| BBCA |
[09 Jul 2009|07:49pm] |
|
We just got BBC America today, and I just saw an ad for Torchwood:COE. How deceptive - Captain John is all through the ad!
|
|
| General Update |
[08 Jul 2009|09:46pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 happy |
] |
Flyer and I are in our first advanced Rally class. I'm learning what the signs mean; Flyer knows her part pretty much. If we don't get her RA, it will be because of the offset figure 8. Flyer has to heel nicely off-lead around bowls of food and/or toys. She is both food and toy obsessed; getting her to ignore those temptations is going to be a challenge, to say the least.
Giddy is in her first class in over 4 years, since before my stroke. Her heeling is actually pretty nice once she gets past the initial excitement of being in class. Her recall and finishes are pretty good too. Her downfall thus far is stays. She. Just. Can't. Stay, especially if I begin to move away from her, even if it's just a foot or less. We'll keep working on it. If she can learn to stay with me fairly close, she can compete in Rally. If she ever reaches the point that I can walk across the ring from her, we'll do obedience trials too.
One embarrassing moment in class tonight: I managed to trip on oneof the matts, and went splat. Since my left arm and leg aren't very cooperative and I'm a fat woman, I had to wait until 2 strong men could be found to lift me to my feet. Giddy, bless her clingy little heart, stayed glued to me while I was on the floor. The instructor had to drag her out of the way while they were lifting me up, and she flew back to me as soon as she was released. Some of the other dogs in the class have to be on a longline for recalls, because they'll go running around the room playing "catch me if you can". Giddy comes straight to me and does a perfect front. Such a mama's girl!
|
|
| Victory complete! |
[02 May 2009|08:02pm] |
|
We did it again! Flyer and I got that all-important third qualifying score in Rally Novice today. She is now officially known as CH Crossraguel Exuberant Flyer CD RN ONYX!
|
|
|
[29 Apr 2009|08:15am] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 tired |
] |
I spent the last 2 days at a seminar, learning how to better communicate with my dogs and how to relax/destress them so they can learn. I'm still slow and clumsy, but I think I'll improve with practice. Penny and I are both exhausted; all that learning is hard work!
Saturday and Sunday morning Flyer and I go to another trial to get that all-important third Rally Novice leg; zubiedad will come get her each day around noon, while I stay to steward the afternoon obedience trials. Until Saturday, I plan to be a vegetable - I'm tired from the last 5 days!
|
|
| We did it again! |
[25 Apr 2009|05:24pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
jubilant |
] |
Flyer qualified today and took 4th place in Rally Novice B! We'll try to complete her title next weekend.
|
|
| Flyer remembers! |
[19 Jan 2009|10:09pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
jubilant |
] |
I've been in novice Rally classes with Flyer since last spring, when I finally felt like I could be on my feet enough to attempt training again. Flyer already had obedience titles, but after a 3 year lay-off from training, she had random bouts of amnesia. One week she remembered "heel" but forgot "stay"; the next she remembered "stay", but forgot "down", etc. In class tonight I finally felt like we were working in sync again. It was wonderful! Her heeling was good, her attention was great...if this keeps up we'll be entering some trials this spring. My old girl (10 in March!) may get another title after all!
|
|
| Only a few more hours... |
[19 Jan 2009|10:05pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
hopeful |
] |
and we'll have a President that I can actually respect! Of course, being the hermit that I am, you couldn't pay me enough to be part of the huge crowd in DC tomorrow, but I will be joyfully watching on my television. I'm actually starting to feel hopeful about my country again.
|
|
| Sigh... |
[31 Dec 2008|09:51pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
 aggravated |
] |
The morons are out in force early this year. My inner city neighborhood is home a lot of idiots who think it's fun to celebrate the New Year by firing their guns into the air. The macho fools don't seem to know that the bullets eventually come back down. There is damage to roofs and injuries to people almost every year from this nonsense. Usually they wait till about midnight, but this year they've started about 9PM. It sounds like I'm in the middle of a war zone right now. I don't think it's anybody on my block, but the surrounding blocks are really noisy tonight.
|
|
| Update: no chicken soup tomorrow |
[25 Dec 2008|10:40pm] |
You'd think Earl would know after 20+ years with dogs that you cannot leave food out unattended, but no, he's a very slow learner.
He got a helping of leftover chicken and LEFT THE ROOM for a moment without putting the chicken in the fridge. Penny got it. So much for boiling down the carcass for soup...
|
|
| Merry Christmas! and Penny has magical abilities! |
[25 Dec 2008|06:56pm] |
| [ |
mood |
| |
amused |
] |
Merry Christmas everyone! Unlike the frozen north, we're warm and humid in Houston today - about 70F. I think it's going to be cold again Sunday or Monday, though, at least for Houston. Maybe the 40s or thereabouts.
We already knew Penny was magic, since she can get to things that are 6-7 feet off the ground without disturbing anything around them. There's nothing for her to climb; she evidently levitates and hovers like a helicopter.
Today she displayed a new magical talent. I cooked a regular Christmas feast today. Roast chicken, two side dishes, rolls, and two desserts. At various points I had to leave the kitchen with food on the stove or counters. Twenty-five years with largish dogs has taught me that they cannot be trusted to leave food alone, and I know the current crew are all incorrigible thieves, so I shut the kitchen door behind me when I leave the room. I left the baster on the counter near the stove, ushered the dogs out of the kitchen, and shut the door. Two minutes later, Penny appeared under my desk, happily crunching on something. It was the remains of my baster. I looked, and the door was still shut. She didn't have it when we left the kitchen, so how did she get it?!!
A few minutes later, she appeared with a brand new toothbrush, still in its packaging. I haven't bought one since opening our last new one a few weeks ago, so where did she get it? She must have the ability to conjure items too! Either that, or teleport them from a neighbor's house...
|
|
| The Good and the Bad |
[05 Nov 2008|03:48pm] |
We Americans did something right yesterday - we elected Barack Obama! (And sent Caribou Barbie home to Alaska, thankfully.) But I was so sad to see homophobic bigots prevail in several states. Gay marriage is officially banned in Florida, Arizona, and probably California as well. And Arkansas voters banned gays from adopting children.
I know from personal experience how much it sucks to belong nowhere, to have no stability or sense of permanence. I was in foster care from 14-17, when I went out on my own. Yes, there are plenty of homes for adorable, healthy infants. But there are so many kids in need of adoptive parents who are toddlers or school age, or who have medical problems. There aren't enough homes for these children, and now the pool will be even less. This has got to be one of the dumbest things Arkansas has ever done.
|
|
| California...VOTE "NO" ON Prop 8! |
[29 Oct 2008|07:20pm] |
Swiped from ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) pfeifferpack :
| |
"Copy this sentence into your LiveJournal if you're in a heterosexual marriage, and you don't want it "protected" by the bigots who think that gay marriage hurts it somehow."
|
|
|
| navigation |
| [ |
viewing |
| |
most recent entries |
] |
| [ |
go |
| |
earlier |
] |
|
|
|
|
worried