Wednesday 8 November 2000

November 8, 2000

I'm giving the dogs 3 days off, so I’m trying to catch up on all my email, website stuff, phone calls, etc. 

I’m happy to let everyone know that our 2001 t-shirts, sweatshirts, ballcaps, prints, and other fundraising items are now available to order. I’m so excited about the little Maple Foot the stuffed husky! Bonnie and Dave Lundberg donated these stuffed cuties. Bonnie put some of her many talents to work and customized this little guy so it was obvious he is a NorthWapiti kennels mascot! Many thanks to Donna Lutz for all her help with this project too! 

Well, the weather has taken a turn for the ‘better’. An inch or so of snow fell last weekend. It is just amazing - on Friday we ran the dogs 35 miles and we had to stop 4 times to water them. On Sunday, with just that inch of snow on the ground, we stopped once and they all declined the drink!! They were in great spirits on Sunday and just SMOKED through their run. I had Surge and Orion in lead – what a GREAT combination that was. I was leery as I was hooking them up, because they are both young, inexperienced leaders, but they did super. Even taking Gee/Haw commands like old pros!!  This weekend we are going to try to get in 2 nice, long, back-to-back runs. I’m getting a root canal done on Thursday (tomorrow – YIKES!), so hopefully I will be feeling up to it!  

Iditarod supplies are starting to stack up around the house. I got some neat new shoulder coats from Mountain Ridge Supplies the other day. They are designed so you can slip one of those chemical hand warmers in them, to help with any aches or pains in a dog's shoulders! Very neat! As minor shoulder injuries were the reason for dropping Gus, Spud, and Smiley last year, I expect these to be a big help on the trail.  

I’m trying to remember to buy Ziploc bags every time I’m in town. It is unbelievable the number of Ziplocs you go through on the Race.  I should buy shares!! I’ve also got a few boxes of Cinnamon and brown sugar Pop Tarts that have been mailed to me. Seems you can’t get this flavor in Canada and I fell in love with them on Iditarod last year, so some internet friends have been kind enough to ship some up!!  

Well, as promised, I’m introducing some of the new team members. This time I’m going to pick on Rosie. Rosie, aka Willo’s Wildrose at N’Wapiti, may be familiar to some of you, as I have been discussing her show ring adventures throughout the summer. She is just under 2 years old and a little dynamo in harness. No wonder, her Daddy is Wayne and Chris Curtis’s Ch. Stormwatch’s Montana SDO – the only Champion show dog to ever finish the Iditarod, which he has done 2x (and finished the Yukon Quest once). Although Rosie is a few points short of her Championship this year, we expect her to one day join her Dad in the Siberian Husky history books! Lois and Bill Leonard of Wisconsin bred Rosie, who is named for her light red color.  

I have a cool story about Lois. Although I had purchased Rosie from her, we had never met in person. At the Iditarod Pre Race Banquet last year, I was going through the line that forms to catch mushers coming off the stage to sign posters and such. I spoke briefly to a lady and the woman next to her smiled and said to her “She doesn’t know who you are!” I raised my eyebrows at her and she introduced herself as Lois! What a neat surprise! This year I believe Lois is coming up for the Race again – I’m sure Rosie won’t have any trouble recognizing her!

All for today – I’m off to make dinner!!

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