It's starting to come together

The AKC National Lure Coursing Championships will be held in Florence, Texas this coming December. The trial this last weekend was a dry run, using the fields and the course plans that will be used at the NLCC. A large number of the workers were present, and we are well on our way. The judges have been decided, as have the lure operators. Chairs are in place for Judges, Lure Operators, Grounds, Inspection, Hospitality, Trophies, Wearables, Huntmaster and Paddock Master.

The course plans ran very well, a very nice mix of speed and agility. Challenging for both the hounds and the lure ops, it will allow the hounds to really shine on the field and show the judges what they are capable of. The course plan is still in the works for Best of the Best and Best In Field, but it is shaping up to be a really good one too. Everyone involved is very committed to making this NLCC be the best ever. Everyone seems to be having a lot of fun with it, it's going to be a lot of work too, but we want everyone to enjoy themselves when they come.

The field and location are wonderful. Rolling terrain with no trash on the fields. The property owners are more than happy to make any changes that are needed (and there really are very few). The caterer is lined up (yum, I hear there will be BBQ on Saturday, I am all about that).

Make your plans now, December 5 & 6, 2009. Camping is available, good friends, good dogs and great coursing. What more could you ask for?

A riddle for you

What's 45 feet long, weighs 12,000 pounds, has the aerodynamics of a brick and gets 7 miles to the gallon? My rig, that's what. And what a joy it was on Friday when I headed to the lure trial, with winds gusting in excess of 40 miles an hour. Two handed driving, fighting it all the way.

But that's ok, because we had fun. I had a real cast of characters with me. BeBe and Van Geaux (they became known as the "jailbirds", more on that in a minute). I also had babies Spirit, Kona, and Jack (the "Three Stooges") and Sonnet, who turned out to be the only well behaved one in the bunch. The wind was HORRIBLE Friday night, and the babies decided to break out of their expen, followed by BeBe and Van Geaux. I rounded everyone back up, but the yearlings decided that they wouldn't stay in the expen anymore, so they wound up crated...........the Jailbirds. The three babies kept everyone entertained. They thought the whole weekend was great fun, lots of people to pet and love on them. They spent their weekend taking the toys apart, and chewing the corners off of my shadecloths. Monsters. Nancy came out on Saturday to see them and give me a hand with the little beasties. They kept us very busy with their antics, and all three out on lead was something to see (I think we sure could have used one more person, ROFL).

And we accomplished a lot this weekend. Sonnet was BOB on Saturday for a 3 point major. BeBe and Van Geaux both got their JC's and then certified for ASFA. This was a big relief for me. Van Geaux can be a bit of a jerk (he just figured out what those dangly bits are), but he was totally focused and very intent. BeBe will need to grow up more, she has so many angles she doesn't know what to do with them. All three babies got to chase the lure, and had a lot of fun with it. Kona will be going to his new home next weekend, Spirit and Jack will stay here. Jack had been spoken for, then the person who wanted him just disappeared. A very foolish decision on their part, as he is extremely intent and keen, and I have very high hopes for this bright red fellow. Their loss, but most certainly my gain.

Colleen called to let me know that Baron (littermate to BeBe and Van Geaux) also got his JC this weekend and was very keen, screaming and growling at the lure until it was his turn.

And Gary brought his two Mirlings for me to choose my stud fee puppy. They are both VERY nice, and it was an extremely difficult decision, but I went with the little girl, Tori. Very feminine, pretty angles and a lovely head. She also has a very outgoing personality. What decided it for me was the fact that I just do not need any more testicles around here. Tori went back home with Gary, she will stay there until May, playing with her brother and growing up nice and strong. I simply did not have anyone here who could play with her, the babies here are much larger.

And this weekend was the dry run for the NLCC, which will be held this coming December. More on that in a later post, but it was a great success.

The throat of the beast

Some days there is more pressure than others. Yesterday was one of those days. We have a current job going that is just a real mess for the homeowners. Some time back they lost the shingles and felt on the second story of their house. The house is a split level, so the whole get up on the roof thing is a pain anyway because some idiot decided the first story needed to have a very steep pitch to it. And I can only guess they didn't like it, since the second story was damn near flat. This flat roof didn't hold up too well to a past storm, which came along and sucked every last bit of roofing right off. And it was leaking before that happened (so common to flat roofs, I hate them).

The homeowner wanted us to raise the roof pitch, deck and shingle, in the hope that there would be no more leaks. His reasoning is very sound, but the implementation was a real pain in the ass. Because of where the house is located, using the skyhook to get the materials up was out of the question. Which meant that it was only getting up there one way..............carried. Up the first ladder, across the back portion of the first floor roof, hard left in a NARROW area, then fight it up a steep incline to the work area. Not funny.

Then mother nature decided to up the ante yesterday. As we were running courses of shingles, you could hear an ominous rumble to the west. A huge black cloud, lots of lighting, and what looked to be a whole bunch of rain. Coming right at us............towards a roof that was not even close to being in the dry. Two people, 9 squares of shingles.......we were nailing like madmen while the dragon breathed down our necks. The wind shifted, the temp dropped 20 degrees.........and still we nailed. As we started running the cap, the first big raindrop hit my neck. And just as I nailed the last piece, the skies opened. That was cutting it way too close for comfort. We threw tools and bailed just as the lightning started up very close by.

I hate working under the gun like that, knowing that something very bad is going to happen if I can't beat the clock. And I am so sore today that I can barely raise my right arm. But at least I know that there is no water in that house. And I hope I don't have to do that again anytime soon.

Dumb

Why would an organization that is faltering try to further alienate people who could help them? This particular organization has fallen prey to the old enemy...........politics. Their entry numbers are dropping drastically every year, while the other competitive organization is thriving. They want to run their little kingdom as they wish, and shit on anyone who does not "toe the line" with the current leadership. Easy enough to deal with as far as I am concerned. It's certainly much smarter for clubs and exhibitors to participate with the organization that is doing well, while the other one just keeps getting smaller and smaller. And it will keep happening until these folks realize that there are plenty of us who will not play the political game, and will give you plenty of bad publicity to boot. One of them will not exist in two years, the other will continue to move forward.

It's stupid and pointless. Why would a clique be important if you alienate everyone around you in the process? We decided to walk away from it, just like so many before us. And we will watch from afar as the whole mess tumbles down around their ears. Too bad.

It's that time of year again.

First snake of the season, a rat snake on one of my job sites. Brought that one home in a bag. Local fellow found seven rattlers under an old barn he was tearing down. Did NOT bring those home.

Slithers are out.

Take a deep breath............

Today I partook in one of my least favorite activities in the whole world, I went to see the doctor. I decided it might be a good idea, since for the last couple of weeks I have had some niggling left sided chest pain and a fair amount of heartburn. Being an ex-paramedic, I am well aware that it could just be a muscle pull and reflux, or it could be cardiac, so off I went. To add to the fun, it was a new doctor, since my old one retired. We go through the whole mess of crap, no medical history to speak of, I only take one medication (thyroid meds), family history don't count because I am adopted. It didn't take me too long to decide I don't like this fellow. He wants to run me into the hospital for a gob of tests when it's not even certain I have a problem. Vitals are all perfect, so how about you take a listen and lets get an EKG before you start running up huge bills? Nothing weird was heard, so off for the EKG I went. As I pretty much expected, there was nothing at all weird on the 12 lead, even tho the tech gave me the old run around of "the doctor will talk to you about it". Um, I am perfectly capable of reading a 12 lead, so stop with the dramatics.

After fighting this doctor to a standstill.............guess what? I have a muscle pull in my left chest wall that is aggravated by the work I do, and reflux secondary to a hernia I already knew about. I don't want muscle relaxers or any other drugs, just wanted to know if it might be a cardiac issue. And it didn't cost me a fortune to find this out because I used some common sense. Of course he also wanted to refer me to a surgeon for my trashed right shoulder, but I think I will pass on that as well. I am all too well aware that my body is tattered and torn from hard labor through the years, I see no reason to fix these issues, since they will just recur as long as I work in construction. Kinda like the hernia, it isn't going to go away, and if operated on won't stay away, so why bother?

During the initial exam under allergies I told him to write "Doctors". That one is easy to treat.

Off?

Why do people assume that if you are not working that you are not doing anything? I mean, really.........."oh, you were off this weekend". No, just because I was not getting paid does not mean that I was sitting on my butt. Way too much going on around here for that. I covered about 200 miles in a day picking up materials, dog food, bird food and needed items for here at the house, cleaned out flowerbeds, worked on fencing, worked on my truck and big van, cleaned house, did laundry, trimmed all the toenails running around here, and bathed a couple of really stinky housedogs. So, no, I was not off, I was busy as a one armed paper hanger.

Speaking of flowerbeds..........the first bloom of the season is showing itself'. A old fashioned purple iris. Everything else is busting out with buds or blooms, my favorite season will soon be upon me. And the hummingbirds will be here shortly. Can't wait.

Sproing!

Spring is officially here, no matter what the calendar says. The mesquite trees are budding, so the hard stuff is over for the year. Lots of new buds popping out, I should have some flower pics soon.

And I have little birds everywhere! Three baby Gouldians fledged late last week, I won't know their color or sex until they moult. I have two little moldy looking Cut-Throat babies (they just look moldy, all black and fuzzy), four new Society finch fledglings (three crested and one smooth) and a new pink baby society in another nest. I will soon be putting up a web site for the birds, when I do I will post a notice here. Oh, the Pacific Parrotlets are breeding, so hopefully I will soon see some eggs, and in a few weeks I will be getting a pair of Princess of Wales keets, they are proven breeders and soooooo pretty. I am meeting up with another bird friend in three weeks to swap some birds and go to a big bird fair in La. Watch for news of the new arrivals!

Busted!

It seems that someone out there was spreading rumors that one of the clubs hosting the NLCC was backing out and that the event was going to fail. Where they came up with this idea is beyond me, but it was also associated with a line of shit-spewing about how *their* club should be the only one holding such a premier event. Well, they should have been a bit more careful with their spewage, because they have been identified by someone that they shared their little lies with. Their name is being withheld at the moment, since the affected folks are attempting to file a complaint with AKC over the whole mess. I hope it works out and they get their ass burned severely. If you don't want to work with the clubs holding the event, then don't, but dont' go about lying to everyone about something you know nothing about. And if the complaint comes through, look carefully, because you will see my signature right in there with the rest of them. People are pretty sick of your behavior, hopefully it's about to come to a screeching halt.

Is anyone surprised?

That Kalifornia has discontinued their discount/free spay and neuter program? You know, the one they PROMISED to have so that folks of lesser means could get their pets spayed as required in LA? Since they dropped the ball, I think it's only fair that they rescind the mandatory s/n program, since they have now put some folks in a real bind. They claim it is due to budget cuts, well, here's an idea. Fire a whole shitload of those idiots you have who are making up new rules for everyone to follow, and use THAT money to fund the program you crammed down everyones throat.

They get the Asshat Award of the day.

Hunters suck.

This little missive was overheard at the cafe this morning. Just after it was uttered, you could have heard a pin drop, as all eyes were on the yuppie who had made the statement. For those not in the know, Coleman County bills itself as the deer and dove hunting capital of this great State. With the exception of said idiot, every last one of those seated were local landowners, most of them hunters.

You could say that someone was a tiny bit uncomfortable, LOL. Since she was seated at the table right next to mine, I just could NOT leave it alone (a real fault I have), so I turned and asked her how she figured that? Just the opening she needed to lecture on the evils of killing poor little deers and piggies and coyotes. I saw a little red around the fringes of my world, and explained to her in no uncertain terms................since we have removed most natural predators, deer hunting culls the population to a healthy level, otherwise they grow in numbers and starve, hogs are a nuisance and a menace, and coyotes devastate the local sheep and goat farmers if their numbers are not kept in check. I did take the liberty to point out to her that since she was eating bacon, she obviously had no problem with hogs dying, and that her egg was not an egg, but rather a chicken that had not hatched yet.

What has this world come too that people no longer equate the food on their plate with the animal it once was? And don't even start with me about vegetarianism. Something dies there as well. Not just plants, but where do you think that "organic" fertilizer came from? Most likely a feed lot somewhere that is raising my next steak. How about those leather seats in your car? Think they grew in a test tube? That skin used to belong to a living creature. Even if you eliminate all animal related products from your life, you still haven't, because if you follow it back far enough, you will still find something that used to live and breathe.

If I had my way, which I don't.............people would still know what it feels like to look your dinner in the eye. I can promise you, if people had respect for the animals they were eating, there would be a lot less waste in the world, because they would understand the sacrifice made to feed them.

And as for hunting, I participate in many forms of it. And 90% of the time I eat what I shoot, the exceptions being nuisance animals (coyotes, skunks, etc) and feral hogs. I do eat a lot of feral hog, but some of it is not fit for consumption because of age. Those are left for the coyotes to clean up. And it's not waste in my eyes, the hogs need thinning.......................BAD, and the coyotes could do with an easy meal on occasion.

Back to Miss Thang. She left in a huff (and a cloud of nasty perfume), got into her spotless Navigator and tore out for more "civilized" parts of the world. And the rest of us laughed at her all morning. I bet they are still talking about it. Just goes to show that money can't buy common sense.

Winter is back

Ok, not funny. 80 one day, 35 and raining the next. Psycho weather is here. Bleh.

The wood stove is a cat magnet, both Minnie and Velcro are sure it's just for them. Last night was chili weather, yum.

Weather is forecasted to be crappy till Sunday. I hear thunder, again. At least I am working inside the next few days.

Hey Dan!

Blogger is being an ass again, so I can't post to your blog. Congrats on the new digs! Can't wait to see the house. I know you guys are just over the top, I need to make you a housewarming gift. Howsabout you send me your mailing address by private email?

Things overheard at work

"It's tile, not brainsurgery" - actually, sometimes it is, when I have to decipher what the client is actually talking about.

"It doesn't matter" - it does too matter, at least when you are dealing with voltage. Remember, the switch ALWAYS breaks the hot leg, not the ground. ALWAYS.

"Oops" - I never want to hear that

"What if we we do this" - how about we don't and say we did

"YOU are the contractor?" - well, yeah.....you were expecting someone by the name of Bob perhaps?

"That is not the color I picked" - yes, it is, and I warned you that it would be titty pink. You didn't listen.

"I don't know what is wrong with the toilet" - neither do I, but you have a toddler, so I can hazard a guess.

"What is that?" - asked by another "contractor" as he looked at my beast of a tile saw. My response, if you don't know, don't touch it.

"I didn't touch it" - well, someone did, and now it's broke.

"Have you seen my kid" - nope, I didn't sign on for babysitter.

"He doesn't bite" - ok, did you tell him that?

"Whoa" - this is NOT good

"Crap" - this is even worse

"I need you here right away" - yeah, you and everyone else

"How did that get in there" - dunno. I want to know how it's going to get OUT.

"Are you sure you can do this?" - yep. Just as good as the next guy.

"Hey, a woman contractor!" - no shit, I hadn't noticed.

You know, one of these days I am going to write a book. Wonder if anyone would be interested in it?

RANT!

Dammit, here we go again. This one is in response to an asinine post by a fellow breeder who would "never course her hounds" because her babies might get caught in the line, and because of all those routine injuries on the lc field. Except, there aren't any "routine" injuries on the lc field. Dogs very RARELY get hurt chasing plastic bags. Of course, this same nitwit claims that lc'ers are all about chasing ribbons. As if chasing ribbons in the show ring (something she does) is any different? The only difference is that LC at least proves the dog can run, the show ring doesn't even prove that. It's relatively simple to me. If you dont' want to prove your dogs, then don't. But for pete's sake don't think for a minute that you are fooling anyone about the abilities of your animals, because you are NOT. Entry into the AKC conformation ring has never served any breed well. Don't believe me? Take a look at GSD's......once the mainstay of police and protection work, they can no longer walk normally. How about Lab's? These dogs were supposed to be able to retrieve in cold water, in heavy currents............now they are fat sausages with no legs and no coat. How about Cocker Spaniels.............supposed "gundogs". Hah, the hair factories would be hopelessly entangled in short order, either before or after they bite you and piss on you. Greyhounds..........show Greys are a travesty for the most part, overdone rears, weak backs, shitty fronts.......nothing at all like the dogs who run daily. How about Border Collies? The original parent club fought inclusion in AKC, and all you need to do is peek in the ring to see why. They are no longer intelligent working dogs, they are hair factory freaks, some with really nasty temperaments. Form, function and working ability have been lost. And the same crap is happening in Borzoi. The original standard did not call for (or allow) 36 inch tall freaks. LOOK at the historical photos. They show a moderately sized dog with a VERY moderate coat. They had some width to them, and were not six feet long. You won't find any narrow chests on those dogs, no slab sidedness, freaky toplines were out as well. Those dogs were actually still bred to work, and those that didn't work did not reproduce.

I realize that I am beating my head against the wall, and I will continue to do so. But if you are in this breed strictly for the show ring, only to breed what wins under judges who have most likely never even OWNED a Borzoi, and have almost certainly never owned a working Borzoi, then please, PLEASE pick another breed. Might I suggest poodles? They are already really screwed up, so breeding for the ring won't screw it up even worse.

We are breed stewards...........to me that translates to "don't screw up what always worked". Borzoi were originally bred to hunt. They were not bred to be leash candy, art deco or any of the other weird ass descriptions that are out there now. They should not be angelfish dogs that could be slid under a door, or dogs that disappear when you view them head on. And if you really believe that the two inch wide, six foot long, needle headed hair factory can work, then please come out and prove me wrong.

YABR

Yet Another Bathroom Remodel. Seems I have a run going on bathrooms right now. Yeesh. This one is a real mess. It's a take-over from another "contractor". Seems he got the framing in, then just fizzled out. At least he had enough sense to stop before he screwed something up. The original call was for tile only. Hah, not hardly. It turned into framing, tile, glass block, dry mix shower pan and liner, more framing, drywall, etc, etc, etc. It was going to be a three day job, we are now on day 5 and not done yet. Oh, can't forget the plumbing either...........sweated copper for supply, and I have to re-route all the under house grey/black plumbing, since he put it in the wrong place. Gah. He's a nice enough guy, but someone needs to take his hammer away from him.

Hi there!

Was just perusing the sitemeter logs tonite. It's pretty interesting to see where everyone is. I know who the folks in Germany are, as well as my regular Colorado visitors, the NM folks and a few others. The ones that have my curiosity up.............I seem to have a regular visitor from Canada, a couple from Florida, a whole mess of Texas folks, one from NY, a couple from Mississippi, one from Japan and one from China, and at least one from Virginia. Hi to all of you. If you so inclined, drop me a line and let me know who you are, then I can put faces with locations :) The demographics are interesting, to say the least. My email address can be found in the sidebar.

A lion in lambs clothing

My son nearly got into a fight today. A fight he would have surely lost, beyond a shadow of a doubt. And, just this one time, I am not ashamed that his temper showed itself.

The son has a new friend, a young man with Down's Syndrome. He is a very sweet fellow, but he is not a higher functioning Down's child (he is 18 years old). He will be a perpetual 5 year old, and he is fascinated by the son. And the son thinks he is pretty cool too........I don't know of any 17 year old that wouldn't like to be idolized. The parents of the young man are quite happy that he has found a friend, the son treats him with respect, kindness, and an understanding that belies his young age. So, how did the son get into this near fight? It certainly would not have been something I would have ever expected.

We (the son, his friend, and myself) decided that chinese food was the order of the day for lunch, so we took ourselves over to a really good chinese buffet in Brownwood. Fun was being had by all, son's friend was quite excited to come along and we were happy to have him along. We gathered our full plates and sat down to eat, the friend chattering about everything in the restaurant. I was quite aware that glances were being sent our way, as the friend was a bit loud. Before I could even register what had been said, the son launched himself from our booth directly at a table where four young men were seated not too far from us. What had been said was derogatory, mean, and hurtful, and was directed at son's friend. The son was fully prepared to take on all four of the hoodlums at that table. Of course, they thought they were more than up to the challenge, but not for long. They had not counted on the red haired "old lady" sitting with the friend (that would be me), and *I* had not counted on the nearest five tables also preparing to defend son if necessary, they had heard the ugly remarks as well. The son stood his ground and told these young people that his friend could not help who he was, and if they didn't like it then they should take their asses right on out of the restaurant, NOW. Of course, some of the language was a bit more colorful, but it certainly got the point across. And leave they did.

My son rose up like a lion, in defense of his friend, prepared to do battle if necessary. Compassion is something that makes us truly human. The son is 17, can be as arrogant as any teenager, and he totally surprised me with his actions. To say I was proud of him is an understatement. And make no mistake, had he had to fight, I would have stood right beside him, for what he did was *RIGHT*.

Well, it's official

After much thought, contemplation, and agonizing...........I have decided that baby Jack will be staying here. His behavior and mannerisms remind me so much of his mother Sara at this early age. I really don't need another male on the property, but he speaks to me, directly to my heart. So, here is where he shall stay.

It's also official that Sara and Phoenix are now retired house mice. I had really hoped to get that last ASFA point for Phoenix and those last two AKC points for Sara, but they are done on the field. Both never recovered from being interfered with too often. So, their job is to hold the bed down. Mir was retired early last year, and his job is to hold down the couch. They do their jobs quite well. I have a neuter scheduled for Mir, and spays scheduled for both Phoenix and Sara after they go out of season. Since I have no plans to breed any of them again, it makes the most sense. Less reproductive organs to deal with, the better.

I guess I better get busy on the new paddocks.

Fluff, or Function?

Warning, if you are anti-hunting you need to take yourself somewhere else, now.

I had a lively discussion with another Borzoi person this weekend, once again visiting the topic of show dog vs. performance dog. There are too many times that I have heard the remarks about the "ugly coursing dogs". Sorry, but the ugly dogs are the ones that win in the show ring and then are unable to even complete a JC, either due to indifference, aggression, or soundness issues. I don't give a shit how much coat the dog has, or how many wins it has in the ring. If it can't run, then if lacks essential breed type. The inability to run should be considered a major fault by breeders, but most are dazzled by Ch. so and so's ring record, never looking any further.

The ultimate test of a sighthound is the hunting of live game. A lure course involving plastic bags driven by motors will never, EVER, emulate the track taken by a live jackrabbit attempting to escape three pursuing hounds. I am not anti lure coursing, I do it myself. My dogs love the game. But they do know that it is just a game, nothing more. They are not the least bit fooled into believing that three trash bags are real game. If you really want to know what your hound is capable (or not capable) of, then get yourself into the open field. See what your hound can do. Can your dog stay sound? Does your dog have the speed and agility to do the job?

I often hear the lament "I can't afford it". Well, if you can afford dog shows, lure trials and race meets (or any combination thereof), then you can afford to drive to the open field. Share a room with someone, bring a cooler, and be prepared to find out if your hound has what it takes. If you elect not to do so, please do not delude yourself into believing that lure coursing proves that your dog has what it takes. I have more than one dog that is hell on wheels when chasing plastic, but lacks the speed to compete on the open field. And I have one dog who is an AKC bench Champion, but will never be competitive in the open field due to a lack of both speed and agility. So the show ring proves very little, if anything.

The "ugly coursing dogs" comment is really quite stupid. Any Borzoi who can go to the open field and prove themselves is a thing of beauty. Form follows function, period. Borzoi came into being as predators, not show dogs, period. If anyone out there truly believes that coursing dogs are ugly, I would like to cordially invite you to bring your show dog on out to where I live. We will take your dog, and one of my best coursing dogs, and head out to hunt. I am sick of hearing denigrating remarks made by show people about performance dogs, so here is your chance to put your money where your mouth is. Who will be the first to step up to the plate? Prove to me that your "beautiful" show dog is more functional than my "ugly" coursing dog. Hell, I will even up the ante............I won't take my best coursing dog, I will take one of my middle of the pack dogs.

Borzoi were, and still should be, predators. They should be able to hunt. They should possess the speed, agility, endurance, soundness, drive, and courage to do the job at hand. They were not brought into existence to prance around a show ring. They were brought into existence to RUN. To course swift game by sight. There are show dogs that also course live game, they are few and far between. There are far more show ring freaks than there are honest dogs that could do a days work. And this will eventually be the downfall of our breed, as soundness goes by the wayside. I can easily foresee them in the future......... tall, hairy german shepherds. Crippled caricatures of their former greatness. And this saddens me.

I will continue to breed "ugly coursing dogs". I will do my part to ensure that at least some of the Borzoi out there can continue to be sound, athletic, intelligent dogs. And there are others out there like me. Others who also believe that beauty is found in the field, traveling at a high rate of speed in full pursuit.