Snow-Covered Ground for Easter :o)

It's the day before this year's late Easter ... outside, huge falling snowflakes are covering the pansy baskets, that are now in the cool basement to melt their load of snow ... the pond is open and the girls have already made small circle swims in the frigid water off the dock ... the ice was 5 days later than usual disappearing ... just yesterday we were basking in sunshine ;o)



Willow, Sutter & "Foster" Reese



Who owns this Recliner anyhow?



 As "foster" pup Margo leaves today for Breed Show "handler camp" with Diana Mason, a new 6 month old camper boy "Reese" has joined us at Golden Embers Camp Cedar ... his owner sadly had to rehome him as she faced lifesaving surgery ... he's slowly finding his place as he experiences all there is to do ... he freely drags a 25 foot "long-line" until he learns his boundries and has a reliable recall ... but I just put my foot down at him claiming my recliner :o)

Our Easter adventures will include stopping at the Cathedral of the Pines for 6am Sunrise Service and then on to join 14 at my family's dinner table after being entertained by the teenager's Egg Hunt ... welcomed sun and 60 degree temps predicted ;o)



Willow's 2 Cut Pads Healed!



Sutter is Active Again!
AN UNHURRIED SENSE of TIME IS IN ITSELF a FORM of WEALTH ;o)
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE



There Comes a Time For Firsts in Many Forms!



All that stuff was in the old van!

As I approach my 63rd birthday, I'm really feeling the desire to "Not Postpone the Joy" ... I have 2 dear friends that are fighting cancer and one is just recovering wonderfully well from brain surgery ... makes me look at my own life just a little bit differently ;o)





Willow, Sutter, Margo






April Ice Melt!


• Time to trade the 2006 car ... noticing noises that say "$$$ repair work" ... so I asked my car guy to start looking, but the price of used cars is really high now ... soooo I've traded and upgraded to my first ever (in my whole life) brand new car ... a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country (same as the old car) as it's great for what the girls & I do ;o)
• Sutter, having learned Spring "ice safety" over her 9 years, apparently forgot "ALL" to cross the melting ice last week to explore that pesky beaver doings ... about 10 feet from the far right shoreline, she fell thru the thin ice into the frigid pond water and couldn't get herself out ... she was able to touch bottom ... I was out walking in the yard with Willow and foster Margo, when I noticed Willow standing at "alert" ... maybe a deer or other critter wandering the shoreline ... then I saw with instantaneous panic, Sutter's head and shoulders above the ice and could hear her whimpering voice as she looked woefully toward the house ... "I'M COMING SUTTER" and I started off at a full speed run ... then it came to me, the other 2 girls will follow me and I'm still in my slippers ... immediate turn-about, frantically calling Willow & Margo to the house, quickly grabbing my high-water boots and the ladder as I passed the shed (in hind sight should have grabbed the rope too) ... as I reached her, Sutter was wrenching her shoulder against the ice hole to try unsuccessfully to raise her body out of the frigid water ... I carefully pushed the ladder out on the ice and on my belly crept out to successfully pull Sutter up & out ... she ran and rolled in the snow with sheer joy and excitement ..."Atta girl Sutts, get that blood flowing", as we headed to the house for a rubdown by the cozy woodstove ;o)

As the days have progressed, Sutter doesn't appear to have any health issues, but she is walking very gingerly and is unable to do her favorite activity of squirrel chasing ... I've been giving her massages, she has an appointment this week with a veterinary chiropractor and then her yearly vet exam ;o)





Ultrasound - dark circles are pups!





Canine Pregnancy Calendar


• Lyric's mom "Shimmer" is pregnant with perhaps her last litter of pups that were confirmed by Ultrasound last week for 4-5 pups ... she had a surgical insemination due to multiple cysts in her uterus and she will have a planned C-Section mid May ... not counting "chicken before they hatch" and not making any announcements here, but it's already been decided that our next pup's name will be "Emma" (Sutter's mom's name) whenever she may come ... "Shimmer's" Pregnancy calendar is up on the refrigerator and yesterday it said that the fetus' look like  miniature dogs  ;o)




Bonie chewing ;o)





Miss Green aka "Isis"


•  I've had so many wonderful "puppy fixes" during the past 8 weeks with Lyric's sister "Sorbet's" "Ice" theme litter of 8 puppies ... all but one went to their "forever" homes this past weekend and I feel a special connection, as I actually sat in the whelping box and helped deliver them ... another first for me ... thanks to Kara and her parents Duane & Jean for letting me share in those special 8 weeks ;o)



Margo 6 months

• As foster pup Margo celebrates her 6 month birthday, she's getting ready for her first conformation Dog Show at the end of the month in RI ... she met her professional handler Diana for a second time this past weekend and will go to "Show Camp" with her in a couple weeks ... you are a pretty special girl Margo ;o)

So those are the latest updates prompting me to not  "Postpone the Joy" ... just spending more time doing things that are fun & that bring me pleasure ;o)

LIFE IS MEANT TO BE EMBRACED, NOT JUST ENDURED...
TREASURED, NOT JUST TOLERATED...
SAVORED, NOT JUST SURVIVED...
LIFE IS MEANT TO BE CELEBRATED!
        

4-13-11 Thanks to everyone and Sutter says "Woof" for your kind Blog & FB comments/emails and words of encouragement for Sutter's recovery ... she had a wonderful first visit with her new veterinary chiropractor Gretchen Hamm DVM yesterday and with each day she is perkier and so trying to be her old  "Wild Child" self ... with "Tincture of Time" I'm sure it will come;o)

Anxiously Awaiting Spring ;o)

Seed catalogues are appearing in the mailbox, intermittent snow flurries and rain, the pond still frozen allowing the girls to race back and forth across it, the raging water can be heard from the house going over the spillway, the yard still covered with 1 1/2 feet of melting snow, the roof snows have melted, the iced driveway is slowly giving way to soft gravel/mud ...
Soooo, I'd say it's time to change our Blog pic to something more Spring-like ... what more perfect than the girls enjoying a bright sunny 50 degree day ...



                                              "SO WHERE ARE OUR SUNGLASSES MOM?"

Sutter & I continue with her Thursday Agility class and Willow & I are working hard on strengthening our Agility teamwork with classes on Wednesday, Thursday and soon adding Friday, all in 3 different training facilities ... just love working with my girls ;o)
This weekend we participated in Willow's first "working" 8 hour seminar "Novice Skills and Development- Handling the Novice Dog" ... 12 teams put thru their paces by a "Top National & International Agility Competitor-National & World Champion-World Team Member-Professional Agility Instructor" ... Willow was absolutely great, but her mom-handler on the other hand, sure needs lots of "polish, memory and moves" ;o)
Adorable foster pup "Margo" still spends my non-work times with us here at camp and at 5 months she sure is a smart lil' beauty ... we are enjoying our Agility practice times together and down the road the ultimate plan is for her to become a SunKissed kennel conformation show CHAMPION ... we've already spoken for her "R & R" times from the future show circuit, to be spent with us at Golden Embers ;o)



Just Like Family ;o)



This coming Fall the 2011 GOLDEN RETRIEVER NATIONALS are in Georgia and the excitement has already begun ... SunKissed, TruHeart and Golden Embers are all hoping to make the trip ... Field, Obedience, Rally, Agility and Conformation fill the week of plans ... more info to follow in the coming months ;o)

From the Wetherby Kitchen ;o)

THE ICE-man COMETH ;o)

As February winds down and I sit looking out over our pond with yet another "work weekend" snowstorm (our southern neighbors getting rain!), I'm struck by the "ICE" influences of the month ...


 "Sorbet" and Her Pups Hours Old ;o)



5 Boys & 3 Girls at 2 Weeks



 The day after Sutter's 9th birthday, the "ICE" litter was born to Lyric's lil' sister "Sorbet" ... we had just finished Sutter's Thursday morning Agility class and Willow & Margo's practice time, when we got the message "The puppies are coming" ... so we jumped on I91 and arrived (for the first time) in time for the birth of all 8 pups ... the first one needed help from the vet, the second just popped out at the vet's and the other 6 were birthed in the warmth of their own whelping box at home ... it was an extra special time for me for a few reasons ... one being that as I looked into Sorbet's eyes before, during and after the births, I got a "heart touging" message from my sweet girl Lyric ...

Thank you Kara, Jean, Duane and Sorbet for letting me share in those 8 special lil' gifts ... I'm thoroughly enjoying every chance for a "puppy fix" ;o)

NOT your Agility 180 turn!!!

As February days flirted with temps of windy -1 to sunny 50 degrees, the yard and driveway could easily be managed with boots on crunchy snow for a couple weeks and then quickly deteriorated to needing "spikes" on the boots and sanded tracks to get out of the yard ... on one very innocent morning after a very pretty overnite dusting of fluffy snow, the girls and I headed out for our Monday morning 11am class ... we allowed extra time by leaving at 9:30a for an hour drive ... Woahhh, 3/4 up the driveway and the tires started spinning and we weren't going any further "OH CRAP" (that cleans-up the actual words that came out of my mouth ... forgive me Lord) ... Hummm, only choice at this point was to back down the driveway ... experts say "when in a skid, take your foot off the brake ... steer in the direction of the skid  blahhh, blahhh, blahhh" ... the girls and I experienced not one but three 180 degree spins, before it became apparent that "sanding" was the order of the day if we had any hopes of getting out of the yard!

Ordinarily, that may have been a sign to just stay home ... but this day was extra special ... it was our "Foster" pup "Margo's" graduation day from 1st grade ... our exciting completion of 7 fun weeks of a class called "Basic Pet I" shared with her 5 month old sister "Madison" and brother "Spenser" ... we just couldn't miss it ... long story short, we made it, nerves a little frayed and were only 1/2 hour late (traffic behind snowplows were going 30 in 50 mph zones in 3 towns!) to complete the class ... Graduation certificate, beautiful rosette ribbon and a dog biscuit as big as Margo handed to us from teacher Anne ... such a proud Foster Mom (sorry, in all the events of the morning, we forgot the photo)  ... when we left the graduation and playtime after for the pups, the sun was shinning brightly ;o)

Willow, Margo, Sutter

The other day, while splitting and hauling firewood on a gorgeously sunny day (boot spikes still needed on the icy yard), I couldn't resist bringing the LaFlumma recliner from the porch (where the kayaks hang awaiting Spring) and taking time-out to kick-back in the warm sun ... the girls were intrigued and gathered 'round ... and the rest is captured in the above photo!


Margo Challenges Sutter & Willow!



Margo still spends my workdays off with us and the fun those 3 have just bring me so many "stop and smell the roses" moments and of course, "Kodak moments" go without saying ... she shares adventures like our travels south to Massachusetts the other day to celebrate some "birthday" time and share yummy gifts with my Mom who turns 86 on Sunday ;o)

Girls Explore Pond's Winter Things!



As I ready to hit "Publish Post",  6" of snow has accumulated outside the back door, tiny birds are flocking to the feeders and I am contemplating my travels to work tonight ...



Precious ;o)







TAKE TIME to APPRECIATE THE GOOD THINGS ;o)

Agile Sutter Turns 9yrs on February 9th ;o)

THIS GIRL NEVER FAILS TO AMAZE ME ;o)

CEDAR POND SUTTER

"SUTTER"

2-9-2002

Last weekend, I signed up at the last minute to "audit" (without dog) an Advanced/Masters Agility workshop presented by an US-International Agility team member ... during the course of the day, I asked a question about a particular turn ... "How would that move look?" I asked ... In my mind I was sure it would send my "wild child" Sutter "zooming" straight ahead and out of the ring ... first the presenter used me as "the dog" to demonstrate the best move by the handler ... "call your dog over the first jump, silently turn 45 degrees as you drop your arm to your side, then pivot as you signal your dog over this jump at your left side and around and on to that tunnel in front of you ..." Now it needs to be said here that straight ahead Sutter sees a tunnel and straight out of the tunnel ahead of her is the ring fence and FREEDOM from stress!
"Do you have your dog here", the presenter asked ... "yes, in the car, but you don't want her to do this" and I looked at our instructor for confirmation that Sutter wasn't the dog to demonstrate with ... "Go get her" and with that the 10 working participants chimed in "yah, go get her" and they waited while I ran out to my van ... I returned winded and nervously putting Sutter through some of our "focus" dance moves and then entered the ring, while the presenter continued to talk with the group ... I quickly run Sutter back & forth through a tunnel several times ;o)
The presenter complimented me on taking time to focus my dog ... "Ok leave your dog at that jump and come to this second jump, signal and call your dog, then drop your arm and turn..." Sutter, as I predicted, ran right by me and through the tunnel ahead of us ... I quickly called her and WHEW she returned to me (embarassed, I nervously gave her treats for coming back) ... "Ok, take your dog back and do it again..." On the repeat, Sutter repeated her run to the tunnel and happily returned to my frantic whistle! "This time repeat everything and as you drop your arm/turn, simply say HERE and complete the 360 degree turn, signaling her over the jump and then on to that tunnel!"
SHOCKER of all SHOCKERS ... I released Sutter, dropped my right arm as I started to pivot to my left and said "here" ...  Sutter came to my side, pivoted 360 degrees over the jump on my left and continued on to the tunnel she'd taken previously ... with successful completion, everyone spontaneously clapped and cheered ... it felt like my mouth had dropped to my feet ... Sutter returned to my call and I happily dropped to my knees to hug, praise and repeatedly feed her handfulls of many yummy treats from my pocket ... the presenter thanked us for being such willing "guinea pigs" ... there were so many compliments that followed and the presenter told the group that "there are some International teams that don't work as well together as that" ... our instructor asked me if that made the 9 years of training Sutter worth it!

ONLY THOSE WHO KNOW SUTTER's "ZOOMIE" WAYS COULD POSSIBLY KNOW MY THRILL!

NINE wonderful years with this special "independent/agile" girl, who never fails to surprise me over, over and over again ... she's filled my life with companionship, challenges, frustrations, questions, smiles, and experiences too numerous to list ... Once again sweet girl, you've amazed me and made me sooo proud ;o)

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY SWEET SUTTER ... and we'll continue to love, train and learn more about each other EVERY DAY  :-))

Willow & SunKissed "Catch" Litter Turn 1 Year

SUNKISSED CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE FULL MOON

"WILLOW"

1-28-10

(Mom-Sophie::Dad-Apollo)

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL WILLOW ;o)

(Sisters - Dazzle & Jess and Brothers - Scout, Skipper, Murphy & Crosby)

(Missing SunKissed Emerald Lyric who crossed the Rainbow Bridge all too soon at 3 yrs old on Willow's birth day 1-28-10)

Training, Blizzard, "Foster" Margo ;o)



Willow, how deep is it out there?



"Hey, I wanna play too!"

 A foot of snow, snowblowing/shoveling, single digit temps, a frozen snowcovered pond and oh ya, the (2) 12 hour work nights ... that pretty well sums up the first 2 weeks of 2011...

"See, I'm a Sutter Buddy!"

The girls each started their respective classes making for a pretty full week:

• Willow "Clicker Unleashed" at 9am on Mondays 
• Margo "Basic Pet" at 11am on Monday (her sister Madison & brother Spenser are also in the class)
• Sutter "Advanced Agility" at 10:30am on Thursdays
• Willow "Beginner Agility" at 4pm on Thursdays


Margo Bird Watchin'



These birdbaths are really under rated!




Loves Snow ... Wheeee!!!!





Pulling "jugs-on-a-rope"  ;o)

   

At 14 weeks old, her potty training is about 90%, has a cute "clicker" recall/sit and target-touch, she sleeps in a crate at night ... and is loving her introduction to Agility equipment ;o)




Willow::Margo ... Sweet Dreams  ;o)

PLANNING WILLOW'S

1ST BIRTHDAY on the 28th ;o)