Well my mileage for this year was way down from last year but even with all my injuries this year I still managed to beat the challenge and end up in the top 7%. Hopefully 2022 will be a better year for my old body.
Happy 12th Birthday Tilly
Time is going by so quickly it seems. It is hard to believe that she was born 12 years ago. She was the cutest puppy.
Filed under Tilly
Rosie Roo
As I continue my art quilt journey I am always in search of my next muse. Meet Rosie-Roo, the sweetest, shiniest Cane Corso you could ever hope to meet. This was my inspiration photo.
Just to challenge myself even more, I bought myself a Cricut and learned how to cut all the pieces electronically rather than by hand. Too many years of being an IT geek have left my hands and wrists in pretty bad shape.
I did a lot of thread painting to not only enhance the portrait but to also help blend all the different values of red together.
I surprised Rosie’s Mom this morning when I delivered the quilt. There were tears and hugs. A few weeks ago I had asked her what her favourite colours were but she had no idea why I asked or what I was doing.
Filed under Art Quilt
Urban Tracker
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.
Sprucing Up
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” 😂😆
Filed under Brodie
Parkour for Nosework?
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.
Sprinting Again
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.
Filed under Brodie, Sprinters, Uncategorized
Great Weekend Sniffing
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.
Filed under Brodie, Nosework, SDDA, SDDA Title, Spirit, Sporting Detection Dog Association
First Tomato….Finally!!!!
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.
Filed under Garden
Dreaming
Brodie must be having one heck of a dream. His paws, ears and eyes are twitching and his lip is lifting.
Filed under Uncategorized
Tracking Fun
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 😂😆
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.
We are having a heat wave!
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.
Bristol’s Quilt
Our new neighbours recently had their first baby. A sweet little girl named Bristol. I made this quilt for her.
Filed under Baby Quilt, Quilting, Uncategorized
Real Bikejoring
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.
More Discard Delights
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!!!!!!
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
Oh Mother Nature!$*#???
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.
My greenhouse is overflowing but at least everything is still alive. Looks like we accumulated a few inches of snow.
Filed under Garden
It’s Official Spirit is a Tracker
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.
A Very BAD Dog!!!
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 😩😡.
Filed under Brodie
Happy Mother’s Day
Who could ask for a better way to get your Mother’s Day card delivered?
Filed under Brodie
Covid Shot Anyone?
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.
Filed under Uncategorized
Birthday Boy
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!!
Filed under Uncategorized
A Honour for Sophie
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.
Here is the link to the 2020 gallery for your viewing pleasure: https://www.thealpenhornjuriedartshow.com/copy-of-jury…
Steve and Coreen has Sophie framed
Happy Gotcha Day Brodie
Four years ago today I flew to Victoria to pick up this beautiful bundle of joy. Best decision ever!!!
Filed under Brodie
More C-WAGS Mail
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).
CQA Exciting News
Today I got the most exciting email:
“Dear Deborah
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.
2021 NJS – List of Quilters With Accepted Quilts
Jennifer Adam
Jo Allbutt
Sharon Allman
Terry Aske
Ilene Atkins
Lija Bane
Judy Barnett
Janet Bedford
Emilie Belak
Lise Belanger
Melissa Bieman
Pat Borecky
Wilma Brock
Natasha Bugarin
Peter Byrne
Sabrina Capune
Kim Caskey
Elaine Cawadias
Leanne Chahley
Michele-Renee Charbonneau
Marilyn Cleven
Marsha Cochrane
Chriss Coleman
Deanna Corrigan
Lorna Costantini
Trudy Cowan
Linda Crouch
Deborah Csongradi
Millie Cumming
Patricia Dance
Sonia Darby
Brenda Davidson Payer
Shirley Dawson
Alison Dean Cowitz
Katherine Dossman
Colette Dumont
Joan Dupuis-Neal
Christine Earl
Debi Edwards
Donna Edwards
Georgette Ehr
Faiza Elmayergi
Tannis Fahlman
Leslie Forbes
Therese Fowell
Cheryl Fuhrer
Helen Fujiki
Judy Garden
Laura Gates
Laurrie Gerzanich
Brenda Godin
Victoria Gray
Marianne Haak
Jan Hall
Shirley Hauck
Lynda Hutchison
Margaret Inkster
Mary Jo Jensen-Birnie
Margaret Jessop
Karen Johnson
Ruth Jones
Joan Kilpatrick
Sue Klym
Reina Lamothe
Judy Leslie
Susan Lett
Tish Leupen
Kelly Levant
Kathy Logan de Chavez
Mary Lorenz
Joanne Love
Wanda Lumsden
Susan Madu
Fuzzy Mall
Melissa Marginet
Lynda Mariani
Beverly Marsh
Tracie L. Maryne
Regina Marzlin
Tuddy (Ellen) Mathieson
Jennifer May
Elizabeth McDowell Heagy
Melissa McIntosh
Holly McLean
Sandra Melnik
Diane Merrithew
Janet Mireault
Jane Monchak
Patti Morris
Kim Mullen
Diana Mulvaney
Roxanne Nelson
Margaret Notar
Bridget O’Flaherty
Tatiana Oleychenko
Stacey O’Malley
Angela Pachal
Dianne Papp
Chris Perren
Katie Pidgeon
Noelle Piegsa
Janet Reader Day
Restoule Quilters
Pat Reynolds
Theodora Rijkhoff
Terry Rowland
Anne Ruhl
Carol Russell
Sandra Sandvik
Katie Stein Sather
Pearl Sceviour
Linda Schmidt
Anne Selder
Lorna Shapiro
Sue Sherman
Sandy Simmelink
Marlene Speed
Adriana (Arja) Speelman
Bill Stearman
Joy Takahashi
Susan Teece
Cheryl Thomson
Kathryn Upitis
Ineke Van Gent
Susan van Goethem
Elizabeth van Wyngaarden
Maggie Vanderweit
France Vannobel
Brigitte Villeneuve
Barb Virtue
Tella Visconti
Sandra Wald
Mariya Waters
Jim Wilford
Debbie Winn
Maureen Wood
Brandon Wulff
Bernadette Yuzik
Philippa Zapf
Velta Zvidris
Sourdough Porn
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.
Filed under Cooking adventures, sourdough
Life In The Dog House 