What to do when your governor declares a drought

Well Jerry Brown has declared a drought for California.  Not really big news for those of us living here.  We've been having a beautiful summer all winter.    But what to do when your state is in the most severe drought of the century?

Might as well enjoy the weather since I can't do anything about it...

One positive aspect of the crazy dry weather is that I'm able to keep up with my yard work.  Generally during the winter my yard gets overgrown with grass and weeds.  And my hedges grow faster than I can cut them back.  This year I've managed to keep ahead of the growth but today I made huge strides in trimming back a tree/bush that has needed some TLC for at least a year.  I massacred it (as I tend to do when I prune) but it's more weed than tree so it'll will come back strong.  So long as the drought ends eventually...

I managed to fit every bit of that foliage into my green waste bin except one big branch.  The dogs were pretty impressed with my powers of reduction!

On Sunday a friend and I went for a hike.   It was hot, gnats and ants were out, water levels were low, but Ali'i didn't care!  It's good to be a dog.

Yay, I'm a dog!

Rampage is more concerned about the water levels (Icon is the most concerned and refused to even get his photo with the pond).  

Speaking of low water levels, I hiked with another friend today since I had a day off for MLK.

We had 8 dogs between us (Just 2 were mine!)   You're always a spectacle when hiking with Tammy :)

The hike was fun, but since it was so hot we decided to take the dogs swimming at the Lexington reservoir afterwords.  The water levels were low, SO low.  But what can we do?  Might as well enjoy the reservoir while the levels are high enough to swim in.

Swim, little ones, swim!

 Everyone played fetch in the water with toys or sticks.

Except for Rampage.  Rampage just swam and swam and screeched and trilled.  He loves to swim.

Tricki wanted Tammy to ignore the cute little swimming Staffy and pay attention to HIM.

Icon thought the water was a bit on the dirty side.

Rampage kept on swimming and trilling.  He loves to swim.

Tricki says, "HELLO?? I'm right here!  Pay attention to me!"

And just because...

Foster!

That hiking thing

I love hiking with my dogs.  I have been doing a lot of solo hiking lately due to mixed schedules with my hiking buddies.  I have really enjoyed the time for solitude and reflection but I have to admit that some Saturday mornings, after a long work week, it's HARD to get up and get everyone ready to go when there isn't someone else waiting to meet us at the trailhead.  So I was happy that today I managed to meet up with Kay and her boxer boys.  And I got to share her birthday with her!  Happy birthday, Kay!

We went to Almaden Quicksiver County Park for an unspoken (but I'm sure silently agreed on) 6ish mile hike.  However, we were so involved with talking and laughing that we missed a turn-off and our hike ended up being 10 miles.  It was such an easy 10 miles with the company, though.  We laughed the entire way! (well maybe 9 out of 10 miles for laughter.  We did talk about Pook a bit and Kay told me a not-so-funny story about a kitty she knew in her childhood.) 

I always try to take lots of photos wherever I am, but I'm having issues with my iPhone camera that only seem to appear when I'm hiking.  But I did get two photos!  

A pretty traditional Icon/Rampage shot.  Icon is always off-leash when we hike because he's just SO good (and he drives me batsh!t crazy when he's on leash).  I'm always expecting to get an off-leash ticket from the rangers but so far, so good (probably because he's just so good).  

Kahve and Stash.  Those boxer boys laughed the whole way.  That's just how boxers roll.

The year of THINGS!

I say farewell to 2013!

It was a good year, but one hell of a boring year.  Aside from work I have no clue what I did with it.  I went to AKC nationals with Rampage (fun!) and a backpacking trip with Icon, Rampage, Tammy and her dogs (sooo fun!) and some hiking and agility in between.  But otherwise...hmmmm.

For 2014 I have plans... so many plans!  They involve things with dogs, things without dogs, things with new dogs, things in the US, things in Canada.  So many things!  With a 6 week sabbatical, 5 weeks accrued vacation and 3 weeks vacay during the year I can do so much with 2014 aside from (blech) work.

In the (almost) words of Allie Brosh...

In 2014 I will DO ALL THE THINGS!!

(still looking for Thing suggestions too!)

Practice Makes Perfect

Just prior to our first World Team practice in Washington, one of the new team members asked me what the purpose of practice was.  After thinking for a moment I went into a long and elaborate (and probably annoying) speech that the purpose is to go out on each course and run it like you are at Worlds.  Your aim is to go clean, and if that is not possible.  Just. Don't. E.  At the end of the weekend you'll be able to look back on the courses and see what your weaknesses are.  And then it is expected that you go home and spend the next 6 weeks training those weaknesses before the next practice and before Worlds.

And I guess I wasn't wrong, that IS one of the goals.  But you don't have to fly to Washington to find out what your weaknesses are.  So then what is the primary goal?

TEAMBUILDING!

Coming together is a beginning. 

Keeping together is progress. 

Working together is success. 

- Henry Ford 

And what a great team we have!

(photo be Dee Anna Gamel)

The Large Dogs! (not the best quality photo, sorry!  Photo definitely NOT by Dee Anna)

But enough of the serious part of practice.  Here are the fun photos!  Tori and Daisy were happy on Sunday morning!  I'm sure they were talking course strategy.  Or maybe they were talking shoes... 

Icon helped Nancy and Kathie give an overview of what to expect in Liberec since he was there for EO in 2010.  I'm sure his advice was most helpful.

Rev and Icon demo'd their mad core strength skillz.  Rush is, like, "Whatever...  Border Collies are weird."

Icon worked HARD and he was exhausted by the end of the weekend!  He had to get some Starbucks to wake him up.

But Icon wasn't the only exhausted dog.  Everyone worked hard!  Kelsi was out cold on the trip to the airport.

I was a bit worried when I saw my ride home.  I have never been on a prop plane before!

But we had a smooth ride, clear skies and a gorgeous view of Mt Shasta on the trip home. I won't mention how the entire trip I couldn't stop thinking how if one of the propellers came off it would probably cut me in half.  Thankfully that didn't happen.

I am so thankful

For the last week or so I have been wallowing in self pity.  Rampage has been on the injured reserve list since Memorial Day due to some mysterious injury that no one can find.  He doesn't want to walk up stairs but I don't really think he's limping.  However others have seen him limp on his front right.  Some have said he favors the right rear.  Some say maybe the spine by the tail.  The ortho vet's diagnosis was some sort of soft tissue injury, probably groin strain.  He has been on a rest since then.  Who knows, it's still a mystery.

Then I take Icon on a 15 mile hike and he tears up his pads after only 7 miles.  This is the same Ohlone Trail that he hiked 30 miles on last December.  Why would he tear up his pads after only 7?  Thankfully I had some booties for him to wear but it was a case of too little to late.  It took at almost a week for his pads to heal.

Around the same time I start having pretty bad headaches and achy muscles and have to start loading up on advil to get through the day.  I get a cold sore (one of nature's ugliest creations) and after I live through that I find what I think is a beginning cold sore just below my armpit (is that even possible?)!  To spare some boring details around disease progression it turns out that totally separate from the cold sore (but due to the same weak immune system) I have shingles.  This means that after lurking in my nerve cells since I first beat them at 6 years old,  Chicken Pox finally came back for its revenge!  And trust me, it had the upper hand for a few days before I went to urgent care to get medications to control the horrible pain that comes with them.  At some times during the day Chicken Pox still wins a battle but the pain gets better every day so I'm hoping I'll win the war.

So yeah, for those reasons I have been wallowing in self pity and coming up with excuses not to even take the dogs on their nightly walk.

But over the last two days I've realized how immature and selfish I have been.  Aside from a little "flea on the dog" I am in good health and all of my dogs are in good health.  I am so thankful for this.

I am so thankful because there has been such heart-wrenching news lately.  My friend and Rampage's "auntie" broke her arm just as she was getting ready to start taking her handsome red boy Riff back to agility trials after a prolonged back injury.  What cruel twist of fate would let this happen?  She is one of the most caring, expressive and empathic women I know.  She doesn't deserve this.

Paulette, owner and trainer of agility sheltie extraordinaire, Rush, has been fighting cancer for longer than anyone should need to and she's back fighting in a hospice.  I got to know her in 2009 when she and Rush welcomed us with open arms our first time on the World Team.  One of the reasons that Paulette and I got along well is Paulette loves to talk and I love to listen; a perfect pair.  I think of her daily and I SO want her to be well enough to come to the Czech Republic to watch Rush run at the World Championships again.  

And of course there's Elicia Calhoun, who has just lived through the worst nightmare that all dog-lovers fear most.  A horrible accident.  One dog dead on the scene.  Two missing dogs.  A long search to find them and only one recovered.  I'm so happy that they were able to find Tobie alive, but how heart breaking to lose Nika.  She was an amazing Aussie even before she lost her eye, but after?  Wow, what they have accomplished together shows what the relationship between a dog and handler can overcome.  I can't even imagine what that loss must feel like to Elicia.

Excuse my gushing, I'm still on very high doses of medications for my stupid shingles.  That's my only excuse.

Hello World!

It's been a long time, I've been busy!  Let's see if I can catch you up with the Cliff Notes version.

My friend's lab had puppies!  I love puppies!  Especially THESE puppies, they're awesome!


I went to an offsite a work with the theme "Building Tomorrow" around lego blocks, it was cool.


Hiking, yay!


Heading to World Team Tryouts.


No agility photos from Minnesota, but we did find a fun place to walk the dogs that had a doggy water park!


I have very similar photos of Icon from Tryouts last year, but thankfully this year he was just tired and not sick!


Oh, look!  A photo of Carrie, Anne and Marq.  I don't remember taking this one :)


I guess I accidentally took a photo of my iphone screen when reading my friend's text on Sunday.  Apparently Dim Sum is more important than watching agility!


More walking in Minnesota!


Everyone is happy we're home!


I got a new washer/dryer.  SO exciting!!!


Icon and Pook have to re-establish the hierarchy.  Sorry Icon, Pook is still the boss.


Casa de Fruta trial.  Apollo says, "let me out!  I'm not really a boxer!"


I'm not sure why I take photos of my iphone screen when I read texts.  I guess I have clumsy fingers.  But I was a bit late for work on May 14th.


Yummy pasture raised Marin Sun Farms standing rib pork roast from my work cafeteria.  I haven't had pork in AGES.  It was delicious.


Facebook goes public.  Not the best photo of the chaos at FB, but I was a bit late getting my phone ready.  I pass Facebook every day on my way to work.  Sorry if you bought Facebook stock, my only advice it to stick with it, it can't get much worse.


PUPPIES!


I did a triathlon relay with 2 agility friends.  We finished 2nd for women's relay!


Annular solar eclipse.... cooooool.


ICON IS SELECTED FOR WORLD TEAM!!!  EEK!


PUPPIES!


TRACS AKC trial.  Probably my favorite local trial of the year.  It's also my birthday weekend!  I'm 26.  Yes, 26.  Ahem.


And Apollo got his PACH!


A hike in the Ohlone Wilderness.  Poor Icon tore up his pads.  Good thing we're on an agility break anyway.


PUPPIES!!


And today's Venus transit.  I can't take credit for the photo, a friend from work took it.  I don't even have permission to post it, I hope he won't mind.



And now you're are current with my life.  Hopefully this means I'll start blogging again!

Nationals!

Despite all of the fears of bad weather trying to get to Reno and worries about circus smells distracting dogs the venue was awesome.  The surface, while not perfect, was definitely acceptable and a significant improvement over last year.  And speaking of improvements over last year, the venue itself was 5000x better.  Parking was awesome, there was parking around 3 sides of the buildings so no one had to park TOO far away.  RVing was great, I was able to 'crate' from my RV, and I didn't even get there until thursday afternoon.  I guess the only negative was the 4th ring, aka 'the dungeon' or 'the closet under the stairs' but that wasn't so bad either.  It certainly was a huge step up from rings 3&4 last year, which was a healthy walk from the main arena and had no seating for spectators (and crappy dirt, but the main arena had crappy dirt too).  But maybe I'm just still bitter because last year 26" dogs were stuck in the boonies of ring 3&4 for 4 out of 5 runs.

But onto this year!  I have videos from Fri/Sat but am waiting for Sunday's runs. I will post separately.

Cassidy

I never, in a thousand years, would have thought that Cassidy and I could have 3 clean runs to make it to the finals.  My plan was to go out and win T2B because both Diana and I thought that would be the best chance on making challengers and then possibly finals.  But after the rather disastrous warm-up round I was too cautious on the contacts so we ended up third, which actually would have been good enough for a bye to the challengers round, but we didn't need it!  It's amazing how Cassidy stepped it up last weekend.  She knew it was a big event and she 'brought it'.  I regret our off-course in the finals, but there are so many things to celebrate before the finals that it's hard to regret it too much.

Apollo

Apollo did great!  He finished 2nd behind Blink the border collie for all three rounds.  He was a bit slower than normal, I think he was a bit stressed out by the environment but he still went out and showed people what boxers can do.  Apollo's finals is my big regret of the weekend.  Apollo NEVER gets called on the teeter!  But of course this was totally my fault.  I'm always ahead of him when he's on the teeter and he runs right off of it, he didn't know what to do with me stopping right beside him.  If I had taken one step forward he would have been fine... and he would have won!  Won it all!  Doh!

Icon

Icon was also awesome this weekend.  I thought his jumping was mostly good.  When we were in 'the dungeon' he stuttered a bit on the triple and the last jump but I didn't notice anything otherwise.  After Saturday I think we were in 8th place after 2 clean rounds, so our times weren't the fastest.  Icon was moving nice for they hybrid round until he went off course, but I doubt we would have made finals  even with a clean round.  The 26" class was very competitive this year!  There were a lot of really nice dogs who had three clean rounds but didn't make finals just because the competition was so tight.  I was  hoping that we would get into the challengers round but not really expecting it.  Since we were the first to run in challengers I guess we must have just squeaked in; I'm not complaining!  It was pretty stressful running first and then watching the dogs after us run and pretty exciting when none of them beat us.  The times were very close in the challengers round and I think a lot of the dogs lost it on the turn after the dogwalk.  Finals was a lot of fun and we gave it all we had.  It was just enough for 2nd, which is more than I had expected coming into nationals this year.  This is our third time finishing 2nd place at AKC nationals.  A 1st would have been nice but barring that, I'll take three 2nds :).