Just Because

Since I am still struggling with organized thought and coherent sentences, I just thought I would share some pictures I shot the past couple of weeks at Cindy's & Fido's...just because.

Obviously I am still having fun with my camera and LOVE my new lens.  This is Cindy's dog Kael.

 I have been learning how to move my focus point around in the frame to select what I want the focus to be on.  It is harder than letting the Auto Focus feature find it for you, but makes for some nice shots in the long run - if you get it right - which, most of the time I do not.  

I have also been having fun shooting on a narrow depth of field so I can selectively blur out the sheep, etc.

This sh*t is hard!  I find myself getting all confuddled trying to adjust the shutter, aperture, manual focus point....AHHHHHH!   Many times I am just happy if the color comes out nice - screw the focus.  :)

Ooooohhh pretty bokeh trees. 

The colors at Fido's on Halloween were gorgeous.

Kael is enjoying himself.

Cindy has been working with Kael to help him get over his squirrely behavior in strange fields.  It has been a confidence issue she thinks. He has been coming along nicely.

I think he is gorgeous and don't really notice how nicely he works..because I am always ooooohing and ahhhhing over his flowing fur and bright yellow eyes.

His littermate, owned by Jo Ferguson also makes me ooooh and ahhhhh....too.

I could never judge a trial.  I would be enthralled at how pretty the dogs look and forget why I was there.

"Sure he missed the panels...but give him extra points because he was so pretty while doing it."  I would be one of those judges they find trapped in a tipped over porta-potty.  No one would claim responsibility. 

Cindy's dog Finn posed so nicely for me with the autumn splendor behind him.  Note: Finn is a Rigg's son.  How can you tell?  See the freakishly long tongue?  Yep, Riggs baby.

Ohhhh pretty barn across the field.

Cindy picked up my camera when I was working Brynn.

I liked this shot she took of Brynn with my legs.   Kinda looks like we are a team...or a dog working as a team with two large tree trunks in muck boots.

I loved this shot Cindy got of my Brynndalynn.... uh, do you see foam in her mouth too? 

I was wondering why it seems like dogs get more stylish, you know.... all creepy & crawly as they mature. 

I asked Dianne. She explained it to me.  I would love to share it with you, but I forgot.  Damn Menopause.  It is making blogging very difficult.

Actually, it is making daily life difficult.  On another note.  I went to the doctor the other day because I have been sick.  They did blood tests and called me to tell me to start taking Vitamin D...like, IMMEDIATELY.  Apparently I had  none in my blood stream.  Sunblock is our friend in so many ways....but does not allow our body to make Vitamin D.  Which leads to depression among other things.

Chili is not lacking in Vit D.  

Gael Gann's Chili

I wonder if a lack of Vitamin D causes you to loose your marbles too?  Could that be how my shoes ended up in the freezer?  Perhaps I should blame it on a massive Vit D deficiency.  

How do dogs make Vit D?  They have fur?  Do they absorb the sun through their eyeball peepers?  

Gael's Chili

I am rambling again.  I am tired from cleaning most of the day.  I was seized by a out of control cleaning bug.  My daughter's pre-birth nesting must be contagious.  I rearranged the furniture in the living room, then immediately regretted it when I saw the dirt on the carpet.  Dogs are not kind to beige carpeting. 

I wonder what the baby will do to the carpet?  Oh, no.  That thought just brought back a memory of my middle son with a permanent marker and light blue carpeting.  *shudder*

Cindy's Kael

I don't think Gael suffers from a Vit D deficient depression.  She always has a beautiful smile on her face. 

Chili smiles too.  You would be able to tell that if I had manged to get his entire face in the shot. 

While going through all the pictures on my camera - I found this one Cindy shot.  It is quite possibly the best picture I have ever found taken of me.  A real keeper!   Looking at this I realized I am not as horrible looking as I thought.  

Now this is a pretty girl. 

Bob Hickman's Ryder

For someone who didn't have a whole lot to say at the beginning of this blog post, I have manged to spew quite a bit of nonsense between the pictures. 

Guess I will shuddup now and go to bed.  Where I will lay awake and think of all the things I need to get done before I pick up Dianne Deal at the airport tonight.  I have scheduled her an entire weekend of lessons at Ronnie's farm in Yelm.  As our friend Jorgen put it...we have an 'Epic Weekend' ahead of us. 

No worries, it will be sufficiently documented...I will have Helen with me the entire time. 

John & Bonnie

Things have been a changin' round here since John joined me on the bread line.  Now that he is an unemployed slacker like me,  I can't use the excuse that he is too busy to work a dog. 

John would like to do herding as a hobby;  however, he is not obsessed with it... like me.  Since Bonnie is never going to make a serious trial dog & John just wants to have fun - they are a perfect match.  

When I went to Idaho and left John here with Ranger and Bonnie - they bonded.  She has started following him around the house instead of me. 

Bonnie has been maturing FINALLY.   Thank doG...I was wondering if she was going to stay a puppy forever.

She is taking pressure better and giving the sheep more space.  John and Bonnie even took a lesson with Dianne when she was here last weekend. 

What used to be a uncontrolled run, has slowed to a somewhat thoughtful pace.

She listens to flanks now & actually takes them.  We worked hard on a 'get back' command.  She takes that too. 

Out runs are still difficult for her.  She is happiest driving.

She would drive the sheep all over the field if I let her.

But it isn't me anymore - it is John working her.  Need.to.remember.that.

I miss her....almost

Okay...wait a minute here.  Do I really miss her? 

It isn't like she is going anywhere - she still sleeps next to my bed every night.

I can enjoy taking pictures while John works her.

He gets to deal with her tackling and somersaulting sheep when the Freckled Monster makes an appearance

Not that it happens very much anymore.

Most importantly she wants to work for him.

She will run her little legs off.

Hopefully shave off a few pounds too.

Maybe I need to be running behind the sheep a bit - doG knows I need to lose weight too.

Although...if my husband ever blew a whistle at me...lets just say the whistle and he would meet an uncomfortable end.

In the Periphery

Last weekend Dianne Deal stayed with us while she taught three fully booked days of lessons in Yelm. 

Dianne amazes me.  She has such a positive attitude - all the time.  Even when it is 100 degrees.  Everyone is grumpy.  Not Dianne - she is going like the energizer bunny.  I think Dianne is powered by solar energy & sun block.  The sun shines and she goes a thousand miles an hour. 

Brynn's littermate Islay came to lessons again.   She brought her handler Una with her.

I mentioned in this blog before that Una has become addicted to herding.  Since the last time Dianne was here Una ran Islay in a small trial at Brigands.  She made the decision this time to send Islay to Dianne for training in September. 

It is like watching Brynn on the field when I see Islay working.  They are very similar in working style. 

It will be very cool to see Islay when she gets done with Dianne.  I can't wait to see them on the trial field.  Helping to put rescue dogs on the map. 

I wish we knew for sure where Brynn's litter really came from.  I would like to have another one from the same breeding.  Alas - they are rescues, and there are so many wonderful dogs out there already.  But I can dream...

As usual Dianne filled my head full of stuff.  She was very happy with how both Beth and Brynn are coming along.  No slippage back ward - only moving forward. 

For me the process has been slower.  I was remembering when I learned to speak German & later Spanish.  At first you have to memorize the words & conjugations.  You speak slowly the whole time thinking in English...mentally translating into the foreign language. 

Then after a while, you are faster, your vocabulary has expanded. Things are quicker, some becoming a habit - but you still think in English then translate into the language. 

You know you are fluent when you THINK in the foreign language. 

It is the same thing with learning this "sport". 

The flanks are coming more consistently.  I don't have to mentally think which direction the flank is every time.  90% of the time I am getting it right.  I am clearly not 'fluent' yet - but getting there. 

I will be fluent when I think in the correct flank.

Now Dianne has me using my whistle most of the time.  This evening  Brynn was taking all of my flank whistles - as long as I get them right. 

We did have a few moments where she stopped - looked at me like I lost my mind - then took the flank when I gave it to her verbally. 

Driving is coming along.  Brynn gets sticky driving.  The trick with her is to keep her moving by giving her small flanks, back and forth so she doesnt hitch up.  She is 'hitched' when she stops and lifts one leg in the air like a pointer. 

Then stands there staring at the sheep.    It is hard to get her to take a step forward. 

One thing I worked on after  Athena - was studying how Brynn listens.  What are the cue's she gives me when I know she has heard me - such as a flick of the ear, or a twitch of her head in my direction.  In the past when I think she was ignoring me - she wasn't - I just didnt give her direction.

Another thing we worked on in my lessons with Dianne was to watch the sheep.  On top of all the new language I am learning I need to grasp a whole 'nuther concept. 

Watch my dog in the periphery.  Keep my dog in my peripheral vision - focus on the sheep.  Where are the sheep going?  Where are their heads pointed?  If I keep watching my dog I miss all of this - in order to place my dog correctly behind them - I need to watch them - not my dog. 

ARRRGGGHHHH!  My head is going to EXPLODE! 

At Dianne's suggestion this weekend we took the sheep out of the field and drove them up the road that is under construction near Cindy's house.  This was AWESOME! 

It is not often you are given the opportunity like this.  No traffic, visual boundaries (ditches) & a nice long straight place to practice driving. 

The sheep were not thrilled to be moving away from their pasture - so Brynn had to push a bit. 

Once we got going - she kept a nice steady pace.  I was happy. 

That changed the minute we turned around to come back.  The sheep wanted to run back to the barn.   Brynn felt that draw and kept zipping to the front and hooking them back to me.  A learning moment for me too. 

I have said this a hundred times.  I really need to keep things calm - not escalate to a bellowing fishwife.  I did it again this evening when Brynn took off on me and tried to take things into her own 'paws'.  Yelling only amps her up - it does not cause her to think - just move faster and morph in to "LAWN DART" mode.

Lawn Dart - is not disobedient.  Lawn Dart is a little dog desperately trying to please me.  And I imagine trying to stay as far away from me as possible.  Like my kids have told me before "Scary Mommy is Ugly". 

Brynn has seen "Scary Mommy" too. 

Cindy took a picture of me tonight in "Scary Mommy" mode.  It is VERY ugly. 

Scary Mommy needs to tape her whistle to her mouth and shut up.