In keeping with my new schedule, the first post of the month is always just photographs. Here’s a sampling of life at the farm over the weekend:
First, we had a joyous reunion with three other couples on Saturday night who we haven’t seen in a year and a half. They regaled us with ridiculously marvelous food and wonderful stories. We brought a “bumbleberry pie” (this version was strawberry, black cap raspberry and rhubarb) and flowers I arranged from the garden:
What a wonderful thing to be with dear friends (all fully vaccinated) after so long! Happily the fireworks noise related to the weekend was far enough away when we returned home that Maggie only once came over to the bed for reassurance.
Earlier in the week, Jim and I had our first successful overnight in our new camper. It was a far cry from the Cluster F of two weeks ago when it was 93 F degrees, humid and without a breath of air. Not to mention our attempt to destroy our camper by forgetting to set the blocks and watching it begin to roll away. (The slope of the site saved us; the camper stopped soon enough all on its own . . . but you can imagine what it felt like to watch a 3,000 pound huge metal box begin to roll away, with no way to stop it.)
This time we managed to get it right. We picked an easy site with an electric plug-in to keep things simple, and had lovely, cool, and breezy weather. It was all pretty perfect. (I brought some bully sticks for the dogs; they approved.)
Maggie was a bit nervous about all the new smells, but Skip thought that getting to sleep up in bed with all the rest of us all was a gift beyond his wildest dreams.
We missed getting a photo of a seemingly huge and bright red sun that evening (we were walking the dogs and I had no camera with me). I have never ever seen the sun so red; honestly, it was other worldly. (Smoke from fires in the west?) Here is the sky a few minutes after the sun sunk below the horizon:
We’re not sure when our next trip in the camper will be. We were scheduled to go to the Land of Lincoln Sheepdog Trial in Illinois the coming weekend, but I had to pull Maggie because of her lame leg (more on that soon), and they had to change the schedule to allow only one run of Pro Novice, Skip’s class. It didn’t make sense to drive half a day each way to run one dog one time, so we’ll be home and we’ll keep practicing on fields within easy driving distance. The next trial is mid-August; all paws crossed that Maggie will be sound by then.
This morning this sweet little House Finch flew into a tree above me while I was taking photos of flowers. He and his mate like to find yummy things to forage right outside our living room; I watch them every night. I’m sure their nest is somewhere close by, all paws (tiny toes?) crossed that they are successful.
Speaking of flowers, this insect kept teasing me while I was trying to photograph it on one of our lilies. I never got a good enough look or shot to identify it. Any guesses? Grasshopper-like legs but definitely didn’t look like a grasshopper from the little I could see of it’s front.
Here’s another fun insect, a Common Whitetail Skimmer dragonfly. Gorgeous!
Right now Maggie is in rehab, and I’m happy to say she is doing well. No signs of any lameness now, even when allowed to run free on walks. No playing with Skip and no working sheep yet; that’s coming up in the future, perhaps in a week or two. I let her do one tiny outrun and fetch a few days ago, but I’m taking it very, very slowly in order to avoid setting her back. The busy part of the trial season, August through October, is coming up and I don’t want to go too fast and end up starting all over again. She’s eight and a half, and many dogs lose their enjoyment of trialing around the age of nine or so. Basically, and understandably, they look like they are saying “This was really fun when I was young, but, you know, it’s not so much fun anymore.” The fact is it’s super hard work, so this might be Maggie last year to compete, and I don’t want to sacrifice it if I don’t have to. Of course, if she’s not sound, I wouldn’t think to run her, but right now things are looking good. It’s been two months since her lameness began, so hopefully we’re getting past it. (Diagnosis? Unknown, but best guess is soft tissue damage in the shoulder.)
I’m working both Maggie and Skip on the balance board now. (Skip because he doesn’t play with Maggie, and is thus losing muscle tone himself. He works sheep once a day, but normally he’d get 3 work outs a day rather than one.) I thought it’d be a hoot to get them both on the board and take a photo. Skip thought it was confusing, and Maggie, uh, just looked pissed off.
I’ll leave you with one other photo, flowers I picked and arranged for the house. You just gotta love flowers!
What do you love this week? I’m all eyes and ears . . .
Wendy Katz says
Your flower arrangements are so lovely! The camper pic makes me want to get away with my dog, now that I have a dog who enjoys going places. Paws crossed that Maggie continues to heal.
Elaine Buda says
You’re flowers are exceptional! I’m loving that 16 week old standard poodle pup seems to have recovered from a mysterious neck injury. Trying to keep her quiet for two weeks was challenging. A testimony to poodle intelligence was the adult just refused to play with her when she would start getting wild. The other challenge has been finding a harness that will fit a deep chested, narrow necked breed, since that has been the recommendation for walks going forward. Thank you for the”Puppy primer” book. We will start puppy classes this week.
Lorraine says
Hey Elaine, try a Perfect Fit harness. My whippet wears a ‘small’ chest piece and back pad and a ‘large’ girth piece.
Mary F. says
What do I love this week? Air conditioning!! You’d never know that I grew up in Houston, where it’s muggy most of the year. I have been away from Texas since 1984, and the only other place we lived that rivaled Houston was Atlanta!
I am also loving the fact that my Cavalier King Charles is slowly but surely recovering from a “Vestibular Event.” She also has Bilateral Facial Paralysis, meaning that she cannot blink her eyes, and she has trouble chewing her food. She will most likely drool and have a head tilt for the rest of her life, but that’s doable. Six weeks ago, we thought we would lose her. She is making progress every day. We know that it can happen again, but we’ll enjoy her as long as she’s with us. (She is 7, so we hope for many more years!)
What am I NOT enjoying? Fireworks! My two girls, the Cavi and a Westie, are beside themselves when the action starts…every night, I might add!
Thanks for showing your beautiful flowers, and stay cool!
Sandy says
Your flowers are floral shoppe spectacular!
Pretty flowers and dogs. What else is needed?
Charlotte Kasner says
Glorious, thank you so much for sharing your life – if not the pie!
Skip’s happy face really cheered me up.
Kathy Rost says
Flowers are beautiful and the camper perfect. That is how I would like to spend our time.
Anne Johnson says
Flagstaff has been smokey, dry and weird this summer. But, a bit of rain last week allowed some of the wildflowers to bloom. Just enjoying the coolness of the evening and getting a kick out of watching three horses teasing and running in the pasture. Dogs are especially happy I have been able to grow a decent patch of grass in the backyard to roll through. It is a high desert at 7,000 feet!
leila sesmero says
Enjoyed your blog and beautiful flowers! My Afghan Hound is losing muscle tone since he has not beein in lure coursing trials since 2019 and he is 8 years old this year. I would like to take him again but I am worried about his lack of fitness. The heat waves on the N.east Coast ( New York) are not easy for outdoors fitness and in general in urban environments dog runs don’t cut it either. He runs for a ball onece or twice …at least off leash…but does not pretend to be interested to follow-up. I was wondering about how to help him nad noticed the balance equipment can you advise? Thanks and have a wonderful future camping experiences I love camping with my cub aerolite….Lots of fun..
lak says
I love the summer season, although I do not like the extreme heat we have had here in the midwest. It was a treat to go to work just to have central air conditioning. But the long daylight hours are such a treat! Love all your photos, particularly the dogs on the bed, yep nothing better that the whole pack relaxing in one place! Your flowers are just lovely, I have a large barrel of zinnias blooming in my courtyard, a cheap beautiful display…I just throw the seeds in and am rewarded with glorious color! Your pie looks beautiful, I will be hosting my 87 year old mom tomorrow for ribs and salad, perhaps fresh peach cobbler, yes summer is beautiful, only wish it could stay about 78! hahaha Loved the visual of your camping rolling away, live and learn and laugh right!
Julie Bynum says
That’s definitely a grasshopper. The photo in your post is the back end.
Trisha says
Ah yes,the back end for sure,but I have a new photo of the front and if it’s a grasshopper its a new one on me. Stay tuned!
Beth says
The balance board is great at conditioning! I took my girl to a fit and conditioning class where she did the balance board . It’s a great and fun work out.
Mary J says
I love summer in Wisconsin!! And every other season here as well. Summer is a real treat to watch the metamorphosis of the prairie continue. Different flowers, different insects, different beauty. Thank you for sharing your beautiful bouquets. Sending healing thoughts to Maggie.
Alice R. says
Beautiful flowers, and family photos. I always enjoy the visit so much. Your camper story will become new family lore. My father-in-law had a very old truck lovingly named “old yeller”. the stories are endless; he used to wash the insides by opening all the doors and washing it out with a hose. It met it’s timely end the way your camper went, rolling down a hill into the lake. Luckily, it floated for a bit and a grandchild who was visiting at the time managed to swim out and retrieve grandma’s purse. It deserved it’s fame: it even ran briefly after that. We all have a photo of it swimming that day, and when the sad day came to haul it off, I was still voting for leaving it, and planting flowers in the bed as a monument to many happy family memories.
Susan says
Still glamping on the hill? I ask because I’ve been sleeping in our big tent every night, & loving it. Husband snores but says it’s me.
Patricia Wildgen says
About facial nerve paralysis : My Golden had this on both sides last summer. First one side, then both. No ear pricks, or blinking, and no Golden smile! By early fall, it all came back. We continued the eye drops (4-6 times daily) for quite a while and finally stopped them gradually as we were sure he had recovered. Everything is back to normal
Kathie says
Yes can we please get some help on the balance board. I have a 12 r old BC weighing about 62 lbs. He’s been diagnosed with Degenerative myelopathy and some plain old arthritis. Do you think a balance board light workout would help him retain the muscle he has? If so a type and size you might suggest? Thanks so much!
Trisha says
Kathie: Oooh, I am so unqualified to answer that question! My wild ass guess is that yes, it would, but I would talk to your veterinarian about it. Even better, a canine physical therapist. I can say that the board is great for us too; I use it sometimes to work on my own balance. (It’s a lot harder with only two paws than four!) I have a FitPaws, if that helps. Best of luck!