We're still in Kansas Toto

This is what I saw when I went outside on the porch, the winds were blowing very hard and there was just something in the air, and it was NOT good. I had a feeling. I usually don't worry too much about storms, I kinda like them. I remember once when I was little, I was walking back home from the barbershop after a haircut and a big storm blew up. I was about 400 feet from the house and my dad was on the back porch watching me. I wasn't afraid and I wanted to be cool in front of dad, so I walked slowly. BAM.......CRASH, lighting struck a tree about 20 feet from me. All the Palm-Aid in the barbershop would not have kept my hair down. I looked up and dad was gone, back in the house. I ran as fast as my little feet would take me, back to the house. This was how I felt when I went out on the porch last week.

Wasn't too bad I thought, we have been having some bad weather in the country, but not too much in Indiana, yet. I got a call from Elaine, she was at choir practice and they were notified to take cover. Elaine chose to come home, it's about 8 miles and she knew she could make it in time, or so she thought. During the drive home, the funnel cloud passed over the car and she saw it, it had just not touched down....yet.

The only thing she said during the brief call was "I'm headed home, TAKE COVER...IT'S COMING YOUR WAY" she did say "I love you" but that's personal.

Do you know that feeling when you oversleep and you wake up and look at the clock? You know you have to be somewhere now!!!! And you know you’re going to be late? Well I had it. My mind was asking the question a thousand times a second. "What do I do first, What do I do First, What do I do first!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH GOD.... OH GOD....OH GOD. Then it came to me....DOGS... PUPS...COVER. If you have ever watched Pee Wee's Big Adventure, there is a scene in the movie where a pet store is on fire and Pee Wee tries to get all the animals out of the burning building as fast as he can, well that was me.

I had Molly and the pups to take care of and the other dogs too. I flew (bad word during a tornado) to the dog shed and looked around for something to get all nine pups in because I had only one trip. Work mind, work...Think, what to do. IDEA........ Santa does it and he has a lot of packages in it, Hobo's do it and they carry their stuff in it, great...I grabbed a clean sheet that we use for bedding for the pups and unfolded it and started putting the pups in the middle. I then folded the ends together and threw it over my back (gently) and off we went to the house. I grabbed their basket as I went. Why didn't I think of that...duh. The only problem we had was all the other dogs thought my excitement was going to be a heightened game of Frisbee or ball. Apparently they have never seen the Wizard of OZ.

After some explaining, we finally got to the basement and all was well, but scary. Elaine arrived home safely, and all was good.

See the part where it says "Tornado on Ground!!!! 

Spring Cleaning and More.....

We have had our last litter for the year if Clancy will behave himself.  He can do anything he wants to, even to the point of carrying a set of lock picks, I believe.  Just today when we arrived home from church, he had preformed his magic.  I had cut the grass in the kennel runs yesterday and they all have a gate with a clasp that you can keep them separated or together.  I did not put the clasps back on the gates and Clancy opened the one between his pin and Megs which, opened the one to the common area, which opened the one to Shepp, which opened to Abbie, which opened the one to the outside.  WHEW !!!!    If  he had thumbs, he would dial the phone....

Molly is doing great, and she is the best mother we have.  Dutchess and Meg are good, and do everything right, but Molly always goes the extra step.  Just after the last pup was born this week, I was going to move her and the pups to another stall with fresh and clean bedding.  I attempted to call her out of the whelping box and she wouldn't come.  When I finally coaxed her out, she would just stay for a moment and then run back in.  This went on for a few minutes and I knew there had to be a way.  I didn't want to upset her but I had to make a clean and cozy place for her and her pups.  I knew I was smarter than a dog (at times I do wonder with Border Collies) so I devised a plan....Rather than get her to come to me, I will get her to come to the pups.....Great idea.....I gathered up a handful of pups and took them to the the clean stall.  I grabbed another handful and did the same thing.  As I was going from one stall to another it seemed she had more than I thought, she did have nine pups this time but I was making a lot of trips.  I noticed Molly was making trips with me as expected just to watch and make sure everything was all right.  Little did I know, Molly was carrying a pup back to her whelping box every time she would make the trip too.  (So much for the smarter than the dog theory).  This could go on forever, she wasn't upset, she just didn't want them moved and this was not a one man job....Elaine................. 

Once moved, everything was fine.  Molly is the only dog we have that will grab the pup like a cat and ever so gently with her mouth, move it back into the pile.  If the little fellow strays a little too far away, back it comes....She has always done this. 

This has been a very productive week.  It's not raining so I can catch up on some of the spring chores.  One project that is hard, but I only have to do it every 4 or 5 years is to clean out the Koi pond.  I actually have two of them with a stream that connects them with a waterfall, so it's a muddy and messy project and one that I do not look forward to.  I do enjoy watching the Koi and it's relaxing to sit on the deck beside them and just stare, kinda like watching a campfire.  Well it was an all day job and I was so proud how it looked when I finished.  Abbie and Shepp were glad it was done too, because they decided to take a swim to cool off after some hard running around the farm.  When we purchased Clancy and picked him up from the breeder I asked "do they like water"  He said "oh yes, they love it.  I wanted to know because we had two lakes on the farm.  He also said "Ours are just not allowed to get in our fish pond", they had a small goldfish pond in the yard.  As we were backing out of the driveway, their dog was sitting in the middle of the goldfish pond, unbeknownst to the owner.  Elaine and I looked at each other and laughed.....I should have known.....

Abbie and Shepp should watch themselves, rather than swimming with the Fish, they might be sleeping with the fish.... Just Kidding...

The Last Pup........

Let me explain.  When we give the OK for the pups to go to their new forever home, I will notify all the owners that their pup is available and they will make arrangements to come for their little bundle of life (yes really).  This excitement has been building for 6 months or better at times.  Whether it's phone calls, visits or even emails.  The time has come, your on your own, time to make your mark in life and hopefully not on the carpet, Aww.  This sometimes brings us to a dilemma.  Everyone has picked up their pup, except one.

 Meet Scout, the last one.  His new Mom and Dad came today but everyone else left Friday.

From Scout's point of view....
While everybody gets to know their new Mom and Dad, I'm stuck here with nothing to do.  I'm so bored here on this hard bed and nuttin to do.....nobody to play with..

I NEVER get to go outside and play, again nuttin to do....

I can NEVER get on any furniture, specially the couch...

                                                      Nuttin to do, I have no toys

                                          I'll just steal some sugar, nobody is looking...

                             I think I found a friend, She is little like me, her name is Maddie

                                         Maddie "Bear" said, "I can give sugar too".



Here I am waiting to go home, but I kinda like it here, I'll miss you dad,and thanks for singing to me and bringing me into this world.   Maybe I can come back sometime?  Will you sing to me again... and who is "Babe"? 

Not everyone is picked up at the same time, some people will travel a long distance and some even have to work around their work schedules, but never the less, the last one is the one we bring in and for a brief moment have a puppy again for ourselves.  They will sleep with us and stay in the house and be our best friend and companion.  Watching our every move, pouncing on everything and walking under our feet.  We love our adult dogs very much, but oh, there is nothing like a puppy and for a few days we get to have our own again.  Good luck Scout, we'll miss you........Mom & Dad

Field Trip

This was a big week for the puppies.  We took a field trip to Marvin Finke's farm in Hope, Indiana.  Through a friend that we attend church with, I was contacted by one of the event organizers that is involved with getting everything just perfect...and it was, notwithstanding some minor problems on my end......

During the week I knew this was coming up and at 7:30 a.m. the morning of the event (plenty of time) I went to the car and was going to put the 'big' dog kennel in the car.  I first tried the front seat with no luck, no problem, I'll just put it in the back seat, it might work even better.  No matter which way I turned it, it would not fit.  I was starting to get a little panicky.  Surely I could put it in the trunk.  Oh no too big...... "Houston, this is Apollo 13, WE HAVE A PROBLEM".

 Maybe,     I'll just let them run loose in the trunk, no, that's probably not a good idea.  I know, I'll just let them sit with me in the seat.  No, that's probably not a good idea either.  What was I thinking...  I can only imagine 5, 6 weeks old pups running around the car getting into everything, under my feet and doing what they want.

What to do, What to do, What to do...............

***Idea***

Ask Elaine if we can switch cars so I can slide the "Big" kennel in the back of the hatchback.  You can haul anything in there, it's big.  Elaine was just getting ready to leave for work and preparing to back out of the garage.

"Elaine", can you help me out?...  Can I borrow your car?.....  "Today"? she said, "Now," she said...  "Yeah", I said.  "Have you lost your mind"?...she said... no, I don't think so.  It seemed like a simple request to me.......For the men readers, this is a place I don't want to be or even see, but here I was, stuck.

Let me explain, Elaine was going to Louisville to see her Mom for Mothers day right after work.  She was also going to see her daughter and our grandson Archie, and she had packed the car full of toys and luggage, and as women do, everything that is necessary to sustain life for several weeks, just to stay overnight.  And she was already late for work......

I had to take a step back from her, and after the smoke cleared from around her head, she agreed to help me out of a jam and switch cars.

Note to self... Plan ahead.....

There were nearly 75 children between 4 and 6 years old from the "Little Seeds Preschool" at Asbury United Methodist Preschool and 20-30 parents that came. There were tractor hayrides, a mule team wagon ride, goat, sheep and miniature donkeys to pet and feed, chickens and baby chicks, a litter of  4-5 week old kittens and our 5 Border Collie puppies.
It was a wonderful time and everyone was on their best behavior except Elaine (just kidding honey)...

The Amazing Roxy

Watch this Video.........
http://www.youtube.com/user/roxybordercollie?feature=mhum

It was from her owner Jenny Roth.  She got a pup from us that was from Dutchess and Clancy  She and her husband picked her up on March 25th, just 8 days ago and the pup was 7 weeks old.


Jenny said in an email;

I just posted a video of her doing some of her new tricks which include sit, down, paw, come, sit pretty, roll over, and bang (play dead). She is very talented. I spend about 10-15 minutes with her a couple times a day before she eats and she picks up on everything right away! A little bit of kibble taken out of her food bowl is the same as treats to her.  I've been doing research and I really really suggest clicker training, she responds very well with that. If you do a search for border collie on YouTube you can see a bunch of cool tricks that they can do, it kinda inspires me. This is really my 1st time working with a puppy because all of my other dogs belonged to my mom growing up, but so far I think I am doing a good job :)

I was speechless, I called Elaine to to the computer just to make sure I wasn't loosing my mind.  It was a pleasure to watch Jenny & Roxy do the things they do, Jenny even had to hold the camera and if I'm not mistaken she has 3 kids.  Great Great Job.  I have always said just a few minutes a day and you can get the dog to do anything. 

The rain had stopped for a while and we are back in out routine of playing ball and Frisbee..... over and over and over again, but they need it.  I think I will start taking them out and play one on one.  That way they don't have to fight for the ball or Frisbee.  Every one is happy and they do sleep soooo good at night. 

Meg and Molly have been sticking to me like glue.  Both will walk next to me and jump up and put their two front paws on me and walk beside me on the hind feet.  I always stop and give them extra sugar when they do this...and they seem to enjoy it......

For the guys, it's OK to stop reading now, no-one will be offended.  I'm going to talk about my Granddaughter. 

Maddie "Bear" is 6 months old and growing like a "pretty" weed.  I do have several people ask about her, so that's why I do a small update.  I will tell you she is a special little girl.  When my boys were born years ago, I was told that both of them were girls by the Doctor, so I was all prepared for little girls, this was before they used ultra-sound as much as they do now, well guess what, they were boys, so I never had my girl until Maddie was born.

Brad, her Dad was giving a lecture at Disney World and they all got to go.

This is Maddie's Mom, Angie.  She is a wonderful and loving Mother.  When Brad, my son was finishing up his Ph.D in Florida, she got a job in Louisville and had to move, so she lived with us.  This was a very special time for us and we always loved her, but because she lived with us for a few months, we grew to know her even better and got to know her without Brad around, she is like our own.   I commend her Mother and Father for raising a beautiful person both inside and outside.  If I could pick anyone in the world, I would have picked Angie.  We love you and thank you for giving us Maddie...

Molly "2"

Molly "2", if you remember stayed with us last weekend while her parents went on a short vacation.  The last day she was here, was beautiful and sunny and little did I know she was so helpful around the house.  She really turned on, doing things that my dogs are not capable of,  She would...

Help with the yard Rake

Help with the Leaf Rake

Give out Sugar

Count the pups to make sure they are all here and keep them in a pile

Help with the Broom

Keep the cats in order.

She would even help with the gas blower and would bite on the end while it was running, blowing her hair back into a ponytail.  The only thing I would do different is when she was on top of the kitchen table, I would have put socks on her so she could wipe it off while she was there.  She really was a wonderful dog and we miss her so. 

Today and this week has been a bust for the dogs.  With the rain every day and all day long, they are ready to run for a while.  We try to keep them in just to play for a while, but they need some real running.  You can only throw the ball so many times from the recliner. 

When Dutchess and Abbie plays ball in the family room in the basement, they will drop the ball in the water while they get a drink, so no one gets it and to keep it close,  and don't tell me your dog has never done this.  I tried to prevent this but Dutchess "aka" party girl/problem solver has figured out how to raise the lid.   What to do........

It's really a treat when they bring it back to you dripping wet...........

Wrap up

This week we have had a guest dog to stay with us.  Her name is "Molly".  We call her Molly "2" because of our Molly.  At first it was a little difficult because both of the dogs respond very well to their name.  Every time we would call one, the other would come or do what ever command we would request.  She is the pup of Clancy and Dutchess.  Just look at the pricked ears and you can tell.  Molly "2" and Shepp became good friends.  Molly "2" is under a year old, and of course Shepp is low dog in our pack.  They teamed up together and did everything together. 

This is so cute.  The first part of the week was very nice outside and I was getting caught up on some much needed yard work.  As usual, Dutchess and Abbie would bring thing to me that appeared to be something we could play with or throw and fetch.  I had the top of a outdoor light that was plastic brought to me once, it was round and when I figured it out, I did attempt to throw it like a Frisbee, it didn't go very far, but they were pleased with themselves.  Below is something that was brought to me this week while I was mulching in the yard.  I really wasn't paying attention but I saw something in their mouth.  They would drop it and then pick it up and move it closer to me.  After doing this for a few moments, I paid closer attention to them and discovered it was a........

portion of a tennis ball they had discovered, and they thought it would be fine to throw.  It looked a little ragged and I knew it wouldn't go very far so I stopped what I was doing and went and got a real ball and off we went to play.  Every one was happy.......How can you not, they are so sweet and smart... I love them so.

Meg is a great dog, she loves her daddy (me) and since we trained together she always watches for me to make eye contact for directions.  She loves to sit in my lap and just chill.  We have all been playing ball and Frisbee today and everybody is wet.......Yea......