Oh, what a joy to be home in fall on the farm. It may have rained much of the weekend, but that's okay, we needed the moisture. In spite of the rain I got to spend much of Sunday out in the country with Willie, Lassie and weekend visitor Brody (the Cavalier) out in the hills collecting wild apples. Five huge buckets full. Yum yum. Yum for us... I made applesauce much of Sunday afternoon (thanks to friend Harriet who leant me her Foley Food Mill; now that's a handy item) while the dogs slept. Yum for the sheep: the ewe flock got to crunch away on juicy apples that I tossed into their feeders. The lamb flock is separate (I don't castrate the ram lambs, so the boys are now old enough to breed their mommas. Not a great idea!) and has access to lots of wild apples on their own, so everyone Read More
Archives for September 2008
Dogs of Sweden and Norway
I'm still thinking about all the wonderful dogs I met in Sweden and Norway (not to mention their humans!). I paid a lot of attention to breeds--it seems that the mix of breeds here in the states is changing, although that's just a perception, not a fact. I have seen so many 'rare' breeds lately, it seems it's in fashion to get a dog that no one has ever heard of (or can pronounce the name of). People in Sweden told me that the most popular breed by far was the German Shepherd, followed by the Labrador Retriever. My 10 days in Scandanavia were hardly an accurate sample, but what struck me most was that I saw a little bit of so many breeds in the two countries we visited. Here's a breakdown, from my notes: GSD 1 Labrador Retriever, 3 Corgi 1 Swedish Valhund 1 (the Swedes were very Read More
Positive Reinforcement is Defined by the Receiver!
Home. Ummmm, feels so good. Even though the trip was wonderful in so many ways, it is SO good to be home. As I wrote earlier, I greatly enjoyed presenting a seminar in Sweden---the people were so kind and interesting, and our vacation in the fjord country of Norway was heavenly. (see the photos attached). And yet... Dorothy was right. There's no place like home. I wonder how many dog lovers are as ambivalent as I. I love to travel. I love seeing new places, eating new food, learning about new cultures, eating new food, seeing the world from new perspectives, eating new food. Did I mention eating new food? (If you go to southern Sweden, you really, really want to try Äggakaka. It's an eggy, creamy, quichey, omelettey thing, covered with Ligonberry sauce. Yummy) And yet, as much as I Read More
Sweden and Norway
I'm sitting in the lobby of the old Fredheim Hotel in Flam, Norway. It's at the base of an endless fjord on the west coast of Norway. Gorgeous. I'm here because last weekend I presented a two day seminar in Tomalilla, Sweden (toe-ma-lee-lah... it's really lovely to say!), hosted by Natasja and Daniel Atterbom. (eeeps, I may have spelled their name wrong. apologies if so.) Natasja and her friend Malvini could not have been more gracious hosts, and the people who attended were an absolute delight. It was truly a joy to speak there, and to meet so many people in Sweden who love their dogs so much. I've learned Sweden is much like the states, in that "getting dominance" over your dog is still terribly popular. But the people who attended the seminar were knowledgeable and delightful. I Read More