new arrivals...

About a month ago, a friend of our's came and asked if we might be able to find some room on the farm for her two horses. I won't go into detail, because it's private, but will say that she needed a spot where her horses were safe and she could easily see them. We made a "quick stall" under the eves of the barn and have been using the round pen as a enclosure for the time being. Since it was decided that the horses will be here for a bit, Denise went looking for a more "permanent" house for them.

She found a company who works with the Amish and ordered this sweet little barn for her horses. It has two stalls and a tack room (in the middle) and the building arrived yesterday. (On her birthday no less!!!). It was built in Pennsylvania and trucked up. I didn't know exactly what to expect, but was surprised to see it come like this. 

We had an area all cleared and a "pad" made of stone dust to set the building on. The gentleman who delivered it was pretty happy to see what we done (and said it was one of the easiest deliveries he has ever done). 

Once it was all lined up (girls... we are so picky about "where" it had to go...) He lifted the trailer and it began to gently slide off....

just as easy as could be... it was fun to watch and I was amazed....

He "unlocked" the doors, made sure everything was to plumb...

And there you have it... instant barn!!! Allie and Abbie were quite thrilled to be the first ones inside and checked it all out.

It's very nicely made... sliding windows in the stalls and tack room... all "barred" to protect from any chewing...











Very roomy.. ceilings have a good height to them...



Now dark skies won't be a worry any more!!!!!

And it looks so nice and really "adds" to  the farm. Denise now has the fun of "moving in" and getting settled. We have fencing to do - but even that is a fun project... and her horses will be free to go in and out, like our guys do....

And our "little" farm increases a bit more......we're going to have a good time together.....

wonderful weekends ahead

Having my coffee this am... looking over the rest of month on the calendar.. figuring "who is in and out of the kennel"... "what dog events are still on the books"... and basically how quickly the summer is coming to a close :(

Starting this week, we have company arriving... the fireman's muster in the old home town... afterwards, items will be heading to the local fair for "judging".. then the fair...

got some extra hours at the post.... NEADS check in coming up quick... Labor Day.....

whoa!!!!!

sad day :(

Yesterday was a very sad day here on the farm. Our little grey pony, Kringle, had to be put down.  Though these photos don't show it (I purposely hid that) he was very frail and was really beginning to show his age. I was in fear that "something" awful would happen, so before it came to that, I made "the" decision.

We only had him here on the farm for about two years. We kind of "rescued" him from a farm close by.. where he was always escaping and letting himself and two other horses out. His previous owner just wanted him to leave, so Sadie brought him here. We never really knew his age, other than "old".. but he was sweet and kind, and became Mocha's buddy.




They quickly became friends, and were together all the time. These pictures show how they were.... so, aside from us greatly missing his sweet spirit, Mocha will certainly miss her friend.  The "good" thing is, he went very peacefully, with the taste of apple and green grass in his mouth and loving hand petting him, the vet even commented that she would love to see all old horses "go that way"....and I will picture him galloping across wide green pastures in Heaven.......(and Abbie's request...."I want to  kiss him before he goes to Heaven"-- which she did)

Storyland.....

 We have been anxiously waiting for the time when Abbie was truly "old enough" to visit Storyland.. and last Sunday the day arrived. We invited our niece to join us, and just couldn't wait to take these two little gals. "Na" came to stay overnight, so the weekend stated with supper out and ice cream!!!!

Sunday morning we were up bright and early and on the road. Storyland is a wonderful little park in Glen, NH. It was built in the 1950's but they have done a very good job of keeping the old charm and staying up with the times. There's something for everyone!!!

Course, you must get your picture taken in the frame... I know there are photos of me and my sisters, and of course, our own girls, and now the next generation... (scary)

Abbie was pretty thrilled that she got to drive her Mom in the cars!!!!

And we tried to do every ride that the offer. Naomi loved this water ride... she laughed, screamed and giggled the whole way threw...

 Abbie, on the other hand, was less than thrilled, "I don't like this ride.. let's get off".. "let's no do that again"....

The flying Dutch shoes were another hit. And (didn't get photos) we all rode the roller coaster too. It's just big enough to thrill the adults (or thrill us) and yet small enough that Abbie could ride. She liked that one......

Abbie is a huge fan of Cinderella, and she was told that Cinderella "lives in Storyland in the summer and Disney in the winter".... so, when she finally got to see the pumpkin coach......that certainly made her day.

Course, my all time favorite.. the carousal. Now there's a ride that I could do over and over again.

The horses rock back and forth, so you get a double ride. The girls loved this one too... but with so many rides to do (and just a day to do them in) we hurried along. Some day, though, when I visit, I am going to have the family just leave me there for the day....

We had a wait a little to visit with Cinderella (she had a tea with some other guests).. but when the time finally came, both Abbie and Naomi were pretty excited. She even let them sit in her Princess chair!!!! Abbie said she will visit her in Disney too.....

Just as we were thinking about heading for home, the weather made the final decision. Dark clouds began to roll in...









But the timing couldn't have been better. We weren't even a few miles down the road, and this was the view in the back seat!!! Quiet children and pretty screney made for a nice ride home.. filled with many happy memories...

catchin' up on the news....

As usual, the summer has been filled with activities of all kinds. Bogey finally made his first visit to church... we have been so busy on the weekends, that I fear we haven't been in church as much as we should..it felt good to be back and see all our friends. Bogey was very good, settled in quite well, and remained quiet for the whole service. 

Dog classes have been going on all summer as well, though during the month of August, I am taking a little time off. This was the graduation of the puppy class... what a nice group they were (are) and many of them plan to move onto higher education come fall.

You all remember little Amy, my Mom and Dad's new girl. Well, she has been in classes and is doing quite  a good job. She has quickly made her way into every one's hearts. Her little buddy here is Henry... my cousin's little dog who attended the puppy class as well. He's a sweetie pie too...

The last Tuesday in July, was our annual dog obedience demo put on by my dog club. This is always a big hit in town, and we had a great crowd of both members and spectators. We even made the local papers this year.

It always goes well, but for some reason, I am usually a wreck the day before it all comes together. I don't know why either, we have only done this for 20 + years, with no troubles, but I do worry. One thing I always fear is "will the show be long enough" and just like every other year .. it goes way over. By the time we pick up and chat with all the folks that like to see the dogs... we're there for the entire evening.

And bit by bit, we are working on increasing the pasture size. So happy to have this post hole digger, I don't know what we would do without it. Trouble is, the days have been so hot that we get three or posts in, and both of us have had enough. Maybe by fall, we'll have it all done!!!

And this wonderful white box contains a few good things..... 

Yup, those would be turkeys!!! We ordered them several weeks ago, and thought they would be in much sooner than this. But either way, they should be "ready" by the time the holidays roll around. Right now they are cute, yellow and fuzzy, and it's hard to think about eating them, but by the time, "that time" arrives, they are usually big, white and ugly (both in looks and temperament) and we're happy to see them go. But for now, we will enjoy them as babies, and think about they're leaving at another point in time.

tractor show

This past Saturday was the annual Engine and Tractor show, it's a great event and has certainly grown over the years. I do enjoy going, mainly to see all the antiques, and of course... it's a great place to work service puppies!!!! The day was quite warm, but overcast.. if the sun had been out, it would have been extremely hot, I took Camille and Bogey just the same, and watched that they didn't get too hot.

Camille has been to the tractor show before, so she was happy to just visit around. Bogey did equally well, and there was lots to work with. For example these big "one lunger engines" make quite a pop sound when they run, as well as hiss and create steam. Bogey wasn't bothered one bit by them. There were other dogs, lots of people, food, kids.... just the things we look for.

And of course, tractors!!! of all shapes and sizes.... we happen to think that John Deere is the best!!!

It's a nice family event,  the engines and tractors are the main interest.. but there are all kinds of things to watch and do...

People enjoy riding around the show and  showing off their prize possession as well. I loved watching this old tractor putt around the grounds....

This was a nice display of mini steam engines... most of them were crafted by hand and ran with a little whirling sound. they were pretty too, lots of brass and painted up brightly....

and the kids could take a ride on this "train" and see the sights of the show......

Now, the old engines were designed to run provide power to things like washing machines, wells, various farm equipment... this engine was hooked into a wood splitter. It did a good job, but certainly slower than the splitter we use around our farm...

The farm where the show is held, is being made into a museum of sorts. And many of the weekends, there are events of one kind or another going on.  This wagon has been given back to the farm.. it's an old apple wagon. When the farm had an orchard this was used to collect the apples, and then set out beside the road, where the apple could then be sold. The family was quite pleased to have it returned to it's original home.  So nice to think of "orginials" returning to their "homes".

Another fun summer event... can't believe we are more than half way threw. The weekends of August are already booked....and I'm thinking September already.... oh my!!!

back on the streets....

Thursday, we were back at NEADS for our monthly check in with Dave (yes, already!!!) It's always fun to go down and I look forward to it each time. Not only do we get the look over of the current pups, but we get the updates of the turned-in pups.. and there was news about Norton. First off, it's this a neat drawing of him... it was done by his handler in the prison... and I think it really "captures" the personality of my muppet dog. Sadly, the news of Norton was not exactly happy, he has been dropped from the training program... because his hips did not pass the medical exam. This is a sad report for sure. Training wise, and personality wise Norton "had it"... and then with is non shedding coat, he was a desirable dog for many clients of NEADS... However, he was not long on the adoption list. Dave, our head trainer, has decided to adopt him!!! So, not only will Norton be a great family pet, he will be accompanying Dave at his training classes, and other type demos. Maybe Norton won't be a service dog, but he certainly will continue to be a good ambassador for the service dogs and will be well loved by his new family. (and I got a chance to say hello to him and gave him a big hug!!!)  

And for the current puppies in training, it was hit the streets of the city once again. The day was overcast, but the city was still hot and full of the activity that it always is. Everyone is progressing well... we got our "usual" excellent progress report.

We popped into the train station... talked with Dave, shared some stories and the doggies practiced unders....

And the ever famous stair work. Believe me, by the time you have hiked up and down them a "million times" so you can work the dog.... you get a pretty good work out yourself. No one ever said that service puppy work was for the lazy!!!!!

This is Vickie... she has been raised by June who is in Mass. But Vickie needed to do a puppy swap, so she is "home" in Maine with us right now. I took a little time to work with her and here we are doing an under. Vickie did quite well, wearing the back pack instead of the vest, gives the dogs another type of work out.

We were also joined with Lorna who currently has Bogey's sister - Rayvan... she's a little cutie pie, and it was neat to get a picture of the siblings together. Both of them are a little small for "goldens", but Bogey seems huge next to his sister!!!! (and they both did quite well in the city!!!)

OK.. so I'll fess up to this part of the story. When we met in the morning, we had to decide if we travel in one vehicle or two. I opted for one, because it's just so much fun for all of us to be together. The others, weren't so sure, traveling together put four humans and four dogs in one car. But, I guess I convinced them, because we all piled into the jeep. I didn't think about the return trip though... because coming back we had another dog with us (Vickie) plus all our supplies (ie: bags of dog food) ..so we all squished big time... five dogs, four humans, 3 huge bags of food.... it was quite interesting and we headed home quickly. Guess it will be two vehicles from now on!!!! But over all, just another fun day in the world of service puppy training...

And paying a visit to the puppy house.... the future looks bright....