I'm settling into my post Finals days.....my muscle memory is not developed for the knowing of what the days after a big, year long event goal look like after the passing of that event. A part of me whispers "push on, trial hard, find points for Carbondale" and another part counters, in a little louder whisper, take time. I'm taking some time......
Yesterday I went to the memorial for a 22 year old young man. I can hardly type those words, feeling the absolute grief of a mom who knows in her marrow this was not the way it was "supposed" to happen. This young man grew up along side my boys: indoor park in the early single digit years of life that feel like the beginning of time and yet just yesterday. Endless days at the Hoop, the basketball court beckoning the boys, teaching them about the game on one level though really, deep down, unaware, showing them the meaning of life. Same song next verse on the football field, early double digit years, where this young man became the team manager. Some might think it a glorified name for "water boy" yet looking back he was the ultimate "manager". He, who taught these boys, those who grew up along side of him, so much about everything important. The sports bringing them together, the learning sneaking up and into the boys' hearts. This young man was special, as all of us moms know our boys are...but this one extra so. He's mom shares: "When he was very young, he was diagnosed with Dyspraxia, a movement and sensory integration disorder that made everything he tried to do more difficult and time consuming. From moving his eyes along a line of print, to holding a pencil to write, to forming clear speech, he had to work very, very hard - often to exhaustion" Maybe those boys on the football team never knew how hard this young man worked, yet they saw him: every day at practice, every game, every rally. He was different.....they all knew that for sure, but the boys sorted through the different exterior and found underneath a kid just like them. One with a wicked fun sense of humor, my youngest saying he was one of the funniest guys he ever knew. A boy passionate about living life to its fullest and finding fun in everything he did.
As I prepared to go to the memorial of this special young man, I thought of my words. What could I say to begin to share my gratitude to this boy for teaching mine about looking past the differences to see the real person? What a gift! What a gift that's been given to a group of boys at an early age. I see compassion and understanding in both of my boys and am really thankful to the manager who helped nurture these qualities in each of them. It's the fruit of a life well lived, the sharing of a gift of this magnitude. Fingerprints that last a lifetime in those lives the manager touched. As I looked at the group of men who formed the high school football team just a few years back, hugging the manager's mom and sharing in her deep grief, I was so proud of who the manager helped them become. I hugged his mom too....told her those words of deep thanks for the gift that was given through the living of her boy's life. He changed a group of boys and in so doing he changed the world! May that knowledge be balm to the loss and missing and the knowing that this is not supposed to be......I know we will all miss the manger.
As with the passing of each of my days, I dig a little deeper to make sure I....
SEIZE THE DAY!
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Whew!!!
I am trying to finally get my body back onto West Coast time. Maybe it is the age, maybe it is the let down of the event being finished but, I tell you what, I wake at 4 and fall asleep at 7! That said, I had the best of times at the 2013 Finals in Virginia.
It was my first time flying two dogs and I admit, I was a little nervous. So much out of my control....but the girls did just fine. I can't thank my friend Joe Haynes enough for picking me up at the airport and sharing a ride all week. He was a trouper stopping at old houses
and Civil War Cemeteries.
and driving through every single puddle I could find on the side of the road!
Belle Grove Plantation......
exceeded any expectation I had in my mind's eye.
As I walked the fields with my girls, stretching them out and letting them run, we walked among the fallen dust of the civil war. The Battle of Cedar Creek is memorialized in a field adjacent to the Plantation.
I ran a camera, filming runs for friends and my own personal homework. I love filming because it makes me watch meticulously while keeping me from getting distracted...well for the most part. I only have a few pictures of the trial...and none of me and my girls from the post. That makes me a little sad but then Joe & Bryan filmed my runs so I have video AND commentary!
And then the skies opened up and the rain came....rain much like the Pacific Northwest but the January variety.
It was my first time flying two dogs and I admit, I was a little nervous. So much out of my control....but the girls did just fine. I can't thank my friend Joe Haynes enough for picking me up at the airport and sharing a ride all week. He was a trouper stopping at old houses
and Civil War Cemeteries.
and driving through every single puddle I could find on the side of the road!
Belle Grove Plantation......
exceeded any expectation I had in my mind's eye.
As I walked the fields with my girls, stretching them out and letting them run, we walked among the fallen dust of the civil war. The Battle of Cedar Creek is memorialized in a field adjacent to the Plantation.
I ran a camera, filming runs for friends and my own personal homework. I love filming because it makes me watch meticulously while keeping me from getting distracted...well for the most part. I only have a few pictures of the trial...and none of me and my girls from the post. That makes me a little sad but then Joe & Bryan filmed my runs so I have video AND commentary!
There was a small stream bed that ran through the course, being dry the first few days, it would become an issue as the trial progressed. I walked the cross drive to see what the sheep would see and grabbed a shot of the post, pen and two tents for the handlers and expected crowd.
 |
| Dude at the post while I walked the cross drive |
The set out was done by horse back and what a job they had! These ewes were some of the wiliest sheep I have ever met!
And then the skies opened up and the rain came....rain much like the Pacific Northwest but the January variety.
Pictures just don't do it justice! The trial committee was just darn right fabulous...hauling loads of gravel and straw, building a bridge for the camping handlers to leave by, and hiring a tractor to haul out those stuck in the Virginia mud and needing tractor rides!
My only side-effect from the heavy rain was having to buy a new pair of jeans, a new rain jacket, a pair of boots (as I did not listen to my friend who told me to pack mine) and another suitcase to haul all my wet clothes home in.
My girls ran well...both getting scores. Nell handled the pressure of the ewes well without a grip; although I know she wanted to, she did not. Much progress has blossomed between the two of us on this journey. Bella drew a persnickety ewe and handled it so well! There were places on the course where, in days gone by, she might have taken a sheep out.....instead, she was cool as a cucumber! Me, well, I continue to have work to do. Hence why I taped so many runs! After watching the likes of Larry Burch and Alasdair MacRae handle the sister ewes to my Bella's run, I see ways I might have stepped up and helped my dog. Time and miles and miles and miles.
I loved the Virginia finals. So many fabulous dog and handler teams, all of which I got to sit at their feet and learn from by watching. I also had a lot of fun laughing and listening to the banter of those I call friends and mentors. Now it is good, no, GREAT to be home. Working dogs yesterday was better than the best chocolate and I know great chocolate!
Seize the Day!
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
Friends......
As I leave more years behind me, I've begun to really appreciate the value of a true and good friend. I'm not one to collect "friends" as if they were flower arrangements; the bigger the better in quantity. I've also come to embrace the fact that I am a pretty private person, my journey is one of becoming, and the word "friend" holds a special definition of quality, accountability, transparency, authenticity, loyalty, truth, with a smidge of unconditional love. I love that line in the song, "your best friend sticking up for you, even when they know your wrong."
As I prepare to head out to the Finals in Virginia....it was good to take time and work dogs with friends.
Shedding on lambs at my little slice of Heaven.....
Lengthening outruns....
Enjoying the beauty of the dogs, discussing the goods and needs works....
I love the opportunity to get out and work as many places as I can. It might sound crazy but it makes me happy to see the dogs sort out new sheep and different situations. Even when it does not go as planned, the ride home sorting and evaluating and digging deeper to find ways to help the dogs find the answers with me, is one of the great pleasures of my life.
I'm also finding some flexibility with age.....though that flexibility comes about much like birthing a 10 pound baby: lots of pain!!! My thoughts of driving to the finals changed with the reality of autumn weather; shorter days, unsure of route to get there and back, changes at home requiring attention, grass needing planting, lambs needing sold. Maybe all the above are just excuses for my butt not really wanting to sit in a truck seat for 3 days to Missouri then 2 more on to Virginia, but heck, I am now flying. To be honest, there were a few days I contemplated not going. Then I gave myself the pep talk about not letting fear dictate what I do and don't do with my life. I really could not have gotten to this decision if it were not for my friends. Nell, Bella and I are flying across America to experience the finals in Virginia. I'll try to blog my adventure......probably not much on Facebook because I am trying to take that is smaller doses these days.
Friends.......I'm so thankful for my good ones......
Seize the Day!!!!
As I prepare to head out to the Finals in Virginia....it was good to take time and work dogs with friends.
Shedding on lambs at my little slice of Heaven.....
Lengthening outruns....
Enjoying the beauty of the dogs, discussing the goods and needs works....
I love the opportunity to get out and work as many places as I can. It might sound crazy but it makes me happy to see the dogs sort out new sheep and different situations. Even when it does not go as planned, the ride home sorting and evaluating and digging deeper to find ways to help the dogs find the answers with me, is one of the great pleasures of my life.
 |
| Gyp is just sure Mary needs her help! |
Friends.......I'm so thankful for my good ones......
Seize the Day!!!!
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sometimes.....
Once again, sheepdogs imitate life and I learn the lesson that, sometimes, life doesn't manifest exactly as the dream....but it's still great.
I got a call from the sheep boss last week asking for some help with a flock of sheep over on the coast. See, the shepherd had a baby and that baby has him wrapped around her little finger leaving the sheep boss desperate for company....well, okay, truth be told desperate for some dog work. When he called to ask about the gather....I envisioned a slope of green grass allowing for a big huge outrun from my Gypster. Or maybe a flat big field, sheep scattered, grazing pastorally as if just waiting for their cab ride home; either scenario giving Gyp some much needed work and experience. "Sure, how about Sunday!"
We got to the field after winding our way across the coastal mountain range that protects our valley from winter storms, the fall rain I have been praying for starting the day off cool. The sheep boss informed me the sheep were right over that hill there, and my job was to gather while he and his sidekick started making the catch pen. "How far back does the field go?", I naively inquired. "Oh about a half mile or so, you'll see 'em"....could I hear a smirk in his voice? So Gyp and I broke up over the hill...meeting a small flock of ewes on the road Just as the thought tickled my brain that it was my lucky day.....the wise and crafty ewes high tailed it, as far as a docked tail can be high, running in the other direction; me, hoping they were headed back to the mother flock. The field lay before me, a tributary off the ocean to my left and marsh grass taller than my waist covering it entirely, broken up only by blackberry bush hills and sheep paths. Not a ewe in sight but heck, it was raining and cool...a good day to get my 10,00 steps in. Gyp and I picked a sheep trail that would lead us up and around.....and as we tromped I felt like I was hunting with my Gramps as a young girl....spooking out that which we hunted....although this day it was sheep and I took the leadership Gramps role while Gyp was my wing girl.
I died to a lot of thoughts that day....honest nests, ground yellow jackets, bears, as we settled upon a newly laid pile of berry scat by the body of a dead ewe. Bears must be opportunistic as well as hunters.....me, hoping the bear was full because Gyp and I were not interested in being an appetizer and meal on this fine, cool Sunday gather. And so it was that we walked the entire meadow and drove the flock of ewes and the seven new born lambs that were on the ground that day to the catch pen.
On the way home, Gyp and I stopped for a well deserved skinny caramel latte, I knew we had done well. It might not have been what I dreamed of, but it was a job that needed done and so we did it. As I scruffed her ear, I was thankful for this little dog that was not running open just yet. She can work without me worried about any trial in our near future.
And so indeed, sheepdogging imitates life......days where it is not the dreamed of living turn into something special; memories created from the magic of getting it done.
Seize the Day!
I got a call from the sheep boss last week asking for some help with a flock of sheep over on the coast. See, the shepherd had a baby and that baby has him wrapped around her little finger leaving the sheep boss desperate for company....well, okay, truth be told desperate for some dog work. When he called to ask about the gather....I envisioned a slope of green grass allowing for a big huge outrun from my Gypster. Or maybe a flat big field, sheep scattered, grazing pastorally as if just waiting for their cab ride home; either scenario giving Gyp some much needed work and experience. "Sure, how about Sunday!"
We got to the field after winding our way across the coastal mountain range that protects our valley from winter storms, the fall rain I have been praying for starting the day off cool. The sheep boss informed me the sheep were right over that hill there, and my job was to gather while he and his sidekick started making the catch pen. "How far back does the field go?", I naively inquired. "Oh about a half mile or so, you'll see 'em"....could I hear a smirk in his voice? So Gyp and I broke up over the hill...meeting a small flock of ewes on the road Just as the thought tickled my brain that it was my lucky day.....the wise and crafty ewes high tailed it, as far as a docked tail can be high, running in the other direction; me, hoping they were headed back to the mother flock. The field lay before me, a tributary off the ocean to my left and marsh grass taller than my waist covering it entirely, broken up only by blackberry bush hills and sheep paths. Not a ewe in sight but heck, it was raining and cool...a good day to get my 10,00 steps in. Gyp and I picked a sheep trail that would lead us up and around.....and as we tromped I felt like I was hunting with my Gramps as a young girl....spooking out that which we hunted....although this day it was sheep and I took the leadership Gramps role while Gyp was my wing girl.
I died to a lot of thoughts that day....honest nests, ground yellow jackets, bears, as we settled upon a newly laid pile of berry scat by the body of a dead ewe. Bears must be opportunistic as well as hunters.....me, hoping the bear was full because Gyp and I were not interested in being an appetizer and meal on this fine, cool Sunday gather. And so it was that we walked the entire meadow and drove the flock of ewes and the seven new born lambs that were on the ground that day to the catch pen.
On the way home, Gyp and I stopped for a well deserved skinny caramel latte, I knew we had done well. It might not have been what I dreamed of, but it was a job that needed done and so we did it. As I scruffed her ear, I was thankful for this little dog that was not running open just yet. She can work without me worried about any trial in our near future.
And so indeed, sheepdogging imitates life......days where it is not the dreamed of living turn into something special; memories created from the magic of getting it done.
Seize the Day!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Living Plans
Four weeks.....28 days.....672 hours......40,320 minutes......then I hit the road. No more making plans, it is time to start living them!
Bella's physical therapy appointments have the Ortho vet telling me to "start working her". For the past week I've been jogging her with the four wheeler and taking long walks with her. Afterwards, I stretch her out and give her a massage and let her ride up front as "truck dog" and I wonder if she will ever really be 100% because she likes the special treatment so much. Back on sheep, Bella is full over herself with push, tight and stop-less intensity; so we shed. Shedding seems to bring sense to all the clean up for Bella and it works me out too. It's good to have her back! I'm looking forward to my next appointment with the Ortho vet to see how my week of work have played out on Bella's body.
Nell is really fun right now. We are working on her listening and me being accurate; no guessing for either of us! We are shedding too but I'm doing bigger, longer work as well.
Then there is me; right about now the dogs ask for the key board as they have some things they would like to share. I tell them to start their own darn blog but I listen. Nell would say, "keep to the whistle program. They are getting better but loose clarity with fatigue" So I work on my whistles, work on my physical stamina and health, work on my head and mental toughness. Then I break out MapQuest and start planning my journey to and from The Finals. Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia there.......home might include a quick stop in Indiana and then I fantasize about making a southern tour. There are friends in Georgia, Texas, and Nevada I'd like to spend time with. All the while, I visualize Bella coming into heat and sorting through my list of potential husbands, some of which could be visited on the way home, which expands the list!
All the while, life goes on. My ranchette and livestock need attention, the barn needs cleaned, more hay to haul, and dogs to train. I'm thankful for the rhythm of my ranch; consistent mixed with a tang of unpredictable....such a metaphor to life.
Time to live my plan....there are sheep to be shed....and whistles to be practiced......
Seize the Day!
Bella's physical therapy appointments have the Ortho vet telling me to "start working her". For the past week I've been jogging her with the four wheeler and taking long walks with her. Afterwards, I stretch her out and give her a massage and let her ride up front as "truck dog" and I wonder if she will ever really be 100% because she likes the special treatment so much. Back on sheep, Bella is full over herself with push, tight and stop-less intensity; so we shed. Shedding seems to bring sense to all the clean up for Bella and it works me out too. It's good to have her back! I'm looking forward to my next appointment with the Ortho vet to see how my week of work have played out on Bella's body.
Nell is really fun right now. We are working on her listening and me being accurate; no guessing for either of us! We are shedding too but I'm doing bigger, longer work as well.
Then there is me; right about now the dogs ask for the key board as they have some things they would like to share. I tell them to start their own darn blog but I listen. Nell would say, "keep to the whistle program. They are getting better but loose clarity with fatigue" So I work on my whistles, work on my physical stamina and health, work on my head and mental toughness. Then I break out MapQuest and start planning my journey to and from The Finals. Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Missouri, Kentucky, Virginia there.......home might include a quick stop in Indiana and then I fantasize about making a southern tour. There are friends in Georgia, Texas, and Nevada I'd like to spend time with. All the while, I visualize Bella coming into heat and sorting through my list of potential husbands, some of which could be visited on the way home, which expands the list!
All the while, life goes on. My ranchette and livestock need attention, the barn needs cleaned, more hay to haul, and dogs to train. I'm thankful for the rhythm of my ranch; consistent mixed with a tang of unpredictable....such a metaphor to life.
Time to live my plan....there are sheep to be shed....and whistles to be practiced......
Seize the Day!
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Monday, September 2, 2013
Cinderella Story.....
Once upon a time, there was a PAC 12 college football team by the name of Oregon State University that was scheduled to play an FCS division football team by the name of Eastern Washington. Though OSU tried to get out of the contract, EWU held them to the commitment and Vegas predicted a three touchdown gap in score at the end of the game with OSU stomping EWU.
Oh wait....this ain't no fairy tale....this really happened! And so I take a break from all things sheepdog and mental management and take this blog into my life of the mom of a college playing football son.
Year after year, we've been OSU fans, going to many football games and wearing Orange and Black. Living in the Willamette Valley, our friends are either OSU fans or they are U of O fans and that rivalry is enough to keep life fun filled with lighthearted bantering all year long. This year, as we attended the game at Reeser Stadium, home to the OSU Beavers, we were clad in Black and Red with Eastern Washington Eagles wear....our friend still invited us to tailgate and all were wishing Jake well....but you could tell they were sort of feeling part sorry and part proud to kick our butts around the field.
The game began, we were seated at the far end of the end zone in the visitor's seats; not our usual seats by any means. It was a hot day and we could hardly see the other end of the field....but we were Eagles and that meant something! Every time we scored, I took a picture......I took lots of pictures!!
That was the final score......OSU 46 Eastern Washington 49. I could hardly breath for the last 18 seconds of the game as OSU pressed down the field into what they hoped was field goal range. It was so close to going into over time. What a great day......I was so proud of the Eastern boys, each of them giving all to make their team strong.
This is one of the reasons I love sports. I love that fact that anything can happen. Each team was well prepared, both went out and played well, neither gave up or quit. On this day, the underdog (take that Vegas) won. Somehow living a story like this gives me great hope. Train with focus, do the work, put in the time with passion, compete and never give up........
Seize the Day!!!
Oh wait....this ain't no fairy tale....this really happened! And so I take a break from all things sheepdog and mental management and take this blog into my life of the mom of a college playing football son.
Year after year, we've been OSU fans, going to many football games and wearing Orange and Black. Living in the Willamette Valley, our friends are either OSU fans or they are U of O fans and that rivalry is enough to keep life fun filled with lighthearted bantering all year long. This year, as we attended the game at Reeser Stadium, home to the OSU Beavers, we were clad in Black and Red with Eastern Washington Eagles wear....our friend still invited us to tailgate and all were wishing Jake well....but you could tell they were sort of feeling part sorry and part proud to kick our butts around the field.
I love getting to the game early and watching my boy warm up. I had one of those "mom moments"....watching my son realize a dream. All those football games and dreaming of playing on the field at Reeser Stadium, and here he is, #82
The game began, we were seated at the far end of the end zone in the visitor's seats; not our usual seats by any means. It was a hot day and we could hardly see the other end of the field....but we were Eagles and that meant something! Every time we scored, I took a picture......I took lots of pictures!!
That was the final score......OSU 46 Eastern Washington 49. I could hardly breath for the last 18 seconds of the game as OSU pressed down the field into what they hoped was field goal range. It was so close to going into over time. What a great day......I was so proud of the Eastern boys, each of them giving all to make their team strong.
This is one of the reasons I love sports. I love that fact that anything can happen. Each team was well prepared, both went out and played well, neither gave up or quit. On this day, the underdog (take that Vegas) won. Somehow living a story like this gives me great hope. Train with focus, do the work, put in the time with passion, compete and never give up........
Seize the Day!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)