USBCHA Cattledog Finals - Day 1 - So Far So Good

The day started at 7 am today, and I was third up with Fly - I was hoping we wouldn't do a repeat performance of last year when she was wondering why there weren't any sheep on the field. It was about a 225 yard outrun, and she stopped a little short on her outrun - I gave her the wrong flank, but THANK GOD she ignored me - something she doesn't do at all - obviously she was thinking I should have not had that second cup of coffee in the morning because it turned my mind to mush a bit. My glasses were a little grimy (I can make my own excuses) because I missed the fetch panels, and then turned short at the first drive panels. We got rest of the course done, and just about had them penned, and I decided to push the envelope (how do you push an envelope?) and pressured a steer to go in the pen - note to self - slower is often faster. In the end we go 134 points (out of possible 240 points) and in 21st place. They let the top 20 in, so if we can crack out a good one tomorrow, we may be lucky and get into the finals for Sunday.
Gin ran in the afternoon, and the cattle were alot more settled - they were happy to eat the infield a bit and chill them down. We didn't pen, but did end up 4th (and in the day money) with 197 points - will have to play the cards right and get another decent score to get in. As they say, it ain't over until the fat lady sings (and I won't be singing until tomorrow at about 5 pm).

USBCHA Cattledog Finals-The Drive

Started out for the finals yesterday, and stopped in at Shawna and Doug Burton in Claresholm. They were kind enough to set some cattle for me and the dogs (Fly and Gin) to get them tuned up some. The wind was howling, but the girls tried to listen, and I was pleased. Left this morning and made it to Buffalo, Wyoming - only 5 more hours to go to get to Gering, Nebraska. I would love to put the pictures up I took today, and promise to do so when I can. Left Shawna and Doug's at 8 am, and the weather got worse and worse as we went south - Chris mentioned the other day that he started wearing his long underwear in October 2009 - at this rate, he will still have them on by June (and if there is a God, please don't let this happen - he must take them off at some time to put them in the wash).
As we went through Montana, there was whiteout conditions, then there were brownout conditions - the wind was as high as 110 KM/hour, and any field that was capable of being blown around was done so. At least the wind was at my back - don't think my Jeep ever made 25 miles to the gallon before in it's life. Saw a few overturned truck/trailer units and a poor camper with a canopy misadventure. I do not think I will be wearing any shorts on this trip. Perhaps I should have brought Chris's long underwear.
There will be a handler's supper tomorrow night, and then the open starts on Thursday. We will see if Fly knows the program this year - last year she couldn't figure out where the sheep were (how embarassing). This can be such a humbling sport at times.
And - I may go to hell. I stopped at a Jehovah Witness's parking lot to let the dogs out - I had brought Artie, Lizzie, Cliff and Billie the Jack Russells, as well as Tim (to get him used to travelling). At this stop there was a death - Artie dug up a gopher, and a little tug-o-war ensued. The gopher did not win. His housemates have decided there is 6 more weeks of winter - even though Artie tried his darnest to convince them otherwise.

Cheesecake Caper

I don't bake that often, but when I do I try to make tasty things.

I tried my hand at a strawberry cheesecake, thought it turned out quite well. I had made it at night and left it to cool overnight. In the morning, it appeared that someone else thought it looked good as well (look at 10 oclock and 11 oclock position). Chef Ramsay would say F%^&K! (as did I).

I would have asked Smidge if she did it, but knowing her, if she would have made an effort to jump onto the counter it may have killed her.

Stinky was a strong possibility-flactuence can be a giveaway.

Snothead - well, she had other things on her mind besides cheesecake - she was masterminding her next attack on the birds outside. And if that was foiled, she would find a spot on the wall and attack it.

Potsy had pot on her mind (she is sitting on a bag of catnip). Groovy. But then, she does have a raving appetite sometimes.

Buddy, the cat like on the Temptations commercial - will come out of nowhere when he hears the bag shakes.

CSI New York (Cheesecake) could not decipher this caper. I did hear footsteps in the night - perhaps it was Chris and not the cats.

Roughing It

It started yesterday - the wind blew and the snow flew. I had a pretty good feeling about this one, I have a special weather forecaster on the place called Billy. He is the resident pygmy goat and usually spends his days with the ewes and lambs in our electric fence - but when he knows the weather is about to turn, he starts bleating uncontrollably until we put him in the barn. He was right again - the weather turned horrid. I am a die hard for training, but I am not crazy - I spent the last few days inside. Today, for the icing on the cake, there was no power. How did they ever manage it years ago? Of course, no power means no water and no heat. There are still lambs to feed and baby calves to worry about, so by a Coleman's Light (powered by recharged batteries - thank God I had at least remembered to plug those things in), we emptied the hot water tank for some water to mix up the lamb replacer, and fed the lambs. I looked after the young orphan calves (they have a nurse cow to suck) and Chris went out in the wind and checked the cows - they took the day off from calving (smart girls). I can guarantee that any new calves would be housing in the Schmaltz Hotel for warmth if they were born. I bunked down with the rest of the animals and kept covered up, looking for a blinking light anywhere to tell me that the power was back on (and the water and the heat). Guess I wouldn't last on Survivor very long. Unless, of course, they had a challenge of feeding voracious lambs in the dark - mark my words, the men would have a disadvantage (or possibly advantage depending on the sickos out there).
Billy came out of his stall today, looked outside briefly, and went back inside. God I hope that doesn't mean 6 more weeks of winter.