Dog in the Sky on an Autumn Morning

I had a great opportunity this morning at 4:30, to get up early and sit on the patio with Gary. We had binoculars, star chart, and laser pointer at hand. Our goal was to begin familiarizing ourselves with the sky. Constellations and brightest stars. It was fun. It was chilly and the coffee was good. I was moved beyond words by the first awareness of Canis Major and Sirius. The faithful hunting companion of Orion. The trusted dog who will forever and infinity be mid-stride near his master's heel. What a wonderful thought. And if we truly stop to think, isn't that where our beloved pets who are gone but not forgotten, remain in our hearts? When we picture them in our minds, do we see them as they were when they lay old and infirm, or do we see them in some mental snapshot, running for a ball, soaking up the sun, or just sitting by our side?

My Part Time Job

The food is great, but the hours are kind of suckish.

So, Saturday there was no cooking, or even experimenting in the kitchen. Neil had a sleep over at his cousins, and Gary and I got to go on a date. Anyway, we got to see a movie...Inglourious Basterds. And can I just say, it's my new favorite.

So, Sunday saw the Sauteed Chicken with brown deglazing sauce, Braised Onions, and Stuffed tomatoes with mushrooms and Swiss cheese. It all turned out okay, but I crowded the chicken...making it UGLY and burned the onions, making them taste rather onion-ey. And, remembered that I'm not a big fan of sauteed mushrooms. Oh well, Gary seemed quite pleased with it. Neil turned up his nose and ate PBandJ. On wheat, then complained that the bread had nuts in it...he's the one who likes wheat bread...not me.
Last night, I wanted something quick. HAHAHA!!! It was raining and soup sounded good, so I thought a nice beef stew could work. It was 8pm when we finally sat down to it. I started it at 5:30. Yeah...beef stew is not quick. So, 3 hours of cooking, then sitting down to dinner, then another hour for clean-up. I think I've found my part time job. But, at least the soup was a hit. Neil LOVED it! Gary ate two bowls...surprised? And I am learning that just that little bit of extra effort in the kitchen can have huge payoffs in the quality department. But, if anybody asks me what I've been up to, then gives me that "you're really not that busy" look, I think I may have to smack them.

Cookin' Up Some YUM!

I got two cookbooks a couple of days ago. Something to try to make cooking fun again. The Joy of Cooking by Erma Rombauer and Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Last night I tried a recipe from the Julia Child book. It was just a recipe for hamburgers, YES! Hamburgers...in a French cookbook. Anyway, I figured they would be easy and not too strange for the little taste buds here and not to dangerous for the ultra-sensitive stomach that I sometimes cook for. HOLY CROW!!! They were the BEST hamburgers I have ever eaten, much less made!! So, if anybody ever wonders....'why would I want a cookbook like that?' Let me tell you, the recipe on page 301 and the butter recipe (yes, that's right, butter recipe) on 101 are well worth the fact that you're making hamburgers from a recipe! Tonight, I'm trying a recipe for chicken in egg yolk and butter sauce with roasted tomatoes. And then going for a VERY LONG walk!!

Sheep dogs, and Splash dogs, and Bagpipes.

This past weekend was the Soldier Hollow Classic. It's becoming a family tradition at our house. Gary, Neil and I went up three years ago, Neil and I went up last year, and we all got to go up this year. Each year, we say that next year we're going to go for the whole thing, all four days of watching border collies herd sheep. Well, the past two years have seen us up there on only one day. This year saw us up there on two days. Maybe next year, if we don't make all four days, we'll at least manage one day of regular competition and Monday's grand championship finals. That would be nice.


Each year also leaves me with a fascination for the sport and a huge desire to learn how to do it. I become next to obsessed with Border Collies for the following 9 months. And daydream about being born into a rural lifestyle of farming and animals. This year one of the competitors (she is also a photographer and painter who sells some of her artwork at the event) was talking to me while I was looking at some of the artwork she was selling. Anyway, when I told her that it looks so incredibly fun and amazing, and that I would love to do it. She asked me what was stopping me. My first response was that I didn't know how to get started. To that I was directed to a page in the event directory that gives phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and web-sites for just that kind of thing. I was also told to email her and she could answer questions that I may have. The next reason I gave was financial, to which I was told "It's cheaper than horses". The next reason I have, that I didn't find the voice for, was that I kind of always thought that was the kind of thing you had to be born into. And if not born into working stock dogs, at least born into farm life. Really, how does a person get started when they are stuck in the suburbs? Know next to nothing about sheep or cattle? And already have to terrific dogs in a community that will not allow a third? But, you can bet that I'm going to be reading and re-reading the web sites on the subject and buying a book or two....or twenty, as books seem to be a weakness of mine.

Neil was a trooper hanging out in Saturdays wind and rain, and then again in Sunday's scorching sun. He got bored, and he let us know...very vocally. Saturday, he and I saw the sights. Wandered around finding 'lost sheep' for a give-away from Bank of the West. Free teddy bears for kids 12 and under. We also colored a picture for their coloring contest and free ice cream for the entrants. We ate some yummy Greek food, Neil got his first taste of lamb, and he loved it. Then when the herding was over, we watched the Splash Dogs. Neil's FAVORITE part of the weekend. He spent Sunday looking forward to when we could watch it again.






Sunday, I was determined to watch more of the herding that I was able to watch on Saturday.














Neil let me know how he felt about this, but he was pretty good about it. He watched the sheep through Gary's binoculars, tried to nap on the seat next to me, looked for grasshoppers, and colored. We watched dogs together as a family for quite a while, then he'd had enough. Time for lunch, a bit more watching, and then some wandering. We saw the "Wild Wonders" an exotic animal rescue that had some animals there. A fox, a tortoise, skunk, hedgehog, birds, and lizards. That tortoise was amazing. I thought they were supposed to be slow. But, she moved out quite quickly with a small flock of children following closely petting her shell, her leg, or whatever they could reach. We looked at booths of wool, Navajo blankets, dog products, pet adoptions, watched the sheep herding demonstration in the demonstration arena...complete with question and answer time. And saw the tail end of the "Ultimate Canines" dog show. That was fun. Neil got to pet a ginormous 1/2 standard poodle 1/2 great Pyrenees. The dog looked almost like one of the sheep being herded on the hill. We listened to bagpipes (one of Neil's very favorite instruments)




Then it was time for something cold to drink and an attempt at watching more herding. Gary and I decided to keep track of the scores as they were announced, and remember the names of handlers and dogs that really stood out in our minds. When all of the competing was over, we went back up to the Splash Dogs go vertical. We watched dogs jump from 6-7 feet in the air for a toy that was clipped to a bar over their heads. More often than not, they caught it.






It was a fun way to get a sun burn. And, we're thinking about taking a family vacation to Ketchum, Idaho in October for the Trailing of the Sheep Festival.