Poop, Poop and more Poop!

I should have had my camera with me, but then again, maybe it's just as well that I didn't. Who needs to see pictures of poop! We headed north for a few days of running dogs and just as we set off down the road, Moose started to pant a little. He was in the back of the cab on Papa's old blanket that comes everywhere with me. Moose being almost 13 yeas old, is at that stage when he can't always control when he needs to poop. Sure enough, he pooped laying down. Within a second of his deposit make itself present (not a pleasant odor)... Richard lept in the air and grabbed Moose's poop with his hand. Swung his hand in the air, past my head (I was driving at the time) and quickly found a plastic bag in the truck to drop the poop into. Now, not only did he have poop all over his hand, but as he swung his arm over my head, he swiped his poop covered hand onto the felted roof of the cab. I couldn't figure out what on earth possessed him to pick Moose's poop up in the first place!! When I asked him, he said he didn't want Moose to roll onto it and smear it all over him and the blanket and then we'd have a real mess. I made a quick stop at Dunkin Donuts so that Richard could wash his hand, but first, he had to get into Dunkin Donuts with poop all over his hand....

Well so it continued for Richard. The following day we were on a run with the dogs, we were on a bend that we had done several times that day, but I had switched leaders. Yahboo was now in swing. I guess when she had been in lead, she remained focussed on the job at hand and missed the pile of moose (not my canine Moose from the paragraph above) guts/intestine right on the trail. Well, I guess being out of lead allowed her to look elsewhere and in a split second, she dived into the intestines which were full and I mean FULL of moose poop. She tore a huge section of the intestines off and as it swung in the air.... a few of the dogs, mainly Daisy, caught it. They all ate a good chunk of it. Meanwhile, as this was happening, Richard flew off the ATV and as he dived on the girls to pull the yucky stuff out of their mouths, he got covered in moose poop.. all over his hands, his jacket .... GREAT, we still had quite a few miles by dog team before he could liberate himself of his jacket and wash his hands. On we went. Cookqiz was in lead with Rosie, doing a fine job. Up the hill we went.... the dogs started to lope and I caught Bobby sniffing the air. "Oh No" I thought to myself "what now?" Just as I had that thought, Cookqiz came across a large pile of Deer poop and took a good mouthful as did her friends behind her. Goodness, how much animal poop can these dogs possible want to eat !!!! Richard lept forward to nudge the team away and as he did, some poop flew up at him and yes, once again, he was splattered with poop. He spent 24 hrs solid, smelling of poop.

Everything Blue

'
'Everything Blue'
The color of the sky, the depth of an ocean
Sadness inside, a grieving emotion
A bridesmaid dress, the icing on a cake
Feather off a bird, the ripple on a lake
A tuneful note, a heart warming monologue
Everything Blue,we miss you blue dog

Dedicated to Blue Dog who recently crossed the rainbow bridge, very unexpectedly. Blue Lived with my best friend Whatleigh from Barking Brook.....he was a shared gift between us as he was very dear to me too and he knew we were close friends and so, he wanted in too and stole my heart. He would welcome me with such love and passion as if he were a part of Uktousa, well... he was, very much so.

Trying To Capture A Comparison In Height

..... between Rosie, Cookqiz and Hana. Hana who is now 4 months old has some legs on her. Recently weighing in at 34lb, I really think she is heavier as she wasn't quite still on the scale and I was holding her. I bet she is more like 36lb plus. As you can see, she is just a bit shorter than the other two girls, around 23 1/2 inches at the shoulders.

The Rear View

Interesting shot of two of my Hedund Girls. Rosie to the left and Cookqiz to the right. Great way to see how similar they are. Cookqiz is just a bit taller and a little more robust, she is currently out of coat. They were busy looking down the driveway as Richard was pulling in.

Husband In Training

Without any real conversation or planning, Richard has stepped up to co-musher this season and hasn't missed a single training run, much to the delight of the dogs who simply love having 'daddy' (aka Richard) onboard. Inspired by our good friends Kim and Kelly Berg, we have practiced a slick routine of unloading and getting dogs harnessed and on the gangline in pretty decent fashion with both of us responsible for various tasks. Having been used to doing everything myself for many years, I've settled quite well into having hubby come along and join in.

Last winter we enjoyed quite a number of runs together, I would hook up a tandem sled behind mine and off we would go on our adventures. It was lovely, we would stop along the way for tea and a snack while the dogs had a rest and something to eat and drink to. I guess it started then, we just got into a routine and it has spilled into this Fall. It's been really nice to share my thoughts and running goals with Richard and to get his feedback.

The other evening we had a fun race with Kim and Kelly.... the race wasn't on the trail, instead, it was at hook-up. With a few less dogs than Kim and Kelly, the goal was to not get left behind, but instead, see how swift we were at hooking up in record time and equal to the girls... so much fun! Richard was yelling " come on, come on..... we're ahead ".... we laughed so much. Once on the trail, each time we would go up and down a bit of an dip or round a twisty bend, Richard would raise his arms in the air as if he were on a roller coaster. Took me a while to figure out why he kept raising his arms in the air!

Anyway, it's wonderful to hear him ask what time we are training each day and that he wilingly helps in getting gear together for each run. Who knows, perhaps our dream of us both running and racing a team each will eventually come true.

Something To Howl About

Yay!!! We're at camp. Oh, I so love "camp life". I love focussing on us, the dogs, eating and sleeping. No other worries or concerns, no schedule or agenda........ it's just all about running dogs and being with Richard. It truly doesn't get any better. I just hope one day, I can look forward to more regular camp outings.... you know, toasty warm woodstove, the smell of fresh cinnamon buns in the oven, classical music playing, lots of blankets and quilts to snuggle in, a few good books laying around to browse through. Heavenly.

Tisha Is Back On The Team!

Hardly able to believe she is in harness after being so sick this summer. Still a few pounds lighter than her normal weight but she looks great and is just as crazy as ever. She is one tough little Malamute.