Mr. Shyness And My First Quilt
Birds
So often people say to me, "You can tell we have a heavy snow cover when the pheasants and turkeys come up to eat the bird seed". Ah, hello? You can't already tell we have a heavy snow cover? It's like the people who say "Oh look at the sun dogs, must be a cold morning". Seriously, if you need sun dogs to tell you it's way below -20 F, I think you need to live somewhere besides the Northern Plains.
Okay, sorry, being this cold for so long makes me crabby. I've been trying to get pictures of Mr. Shyness for a few days. This rooster has been very camera shy. I guess he was finally cold and hungry enough to hang around for a few pictures.
Isn't he pretty? My pheasant family this winter consists of Mr. Shyness and his two ladies. They are living out under my pine trees. One of the females appears to be younger than the other. She's quite a bit smaller and has a little tuft, or cowlick, on the top of her head. So cute! The girls hang around through the dog barking and camera clicking so I haven't been as determined to catch them on film (film? I guess I should say "bits and bytes") as I have been Mr. Shyness. I'll try to post pictures of the cowlick tufted female next.
I've finally given in and purchased corn and other cheap bird seed for the pheasants and turkeys. I really don't like to do this. Not because I don't love my pheasants and turkeys, and birds of course, but because it seems I'm only spending my own money so next autumn trespassers can come and shoot the birds I've fed all winter and have a human feast of their own, never offering me a single bird and certainly never an apology for trespassing all over my property. I'm not anti-hunting, but I've sure become anti-hunter in the last few years. These folks need to learn manners and a whole lot about property rights. Don't even get me started on the snowmobilers and ATVers. Argh!
First Quilt
I needed another hobby like I needed a hole in my head, so I started my first quilt a few weeks ago. Here it is ready to to be pieced together.
And here with painters tape ready to be quilted.
The actual machine quilting is not going too well. I have a lot to learn yet and am finding machine quilting difficult. Still, I'm enjoying it tremendously. I might not be good yet, but I'm learning and having a lot of fun.
Dogs
One of the few New Year's resolutions I made this year was to spend more time obedience training my dogs. So far I've done alright with this resolution, not nearly as much time as I would like to, but at least I'm thinking about it.
Dusty is doing great on his heeling work. He is still "butt out" in his heeling, something I find so typical in new-to-heeling dogs. I'm using the two leash method and also doing lots of heeling against a wall to help fix this. Dusty is reaching well for his dumb bell. I'm very pleased with this progress, but he's not holding the dumb bell well, lots of rolling of the dumb bell and nervous "chewing" of it. I have come to realize these days I'm a bit old fashion in teaching a "hold", but I think it is imperative to a good retrieve. I want a dog to hold the dumb bell, glove, article, whatever, still in his mouth, be able to heel and also execute a finish with the dumb bell held still in the mouth. Only then will I move on to the actual retrieve exercises. We're getting there, Dusty is so willing to learn and happy to co-operate, it's just a matter of more time and work on my part.
Shamrock needs more work on the broad jump. She doesn't quite understand the jumping through the middle of the jump yet, she figures it's just as well to jump over the corner of the jump and come to me. I'm using lots of props to get her past this in addition to having her jump with me on both the left and right side of the broad jump. We're working on the Utility hand signals and go-outs. My basement is too narrow to do much with the directed jumping so that will have to wait a few months yet. So far, I'm very pleased with her progress.
Bunny is in a holding pattern at the moment on her retrieve, go-outs and automatic sits. There's nothing wrong with her automatic sits on heeling, it's just that they are so darn fast, I need to learn to adjust to her. Or, better yet, she needs to learn to adjust to my foot work - now there's an idea! As for retrieving, and her go-outs too, Bunny does that herding dog thing of making a WIDE arch to get to her dumb bell or go-out spot. I'm not concentrating on the go-outs with her yet, as for the retrieves, I've tried a thin ribbon slipped under her collar to keep her "in" when I send her for the dumb bell, but Bunny is so shy and worried, she stops and freezes up as soon as she feels the "pressure" (such as it is (not!)) from the ribbon. I'm back to kneeling beside her for the retrieves and go-outs. This is working. I'm not however, looking forward to my aching knees as I slowly work my way up to a standing position. I'm thinking on a better way to change this behaviour... Bunny doesn't like props, she's afraid of everything and anything that seems out of place, so I haven't tried props yet, but I'm thinking hard on this...
Bookends Dak and Dot
So often people say to me, "You can tell we have a heavy snow cover when the pheasants and turkeys come up to eat the bird seed". Ah, hello? You can't already tell we have a heavy snow cover? It's like the people who say "Oh look at the sun dogs, must be a cold morning". Seriously, if you need sun dogs to tell you it's way below -20 F, I think you need to live somewhere besides the Northern Plains.
Okay, sorry, being this cold for so long makes me crabby. I've been trying to get pictures of Mr. Shyness for a few days. This rooster has been very camera shy. I guess he was finally cold and hungry enough to hang around for a few pictures.
Isn't he pretty? My pheasant family this winter consists of Mr. Shyness and his two ladies. They are living out under my pine trees. One of the females appears to be younger than the other. She's quite a bit smaller and has a little tuft, or cowlick, on the top of her head. So cute! The girls hang around through the dog barking and camera clicking so I haven't been as determined to catch them on film (film? I guess I should say "bits and bytes") as I have been Mr. Shyness. I'll try to post pictures of the cowlick tufted female next.
I've finally given in and purchased corn and other cheap bird seed for the pheasants and turkeys. I really don't like to do this. Not because I don't love my pheasants and turkeys, and birds of course, but because it seems I'm only spending my own money so next autumn trespassers can come and shoot the birds I've fed all winter and have a human feast of their own, never offering me a single bird and certainly never an apology for trespassing all over my property. I'm not anti-hunting, but I've sure become anti-hunter in the last few years. These folks need to learn manners and a whole lot about property rights. Don't even get me started on the snowmobilers and ATVers. Argh!
First Quilt
I needed another hobby like I needed a hole in my head, so I started my first quilt a few weeks ago. Here it is ready to to be pieced together.
The actual machine quilting is not going too well. I have a lot to learn yet and am finding machine quilting difficult. Still, I'm enjoying it tremendously. I might not be good yet, but I'm learning and having a lot of fun.
Dogs
One of the few New Year's resolutions I made this year was to spend more time obedience training my dogs. So far I've done alright with this resolution, not nearly as much time as I would like to, but at least I'm thinking about it.
Dusty is doing great on his heeling work. He is still "butt out" in his heeling, something I find so typical in new-to-heeling dogs. I'm using the two leash method and also doing lots of heeling against a wall to help fix this. Dusty is reaching well for his dumb bell. I'm very pleased with this progress, but he's not holding the dumb bell well, lots of rolling of the dumb bell and nervous "chewing" of it. I have come to realize these days I'm a bit old fashion in teaching a "hold", but I think it is imperative to a good retrieve. I want a dog to hold the dumb bell, glove, article, whatever, still in his mouth, be able to heel and also execute a finish with the dumb bell held still in the mouth. Only then will I move on to the actual retrieve exercises. We're getting there, Dusty is so willing to learn and happy to co-operate, it's just a matter of more time and work on my part.
Shamrock needs more work on the broad jump. She doesn't quite understand the jumping through the middle of the jump yet, she figures it's just as well to jump over the corner of the jump and come to me. I'm using lots of props to get her past this in addition to having her jump with me on both the left and right side of the broad jump. We're working on the Utility hand signals and go-outs. My basement is too narrow to do much with the directed jumping so that will have to wait a few months yet. So far, I'm very pleased with her progress.
Bunny is in a holding pattern at the moment on her retrieve, go-outs and automatic sits. There's nothing wrong with her automatic sits on heeling, it's just that they are so darn fast, I need to learn to adjust to her. Or, better yet, she needs to learn to adjust to my foot work - now there's an idea! As for retrieving, and her go-outs too, Bunny does that herding dog thing of making a WIDE arch to get to her dumb bell or go-out spot. I'm not concentrating on the go-outs with her yet, as for the retrieves, I've tried a thin ribbon slipped under her collar to keep her "in" when I send her for the dumb bell, but Bunny is so shy and worried, she stops and freezes up as soon as she feels the "pressure" (such as it is (not!)) from the ribbon. I'm back to kneeling beside her for the retrieves and go-outs. This is working. I'm not however, looking forward to my aching knees as I slowly work my way up to a standing position. I'm thinking on a better way to change this behaviour... Bunny doesn't like props, she's afraid of everything and anything that seems out of place, so I haven't tried props yet, but I'm thinking hard on this...
Bookends Dak and Dot
posted by mary at 10:29 PM
3 Comments:
Nothing quite so cozy as some comfy sleeping dogs.
I think Mr. Shy didn't want you to take his picture because he is SO FAT! That is one fat pheasant!
Oh Mary - I'm so jealous of you, having pheasants in your yard! Mr. Shyness is quite handsome.
Your quilt looks beautiful - so far, I've tried to avoid picking up any new hobbies, but I'm getting a little itchy, I must admit. :-)
I love hearing about the dogs and their training, and love the bookend pictures. The Garden Kitty said to tell Bunny that he is afraid of everything too, and is impressed that she is trying to learn *anything* new ...
My friend has a mantra that she repeats every time she hears someone say something crazy ie about how you can tell its cold? "you can't fix stupid" and somedays you really have to just tell yourself that. Great pictures! I'm excited to see what happens with the quilt.
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