rainy day Sunday

well.. we should be getting camps ready for rent.. raking, picking up the winter mess, cleaning.. but a week of rain is changing much of those plans...


So, Sunday, instead of getting our outside work done, we packed up and went to see the New Hampshire Wool Festival. I knew that some of the events would be outside, but most of the wares are "inside" and we figured that when it poured, we would just duck inside. Pour - it did - at times!!!!








But the barns were warm and cozy and had some wonderful things to look at - and to buy. Despite the weather, it was fairly busy, but then, not so busy so you could really look at things and have a chance to chat with the vendors who were there.









Lots of yarn goods, lots of folks at their spinning wheels and many hand made items. All sorts of ideas to make...














Like these wonderful nesting balls. Basically take the scraps from your projects, place them in a twine ball and allow the birds to take bits and pieces to make their nests.








I would have loved to buy ones of these little baskets, the workmanship was amazing.....











We talked with many folks about "fiber animals", fencing, and the like. When Abbie got bored with all the big people talking, she liked to stand at the edge and watch the rain run off the roof.

Fortunately "Grampy" was there to aid in the carrying department. And hot food and drink kept us warm enough - though certainly not "dry"

It was so much fun to see all the animals - and even some babies.... this is a Jacob sheep.

And we even "found" some Leicester Longwool sheep - which are the sheep that you see around Colonial Williamsburg, and are a "rare breed". Actually this breed of sheep is still around because of Colonial Williamsburg, they managed to save them before they became extinct. (would love to have a couple of them on the farm!!!)






Abbie liked the bunnies best of all, I think because of their small size.

We saw Sarah there (from our local yarn shop) she reported that even with the very rainy weather, it had a been a good weekend for them. And it certainly was something fun to do.

Seems we have some guests here on the farm. I don't know if the bad weather has them staying put, or if they just like the looks of the place...

but these Canadian geese have been fun to watch.....

monthly meeting...

This past Thursday was the monthly gathering of the service puppy folks. It is just so exciting to see more and more people coming to join us. The puppies have as good a time as we do, and each month they are getting a bit bigger. This is Chloe, Linda's puppy, I can't believe how much she has changed in just the month. Ginger did not attend this time, as she has just been spayed.. but I had plenty to keep me busy.





As much as this is a night to "work" with puppies, it's also a time to socialize. We have a nice "mix" of people.. puppy raisers, therapy dog owners, and folks who have service dogs, or are waiting for their service dogs to be matched with them.








We take ideas from each other, share experiences, and talk about future plans. New friendships are certainly being made and I have high hopes that this group will be together for many years to come.









Each month I try to come up with some sort of "theme" for the evening. This month was "wheels and small animals". Our little friend, Caleb was more than happy to bring his bike along and do some riding while the puppies worked on their stays.....

Ozzie was our guest of honor - well one of them - he is a corgi that belongs to my (other) friend Linda. About a year ago, Ozzie injured his back, not unusual for this breed. He is just a young dog, and has a real zest for life, so Linda had a cart fitted for him. He is the happiest little chap, and Linda still does obedience and rally work with him. One thing for sure, being in "wheels" certainly doesn't slow Ozzie down.







Our other "guests of honor" were.... Beeker!!!!

and the guinea pigs!!!!











This is Joe - he is the dog that was in Chester's class and turns out he doesn't live too far away. With the small animals, we practiced things like stays.. and then calling the dogs away from the little animals. I have to say, everyone did quite well.. I was pleased, as was their handlers.

Service dog in training, Rangley has this "thing" about motorcycle helmets ( his people discovered). So, we brought a few of those along as well. One thing about "training"... if a "problem" comes up, it is addressed... not avoided.

We put treats in the helmets to encourage Rangley to investigate them, and then slowly put them on and walked around. He still isn't crazy about helmets, but we can continue to work on that.





Caleb and Rangley taking a little break from training....

And as usual, the night flew by and we had some tired puppies at the end.

Kathleen and I have just realized that Ginger and Leo only have three or four more meeting nights and we'll be looking at turn in time.... "hate" to think about that.....

spring babies

Ah... spring. I am so enjoying the "green" and the color... the days have been warm and delightful. The black flies have been a little less than delightful, but thankfully they don't stick around too long....











We have a great local yarn shop, and my friend Belinda and I popped in to see what goodies Sarah had on hand. Aside from her usual great yarns, she took us to the barn and showed off this year's spring babies. She is very pleased with her lambs this year, and not only got "what" she wanted (lots of ewes).. but got some beautiful colors are well.








She also told us that this coming weekend is the NH Wool Festival... I am hoping I might get some time to go and see it. I went a number of years ago with my friend Linda, and I would like to go back and see it again.

Happy spring!!!!

acupuncture

What's going on with Camille. Well, the good news is, she is improving. She is so much better than she was a week ago, but we (she) still has a way to go. She still stumbles when she walks, and I worry every moment she does. She is mostly crated, though I do take her for very short walks around the farm, and she has gone to dog class a couple of times, sitting in a crate and watching the others.






Along with the "traditional" medicine, we are also seeing "Dr. Deb" who is doing acupuncture treatments on her. I know this is really helping with the aid of her healing.










I did acupuncture with Moxie and I saw what a difference it made with her. So, I know this will be good for Camille.











It might look a little scary, but it doesn't hurt. And I know that for a fact, because I have been seeing a doctor and having some acupuncture done on me. Funny that both my little dog and I are doing this at the same time.









'My"acupuncture is being done for arthritis that I have quite badly in my right hand. Some days, I ache so bad that I hardly have any "use" of that hand. Sadly, I haven't found much help with traditional medicines, so I am seeing what alternatives there are out. Our bodies are so detailed, we have no idea of how wonderful they work.. so, I think that sometimes there just isn't one answer for every problem.




I'm going to give it a go, as is Camille, and we'll keep you posted on our progress.....

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day... even though this is a photo of Grampy and Abbie!!!














We had such a good time last year, going to brunch with the kids, that I had said to Kas I would like to do the same thing this year. So, she made reservations, and both families had a nice time together.









Of course, they had so many yummy things to eat, and it's so nice , because you don't feel "rushed" and can really enjoy the time.










It was another beautiful spring day (we have had quite a few of them) and afterwards, Kas and Abbie went to check out the flowers.

They even found a very special flower for Sadie. Abbie couldn't wait to run it over to give to her Mama....

What could be better than a "dandy lion" from your baby.....













Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.

a graduation

Now, as pretty as this picture might look.. does anyone notice that something is wrong here?? Like, there is no "fence" in the back ground..no "tie or halter" on this horse... the fact that this horse is completely loose????








Oh.. Duke. We had a nice spring day, and I thought it would be good to get the guys out on grass again. I walked Silver out as nice as you could please, went to get Duke... what a bad boy!!! The moment I opened the stall door, he was on his way out. He knows way better not to do that sort of thing, but I guess that grass was calling his name. It took me quite a while to get a hold of him.. and as "punishment" I decided that there would be no grass for him. So, while Silver and Tonka munched away, dear Duke was stuck in the barn.

Well.. he who laughs last.. laughs best, or so they say. I ran some errands, came back home and guess what... Duke was out in the middle of the lawn enjoying himself greatly. Turns out, this ol boy has figured that if you jiggle the latch just right on a stall door, you can get it open. So, for the second time, he was herded back to the barn, and this time, I made sure all locks were --- locked!!! Who says horses aren't smart.......


course, before he tried that green grass the second time, he taste tested the bale of hay... and left a nice "mess" for me to clean up as well....













She did it...... Last Friday, our Sadie graduated from the career school and now (once the licence arrives in the mail ) she is a certified message therapist. It was an 18 month program, and Sadie qualified for all kinds of "grants".. being a single Mom and all. I am so proud that she put this opportunity to good use.

This is a very special photo. This is Rachel... a daughter of a high school friend of ours. Glenn lives in Tennessee and where Rachel grew up, but all our kids knew each other in their growing up years. Rachel recently moved to Maine, and our paths keep crossing.. like Rachel being at this graduation. I'll have to be sure to send a copy of this photo to Glen... he'll get a kick out of it.

Abbie helping Mom get her cap back on.....

The next evening, we had a little get together for Sadie. A nice cookout with family and friends... Abbie had a good time, enjoying "Mama's" cake












and we got an up dated photo of four generations.

Abbie had fun showing off in front of everyone. She pulled out her toys, one of her favorites being her horses...

"Mama- I think my horse is a little too small to ride!!!"

Congratulations Sadie.... (now to find that job!!!)

playing with Ginger...

I didn't have the chance to talk about it, but last month, we made our monthly trek to NEADS to check in with Dave. Aside from the fact that the snow is gone, and they were about two weeks ahead of us in the "growing" department, I noticed that the new logo is up on the building. Both Ginger and Leo continue to be "on track" with regards to their training with us, and as usual, we had a grand time.






Look at these two in the back seat of the truck. How lucky are they to be able to see so much of each other. Kathleen and I agree, raising littermates has been so much fun. We keep hoping that we might meet Clover one of these trips, who is the "other sister"... I always try to ask how she is doing, and we might get to meet her one day soon.







If Ginger were to have a "fault" it would probably be loud noises. She's not really afraid, but it would be nice to have her a bit more confident. A few weeks ago, I had a great opportunity to work her around some loud noises... firetrucks to be exact.








Our local school was having a dedication. The principal of the school passed away last year after a battle with cancer. I did not know him personally, but I understand he was dearly loved by the staff and students. He was also a firefighter, and so.. in his honor.. the school put this little "firetruck" up on the playground. They decided to have an assembly to remember their beloved principal and dedicate this to him, so our fire company took a couple of trucks over for the big event.



These are just the things that I look for to "work" Ginger at. While the assembly was going on, she laid quietly at my feet, even with the clapping of the kids... and the blaring of the sirens from the firetrucks.. she was such a good girl.

After the ceremony, the kids were let loose to play for awhile. A whole "mob" of kids came running over to Ginger and I wanting to give her hugs and kisses.. somewhere in this pile of little girls, there is a golden retriever who is loving it all....

You know... we only have four more check-in's at NEADs... and we'll be looking at "turn in time"... it's going by way too fast!!!!