Mother Nature is Bi-Polar

Yesterday you saw what it looks like here right now - inches of heavy white stuff. It's really quite beautiful.


But what about last week?

I suppose that's why they say in Wisconsin, if you don't like the weather - just wait 20 minutes.  :)

Fun at the Dog Park

Making friends

Standing next to Lilly.  Little Bear isn't so little anymore.

Don't you just want to kiss that face?

Packing, and other things...

I admit it, I've been very bad.  Lately I just haven't felt like blogging.  One piece of me feels guilty and the other just figures that not blogging when you don't really feel like blogging is a good policy.  I'm going with it.

So, let me catch you up on my life...

Currently, it is 4:47am and I am supposed to be sleeping.  Normally I am working at this time, but I took tonight off because on Saturday morning Lilly, Whitey, and I are headed for an adventure.  I'm supposed to be sleeping because I need to get up bright and early in the morning to begin tackling what amounts to about a month and a half worth of laundry.  It's frightening.

Our big adventure consists of traveling first to Woodstock, IL to cheer on one of our favorite Berners - Miss Dora (Whitey's mom) - in the veteran class at a regional Berner Specialty.  Then, we are headed to Pigeon Forge, TN for the Samoyed Club of America National Specialty show which lasts for an entire week.  We're all very excited.  Well, everybody except for Bailey - he HATES it when I pack because he knows something is going on.  Bailey does not crave adventure, he likes things predictable and calm.  This is why he is staying with Grandma and Grandpa while we are gone - he LOVES visiting Grandma, and outside of Grandma getting a little overzealous with her clapping and cheering during Packer games, it's a calm place to be.

Packing has been a week-long project of list making and minor accomplishments.  I can't wait to just get on the road so there is no more opportunity for second guessing and over-analyzing of everything.  I tend to be a light packer, but I also tend to worry I'll forget something important for the dog.  (I never really worry about stuff for me because, well, I can just suck it up and go without - something I would generally never ask my dogs to do)  

Whitey has been coming along fantastically with learning people aren't so scary.  Here are some pics from various dog park trips.

Lilly LOVES to hunt at the new dog park

Occasionally Whitey helps

Making new friends...

Lilly currently has what I assume is a skin infection on the left side of her nose/face.  Talk about bad timing.  I've got her on cephalexin and it appears to be getting better.  Lord help us if we end up having to go to a vet in Tennessee.  That would be very annoying.


I can't help but wonder if THIS has something to do with the condition of her face.  Yes, she stuck her face in that hole, and I'm sure a number of other holes I didn't notice.  Who knows what she might have encountered in these holes.

(I don't know if there was something on my lens or what, but for some reason these pictures turned out terrible.  I'm sure part of it was that I didn't really care how they came out, I just thought they were funny)

I have also been working my little fingers to the bone with my new project.  I have decided to start making grooming table aprons (among other things) and seeing if I can sell them at dog shows.  So far I have some very happy customers, so I hope they help me spread the word.  I have "stocked" myself well for the trip to Nationals:

You can check out my brand new website here!

You can also "like" me on facebook if you wish.  I would love it if you did.  :)

Photo 51

Promote Your Page Too

In the midst of all the packing and list making and sewing, I did manage to take a few minutes out of one day to take some fall pictures.  Overall my fall picture taking was terribly lame.  I'm hoping to get a second chance in the Great Smokey Mountain National Forest.  That will probably make for better pictures anyway.

This view is one of the reasons I like this dog park. 

Late last winter two dogs drowned after falling through the ice on this creek.  

It's strange how such a beautiful place can rear it's ugly head in an instant.  Nature demands respect.

 

I did really like the way these pictures turned out.  These are stones that are placed at the Oneida Nation War Memorial Wall that we drive past every time we go to this particular dog park.  

The stones each have a different war on them and some information about the involvement the Oneida people had in the war.  I noticed that you could see the trees behind me as a reflection on the polished stone so I thought I'd try to capture it.  It worked fairly well.

 

 

 The other side of the wall.

 A beautiful Eagle sculpture, also at the Memorial Wall.

I was hoping to attempt some brokah here, it didn't work.  Oh, well.

Oh, and one last thing before I force myself to go to bed...

ALLELE IS PREGNANT!

That's right, the breeding appears to have produced at least 3 puppies.  Every finger I have is crossed in hopes that everything goes smoothly and Bailey and Lilly have a new little brother or sister in a few months.

Don't worry, Mom. I'll lay on the clean side.

So this morning, as per a normal morning, I got done with work, went to they gym, and headed home.
It took me a little while to work up the energy to head to the dog park, but eventually we made it.

I remembered to grab my camera.  Didn't get pics of anything exciting.

Except maybe this lovely site when I called Lilly so we could head home.

Gee... thanks Lilly.  That's EXACTLY what I was hoping you would look like when you got into the car.  Home girl's lucky there's a dog hammock in the back seat.

Then, when we got home the dogs hung out in the back yard to dry off a little while I ate.  Their mess making quota for the day apparently had not yet been filled.

I just filled that hole with gravel the other day.  Apparently that method is a dud.

Tigger seemed to thoroughly enjoy the nice sun we're getting today.

After lunch I officially declared nap time, filled a few holes in my swiss cheese yard, and called the dogs in.  By the time I got to my room, Lilly had already settled in for nap time.

Don't worry, Mom.  I'll lay on the clean side... just for you.

I love my life.

~Lioness

Morning Hunting Trip

Since the end of school, I have been in the process of changing my sleep/work/play schedule so that I'm awake in the mornings when it's nice and cool.  Now, I go to bed around 5pm, get up for work at Midnight and get done at about 5:30, head to the gym, come home and do something with the dogs, take a shower, and begin losing energy by the second.  At least I feel relatively productive until about 7am.  The dogs have adjusted to this schedule much more quickly than I have, but I'm working on it.

Today, the designated "do something with the dogs" event involved taking them to the park to 'hunt'.  The dog park is loaded with wildlife to chase, especially at 6am.  I also happen to think it's very pretty in the morning.

These pictures brought to you by my new Nikon CoolPix L110.  Let's just say there was an incident involving my Olympus SP-500UZ... and I don't want to talk about it.

While I was busy playing with my new toy, Bailey and Lilly were busy chasing down every small furry creature they could find.

(This picture was taken trying out the continuous shoot action mode where it takes many pictures in a row to catch fast moving action.  Clearly, it's better used in good lighting.

So many rodents... so little time!

I waited patiently, and sure enough, one of my lovely friends came to visit me.

 This is my favorite thing about the dog park in Brown County - it's wooded, and natural, and chock full of wonderful wildlife.

I've never seen a woodpecker land on the ground before.  I mean, I never doubted they did - I just never saw it before.  He was so close to me that I had to take a second to zoom out in order to take a pic of him.  By the time I managed to push the shudder button - he was on his way back up to the trees.

 

I dunno why, but I think this tree is cool.

More hunting...

I see you rodent!

Hey!  Get back down here, rodent!  We're too tired for all this fooling around!

You didn't honestly think I was going to leave the signature photo out, did you?

9am household silence and crashed out dogs brought to you by the resident wildlife of the Brown County Dog Park.  It's a beautiful thing.