Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Derby x Sting..4 wks old
Going to be a hectic week between the 2 litters and the paper work on the new building this week...seems like that is unending...but as of March 1st at noon...the keys get picked up....and we can start painting and reno'ing.
Pups hopefully get baths sometime this week...they are getting more kitchen time...mom's wanting to spend more time out of the whelping box. This week I will also spend more time on the floor interacting with them. Right now it's barks, wrestling and play growling with each other as they interact with each other.....with alot of sleeping inbetween.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
More Kitchen pictures...
Going on a set of nights over the wkend...will catch up on emails next week.
Kitchen Time....
Finding myself reading labels more....have missed a few days of walking this week, hopefully the dashes up and down the basement steps catching up on laundry will count abit...( made a few extra ones just incase )
Losing weight on paper is easy...just burn more calories than you eat. Infact treat it like cash...spend (burn ) all you want and all the better to be overdrawn
at the bank.
In reality it's work...no gimmicks to that fact.
3,500 calories is the approximate equilvalent of one pound of weight.....so if a person wants to lose one pound of weight a week, that's the amount of calories to reduce on a weekly basis. (that's based on a 150 lb person )
So cardio, weight training and reducing more calories for me and to find more time to accomplish this. Good news for me...I kept off the weight lost and managed to lose another .6 alittle disappointed there but will continue on.
Kitchen time for the pups has started...I'm a few days behind there. Jinx's litter is just off the kitchen so getting the noise of that part of the household.
Stings litter gets more kitchen time as in a different part of the house. Puppies reacting as per the previous kids that have been exposed to a bigger world than
their whelping pen. The pups that have been self rewarding themselves by escaping the whelping box quicker to explore their new surroundings...no worries with that as the rest always catch up and not unusual to surpass 'those' ones on checking things out.
Candid pictures of the Derby x Sting litter..and of course there is always 1-2 pups that just dont stay still long enough for a good picture.
Final process for re-zoning the Church (training building ) done on the 16th and the paperwork process to acquire it ...in the works.
Losing weight on paper is easy...just burn more calories than you eat. Infact treat it like cash...spend (burn ) all you want and all the better to be overdrawn
at the bank.
In reality it's work...no gimmicks to that fact.
3,500 calories is the approximate equilvalent of one pound of weight.....so if a person wants to lose one pound of weight a week, that's the amount of calories to reduce on a weekly basis. (that's based on a 150 lb person )
So cardio, weight training and reducing more calories for me and to find more time to accomplish this. Good news for me...I kept off the weight lost and managed to lose another .6 alittle disappointed there but will continue on.
Kitchen time for the pups has started...I'm a few days behind there. Jinx's litter is just off the kitchen so getting the noise of that part of the household.
Stings litter gets more kitchen time as in a different part of the house. Puppies reacting as per the previous kids that have been exposed to a bigger world than
their whelping pen. The pups that have been self rewarding themselves by escaping the whelping box quicker to explore their new surroundings...no worries with that as the rest always catch up and not unusual to surpass 'those' ones on checking things out.
Candid pictures of the Derby x Sting litter..and of course there is always 1-2 pups that just dont stay still long enough for a good picture.
Final process for re-zoning the Church (training building ) done on the 16th and the paperwork process to acquire it ...in the works.
Down to 1 cow to calve and she looks like she may be awhile...one of our purchased cows that isnt with the rest as far as same calving season
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Sister-hood...
Got tired of being jostled by the cows at the grain trough when packing their feed in to dump. Average weight of the girls here is 1700 lbs..with a few tipping the scales at 1800. They don't move out of your way...at all...they rush in and jockey for their spot at the trough. Our cows are pretty quiet from being handled from birth which doesnt help.
The older cows push the ones lower on the totem pole out of their way and a person can get stepped on pretty easy.
As much as they have a hierarchy in the herd, you certainly can count on the 'sister-hood' to comes in to play when they perceive a threat to their calves.
Have one cow roar in concern and you've got another cow charging out to back her. Makes for alot of pressure on a dog with new moms all facing you on the defense with heads down.
Quade is pretty handy to make a corridor to walk through with two 5 gallon pails. It's a flat foot walk up and if they dont turn ( and they don't usually unless they've 'met' him before ) he has to hit the head and release the pressure so they can turn. Takes abit of patience on our part as once the cow turns and moves off , her reward is the release of pressure. With the uneven frozen ground I don't want calves stumbled over nor do I want cows slipping/tripping....so he has to listen right away / take his time....and let her make a choice. For the first few chore times we usually encounter 2-3 cows that need a polite reminder , then after that as soon as they see us coming...they move off right away. 2 Cows left to calve...calves growing by leaps and bounds...usually see them in racing games with their tails straight up as they enjoy fun and games.
Worked nites last night and caught abit of the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver.
*Loved the 'We are More' poem by Shane Koyczan
Words to it are on the following link.
http://www.vancouversun.com/More+Transcript+opening+ceremony+poem+Shane+Koyczan/2558526/story.html
Certainly proud to be a Canadian.
The older cows push the ones lower on the totem pole out of their way and a person can get stepped on pretty easy.
As much as they have a hierarchy in the herd, you certainly can count on the 'sister-hood' to comes in to play when they perceive a threat to their calves.
Have one cow roar in concern and you've got another cow charging out to back her. Makes for alot of pressure on a dog with new moms all facing you on the defense with heads down.
Quade is pretty handy to make a corridor to walk through with two 5 gallon pails. It's a flat foot walk up and if they dont turn ( and they don't usually unless they've 'met' him before ) he has to hit the head and release the pressure so they can turn. Takes abit of patience on our part as once the cow turns and moves off , her reward is the release of pressure. With the uneven frozen ground I don't want calves stumbled over nor do I want cows slipping/tripping....so he has to listen right away / take his time....and let her make a choice. For the first few chore times we usually encounter 2-3 cows that need a polite reminder , then after that as soon as they see us coming...they move off right away. 2 Cows left to calve...calves growing by leaps and bounds...usually see them in racing games with their tails straight up as they enjoy fun and games.
Worked nites last night and caught abit of the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies in Vancouver.
*Loved the 'We are More' poem by Shane Koyczan
Words to it are on the following link.
http://www.vancouversun.com/More+Transcript+opening+ceremony+poem+Shane+Koyczan/2558526/story.html
Certainly proud to be a Canadian.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Weight in day....
Feb is one of my favorite winter months....means that winter will be coming to an end....SOONER than later.
The days are significantly longer, the month is shorter and the weather has been known to be 'balmy' here on the Canadian prairies.
Chores can actually be started AND finished before the sun disappears...that's a treat in itself.
Today was weigh in day....officially lost 4 lbs inspite of last few days being a disaster doing anything extra while on nights....both mentally and
physically leaving alot to be desired. Shift work has some disadvantages that being one of them...takes a person an extra day to feel back to normal *if they flip back to days right away...sometimes it takes a week to flip if a person works too many in a row.
Besides cutting down on coffee and drinking more water...this week adding eating fish...that for me is harder than drinking water... good stuff for
people to eat...even helps with a person's memory and at my age...need all the help I can get ....sure have a lot of post it notes stuck all over the place
to jog those grey cells.
On the agenda this wk:
-pick up new tables/chairs for the training building as final process for re-zoning the Church is next wk
-talk to my youngest son Wyatt ( fitness buff / amateur boxer ) on core exercises to do
-work smaller groups of sheep
-build Fort Knox for the puppy pens
-pick up dewormer / puppy food for next wk
Thanks Deb who in a few minutes problem solved a computer problem I was having....wonder if she eats fish ( just joking sis )
The days are significantly longer, the month is shorter and the weather has been known to be 'balmy' here on the Canadian prairies.
Chores can actually be started AND finished before the sun disappears...that's a treat in itself.
Today was weigh in day....officially lost 4 lbs inspite of last few days being a disaster doing anything extra while on nights....both mentally and
physically leaving alot to be desired. Shift work has some disadvantages that being one of them...takes a person an extra day to feel back to normal *if they flip back to days right away...sometimes it takes a week to flip if a person works too many in a row.
Besides cutting down on coffee and drinking more water...this week adding eating fish...that for me is harder than drinking water... good stuff for
people to eat...even helps with a person's memory and at my age...need all the help I can get ....sure have a lot of post it notes stuck all over the place
to jog those grey cells.
On the agenda this wk:
-pick up new tables/chairs for the training building as final process for re-zoning the Church is next wk
-talk to my youngest son Wyatt ( fitness buff / amateur boxer ) on core exercises to do
-work smaller groups of sheep
-build Fort Knox for the puppy pens
-pick up dewormer / puppy food for next wk
Thanks Deb who in a few minutes problem solved a computer problem I was having....wonder if she eats fish ( just joking sis )
Trees in our lane way grow in a S shape....think the Indians called them
'Hoop-see-eye' sounds like..not sure of spelling...anyways one of the oldest variety of pine trees from what I understand...something new I learned this fall from my avid gardening family members
Monday, February 8, 2010
Colder out ....
Temps dropped last night , re bedded the cattle as we like them on alot of straw...just have to make sure it's evenly spread so we dont get a cow cast as they will bloat and suffocate. Cows standing with heads through the calf shelter door bawling for them to come out. Calves inside bucking and romping as it's warmer in there and not wanting to come out to their concerned moms.
The wind chill adds to the cold factor.
Lesson for the 3 girls yesterday am was setting the criteria to get up thoughtful instead of rushing in on their stock from the lift position. Fly and Dare slow up when reminded to...have to watch my eye contact with Dare...bad habit of mine. True tends to want to blast in. She doesnt have too many gears on her yet. I had to come through the flock to reinforce things a few times.
I also need to work on squaring up my flanks with all three. Working up the middle of the sheep pasture with all three with some doodle work (fetchs, walk abouts, figure 8's ) Sessions were longer than previous ones as not sure what the weather is going to serve up this week...too hard on livestock to work when the temps drop too much.
The wind chill adds to the cold factor.
Lesson for the 3 girls yesterday am was setting the criteria to get up thoughtful instead of rushing in on their stock from the lift position. Fly and Dare slow up when reminded to...have to watch my eye contact with Dare...bad habit of mine. True tends to want to blast in. She doesnt have too many gears on her yet. I had to come through the flock to reinforce things a few times.
I also need to work on squaring up my flanks with all three. Working up the middle of the sheep pasture with all three with some doodle work (fetchs, walk abouts, figure 8's ) Sessions were longer than previous ones as not sure what the weather is going to serve up this week...too hard on livestock to work when the temps drop too much.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
2 milers....
note to self...dont chug-a-lug all that water before you do chores unless you've missed out on walking down that road....and you actually 'want' to make all those extra trips back to the house...yeesh.
Last few days have been doing the 2 miler ...loaded down with the usual heavy chore clothes/boots...think it works best working the dogs first thing in the am and doing the walk with Derby before evening chores. Boots get a little heavy, legs on the rubbery side by the end of both work outs. On my scale
have lost 5 lbs in last few days by just increasing the cardio and decreasing calories...not really dieting...just cut out unhealthy snacks and reduced meal
portions...the trick is not to make your body go into starve mode ( your body will actually decrease your metabolism with drastic diet changes )
Crystal Light lemondade helps with the water drinking, I've also cut down on my coffee drinking....talk about some habit changes for a devote Tim Hortons drinker. So progress during week one with changes that dont take much more than 45 mins when you include the cooling down...for me it's going directly into chores, which is basically just a different pace. Packing 5 gallon pails end up being my arm curls etc.
Working the 3 girls Fly, Dare and True each day, would like cut down on number of sheep we work...as soon as the barn is empty I can take a group over there to park while I work a smaller group. Finding working over a dozen difficult with the snow build up for me to get in position when I want to reinforce something.
I still havent made use of the bamboo poles that I said I was...note to myself to get at it.
Down to 3 cows to calf , which I imagine will straggle out for the tail enders.
Pups are more than hale'n hearty....not uncommon to see them on their backs with chubby bellies in the air as they sleep contently. Jinx blue daughter on the outside of the swimming pool this am....will have to bring in a larger box for them soon. Toe nails get trimmed every few days. I'll have to think of some
temporary call names for them ..helps in ID'ing them in upcoming pictures....photo shoot soon with help.
Last few days have been doing the 2 miler ...loaded down with the usual heavy chore clothes/boots...think it works best working the dogs first thing in the am and doing the walk with Derby before evening chores. Boots get a little heavy, legs on the rubbery side by the end of both work outs. On my scale
have lost 5 lbs in last few days by just increasing the cardio and decreasing calories...not really dieting...just cut out unhealthy snacks and reduced meal
portions...the trick is not to make your body go into starve mode ( your body will actually decrease your metabolism with drastic diet changes )
Crystal Light lemondade helps with the water drinking, I've also cut down on my coffee drinking....talk about some habit changes for a devote Tim Hortons drinker. So progress during week one with changes that dont take much more than 45 mins when you include the cooling down...for me it's going directly into chores, which is basically just a different pace. Packing 5 gallon pails end up being my arm curls etc.
Working the 3 girls Fly, Dare and True each day, would like cut down on number of sheep we work...as soon as the barn is empty I can take a group over there to park while I work a smaller group. Finding working over a dozen difficult with the snow build up for me to get in position when I want to reinforce something.
I still havent made use of the bamboo poles that I said I was...note to myself to get at it.
Down to 3 cows to calf , which I imagine will straggle out for the tail enders.
Pups are more than hale'n hearty....not uncommon to see them on their backs with chubby bellies in the air as they sleep contently. Jinx blue daughter on the outside of the swimming pool this am....will have to bring in a larger box for them soon. Toe nails get trimmed every few days. I'll have to think of some
temporary call names for them ..helps in ID'ing them in upcoming pictures....photo shoot soon with help.
Lost in space....
From Feb 6th and on....the new email address is caitland@telus.net ...remove the 'planet' from the old email addy....an error on Telus part when canceling the dial up subscription to wireless...the original email address was canceled and can no longer be retrieved...so try the above new one. If you've sent me an email and I havent responded ...it's lost in cyber space. What annoys me is I confirmed twice that it wouldnt happen when speaking to Telus and was told 'no problem' the addess stays the same....well now it's a major problem when a person is so embedded with a certain address, has advertised up coming clinics across Canada they are organising as well all upcoming ads / events etc....a mountain of backtracking with ongoing projects that are in various stages
Thursday, February 4, 2010
The biggest loser....
The Hospital I work at has set up 'The Biggest Loser' competition that is going to run over the next 16 wks. A great incentive for those of us that
would like to shed a few lbs and as the program comes to an end ....everyone will actually be stepping into spring already with (hopefully ) well ingrained 'good habits' in our lifestyles. .... 'sides there's abit of cash involved for the winner :)
So today kicks off my first official day of the competition with a few goals in mind. One is to surpass my weight goal for height and age that is recorded with the program and to get abit more conditioning on Derby for upcoming shows this year. As well keep at the stock training which certain should help keep my metabolism bumped up.
So with carhartt coat/vest /toque and winter boots (nothing too fancy about me :) I make the trek down the road with Derby on 6 ft leash...at a brisk walk. He's quite happy to trot out infront of me at a steady pace so first day is 3/4 mile down the road and back for 1.5 miles. The tree line at the end of the road is a mile...my goal over the next few days is there and back....makes for a 2 mile brisk walk.
Now to make myself drink several glasses of water in a day...which is likely my biggest challenge to do.
would like to shed a few lbs and as the program comes to an end ....everyone will actually be stepping into spring already with (hopefully ) well ingrained 'good habits' in our lifestyles. .... 'sides there's abit of cash involved for the winner :)
So today kicks off my first official day of the competition with a few goals in mind. One is to surpass my weight goal for height and age that is recorded with the program and to get abit more conditioning on Derby for upcoming shows this year. As well keep at the stock training which certain should help keep my metabolism bumped up.
So with carhartt coat/vest /toque and winter boots (nothing too fancy about me :) I make the trek down the road with Derby on 6 ft leash...at a brisk walk. He's quite happy to trot out infront of me at a steady pace so first day is 3/4 mile down the road and back for 1.5 miles. The tree line at the end of the road is a mile...my goal over the next few days is there and back....makes for a 2 mile brisk walk.
Now to make myself drink several glasses of water in a day...which is likely my biggest challenge to do.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Working Obstacles...
Worked 3 of the girls the other day.Took advantage of where the feeder and their shelter is parked and used them as obstacles. So the girls had to take their time to bring them through a 'rough' Y chute or fenceline 'panel' depending on which direction I brought them through...only hazard is the area is also their loafing area making for a number of frozen marbles to walk on....which can be alittle tricky to not wipe out.
Down to 4 cows to calve so they missed their first cycle last year.
Pups are growing by leaps and bounds.Found rear dewclaws on one of the Jinx pups when they were all lined up nursing...missed it when doing dewclaws.
They show up on a very rare occurance with the crew here..they are gone now as would be a nuisance to get caught on things since they are loosely attached. So far they've had their nails done a couple of times including the dremel to keep them short.
They show up on a very rare occurance with the crew here..they are gone now as would be a nuisance to get caught on things since they are loosely attached. So far they've had their nails done a couple of times including the dremel to keep them short.
Warmer weather and snowing today.
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