WOOO HOOOO!!

Okay, this will be quick as I'm about to fall asleep after a long 4 days of dogs shows.

The Foggy Bottom/Summit crew divided and counquered this weekend.

Up at the 4 day summer solstice cluster in Cambridge, MN, Russ took BOB twice garnering 2, 5 pt major wins towards his grand championship. He now has 15 total, his competition and major wins, so it's only a matter of time.

Pete was WB/BOW one day for a point, then WB for another pt, then best bred by. She showed like a trouper and well, just can't ask for much more from her pointed little head.


AND down south in Iowa City at the Hawkeye Kennel Club shows, under the absolutely expert handling of Kerri Carter, grooming by Connie Whan and The Ms and substitue handling by my dear hubby, Margie, yes our Margie, got her final 2 points towards her long sought after Champinship going WB and BOW!!! under judge Brian Meyers.

To top it off, our fuzzy blue bear Eddie, is proud to congratulate his father, Picasso on his FIRST BIS!!!! Way to go Emily!!!!


So now I crawl into my own bed and dream of dog shows---well not for awhile, rest of the summer is fair and fun at home.

Later gators....
C

more quackers

So how to you sort, cage and transport all the ducks for this year's shows? Very quickly, plan to get dirty and make sure you have extra hands for the blood testing.

We loaded up the ducks on Saturday to head over to Jones Cty for pullorum testing. Our county does their's next weekend and we can't attend, so it's nice when the neighboring counties pull together to offer mulitple testing dates. Also handy that one of the area certified testers is our county's committee chair. And also good that she brings her kids along as they can then help hold ducks.

We ended up testing 19 ducks. And we did leave some at home. Of course I only buy from pullorum free herds so I know mine should be clear but the state requires we test each year. The runners are looking awesome, hoping to have a couple fledged full by fair but otherwise, they will go to state fair this year. The ancona hens are really in bad condition, as in the drakes have ravaged the feathers on their heads. The cayugas are still molting but their color is pretty. Ancona drakes, oh there's two super nice ones in the bunch, high hopes for them if the owl can be kept at bay. Then there's the pekins. Yes they are for sale, anyone want some semi tame pekins? Not show ducks, will be heading to the petting zoo again this year.

So with blood stained hands, tested ducks, and an unhappy Moose-he came along for the ride but had to hang in the truck, we headed home. Can't wait to do this again in a few weeks as she heads to the first of the summer's shows.

Later gators...
C

What now?

How about owls?? A HUGE great horned owl has found our ducks. Meredith lost Commander Cody on Wednesday night and one of the more solid ancona drakes(not a huge loss) on Thursday night.

Live traps went out thinking it was a coon or the mink visiting. We stayed up late on Friday listening for something and when the hens went off, David snuck out and ran right into the owl. It stood, yes stood on the ground in the pen, about 2 1/2 feet tall! Like I said, HUGE owl. It then hopped up to the perch in the pen and stared at David. Flew away silently.

So this weekend was spent getting a night pen up for the drakes, with a cover and then covering the hen pen with bird mesh.

Whoooo knew???

Later gators.....
C

An angel says....

'Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice...'

Rules to live by:

-Pray
-Go to bed on time.
-Get up on time so you can start the day un rushed.
-Say NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule or that will compromise your mental health.
-Delegate tasks to capable others.
-Simplify and unclutter your life.
-Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)
-Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.
-Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.
-Take one day at a time.
-Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.
-Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.
-Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.
-K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.
-Do something for the Kid in You every day.
-Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.
-Get enough rest.
-Eat right.
-Get organized so everything has its place.
-Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.
-Write down thoughts and inspirations.
-Every day, find time to be alone.
-Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.
-Make friends with Godly people.
-Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.
-Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good 'Thank you Jesus .'
-Laugh.
-Laugh some more!
-Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.
-Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).
-Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).
-Sit on your ego.
-Talk less; listen more.
-Slow down.
-Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.
-Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

GOD HAS A WAYOF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.
'If God is for us, who can be against us?' (Romans8:31)

Later gators....
C

life in print

There’s a reason this blog is called Random Thoughts, I’ve been thinking again about something very off the wall.

How would you write about your life for a book? And what if they decided to turn it into a movie or mini-series or worse a tv show? What kind would it be? Drama, comedy, reality, or one of those “dramodeys”?

Looking back, I’ve had ups, downs, things that I would rather forget about. The past is the past. I’ve learned from it, don’t live in it and choose not to repeat it. Though I wouldn’t change it for a thing, it’s made me the way I am and I love the life I’ve created.

So I’d write about my life now. Duck wars, poop patrol and all. Kids growing up and leaving the nest(eventually, maybe, some day I hope). The ins and outs of being a working mom with a sideline on the chaos of being a full time volunteer too. Road stories, pms, mowing the lawn and watching silly movies on rainy days. I might just have to work on this a little.

Okay, so you write the book. They(whom ever they would be) offer you truck loads of money for the rights to put your life, your story on the screen. Who plays you? Your kids, the infamous hubby. They will never be able to cast the four legged characters and give them justice. There is only one Clairee, Hope and Moose. So this is where the fun begins, maybe. Do they really understand you? Oh the joys of having an actress shadow me to get into the part. NOT. Seriously, does anyone really want my life other then me?

I’m a little concerned, though, about how they would edit what I’ve written, or in specifically, how I’ve lived. I’ve been reading a few books that have been turned into movies and there’s so much that you miss out on from written word to acting a scene. What would they leave out, put in, change the timeline on. Are they happy with the plot, the beginning and the end? Or do they need to make it more likeable, romantic, scary or cleaner(I’ve openly admitted that I’m not the world’s greatest house keeper.).

Challenge now, how would you write the story of your life?

later gators....
C

A funny thing happened on the way to the bank

Ever feel like you live in a sitcom? Most of the time I do really live in one. Not a reality show, heavens, nothing is plotted out or played right in my life. No, things just happen and many times you can hear the laugh track at the funny parts.

So on my way to the bank today. Hadn't been there since oh Monday. The gals in the downtown branch are super nice and of course, the "what's new?" line comes up a lot. Today I discussed weekend plans. I or should I say, the Ms has to take her ducks to the next county for blood testing so she can show them at fair. That means sorting ducks, shoving them in vari kennels, into the tahoe and off to the fair grounds. It gets so much more adventureous then that. But I digress. Our conversation then continued about the dogs recently getting in the duck yard, the change of color on the dogs due to the mud and then the kids cleaning the dogs.

One of the girls said that I need to write a book. That's been mentioned several times by several different people. To which I gave them the address to the blog and said we usually don't have reruns, no season ending cliff hangers, but just regular episodes that involve a cast of characters. Sometimes it's a sitcom, some times an editorial commentary, a PBS type informative show or a serious drama.

Yeap, my life as a tv show....

Later gators....
C

Weather update

Nope, we didn't float away. Actually we didn't get near as much of the downpour as our neighbor's to the NW in Center Point. Several of my kids were late to class because they honestly were stranded at home and had no access out of their homes.

Though I do have a bone to pick with my own children........I took very muddy dogs with me to class last night. Merlot, Lace and Moose all had too much fun making mud pies in the afternoon. Clairee was just wet but frizzy due to the humidity.

And this morning, I saw the SUN!!!

Later gators.....
C

At least the ducks are happy

And the frogs too.

Flash flooding around here today. See that little white circle abobe Cedar Rapids, that's kind of where the farm is. Not sure what the total rain fall prediction is but it's not pretty.


Current updates say that the creek that starts in our pasture-the Indian Creek, is already up and over it's banks as it winds through Marion. Wee haa, just what we wanted, more water.

Later gators....
C

Trust

Earned not gained. Grows if given, shrivels if neglected.

We tend to overlook this important aspect in training and living with our dogs. Trust is something I think that we take for granted or in many cases misinterpet an animal's willingness to work for us.

I’ve been watching the agility workouts at 4-H this last week. The kids are having fun, the dogs are loving the attention, but what seems to be missing in many is the level of trust between the teams. So many are just going through the motions. The teeter for example. So many dogs do it but hesitate. Or are overly concerned that their humans are going to allow “that noise” to happen. They just don't trust their handler to do it without concern for what might happen.

So in small group this week, I talked about that. And at my side was the perfect example of trust gone wrong.

I have a big blue dog that adores me. Loves Meredith. Begs for butt scratches from Alec and a dog seriously distrusts the world around him. I unfortunately trusted him to someone, thinking they were long time dog people, and would do right by him as he went to puppy camp away from his siblings for a time. Trust is something that I have now learned not to give as freely. What returned a few weeks later was a young dog who found the world to be too much to handle. Every corner might contain a boogy man. Four years later it breaks my heart to see that fear in his eye.

Things keep popping up with him. You go months where you think you are on the right track, he’s learning to push the envelope open and trust that the next thing that crosses his path is safe. Mostly he has issues with people. I think that’s worse then objects. Though, as I was putting up the door on the training building, it’s an automatic garage door opener, he wanted to bolt. Get as far away from that evil thing as he could. I don’t have an automatic garage door, never have. He's fine at home with doors opening, garage door closing, fans running. But this noise he knew from somewhere else and he lost it.

So now I have to go looking for that missing piece in his puzzle to form a better picture of him. I’m beyond sad. During the evening, with only 3 dogs in this class, he became less concerned. Better able to adapt to the noise, the other dogs passing by(never really an issue with him) but the running of the people was almost too much. After an hour of reassuring, treats and TTouch, he was doing long downs, off lead and comfortable with the other people walking around him. We went home with him trusting his outside world a little more. Because of the bond that I do have with him, this was a good experience for him, he became grounded, so to speak, so much faster then if he didn’t trust me.

Trust with our dogs is so important. You see it in their willingness to attempt something new, even thought it could be super scary. Or the joy in that learning. The “what’s next mom?!” bounce in their step. We have to remember that one little incident can ruin that for years. It makes training harder and longer. It makes small events into horrible markers in time.
Beyond the training, the socializing, treats, hugs and love, we need to remember that we have to instill trust into our relationship at every step of the way. It can so easily be stolen away by others, so it’s important that we put extra into that aspect of our dog/human relationship.

later gators....
C

Croak

Frogs, why did it have to be frogs?

Sleep has been hard to come by recently. I have fans running, dogs panting and frogs croaking outside the windows. Seems that the duck pond and assorted bog that sits close to the house is a perfect spot for bull frogs and their nightly music. Doesn't help that two children, who will remain nameless, have been "stocking" the pond with assorted critters. They go to the creek and come back with a 5 gal bucket full of stuff, "for the ducks" or so they claim

The last two years it's been a pair of green tree frogs hanging out in the cup plant right outside the front door. And I of course, allowed more cupplant to take root. Yeap, ones back. Can't find it yet, but ugh, the songs, er, noise they make.

They are pretty quiet during the day. But as soon as the dogs come in for the night, they warm up their voices and start what initially is a beautiful chorus, but several hours later, it's like being at heavy metal concert-for hours. My head, it aches.

Any one got ear plugs I can borrow?

Later gators....
C

Quit bugging me!

After chatting over on Penni's blog about natural bug repellents, figured I would just post what I use here.

With 4-H classes being held at the fair grounds, right next to a large natural area and big river, skeeters are, well, in abundance. Off is one of products I use on myself, but hate the amount of DEET in it. Won't use those products on the dogs, afraid of what might happen if they ingest it, ie, lick it off. So after a lot of research, this is what I came up with and it works pretty darn well.

1 bottle of witch hazel as the diluent. I add to that 15-20 drops of the following essential oils: citronella, peppermint, lemon grass and eucalyptus. There are lots of other products you can add, but some can be very toxic if too much is used. Shake well and put in a spray bottle.

Some things to remember. Shake well each time you use it. Oils can lose effectiveness in light, so keep all the bottles in a dark cupboard. Cover you dogs eyes if using on the head.

I also will keep a bottle of witch hazel around and take sprigs of herbs from the garden-rosemary, mints, lavender and drop them straight in. Let sit in the sun for a few days and voila! Another way to make your own sprays.

The other product that I love to use, if I can get my hands on it, is a marigold spray from a company called EQyss. It's awesome, but hard to find in our area. I'm ordering a large bottle online today. It's all natural, safe for humans and animals.

Happy bug hunting!

later gators....
C

Christmas in....June? CSN giveaways galore

If you haven't been following the blogs, there's prizes to be had everywhere!

Check out Laura and Cooper at http://coopercreekcardigans.blogspot.com/ for a $40 drawing for CSN stores.

I'm a little late but Sarah over at http://hawkswedishvallhund.blogspot.com/ had one too. I think her's ended last night.

BUT.....keep searching, the word is that there are more drawings in the near future on various blogs.

PS--this just in, if you head over to the other Sarah blogs, http://hurrikanecardis.blogspot.com/ and http://hurrikanepuppy.blogspot.com/ there will be more give aways!!!!! Wooo Hoo--enter soon--don't let Laura hog all the prizes! heehee-she's on a winning streak!



Later gators....
C

Happy Barkday!

Well the month of June is filled with birthdays around here! Today is the 2nd birthday for the crazy cardi kids from the Jimmy Buffet litter. I'll try to get some new photos of them all posted in the next day or two.

Drum roll please.....
CH Sumjammin's Five O'Clock Somewhere FB CGC aka Frankie Baby
CH Sumjammin's Come Monday FB aka Lovey Dovey
CH Sumjammin's Changes N'Lattitude aka Boo Bear
Sumjammin's Lost Shaker of Salt FB aka Shakin'Bake
Sumjammin's Landshark aka Rogue(working towards his CH)
Sumjammin's Piece of Work aka Torch aka Cody
Sumjammin's Time to Go Home aka Trouble aka Arlo(therapy and reiki dog extraordinaire)
Sumjammin's Parrot Head FB aka Harry the Handsome

2am in the morning, c-section, awesome vet, lots of coffee, chocolate and teaching hubby the finer points of shaking and rubbing puppies.

Later gators....
C

Reminder to self

If one is to wear gloves out side while gardening, use sunscreen or face the delima of how to get rid of a tan line on your wrist. At least the Ms thinks it's funny.

Later gators....
C

Ah summer vacation

Or at least I think I need one, just like Meredith. A weekend is not enough.

I found my garden-with the recent rains and warm weather the weeds have just gone nuts. So after 4 hours of weeding, I have a garden again. Still some more to do-till around all the hills of squash and cukes. Carrots are just coming up so can't week those yet and I did a late planting of beans, so those wait another week too. And yes, it's a larger garden then last year, which makes it a huge garden this year.

Inbetween garden and yard work, we've been mobbed by barn swallows. The garage door is open and well, they love it. And they are territorial of their new digs-dive bombing us, chatting up a storm. And it's not just the garage, you can get attacked in the barn too. David's been working on installing windows in his new tackroom and he's had to watch out for a robin and a couple swallows all weekend long. One time he had to leave as they were actually pecking at him.

Severe weather through last night. Hoping Sheryl is okay as Monmouth has some tornado warnings out. Maquekota has a tornado hit the north side of the town and a little north of us along the county line, there were some straight line winds.

And the evil blue dog met her match--an electric fence. See the north fence line has an electric fence on the cow herd side. Corgis can run under it and have learned how to tuck their tails. On our creek walk today, Moose disobeyed orders and went bunny chasing into the cow pasture-luckily they were all at the other end of the field. Lace went to investigate and well, a yipe later, she was convinced that the fence was no longer a friend. Hey, no harm done and she learned a lesson about never believing a word a cardigan says about it being safe to cross a fence.

Alec went to the Fargo shows, hoping Ms Marg could do something, nah. It's so frustrating when the dog is nice, but walks in the ring with an attitude that showing is evil. Man, those two points are going to haunt us, but we decided that that's the goal for the summer. Like showing or not, Marg will get finished and that means every show we can think about sending her to. Ugh. Ruff took select dog for a 5 pt major on Saturday during the supported entry and Lydia took breed twice and made cuts in the group both times. Oh Dawn's Peace took select dog one day and Music was RWD all weekend long. I hate to say that it's the red dog curse but it seems to be that way. It's hard when a judge can't look past a color to a better structured dog. Some judges it's red, some it's blue and yes some it's brindle. We've run into that a lot this year. One judge was all b/w and another defaulted to blue. Shame on them.

This week is quieter then last, sort of. 4-H horse fun show at the end of the week, Meredith starts riding lessons in the evenings. Dog classes, meetings, and the typical house work and cleaning.

Hope everyone else had a productive weekend and hey, maybe we can work on being like the Eurpeans and take some time out for a summer holiday?

later gators....
C

Somethings beary wrong here

http://www.sheboyganpress.com/article/20100602/SHE0101/100602033/Black-bear-spotted-near-Random-Lake

Seems dear old Leonard saw this particular bear the other night and Brian had to go out and get him from the yard because he was all about protecting his people.

Good boy Leonard! But man, think twice about it--that big ol'bear would have you for an snack.

Later gators....
C

A little refresher

AKC Code of Sportsmanship

PREFACE: The sport of purebred dog competitive events dates prior to 1884, the year of AKC’s birth. Shared values of those involved in the sport include principles of sportsmanship. They are practiced in all sectors of our sport: conformation, performance and companion. Many believe that these principles of sportsmanship are the prime reason why our sport has thrived for over one hundred years. With the belief that it is useful to periodically articulate the fundamentals of our sport, this code is presented.

• Sportsmen respect the history, traditions and integrity of the sport of purebred dogs.
• Sportsmen commit themselves to values of fair play, honesty, courtesy, and vigorous competition, as well as winning and losing with grace.
• Sportsmen refuse to compromise their commitment and obligation to the sport of purebred dogs by injecting personal advantage or consideration into their decisions or behavior.
• The sportsman judge judges only on the merits of the dogs and considers no other factors.
• The sportsman judge or exhibitor accepts constructive criticism.
• The sportsman exhibitor declines to enter or exhibit under a judge where it might reasonably appear that the judge’s placements could be based on something other than the merits of the dogs.
• The sportsman exhibitor refuses to compromise the impartiality of a judge.
• The sportsman respects the AKC bylaws, rules, regulations and policies governing the sport of purebred dogs.
• Sportsmen find that vigorous competition and civility are not inconsistent and are able to appreciate the merit of their competition and the effort of competitors.
• Sportsmen welcome, encourage and support newcomers to the sport.
• Sportsmen will deal fairly with all those who trade with them.
• Sportsmen are willing to share honest and open appraisals of both the strengths and weaknesses of their breeding stock.
• Sportsmen spurn any opportunity to take personal advantage of positions offered or bestowed upon them.
• Sportsmen always consider as paramount the welfare of their dog.
• Sportsmen refuse to embarrass the sport, the American Kennel Club, or themselves while taking part in the sport.

Later gators...
C