Limited Print Auction - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!!!!!

Despite the spring mud, winter in May, more spring mud, followed by sleet, some hail, more snow, thaw, mud, snow, thaw, snow, thaw..... sigh... I've been very very busy unpacking the Musher's bags.

Yes, you heard me right, she's infamous about not unpacking all of her stuffs and things when she gets home, so I took some time this weekend to unpack the one hugey huge bag she brought home from Alaska with her... the things I found in there... eeesh.

I have no idea what we're going to do with all of that stuff... but... I did find one really nifty keen, totally awesomely rad, whatchamathingie in the bag of stuffs... and things....

It's this!!!!!

2010 Iditarod Limited Edition "Trail Companions" Van Zyle Print

It's #288!  There's only some of these floating around and we have one of them... and the famously famous Mr. Van Zyle personally gave it to the musher and signed this too!!!  He can really paint, can't he?

Since shipping on a '65 Chevy Malibu engine would be waaaaay too pricey, I made the executive Border Collie decision to auction off the totally cool, really unique, only a limited edition number of these print thingies off, so if you are the highest bidder, #288 will be yours!

It's got mushing dogs (who aren't pretty curly tails, but cool anyway), Iditarod things (and stuff) and in the upper haw corner is a raven!  The Musher likes ravens... she likes them so much she feeds them perfectly good skin and foods... but she doesn't make them shrimp and pasta though.

Anyhoo, I created a link on the bloggity blog upper gee side and there's also a tabby thing at the top of the bloggity blog thing so you can send the Nyquil swigging cartoonist your bid... I'm keeping an eye on them too, so don't worry about her losing stuff.

If you do win it, and want the Musher to sign it, I'm sure she would.  I may even nibble a corner for you if the price is right, and if you are really nice, I'll keep it away from Irving because he tends to piddle on things.

- Bet

Trail Report.

The dogs are sick of not running and I'm sick of not running them, so Bet and I headed out today to see what the trails were looking like.

Hmmm - that doesn't look too promising....

It's not that the dogs can't pull the ATV through the rotting snow, they easily can, but I tend to lose all steering and when you are driving a big team, steering is pretty critical.

This was a little more promising....

This was not....

Thanks for the push, Bet!

The trails were a mix of good and 'not quite as good'.....

But it sure was a beautiful day!!!!

Hard to believe it is almost 20C (72F) and there is still snow in the woods!!!

We even found a few brave pasque flowers.

The Tawatinaw River is high and running fast...

Too much for the team right now, but Bet and I puttered around on the banks for a bit.

It threatened to rain, but nothing came of it....

And the final decision????

We will be running in the AM!!!

Wahoo!!!!!

Starting Slow

I was a little slow getting moving this AM. I think that had a lot to do with my day yesterday.

First I went horseback riding for the first time in about 6 months...

....then I moved 120 - 40lb bags of dog food.....

I admit, I felt better this AM then I thought I would, but I didn't spring out of bed ready to face the day.

It seems Winter might actually love me and has agreed to give me a bit of space, so the temperature was about 2 C (36F) this AM and I decided to head out to my favorite spot and kick start the day.
I packed a yoga mat, a thermos of coffee, an apple and, of course, Bet. Would have been nice to bike out, but still a bit too much snow in spots in the woods!

I did a bit of yoga....

(For the record - border collies are not particularly helpful in this situation)...

...then we enjoyed coffee while watching geese and flocks of swans flying over...

We even made some new friends...

What a great start to the day!!! We will be doing that again, for sure!!!!

A TONNE of EaglePack - Well, 2 Tonnes Actually!!!

Sometimes the best laid plans go astray. My dog food order was supposed to arrive last week and Mark would have been around to help unload, but shipping didn't go as smoothly as hoped (no one's fault - just one of those things) and it arrived today.

Unfortunately, the pulp mill Mark is working at is doing their yearly 'shutdown', so he is working straight through for 12 hours a day for the next 2 weeks. I wouldn't even suggest that he starting throwing bags of dog food when he got home, so the task was left to Bait, Cricket, Bet and myself.

I was thinking the bulk of the offloading of 120 bags was going to fall on me. Yup, 120 - 40 lbs (18.1 kg) of kibble.....4800 lbs...2172 kg......

Sure enough, supervising was all that was on Bait's agenda.

And Bet and Cricket kept watch to make sure no 'unsavory characters' came into the yard...

Yeah...ummm....thanks guys. That helped....a LOT....

...and me.....well I got everything off loaded and safely tucked into the garage.

I'd also like to take this opportunity to thank Eagle Pack Natural Pet Food for their continued support of the kennel. For over 10 years it has been what every NorthWapiti dog has eaten from birth to death.

Just to give you an idea of how long we have been feeding EaglePack here is Bait as a kitten supervising a dog food delivery...

Bait supervising dog food delivery today!

Our dogs are long lived, healthy, spunky and happy in no small part due to their top notch diet.

Soon to be 14-year-old Odie doing laps of his pen while waiting for his Eagle Pack kibble the other morning. In the pen with him are 12-year-old Dasher and Odie's brother, Loki! All Iditarod finishers!

They have coats, muscle tone and attitude that easily transition from the trail to the show ring. In the whelping box they easily (sometimes TOO easily) reproduce, whelp easily and recover quickly.

We don't believe we could do better for them.

Thank you EaglePack - we couldn't do what we do without you!!!

Winter Chick

My love affair with winter started young.

I think I was skiing almost before I could walk. I was tackling 'black diamond' runs with my (very overprotective, so you know I had to be good!!) Dad when I was 12 or 13. I remember one winter when we lived in Calgary heading to Sunshine Village or Lake Louise in Banff National Park with my family every weekend from Christmas till May 24th.

I've snowshoed, cross-country skied, learned to throw a mean snowball, built snowmen, ice skated, slid down hills at breakneck speeds on toboggans, and done just about everything else you can do in the winter.
We briefly 'broke up' in my late teens/early twenties when I lived, ate and breathed horses, but then in early 1989 I discovered sled dogs and our affair was back on.

Since then I have celebrated the season, eagerly awaiting its arrival every year and mourning its passing.

I've moaned and whined when it arrived late or left too early.

I've dealt with winter at its worst - snow blowing so hard you can barely see your hand in front of your face, -60F temperatures, and excessive amounts of snow - and still loved it.

I am a Winter Chick!!!!!

HOWEVER..........it is MAY 1st this morning.

Winter, you need to leave!!!!!

You have officially overstayed your welcome - even from me.

A good, healthy relationship has some space for the individuals in it. Give me some space.

Come October I will welcome you back with open arms - I promise!!!! But right now, you need to go!!!

If you really love me, you will do this for me.

Explain Yourselves!!!

My husband and former handlers can tell you one of my REALLY BIG pet peeves is when I put a nice meal on the table and the intended diners don't 'jump' when called. I mean, I went to the trouble of making it and putting it on the table - all I ask is that you act somewhat appreciative and come when dinner is put on the table.

So, Saturday night I provided a buffet meant for the coyotes (the 'daytime buffets' seem to mostly attended by ravens). On the menu was chilled chicken skins. Yes, previously frozen - but you are COYOTES, you can't be too picky!!!!!

Okay, so maybe you were out partying elsewhere on a Saturday night, as the skins were still there when Bet and I checked the next morning...

...but I know you knew the meal was there a 23 scant minutes later....

Did you enthusiastically dig in??? Nope - but the ravens did....

Less then an hour after they discovered my offerings their party was in full swing.

And you guys??? It was 2 1/2 hours later that you stopped by again!!!!

Hmmmm, yes - almost all the skins are gone!! You snooze, you lose!!!

Don't tell me you were scared off by the ravens 'cause I saw this...

.....you don't look too scared.

I still have another few blocks of meat to dispose of, but since you keep ignoring my 'meals' I'm done tromping out there at dusk. You guys are on your own now!!!

Good luck!!!