Tonight was spent doing a non dog thing...weird. I went to a junk auction. I went last week too and because it was a full house I ended up sitting on a pallet of Versace carpets. I shutter to think what my seat was worth in dollars but I can tell you they were really warm and comfy. We left before the rugs sold last week but one rug from the huge stack was back tonight and it sold for $1500. Last week was the bankruptcy sale of the Moss Mansion on Flathead lake. It always strikes me as sad when old mansions lose their contents. I bid on a Springer Spaniel bronze but chickened out as the price soared. Had the bronze been a greyhound I would stayed strong. I fell in love with a huge armoire. I mean huge!! It was probably 12 feet long and 5 feet tall. It was absolutely beautiful. It sold last week but was resold tonight. Darrin was sure it was because no one could move the beast. I rolled my eyes and told him I was certain it was exactly what I needed. The bidding started and I started raising my card. Each time I bid Darrin let out a pitiful groan. In a weak moment I stopped bidding and it was gone. SIGH!! I had to walk by it as we left and was kicking myself, meanwhile Darrin was smug at the hard work he saved himself. I did come home with some spode china. My idea was to resell it on ebay BUT I really like blue and white dishes so I think they will stay. On the up side the plates are small, don't eat or poop and never need a doctor.
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One of my good friends visited this past weekend. I love visits from my dog friends!! She showed up with her pack of pups and we spent a couple evenings in the training room. With the wood stove bleching out heat we really got down to running our dogs through their paces. It was fun to get the dust knocked off my old brain and get back in to training mode. Time to set some goals for the upcoming year. Ingrid also took a some of great shots of a couple of my pups. Here is my baby boy Brink...who really isn't much of a baby as he heads towards his 3rd birthday. She really captured his sweet silly hippy way...oh and his fantastic ears!!

Brink - 1-2010

Photo by Ingrid Rosenquist - Psycht Photography

A little mouse colony has decided that my kennel is Mecca for Mice. On the rare occasion a mouse does come into the kennel it usually does not stay long. It leaves either of its own accord or heads home to Jesus via sighthound or cat. But this group of mice were smarter than average and they decided that warm rooms, snuggly dog beds, dove food and stray kibble made for a nice place to spend the cold winter nights. The cold actually made their odds better since Sigh, my faithful mouse eradicating cat was in his kennel basking under the heat lamp during the below zero weather. I don't know exactly how many were in the nasty rodent pack but at least 3. I know this because I know the details of their demise...or almost demise.

The first to go was the fool who let Tava run up on it and scoop it up and take it into her crate with her. At first I was in hot pursuit of Tava but as I neared her crate I started to lose heart. What if she didn't kill the beast? What if it was only wounded? What if she had already swallowed it? A million "what if'"s run through your head at those moments. Even now I am shuttering at the mere thought of the experience. Thankfully when I finally got up the nerve to look, the mouse was indeed dead bit neatly through but not mauled or smeared around. Removing Tava from the crate I could take out the bed, mouse and all and dump said mouse into the garbage and the bed into a washer of bleach.

The second mouse was the stuff of nightmares. I was cleaning the kennel, when I was done the shop vac was full. I was toting the bottom out to dump and then...I saw an awful little flash of movement. Stifling a scream I ran to the garbage and dumped, lint, dog hair, dirt and possible mouse into the garbage and slammed the lid shut. I didn't even want to look. I figured if I didn't see it for sure then I could convince myself it didn't exist. That night was garbage night. Before I knew it, Darrin had the garbage sitting down at its pick up spot and the next morning it was a done deal. The vacuum mouse was gone. I dragged the garbage can rattling and bouncing up the driveway, then went about my business. A couple of days later I found another bit through dead mouse in the kennel. A quick sweep of my broom and it was in the dust pan and I headed to the garbage. When I yanked the lid open I saw that awful scurry. Could it be vacuum mouse managed to survive the garbage being emptied?!! Cringing, I was too curious and had to look. Yep there it was hunkered down next to a piece of newspaper that had stuck to the bottom. UGH!!! Now what? I can't let the stupid thing starve in there for a whole week and I certainly was not brave enough to kill it. I vetoed the notion of putting Sigh in there to kill the mouse. I can't imagine he would forgive me for "throwing him in the garbage" no matter the reason. So I did the only thing a lion heart like myself can do, I knocked the garbage can over and ran like hell. When I went back to pick it up the can several hours later the vacuum mouse was gone.

The mouse problem seems to be back in balance again. I don't see them or smell them and the cat is out and putting on weight.

Happy New Year!!! I hope you all made resolutions you don't intend to keep and maybe a couple worth hanging on to. For the past month I have been battling a stupid cold. This is the worst one I have ever had...and yes I did visit with my Dr. about it. Why is it when you have a cold it is like you have a sign on you "please boss me around". I can't tell you how many time I have been told to; "Drink lots of water, take vitamin C, don't take vitamin C, use Zicam, use Musinex, go to bed, and eat chicken soup". "What did your doctor say?" "What does your husband think?" "Are you eating enough chocolate?" OK, OK I made that last one up....wishful thinking. It is getting better but it is taking a long time. I should be better in time for my period to start....Now I have regressed to feeling sorry for myself. And why not? A month is a long time to have a cold.

Tonight I was giving my girl Sage a bath. The water was warm and I was happily sudsing her washing away all that itchy loose hair and dog smell. I glanced at her face and she had a vacant look in her eyes. Sage clearly was not having the fun I was, she had checked out. If your "Happy Place" is the place you take your mind to when you deal with things you would rather not deal with. Sage was there. It made me wonder if I was part of her Happy Place. Tonight I probably wasn't but what about other times. What about when she is in her crate in the van or at the vet, she is fond of neither. Am I part of her Happy Place then? Does she think about the times we snuggled on the couch or laid in the grass together? Does she think about my hands cupping the sleek shape of her head? Does she remember the millions of treats I have shared with her? Does she see the light in my eyes when I watch her? Sage has been part of my life since, well, before she was born, nine years ago. Her mother was a cute little Aussie girl who was at the shelter ready to whelp, I knew that if those pups were going to have any chance they needed to be born somewhere else. Mamma Lucy Blue came home with me and had 5 pups, of which Sage was one. Sage laid on my chest when she was just a puppy potato. We shared breath and heartbeats. She was solid muscle even before she could hear or see. I thrilled when she offered to retrieve almost as soon as she could walk. This was going to be my obedience dog extraordinaire. As much as Sage loved training she hated showing. She retired early and prefers to be a home body. Which suits me fine, I love having her here. Now days Sage has very little stress in her life. But maybe she goes to her Happy Place just to relax, like I do. I hope I am in her Happy Place, she certainly is in mine.

Photo by Ingrid Rosenquist - Pyscht Photography