdough doing a bulk rise before I bake my bread tomorrow.
Spirit is impatiently waiting for her treats to cool.
My torn meniscus has really affected my mileage this month. I am 34km behind where I was last year at the time. Still managing to get out even if it is only for a few 100 metres each day.
Look at these whoppers. They are the biggest fruit my little Meyer Lemon tree has ever produced. There’s a few good sized green ones still waiting to ripen. That’s an 8oz water class for perspective.
. He is so crazy at the start line that I can’t hold him….Don has to release him. It takes all of his strength to hold on to him as the lure is approaching the start line. I get to be the “catcher”. It takes all my strength to leash him up and drag him off the field. He is possessed!!! Took him 8.74 seconds to do 100 metres, which is just over 41km/hr. In between his 1st and 2nd run we had to put the shade cloth, doubled up, over the back of the car so that he couldn’t watch the lure go by.
