"Quote Unquote"

“Think outside the box, collapse the box, and take a fucking sharp knife to it.”


— Banksy

Dog Sledding Anyone?????

Saturday was cool and perfect.
However  as our winter weather seems to have deserted us we have been very un-prepared to head out with the dogs.

So we spent the day organizing.

First the hubby and I head to the school grounds and trekked out a trail with our skis, it's not perfect but a hell of a lot better than what we have been using lately.... which has been nothing!
Our little circuit runs about a mile or so and loops around the ball diamonds and through a mini nature trail, lots of Haws and a few Gees. 
Most of the trail has some form of snow covering, not enough that I would skijour the route, but a perfect mini trail for training our puppies on.

I will admit that putting on skis and heading out without a dog(s) attached to the waist was a very foreign feeling and it took me a minute or two to figure out why I was not moving once the skis were attached to my feet... "oh right, I suppose I have to do all the work today"

Back at home.
Many chores await us.  From adding a section to our line for the extra dogs, to sorting our travel box, getting dog boxes on the truck and organizing the toboggan sled that we have not used even once this year (having borrowed our friends so far)

The puppies insisted on helping out with the sled.

"We're a big help, right mom?  See I'll make sure all the toys are out"

No Elly... you are suppose to be in FRONT of the sled, not on it.

"um, nope the view looks way better from here"

We ready everything and all of us, furry and not so furry creatures are very excited about our upcoming run.  However Saturday includes other normal household chores that needed to be carried out, so unfortunately the rest of the day was a complete right off when it came to dog sledding.

The plan then was to wake up early Sunday and head out while it is still cool in the morning.

This action did not work out too well for us.

7am and it was 5 degrees Celsius, and by 8 when the sun had finally lit up our world for the day it was almost 8 degrees.   Penny and Rocky do not do well in the above temps.

In fact I went outside with the dogs in my pj's, with no socks on my feet... and I was warm!

It just is not fair.  

"That's okay Mom and Dad, I still loves ya anyway!"

"Just don't let it happen again"





Sans Facebook

I'm onto day 3 of no Facebook with my 250 or so friends.


I turn on the computer and as always I check my e-mail.
A deal of the day informs me that I can get liposuction at only $39.00 if I order today... Kobo is giving away free books, if your into German philosophy.. Air Canada has an amazing deal, but you have to purchase by noon tomorrow... sigh... no personal letter.

Moving on I click on the news.   CBC informs me that a poor woman was beaten in Mexico, and they found the 15th victim of the flipped over cruise ship.  I'm thinking that an exotic holiday is out of the question.
News is depressing, moving on.

Twitter is next.
College Humour leads me to some serious chuckles as I navigate onto their home page and spend wasted moments watching their videos.
Back to Twitter home page where I do not see anything more of interest.

Tumblr.... my boy has yet to add a new post.

Bored I move to Youtube but find the same ole' lolcats, talking dogs and a new Smosh video that did not make me laugh at all.
Bored still.

Blog, I read a few new blogs posted today, but there are only 4.

Bored... my fingers tap nervously across the keyboard... shit!!! did a bug just run across my thumb!!!Whatever it was it has made me itchy, twitchy as I scratch my arms.
I think the dogs are hungry, they keep coming to bug me...  WHAT?/!!??!!  Jeez, they always have to eat... why do they have to eat?
My fingers play with the keys... I 'accidentally' click on the facebook link... my cursor flashes on the login space... my fingers tap, tap, Tap, TAp, TAP....

I'm fine... I'll be fine....
Give me 4 more days and I shall be okay man... just need to get it out of my system.
I can live without Pro solitaire, or Bingo, or that snake game, or the bubble game, or golf, or, or, or... NO!... I can do this.  I know I can!
I don't need to know what my friends are doing right this minute... nor do I need to know what the poster of the day is...

yeah... Facebook is just so lame...

really.

it.

is.

sigh.

Friggin' Frustrating Fackit

Frustration wraps itself around me, making me squirm.
Making me want to scream!!!

We are surrounded in snow, a fresh layer haven fallen over night.
It looks like a winter wonderland outside my door.
Temperatures were just below zero all day long, an absolutely glorious day out.

Lack of vehicle, no trails to use and just plain un-organization on my part made it impossible to go anywhere.
I suppose the excess frustration came from knowing that most of my musher friends were at a race this weekend.
A race we were so not ready to go to this year.
I'm starting to wonder if we'll actually make it to any what with no transportation for the fur babies making training near impossible.

And here it comes, that frustration again, it's killing me!!

I'm just so frustrated with the frustrations that frustrate me so.

Winters Cold Caress

The cold has fingers that reach inside open jackets burning any skin that it can touch.
The cold holds the land down with a heaviness.   It's icy hands keeping steam from rising in the air forcing the white puffs to move away on a sideways journey.
Sound is muted in it's weight, and in the early morning hours before the world wakes, the silence hovers around me like a cloak.
Snow squeaks in a muffled song under foot.
The puppies morning greeting is caught in the cold air and floats around me like leaves swept up in a gentle breeze.

I don't mind the cold.
Wrapping my head in mist from my breath.
Growing ice on my lashes and frost on my hood that frames my face.
The cold creates an awareness of being alive deep within me.  Knowing that the pups and I will soon join in harmony out on the trails.  A special bond between myself and the dogs that only few people will understand.

I love winter and the cold it brings, I just wish that this year there could have been some snow that came along for the ride as well.

Oh to Own a Doggie Door

It's cold enough to freeze the nuts off a dung beetle.

huh?

Well, it's freaking cold out.

Home from work and after bundling up toasty warm I head off to let my fur babies out of their kennels for a run ... and run they did!!
Jumping over each other, giving each other love nips in order to play tag or catch me if you can.
The steam dancing around their heads.

I too ran around with the kids, it seemed a great way to keep warm on such a frigid day.
Soon Penny and Hubba were giving me 'that' look.

                                                            You know. this look

So inside we all head. 

Inside to continue ruining my favorite pair of mittens.

       Inside to rough house and drive me crazy.

             Inside to see if they could get into the garbage.

                   Inside to spill a bowl of drinking water.

                          Inside.

However within' 10 minutes they were all asking to go out again.

Then in 10 minutes they were all asking to come inside.

                      Outside.

        Inside                      Inside
Outside                               Outside.

        Inside.                      Inside.
                      Outside.

I was beginning to get rather dizzy.

By almost 2 hours of this Penny and Rocky had decided enough was enough and they refused to come in again.

Hubba just wasn't sure what to do.  He wanted to be with his buddies but he wanted to be with me too.  Such a dilemma for my big Hubbaloo.  He looked utterly forlorn.

So I went out again with all of the kids for a last romp around the yard before supper.... I've always wondered what my neighbours think, if they have indeed seen me romp around the yard with the dogs.

 Hubba was camera shy.... well..... actually he wouldn't leave my side, my velcro dog, as he was too close to get his picture taken silly dog.

Heading back into the house to grab supper for the dogs I catch a glimpse of an old summer friend cloaked in a winter blanket. 

I do love winter, but still found myself wistfully wishing that it was a tad warmer so I could sit back and let the sun beat down on me kissing my cheeks.

Soon dearest camp chair, it will come all too soon.

Facebook Away with you!

Since the New Year I have made some changes in my life.

The biggest one at the moment is my eating habits. 
I would have said diet, but that word is taboo.  I refuse to be on one of those, and will in fact not use that word again when speaking of the consumption of food.
I have been eating healthier and have cut out all bread from my meals.  In fact I have also not eaten any pasta, potatoes or rice for the last week and I feel terrific.... and have lost 3 pounds to boot.

Other changes all have to do with cleaning up my life.  Letting go of bad habits and all bad negative thoughts as these just weigh a person down anyway.

One of the worst habits in my life these days is Facebook or as I heard it called at one time, Crackbook.

I know it is a way to keep in touch with family and friends from all over the world... and that I do have. 
England, Australia, USA, and all over Canada from one tip to the other as a matter of fact.
New friends have been made that I have grown close to on FB, some whom I've never met yet.  Also the  re-connection with old friends which has been absolutely wonderful.

There have been some wonderful positives that have come from 'hanging' out on Facebook.
But there have been lots of negatives as well.
I did lose a friend because of Facebook.
I\ve also had some horrible negative comments come my way and have watched others as they are either being abused or doing the work of throwing words out for the world to see which have the ability to harm.
Also Facebook has a games option which I will admit I am addicted too and any spare time is spent playing a variety of card games as I build up my tokens... I'm not a gambler and would like to think I could walk away with my money safe if I ever visit Vegas, but on this particular site I'm a gamblin' fool.

It is because of the games that nothing is getting done around my house. 
It is because of Facebook that my office is still in a state of panic. (yes, I do believe a room can be pulled into a human condition of utter chaos)

So I am going to be giving up my Facebook addiction because that is what this is, an addiction.
I will not be deleting it completely, just taking a break from it. 

This said I am sad at losing the connection of my friends and family and hope that you will consider following me here on my Blog (besides I would love to see my followers numbers go up.. is that an addiction too?)
This next week I will be cleaning up any loose ends, some last connections to be made and then will shut down for a time.
I'll be back I am sure of that, but for now I need the freedom to clear the cob webs in my life and it just isn't getting done hanging out in the world of FB.

Take care all, hope to see you here or on the flip side.

Just Like Dust, They are Blowing in the Wind

It is cold once again,  -30 degrees Celsius or for my American friends -22 Fahrenheit with the wind chill today,
but more importantly, snow has fallen.
Not a ton of snow, but that is okay as the weather man has promised more to come each day for the entire week.  If we are lucky our local race at the end of the month will be able to keep its promised date.

My pups have not had enough training miles under their belts harnesses to warrant competing in any races this season, however we are going to attend anyway and leave the chute last so we can use the trails as we do in training.  Run about 2 miles, stop and cuddle and rest for a tiny bit, then carry on nice and slow.
It is all about fun for my dogs, which is why I am not going to stress over the racing side of things this year, besides, I have 2 puppies that are still learning the 'ropes'.

Anyhow I digress, this is not why I'm on here today.

Winter winds are blowing, and have been doing some serious tree whipping this year that I believe it has affected my brain.
I love writing.
I blog, and have 3 journals on the go.
Random thoughts, stories, and.....well, just words.
Yet this season I have had a hard time putting any of these words down on paper or in print of any form.  I can see the words floating around in that head of mine, but something freezes up when I try to put them down in wrtten form.

Daily I pick up a pen and open my journal to find the pages blank.   I doodle and write the odd word here and there.. but nothing of importance.
I also open up here in my blog or on tumblr and find the words do not want to spill out of me as they have done in the past.

Is it because I have not done anything exciting lately?
Or is it due to a blockage from my brain to pen that is most definitely the fault of the wind.

Yes, that is it, let's blame it on the winds.

t
 h     
   ey  ar
            e
               blo
                    wing  my
                                  wor
                                         ds
                                                 aw                !
                                                      a           !
                                                         y!    !
                                                              !

Lessons from My Dogs #2

Enjoy the simple things in life.

These days our lives move way too fast.
We have instant everything at our finger tips.
We have high speed Internet.
Are able to text anyone whenever we feel like it.
We carry our phones with us at all times.
Everyone drives way too fast.
You don't have to leave your car for food, coffee, or even banking.
We even eat fast food.
And can use same day delivery services.

Do humans even slow down to notice the little things anymore?

I sat watching my dogs as they ran around the yard letting off pent up energy. 
They love to run, they live to run, they were born to run.
Yet each of them always stops to explore some wonderful scent, or interesting object found hidden among the leaves or under the snow. 

Dogs understand happiness that comes from the simple life.
They always take the time for a back scratch or a belly rub and hey, if you have ever stuck your finger into your dogs ear you will understand pure pleasure.
Share with them a new toy, which may just be an empty water bottle, and they will show you the fun that can be had for an entire afternoon.

But throw them a ball and watch as joy explodes from them.

 If we all could enjoy the simple things I believe life would be so much easier.

Lessons from my Dogs

Enjoy the ride.

Life kicks ya in the butt, that is inevitable
Like kids moving far away and the hurt of missing them.
However I am lucky in that they are both in a good space with their lives and although they are far I can feel good about them being so independent.

So, I let them live their lives and I will be happy for them.....

As for me.. I'm going to listen to my dogs and sit back and enjoy the ride, who knows what is around the next corner.  I just hope it is something fun, like a ride on a sled being pulled by 5 of my best friends.

January 2nd

January 2nd.

A time for resolutions, you know, eat better and exercise more.  Promises that most of us wont keep.  This year I have decided to make only one promise and that is to just be myself.  I am a good person and will continue to be so and if that is not good enough for some people I know and have tried to get along with, then that is their problem not mine.  
Let me tell you, that assertion has taken a large weight off of my shoulders and it is only day 2!

January 2nd.

In the past what this usually meant was that the house had returned to normal.
Holiday decorations are put away for another year with no trace but the one lone trinket that always gets left out and forgotten.

However this year is different.
My baby boy didn't make it home which changed the whole atmosphere of the season.
It just wasn't the same.  In fact I would say it didn't really feel like Christmas at all.

Then why I ask myself have I not taken the tree down yet?
It is as if I am prolonging the season in hopes that it may stop reality crashing down; no he really did not come home and in 3 sleeps my baby girl leaves once again.

That, and I really like the way my tree looks in the dark with only the lights lit up.

January 2nd.



I sit here in the quiet of the morning... still a holiday for me as my hubby has another couple days off and has gone outside with our furry kids leaving me to lounge inside in my comfy clothes.... but not for long as we are heading out in a couple of hours with the four legged babies to run them with harness and sled, and you wont find me missing out on that adventure anytime soon!

January 2nd.

A new year which means the promise of new beginnings.

Happy trails and may they be blessed with fresh snow and perfect temperatures....... see ya out there!

Dog Tired

 A great way to begin the new year!

My New Years wish for everyone is to be as satisfied with what ever it is you choose to do this year as my pups were after their first ever run in harness today.

Way to go Elly and Rigby!!