Public Service Announcement: Herding Clinic

Badger loves working the sheep! Won't you join him?

SEPTEMBER 11&12, 2010 


Two Shadows Farm
16 Skivira Lane
New Braintree, MA
Site of the 2011 BCCA National Specialty Herding Trials 

Do you have a Beardie and think you might be interested in herding? Join us at Two Shadows Farm in central Mass for two days of exposure to working sheep

Our instructor is Sandy Weiss of Sellersville, PA. Sandy has been training Beardies to herd successfully for many years. Her Winston was the first Beardie to earn an AKC Advanced title. Sandy’s Chip was the first Beardie to complete an AKC Herding Championship and the BCCA Masters In Versatility. Sandy has also completed an HC on Chip’s son, Bond, and recently earned an Advanced sheep title and a Started cattle title on her English import, Marty. 

Saturday you will be introduced to herding vocabulary, learn first hand what your Beardie faces working livestock through handler exercises, and see demonstrations by herding titled dogs. Sandy will help new handlers show their Beardies the ABCs of beginning herding. All dogs will be worked at least twice. Sandy will also help more experienced teams with problem areas. Sunday your Beardie will have a chance to earn an HIC in a BCCA (and possibly AKC) sanctioned instinct test.

The cost for a working slot on Saturday will be $110; auditors (no dog; but will be allowed to participate in handler exercises), $45. Continental breakfast and lunch are included in the fee. There will be an additional fee of $40.00 for the Sunday instinct test. There are a number of pet-friendly hotels in Sturbridge, MA for those wishing to stay overnight.

For further information, contact:Joanne Williamson
balgrae@ix.netcom.com
978-263-9485

Harmonious Dissonance, Time, and Other Concepts

Happy Fourth of July weekend, Happy Canada Day, and Happy everything else that has to do with sunshine, the beach, and grilling stuff. Charlie and Seamus are doing the Happy Dance...




We've had some reasons to celebrate lately. Greg's name is up in lights again, so to speak. Remember my post about "The Ugly Quintet"? Well, 5 Variations on Ongiara finally was released in two tracks on the recording "Harmonious Dissonance" on the Navona label. It's available on iTunes, Amazon, and Naxos Direct as a CD or as the individual MP3 tracks. The cover art is pretty nice, too:

Now we're just waiting for the Sax Quartets to be released, probably also on Navona.

As for me, I'm just so happy to have a week off (albeit unpaid) that I'd be cheerful even if the weather weren't gorgeous, and if I hadn't just celebrated the end of my 3 years on the Board of the national club. I did enjoy being Corresponding Secretary -- at least most of the time. I'm just happy to have shed one more volunteer job. I expect to be working half-time for a while at my next assignment, and if I need to find additional work to add to the household bottom line, I won't have space in the budget for more unpaid work. I'm also delighted beyond description to be shipping off piles of boxes containing club newsletters, rosters, brochures, forms, and so on -- and gaining back half the square footage of my office in the process.

Living with the Gang of Four has redefined luxury for me. Back in the days with a houseful of old dogs, I sometimes got to sleep in until nearly noon on weekends. Nowadays, with roosters for neighbors and the Chowhounds of the Baskervilles whining for breakfast by sunrise, it's a good day when I can sleep until 8:30. Today the height of decadence was achieved when I slept till (gasp!) 9 AM.

Sunday is the twins' birthday, which means that we run errands such as beer-buying tomorrow, and then the Long Friggin' Pilgrimage down and back on Sunday -- but I don't have to work on Monday or Tuesday. Every weekend -- long or short -- starts with the best of intentions and a to-do list long enough to reach halfway across the Atlantic. We'll see how many of those list items manage to get done -- but it's just plain nice to have time.

New Socks!

kureyon-socks, originally uploaded by my3seadogs.

These days, I knit socks in dribs and drabs -- a couple of rounds here, a few stitches there. This latest pair has taken me months to finish using this method, but they're just so pretty! The yarn is Noro Kureyon Sock, and the pattern is the old faithful Yankee Knitter "Classic Socks" pattern. It's way too warm to even try these suckers on, but I'm really looking forward to wearing them when things cool off.