Perfect.......Whistles!

Indeed, I attended a four day handling clinic with Scott Glen.  A friend was teasing me (so that was my interpretation) that I was either in desperate need...that I required four days to learn what others might in two days.....or he had better watch his hinny from all that I learned in four days from a Jedi Master.  I think I am somewhere in the middle....but no need to watch anybody's hinny.  As one can imagine, four days of a clinic makes for fabulous blog fodder...broken down into clumps of how I remembered it....here is chapter one.

Today I'll bear my soul about whistles!  I have been working at finger whistling for two years, as a friend pointed out.  It has been just this past spring/summer that I had the courage and consistency to attempt to run my dogs on them.  In an effort to die to perfectionism...and an "all or nothing" personality disorder.... when I run my dogs now, in addition to taking my two pinkie fingers to the post,  I wear a my mechanical whistle...using it when I need to. For the clinic....I jumped off the cliff of safety and committed to leaving my brass whistle hanging from that beautiful lanyard off the rear view mirror of my truck. 

The first day, I did not think it went too bad...my finger whistling, that is.  I used Bella as "the dog of the day" and the focus was outwork....not so many whistles needed with that dog or portion of the trial field.  It is really "cool", "neat", "fantastic" and well just darn right "fabulous" to see so many friends picking up finger whistles.  There was one gal at the clinic that I have always admired how quiet her whistles are...always!  She might blow a hard one every now and then but mainly her mechanical whistles are sweet, melodic and a real joy to listen to.  Drawing a card from the deck of excuses, I was sure her whistles were like a symphony because she has been doing this a while, mechanically.  As she walked out for her first session, she confessed she is motivated to move to finger whistles and then, she pulled her fingers out of her pockets....slipped two into her mouth...and low and behold...they were quiet, indeed quiet as a choir of church mice!!!! 

 

The next day, Nell became the focus of my attention...running last in the pouring rain.  With Nell, :) I whistle more...which could be another chapter so I will leave it at that.  Anyway, back to the rain and finger whistling: my hands got really wet, my fingers bright red prunes with less feeling than on a nice warm dry day...and my whistles....well my whistles were VERY loud.  When asked to soften them, they got louder!  Who knew?  Who knew that on rainy days, a finger whistler must guard against wet, prune fingers much like a quarterback keeps their hands dry for quick, accurate passes and hand-offs.  I've always wondered about those handy towels hanging down the front of a QB's uniform. A quick google search shows those as a "sports towel" or a "football towel".  Put one of those on my Christmas list...the bad list, not good. So, I got my second whistle installment form this clinician...probably my fifth all around because I have heard it before with my aluminum whistle AND my brass whistle......whistles are about nuance: a subtle distinction in expression.  Giving up came to mind......

 

  

Here is what I am thinking/learning....I have always had a tendency to blow my whistles loud; hence the five installments of shades of whistling.  I have to work at being quiet...in so many ways.  I will master my quiet/loud/nuance filled finger whistles or die trying. It is good to have supportive people to challenge me to raise the bar......friends and mentors speaking truth......today I am thankful that it was not sugar coated! Quit, Give Up, those are not words I have ever lived by.....time to pony up, work a little harder...and get a "sports towel".

 

Seize the Day!