Still Cold

Well, the cold weather has returned and we collies and dad are tired of it.  So, we play hard in the cold to keep warm!  Dad put our pools out so that we have water again, but it gets hard on top so dad has to break the ice so we can get to the water…. Hoping it warms up this next week. 🙂

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Waiting

The weather is still cold, but it is getting warmer and soon I’ll have Lil Hallie out with me walking… 🙂  She keeps waiting and I say walk and she knows… looks to be nice on my day off and we will get back into it that day….. We can’t wait….

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Happines, Sadness and a Memory

Yesterday was Mick and Hallie’s birthday.. YAY!! 6 years old!  The day before was the 6th year since their grandmother Hallie died… 😦

 

Well, on the full moon I decided since it was in the 40’s and the wind still we would go for a walk across the fields in the full moon.  So, I put the collars and leashes on Trevor and lil Hallie and grabbed a flashlight, a phone and protection.  Now, I take a phone just in case someone gets hurt, protection to protect us from either a pack of coyotes, rabid animals or what have you out there.  The Flashlight so we can see, can check out movement in the fields and for our first round of protection. You see, if you shine it in the eyes of animals and make loud noises and they can’t see nothing but blinding light they will usually go the other way.

So, we step out into the night and head into the fields.  We could smell the dampness in the air and smell the earth of the field as we walked across it. The rising full moon illuminated the field slightly and as we walked it became brighter and brighter until we could see almost across the field.

As we walked along in the cool night air Trevor began to make his twinkle toes  power walk and we walked for a brisk pace for a few minutes as lil Hallie strutted haughtily across the field.  We found the trail and began to go up it making wide passes around the mud holes and enjoyed the silence of the night and the silvery moonlight as we walked.

Suddenly I saw movement and pulled out my flashlight and turned it on and it hit flashing eyes as I saw several deer looking at us. I quickly shut off the light and stood still as the deer slowly turned and meandered further off across the field obviously not too concerned about us but making sure we were kept off at a safe distance.

We took off and wandered along the field enjoying the beautiful night and a few minutes later I saw something moving nearby.  We stopped and it stopped obviously facing towards us but it was in the shadows so I turned on the flashlight and it stood up and I saw it was a raccoon.  He sniffed and looked at us and went down on all fours and wandered off in his search for food.

As we walked along we could hear the neighborhood dogs talking.  One dog would bark to the left and three would respond on the right and then several from behind us and then some in front of us and it quickly became obvious they were communicating and there was a method to their rotation of directions in responding.  Lil Hallie was listening and went to join in and I softly told her no and she went back to concentrating on her walk.

As we walked I looked up at the twinkling stars, listened to the roaring silence that was broken by the dogs barking off in the distance, by occasional cars driving by way down on the road and by the occasional rustling along the field by  animals moving about.

The soft glow of the moon increased and I noticed the white collars and leggings and paw on Trevor and Hallie glowing brightly in the moonlight.  I could see the corn stubble and see the outline of the trees along the field.

We circled the field and headed home hearing an occasional animal running off in the darkness and as Trevor and Hallie walked along I smiled as they strutted along happily.

We finally made our way back home and as I looked back I saw the moonlit field glimmering and shimmering in the silvery light of the moon.  What a beautiful night. What a beautiful walk!

 

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Lil Hallie Figures It Out

Warmer weather is coming?  WALKS!! When can we go dad? Now? Now? Now?

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In Her Own Way

We picked her up at the age of 6, her show days over and in need of a good home.  Sadie was stubbborn, food was her life, she had attitude yet she was funny and despite her toughness she had a soft side that surprised us all.  Sadie was funny and would pull Ginger like antics and follow it up with attitude.  She made her own decisions in her life and it was she that retired herself from walking by running to the bedroom and taking a nap when asked if she wanted to go for a walk.

She loved food…. any food… even stuff that wasnt food! LOL….  Her favorite trick was if the kids were on the couch eating a sandwich she would rub down the couch and as she passed by she would, without turning her head or without blinking or without stopping rubbing she would walk past and snatch the sandwich and keep going like nothing happened! LOL….  She once came up by the table as I made a ham sandwich, she pushed the top piece of bread up with her nose and with her tongue snatched the piece of ham out and walked away eating it as she looked for more food.

When we brought Teddy home as a puppy she adopted him and raised him as her own puppy. She would play with him roaring like a dinosaur and when she had enough she would head butt him and he would slide ten feet across the floor as she strutted off for a nap.  She loved naps…. she loved food, she loved sassing, she loved being alone at times.  Every night she would snore and I would tell her good night Sadie,,,, she would snarl and growl and I would call her our tater pup and she would snarl more with her teeth showing… We laughed for she wouldnt bite anyone but she hated her sleep being interrupted and she had attitude.

Sadie had expressions of disgust, anger, snarling that would make your blood curdle, unless you knew her and then you would laugh.  She loved to bark when outside… bark at the clouds, the birds, a dirt devil swirling by, ants, butterflies, the wind.. you name it and she barked at it.

She hate being brushed, she hated having her toenails trimmed, but would tolerate it as long as she got a steady stream of treats.  Rowdy, loud and naughty Sadie was funny and fun to be around for her antics always made us laugh.   When called to come in, Sadie would think about it… then slowly walk the other way and go around the yard slowly till she got to the door going as slowly as she could.  LOL…..

One of our favorite memories is of her when she was older and her eyes were not very good…. she walked up to where the fence was… well used to be for we were putting up a new fence so there was no fence at all there.  She stopped where the fence had been… looked for about 5 minutes across the field and barked sassily and walked back to the door…..  she never realized the fence was gone… 🙂

We all loved Sadie, but she never had a human she adopted…. she loved food more… LOL…  She was a delight to be with for she could have fun…. but only as long as she wanted to have fun…. then it was bedtime and God help you if you tried to stop her…

Sadie lived to be 16 years old….. dieing of old age surrounded by those who loved her.  We will always remember you Sadie, daughter of the great Champion The Meadows Notorious, a cousin of our Niamh and we will always love you and miss you for you were one of the more interesting and lovable collies we ever loved!

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Sadie is on the far right…
Niamh is in the center and Niamh’s Father was also a Champion, Champion ROM Twin Acres Concert Master, Teddy is on the left… bloodlines past parents unknown…. 🙂

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Sadie giving Laddie the stink eye… LOL

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Happy Sadie….

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Sadie with Teddy….

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Sadie with Niamh and Teddy…

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Tater pup was only two points away from becoming a Champion in her own right.  Born in 1994 Sadie had puppies and was to enter her last contest for her championship when it was discovered she was a carrier of the Collie eyes diseases… and her puppies had them…..  So, Sadie was never made into the Champion for part of the reward for Championships are selling Championship puppies…. instead she was given a great life for a couple of years and then they searched hard to find her a good adoptive home and that was us. She lived a wonderful life here and enjoyed every minute of it in her own way…. One of our more interesting characters …. We miss you and love you Sadie….till we meet again old tater pup…… til we meet again…

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Out of the Past

In the past I have related things I liked and enjoyed in my life, besides collies who will like always have their say here.  As those who know me or have read my blog know I love history.  Recently, with my new job supplying me with free cable TV I got to see a TV show I haven’t seen in over 40 years.  Daniel Boone… while other kids may have been Crockett fans, not me I liked Boone.  Not dissing Davy, just Boone was more to my liking, more of the strong, rugged individualist that was strongly family oriented and silent and humble.

 

As I watched the show I found I still loved it, but for many other reasons than when I was a kid.  While of course it was hollywoodized a bit, Fess Parker did a good job at portraying Boone for he was a fighting man who really tried to make peace, would rather not kill (he claimed to only have killed 3 times in his life and when you consider what he went through, that is rather amazing) and he loved the Native Americans and their ways.  He actually got into trouble with many settlers for they claimed he was an “Indian Lover.”  He was in a way, for while he did fight with certain tribes and lost many a family member in these wars, he befriended many more and actually thought they were getting a raw deal.  He was known for his love of justice and was many times referred too on the frontier for solutions to problems in the area of justice.  This is well portrayed in the show.

Later of course I also became a Buffalo Bill fan… but Boone … well 20 years ago I made a pilgrimage to his recreated Boonesborough in Kentucky and visited his grave (he has two you know… LOL….some of his remains are in Missouri and others were moved back to Kentucky in the 1840’s.) and visited his and Rebecca’s kin fort site called Bryan’s Station.  The Bryans and Boone’s friendship and kinship actually started before Daniel and Rebecca married and it lasted for generations past them as the two families intermarried for a long time.  They lived together through the Carolinas, in Kentucky and into Missouri.  Bryan daughters married Boone sons and Boone daughters married Bryan sons just not in Daniel’s line but his other sibling lines.

Those familiar with the TV show remember that Rebecca Boone was played by Patricia Blair who looked like what one would imagine a Irish descended Lass would look like.  Well, while Fess Parker did look something like Daniel, Patricia was not what Becky Boone looked like,.  Descriptions of her were that she was almost as tall as Boone, who was around 5 foot 8 inches tall which was tall in those days and since she was around 5 feet 7 she was a tall woman for her time!  She also had dark hair and was very beautiful by all accounts.  Just a side note, it is known that was also a fine shot and when Daniel was away would shoot her own game …..

But, I digress.   Seeing the show brought back a lot of memories.  It also made me rekindle my interest enough to do some more reading on a childhood hero of mine.  Interesting he was 50 when he founded Boonesborough and if you want to read a story that hollywood wouldn’t even dream to pass off as real, read about the siege of the Fort.  How 30 some men held off almost 500 Native Americans is not only astounding but it will make your hair stand up on end.  One of the settlers ran for help on the night of the biggest attack and he lloked back from a hilltop and said the flames, the firing guns and the smoke lit up the Fort like daylight and he figured it was all over and the smoke gave it a eerie look of death….  but hang on they did!  While it was brutal and hard fought the siege had its moments of humor.  The Indian who bared his bottom at the Fort insulting them to only be shot in the behind by a marksman who was sick of the insult and laughter brought up big cheers from the Fort. A war of words commenced and insult flew….. some of nasty but lots of it in a good natured teasing manner which makes one wonder at it all.  Of course the Indians did get a payback when they wounded Boone’s daughter in the backside.. Jemima never lived that one down…..

While Boone was a boyhood hero of mine, he is now someone I respect for he was a common person.  He fit in with the normal everyday ppl and he didn’t flaunt who he was.  His wife and he were regular everyday ppl who were part of the society around them, not some wealthy family who led by reason of wealth or power.  A interesting man to be sure.  I can highly recommend that if you ever go to Kentucky visit his Fort, his grave and the whole cemetary at Frankfort for it is fascinating, the capitol building in Frankfort and Fort Harrod and the lonely, but beautiful site of Bryan’s Station.  What a brave group of people who took on the elements, hostile tribes, the British, wild wolves and more…..yet not only survived but overcame it all.  There is something to be learned from it all…….  In today’s world they like to condemn ppl such as this, but hose who read Boone’s history realize he was fair and equal in his dealings with all ppl….  especially the Native Americans, for he right along with the Natives was robbed of all of his land many times…. that is why he left Kentucky……  But, he was also a forgiving man….. I think he would sort of be humbled and sort of stunned at how he is considered a hero by many ppl today….

 

A quick tour of the Fort and then that corny famous song….  🙂

 

 

 

-Everybody knows it was his collie that actually took on the Natives and got all the game!!! Tell the truth old Booney was a great collie…. what?  Dad, that is my story and I am sticking to it… well, he was part scottish…. Dad… stop ruining my story!

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Merry Christmas From Each of US

Today the Collies decided they wanted a picture of each of them wishing you a Merry Christmas posted.. so here goes….

 

WE  wish you all a Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Trevor forever

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lil Hallie

 

 

 

 

 

Skylight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branwen

 

 

 

 

 

Lad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ellie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ginger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rutherford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mick

 

 

 

and Teddy on the far left with the girls he loved, Niamh center and Sadie!

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

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Ginger’s Theory

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Wow!  18 degrees here yesterday!!!   What is this the North Pole?

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North Pole? Isn’t that where Santa Claus lives?

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Wait, if there is Santa Claus…. that means its Christmas and that means….

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Collie Indoor Plumbings so we don’t have to go out in 18!!!!

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We WANT!! WE WANT!! WE WANT!! WE WANT!!!! We demand Collie Indoor Plumbing!!  18 is too cold to have to go outside!  We want collie indoor plumbing…. What? No!!!  We will  organize and strike… this is it WE WANT COLLIE INDOOR PLUMBING!!! NOW!!

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Wow! A Spontaneous Revolution!!!  Now to harness it and ride to to my world domination!!!!  Let me see…. all that reading has to help me with this….Beer Hall Putsh… nope, that was a failure plus I dont want to wear some funny little moustache… hmmm….. could try the sit-down strikes like in France… wait that was a failure.. let me see… all that reading…. ah.. yes… Lenin with Peace, Land and Bread… wait.. collies dont like bread and who wants peace?  Hmmm… oh.. Trotsky and the theory of Permanent Revolution with all power to the soviets… but lets make that .. “All Power to the Collie Councils” which of course will be run by me.. muwahahahahah!!!      Look Out Old Guy, first indoor collie plumbing then the world!!!   “ALL POWER TO THE COLLIE COUNCILS!!!!  COLLIES OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!”

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We Saw Turkeys

Those who have been reading for years know who Hallie was and Trevor Forevr….Hallie and Trevor were sister and brother and we had tons of adventures.  This is one that made me laugh…. I miss them both so much and those who have been here for years and shared the joys and tears of their lives and deaths will know that at one time these two were the stars of this blog…. its hard to believe Trevor is heading towards being gone for three years and how each day so many of you would come to find out how he was doing as he slowly slid to his end here on earth.  The kindness from those who were here when Hallie dies so tragically was amazing….  so, since it is Thanksgiving lets bring them back for an encore….

 

years ago when I was walking Trevor and big Hallie we were going along a trail enjoying the quiet and the beauty of the forest.  Suddenly, there was a bunch of noise and several feet in front of us a Turkey took off in flight and flew a hundred feet or so and landed in the woods behind some brush.  We froze and Trevor and Hallie watched the Turkey fly with interest.

Then, on the floor of the woods more noise and off ran a turkey across the leaves and ground.  Now as you know Turkeys are some of the ugliest birds one can see and this big bird was no exception.  As it ran it swayed side to side and its eyes were huge, its red and blue bald head sticking out like a sore thumb and the gizzard and its wattle and snood flopping from side to side as its stride made it look like a clown on stilts trying to run.

Now, it was absolutely one of the most ridiculous things I had ever seen.  I had to laugh….. and then I looked down at Trevor and he was looking on with his mouth dropped open and his eyes then turned to me and he looked like he was laughing.  Hallie, however, was miss expression. She looked at that Turkey running and then looked up at me with her eyes wide and she rolled them and then gave me a look of “now that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen!”  I laughed so hard at her expression that I had to sit down on a nearby stump.  She was right…. it was rather dumb looking…..

Hallie; Did you see that?  It is the most ridiculous thing I ever saw!

 

 

 

 

 

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We see a lot of Turkeys  on our walks.  Another memory of Trevor and Hallie and seeing Turkeys came along another trail.  We came up on a big group of Turkeys crossing the trail going into to a low wallow on the other side that was full of short ferns.  As they crossed we kept walking and the collies watched them as we came closer and closer as they crossed.  It was a large group and they finally all made it into the wallow as we came within ten feet.  Then… up popped another turkey and and was on the left side of us moving up the trail so it could cross further away from us.  However, it looked strange…. it was hopping and then it came up on the trail and I saw it had only one leg… and was hopping trying to catch up with the other turkeys. So, we stopped and let it cross and it hopped down into the wallow and disappeared with its friends.

We took off again and Trevor sort of watched with interest but Hallie, like normal was intrigued.  So, when we came up whee they had crossed she stopped and looked into the wallow and I could see her moving her head looking.  So, I looked and as I watched I could see the Turkeys hunkered under the ferns I could see their heads moving as they all hunkered down and were looking between the leaves up at us to make sure we werent coming it after them…

I clicked and said ‘Hup” which is the word we use to let the collies know they need to move and off we went.  However, Hallie kept looking back to see them and was all eyes after that looking for more and for her favorite thing to see.. squirrels! 🙂  So, those are a couple of great memories of the wild turkeys we saw on the trail.

 

Hallie:  Eee gads.. turkeys are sure ugly!

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Trevor- wow!  I never saw anything so funny…. hey turkey you need to grow some feathers to cover up that face…. eeeeewwww!

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Woot! Woot!

Several things to cover today….. first the Liverpool Reds.  They kicked the snot out of Tottenham and finally looked like the team they were last year. Could it be they have finally come together?  Next week is Aston Villa and with the Reds only three points out of first the fever is catching!  With Gerrard punching one in today the collies and I were cheering and dancing for the first time this year.  If they knock out Aston Villa they could be on their way for the hunt.  We shall see…. but they have to beat such teams as Manchester City which last week they failed at.  But, it is early and a lot of changes have been made.   So, time to celebrate!!!

 

 

Onto tractor news.  Finally got old Molly, the 1941 Allis Chalmers WC paint repaired and she looks great!     Old Molly is my most stubborn tractor…. now you are asking how can a tractor be stubborn?  Well, old tractors are like old cars. They have personalities, quirks and seem human much of the time.  Molly is stubborn.  She fights me on everything I do…. but, she grudgingly gives and then when repaired sits there looking like “what’s next human?  Bring it on?”  I’ve threatened to sell her many a time, but she knows better.  If I needed a tractor in an emergency she would be my choice for whatever I needed to move she would do it…. just to prove she could.   Old Allis would faithfully do it, and Annie the Case SC would be all too willing and would get the job done. But, Molly would knock down the walls to do it for she thrives on hard work… the harder the better.

– Old Molly in the winter… it’s only -15 out here.. no big deal….

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-Today I changed the transmission fluid and filter in my HHR.  What is the big deal you say?  Well, for those who don;t know it has no dipstick to check the fluid and when you fill it up you have to run it through the gears and leave it running while you remove the overflow drain plug and fill it until it comes out the overflow.  Well, ya know what Chevrolet?  I have a 1949 Case SC that you do the same thing too… and it also has a canister oil filter instead of a spin on just like you!  70 years later  car companies have went back to what tractors were doing 70 years ago… the more things change the more they stay the same….. I also fixed the dash board light by replacing something Ginger called a “cellynoid for the charcoal canister.”  It worked…. so I felt good about that today too.  I also hung up a new light in my garage and can actually see on all sides now in the dark! YAY!!!

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-Collies Transport Unit #1 is ready to go and the collies are cheering! Since I fixed the garage door also, now it can get in and out too!

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-So, it has been a productive weekend!  Tomorrow it is all collie day all day except for a hour with the tractors!    The collies want to share something with you that I shared with them…….

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– Dad told us this and we agree…  “We love old tractors for old tractors have souls.” – Roger Welsch   That they do and we collies were flattered when dad added… “”And so do collies and that is why we love them too.”

 

 

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