Blizzard 2010

You have heard about the saying in Alberta - wait 10 minutes and the weather will change? Well it sure changed yesterday.

Birds were singing cheerfully in the afternoon, then they stopped - likely because a 80 KM/hour wind whipped up and blew them away.

Then the temperature dropped 15 degrees.

We stupidly went to Calgary to attend a presentation for a travel company (who wouldn't pass up a free dinner for just attending - okay I suppose most would, but my birthday is creeping up and it gets Chris out of taking me out for dinner).

On our drive in we hit hail, then snow, then the ditch (no we didn't, the sentence just progressed nicely). Actually, other people hit the ditch.

After convincing the travel people we didn't need to be part of their membership to get cheap rates (because we're not going to Hawaii this year, we plan to go to the sprawling metropolis of Maple Creek, Saskatchewan for the Western Canadian Finals this year), we ate our lovely pasta dish (which I am sure was created by Chef Boyardee) and travelled back home so we could watch Survivor.

Driving back home was an episode of Survivor. I would have loved to punted the person ahead of me going 20km/hour.

By seeing the multitude of semi trucks in the ditch, I would guarantee a bunch of men had to change their underwear last night. It made me slow down to 50km/hr (not sure why Chris closed his eyes so tightly for the ride home).

The hiway was a standstill of hazard blinking vehicles - we found a gravel road, plowed through the snow drifts, and finally got home.

We just made it in time to see Coach voted off.

Woke up this morning, and the birds are singing again. Hang onto your perches guys - they are promising 15 cm in the next couple of days.

In the meantime - I'll go find my Muckboots again and walk the dogs in the slush.

From green to white in 10 minutes - the lovely weather of Alberta.

Dog Poor We Are Not

Every day I go and walk the dogs 7:30 am.

I find it as a good socialization for the young dogs - makes it nicer travelling on the road with them. Teaches them a few manners as well.


Lots of times, treasures can be found in the ditches - sticks, pop bottles, and I am sure some old dead thing by the way they roll in a certain spot every morning. It has a faint odor of Pepe La Pew.


I find it a good socialization period for the pups - I started taking the 8 week old pups out a few days ago - they are knackered by the time they get back the yard.

Funny, I can always tell when one is missing-a sixth sense perhaps. Yup, I know exactly how many dogs we have. The head count is between 15 and 20. There is 6 Jack Russells (plus 2 pups, but they don't count), and 14 Border Collies (includes 4 pups, but 2 are leaving). So that is around the 20 mark.

Thank God for my fingers and toes.
At least when Chris walks them, he can count to 21.

Hair today, gone tomorrow

I know this is supposed to be about current things that happen, but I just got these pictures from Dawn Pucci.

Last year at the USBCHA finals, they were raising money for the American Cancer Society. I decided to do my own raising for the cause. I got pledges from spectators and dog trialers an in return I would shave my head.

I had done this about 10 years ago, and there has been many people shaving their head for cancer, but the way people reacted, it made me believe that this doesn't happen much in the USA-I felt the money went to research, and we would all benefit. Some called me a hero for doing it - no, the heroes are those that have to go through the chemo and radiation - I lost my hair willingly.

Herbert Holmes was happy to oblige to shave my head. He being the USBCHA President, and I being the CBCA President, it seemed fitting at the time.

A little of the sides please.

Herbert could open his own barber's shop.

In about 10 minutes, all was gone, and $1100 money was raised.

Six months have passed, and the hair has grown back - however, very grey. I have recently bought shares in the Clairol company (Clairol 114A is my friend).

I offered to cut Herbert's locks, but he declined. I will ask him again when he comes to Brooks this summer to judge EID Classic. Somehow, I think he will chicken out.

Quest for sheep

I've been looking for more dogging sheep, and thought I would go with my neice Ashley and her boyfriend Jason to the Odd and Unusual Sale up in Innisfail on Friday. Jason decided he wanted to have a goat (god knows why), so we hooked up the trailer (since I was going to bring my 10 sheep back with me) up to Innisfail. Now, this is the first time I had ever gone, and I would say there is more odd and unusual people than animals up there. I got my number 144 and was ready to bid. I had gone through the back, and all they had for sheep were Barbados and a couple of unshorn (I am sure for 3-4 years) ewes, 4 Dorpers and some Shetland Sheep. The goats sold first - one-at-a-time- it was going to be a long day, since there were about 150 goats to go through. Jason finally got his goat towards the end - the vast majority went for over 120 dollars. Then they started the sheep sale, and started with the bottle lambs - after the first went through I thought to myself, I should have brought the lambs I have at home - they went for $125 apiece!! I wasn`t too keen on Barbados, but I thought if they sold at the right price, I would buy a few. I didn`t even bother to try. I turned into a buyer for Grant Musgrove though (got to flip my number) - he bought some Barbados that were ready to lamb. The Barbados brought $95 or better. Then there were the old (8 year old) papered Shetland Sheep - $160. What were they thinking-those girls looked like they didn't have long to live. The unshorn sheep brought $130 - I am sure it would cost $30 to shear them for the amount of wool they carried.
In the end, the only thing I brought back from the sale was the stench of goat. At least Jason was happy-Billy the Kid is his name - stinking is his game.