August Already?

August has started with one very sad goodbye ... this past week my family said "good bye" to my Mom's twin brother Ben ... common remembrances were his huge heart, his huge smile and his huge hugs ... 

He'll be deeply missed :o( 

Willow's first big Dog Show happened this past weekend dispite my work schedule and we were able to share in the nervous excitement ... we entered a special class for "amature handlers" like me and Willow at 6 months was judged to be worthy of a "Blue" ribbon ... then she competed with all the "big girl" blue ribbon winners from the other 5 classes ... What's that saying ... "it was an honor just to be nominated"  ;o)

(thanks to Kara for the wonderful photo ... a day to remember for sure!)

Willow started her 7 week "Canine Good Citizen" class today and I'll update as that goes along ... we're just lovin' training together ... did I happen to mention what a quick learner she seems to be  ;o)

As you can see, the relaxing blanket is spread but we are ready for whatever the rest of August has in store (training experiences, visit to my sister's vacation rental, Willow's 2nd dog show, connecting with friends) ... the blueberries are most gone (plenty frozen for winter pies) and now we're enjoying blackberries and waiting for our own peaches and apples to rippen ;o)

SUMMER IS JUST GOING WAY TOO FAST!!!

Celebrating Willow's 6 Month Birthday ;o)

January 28th during a day-long snow blizzard, the SunKissed "Catch" litter was born in Charlestown NH to mama "Sophie" and dad "Apollo" ... 3 girls and 4 boys ... Willow was one of those girls and maybe I'm prejudice but I'll say she has the sweetest personality ;o)

Today those special pups celebrate their 6 month birthday and we here at Golden Embers, have had some pretty "FUN" celebrations together with our lil' girl ... a weekend away in Maine for a long over due visit to the Walkers and Matthews at their family lake camp ... an Ice Cream celebration at "Kimballs" in Jaffrey, NH (managing 2 doggie bowls and a cone proved to be quite a "melting" feat in 90 degree temps ... but what the heck, quick tongue licks helped clean up the drippy mess!!!!)

Then this past Monday Willow graduated from her "Basic Pet" class ... proudly I like to think with "HONORS", as she was pretty amazing (all of the 9 dogs made such great improvement from week #1) ... in a couple weeks she'll start a 7 week "Advanced Pet-Canine Good Citizen" class ... we both love taking class together ;o)

Oh ya, we still share in Sutter's Thursday morning Agility classes!

We've spent part of the afternoon today playing fetch in the yard ... retrieving balls & bumpers from the pond ... doing some kayaking, berry pickin' and tonight grilling some burgers, hotdogs and corn on the grill ... Oh Happy 6 month "Birth" Day

HERE'S TO MANY MANY MANY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
and ADVENTURES AHEAD SWEET GIRL   ;o)

Rainy Days are Great for Blogging :o)

My 2009 summer spent shoveling gravel into my 12 hp lawn tractor-trailer and hauling it down to the soggy "Meadow Project" has now been somewhat flooded by the 2010 beaver's work ... it's turned into an "Island" ... needing a plank bridge to get to it ... OK, so "Cedar Pond" now has an island, with a hue of green as the grass seed has started to sprout ... hummm, do I order more gravel?
I heard on an NPR radio program that the "Dragon Fly" flies over clean water and is a good sign ... if that's the case, then all the huge helicopter-size and many wonderful tiny blue, yellow, red dragon flies that have been graciously eating our pesky mosquitoes, are a healthy water sign and I'm delighted :o)
Here at pondside, on my wonderful family "60th" birthday bench gift, rests my newest necessary foot apparell purchase (not the best of color choices) ... with the current high water level, wild "high-bush" berry pickin' is done from the "Cedar-Sage" rowboat, one of 2 kayaks or "Yup" wading to bushes wearing "high water" boots ... 14 quarts in the freezer thus far (for the pie lovers: it takes an hour plus to pick a quart and a quart to make a pie)
Willow just loves to walk the "dry" ground and graze from the many "low-bush" blueberry bushes ... attractive purple stools! Oh, and I tried kayaking with Willow and doing some berry picking ... creates quite a visual "Kodak moment" ... her mouth goes faster than my hands can pick! "Willow, get your snoot out of that berry pail!"

Where is Sutter you wonder ... lying back on the dock, waiting to be hand-fed her share of berries ... smart girl Sutter!

A wonderful benefit of the high water this late in the year is that I can kayak with each of the girls out into the quiet "Marsh"  and enjoy the sound of nature ... normally the Marsh is only accessable in early Spring after the snow run-off ... approaching August, it is usually pretty dried up ... at the right of this photo, looking out into the marsh, you can see the beaver's lodge  :-)

                      


Reflecting:
back in 2007 when SunKissed Golden Retriever babies Lyric, Diva, Truly and Teller were just "lil' shavers", SunKissed friends spent a wonderful weekend at 3 days of showing in Essex Junction Vermont (Truly won "Best Puppy in Show") ...  last year we returned to that fun scene and Lyric brought home 2 blue ribbons (ok, in each class by herself) ... well, it's that weekend again and the SunKissed friends are returning ... sadly, my work schedule won't let me join them this year   :-(

               DON'T POSTPONE the JOY ;o)

Berry Pickin' Time!

First blueberries in the "Calder" berry basket

... a night relaxing at home

Inspecting the Beaver "Mud" work and reaping the benefits of high water swimming...

Our tiny vegetable garden, watered by pumping water from the pond (also keeping the grass green) ...

a visitor on the dock ... 

A challenge is fighting for every handful of blueberries ... Willow at 6 months is truly carrying on Lyric's love of berries (on the bush or in the hand) ... Sutter appreciates a privilege of age and cashes in on those offered handfuls of pre-picked berries!

MISSING YOU SWEET LYRIC ... EVERY DAY  :-(

Summer 2010 Camp Doings :o)

Well, we've had alot of Spring rain and a new resident Beaver has made a itself a Lodge and is active nightly "banking" the spillway/dam/walkway with sticks & mud to raise the pond water level (and every morning, I restack the long sticks and reopen a small water runoff area) ...  the kayaks are now out and with the higher water level, we can still kayak out into the Marsh and enjoy the sounds of song birds & the chorus of the bullfrogs and catch a glimps of mother ducks with their various numbers of ducklings ... even startled a mother deer with her fawn grazing the marsh grass  ;o)

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  My niece Pam and one of her Rotty pups came for an afternoon and my Goddaughter Jess visited for 2 overnights :o)
  
  
• Sutter & I had a day away together at a seminar called "The Nose Knows" and we had a blast ... Sutter always loves/needs a job to do, so she worked to master some new interactive/educational toys ... paired an old trick with a new scent (vanilla or raspberry) smell command ... she worked very excitedly at the "Box Search" game where 8 boxes are scattered about the room and she was to find the one with food in it ... Ohhh, Sutter being Sutter though, did jump the fence once to go on one of her "zoomie" excersions ... at 8 yrs she still is a "Wild Child" ... Atta girl Sutter!!!

• Jess & I kayaked with Sutter & Willow, visited Willow's breeder Kara at SunKissed Goldens and had a nice swim in the Wetherby's beautiful pool at Landscape Goldens with Willow's mom "Sophie", sister "Dazzle" and Lyric's mom "Shimmer"
• Willow's sister "Dazzle" came back with us for 2 overnights at "Camp Cedar" ... after an afternoon of swimming in and kayaking on "Cedar Pond", chasing & roughhousing, a scrumptous supper and a good DVD movie, everyone just collapsed into their beds (2 and 4 footed) for the night!
• we took Sutter to her Thursday morning Agility class and I think she was showing off for Jess and the pups 'cuz she was great! So those are the updates on doings at Golden Embers, Camp Cedar & Cedar Pond ... Jess has gone home and Dazzle goes home this evening before work ...
  so until the next time...

THANKS EVERYONE FOR THE FUN IN THE SUN ;o)

Kayaking Easy as 1...2...3... Go ;o)

Hey wait, I can do it, really ... wait!!!

First practice on the land ...  Second try it on the water ...

Ahhhh ... this is the life ... look at all this beauty ... birds, ducks, frogs, fish, neuts ... I told you I could do it!
Hey, there's Sutter ... paddle faster Mom!

LIFE'S RELAXING MOMENTS
                     ;O)

Retrieving, Jumping & Pretty Poses ;o)

Tomorrow and every Monday for 7 weeks Willow starts her next class "Basic Pet", where she'll learn what comes after the play of  "Puppy Kindergarden" ... as the photos show, we've been doing a little bit of everything ... some repetitive, some new:

• socializing at an occasional Breed show, Agility trial, pet store and Sutter's class has been fun ... puppies attract much attention from young and old alike (2 and 4 footed) ;o)
• she's "weaning" from and rapidly outgrowing her car crate, but car potty training isn't 100% yet and there have been a few extra laundry loads ... she's also begun barking at traffic behind us  :-0
• she's loosing more baby teeth ... keeping different types of "hard" teething bones that are safe for a 4 month and an 8 year old is an on going challange (marrow bones, bully stix, antlers, elk & bison bones)
• Willow had her 2 lessons to our Canine Invisable Fence (IF) ... learning to run back from the "beep", then the "white flags" and finally the necessary "shock" ... she now leaves the house proudly wearing her red "Big Girl" "IF" collar with bell, like big sister Sutter!
• the girls sleep in the "dog van" at mom's work and enjoy 2 walks during the night ... so excited when co-workers come out to visit!
• "play" breaks from yard work are an enjoyable and welcomed must ... ball/frisbee fetching, a slow paddle around our pond in the rowboat, some brief agility work or just spreading a blanket on the grass for a brief nap or rub down in the sun ... ahhhhh!
• When Sutter asks to climb the gated stairs to the loft "toy room", Willow is right there ... she's anxious to climb without hesitation (with mom's constant guarding) ... coming down is a real challange and she has to be fully held with the prompt "every step"  :-O
• During our relaxing "walk-about" the yard times, the camera opportunities are many ... the girls at play, flowers in bloom and the beautiful nature of our property ;o)

FOCUS on the BLESSINGS