And continuing to rehab

I really need to get a picture up of Rumi in his Elizabethan collar, wrapped butt, and stitches. But we continue to have a truce and stitches are in. We met up with Kathy Topham today for a laser treatment to work on getting the wound to heal faster. I'm really feeling very impatient!!! Luckily he is very easy going and I'm continually thankful that it is him, and not Thai, that this happened to. She would not be suffering all this foolish manipulation so patiently! I'm hoping in another week he'll be well enough we can start working on some obedience again. I had wanted to enter Canfield, but now I'm worried he won't be healed enough for AKC to allow him in the ring.

Dang Nab it!

So, I was in a great training place. Getting a lot of herding done. Put up a new fence for an intermediate herding area. And as Rumi was taking the sheep out of a corner last night he managed to get a nice tear in his inner thigh that required a lot of stitches at an on call vets office the day before the 4th of July at 8 pm. He is out of commission for a few weeks. And not really very happy about the new collar he gets to wear. And I'm sure the enforced rest won't be his idea of fun either. How long will I be able to convince him to leave those stitches in; especially given he can reach some of them even with his special collar doing some really amazing contortions. I know if nothing else he always can get a job as a circus dog :)

Day 2

So Rumi is doing a much better job getting around and covering his heads after only two days of practice (amazing what a little practice will do for you!) I need to get a temporary fence up to split the large pasture so I have some place in between a round pen and a 200x100 to work.

Annie, if you are reading this, we also practiced our three agility positions and did weave poles. He is improving on his recall to heel over a jump with extension, although he still swings his butt out!

About Time

Well, it's summer and I have the training bug so might as well blog about it. Rumi has grown into such a sweet adult with a little imp with a great sense of humor that peaks out every once in a while. Even when his training gets put on hold for a while due to other things in life going on. But now it's back to training. Today we worked sheep in the round pen and he did a nice job of getting all the way around and not getting stuck, especially by the last time. I need to rig up some type of temporary fencing to make my one big pasture smaller because he is ready for more room, but maybe not all that room :)

Agility he can do nice weaves, as long as he doesn't stop and think about them :) If he thinks about it he screws up his timing which just makes me laugh. We also need to get that 2o2o down solid.

And in obedience we need to get our stays solid and that retrieve needs to be a nice gallop back to me (although this winter he and I did a really nice job of fixing up his pick up.

So I have some things to work on this week...lets see how it goes :)

On life and death

I attended the funeral for my Aunt Edith yesterday. Her grandson wrote a moving tribute to her that I'd like to share here.

The collection of porcelain teapots on the windowsill rattle their lids as the tractor rumbles by on the gravel driveway outside. My uncle waves to my grandmother who sits inside sipping her freshly brewed first cup of early morning coffee. By the time he returns in the afternoon, the counter tops will be dusted with crumbs of bread and cookies that have been used to prepare a delicious spread for my uncle to devour. My grandmother will have swept the tracks of hay and mud my cousin has brought in on his hunting boots. The morning paper will be spread out over the kitchen table like a thin black and white table cloth. Cups and saucers hold the paper in place. A light breeze sucks the curtains in, then blows them out as if the house itself is breathing. The weather section of the paper flips up and I can see its forecast is true -- sunny with a slight breeze today.

I will never forget the loving home my grandmother created for her children and grandchildren in which we created memories as simple and pure as the one above -- homemade strawberry jam, afternoon adventures in the attic, curling up on the couch in the cozy room with the wood burning stove, a warm hug as she stepped off the plane at the Macon airport, a permanent place in my heart, soul, and mind. I love you Grandma!
~ Michael Rawls

Where Have I been?

I think that says it all :) The end of the school year is rather busy. My dogs have been languishing on the couch. But that has all changed. Some of my criteria has slipped, and we are putting it back in place. Sitting politely at the door. Staying until released for dinner and breakfast. Rumi will start 2 X 2 weaves tomorrow and Thai will work on remembering what a correct weave performance might be. Herding starts again on Friday...or maybe tomorrow if thunderstorms hold off. And I need to get some tracking in there too :) So I will soon have much more to write about than end of school reports, paper work, and clean up the wetlands day (did I mention 400+ of our students pulled out over 1100 POUNDS of Garlic Mustard?).

Remember

I clearly remember this day and realizing it would change my life forever.



"Hatred never ceases by hatred; by love alone it is healed. This is the timeless and eternal law. Forgiveness is primarily for our own sake, so that we no longer carry the burden of resentment. Our hearts are already heavy enough."
The Gatekeeper
Columbine High School memorial

For an interesting take on what we've learned since Columbine check out this article.