Close Call in Balkan Township!

The citizens of Balkan Township don't know how lucky they are to have Dora Flea in residence!  The Wicked *itch of Balkan, thought to have been vanquished 13 July 2012, was seen late yesterday afternoon in the company of the Wicked Witch of Chisholm. 

Intrepid photographer Scott Dahlquist snapped a couple of photos.  In the first, the two can be seen relaxing on the edge of the Superior National Forest:

The Wicked Witch of Chisholm Contemplates Mischief and the Wicked *itch of Balkan Evaluates Potential Danger

The second was taken hastily, with our photographer barely escaping a horrible curse:

The Wicked Witch of Chisholm Preparing a Spell while the Wicked *itch of Balkan Prepares for Battle

The battle between Dora Flea and the Wicked Witch and Wicked *itch was fierce.  It lasted several hours.  In the end, though, Dora Flea was successful in her defense of home and township.  She was last seen digging a hole large enough for her war spoils. 

Dora Flea and Her New Shoes

Cast: 
Wicked *itch of Balkan -- Ch. Caniscaeli Sally Goodin, JH
Wicked Witch of Chisholm -- Herself
Dora Flea -- Fiddlin Off She Goes

Early Season Run

I started with Dora and Tucker in lead, because Dora is usually very good there and Tucker has been.  Unfortunately, Tucker was much more into investigating the trees than staying on the road, reminding me that these guys run better in the dark, with fewer distractions.  

I put Tucker in wheel and moved Wylie up by Dora.  I am not very smart.  I KNEW Wylie liked to run all over the place and would probably bump into Dora and she doesn't have the temperament to deal with it.  

 

Wylie dragged Dora off the road, where they somehow ended up going around a tree and back under the gangline behind Lichen and Shady:

 

l - r:  Lichen & Shady (team dogs), Wylie & Dora (lead), Tucker & Declan (wheel)

I finally had the sense to put Lichen up with Dora.  By then, she was mentally worn out.  Scott was still with us and stayed a few feet in front of us with the van and trailer, giving the dogs something to chase home.  

 

It took half an hour to travel less than four miles, but it was a very educational run.  Now I just need to retain what I have learned. 

Happy trails!

Susan

Yearling Stacks

Lichen Head

The babies are a little over a year old now, and it is long past time for us to have new stack photos.  So, here they are:

Lichen Stack

Lichen Front

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shady Front

Shady Stack

 

Tucker Stack

Tucker Front

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wylie Front

Wylie Stack

Shortcuts

Gigi and the "Real" Motobecane

You know what they say about short cuts.  I have a couple new rules for myself:  First, when exploring new road bike routes, do it in the car first.  That way you don't have to back track several miles when you see, while riding your relatively new road bike, that the road turns to gravel.  Second, when inevitably exploring new routes on bike, anyway, TURN AROUND as soon as you see the road turns to gravel.  Back tracking adds extra miles for a better workout and avoids the washboard effect. 

"Gigi's Gears Sound Funny"

If you are still foolish enough to continue, or just don't want to ride past that large growling dog again, bring a map of the area because your GPS unit will not have sufficient battery power.  In this way, when you have realized that the compass on your watch hasn't been calibrated (and you don't remember how to do it...) and you don't have a "real" compass, you can look at the road intersections and avoid going half a mile in the wrong direction at the T. 

Not So Bad...

Furthermore, couples should both have cell phones.  That way, when it starts raining while you are still on the gravel with your once shiny pink bike, you can call your partner to let him know that you are having the time of your life being chased by Redwing Blackbirds and exploring mushroom villages.  You don't need him to come to your rescue.  Alternatively, he can call to find where you are rather than drive up and down the WRONG highway looking for you.

Finally, when you are together and dry again, head for the local drive-in for burgers and root beer floats!

Happy trails!

Susan

How to Take a Shower When the Well Is Dry

The Empty Well

First, you need water.  This isn't always easy to come by, especially in winter.  Today is the official beginning of Spring but this is the upper Midwest and the temperature is about 10 degrees Fahrenheit.  The yard is far from green.

There isn't any actual available water in our immediate vicinity.  Therefore, we had to find some potential water.  It looks like this: 

Potential Water

Water-to-be looks like this:

Buckets of Snow

Here we are "creating" water:

Melting Snow On The Stove

Sure, you say, now you have water.  What does a few pots of water on the stove have to do with taking a shower?  That is a great question and I have the answer:

Super Solar Shower

Most of you probably know that it takes a lot of snow to make a little water.  We don't really feel like melting snow for the rest of the winter/early spring.  So, we contacted a Professional.  He had a couple of suggestions, including drilling a new well, but we opted for the band-aid approach for the time being: 

Mark's Well & Pump Truck

Filling the Well

Filling the well is, of course, only a temporary fix.  Heck, it may be very short-lived and possibly a waste of money.  After all, if water seeps in to fill a well, what keeps it from seeping out?  It was almost worth it just to have a full shower this morning!

The dogs aren't as fortunate as we are.  This is how Dora bathed on Monday: 

Dora the Retrieving Setter

Happy Spring!

Susan

Mush For A Cure

I've done it again!  I, the non-musher and owner of bird dogs, have roped Scott, the recovering musher, into helping me with a mushing event.  It isn't just any event, though. 

Mush For A Cure's mission states [participants are] to raise awareness of and raise funds to find a cure for  breast cancer through annual pledge/tribute runs by dog team.


Mushers at MFAC not only raise money to help with breast cancer research, they do so with one of the most entertaining FUNdraisers ever!  As you might expect, there are dogs involved, nearly all of them real sled dogs.  There are also contests:  There is the perennial favorite "Bald, Brave, and Beautiful" contest, best dressed team, a human sled dog race, crowing of king and queen, and much more. 

Dora, Shady, and Sally are ready to run!

Mushers hail from Louisiana to Washington to New Jersey to Maryland and many points in between.  All are brought together by a love of mushing and a desire to help the National Breast Cancer Foundation find not only better treatment, but also a cure, for breast cancer. 

Please help me raise money for this important cause.  You can do it on my personal donation page.  The site is secure, fast, and easy to use.  At the website you will be able to choose an amount to donate and receive email confirmation of your donation. 

Thank you and happy trails!

Susan, Scott, and Team Fiddlin'

Sally's Birthday Hunt

The Birthday Girl

This post is a bit late, but Sally insists I do it, anyway, as we had such a lovely time together.

On Wednesday, 12 December, I took the day off from work to spend the entire time hunting with Sally.  Instead, I spent half the day getting my shoulder looked at and x-rayed and some of it buying dog food.

Split Tree With Core Exposed

Sally and I finally hit the trail in the afternoon and enjoyed a three mile hike.  We only encountered three birds, none of which provided me with a shot.  We were approaching an intersecting trail when Sally slammed to a halt on the left side of the trail.  She was pointing slightly back in my direction, so I left the trail well in front of her and looked for any movement.  Nothing.  I looked at my dog.  No movement.  She was solid.  I started working closer.  When I got closer than she usually points them, I heard the bird flush from her far side.  Darn.  That bird was pretty stealthy to not have alerted Sally to its movement.

Broken Tree Growing Toward the Sky

The next bird was my find.  I hadn't noticed many tracks and started paying more attention to the snow.  I became quite excited--birdy?--on discovering a beautiful line of partridge tracks crossing from right to left.  I began following them and, just as I began moving to avoid running into a rather large tree, the bird left said tree in a thunder of noise!  It had, I believe, been perched at about head-height, observing my blundering progress and well aware of the dog's distance from us. 

Woodpecker Work

The Trail to Adventure

As with any good handler, Sally did not get upset with me for mismanaging the bird.  She did decline to believe me when I told her where I thought it might be, but otherwise she gave me lavish wags and a few licks on the hand.  Then she went off in search of another bird.  The only other bird I heard flushed very far away from us.  We had a lovely time, regardless.