We've not done a video yet.. I had to send our camera back to Kodak for repair to the flash that quit working, apparently they are replacing the entire camera.. still waiting!
We did manage to get the horses home, it is nice to see them daily and spend time with them when I want to, now that I can just walk out my door to do so.. that doesnt mean I actually have been spending more time with them! :) Well just a little more I guess.. I worked with Dexter the other day, I havent handled him in a couple months since he went out to pasture, heck he was an old pro, remembered everything I worked with him on this past spring/early summer. He's still a little skittish every now/then, but he's come a very long ways. Every once in a while I try to tell Derek we really dont need to keep him as a 3rd horse, with money being tight and all, but he refuses to listen to reason and insists that we are keeping him. I know he is one I probably will not regret keeping, as long as he keeps growing!
My 38th birthday came and went pretty quietly this year.. I had lots of birthday wishes on Facebook though, that was nice. It was low-key, spent the day being lazy watchin a movie at home, dinner at the folks... It was a nice birthday though, my parents came over and installed a shelving unit in the closet of my craft room, something I've wanted for a long time. So I guess I better get to work and organize that room again! work, work, work..
We have spent the last few weekends getting a lot of things done around the farm. A couple dump runs, reorganizing crap from one area to another, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, etc. Feels good to get some of these things done, I feel like my place doesnt look so dumpy now that a lot of the garbage and crap and misc things are put away or thrown away. :)
Derek took Cooper out hunting twice now, and I am very excited for the progress being made. Sounds like Cooper is doing excellent, he is listening and happy to get out. He comes homes stinky as he still loves the water and no matter how stale the water is, he jumps in! Apparently he jumped into one ditchline and it was just yucky mud type bottom and he just kinda stood there looking at Derek as if to say "What the hell kind of water is this! and How do I get out?" LOL We are very proud though of him, Derek got him to land retrieve a bird that had been shot the other day, they practiced with the dead bird for a few retrieves. And then yesterday they shot about 6 birds over a pond, Cooper retrieved 2 of them. He spent more time swimming and gulping in water than retrieving, which was part of the problem. He still has a big reluctancy to pick up real birds, so when he brought back the 2, Derek knew that was good enough for the day. We think Cooper still has a slight negative vibe about picking up real birds from his training days and the use of the collar. Derek says its almost like he thinks to himself that he knows there is supposed to be a reason he doesnt like to pick up real birds, but he cant quite figure out why that is, so he reluctantly takes them. In time I think he will forget about all the negative of the birds and realize how fun it is and will not hesitate. He is a work in progress and he's come a long ways!
Derek can now get Cooper to sit on a whistle when he is out searching for his dummy. And if Derek says "over" or "back" with the proper hand signal, Cooper is really starting to pick that up and excel at knowing what those mean. He even did it in the water, Derek blew the whistle for him to stop and he turned towards Derek and stopped swimming, and then Derek directed him "over" to go find the bird and he swam where he was supposed to! I'm so proud of that kid.. wish I could see him work in the field, Derek says it is a lot of fun to watch him and it has changed his outlook on going hunting. No longer is it boring to just sit and wait for birds. Cooper sits with Derek and watches the flocks come in, he pays attention to what is going on and Derek is teaching Cooper to "creep" up slowly while walking next to him! :)
We eventually will need to spend a little money and work with the local trainer in Monroe to learn how to teach him to "sit to flush" because right now he gets so excited when he finds critters in the fields, he just gets to jumping and chasing! But when we take him upland bird hunting (grouse & pheasant), he'll need to learn to sniff out the birds and then sit, so we can catch up to then shoot the birds as they flush up out of the grass.
Now that Derek has taken Cooper out a couple times, Cooper is antsy every day.. wondering if he gets to go out with his fasha! The little buddy is a horn-dog right now though, poor Ellie is getting a little tired of it all.. some nights she is so grumpy at him he can hardly even look at her! Cooper is much better about not teasing Russell though, that is good, but he still loves to dominate Russell by hovering over him! :)
Derek's unemployment hearing is tomorrow.. fingers, toes, limbs, legs, arms, eyes, whatever we can cross is crossed, in hopes that things go our way. It has been a long week of anticipation, really draws on your stress level when you are in limbo like this. I know, regardless of the outcome, I will feel a lot better knowing the decision, even if the wrong one. We should have a very good chance of qualifying, my hope is that his previous employer does not call in and try to screw it all up for him. There has not been much luck on the job hunt these days, not a lot out there that is willing to pay a decent wage...
We did manage to get the horses home, it is nice to see them daily and spend time with them when I want to, now that I can just walk out my door to do so.. that doesnt mean I actually have been spending more time with them! :) Well just a little more I guess.. I worked with Dexter the other day, I havent handled him in a couple months since he went out to pasture, heck he was an old pro, remembered everything I worked with him on this past spring/early summer. He's still a little skittish every now/then, but he's come a very long ways. Every once in a while I try to tell Derek we really dont need to keep him as a 3rd horse, with money being tight and all, but he refuses to listen to reason and insists that we are keeping him. I know he is one I probably will not regret keeping, as long as he keeps growing!
My 38th birthday came and went pretty quietly this year.. I had lots of birthday wishes on Facebook though, that was nice. It was low-key, spent the day being lazy watchin a movie at home, dinner at the folks... It was a nice birthday though, my parents came over and installed a shelving unit in the closet of my craft room, something I've wanted for a long time. So I guess I better get to work and organize that room again! work, work, work..
We have spent the last few weekends getting a lot of things done around the farm. A couple dump runs, reorganizing crap from one area to another, pressure washing, gutter cleaning, etc. Feels good to get some of these things done, I feel like my place doesnt look so dumpy now that a lot of the garbage and crap and misc things are put away or thrown away. :)
Derek took Cooper out hunting twice now, and I am very excited for the progress being made. Sounds like Cooper is doing excellent, he is listening and happy to get out. He comes homes stinky as he still loves the water and no matter how stale the water is, he jumps in! Apparently he jumped into one ditchline and it was just yucky mud type bottom and he just kinda stood there looking at Derek as if to say "What the hell kind of water is this! and How do I get out?" LOL We are very proud though of him, Derek got him to land retrieve a bird that had been shot the other day, they practiced with the dead bird for a few retrieves. And then yesterday they shot about 6 birds over a pond, Cooper retrieved 2 of them. He spent more time swimming and gulping in water than retrieving, which was part of the problem. He still has a big reluctancy to pick up real birds, so when he brought back the 2, Derek knew that was good enough for the day. We think Cooper still has a slight negative vibe about picking up real birds from his training days and the use of the collar. Derek says its almost like he thinks to himself that he knows there is supposed to be a reason he doesnt like to pick up real birds, but he cant quite figure out why that is, so he reluctantly takes them. In time I think he will forget about all the negative of the birds and realize how fun it is and will not hesitate. He is a work in progress and he's come a long ways!Derek can now get Cooper to sit on a whistle when he is out searching for his dummy. And if Derek says "over" or "back" with the proper hand signal, Cooper is really starting to pick that up and excel at knowing what those mean. He even did it in the water, Derek blew the whistle for him to stop and he turned towards Derek and stopped swimming, and then Derek directed him "over" to go find the bird and he swam where he was supposed to! I'm so proud of that kid.. wish I could see him work in the field, Derek says it is a lot of fun to watch him and it has changed his outlook on going hunting. No longer is it boring to just sit and wait for birds. Cooper sits with Derek and watches the flocks come in, he pays attention to what is going on and Derek is teaching Cooper to "creep" up slowly while walking next to him! :)
We eventually will need to spend a little money and work with the local trainer in Monroe to learn how to teach him to "sit to flush" because right now he gets so excited when he finds critters in the fields, he just gets to jumping and chasing! But when we take him upland bird hunting (grouse & pheasant), he'll need to learn to sniff out the birds and then sit, so we can catch up to then shoot the birds as they flush up out of the grass.
Now that Derek has taken Cooper out a couple times, Cooper is antsy every day.. wondering if he gets to go out with his fasha! The little buddy is a horn-dog right now though, poor Ellie is getting a little tired of it all.. some nights she is so grumpy at him he can hardly even look at her! Cooper is much better about not teasing Russell though, that is good, but he still loves to dominate Russell by hovering over him! :)
Derek's unemployment hearing is tomorrow.. fingers, toes, limbs, legs, arms, eyes, whatever we can cross is crossed, in hopes that things go our way. It has been a long week of anticipation, really draws on your stress level when you are in limbo like this. I know, regardless of the outcome, I will feel a lot better knowing the decision, even if the wrong one. We should have a very good chance of qualifying, my hope is that his previous employer does not call in and try to screw it all up for him. There has not been much luck on the job hunt these days, not a lot out there that is willing to pay a decent wage...
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