Puppy Gandolf!

Oh My Goodness!  This seems so long ago but this guys personality hasn't changed a bit!  Who loves Gandolf?
http://youtu.be/dVdILjX2IWU

Tenative Great Pyrenees puppy Gandolf!

The Chimney Swifts always put on a good show!

Such fun to watch these birds!  Check out our video on youtube:  http://youtu.be/oup6lwyuDXk

Dog Mushing Trip in Alaska February 2014

It's been hot in Virginia which has left me dreaming of the trip we did in late February to Alaska.  We did a 6 day dog mushing trip from Fairbanks, AK to Manley Springs, AK and back.  What a great adventure!  Great people, dogs, food, scenery...

I finally took time to put together a photo book of our trip.  These always take me awhile - I had 300 original pictures- but I'm really pleased with the result.  Let me know if you have any questions!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=wKYs2LNq1ZtXZA

Piglets!

Congratulations Petunia!  Eight new piglets this morning!  She must be a tired lady!

A litter of fox kits under out deck

I was looking through photos this morning and came across this video I had forgotten.  Click the line to watch! 

We had a litter of six fox kits born and raised under our deck this spring.  It was so exciting to get a glimpse o these playful, cute little beings.  We discovered them late one night when our dog was going crazy in the house.  Turned out that two of them had fallen into our basement.  They were tiny little things like stuffed animals.  I put them outside near the entrance to the deck which was the only logical entrance point and they were reunited with their family.  (Never keep wildlife as pets no matter how cute!)  This little family has moved on but such fun while it lasted!
http://youtu.be/x31k0L-smuI

Overcoming Fear

I bought my horse Sassy back in March of 2013.  Once I had the horse I had dreamed about since I was a young girl (I even have an oil painting that my Dad gave to me at that time in my life of a horse who looks almost like Sassy) I realized I was really afraid of horses.  Give me a big dog and I'm the boss.  Give me a bossy, assertive, 1200 lb horse and I'm a big chicken.  Sassy got a year off.  Pathetic, I know.  I spent the year grooming her, walking her around the farm on a lead and allowing her to eat grass at certain points on our walk. 

This spring, I decided it was her moment.  My job gives me some slow periods of work and it was during a slow period I decided to give myself the gift of a 'horse camp'.  Who says you have to go away to go to camp or a retreat?  I shipped my horse over to the barn of a Western Riding Instructor and took lessons on her 5-6 times a week. 

Oh my goodness!  I could hardly get on her back without becoming all frigid...and a month later look at us!  I cried the first time I loped her.  Please don't judge.  This is an irrational fear for me- I don't get it...but we got past it! 

Love this girl!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtoxiR6_iuQ

You've gotta watch the video!  A year and a half of mental and physical effort went into this!