Too cute to resist!!!

Are you supposed to be on the bed, Tweed???

Too Cute Tuesday

Meet Tweed's new friend Ty. This shot captured at puppy class. Perfect pic for too cute Tuesday

Ty is almost four months and owned by my friend Erika. By the looks of it he is getting good at sit!! Good boy Ty!!

Too Cute Tuesday

Tweed, been caught playin' in the mud

Winter is here

I do believe that winter is here. The rain would not let up on the weekend, so inside we stayed. Time to drag out all those crafty projects. I felted a couple of flowers for Christmas presents, got to knit a couple more rows on my mobious (sp?) shawl and bake a Linzer tart. Mmm! This is what I love about winter here in the valley. It reminds me of all the fun things to do inside

Happy Birthday Tweed

Happy Birthday Tweed!!

I never realized how fast a year passes until I got a puppy.  I remember getting the call from Lora informing me of the joyous news. Nell has had her pups!  

I swear BC pups grow faster than Shelties, it's probably just their size. I would have like to had Tweed little for a bit longer. He was a great puppy, still is, but he is definitely MUCH bigger than at 12 weeks old. 

I can only post one picture at a time since we are still computer-less. Growl.   I will post more pictures once I get it back

Tweed at 5-6 weeks, I think. ;)

Not gonna fight

I had a to do a few chores while checking on my sheep, tweak the pen I had set up the week before, hang the mineral feeder and prop the door open on the barn so my sheep could find shelter at night or in bad weather.  Last but not least, I thought I would work Zeke on the sheep for a spell.  I can tell you today was NOT the day to work Zeke.  One or both us was off today.  He was not taking the commands I gave him.  In general, just being far too stubborn for my liking.  So it was a "time out" for Zekie.  I messed around in the barn getting my chores done then got him out again to see if he had a change of behavior.  Nope!  Mister stubborn it was.  His flanks were nice, I will say that, but lie down seemed to be missing today.  The sheep stayed in the same place as he flanked around them but again, lie down seemed to have been left at home.  Hmmmm, alright, I am not going to fight with him and I wasn't feelin' it so back to the truck he went.  Some days are for sheep herding and some aren't.....Today was one of "those" days.

I ended today with a nice long walk for all the pooches.  Time to think, reflect on the week and room to stretch the legs and let my mind wander......that seemed to be what everyone needed.

Nice red dog decoration, eh?

Phoebe, Simone, Wendy, Finnoula, Esme and "that darn little black wether" are present in this pic

Starting out and moving up

As promised, here are pictures of Tweed herding sheep.  I am thrilled with him on all levels.  He is the sweetest puppy and a joy to train, on and off sheep.  He will be turning 10 months very soon.  Hard to believe that time has flown by so fast.

Zeke and I will be moving to Pro-Novice for sheepdog trials here this winter.  I'm a little nervous but I know I'm not the first one to do this and most certainly not the last.   Pull up yer boot straps, it's time to make progress girlfriend!  I am a big fan of positive thinking (thanks mom & dad) I love looking forward to what the future holds.  You don't get anywhere by standing still. 

I read the Mental Management newsletter and really enjoyed the article on competition this month.  It's not about winning or losing, it's winning or learning.  How many times have each of us learned valuable life lessons from doing the task incorrectly.  I know I learned some VERY valuable lessons at the Lacamas Valley sheepdog trial.  Reward the the good, focus on the task at hand, and practice, practice, practice.  Their blog closed with a quote that I will keep close to my heart as step into the Pro-Novice class. 

"You never know who will be watching you as you compete for your dreams - so always act like a Champion, win or lose. Because at the end of the day, the people you meet and inspire will mean more than the trophies that gather dust on your mantle."   Posted to their blog by Lanny Basham

I couldn't agree more.