Many Hats - Bet

Howdy Ho everybodies!  It's your non-roving, auntie, Pretty Curly Tail herding, bear watching, personal Musher bodyguard, Bet, here!

I thought I would list all of my various accomplishments and jobs because there has been some chitter chatter on the Facebooks about how I really need to be a baa baa sheepie thing herder type Border Collie... um, no.

I don't like baa baa sheepie things AT ALL!  This was one of the reasons why I washed out of baa baa sheepie things herding school.  They are EVIL.  Oh sure, swaddled in fleecy fluff they look so cute and cuddly and adorable (especially the young ones) but behind those big bulging eyes is nothing but pure EVIL.

For instance, here is my half-brother Don trying to avoid being stomped on by one of these cloven hooved demons

You can see more baa baa sheepie thing carnage at Ms. Jenny's blog

I mean HOLY PATOOTY it's like stompy mooses only worse because these things get airborne and come out from the sky at you!  Who wants to deal with that?  Seriously!!!

I have enough duties here at North Wapiti to keep me occupied, thank you very much.  I've tried the baa baa sheepie thing stuffs and things, so I've been there and done that... but how many Border Collies can say they've done these things:

1.) Herded sled dogs!

The Pretty Curly Tails are faster, smarter, and have pretty sharp teeths and it's my job to make sure they stay on the trails, don't go running off, and mind their manners.  This is much more challenging than herding potential scarves and sweaters into a little square pen.  Plus, when Pretty Curly Tails stomp on you, it tickles.

2.) Bear Lookout

If you look closely, you can see me behind my camouflage

How many Border Collies can say that they are responsible for making sure bears don't eat their people?  Huh?  Anybodies?  What?  No other Border Collies?  That's what I thought!  Yeah, I have to go out in the middle of the woods with my Musher and make sure she can pick berries and stuffs and things and not get eaten or stomped.

I have to be ever vigilant to make sure those sneaky sneaky bears don't sneaky sneaky up on us to steal our berries... and eat us.

Look at my ferocious hackles!

When the bears do show up, I have to make sure I activate my awesome ninja Border Collie skills, puff up really big to scare them, and tell the Musher that it's time to vamoose!

Most of the time my awesome display of ferocious hackle raising and scary growling will scare away most icky Musher eating things and I can give her the all clear, but sometimes we have to retreat... I always make sure I'm in front of the Musher to clear a path for her.

3.) Personal Musher Body Guard

How many of you Border Collies go EVERYWHERE with your human to make sure she stays safe?  Hmmm?  Still waiting for a response.

I go EVERYWHERE with the Musher to make sure nothing harms her (except places that require stupid quarantine stuffs and things) and so I can taste all of her food to make sure it hasn't bee poisoned.

I would advise you not go near that water Musher, looks mosquitoey

I also go along on shopping trips because (and this is just between you and me) until I came around, the Musher had NO CLUE on how to accessorize and pick out matching ensembles. 

This is the proper way to sniff car air, not lolling out of the vehicle where bugs smack you upside the face

4.) Mentor

How many of you actually mentor Pretty Curly Tails so they become show champions and Iditarod finishers?  Eh?  What?  I can't hear you... because that would be NONE OF YOU!  I spend a lot of time teaching the puppies how to act in the show ring and the ins and outs of sled pulling and stuffs and things.

No! No! No!  Don't just stick your tongue out, curl it around and under like this

So, for all of you that think that I'm missing out on doing the job that I was born to do, I just wanted to let you know that what I do now is what I was born to do, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Besides, how many Border Collies get to relax on the deck with the Musher after a rousing day of sled dog training, puppy training, berry picking, nature walking, and body guarding...

In their very own stylish Ugg booties.

Yeah, I didn't think so.

- Bet

Around The Yard...

The weather here has been dready, rainy, snowy, muddy and cold the past few days. Just plain YUCKY if you ask me. Be winter or be spring - this 'in between' stuff is pointless!!!!

Anyway, while I was shoveling the yard this afternoon the sun decided to make a brief appearance, so I pulled out my camera and snapped a few photos as I worked and thought I'd share them!

 When I shovel 'Geriatric Park' Olena never fails to remind me that SIX of her children were on my Iditarod team this year!!! And I will admit, that is a HUGE accomplishment. For the record, the six were Tess, Charge, Astro, Tramp, Turtle and Smartie. You have every right to be proud Ollie!

Olena

Just in case anyone thought I might be stretching the truth when I said Tramp was as big as a house - here she is. She still has 12 days to go till her due date. YIKES!!!!! 

Why Itty Bitty Betty is spending so much time in the bathtub lately.

Just in case they didn't look as dirty as they really are in the first picture...

Billie enjoying the brief bit of sun!

Pop telling me all sorts of stories about his winter.

Todd. This was seconds before he took off doing full speed laps around his circle to show me how incredibly fast he is!!! (and he is!)

And finally....NEO showing off a few of his 'spring projects'!!!

Hope you enjoyed your 'virtual visit' with them as much as I enjoyed my 'real' visit!!!

Karen

True Story - Bet

This is a true story... no really, this actually happened!

Musher Mark and I needed a bit of out of the house time, what with the annoying herdy bunny things and stuffs, so we took off for the Perryvale post office to get the mail and maybe do a little retail therapy, maybe get a facial and our nails done (ok, that's what I wanted to do).

We figured we'd take the Musher's Highlander since it hadn't been out on the road lately.  It needs new tires and stuffs and frankly it could stand an air freshener while they're at it, I'm just saying.

So, we toodled down the mile long gravel road with no problem.  Once we hit the real road, ol lead foot hit the gas and we were zooming along at about 60 mph and started to hear this strange noise.  It was a cross between metal on metal and someone squeezing a gaseous marmoset.

What is that horrible noise????

Musher Mark thought that maybe one of the tires were low, so he turned down the radio and slowed down a bit, but the noise was still there!

Dude, seriously, you need to check out that noise!

So, Musher Mark pulled the Highlander over and got out to see if he could figure out where the noise was coming from and found Bait on the roof:

That cat is crazy!

- Bet