Behind the scenes at Champion of My Heart, I get private advice from some readers. They simply feel more comfortable emailing me directly with ideas, input, support. And, that’s totally fine. One such idea from a friend was to take Lilly on different hikes this summer to keep her out and working, even though we’re taking a break from classes until we figure out the anxiety medicine stuff. So, here are a few updates on recent outings: …
Summer 2008 is full of home projects aimed at bolstering the energy efficiency of our house, which was built in 1978. I mostly fill the role of snack provider, beverage purveyor, and clean-up crew. Lilly? Well, she has decided dropping sticks at Tom’s feet (no matter how high off the ground they are) is a HUGE help. …
Sometimes I sit outside to work when the weather allows. The dogs move from shade to sun, from grass to sidewalk, from under my feet to out in the pasture. It’s a good way to spend a long workday. I could not resist this photo of Ginko sacked out in the sun. He gets very brown from all the UV here at 8,000 feet. Can you find Lilly? …
Happy Independence Day! It’s a big holiday at our house since Tom loves fireworks so much. So, rather than proffer our usual Friday Training Update, we’re taking a holiday to celebrate freedom. In Lilly’s case, it’s sometimes the freedom to NOT do what I ask. Still, nobody looks cuter with a flag! …
We haven’t worked with Pitsch, Lilly’s “Control Unleashed” training buddy for a couple months because he and his mom Betsy were busy trialing. Gotta say, he’s been on FIRE. We’re
waiting for the official list, but it looks like Pitsch cracked the list of top 25 Aussies. We’re hoping to see his name in the top 10. How neat is that? … said the girl with the dog who won’t get
up off the ground.
…
Our neighbor Tim is home from college. He used a spotting scope and his camera to take these great photos of a couple of night herons who visited the trees near our pond last week. Yes,
that’s snow on the ground behind them. Yes, there are not yet leaves on the trees. …
Monday afternoon before a snow storm, I took the dogs out to shoot these photos near our bridge over the little creek that crosses our land. …
We’re approaching the fourth anniversary of my first dog’s death, and it still catches me off-guard. While cleaning off some old patio furniture cushions the other day, Tom found a bevy
of Penelope’s white hair in the creases. And, it totally made me cry. …
We don’t really know when Lilly was born. Sometime in spring 2004. But, we do know when Ginko was born, so we pretend like both have the same birthday — May 13. Today, Ginko is 8, and
Lilly is 4. I can’t believe it. …
While wallowing last week over setbacks, I posted a plea elsewhere for ideas on what to do when you get discouraged. My question … How do you keep your spirits up? The discussion
included the concept of mantras. I’ve been using a couple phrases in my head relating to work. (Remember, I get things stuck in my internal audio easily.) So … I figured how about one for training?
Here’s what I wrote. What do you tell yourself? …
