Of Dogs and Massage Chairs

Of Dogs...

The Crazies are all doing well, and I've been the slacker (so I've been told) about updating this. So, here we go. Linc is coming along nicely and I'm thinking he'll be ready to run Pro-Novice soon. He's been doing some practical things with me, and seems to really flourish in that regard. I didn't get a chance to work him this past weekend, and last week I was feeling rather the grump and opted out of working any dogs (other than to help Julie with a few sorting chores). He seems to come along leaps and bounds every time I work him here lately - I need to get him out more.

I'm truly anxious for the day that I have regular every day work for my dogs - sheep of my own again, and the space for all of us. Some days it's all I can do to stand my life in the city. Sometimes I feel a little bit like I did when I was a kid with the chicken-pox, and the itching would get to that overwhelming point and nothing helped - and I just wanted to claw my own eyes out. That's what living in the city feels like to me most of the time. Dark and Twisty much? Hah!

The Noodlehead is looking good lately. He's starting to finally develop some eye - and is starting to look a bit stylish on occasion also. In addition to this fun development he's also getting harder-headed, pushier, and is growing up. We helped Julie last week for a few minutes with sorting out her Tunis ewes to go in with her new (and quite handsome, if roman-nosed) BFL ram. Our job was to sort off the Tunis, and then push them out into the unfenced area while she pushed out her new (and absolutely gorgeous) mules. So we put them out, and dang if they didn't just... take off running up the hill towards the street.

I sent Nick to bring them back, and Nick and the sheep were out of my sight for probably 30 seconds. He brought them back as nicely as he could. We also got to have another little mini lesson about flanking off of the path and into the brush. Not too long ago we were working up in the "Back 40" and when I'd try to get Nick to flank while on the path he Would. Not. Go. Off. The. Path. As a result one time he managed to push them back down the path and back up to the back gate of the pasture. I had to help him get off the path (the brush/woods/weeds are a visual barrier I think) but he did it finally.

I've been worried about making Nick too mechanical lately (read that obsessing over it) - so I've been trying to shut up and let him sort through some things. Now that he's matured a bit I'm trying to let him sort more of this stuff out on his own, and now he's tough enough to take my input when he needs it. I'm trying not to be as worried also - and it's working.

Of Massage Chairs...

My Mom treated me to a pedicure on Saturday. You know, they have these massage chair thingies right? Nice, very nice, so I got one heck of a massage while I was there too. I figure even if nobody but the girlz will be seeing my toes it's important to have cute toes. So I sat in the chair while the gal doing my toes made me giggle (OK, so I shrieked several times much to my embarrassment) and now I have cute toes.

But the massage chair? While fun at the time, I am now sore from neck to bootie. For reals. That dang-judy thing beat me up. Darci and Julie promise that they don't see any bruises on my back, but I'm so tender to the touch that it even hurts to lay down in the bed. It's not my muscles that are sore, either. I think that while cute toes are important maybe massage chairs should remain off in the future.

The garden is coming along too. I'm having an absolute ball with it, and I've been talking to my Mom about teaching me to can. I'm sure I could read books and figure it out for myself, but she's pretty darned cool and it'll be fun bonding and stuff.

I've also pulled out the drying rack. I'm making an effort to use my clothes dryer less (as close to not at all as I can get) and I'm toying with figuring out a way to rig up a clothes line too. I've had to explain to the dogs that the drying rack is not there so that they can rub up against the clean laundry (Nick and June's favorite thing aside from fresh poo).

That's pretty much it right now. I'm running Nick in Nursery and Ranch at Dr. Ben's on Memorial Day. I'm pretty excited about that. I'm tossing around the idea of making a few beaded lanyards to take with me also. I suppose it'll depend on how the week goes!