Retriever Farm

Finally!

2010-09-19T17:25:00.000-07:00

At age 6 almost 7 our son finally lost his first tooth, we were begining to think it would never happen.

A look back at summer 2010

2010-08-21T11:30:00.001-07:00

I know I have not been blogging alot this summer, but we have been sooo busy. My new job keeps me busy busy Tuesday through Friday, but it leaves me a three day weekend to play with my family :) So this summer started off with a last minute trip to my grandparents house in South Carolina. I learned a few days before that my office would be closed the Friday before Memorial day giving me a 4 day weekend. So I threw everything together and after work on Thursday night I picked up the kids and we made the 8 1/2 hour drive. The kids slept pretty well as I drove all night. It was a quick trip, but a super fun one and we managed to see all the family. Meeting the cousins
Play time

Curled on the bed watching TV

Grandpa taking the great grand kids for a ride on the lawn mower

Grandma and grandpa with all the great grand kids

My cousin and his wife

My cousin

My uncle

My aunt

Upon returning we got the pool fixed and then it was swim time!

Our annual 4th of July kickin wing fire works, always a hit with the kids

The smoke bombs

What's a party without silly string

Grandma and uncle always have as much fun as the kids do

Grand finale sparklers baby.

We know how to party.

Our son's baseball party

Pizza and trophies for everyone

We even watched the local crops get dusted from our front porch

We took a trip to the Natural Bridge Sate Park in KY

The kids did great hiking well over 3 miles with us that day

We met a friendly copper head on the way

Our destination the bridge

This is taken underneath it looking up

Sometimes we had to get creative to get trough the hiking paths

the kids found the adventure so much fun

Look out point

The bridge is in the background

After our hike and some lunch we drove another hour to show the kids where we lived in college and the campus.
Then Hubby and I took a trip to mammoth cave and hiked and caved for about 5 hours. It was so awesome, but sorry no pics as we didn't want to be weighted down with a camera.

We also hiked at the local Nature Center this year too.

We even got in so time to play tennis.

Our daughter had her 4H cookout at Rocky Fork Lake and we all had a great time swimming.

It was the kids first time to the beach and our son was convinced it must be the ocean. Again sorry no pics.

It has been a wonderful summer, but all good things must come to an end, the kids started back to school this week, but I'm sure our weekends will still be busy.

3 seconds shy but still feeling really proud

2010-07-15T06:32:00.001-07:00

My confession: since last November I have been off again on again with my workouts and probably leaning towards more off than on. I had gained back some weight, not alot but enough to make my pants a little snug. So now I'm totally on again and the scale is quickly diving back down :) Today I almost hit a new goal. The elusive 8 minute mile. I did it in 8minutes 3 seconds, but close enough for me !!!!!! At the half mile mark I was at 4:14 so the last half mile I shaved 25 seconds off my time. More seasoned runners may not be so impressed, but I am on cloud 9! Maybe just maybe I won't look like a total fool at my 5K run in August.

More Abbey

2010-07-05T14:11:00.000-07:00

Pet sitting the kids

2010-07-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Abbey on the left Cami on the right
Cami in front Abbey behind

Cami on the left Abbey on the right

Cami is our old dark yellow girl and the lighter yellow one is Abbey her daughter. We kept Abbey for the first year of her life hoping she would turn in to nice show dog, but she just didn't have everything we were looking for so we placed her in to a great pet home with a friend of ours. The best part is when our friend goes out of town Abbey gets to come stay at our house and play with her mom. These moments are very special to us and we love having Abbey home as she's a wonderful dog. I love that her and Cami can still be together.

My custom painted front door

2010-07-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is the custom paint job for my front door is complete. It took me much longer than I thought it would, but for the most part I'm happy with it. I'm not sure if I want to add something on the top panels of the door or not. For now though I am spent and it looks pretty good. Hopefully the hubby agrees when he wakes up. I love to surprise him with new paint jobs.

Hay Season

2010-06-26T14:49:00.000-07:00

Beautiful isn't it?

Turning Water In To Wine?

2010-06-20T11:40:00.000-07:00

We have had a terrible pool season thus far. Usually by this time of the year we are swimming away daily, and my hair is already fried by the chlorine. This year road trips and work and ball schedules have led us to getting the pool out later than normal. Then I discovered a small army of carpenter ants had set up house in the rolls of the outside of the pool. They ate 2 small holes in it which the hubby patched. We then started to fill the pool, but discovered a large hole, so we drained the pool and patched it up. Started to fill it again and I thought it was leaking. Hubby thought it was from the recent rains we have had, hence the leaves already in the pool. So we drained and looked for a hole. Could not find a hole so we started to fill again. Same thing. So hubby brought home a dye used to detect leaks in ponds. So we turned the pool pink. Couldn't find a leak, but we had to drain out all that pink water. So today I finished suctioning out the last of the pink water and drying out the pool. I am attempting one more fill. If this doesn't work I am giving up and going terrestrial for the rest of the season. dissolving tablets

I even jumped in to facilitate the mixing of the dye. Hubby was sure I'd come out with pink feet, but I did not.

And the water turned to wine, well not really.

Kind of pretty isn't it.

Here it is!

2010-06-19T12:32:00.001-07:00

You asked for it here it is. Pics of me and the Hubby on our wedding day. No snickering folks. Remember this was 15 years ago and big hair and glasses were in style back then.

So here we are June 16, 1995

I loved this dress. It had a heart cut out in the back and all this lovely bead work and it had a super long train.

Me and the Hubby.

Look at that train. Nuf said.

The wedding party.
Our colors were white and green and absolutely nothing else.
Hard colors to plan around, but very elegant in the end.

Happily ever after.

15 years and counting....

2010-06-16T15:00:00.001-07:00

Well today is the day. I've officially been married to the hubby for 15 years now. My time flies. I wanted to post a pic of our wedding day, but hubby is sleeping upstairs where the pics are and I haven't the heart to wake him. Our plans are simple, just a nice little dinner when he gets up before he goes off to work. We actually celebrated last weekend with a kid free weekend. We went shopping and out to eat then we ran a couple of times together, then the next day we went to his company ballgame to watch the Reds play. A quiet but super nice weekend. So here's to many more years together. Happy Anniversary to us. Maybe pics some other day.

Better News Today

2010-06-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

The inside of her ear. Poor thing her ears actually swelled a little.

Sorry the pis aren't very good, that's what happens when you try to shoot a moving target alone.

You can see the redness on the inside of her armpit.

The inside of her thigh.

Her belly.

Bumpers was actually worse today. She did keep her dinner down last night, but this morning her breakfast complete with her antibiotic pills came up. Her face was starting to turn that reddish color of the rest of her skin and it was swelling slightly like her ears , which made her poor little eyes water. She was happy and perky, but just not quite herself. Good news was her labwork looked very normal, so no horrific diseases like auto immune disease or bleeding disorders. So what is it. We determined that in fact maybe tit wasn't blood beneath her skin but maybe a very odd pigmented rash, so our best assumption is an allergic reaction to something, time will tell if she responds to therapy. What? Who knows. We'll probably never know. Let's just hope it never comes back. So today she received benedryl injections and an injection of a very large dose of steroids. Tomorrow she'll start on oral steroids. Not my favorite drug but if it works I'll take it. Just glad we didn't get heartbreaking news today. I'll keep you all posted on her treatment and if it's working.

What an awful birthday present

2010-06-09T19:28:00.001-07:00

My baby girl turned 2 on Tuesday, but she's been sick since Sunday. At first I didn't think much of it. My dogs randomly vomit or get diarrhea from time to time. By Monday evening she was still vomiting so I was starting to worry she may have ate something that was stuck, maybe a rawhide since that was the only thing missing. She didn't vomit over night on Monday so I decided to give her another day to see how it went. She vomited again late afternoon while I was at work. That evening there was some blood in her stool and the stool looked odd in color. So off to the vet Wednesday morning to xray that belly. In the car I noticed the inside of her leg looked red. When I got to work we xrayed her and since it was dark in there we didn't pay much notice to the leg. At lunch I took her out to pee after she vomited some water with blood in it, and noticed her ears were red and puffy. It was bruising, meaning she was leaking blood under her skin layer. Not good. By evening her armpits were bruised too. Very perplexing as all her symptoms don't seem to fit one thing. Now we are waiting for labwork which should be back tomorrow. So I'll update you all then, but meanwhile we have started something to help with the vomiting and an antibiotic.

FUNNY CATS & DOGS - PAINTED or DYED or? HAPPY?

2010-06-08T19:01:00.000-07:00

My little graduate!

2010-06-07T16:24:00.000-07:00

My little boy has graduated kindergarten!

All the kindergarten classes put on a cute musical program and then they got their diplomas.

I can't believe my baby is now a first grader.

Where does the time go....

The graduation party!

His big present a rabbit and cage to keep in his room, just like his sisters.

My boy and his cake.

His cake diploma his birth photo and his kindergarten picture.

My how he has grown!

A close up of the cake.

Congrats to my little boy.

I'm oh so proud!

HIVES!!!

2010-06-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Last week our son had an ear infection and strep throat. The Dr. put him on two different antibiotics. & days into his treatment he broke out from his ears to his toes in hives. A reaction to one of the medications. So now we have to start all over with another antibiotic and lots of benadryl for those itchy hives. Dr. said it would take several days for them to go away.

Memorial Day 2010

2010-06-03T05:55:00.000-07:00

I Think I'm Loving This Dog

2010-05-16T11:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Hubby and I stole off to the 33rd annual Miami Valley Labrador Retriever Club Specialty without kids!!! This show is about an hour from our house, so it's nice and close. A specialty show means that no other dogs but Labradors are allowed to enter. Folks come from all over to attend specialty shows. It's an honor to win over so many other great dogs. This year there were 312 entries. The particular dog in the video is a dog from Florida that we are looking at maybe breeding our Bumpers, and her fine pedigree of Westminster winners, with in the future. He is a bit more moderate than some, but we like him. He is a specialty show winner and won the breed at Westminster in 2008 I believe, following in his fathers foot steps as he won Westminster breed in 2006. This dog also was awarded a judges award of merit the following year at Westminster. He attended Westminster again this year as he was the #4 ranked Labrador in 2009, but he was left out of the winnings this year, such a shame. Anyway hubby and I spent a great deal of time with his awesome breeder. She was super nice and helpful. We are still weighing our options, but I'm thinking I love this dog alot!!!!

Where have you been?

2010-05-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

I must apologize to you all for being a bit quiet here lately. I fear it will probably continue for another week or two so bear with me. It has been all I can do to keep up with my facebook and read your blog posts. I am currently in the process of transitioning to a new job. That's a big deal for me since I've been at the same job for the past 11 years. My new job is going to teach me a whole bunch of new exciting things. I'm a little scared, but all in all I'm very excited and eager to learn. Currently I am kind of working both jobs, kind of tying up loose ends at my old one and getting my feet wet at my new one. So I'm super busy, but hopefully it will calm down a bit soon and I'll get back to you guys. I may do some relief type work for my old office if they need me so we'll see where that leads. Mean time know I'm thinking of you all and trying to read all your posts even though things are quiet on my page.

Dog Whisperer: Calm Down!

2010-05-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Ok I guess I'm picking on the dog whisperer this week. His training philosophies include flooding and correction, where I believe corrections are somewhat a necessary evil, I am not a fan of physical corrections and use mostly verbal and body blocking in my training. I do think he has some good theories, don't get me wrong. I agree with his use of calmness. I prefer the word confident instead of leader or assertive. Those words bring dominance to mind. I don't want to dominate my dog but work together as a team. So I need to be confident in my skills as a trainer and in my dog. I agree with his philosophy that dogs today don't get enough exercise or stimulation, however I don't think many folks can devote the 4 hour a day hikes that he devotes, it's his job, the rest of us have other jobs. Anyway I think a lot of what he has to say is good, but alot of how he gets there could be improved on. This video shows him flooding the dog. Again I would start far away, just beyond the distance that gets a reaction and counter condition another behavior with positive reinforcement and move forward from there. Even when they returned and the reaction was better the dog still started with a forward agressive movement (tail up, ears back, weight shifted foward, mouth puckered, all signs of I'm ready to bite), but when corrected he seemed to slink down and turn away from eye contact, it looked a bit fearful at that point to me. I want my dog to focus on me for what he should do next, not turn away. Not a comfortable or safe situation in my opinion. My concern with this episode is that some one might try this at home. I could see a bite happening very easily, by picking up and flooding an agitated canine. In the wrong hands this is a nightmare waiting to happen, even with this disclosure not to try it at home.

Blog Award

2010-05-03T16:15:00.000-07:00

Okay I just won a blog award, and I have no idea how to link to it or anything, so bear with me. It was Awarded by my blogging friend Yankee Girl. Thank you very much :) Anyway from what I can tell I am to tell you 10 random things about myself and then pass the award alnog to 10 others so here it goes....

1. I have a hard time making conversation with people I don't know extremely well.

2. I have a huge earthworm phobia.

3. I could never wear contacts, cause I can't stand anything close to my eye.

4. All my favorite movies are stupid comedies.

5. I never read the newspaper.

6. Everything in my life has to be scheduled, including our weekly menu and my household chore list.

7. I dislike cleaning my kitchen.

8. I've never had surgery.

9. I'm terrible at all sports.

10. I hate to talk on the phone, because I don't hear so well sometimes.

Now for my ten friends......

1. Mumblings from Troy, I know Missy already tagged you, but now you gotta do it!

2. Toby the dog with a blog

3. Down home at the hennery

4. katdocs world

5. Between you me and the fence post

6. gizzards and calf fries

7. chicken tracks

8. north view dairy

9. cotton shedd

10. amour agility

I hope I did this right?...

Dog Whisperer -- Corrections

2010-05-02T15:54:00.000-07:00

What did he just teach this dog, to ignore the chicken? One day in fact it probably will ignore the chicken, because it just learned that when it sees a chicken it gets a smack to the face, That would probably make me avoid it too. It would also make me fearful of the person delivering the pop to my face. So what would I do to help solve the problem of chasing chickens, which was this dog's issue. I would start at a very far distance and every time the dog looked away from where the bird was I would use a target phrase like yes or good or a clicker and reward the dog with a high value reward, be that a treat or toy or a game of chase (something other than the chicken). This way the dog learns that ignoring the bird equals good things. I would gradually increase to proximity to the chicken. This would be a very hard behavior to train out of a dog, especially a dog bred to hunt and retrieve birds, so the value of the reward would need to be super high! Sad thing is I do believe I saw this episode and I believe this dog is owned by John Grogan who wrote the book Marley And Me. I shudder to think of the behavior problems this new dog of theirs might have, as if Marley didn't have enough. By the way those tongue flicks the dog makes are all signs on nervousness, I figure editing has taken out the initial smacks that have now gotten the dog to the point where it is laying quietly next to the bird instead of up bouncing trying to get at it. It looks like the dog is saying oh dear they made me down stay here but I know he's going to hit me for being here, but that is just my speculation.

The Results Are In

2010-04-30T18:23:00.000-07:00

Quackers lump did in fact come back as a lipoma or fatty type lump. However it was not your run of the mill lipoma which was my concern. Those deep attachments on the underside of the mass were attached to muscle . It is what is termed an infiltrative lipoma which is a benign neoplasm (cancer). I know benign and neoplasm really should not go in the same sentence. What this really means is the fatty tissue invades the surrounding tissues, in this case the muscle fibers. It can cause issues with the function of muscle or other tissues it invades. It is very hard the remove all of the cells since they are interlaced in the surrounding tissues, so often times all the abnormal cells can not be removed, and the mass has a good chance of regrowing. However this type of mass generally does not spread widely through out the body like other cancers. It just effects surrounding tissues. This was the concern for our dog since her mass was located so closely to her spinal column. If the entire tumor can not be removed radiation is a common therapy to shrink the abnormal cells and prevent tumor regrowth. Luckily all the tumor cells appear to have been removed on our girl so we require no further treatment, except a close eye for future masses. Quackers did however have a reaction to the suture that was placed in the subcutaneous layer under her skin. It is swollen and slightly hot. It should resolve on its own with no treatment as the suture breaks down and dissolves. So even though it was not quite the tumor type we had hoped for, being just a lipoma, we still have a very good prognosis.

Quackers Lumpectomy Home Care

2010-04-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Here is the incision after the fact.

It looks really good.
Here is my girl sitting with some frozen peas on her surgery site last night. This helps reduce swelling and it feels good to them, She was also having a little oozing so the cold will help constrict down the blood vessels and stop the bleeding. This is totally normal for the first few hours after surgery. She is still dopey from her anesthesia so she has spent most of her night in her crate asleep. She has good pain medicine on board to keep her comfortable. For the next 7 to 10 days she will be on leash walks only and no jumping rough play or swimming or bathing. So that means no cuddle time on the bed :( Stair climbing is to be kept to a minimum so she will spend the first several days down stairs, but later on we may let her go up slowly on a leash. We don't want anything to compromise the suture line.

Quackers Lumpectomy Surgery

2010-04-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

IV is in induction drugs have been given and she has her endotracheal tube placed, that will deliver her oxygen and gas anesthetic. You can't see it but she is clipped and scrubbed and ready to go.

Blood pressure monitor

Here is the lump located just to the left of her spine.

The initial cut.

Here it is the fatty mass or lipoma, It is nice and smooth on this side which is good. However the underside was firmly attached so we will send it to the pathologist just to be certain we are not missing something.

The hole left after the removal is larger than one might think. Sometimes if these holes are very large they will fill with a serous, or blood tinged fluid. Luckily Quackers hole was not very large and did not require the placement of rubber drains.

Being stitched back up

The lump in a formalin jar ready to be sent off to the pathologist. We will have results toward the middle to end of next week.

Recovery

Note her IV line and bag this help keep her hydrated and helps us stabilize her blood pressure. It also gives us immediate access to a vein if an emergency situation were to arise. She has a warming disc and blankets to help keep her warm, cause often times surgery patients get hypothermic, which slows their anesthetic recovery time.

Normal dogs that are sitting sternal already have their tubes removed, but Quackers had not been fasted so there was a good chance she might vomit after her surgery. If she were not swallowing well she could aspirate the vomit causing serious complications. Since she wasn't working her tongue extremely well yet and since she was being a good girl and not chewing at the tube we could leave it in for a long period of time ensuring her safety.

Here she is with her tube removed (extubated) and sitting in her recovery cage. You can see her IV line still attached.

Here she is with her world still spinning.

Ducks Unlimited Banquet

2010-04-17T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our Annual Ducks Unlimited Banquet was tonight. It is a fundraiser we have attended for the past 12 years. We usually spend quite a bit of money there, and sometimes if we have any we donate puppies. This year the economy hit hard. There were fewer people and fewer items, and folks just didn't bid as high. We usually buy the painting of the year by artist Terry Redlin, but we were unsure if there was going to be a banquet this year so we had bought the painting in advance from DU. So our bids were out on that one, it did still bring good money which made us feel better about buying it early. So this year there wasn't anything that really caught my eye and said I have to have that bid on it. So hubby started bidding on a cool camo DU edition acoustic guitar in the silent auction. Another guy kept bidding against us, but in the end we came out on top. So I've posted a pic of hubby with his cool new guitar.

101 Uses For A Labrador-Use #4

2010-04-17T12:52:00.000-07:00

Use #4

Alarm Clock

A Little Jealous

2010-04-16T19:04:00.002-07:00

A little jealous is what hubby was after I posted my 3 celebrity picks, well here it is all rolled into one perfect package.

Awesome blue eyed, guitar playing fish guy, and he's all mine!

Inspired by Yankee Girl

2010-04-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

Inspired By Yankee Girl
She posted her top 3 guilty celebrity crushes and I had to jump on board

I'm sure everyone can guess #1Rick Savage-bass player for Def Leppard

Just plain hot

Sig Hansen-norwegian crab boat capt'n off Deadliest Catch

What can I say I love fish guys.Thomas Gibson-Agent Hotchner-off Criminal Minds

Love those eyes

101 Uses For A Labrador

2010-04-14T17:30:00.000-07:00

101 Uses For a Labrador

use #3

Bed warmer

Colony Update

2010-04-08T15:42:00.000-07:00

Everybody check out the video of the rabbits in the new colony enclosure over on my other blog www.kirklandrabbitry.blogspot.com

Setting Up The Colony

2010-04-04T19:36:00.001-07:00

After reading several blogs and doing a little research of our own the hubby and I have decided we would like to try colony raising with our rabbits. We are hoping it will aid in ease of feeding and watering, since most the rabbits will be in one cage instead of each one needing their own feed and water bottle in individual cages. We are also hoping to be able to feed them more naturally this way. It will be easier to provide large quanities of hay and grass that otherwise would fall through a cages wire. We will also be able to provide large hunks of wood to chew on, their favorite past time, and they will have lots more room to hop around and socialize. After reading alot! We decided to do a modified colony. Our pen will have a floor so the rabbits can not dig burrows. I wish they could so it would be more natural, but digging down 2 plus feet to install wire so they can't escape and trying to get them out of their holes when you want them just seemed like too much work. We are only housing does in the conoly, bucks will remain in cages. We like to keep a good eye on who is having babies and when and how many. So this way the does will be removed for breeding so we know exactly when they are due, then removed again about a week before their due dates. We are excited and hopeful that this idea will work, if it doesn't we will go back to cages, but we like the idea of freedom the colony gives us and our rabbits so we'll see how it goes. We will keep you updated

Hubby near the posts I set for the doorway you can see the wire fastened along the sides of the bunny barn the open end is secured to t posts.

The door.

The wire covered floor.

Hubby after hanging the door, now ready for rabbits.

Turning the first group out. If they do well and stay in we will add more rabbits. We didn't want the whole herd to escape in case they found a hole. We plan on adding straw bedding to cover the floor, but we wanted to give it a trial run first. So far we are 12 hours out and no escapees. We will post more pics when we get the bedding and all the other amenities set up, but for now the rabbits had so much fun hopping around and exploring. It made me smile to watch them run and play with so much room to move in. Now lets just hope they are all still there in the morning.

Our daughter playing in the colony pen with the bunnies another plus, easier play time for us.

Sounds like a Goose Update

2010-04-03T10:57:00.000-07:00

Our dear sweet Bumpers stopped coughing thursday night without needing to go to the vet, just lots of good nursing care at home, however last night our Stryker started to cough, so I guess I'll be softening food and running the vaporizer for yet another week. Hopefully no one else catches it.

Sounds Like A Goose

2010-03-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

This honking sounding cough is the classic sound of an upper respiratory tract infection in a dog. Many people refer to it as bordetella or "kennel cough" there are several different viruses that make up the complex that can cause this disease. Kind of like the flu is caused by many different viral strains. Yes our girl was current on her vaccines, but vaccines unfortunately don't cover all the different forms, just like with the flu shot. Hoping it will however make her symptoms less severe. She has a mild case luckily. She only coughs when excited or on lead. I only heard her cough twice last night in her crate. So we are crating her and keeping her quiet so she can rest. This disease can cause a fever and for a dog to go off it's food, and it can cause them to cough up white foamy stuff. You can even get a green nasal discharge, and it can lead to pneumonia. I don't think Bumpers case will be even close to progressing that far, but we are doing some at home care with instructions from our vet to bring her in ASAP at the first sign that she's getting worse. We are running a vaporizer for her, and soaking her food until soft with chicken broth. You can even coupage them, a type of rhythmic thumping performed on the chest to break up phlegm, but I don't feel she needs this just yet. The vet would prescribe antibiotic and cough suppressants in severe cases. This is a highly contagious disease that is airborne, so hoping the rest of my dogs stay well, we have her in our bedroom, But I'm sure the others have already been exposed. I think we caught it from the dog show we were at last weekend, which stinks, cause she couldn't show this past Sunday cause she coughed every time I put the lead on her. I was polite enough to keep my dog at home. There is also a form of canine influenza that can mimic the signs of kennel cough, but dogs usually are a bit sicker that our girl is.

Do Labradors Shed?

2010-03-28T14:09:00.001-07:00

Most books list the Labrador as a medium shedding breed. No nobody skinned a skunk on my porch

This is what came off of Stryker in one brushing
I'd say he's blowing (shedding) his winter coat
I'd hate to see a high shedding breed, cause I bet I could get more off of him today
He is getting his nails trimmed in the picture

horoscopes

2010-03-26T18:02:00.000-07:00

horoscopes are usually so vague you can make them fit your life somehow, but occasionally I like to read them just for fun. Yesterday on yahoo I read mine and it seemed to fit with a lot of what is going on in my life now, with being indecisive especially. It urged me to jog today saying it would bring clarity. Well I decided to listen so I got up and did a light run, something I haven't been feeling up to doing lately. I've been having issues with my calve lately, but I made it through with minimal discomfort. Well I don't think I got any clarity or answers from my little run today, but I sure felt like I had more energy today and It made me feel good to have done a workout, even if it was a small one.

A Wierd Day

2010-03-24T18:32:00.000-07:00

Things have just been off around our house lately. Can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm just down. I seem to have no energy or motivation about most aspects of my life right now. Of course the kids and Hubby always brighten my day. Just haven't been in a place to jump out of bed and do my usual peppy 5 am workouts, or to even find the energy to clean the house, boy is it getting dirty. I just feel out of sorts, hoping the spring weather will bring some energy with it, but with snow forecasted for tomorrow night, looks like I'm going to have to wait a little longer. Not to mention I've been struggling with whether or not to add a new pup to our breeding program. My head says it's not the smartest thing to do right now, but my heart is in love with the thought of a puppy running around. I think the fact that our old dog is not doing well has something to do with it. Her joints have gone to hell and a handbasket. Both hips are shot and her right knee is thickened and arthritic. She still is happy and gets up to go out. She has modified the way she plays with the other dogs, by laying down to play so they don't knock her over. She slips and falls from time to time, but will occasionally get a burst of energy and trot a few feet. Pain medicine helps, but not a lot. Her eating habits have slowed and I now am playing the what will she eat today game. She has refused several dog foods, including canned. I have even tried cooking for her which went well for a couple meals, then she balked at that. Currently she has decided to eat a small sized kibble (she has a hard time chewing, even though her teeth are not bad) with a pouch type wet food mixed in. I don't know how long this will last, but for now she's eating and I'm happy. It just really bothers me to see her hurt. I wonder if she suffers or am I reading too much into it. I just can't stand to not see a lab up and running like it should. It doesn't help when there are other old labs that are passing away around me, some in my arms at work. All I can think of is my girl and how I don't want to loose her, so a puppy with a dark yellow coat to replace her right? I think I have all the wrong reasons for a puppy, yet still I want one. I have even contacted a breeder and the pup is mine if I so choose. Now I feel kind of stuck. I don't want to make the breeder mad, in case I want to go to her in the future, but I'm not sure I'm not just having a moment of weakness. Fellow bloggers any advice for my funk?

new website

2010-03-22T04:20:00.000-07:00

I have started a new blog at kirklandrabbitry@blogspot.com
It is a site devoted solely to our rabbits. It includes individual posts on each of our rabbits and updates on litters and rabbits for sale. It is still in it's early phases and I have more to add. But come check us out and tell your blogger friends to spread the word. I promise lots of cute bunny pictures!

Dog Quiz Anwsers

2010-03-18T18:16:00.000-07:00

1. Cardigan Welsh Corgi's have tails Pembroke's do not.

2. Irish Water Spaniel

3. liver colored Flat Coated Retriever, they however usually come in black

4. Scottish Terrier, again they are usually black

Breed Quiz from the Louisville Show

2010-03-18T18:04:00.000-07:00

A corgi with a tail? What kind of corgi am I?

Several folks were amazed that my daughter knew what breed this was, I was proud.

Do you know?

Hmm... think carefully about answering this one.

This dog loves water and fetching your slippers.

Everyone knows the outline of this breed, and it was recently the most talked about breed back in February, but I'll admit this is only the second time I've seen it in this color. What breed is it?

Take your guesses and I'll post answers tomorrow.

I'm excited to see what you come up with.

Let's see if you can beat my 9 year old dog wiz.

A Dog Show Birthday

2010-03-18T12:55:00.001-07:00

Today was our daughter's 9th birthday. So I let her skip shcool and go to the louisville cluster dog show with me. This cute little long haired Chihuahua with a sticker on it's head, that says I'm here for the dog show, is just one of the many cute things you see at a show.

My daughter loved taking photos of all the dogs. I posted some of her pics.

Keep checking back cause in a few days I'm going to have a name that rare breed post with some of her other pics.

Smooth coat St. Bernard

Beagle

Red Doberman

black Newfoundland

long haired St. Bernard

Greater swiss mt. dog

brittany

dalmation with a rodesian ridgeback to the left

soft coated wheaton terrier

border collie

english cocker spaniel

pomeranians

blenhiem cavalier king charles spaniel sitting on the bleachers

Berenese Mt. Dog

Irish Setter

Bassett hound

Chow Chow

Do you really think this x pen will hold this Irish Wolfhound if he decides he wants to leave?

Rott

Keeshound

Mastiff

Great Dane

Husky

Boston Terrier

Great Pyrenese

Black and Tan coonhound

sleeping shelties

Golden Retriever

In Depth With My Favorite Salamander

2010-03-11T19:21:00.001-08:00

My favorite salamander the Spotted Salamander

Scientific name: Ambystoma maculatum

Some Info taken from National Audubon Society Field Guide

Upon first look it's just a pile of salamanders, But if you look closer the one in the bottom of the shot seems to have brighter spots that the others. This got me to thinking is it a boy, cause some species put on bright colors to attract a mate. However it is hard to tell from this photo, but the brighter one is also bigger, especially in the abdominal area, so female?

What they look like

Stoutly built, black, blue-black, dark gray, or dark brown above, with 2 irregular rows of round yellow or orange spots beginning on the head and extending to the tail tip

The belly is slate gray with costal grooves, usually 12.

This salamander ranges from south central Ontario to Nova Scotia, south to Georgia and Eastern Texas. It lives in hardwood forests around pools and flooded areas. It spends most of it's time underground, and is rarely seen except during breeding season which is March (Ohio) to April in the north and December to February in the south. Rain and warming temperatures spark the mating season. During Mating the salamanders flock to breeding ponds were females lay 1 or more compact clear or milky egg masses 2 1/2 to 4 inches in diameter which turn green with beneficial algae, each containing about 100 eggs. they are adhered to submerged branches. Larvae hatch in 1-2 months and are 1/2 an inch long. By 2 1/2 months they are 2 to 4 inches long. These salamanders secrete a milky substance that tastes bad when handled. They may live from 10 to 20 years.

From what I have read spotted salamanders hold true to general sexing tips for salamanders. Girls are usually larger, especially in the abdominal area and males have a more developed cloaca area during mating season. This looks to be a male.

A female.

So in closing it looks like the brighter lager salamander in the first picture is in fact a female and the other three are males.
Hope you enjoyed your crash course in spotted salamanders.

Herpin'

2010-03-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

A time honored tradition in our home that started back in our college days, driving the roads on the first warm wet spring night to look for amphibious creatures who are out and about looking for love. Back in the day we would use dip nets at ponds and rolled over logs and went to great lengths to catch the rare and unusual. Now with the prospect of late nights and muddy kids we stick mostly to just driving the roads and stopping to pick up whatever is crawling across. Tonight was a great night. In under 20 minutes we collected 8 specimens with 3 different species. We load them up in containers and take them back home to view in good lighting and photograph. Then we turn them loose in our woods to continue their mating process. Here's our collection of spotted salamanders, 4 total.

These are my favorites.
Spotted Salamander
Scientific Name: Ambystoma maculatum

Our daughter likes the salamanders the best.

Our son prefers the frogs and toads.

Here he is with one of the american toads.
Scientific Name: Bufo americanus

A wood frog.
Scientific Name: Rana sylvatica

The Great Salamander Migration!

By the way all the excitement in the background was due to the fact that my son's frog was currently loose hopping all over my kitchen.

My New Volunteer Job

2010-03-11T12:56:00.000-08:00

Today was my first day working as a volunteer class room aid. I volunteered to help out in my brother's class room. He teaches the SBH unit, or severe behavior handicapped unit. The class is full of elementary and middle school boys. I must admit I was a bit nervous going in today. However the kids were good and all went well. I helped them with their state testing questions, and homework. I ate lunch with them and played cards with them during their break time. I took a planning period with my brother to help him with next weeks lessons. I had to read the kids stories and come up with question and answer keys for their quizzes. I had a great day and really enjoyed helping the boys. I still felt a little out of water, just unsure of the limits of my position. I don't want to step out of bounds, but I really got to do a lot and my brother said I may even get to lead some of the actual instruction time. I am very excited to go back in a couple weeks.

Great post on Paw Nation!

2010-03-08T17:59:00.000-08:00

Great post on Paw Nation!

101 Uses for A Labrador

2010-03-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

Laundry Sorter

My Weekend Was A Bust

2010-03-07T08:23:00.000-08:00

All my plans for enjoying our first nice sunny weekend went down the tube. Our daughter was home sick Friday vomiting, while our son was finally well enough to return to school. Saturday morning Hubby and I woke up feeling just not quite right. With in 30 minutes we were jocking for our own spots in the bathroom. I had to call in sick to work, something I despise doing, but I couldn't even get up to go pee without vomiting. Hubby took off to the upstairs bedroom equipped with it's own bathroom and TV with adult shows playing. I resorted to the downstairs couch and watched cartoons with the kids all day. I would call hubby on my cell phone to check on him from time to time, cause climbing the stairs would surely have sent me racing to the bathroom. The kids were so good and offered to bring us things all day, even though we couldn't stomach anything at the time. Our daughter even stepped up and microwaved some dinner for her and her brother. Today I feel a lot better as in all my bodily fluids are remaining inside, but I still feel week and just not quite right. In stead of being out enjoying the beautiful day I am trying to make myself get up and detoxify our home. I have stripped the beds, bathed everyone, cleaned the bathrooms and used loads of Lysol. I still have a lot more to do and the mountain of laundry is scary. Too bad since this was our last weekend for a long time with no plans to be out and about traveling. Oh well such is life, I hear the washing machine calling my name.

Hope for Health

2010-03-04T16:40:00.000-08:00

Such a pretty day we had today. It got up to 46 degrees, yet there is still patches of snow on the ground, go figure. I was itchy to get outside, I even started asking hubby about mulch for our flower beds. I have serious cabin fever. It is amazing how 46 and sunny with no wind can feel so different from 46 with gusty winds and gray skies. The sun did me good today. However I wasn't able to spend much time outside. Mainly just enough to get the usual chores done. Our son was home sick again today. He is much improved though, but still eating very little. Today he had 3 pieces of cheese some apple sauce a fruit cup and a little jello. I'm hopeful he can go back to school tomorrow. Our son has been sent home alot of homework, which he hates cramming into a small window of time in the evening, but it has to be done. I am hopeful that we will all be well this weekend and able to enjoy the nice 50 degree weather that is forecasted. Saturday afternoon can't get here fast enough, I love my family time.

Sickness Update

2010-03-03T17:20:00.000-08:00

Last night my son woke me and asked for a trash can cause he felt sick, but he said he was OK for now and was going back to sleep. I told him to wake me if he needed anything else. I woke this morning to vomit not only in the can, but dried on the loft bed and running down onto the desk beneath and onto the floor. Good times. He felt it better to just roll back over and go to sleep than to disturb my slumber. Three loads of laundry and one more vomiting episode later I was off to work leaving my son at home with hubby. Hubby just started night shift and gave up his nice quiet day of sleep to take care of our little one, he'll regret no sleep tonight at work I bet. However I am in debt to him and thoroughly appreciate his sacrifice. He got the vomiting stopped and even got the antibiotics for the scarlet fever to stay down! However the diarrhea is the kicker now. Poor kid can't catch a break. Looks like he'll be hanging at home with me again tomorrow.

Sickness Sickness

2010-03-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

My mom was sick last Friday after putting my kids on the bus for me on Friday she proceeded to go home with a 24 hour intestinal flu. Yuck! Hoping the family doesn't catch it. Saturday I worked all morning and ran errands all afternoon. Dropped our daughter off at a slumber party and my son fell a sleep in the car on the way home. I chalked it up to a long day of running around cause I was tired too. Sunday morning my son woke with a bad headache that made him a bit lethargic. I gave him some medicine and we headed out to pick up his sister. Out of the blue he announces he's going to vomit. I quickly grab our traveling puke bucket which he promptly uses. Oh dear I fear mom's intestinal bug is striking, but not so for he doesn't vomit anymore. Our daughter however informs me a girl at her sleep over when home after vomiting all over the floor where they were sleeping. Just a matter of time I think. Our son spends the rest of his day in his room with a tummy, head, and knee aches and a light grade fever. Monday morning he wakes up good as new. I send him off to school. he comes home covered in a rash from his head to his knees. It's even in his hair and in his ears. His throat looks a little red, but he's not complaining except for the itching. I'm baffled and give him benedryl and ship him off to bed. Tuesday morning he wakes up with the rash now down to his feet and his throat is redder, but still not sore. Hubby takes him to the doctor, while I work. He is pronounced with Scarlet Fever, a form of complicated strep throat. The doctor wants to put him on amoxicillan, but that gives him horrible diarrhea, so they choose a liquid Z pack instead. I hope we have no ill effects from that cause we've never used it before. One more day off school and we should be good. By the way the teacher called to say the girl that sits next to him has scarlet fever and I should consider taking him to the doctor. Tonight his rash is slightly better but he's alert and playing, my daughter however just told me her tummy hurts. Here we go!

A Soft Place To Lay

2010-02-28T16:20:00.000-08:00

On the favorite pillow cuddling with our daughter.

They laid there for about 45 minutes.
Chillin in her crate.

Peaceful Sleep.

Our Cami girl is 10 years and 9 months old. We have known she's had some issues with her joints the last few years, but she will have a spell then bounce back. However this winter has been really hard and cold around here with lots of snow to manuver. She is again having greater issues worse than ever before. She doesn't put much weight on her right rear leg anymore, and if you lift her left leg up she falls over unable to support herself with only her right leg. Not only do both hips have arthritis, but now she has thickening in her right knee also. She is now residing in the nice warm house with her favorite body pillow to cushion her joints. We have her on some pain meds, but don't see alot of difference. She stumbles and slips from time to time, but still can get up to a slow trot if motivated properly (this means for food). Anyway we have her crate set up since last time she was in the house alone she ate my dress boots. Her pillow is in there and she happily spends most of her day in there sleeping with her door open so she can come and go freely. We are hoping to keep her comfortable, and hoping we have alot more time with her, only time will tell however. Until then she can rest on her favorite pillow.

This is why I don't tune in

2010-02-22T04:53:00.000-08:00

'The Biggest Loser' Has Big Problems, Health Experts Say - Yahoo! News

Bunny Babies

2010-02-21T10:50:00.001-08:00

Our newest New Zealand White babies.

They will be ready for easter time.

Our New Does

2010-02-20T16:24:00.001-08:00

Our new blue harlequin

Her name is Paloma, the kids will change it She is tha dam of the two previous harlequins we purchased
Her markings aren't great, but her depth of color is wonderful

She has been rebred to Ruffo the sire of our other two harlequins
She will be due around the 20th of March

Our new chocolate doe
She was just born the end of december
We are very excited about her markings
Her father is Leo one of our new bucks
Gotta find her a cute name

Very nice two part frontal

Again we could have better banding

She has wonderful alternating feet

Our new black japanese harlequin

Her name is Aleksa, again sure the kids will change it

We are very excited about her

Her markings are nice

Her bands could be better
She has nice alternating feet

She's a nice 3 part frontal, just wish her alternating ear and face didn't have quite so much brindling

Our New Bucks

2010-02-20T16:08:00.000-08:00

Our new chocolate harlequin

His name is Leo for now, but I'm sure the kids will change it.
Face split could be better

Lovely alternating chocolate front leg

Our new black magpie harlequin

Gotta think of a cute name for this one

He has a nice chest split

Bands are ok. He has a nice checker board belly

His feet do not alternate

Basketball 2010 season starts today

2010-02-20T09:06:00.001-08:00

Today was the first instructional league basketball game for 2010. Our son played last year and loved it. He knew no one last year since he wasn't in school yet. This year he knows some kids from his class and some that he played baseball with last year. Here he is listening to the coach.
Everyone has to sit out at some point

Each kid gets a colored armband that corresponds with a child on the other team. This is the person they are supposed to guard. However they forget and it turns into sheer chaos, but that's the fun of it at this age.

The thick of the game. I like how most of them are really just standing around.

Our son gets the rebound!

And they do some drills passing and shooting.

His shining moment!

Winter Driving Conditions City Versus Country

2010-02-19T16:41:00.000-08:00

This is the road we live on.
On the way to the highway

This is highway 32 out our direction. It is a 4 lane road, but you can't tell it.

This is highway 32 down towards the city.

Amazing what more snow trucks and traffic can do for a road.

Our city living friends didn't understand why we were late for work or why our kids were out of school.

How Much Snow?

2010-02-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Last week we got a storm that set some new snow records for our area. I know could have been worse like out in DC, Boston etc., but bad enough for us. We already had about 3 to 4 inches left on the ground from our last snow storm. This storm dumped about another 8 inches on top. With blowing and drifting spots got ugly. Just how deep was all that snow?

Chest deep for Labradors Opening up the access door to the garage

No dinning on the picnic table tonight

Sorry this is sideways and I can't get it to turn but it's the view out my back door.

There should be three steps here.

Over my boots deep.

When I reached the kennel the snow was so packed I hit my 5 foot 7 inch head on the 6 foot doorway.

Drifts near the rabbit barn were so deeply packed that I could stand on top of them and clean the snow off the top of the 12 foot barn!

Birdies

2010-02-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

While at grandma's house for a sleepover this weekend the kids made bird feeders with grandma. They took pinecones, coated them with peanut butter and the bird seed. We hung them with twine on our blackberry bush just outside the back door so the kids could get a good view of the birds enjoying their treats. It didn't take long for the birds to start feasting. The kids got a kick out of watching them. Kudos to grandma!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:14:00.000-08:00

Hubby has been out of town for the last 5 days and I must admit I'm lonely. Today is valentine's day and he won't be back until well after midnight. So I spent the day with the next best thing my kidos. They spent Friday night with their Grandma in georgetown cause I had to work early the next morning. I missed them terribly, but My mom took me out for a nice early valentine's dinner that helped pass the time. I had a good time watching the kids open all their goodies from the family members. Here's some of the action.... M&M's from grandma mixed with valentine's card from school all over the table
Frisch's coupons from Mimi

Grandma gets flowers

Ready to open

Littlest Pet Shop

The loot from grandma and uncle.

Out with the old and in with the new

2010-02-11T14:11:00.000-08:00

I talked a few days ago about purging our animal supply so I could travel and focus on the dogs more. I also mentioned wanting to get down to having just dogs and rabbits. well we've done a good job of finding homes for some of our critters, still a couple left to go, but all in all it's much more manageable. Anyway we have big big plans for our rabbitry this spring. We plan on moving to a partial colony type set up instead of all hutches. I think it will be better and more natural for the rabbits. They will have loads of space to romp and it will be easier to feed them hay which is the best food for them. We plan on putting up an enclosure in our current rabbit barn not sure yet if we are going to put in a mesh floor to prevent digging or if we are going to go with dirt. If we go with bare ground the rabbits can dig like in nature, but it will make them harder to catch. We will also have to bury the fencing about 2 feet to prevent digouts. Two feet sounds deep to me when I have to dig it out. We plan on only putting the does in the colony enclosure so we can control the breeding a bit more. Since our daughter may start doing 4H this is important. Our bucks will be housed still in hutches. I'd like to do a buck enclosure, but I fear they will fight and hurt each other, so for now anyway it will be hutches for the boys. So with this expansion into colony raising it allows us to have space for more rabbits. I think the feeding will be easier since most of the rabbits will be in one area. Just some quick hay a few pellets and a bottle of water and they'll be good to go. Now I'm filling each hopper with food and each cage needs a water bottle, much more time consuming. So we are waiting for the weather to break to get a start on the pen, but we have started the colony introductions and all seems to be going well. After the pups left we decided to use the whelping box to house a few rabbits together.

These are our new zealand white does in the whelping box, everyone is playing nicely!

For valentine's day Hubby and I invested in some colored New Zealands to add to our herd. This is our new black doe. I just picked her up today.

Our new red New Zealand doe, again just picked up today.

A couple weeks age we got the kids a couple Japanese harlequins for getting good grades. This is a black harlequin.

This is a chocolate harlequin. We are going to have some more harlequins coming our way next weekend. I just love their colors.

snowy february

2010-02-09T13:02:00.000-08:00

Great big snow flakes.....

equals a lot of snow.

Perfect for making snowmen or snow humans as I call them.

This is our son's snow human.

Our daughter rolling the base.

Our son decorating his snow human.

He told me it was a girl and her name is Joey.

Our daughter's snow human with no name, but she says it is a mommy and she started working on building a snow baby.

A Favorite Spot

2010-02-07T11:15:00.001-08:00

Stryker was born and raised in our home and ever since he started to toddle around the house his favorite spot to lay is on the air vent in my kitchen which is located just under the curtains to my sliding door. He has always nuzzled under the curtains and on to the vent and three years later things have not changed a bit except his size. This picture was taken last night as we all sat at the table nearby eating dinner. This is what happens if you set boundaries and don't feed them table food. Even though we were eating salmon, which always smells up the house, the dog chose to lay in his spot and wait patiently until play time after dinner. My dream come true after living with a dog who begged and panted on my food for ten years. I swore to never have to eat with dog breath masking the smell of my food again.

My Funny Valentine

2010-02-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

After dinner last night we let the kids fill out their valentines card to their friends. Their parties are on Friday and we didn't want to be doing cards mid week when we should be studying. The kids had a lot of fun. The kindergarten teacher advised breaking them up and doing a few each day so as to not overwhelm the kids with so much writing. Our son did all of his in one sitting. He was having a ball. His writing was even neat. My daughter made sure that each person got the perfect card.
The funny part came when they went to do cards for their teachers. My son made one for each of his teachers. He was only writing the first name of each child on his cards and he only wanted to write the first name of his teachers too. He however was convinced their first names were Mrs. So we have two valentines that just say Mrs.
Hilarious!

Shingles

2010-02-06T06:26:00.001-08:00

No I'm not talking about my roof. My husband has the shingles! Seems like everyone has heard of them, and has a little understanding of them, but here is the low down. The shingles are caused by the chicken pox virus herpes zoster. After you have the chicken pox the virus layes dormant in the tissues surrounding the nerves. It becomes active in some people later in life causing a condition termed as shingles. Doctors still aren't positive as to what initiates an attack of the shingles. Immune suppression is suspected in some cases, but majority of people never identify what caused them to break out. Shingles can occur at any age, but is more common in people over 60. This bothered my husband making him feel "old." Anyway the main symptoms of shingles is a chicken pox like rash usually contained to one side of the body and extreme nerve pain. Other symptoms include fever nausea act, but those are less common.

Hubby's shingles actually started with pain. At first he thought he had pulled a muscle in his back. I rubbed him down and he took Ibuprofen, but nothing helped, the pain grew worse. Then 3 days later a small rash appeared on his right side. At first he thought it was an allergies flare up, cause he gets hives. He took his allergy pill, but by afternoon his rash was worse and blistering, definitely not a hive. He went to the Dr. who pronounced him as having the shingles. The Dr. prescribed anti-viral medication, supposed to slow the spread of the rash and prednisone to decrease nerve inflammation and help with pain. Over the next few days the rash worsened and the pain grew even worse. After finishing his 5 day course of prednisone and no change in the pain we returned to the Dr. who the prescribed Vicodan to at least help my hubby sleep. He hadn't slept in days due to the pain, and was still working. The vicodan dulls the pain enough for rest thank goodness, but the pain is still very real. It extends from his backbone to his sternum and down into his right leg. His rash is starting to crust and extends from his backbone to his sternum. The person is contagious while they have the rash before it crusts. At that point they can pass the chicken pox virus onto others who have never had the chicken pox before or who are immune compromised. They can not give you the shingles just a good case of the chicken pox. I fortunately have had the chicken pox before and the kids have been vaccinated so so far so good for us. However Shingles pain extends well past the rash phase. it usually lasts 3 to 4 weeks. It can even become a long term problem. We are hoping for the short term 3 to 4 week version. Shingles on your face can cause permanent nerve paralysis and hearing and vision loss. If shingles move internally they can cause organ damage and even death in rare cases. We are counting our blessings at this point and are hoping this will be a one time attack. You can get the shingles more than once. As I stated before the rash is looking better now just waiting out the pain with lots of drugs that really just dull the pain a little. So here is shingles in a nutshell, I hope you never have to get them.

cleansing

2010-02-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

Over the years I have drug home just about every critter imaginable, and my wonderful hubby takes it all in stride god love him. However yet another dog show season is drawing near. I am hopeful that this will be our year. I have tried for so long to break into the dog show world, but it's tough out there and I get discouraged easily, but I think this year is going to be different. I'm working really hard with Bumpers and taking her to training class each week. She is not perfect and I am very far from it, but we are making progress and coming along nicely if I do say so myself. She is so pretty I just hope my sad handling skills can do her the justice she deserves in the ring. I am hopeful that this year we can make things happen for us. I am committing to traveling and taking her to as many shows as I can. It's hard cause I always feel guilty leaving Hubby with the chores. So to help myself feel less guilty I am trying to weed out some of the critters I have drug in to make it easier to focus on our main goal of succeeding with a show dog. All the pups are in lovely new homes, and I just placed my two nubian does. I still have a few critters i need to place. I'd like to get down to just the dogs and the rabbits, and our ancient cat of course.It is bitter sweet. I'll miss the critters, but we need to focus and free ourselves up some. I still need to place my nubian buck, my turkeys, and the stray beagle. Hoping we find homes soon, and hoping I don't regret my choices, and hoping I can make Bumpers and my family proud in the show ring.

Happy Ground Hog Day!

2010-02-02T13:13:00.001-08:00

Our Last Two Boys

2010-02-01T18:03:00.000-08:00

Yellow male pup #1

Sold

Black Male pup #2

Black male pup #2 has been sold

We still have two males pups available. They are 9 weeks old now and current on all preventative health care.

Remember you can view their parents Quackers and Mile on our labrador boys and girls pages.

Both parentes have OFA hips and elbow clearances and have Canine Good Citizen titles.

Boy pups playing in the yard

2010-01-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

It got up to 50 degrees today so the kids loaded up the pups and took them outside to play.
Everyone had fun playing chase and playing with sticks.

Remember our two black males and yellow male are still available to loving homes!

Our 2010 litter is now up for sale

2010-01-12T11:26:00.000-08:00

This is our 2010 litter out of

Kirkland's East Hill Realtree Roadtrips CGC (Miles) and Kirkland's Quack Attack CGC (Quackers) You can view them under our labrador boys and girls page.

This litter was born on November 28, 2009. They have been dewormed 3 times and have had their first shot. We socialize them with our other dogs, our children, and any guests who visit our home. They were born in our house were they spent the first 4 weeks of life before climbing out of their pen and graduating to a larger area in our garage. They come into the house daily for play time. They also have supervised play time outside and love running in and eating the recent snow. This is a beautiful litter with both parents having excellent british champion show lines and both parents have their Canine Good Citizen titles and at one time were both certified therapy dogs. Both parents have OFA normal elbows and OFA good hips. We allow our pups to go to their new homes after they turn 7 weeks old, which will be on January 16, 2010. For further questions or to set up an appointment to view our puppies please contact us at 937-446-4307 or visit our face book page at Kirkland Acres Labradors.

Black Male #1 Sold

Black Male #2 sold
Yellow Male #2 Sold

Black Female

Sold

Yellow Male #1 Sold

How to De-Stuff a Chicken

2010-01-09T11:22:00.001-08:00

WARNING PHOTO CONTENT MAYBE TOO GRAPHIC FOR CHICKEN LOVERS!

As I was eating my lunch today Bumpers was off playing with her ball. It has the face of a rooster on it and at one time it used to make a cock-a-doodle-doo noise, but that feature has long since been broken. She was carrying it all over the house. She disappeared for a bit and I went to check on her. What I found was a chicken massacre. She had de-stuffed the poor chicken ball. She looked so innocent afterwards too.

Furry Friends friday-The Goats all Bedded Down for the Snowstorm

2010-01-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Goats were freshly bedded down with straw for yesterday's snow storm.
Blackers' favorite past time is to eat his new bedding. The cold weather had him feeling his oats yesterday, he was rearing up and acting all playful, of course he wouldn't do it for the camera.

This is Faline our spring 2009 baby out of Coco and Blackers.

She like her dad likes to eat the bedding.

I just love her color

This is Coco, our doe. The goats also enjoyed a special treat of alfalfa blocks this morning along with their morning ration of sweet feed and beet pulp.

Part 2 First Snow Day of 2010

2010-01-07T13:15:00.000-08:00

Nothing like kids and puppies in the snow.

Okay here is where I found the dogs water bucket, in the middle of the yard! Now I have to hop the fence to fetch it. I am not happy.

Don't they look so innocent. Of course no one will own up to who the culprit is. Maybe if I bribe them with a treat?

As for the state of the roads I haven't seen or heard a snow plow all day. Guess the state cut the funding to clean our little state highway. Hopefully hubby won't encounter roads like this all the way home tonight.

Kids and pups had a ball in the snow while I cleaned out the puppy pen. See the videos below.

The First Snow Day of 2010

2010-01-07T07:45:00.000-08:00

The first snow day of 2010. I happen to be off work today so bonus for the kids! That means a day full of playing in the snow hot cocoa and helping mom with farm chores. However their idea of helping and mine are a bit different. First thing they did was take off to the woods to climb the snow covered trees.

(Quackers in the snow)
Bonus day for the labradors too. They LOVE the snow. So I let everyone out in the play yard to enjoy the white stuff. Bonus for me I have have to carry less water buckets when they are out there, and since the outside faucet is frozen today that is great news.

Cami wondering why the younger labs are so excited. I guess after ten years of Ohio winters you just don't get excited anymore.

Miles eating ice that I busted out of the water buckets that the kids in turn threw over the fence to the dogs. They love chomping ice even though it probably isn't the best thing for their teeth.

And what does a lonely beagle get on a snow day. He can't go out in the exercise yard cause he can fit through the fence and get loose and then he runs for a good three hours before I can catch him again. So instead he gets a yummy rawhide to chew and he is quite happy.

Kids had a ball doing one of their dad's favorite past times, throwing snow balls at the dogs. Everyone had a good time till the kids got cold and asked to come in. Their clothes are in the dryer and they are in front of the T.V. warming up. I still have a few chores to finish up outside so I'm sure they will come out with me later. Maybe we'll get some more fun pics. For now though have a great snow day.

What's Cooking Wednesday

2010-01-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

Sorry no picture for this one. I was so hungry when I got home from work I decided I'd wait and take pictures of the left overs, but guess what, no left overs. it was that good.

Fisherman's Stew
Take one onion one celery stalk and one yellow bell pepper, chop, and saute in sauce pan. Add teaspoon of garlic and one teaspoon of cajun seasoning. Add a can of chunked tomatoes, or homemade tomato puree like I did.Add 1 cup water and 1/2 cup white wine. Then add 1/2 lb each of pre cooked chunked shrimp and fish. I used tilapia. Added a little cheese and some crackers and yum yum!

Crate Mates

2010-01-03T16:58:00.000-08:00

No the girls (Quackers-chocolate & Cami-yellow) do not normally share a crate. This was done for convenience while I was trimming nails on the pooches. They were only in there for about five minutes together max, but don't they look cute. Two little jail birds.

Kids & Pups

2010-01-01T15:58:00.000-08:00

Chillin' behind the treadmill
Everybody was kung fu fightn'

smothered in love

playing video games with the kids

2009 In Review

2009-12-31T09:55:00.000-08:00

Wow I can't believe 2009 is coming to a close. It seems like yesterday the year just started. Further more it seems like Y2K was just a short time ago also, but apparently it's been a whole decade.

2009 was a great year for us in most respects. Lots of changes and lots of things conquered. January 2009 started with a dog fight and some amazing shopping and hubby finally hanging my light fixture. Then came puppies. I started running in January and even completed my resolution of running a 5K marathon. I celebrated my one year anniversary of being fit and keeping the weight off. We saw our beloved rock band not once but twice this year. My baby started kindergarten and is now reading. My oldest is doing multpication and passing her state exams with flying colors. We added my daughter's new beagle to the family. We survived not one but two lengthy hospital stays with family members. My aunt came to visit. We had a beautiful new baby goat born on the farm. My son started basketball and baseball and my daughter did cheerleading and gymnastics. Stryker passed all of his breeding clearances. There were big staffing changes at work. We had an awesome holiday celebration with both families. There really is just too many good things to mention. 2009 was very good to us. I hope 2010 will be the same. However we are starting the year off again with an ill dog, that seems to be a trend for us. It has happened the last 3 years. Hopefully this one will turn out ok like last year.
So last year I shared my resolution of my 5K with you all, and I completed it thanks to all of you, since you all knew about it, you would also know if I didn't hold up my end of the bargain. So thanks for the incentive. This year it was tough to came up with a good resolution. I actually made several this year, and some of them are going to be tough for me to carry out so I need you all to push me to make sure I'm getting the job done.
First off is to get back on track with my exercising. I have been off and on lately due to being sick off and on. So I need to get back on it and get committed. I actually started today with a short 1.6 mile run. I felt slow however and fear I'll feel it tomorrow, cause I've been off of it for a couple weeks. I definitely would love to do another race, but not sure my new work schedule will allow it, so we'll just have to see. My races may have to be ran here at home with just me and hubby, but that's ok miles are miles. Secondly I want to spend more time training my dogs. I would love to show my pup this year if I can get her ready and maybe get a CGC title on her and my other male. I would love love love to do some therapy work with Quackers, but time is an issue. I had her certified once, but time didn't allow us to visit much and I let the certificate go. I would love to re certify her and maybe do a reading program with her. These goals with my dogs will be the hardest of all to conquer cause it takes a huge time commitment. I know I need to do it, but its hard to fit it in. So guys help me stay up late, get up early, brave the cold etc. to get these doggies trained up for their prospective jobs. Thirdly I have one other resolution that is a huge secret till it is finished, but it's a good one trust me. I hope I can pull it off. Wish I could tell you all, but I can't let the cat out of the bag just yet. Just wish me luck in getting it completed, cause again it is another huge time commitment.
Happy New Years to all and I can't wait to read about your resolutions.

Embarrassing Moments

2009-12-30T04:34:00.000-08:00

The last two days have been rough to say the least. I have had a bad head cold which has left me feeling tired and my ears are so clogged up it sounds like everyone is talking through a tunnel. First off on Monday I was in a room with a client, their dog had a skin infection on its paws. I was going over the treatment plan and asked if the owner had anymore questions. The Mr said I'm just really worried about his paws. I swore he said balls instead. Now we get all sorts of names for body parts you see. I hadn't heard him complain about the skin in that area, but sometimes owners forget to mention things and bring them up at random times. I replied You're worried about his balls. The man went along and said yeah they're so inflamed. The Mrs. spoke up and said no his paws! I realized what I had done and tried to stay calm and finish discussing the situation with the PAWS, though I'm sure my face was a million shades of red.
Last night was hubby's work Christmas party. It was a really great time with amazing food. I didn't want to go cause I felt awful and they all usually get so drunk and stupid I can't stand them. But they weren't too bad last night. However It was insanely hard for this country girl to make conversation with some of these city folk. My belief systems are different and I just don't get their jokes and they don't get mine, sometimes it seems a bit awkward. There were some new staff this year whom I hadn't met yet. Upon walking to our table a quite large lady about ran my hubby over, heaven forbid she had to share the walkway. I made a comment like watch out she'll run you over babe. He politely told me she was the girlfriend of the new driver standing behind us. Oops. Then when we were leaving there were hugs all around to the powers that be for a great year. Somehow I wound up accidentally hitting the general manager in the face with my hand, knocking his glasses almost off his face. I was mortified. Guess there won't be a raise this year cause he'll need the money to buy new glasses. I am truly socially inept and need to stay home on the farm were I belong.

My Christmas Rockers

2009-12-27T10:27:00.000-08:00

Last Christmas I got hubby a guitar, and he's been taking lessons for the past year. He really is starting to sound good.
This year Santa brought the kids kid sized versions of dad's guitar, complete with amps, picks, stands, and everything needed to be a rock star.

Not sure amps were a good idea Santa. They are louder than I thought.

Here are my boys rocking out.

Christmas day

2009-12-27T10:09:00.000-08:00

(playing board games with the kids)

Christams day is a day filled with rituals from my childhood, nothing extra special, but just wouldn't be Christmas to me if things played out any differently. Christmas used to be held at my mom's house till we moved into our new house 5 years ago. Since then we have had Christmas here, since I wanted my kids to have the same Christmas memories of our house that I have of my mom's. My mom and brother come down the night before after the kids are fast asleep and spend the night so they are here when the kids wake up to open gifts.

Here is how it plays out. the kids get up and we do Santa stuff. While the kids play with that we adults eat and those of us who drink coffee get our fix. Then the kids open their gifts from Grandma and Uncle. Since they are the only kids in the family they get way more than any kid ever should. Then we unpack a few gifts to keep them busy while the adults take turns opening gifts. When we are done we are off to feed the farm critters, then back in to fix lunch. The menu is the same every year since I can remember. Turkey,gravy,mashed potatoes, sage dressing, oyster dressing, a veggie, and some rolls. Then we lay around like ticks unpacking toys and playing with the kids. Sometimes we get dressed sometimes we don't, but it's never till after lunch. We have dessert mid afternoon, always pumpkin pie, then a small dinner of leftovers in the evening even though none of us are hungry. Then the family goes home and the kids are tucked back in bed, and two exhausted parents reflect on the couch about another great holiday. It is my favorite day of the whole year!
(Me and Mom making Christmas dinner)

Christmas Eve

2009-12-27T09:53:00.000-08:00

My kids must have been very good this year cause look at all the goodies Santa brought them.
Getting ready for Santa Claus. After reading The Night Before Christmas and other holiday classics we poured Santa a glass of chocolate milk, left some chocolate chip cookies, and some carrots for the reindeer and left them by the fireplace with our stockings. They we got tucked into bed until 3 am when I found both kids up playing their DS games in their rooms. After tucking them back in they slept till 7 am. That is a new record for them. usually we are lucky if they make it til 6 am.

We spent Christmas Eve day at my mother-in-law's house. We had a great time eating opening gifts and catching up on family news. This is hubby and his mom.

My mother-in-law and her mother, who we call Mimi.

My kids in front of Grandma's tree.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM OUR FARM TO YOURS

2009-12-24T05:59:00.001-08:00

Dognapping on the Rise: How to Keep Your Pets Safe - ABC News

2009-12-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

Dognapping on the Rise: How to Keep Your Pets Safe - ABC News

Doggy Thieves

2009-12-22T12:48:00.000-08:00

Dog napping is all to common. Dogs are stolen from hitching posts outside of stores, out of cars, even out of your backyard. Really no where is completely safe. I got a kick out of reading people's solutions in the comment section on line. Folks scolding others for taking their dogs with them and leaving them in the car etc the list goes on and on.

Being the dog lover I am I love to let the dogs ride along with me, though with kids the trips are less frequent than they used to be. Our before kids dogs went absolutely everywhere with me. I have left them in the car while I ran into the store or post office for a second. I am fully aware of how fast a car can heat up, but with our chilly winters here it's not much of a problem and I don't take them with me in the summer time. My doggies also always travel in a crate or seat belt for safety. My biggest pet peeve is dogs loose in the back of pick up trucks, but that's another story. I love taking my dogs with me and they like going, and I don't plan on stopping any time soon. I do try my best to keep them safe with microchips and locking my doors. The problem with microchips is most owners don't register them so it is impossible to track down the owner. Sometimes the chips are hard for scanners to pick up and it takes multiple passes to detect them, will busy vets and shelter workers take that much time. And do vets risk offending new dog owners by scanning their newly adopted pets? Really most thieves aren't going to admit it's a stray or stolen, they'll say they adopted or bought it. Even if it is chipped and we scan it do we call the companies to see if it's legit. Most people would be highly offended and find a new vet. Also chips can be cut out by the really nasty thieves.

Some people stated dogs should be allowed in all public places so owners didn't have to leave them. Though I think it would be cool to take my dogs shopping with me it really isn't practical. What about those who dislike dogs or are allergic, they have the right to shop pet free. Also dogs and food places could turn into very unsanitary places quickly. Really your golden is cute, but I don't want to find his hair on my food. Also it is great to socialize the dogs, but I think there would be many more bad situations than good ones. Last year I had an owner whose beloved little dog died in her arms. We tried to revive it, but were unsuccessful. She had been walking on a nature trail approved for leashed dogs. She met a man with an unruly larger dog. He couldn't control him and a deadly attack ensued. I see many more of these nightmare situations occurring. Or worse yet innocent kids wandering up to pet the puppy getting bit.

Really I don't believe there is a right answer. I think all we can do is educate ourselves and use common sense to protect our pooches.

What happens to these stolen doggies. Most go into bad situations, like breeding rings, or bait for dog fights, or simply just being resold for cash. It is sad to have to worry about our dogs being stolen, but it is a harsh truth, and we just have to protect them like we do our kids. I don't think it is fair to lock them up in our homes and never let them out, but I don't think they should be allowed access to all that human life has to offer. There are boundaries but we can still enjoy a full life with our pooches with some safety precautions. Being aware, tags, microchips, and tattoos are a good place to start.

stolen bulldog

2009-12-22T12:47:00.000-08:00

Prized Bulldog Stolen from Santa Ana Yard

What Have I Been Up To?

2009-12-21T18:14:00.000-08:00

It all started with some minor chores that I wanted to complete before Christmas. Like touching up the paint in the doorways of our house. With dogs and kids the walls take alot of abuse. there were a few paint chips so I decided to touch them up. Then I got to looking around at all the places that I had not painted since we moved in 5 years ago. The flat white paint was scuffed and dirty. Those areas needed attention badly. I had put them off cause I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with them. I still wasn't sure but decided I had to choose or risk living in a partially decorated house forever. So I sat down with catalogs and decided to pick something. I bounced all kinds of ideas off of hubby. He was patient and listened to my ramblings. We finally talked it all out and settled on what to do. I spent all last Tuesday afternoon shopping for the paint and other items I needed. Now the real challenge to put it all together by Christmas. why christmas. I don't know. My mom and brother are going to be our only guests and they've seem my house a million times, but I want it to be beautiful and finished for the holidays anyway. So for 4 days straight I spent every hour that I had off from work painting. Staying up late and getting up early to get it all done.

Here is my laundry room before
More before

Here is my laundry room after

I now want to stay in this room all the time. What fun laundry days will be now.

Painted the stairway part way up a chocolate brown to cover up little finger marks. Also touched up the flat white in this area. I would love to paint all the way up but I can't reach it without professional painters.

My daughters new curtains. I still need to sew them I just hung the fabric to get the feel of how it'll look. Also painted all of her walls which I must say were gross., and stenciled the lady bugs on. I hand drew the stencil on transparency paper and cut it out, then painted away.

Here is a lady bug up close. I wanted the imperfect sponged on look.

Next was a grapevine wreath made from grapevines I cut down out of the woods behind my house. I wove them together and tied them up with floral wire. Then I added some fake berries. I still have some things to add to it, but it looks good for now. I need to wait for the snow to melt to collect the rest of the decor.

I have been busy busy busy. Now I still have a little cleaning to finish up, but my house is ready for the holidays, and so am I.

Raincoats

2009-12-17T09:07:00.000-08:00

It rained here a few days ago. It was windy so it made the rain kind of sting when it hit. I was dreading walking the girls, but it had to be done. So I suited up then remembered I had bought the dogs a rain coat awhile back to use at dog shows to keep them dry before going in the ring. It somehow always seems to rain at shows when you want the dogs dry and looking their best. Let me state I generally don't like to dress up the dogs unless it serves a functional purpose like dryness or warmth. I dug out the raincoat and decided to give it a try, since I hadn't used it yet. It took both girls a little bit to realize they could go to the bathroom with this thing on, but it really didn't take them as long as I thought. I actually figured I'd have to take it off for them to go, but I did not. Quackers kept shaking like she was wet. Guess she didn't like the feel of it against her skin. I am happy to report both dogs were bone dry except for their feet of course when we came in. Next time I have to dig out the boots, which we also have.

Here is Bumpers all decked out for the foul weather. Complete with reflective stripping that caught the camera's flash.

First Deworming

2009-12-12T16:07:00.000-08:00

The pups are two weeks old today so they get their first dose of dewormer. This dewormer deworms for rounds and hookworms. Roundworms are the most common type of puppy worm. They occur in at least 90% of baby puppies. they get them from their mothers milk or by migration through the placenta. Most dog carry encysted forms of the parasite that becomes active under stress like being pregnant and giving birth.
The dewormer is dosed based on weight and given slowly by the mouth through a syringe. Puppies generally like the taste. We follow the deworming protocol put forth by the centers for disease control. We deworm at 2,4,6,8,and 10 weeks old then place the pups on a heartworm prevention that also deworms them monthly from then on. Some of these worms can be transmissible to humans, and cause things like blindness etc., so it is important to keep our pets dewormed not only for their health but for ours.

Here is momma watching me closely to make sure I do it all right.

Only In A Farm Girl's Kitchen.....

2009-12-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

Only in a farm girl's kitchen will you find inside an oven a pie pan lined with a dish towel and full of baby rabbits.

This morning I bundled up and headed out to feed, while my thermometer read a whopping 18 degrees. I cared for the dogs, the goats, the cat, the birds, then opened up the bunny barn to feed and water them. I knew I was going to have a litter of bunnies this week, so I prepped my fully enclosed dog crate with lots of straw and put mom inside it last week. I had just changed out the straw yesterday so all the bedding was warm and dry. I have been leaving the barn doors shut around the clock to keep it as warm as possible inside in case the bunnies came. I figured with the crate, barn, straw and mom's fur they would be plenty warm. I went over to water her this morning around 6:30 and shone my flash light in to check on her. She was eating a placenta. I quickly backed off so not to disturb her. If upset sometimes rabbits will eat their young. I waited till about 7:40 when it was daylight and ran down to check her. I found four baby bunny popsicles. Two were moving very slowly, one was barely moving, and the last one was not moving at all. and they felt cold. I scooped them up even though mom was grunting and thumping her disapproval. I raced them up the hill to the house and placed them in a lined pie pan and turned my oven on low and popped them inside, with the door open of course. I needed to get them warm fast, but not too fast you see. With in fifteen minutes I had two that were quite active and the third was close. The fourth one I thought might have already been gone when I put them in, but it couldn't hurt to try. He was starting to move slowly. I had to leave for work, but bunny number four was critical. I had to continue to warm him. So I loaded momma rabbit into a smaller straw lined crate and put her in the back seat of my car. My dog had a vet appointment so he was ridding shotgun. I climbed in with a pie pan full of bunnies on my lap. I turned my heat on high and pointed all the vents to my lap. It was quiet a hot ride in after awhile. I had to turn my defrost on four differnt times just to be able to get a small spot to see through the steam on the windows. I'm sure my dog thought I was crazy, but he never tried to reach for a rabbit, such a good dog he is. What a sight we must have all been. When I got to my office I placed a heating disc in with momma bunny and gave her back four happy warm active bunnies. Later when I checked them two had developed frostbite. One on about 1/3 of it's ear. The other on its front foot. It would definitely loose it's toes if not most of it's foot. I never would have dreamed they'd get that cold in the barn in that short amount of time. Later in the day those two passed on, probably a blessing, but still sad. Tonight I have a cage full of mom rabbit and two babies in my kitchen. All look well for now. Let's hope it continues. Thank god for ovens or else I'd lost them all this morning.

Instead of a bun in my oven, it's bunnies.

Bathing The Labrador

2009-12-10T13:18:00.000-08:00

You would think that bathing a lab would be like bathing any other old dog, and for most people it is. However to properly clean and preserve the coat the way it should be here are a few tips.

Labradors are a fairly clean breed that doesn't require frequent bathing. Most dirt can be brushed from the coat after it is dry, however being farm dogs mine seem to find dirt just about everywhere. Labradors due have a somewhat oily type coat to help make them waterproof. They generally don't have a doggy smell but they do have a distinct labby odor different from other dogs. I generally can't smell it unless I am at an indoor specialty show with about 400 other Labradors, so don't be to concerned with it. Above is Bumpers all ready for her bath.

Here is Bumpers all soaped up. The Labrador coat is one that is supposed to have a bit of a hard feel to it, part of it's water repelling properties. When we bathe them we strip out their natural oils making them less water resistant.

Most folks and groomers just use a regular over the counter dog shampoo and some even use conditioners. Most dogs don't require a conditioner unless they have a skin problem. The regular shampoos strip the oils making the dogs feel soft, which most pet owners prefer. I how ever like to keep the coat as true to form as possible. It also needs this hardness to be competitive in the show ring. There for I use a texturizing shampoo like the one pictured above. I never use conditioners!

This is what I use after the soap is on to get down deep into the coat and work the shampoo in to get the dogs really clean. You can sometimes find these rubber scrubbers in pet catalogs, or you can find them at horse supply stores like TSC.

This is a product a salesman gave me to try and I generally like it, but probably won't spend money to buy it. It is a spray that is sprayed on the wet coat. It binds with the water molecules and helps them be removed easier with towels or blow dryers. I think it does help some.

These are all my supplies ready to go: Shampoo, Quick dry, rubber scrubber, and all importantly the forced air dryer. Mine is dirty from being out in the barn, but it is great for blowing the water out of the coats and also any loose hair. The hair flying around can be messy, but it helps eliminate alot of time brushing and dries the dog fairly well though not completely. I have found my dogs dislike having it used around their ears and feet. A cage dryer would be the next step in getting the dogs completely dry, but I don't have one of those so I finish up with a quick towel off and put them in their crates to finish air drying.

This is Bumpers all blown out.

The most important thing is a good drain catcher to catch all the hair from the bath and the forced air dryer. Ideally I like to bathe the dogs outside with the garden hose to save my drains, but since it is winter I figured a tub bath was in order. I also have a shower head with a hose to reach the dogs well.
Also let it be known as I'm sure you can tell from Bumpers expression my dogs prefer the pond and creek to the tub any day.

What's Cooking Wednesday

2009-12-08T13:39:00.000-08:00

These are my homemade attempt at the store bought version of Chex mix snack bars. My husband loves those bars , but can be quite expensive. So I bought a box of corn chex and played around. Here's what I came up with:

Melt one bag of mini marshmallows in a little butter over medium heat. After marshmallows are melted add in about 1/4 cup of peanut butter. Sorry the amounts are not exact. I am not one to measure much. I usually just pour things in till it looks good, drives my hubby nuts. Also add in 1/4 th to half a cup of chocolate chips. Stir till everything is melted in. Add a handful of peanuts and chex cereal in until there is a just a coating of the marshmallow mixture covering all the pieces. Not sure how much I put in. You want to be sure each piece is coated, but not to sticky. Then pour into a 9X13 greased cake pan. Add some chocolate chips on top and press them into the top of the mixture. Let it cool. I usually cheat and pop mine in the freezer for a bit to set up. Then slice into bars and enjoy!

Big Cats #2

2009-12-08T12:54:00.000-08:00

This is another big cat from my office that my husband is in love with. This is Dudley an 18 lb. ragamuffin cat. He is super friendly.

First Taste of Winter

2009-12-07T17:47:00.001-08:00

Our first taste of winter came this morning with frozen water buckets all over the farm, and a dusting of snow. While I was out feeding the critters I found the snow flakes pretty and didn't think they would amount to much. As you can see above there was just a dusting, but notice how well it stuck to the concrete, that will be important later.

On the news there were school delays from schools further west than us. We couldn't imagine why they would be delaying school for this sorry amount of snow.

We got our kids on the bus on time. The snow had stopped falling at this point but the roads still had a covering on them. Of course no salt trucks were out yet.

Hubby and I left for work at the same time with me taking the lead and him following behind me in his truck. I absolutely hate driving on slick roads, and do not consider myself a good driver at all, but with front wheel drive and sporting a new set of tires I felt confident this tiny bit of snow would cause no harm, I have driven in much worse. Hubby is in my mind an excellent driver, so I wasn't worried with him at all.

We made it down the first section of snow covered road and came to an intersection. I had the choice of going straight down another back road, which is how I normally go, or turning and taking the state road to the highway. I chose the state road figuring it to be less slick and more well traveled. I turned then hubby turned. All was going well, then I for some reason I looked back in my rear view mirror just in time to see hubby going sideways toward the ditch. He over corrected and the truck (his two wheel drive work truck with no weight in the rear end, not our 4 wheel drive personal truck) spun a 360 away from the ditch, and headed in to the other lane (thank god for no oncoming traffic) and ended up part way in the opposing ditch. I was horrified watching the scene, helpless and sure he was going to crash. I turned into the nearest driveway and took off running to him, good thing I work out right. He was fine, just slightly rattled. The truck was fine. It hit nothing so not even a scratch. However with the wet snow on the grass combined with the steep grade of the ditch he could not get traction to pull out. A call to AAA was in order for a tow truck to pull him the 5 feet he needed to get back on the road. After I was sure he was squared away with help and a salt truck passed by I headed off to work, being a bit more careful and much less confident now. Before I pulled out I grabbed the camera and shot a far off fuzzy shot of him in the ditch, knowing we would laugh later.

2009-12-04T01:00:00.000-08:00

Kirkland's The Duck Strikes Back

"Stryker"

(CH. Hightide Bonaventure Capt'n Jack X Kirkland's Quack Attack CGC)
D.O.B. April 19, 2007

OFA Good/Elbows clear

Stryker is our first home bred puppy that we have kept. We are extremely proud of him. He is the essence of what a labrador should be. His all around structure is amazing as is his temperment. His father has produced 9 champions to date. His father also won the open black class at the Potomac Labrador Specialty, what an honor. Stryker is out of our Quackers you can see her on our labrador girls page. Stryker carries black and chocolate genes. He may also carry Yellow we are unsure at this point in time if he carries the yellow gene. We are priveliged to have him in our breeding program to carry on his mother's genes.

Stryker is available to approved bitches for stud service.

Pedigree

CH Glengary Lubberline Schooner (b)(great grandsire)

CH Bonaventure' Clipper (b) (grandsire)

Breezewoods Glengary Windfall (b) (great granddam)

CH Hightide Bona Venture Capt'n Jack (b) (sire)

Epochs Edward of Bonaventure (c) (great grandsire)

Gregoires Hightide Josie (c) (granddam)

Gregoires Nugget Delight (c)(great grand dam)

Kirkland's The Duck Strikes Back (b)

Epochs Edward of Bonaventure (c) (great grandsire)

Idlebrooke treasure Gem Cutter (grandsire)

Idlebrook Steal Magnolia (b) (great granddam)

Kirkland's Quack Attack CGC (c) (dam)

Apple Blossom TS Gem Stone CGC TDI WC (b) (great grandsire)

Treasursite Gemstome Emerald (c) (granddam)

Treasuresite Masters Jewel (great grandsire)

Big Cats

2009-12-03T05:10:00.000-08:00

Hubby came to my office yesterday and took me out to lunch. very sweet and nice, even though I ate way too much. Afterward we killed some time at my office looking at some of the boarders. Hubby loves cats and he fell in love with this big lug. Zeus is a maine coon (a breed of cat). His coloring is called shaded silver. He weighs in at a whopping 21lbs 12 ounces. He is big to say the least. He is also a very sweet cat thank goodness cause with his size he would be unmanagable if he were not nice. This is a beautiful cat, but please remember the amount of grooming that goes into keeping one of these kitties mat free is insane. In fact we spend 30 minutes brushin him out today and he is still shedding. However I think hubby would like to have one despite the grooming.

What's Cooking Wednesday

2009-12-02T16:45:00.000-08:00

My yummy corn and balck bean salsa.

1 quart of home grown corn

1 can of black beans

one onion chopped

one tomato chopped

red pepper flakes to taste

serve over crushed taco shells

top with shredded cheese

Happy Birthday To My Favorite Rock Star

2009-12-02T16:42:00.000-08:00

Happy 49th Birthday to Rick "Sav" Savage.

Bass player for Def Leppard

A Week In Review

2009-11-29T05:38:00.000-08:00

Let's start with last Sunday, It was my son's 6th birthday and he had a complete blast. I don't think I had ever seen him so excited before. He couldn't wait till guests arrived. He had a ball opening his presents and loved all his gifts. I think he actually played with every single one of them before the day was over. He wasn't much on the cake, he never really is. For some strange reason he doesn't really like cake. He totally didn't get that from me. Can't believe my baby is six. We put up our Christmas tree after the party which is our tradition to put it up on his birthday. Two days later it fell over dumping sticky tree water all over my floor, and breaking several ornaments.

Now on to Wednesday. I hung out all day with the kids since I had the day off work. I was supposed to be on my way to Louisville to watch Def Leppard play for the last time this year, but sadly they cancelled their tour and left me scrambling to find something for hubby for Christmas, since this was our gift to each other. I was dog sitting for a friend for the holiday so after she dropped off her doggies I loaded up the kids and we met hubby at his office, then headed down to the zoo's festival of Lights display. It was beautiful and we had a great time. However before I left I decided to dye my hair. I picked a dark brown since the light brown I used the last time faded back to blonde. I figured dark brown would fade to a medium brown more like my natural color. I was wrong it came out black and I looked like a vampire.

Thursday was good with a quiet Thanksgiving here at home with hubby and the kids. They redecorated the tree. I think the cold air the night before left me feeling a little under the weather though. The only excitement was my son decided to feed my pregnant dog a little Debbie chocolate brownie. Normally that's not enough chocolate to hurt a dog of her size, but since puppies were involved out came the peroxide. After two doses and no vomit for several hours I figured we were safe and took her to bed with us. At 2am she vomited on my carpet. Then again at six. We got smart and stuck her in the laundry room were she continued to vomit about 5 more times. Fun Fun.

On to Saturday I worked while hubby helped his mom pick up her new treadmill and then took off to the woods to hunt. After work I went to the salon to try to get my hair fixed. It is now dark brown. Much better than black, but still not the color I was looking for, but I'll take it. Came home and fixed dinner for the family and then tucked the kids in bed. I was finishing up the dishes when I heard the dog bark from her crate in the garage. She never barks so hubby when out to feed her and take her out. Too late she had peed and pooped in her crate. So not like her, but since we had been busy she hadn't been out in awhile, so he walked her and I fed her and cleaned up the mess. We left her crated and went back inside. She barked again. Ok something is up so we let her in despite the fact she and pee on her. I realized how gross she was and toweled her off, considered putting her in the tub, but decided tomorrow would be a better bath day. So i stuck her in the laundry room. She started scratching at the door. I let her out and discovered she had peep again. I asked hubby if it was just me or did her belly look lower. He agreed. I decided we must be starting labor. I quickly cleaned out the whelping box that hubby had just picked up today and stuck her in it. She promptly jumped in and vomited up her two cups of food. So back to cleaning up messes. Got everything squared away just as she started pushing. She pushed for a good 45 minutes which was starting to concern me since I don't let them strain for more than two hours and we live an hour away from the closest doggie ER. But then she popped out a cute Black puppy. From then on it was smooth sailing and we finished up around 2 am. This morning it is baths and mopping. Everyone is doing great. We have 2 black boys, 1 black girl, and 2 yellow boys. Happy they came early I was expecting them Tuesday or Wednesday and was dreading having to take her to work with me to watch her. Guess Chocolate and peroxide got them jazzed up and ready to come out. Happy Happy Happy. I'll try my best to get pictures up soon.

Failed Attempts

2009-11-25T10:56:00.001-08:00

After I dyed my hair blonde I decided I didn't like it so I've been trying to go back brown. Last time I bought a light brown and it looked great at first but it lightened as weeks went on to a blonde-ish color again. So I bought a dark brown this time thinking it would probably lighten too. Well it looks nothing like the box. It came out darker than any of the photos on the box. In fact its almost black. I am way to old and way to pale to look goth let me tell you. I just finished crying to Chris on the phone. He tried to tell me it's not so bad after I emailed him a pic. I know better though. I hate it with a passion. I'm dreading stepping out of this house with it. My only hope is that it will lighten for now I look completely stupid! Guess that'll teach me to play chemist with my hair.

Special Clients

2009-11-21T18:19:00.000-08:00

It's weird but sometimes impossible not to become attached to some of our clients. Not just the furry pets, but the people who love and care for them at the other end of the leash. There are many of my clients who I have a wonderful relationship with. Today I saw several in fact, but one holds a very special place in my heart. He is an elderly man who I didn't see much at first with his pets, his live in girlfriend always brought them in. She was a hoot, always had a very strong opinion about things, and wasn't afraid to voice it. She was terribly funny, and at the same time terribly sweet. She did loads of volunteer work, going to other countries to lend a helping hand. She was a nurse and had a passion for rescuing old racing greyhounds. She had four of her own and several cats. She also would make the most heavenly coconut macaroons and bring them into the office. She was special. Two years ago she died of lung cancer leaving her boyfriend to care for their many aging pets. He is sweet and kind and a very good friend of mine. Sometimes I think he just needs some one to talk to, so my check ins are usually a bit longer with him. We talk about all sorts of things like his brothers and sisters and places he's going, just chatting about everything. In the past two years he has lost his girlfriend, three of their greyhounds and one of their cats and his mother. He is such a strong man, and I don't know how he keeps a smile on his face, but he does. I have been there for the loss of each one and shared the stories of his girlfriend and mother with him. Today we helped his third dog over the rainbow bridge, I felt so sorry for him. He was upset and being a Saturday the front office was full of others as he checked out all teary eyed with our receptionist. In his state of grief most folks would pay and leave. But as he started out the door he turned and thanked me before he left. Thanked me for putting down his friend. What a wonderful soul. I'm glad he's my friend.