Golden Embers Golden Retrievers

Maine Winter Getaway ;o)

2012-01-25T14:10:00.001-05:00

Emma attended her first working seminar "Puppy Agility Foundation" over the weekend, then we pack the van and were northbound to Old Orchard Beach and LL Bean in Freeport Maine for a much delayed get-away ... travel day rain gave way to sun and temps in the 50's for Emma's first beach adventure with Willow and Sutter ;o)

Welcome ;o)

We've Arrived ;o)

Emma backstepped at the advancing wave water and was absolutely thrilled with her finds of big opened/vacant Clam shells ... she dug at them, flipped them and played keep-away with Willow!

What's Happening?

Yeehaaaa!

Hummmm?

Hey a Treasure 'o)

MY Treasure!!!

Can I Take this Home??

Hey, it's Getting Away!!!

Willow ... Where are You Going?

Willow in the Waves!

Watcha Got There?

Yup, Snow at the Ocean ;o)

Wheeeeeee!!!!

The Trio ;o)

Sutter's wish was freedom to run off the beach, thru the doon grass and snoop amongst the beach houses ... unfortunately Willow and Emma were hot on her heels and ended all too close to the traffic ... sadly Sutter, it's Flexi-lead this trip :-(

Our Own Bed at Freeport Inn

CAN'T WAIT TILL OUR NEXT VISIT ... we'll be back ;o)

Snowless Winter Hiking ;o)

2012-01-16T18:44:00.001-05:00

"Happy Birthday to Us, Happy Birthday to Us ... Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday to US" ;o)

Enjoy the photos, as we collectively celebrate Emma's 8 month, Willow's 2 year and Sutter's 10 year birthdays ;o)

The Pack having a great time ;o)

Sutter's Treasure!

Water is NEVER too COLD!!!!

Sutter at 10 yrs still leads the chase!

Emma, wanna try some of this?

Relaxation time with "Bonies"

Sutter, Margo, Emma, Willow (back)
waiting for the release word!

Margo 12 mos & Emma 8 mos ... the race is on!

SNOW IS PREDICTED ;o)

Sadness of Loss :-(

2012-01-02T10:38:00.001-05:00

Tom, Mimi, Donna bike "Old Man of Mt"

Kitty a Mentor & Friend ;o)

Sutter & I say Good-bye to Lyric :-(

For me, in the normal grief phase of loss, blogging helps me grasp it, work thru it and move on, while still holding the memory of the loved one deep in my heart ... that was never so apparent as early on, with the crushing loss of our sweet Golden girl Lyric and the flood of emotions :-(

In August, the dog Agility community, lost a special friend, teacher and fellow dog lover ... Kitty became a dear friend & teacher to the girls & me, and then her fight with Cancer took her way too soon ... it helped that she requested us to be part of her dying process as we all were in her living process :-(

As 2012 begins and I tear on the 5th birthday of my sweet Golden girl Lyric, I learn that another dear friend "Mimi" has lost her battle with Cancer in the wee hours of this morning ... so it's a day filled with double the sadness ... Mimi, Tom and I became great friends back in the 1960's as we raised/showed Dairy Goats thru-out the northeast fair circuit together ... I sooo remember in the beginning Mimi's long hair, Tom's full beard and their "hippy" VW bus ... in later years we hiked, biked, canoed, XC skiied, snowmobiled and swapped long distance visits ... you'll be sadly missed my friend, but fondly remembered :o)

TREASURE THOSE WHO are SPECIAL ... for LIFE IS Sooo SHORT ... think the girls and I will go on a hike together today ;o)

As 2012 Approaches ;o)

2011-12-29T13:48:00.001-05:00

Looks Like Winter!

The temperatures keep fluctuating from 15-45 degrees, so the pond ice continues to not be safe ... and there is a dusting of snow that sticks, but then is quickly washed away by a downpour of rain ... it's been ideal though for working out in the woods and clearing downed trees for both the woodstove and the snowshoeing loop ... plus the travel on Christmas was ideal ;o)

Family Gathering ;o)

Girls love all their new toys ;o)

Emma just graduated from her "Clicker Unleashed" class and in January is enrolled in an "Agility Puppy Foundation" workshop at the local Humane Society ... Willow is ongoing with her Rally class at AK9C, dispite my seemingly dislexic interpretation of sign directions ... since November, both Sutter & Willow have been in a monthly winter Vermont Agility League that will now be twice a month in January and February ;o)

Emma Graduates ;o)

The year ends with the publishing of the (single copy) Golden Embers Blog Book 2

Published ;o)

... and as usual at an exhausting day's end, all colapse by the cozy wood stove for a brief winter's nap ;o)

Pleasant Dreams Willow ;o)

Emma & Sutter ;o)

TILL NEXT YEAR...

December Happenings

2011-12-13T12:26:00.002-05:00

Careful girls ... Ice skim on pond!

Temps have flurted with 60-70's leading into this month and then plumeted to 20's with up to 2" snow ... downside of the beauty of thin ice above is that the girls frustratingly aren't allowed outside without their human ... the last 2 stormwindows are on, the 2nd "deicer" cable is on the rear steep roof, the firewood gathering/splitting is ongoing and we're in the midst of the Holiday season:

Oooh, invites to festive gatherings ... calories!!! just remember "everything in moderation" ... that's why I can't get caught up in holiday baking anymore ... "willpower" of my 20's, 30's, 40's has matured to love of sweets and is further weakened after working/hiking/boating in the fresh out-of-doors ... so if it's not in the house, I'll pick a healthier choice ... RIGHT!!!!
Finally got the makings of our 2011 Christmas card done, thanks to friend Kara and her computer talents to decorate our photocard this year ... Oooops, forgot the seasonal scarves ;o)
Ahhhh ... sitting by the cozy woodstove to snail-mail address, computer email or online Facebook those cards to family/friends, with special messages to those we are only in touch with this time each year ;o)

We enjoyed a wonderful visit from our favorite lil' girl "Margo" ... she still loves to come and just runs/plays from sun-up to sun-down ... open the door and she zooms right in to see if everything is the same and what's new since her last visit ... the girls all wear collars with bells and orange vests ... hunters in your own woods you ask ... well anything is possible, but honestly it helps me in my eye/ear "retirement" stage of life, to locate their roamings ... I wear a whistle and the girls are pretty responsive, as they know a handful of kibble is forthcoming from the pocket ;o)

Our baby is now 7 months old and :-O she's come into her first heat cycle ... she wasn't phased at all by wearing her "pants" to Doggie School ... no chancing off-leash work this week till we see how her classmates react to her condition "Hey Mom, the boys think I'm cute!!!!"

12 "Desserts" plus "Walter" ;o)

One of my favorite weekly things over the past 8 weeks has been puppy visits and photoshoots of my favorite Golden Retrievers at SunKissed kennels ... and Emma has been able to visit/snif/tug with her mom "Shimmer" ... it's a riot to watch them run over/wade in frigid water on the backyard poolcover ;o)

Red Boy "Watson" ;o)

Singleton dubbed "Walter" ;o)

Power Nap ;-)

Our first "bonies" ;o)

Sleeeeepin' Heavenly Peace ;o)

SURROUND YOURSELF with THAT WHICH BRINGS OUT the BEST in YOU ;-)

Merry Christmas & Happy 2012 New Year ;o)

2011-12-06T10:10:00.000-05:00

FROM ALL of US at GOLDEN EMBERS ... TO ALL of YOU

REMEMBER THE REASON FOR THE SEASON ... the CHRIST in CHRISTMAS

... FORGIVING, SHARING and LOVING ;o))

HAPPY THANKSGIVING ;o)

2011-11-21T11:04:00.001-05:00

Enjoy the abundance...

The togetherness...

and the relaxation ;o))

Our Thanksgiving doings:

Jacob's Senior Thanksgiving Game!

Family Gathering at Niece Pamela's

November ... Fall or Winter ???

2011-11-14T12:05:00.001-05:00

We've gone from knee-high snow to 65 degree days that melted everything away ...

Almost Gone!!!

Going...

There has been the thrill of watching Lyric's sister "Sorbet's" pups grow

Willow is recovering from her Spay surgery and lil' Emma is ever so attentive ... neither can understand this "quiet/leash walk for 10 days", but we've set up a pen outside for when we're all outside doing yard chores!

Hoping that this comfortable weather sticks around for a while ... we've brought the summer porch toys in for the winter and it's always entertaining to watch the different toy play ;o)

Willow Can Only Watch :-(

Sutter is giving in to Emma's advances to play and they are actually running, chasing and sparring, while Willow has to watch from a leash ;o) :-(

Emma says "Willow didn't finish her supper"

Emma filled in for Willow in her Rally class last week and at 6 months old got cheers from the class, instructor and folks watching ... it was Emma's Rally debut ... Mom was soooo proud ;o))

Sharing ;o))

All's well at day's end ;o)

Emma Earns "Canine Good Citizen"

2011-11-05T20:52:00.000-04:00

25 weeks old ... Sooo Proud ;o)

The 7th week of this session "The Test" ... one day after the worst October blizzard in history and the worst 10 hours of slow wet knee-high snowblowing experience in the 16 years of living at Golden Embers ... electricity had only been back on at the training center for an hour before our test ... 4 students made it to class and Emma was the first to start her test:

We walk in to the ring, greet the examiner (our instructor Ann) and Emma sits quickly as the humans shake hands ... Emma needs several repeat commands to "down", but finally is successful ... something drops behind us with a "BANG" (Emma is unphased ... good girl) ... we move on with Emma walking attentively beside me around the corner cone and we stop to greet assistant Kathy and her dog Maggie with a handshake ... "good girl Emma, to sit and stay so calmly" ... more healing, turn, sit, pass a moving wagon, stop to be patted/grommed and on to the recall.

Emma is told to "sit-stay" as I walk to the end of a 25 foot leash, wait 3 seconds then walk back to her, "Good Girl" ... leave her again in a "down-stay" and from 25 feet call "Emma Here" and she comes at a trot and sits in front of me, "Good Girl"

Last part: Emma is to sit or lay down with the examiner (who is sitting in a chair) for 3 MINUTES while I go out of the room ... believe me, 3 minutes feels like the clock has totally stopped!!!

Best 3 words: CONGRATULATIONS YOU PASSED, as we're handed our graduation certificate, a beautiful Rosette and a BIG yummy biscuit :o))

Next week we begin our 3rd session "Clicker Unleashed" ... working up to Emma being "off leash"

Halloween Blizzard ;-O

2011-10-31T12:27:00.000-04:00

Knee High Snowfall

Nature's Beauty from Inside!

Pictures worth 1000 words ;o)

Hey, Wait for Me!!!

Emma's First Snow o)

Warm by the Woodstove ;o)

As the Snow Started!

Rough Trailblazing!

So that's a snapshot of our record-braking October BLIZZARD!

Next time Emma earns her CGC at 25 weeks old ... GOOD GIRL ;o)

12 "Dessert"Pups & Emma/Shimmer Photoshoot ;o))

2011-10-24T13:19:00.001-04:00

4am phone call "the first pup has been born" ... "Sorbet", our sweet departed Lyric's younger sister had 12 healthy, strong puppies on 10-15-11 ... we dubbed it "Piece of Cake", as there were no problems and all pups were happily nursing by 11am ;o)

Sorbet & "Dessert" litter 12 Pups ;o)

12 Lil' "Desserts" All in a Row!

5 Days Old ;o)

Emma has turned 24 weeks and had 2 exciting visits with Mom "Shimmer" ... enjoy the photoshoot ;o)

Remember Me Mom?

We're Bonding!

Playing on the Poolcover ;o)

Mom's Showing Me Her Favorite Places ;o)

Me & Mom ;o)

Sweetness x 2 ;o)

Oh and the Retirement ... "How's it Going?"
Sleeping at night, grass mowing, leaf mulching, garden cleaning, napping, beaver dam opening, classes twice a week, puppy visiting/sitting, napping by the warm woodstove, cutting firewood, cleaning the girl's car area, washing dog beds, napping ... all enjoyments of the first weeks of Retirement ... and the rainy days (unless they'll lessen the heavy snow days ahead) can stop any time now ... it still feels strange not to have to "schedule" the whole week's time ... so in a word WONDERFUL ;o))

Willow Passes Her CCA

2011-10-15T16:58:00.003-04:00

GMGRC Photo ... Willow (R)

On Columbus Day weekend, after baths for all and all car bedding washed, we were packed and left in the 5:30am foggy darkness and headed to Northern Vermont for 20 month old Willow's "Canine Certificate Assessment" ... 3 AKC judges independently evaluated her, as compared to the "ideal" Golden Retriever and she earned 83 out of a possible (near impossible) 100 points ;o) It was a sunny warm day and the folliage color was just supurb ... perhaps we'd camp overnight and explore the north country and enjoy a leisurly trip home!

? Bees or Mushroom ?

Just 48 hours prior, Willow had a severe allergic reaction to ? bees in the wild Asters or a dust cloud from a ruptured "Puff Mushroom" while out playing ball after supper ... Benadryl for 4 days finally brought the hives swelling down!

Emma 5 1/2 Months Old

Willow & CCA Rosette

Emma continues to "grow like a weed" and recently started thinking that she owns the recliner ... OhYa!!!!

She continues to amaze me in "doggie school" with her sitting calmly for greetings, downs-out-of-site and heeling at my side while weaving amongst the other classmates ... good girl ;o)

Enjoy their photo story ;o)

Willow & Emma Sacked Out!

You Could Have Saved Me Some!

Sparring!!!

My Show is On!

Grooming ;o)

Sutter, Emma and Willow invite you to come back to see more of our Fall excursions ;o)

Emma 5 Months, Starts CGC, Willow in 2nd Rally Session, Retirement ;o)

2011-09-26T12:24:00.011-04:00

What a Pretty Girl ;o)

The Geraniums have lost their summer blooms and Emma is almost too big to photograph on the picnic table, but we'll see how it goes!

Emma 5 Months

Willow & Her Toys ;o)

Emma had her 2nd week of "Canine Good Citizen" class this week and Willow is about to start her 2nd" Rally" Obedience class this week ... maybe prejudice here, but Emma seems to be fantastic in all our training together and we're continuing to LOVE working together ... on the other hand, it's taken Willow and I a little longer to mesh as a team and get the moves down ... in Rally, the team walks along a course with sign markers that tell you what to do ... "Halt, Sit", "Reverse Direction","270 degree Turn", "Weave Cones", "Halt, Down, Forward, Fast" etc and the moves get increasingly more difficult and complicated as you progress! We were entered in our first Rally trial in October (OMG) but had to drop out hours before the closing hour because we couldn't get a motel room in the area (dog show/leaf peeper reservations) ... considered car-camping, but the nearest campground was miles from the showsite and heaven forbid if it was really cold or it rained with 3 dogs!

Emma & Margo Gang-up on Willow!!!

Willow is Such a Good Sport ;o)

Foster Margo continues to enjoy visit time with us and as you can see the "playtime" is non-stop between the almost one year old, the 20 month old and the 5 month old ... lots of fun retrieving and swimming at the pond, running & chasing thru the woods, plus helping with lots of property chores ;o)

Who Dug This Hole?

Then there is this unappreciated project of theirs ... digging of a hole under the porch to get a mole ... and by golly, they got it and killed it ... "Good Girls" I guess ;o)

Emma & Willow At Day's End ;o)

Cute Pup & AK9C Pumpkin ;o)

Apple Pickin'

Catchin' a Nap With Sutter ;o)

But no matter what adventures the day has brought ... there is always a sister-snuggle to end the day ;o)

Oh ya ... RETIREMENT ... it's now only 5 days away and we're all very happy about all the upcoming time home together at GOLDEN EMBERS ... without a schedule and with the freedom to do whatever comes up ... YIPEEE!!!

ONE CHAPTER of LIFE CLOSES and ANOTHER ONE OPENS ... bring it on ;o))

Emma Graduates, New Computer Arrives & Retirement Appoaches ;o)

2011-09-14T10:11:00.011-04:00

Emma 4 Months Old

Hey, What's That?

Many changes are happening at Golden Embers as the leaves begin to turn to their Fall colors:

With all the heavy Summer rains, the Beaver continues to overflow the pond into the meadow and put trees/bushes under water ... with a portion of the "Invisible Canine Fence" now under water, he chewed thru the wire and the 10 acre protection was lost (just as Emma had a "crash course" to respect the electronic fence boundries) ... it's still a daily battle to keep the spillway open but the kayaking is great!

Overflow Into Meadow ;-(

As Emma turned 4 months and has grown way too fast, she graduated with flying colors from her 7 week "Basic Pet" class ... now it's on to CGC "Canine Good Citizen" class next week and we're loving training together ;o

Emma Graduates ;o)

Sutter is on continued training "hiatus" until her favorite instructor finds another indoor facility where she can successfully train without "zoomies"

Emma, You Can Swim ... TRY!

Willow is in the middle of a "Rally" (type of Obedience) class as a break from her Agility training ... still trying to find something that she is excited about ;o)

Girls Free-for-All ;o)

With some persuasion, I decided to go satelite/wireless with a new HP laptop computer both to increase memory and speed, but after failed attempts to go thru "Wild Blue" and a desk top mobile "Hot Spot", I am having problems with satelite reception for opening emails and posting photos to this Blog ... so unfortunately until resolved, posting updated photos continues to be a real frustration and I can be seen walking around the yard with laptop & Hotspot trying to get reception ;o)

Bringin' In Kindling for Woodstove!

In less than a month, Retirement becomes a new way of life ... the work stress will be gone ... "I can't because I'm working" will no longer be limiting what I want to do ... it's been 2 years in thought and 3 months in active planning ;o)

Home Sweet Retirement ;o)

Shimmer Visits Daughter Emma ;o)

2011-08-27T13:37:00.001-04:00

It was a beautifully sunny day and Emma was surprised by a visit from her biological mom "Shimmer" for some playtime down at the pond ... at this point Emma at 15-16 weeks is not swimming out from the dock, but watches the "big girls" swim out to retrieve bumpers ... she seems to have a very relaxed lil' "motorboat" swim from the kayak in to the dock, but thus far she is just stepping off the dock onto the shallowly submerged flat rocks, walking back and forth or pawing out at the deeper water ... she'll do it in time ;o)

That's My Mom Out There ;o)

Don't Slash Me Mom!

OK Mom Now Let's Run ;o)

Following ;o)

Emma & Shimmer

Family Time at Day's End :o)

Come Visit Again ;o)

13th Week of Emma's Adventures ;o)

2011-08-09T22:24:00.002-04:00

Sutter (L) Margo, Willow and Emma (front)

Two days ago I spent all day, before and after going to watch "Foster" Margo strut her stuff at a local Dog Show, preparing this Blog photo entry and finished it by day's end, only to have something go wrong and all was lost ...
Grrrrrr, slow, slow Dial-up computer!!! Now let's just see how many household projects I can get done while the photos upload this time ;o)

So here goes the second attempt and hopefully it will be even faster/better ;o)

First Day of School ;o)

I'm Happy When I'm Kayaking!

I Won ... I Beat Willow!

It's been amazing to watch the weekly changes in this sweet pup and how quickly she is learning ... Emma first day of school was thrilling ... she just seemed to excel in her lessons of "Basic Pet" ... a class of 6 older pups/dogs ... we went equipped with her training bag full of toys for chasing & tugging and different chew bones to keep her interested ... when it came time to go out the door, she balked and wanted to "go back for more" ;o)

Watch the Teacher!

Yummm ... Blueberries ;o)

Got the Big Girl Bumper!

Ahhh ... Snuggly Blankie After a Swim ;o)

Getting My "Big Girl" Bed Ready!

Emma & Sutter ;o)

Hey, Can That Pup Play With Me??

4-Dog Line of Bone Chewers After Swimming ;o)

First Mate ;o)

Wait, I Think the Dog Whisperer is on!

Wow ... Blackberries All for Me???

1st One in the Kayak Gets the Ride!!!

SO THAT'S IT ... 4 MONTHS and GROWING :o)

Emma Reunites With Her Biological Mom "Shimmer" ;o)

2011-07-25T17:00:00.001-04:00

Shimmer & daughter Emma ;o)

"Hey Mom, do you remember me"

It was interesting to watch Emma's reaction to her "biological" mom "Shimmer" over the course of a few hours ... she was submissive but kept seeking out her face/mouth ... even with other dogs out in the poolyard, when "mom" went back to her house crate, Emma kept going to the screen door to find her ... merely human interpretation or actual nature of the beast?

"Hey, I remember you" ;o)

"I Can Swim!"

? A Big Tennis Ball ?

Whoooow !!!

Watching My Sisters "Sorbet" & Willow Swim!

Look at my mom GOOooooo ;o)

"Mom, Play With Me Awhile"

OK, Over the Bridge ... then What?

;-))

Willow Loved the Fish ;o)

OK, That's a Peak at the Start of my 11th Week ;o)

THIS WEEK I START MY DOGGIE SCHOOL ... Oh Boy !!!

Emma Celebrates Her 10 Week Birthday ;o)

2011-07-16T17:09:00.003-04:00

I Earned My Bell Today ;o)

"Em" was the best behaved lil' girl yesterday when she was examined by Dr Andy and she absolutely charmed the veterinary staff with her "cuteness" ... she got her 2nd shots, needed a wormer and tipped the scale at 12.8 lbs ;o)
Back in the 1970-80s when I raised a herd of purebred Saanen Dairy Goats, each doe wore a small brass Swiss bell ... now each Golden pup earns and wears one of those bells when they are "officially" accepted into the "Golden Embers" clan ... Emma earned her bell this week and after a few minutes of trying to figure out the soft "ding-a-ling", she ran around wearing it proudly ... just like the "big girls" with their hunting bells (and it lets me know where she is in the yard) :o))

Family Coming Together ;o)

Willow & Emma :o)

Sutter & Emma :o)

Willow & Emma Cool in "The Hole"

Hummm ... How Do I Get Up There?

I LOVE Spaghetti ;o)

Hey, Who Ate it ALL!!!!

Mom's!

Walking the Plank ... Easy Enough!

Getting Big Girl Bumpers ... OK!

I'm READY!!!

Oooops, I slipped ;o)

Clean & Ready to GOoooo!!!

Come 'on ...I'm Ready to Launch!

Finding Caves & Cosey Places!

Game of Tug!

Is This My Best Side?

Come On Kid, You can Make It ;o)

Oh, almost forgot SWIMMING ... since Sutter & Willow repeatedly want to retrieve "Bumpers" thrown way out onto the pond, we spend a good portion of the sunny days by the pond

Week 9 Has Been Exhausting ;o)

WEEK 9 HAS BEEN SO EXCITING for ALL & SO MUCH FUN to CAPTURE IN PHOTOS ;O))

doing yard work and kayaking ... Emma is swimming about 10 feet now from the kayak in to the dock ... she has the cutest lil' swim ... just like a little motorboat ... then she shakes and runs for a "rub n' roll" downhill on the ground blueberry bushes & groundcover! Photos next week, now that she seems to swim well and there's more time to focus the camera ;o)

Sunny Summer Pond/Boat/Kayak Days ;o)

2011-07-06T11:04:00.002-04:00

Hey, I Did It ... Not too Deep !

My Very Own Bumper !

Hummmm ... How Do I Get That!

Just Observing ... Safety Harness On !

Oooops ... Not Ready to Swim !!!

First Kayaking Experience ;o)

When Can My Harness Come Off ?

Leash Training!!

"Bucking Bronco" Leash Training !

Sutter 9yr & Emma 8wks ... a Miracle!

? Spokespup ?

One Day I'll Get Up There ;o)

Newest Golden Fashion When Kayaking :o)

Yummm ... First Blueberries ;o)

Ahhhh ... Land ;o)

Hope you enjoyed the Smiles, Awahhh and Uh Oh moments ... Oh Ya there will be LOTS more ;-))

Babysitting is Exhausting but Willow Loves It 'o)

Welcoming Emma Home ;o)

2011-07-02T22:59:00.000-04:00

A few days shy of 8 weeks and weighing in at a whopping 8.2 pounds, Emma has grown enough to get her first vacinations and we welcomed our "Special" girl HOME ... she settles nicely into her X-pen at night, wakes to "potty" twice during the night and after a 1-2 minute fuss, settles right down till she hears us stiring come daylight ... she loves exploring, running with the "jugs-on-a-rope" and tries to run with the "big" girls, but hearing their "thunder", quickly retreats under the lawnchairs and just watches intently ;o)

Enjoy the Photo Story:

Family Photo: "Hey Look Guys, a Squirrel"

Welcome to Camp Cedar ;o)

Wheeee ... Jugs on a Rope!

I Can See Clearly from Gramp's Chair!

Salutes 4th of July

Home ;o)

Breakfast by the Pond ;o)

High Five Lil' Sis ;o)

Nite Time Digs!

Wheeeeeee!!!!!

Emma Approaching the 7 Week Mark ;o)

2011-06-23T16:48:00.001-04:00

At her 6 week Vet check-up Emma weighed a whopping 4.6 pounds and her "Sweet" littermates ranged 6-10 pounds at 11 days older ... they got their first vacinations, stool tests and passed their Health Certificates for the next phase of their young lives - "Forever Homes" ... so Emma needs to have 6 meals a day for the next 2 weeks to put on weight before she can be vacinated ... Ohhh, don't misunderstand, she's a healthy lil' "spitfire", she loves new experiences and when not crashing for a power nap, she's on the move!!!

ENJOY the PHOTO STORY ;o)

How's Everything Look Doc?

Sisters Meet Up Close ;o)

Hey, This Travelin' Van is Neat!

Can You Find Me?

What Do I Do on Here?

Ohhh ... My First Campfire ;o)

My First "Floatie" for Swimming!

My "Going Home" Duckie

Moving On ;o)

See you again at week 7/8 ... when I'll hopefully be traveling to join the Golden Embers family ;o))

Emma 5 Weeks - Looking Like a Real Golden Retriever Pup ;o)

2011-06-13T13:51:00.003-04:00

Time is just zooming by and I can't believe how "Dream" Emma has grown ... her "Sweet" littermates are 6+ weeks old and they all enjoyed a "Meet the Pups" cookout party this past weekend at SunKissed Kennels in Charlestown NH ... all carefully planned outdoor preparations had to be suddenly moved indoors due to "socked-in" RAIN ... but it easily came together thanks to SK "chief planner/host" Kara, "grillman" Jonathan; "details organizer/chief side-dish cook" Jean, "Mr Handy landscaper" Duane and "baker/food contributer" Linda ... a really great time was had by the 20 party folks and the food provided was absolutely scrumptous ;o)

Emma Sleeping Upper Left

OH YAH ... how I digress ... this was all about the puppies ... my 14 year old God-daughter Jessica was excited to spend the weekend, meet Emma and join in the doings of the puppy party (Sutter, Willow & foster Margo also attented, sharing from a distance in our dog van) ... pups met lots of folks, got lots of "pick-up holdings", started outdoor "potty training" and of course squeeked in their lil' "power naps" ... the next day they did get to play in their set-up outdoor pen under the party tent ;o)

Jess Meets Emma ;o)

Emma Catches a Power Nap ;o)

and of course some recent photos of Emma tell it all ... sooo Cute ;o)

? Spokespup for LLBean ?

Discovering Chew Bones!

Cuddle & Snooze Again ;o)

What ... Playing in the Potty Box!

Hey Mr Turtle ... You Are Fun!

Love My "Sweet" Sister ;o)

I'll Be Bigger Soon!!!

Auntie Emmie & Emma

Catching Another Quick Nap ;-)

You're Not Keeping Me in This Box!!!

Come Back and See Me When I'm 6 Weeks ;o)

OH WHAT A JOY...

Emma's First Solid Food : Teeth Coming In ;o)

2011-06-02T11:31:00.000-04:00

Gruel is Yummy ;o)

Emma's 25 days old and I took sooo many cute photos yesterday that I don't know which to choose ... the mess of starting solid food, a "distance" visit with Sutter & Willow, a look at budding teeth, her first experience of grass ;o)

3rd Meal (Emma bottom center)

Snacks at Milk Bar ;o)

Play Time ;o)

Toofs Comin' In ;o)

Growin' is Exhausting Work ;o)

"24 More Days Till You Come Home"

Emma Meets Grass ;o)

I'LL CALL YA!

PEACE!

Willow & Margo!

With all this attention to our new girl, Sutter & Willow still have time to have fun and enjoy "foster" Margo's time with us:

(R) Front Sutter, (L) Willow, (Rear) Margo

The Chase is On !!!

HOME ;0))

Emma 3 Weeks Old ;o)

2011-05-31T21:19:00.000-04:00

Watch Out World ... Here I Come!

Sweet Face ;o)

Growin' Like a Weed ;o)

12 hour work nights, Spring yardwork, mowing grass, removing storm windows, garden planting ... all things leading up to our new lil' girl coming HOME to celebrate 4th of July ;o)
Sutter,Willow & I drive to spend as much special time with Emma as we can ... the girls just get to see Emma at a distance thru the car window ...
she's 23 days old today and soon she'll start on a gruel of puppy food & milk replacer with her "Sweet-Dream" littermates ;o)

Bonding Time ;o)

Awahhh ;o)

Got Milk?

;o))

Yup ... Got Milk!

SISTERS WAITING for EMMA ;o)

Just Can't Get Enough of Cutness ;o)

2011-05-27T10:05:00.005-04:00

Awahhh ... Cute, Precious, Adorable
(photo by Kara)

Every Day is a Sunny Day ;o)

Care Free ;o)

Enjoy Every Moment of Bonding ;o)

How Sweet is This Face?

As we celebrate the excitement of our newest "P-foot" reaching her first milestone of the "Eyes Opening" on day 15, there's no better way to share than with pictures of Emma on day 18th ... there are certainly alot of upcoming photo-taking opportunities from now till July, when she joins us at Golden Embers ... so if you love "cuties" pics then be sure to check back ... I just can't put the camera down (Digital was such a great invention);o)

Willow First Meets Emma at a Distance ;o)

Emma's First Toy ;o)

Which One Doesn't Look Like the Rest?

Foster Mom "Billie" & Mr Turtle

"Is This a "Sweet" Pup too?"

LOVE is DOING SMALL THINGS WITH GREAT LOVE (Mother Theresa)

Celebrating Miss Emma's 2 Week Birthday ;o)

2011-05-24T19:09:00.002-04:00

Eyes Beginning to Open ;o)

"Sweet-Dream" Litter ;o)

Emma & Smallest "Sweet" Miss Pink

Cuddles Mr Bug ;o)

Care Free ;o)

Hey Guys...Save Me Some!!!

Hey, We Love Our Tiny lil' Sister ;o)
LIFE is FULL of MILESTONES ... TAKE TIME to TREASURE EACH ONE ;o)

Emma 12 Days Old ;o)

2011-05-20T11:37:00.000-04:00

Emma center ;o)

The month of May continues to be exciting as wee "Dream" litter single birth Emma steadily grows daily ... her biological mom "Shimmer" has made a wonderful recovery and is enjoying be pampered ... down the road there will be a photoshoot with mother & daughter for sure ... meanwhile Emma's foster "Sweet" litter/mom "Billie" have all accepted her as one of their family and she has shown a strong drive to survive ... TODAY is DAY 12 ;o)

Feel the LOVE :o)

Emma (L)

Emma (R) Miss Pink (L)

Emma (L) Big Mr Purple (center)

Emma & Miss Pink

Sweet Dreams ;o)

Measuring up to the BUG ;o)

Precious Promises ;o)

PICTURES WORTH 1000 WORDS ;o)

A VERY SPECIAL GIRL "EMMA" ARRIVES ;o)

2011-05-11T10:37:00.002-04:00

Wake up Mom Shimmer ... I'm Here!

15 months ago, my 37 year old dream of having my own litter of specially bred Golden Retriever puppies was "crushed" by the sudden devistating death of my sweet 3 year old girl "Lyric" who was carrying 5 day old eggs/semen implanted surgically ... everything related to having those puppies was then carefully and sadly packed away up in our cabin loft :-(

Lyric's 5 year old mom "Shimmer" was hopefully to give us another "special" daughter, but the subsequent Ultrasound was negetive and that special girl was not to be :-(

That is when sweet "Willow", who was ironically born on the evening of Lyric's death, joined our family ... and what a special joy she has been ... she just loves being "head" councelor for 8 week to 7 month old "foster" pups that come to Camp Cedar for socialization, training and fun!

Speed ahead to the last planned breeding of "Shimmer" ... a surgical insemenation on March 12th and confirmed Ultrasound for 4-5 pups about 20 days later ... with exciting anticipation, a little extra special doating was bestowed on this Golden mom with planned C-section on May 10th ... "Hope there is a girl"

May 8th, in the middle of my three 7p-7a night weekend shifts to work, Shimmer let it be known that puppies were not to wait till the 10th ... so leaving directly from work at 7:30am on Mother's Day morning (thankfully Sutter & Willow had wanted to come to work with me), we arrived ready for the 10am C-section preparations!

Dr Claire "It's a GIRL"

Because of the recurrent cysts that formed inside and outside of her uterus, it was planned that this would be Shimmer's last pregnancy and she would be spayed ... when Dr Clair reaches the uterus she announces that there is now only one puppy ... 3-4 pups have been reabsorbed (not known why) ... Kara standing at the incubator and I watching thru the surgical suite window with my camera, look at each other and silently mouth "IT'S A BOY" ... but wait, the puppy is out of the sac and Dr Claire exclaims "IT'S A GIRL" ... shock and thrill in the same breath ;o)

SUNKISSED EMERALD DREAM CATCHER "EMMA" is born ;o)

Cord is Tied

The decision is made to spay today ... recovery, then mom & pup are on their way home ... complications 2 hours later and Shimmer is rushed back to surgery ... problem resolved and blood loss replaced, Shimmer returns home and

Puppy Dreams

dispite a shot of Oxytocin to stimulate milk, there are only drops of colostrum for lil' "Emma" ... another decision after searching for colostrum "on-line" is to give Emma to another mom "Billie" who has 1 1/2 week old pups and willingly accepts "one more pup" ... "Shimmer" while groggy from her 2 surgeries, has not really realized that she has a pup ... after a brief photo session and as sad as the human feeling is to seperate mom & child, "Emma" meets her new family ... it will be the best decision for "Emma" to have plenty of mother's milk and siblings to grow up with for 8 weeks ... "singletons" have proven problems without socialization with litter siblings ;o)

Pup & Human Mom Bond ;o)

I Now Have 8 Brothers & Sisters!

Biological mom "Shimmer" is doing well, eating and peeing and sees the vet every morning for exam/ultrasound ... still being pampered ;o)

New "Foster" Mom "Billie"

Emma gets special feeding times, then joins her brothers and sisters in the whelping box ... all seems to be going fantastically well ;o)

Emma in the Bed ;o)

EVERY WOUND IS AN OPENING ... PERHAPS SLOW to HEAL but DEFINATELY the START of a NEW BEGINNING ;o)

April Showers Bring May Flowers & More ;o)

2011-05-05T00:58:00.005-04:00

Starting our 16th Spring

27 yellow daffodils and 4 purple crocus are in bloom
blackflies have arrived and they are HUGE!
fallen trees here & there are being cut up for firewood
green grass is sprouting and trees are budding quickly
the Forcithia bush is in brilliant yellow bloom & the Appricot tree is in puffy white bloom

Signs of Spring

the Golden girls are beginning to enjoy limited chilly Spring swimming in the pond
the distructive Beaver has been removed and our trees & blueberry bushes have been spared for another season ;o)
in the wee hours of one morning, I helped deliver my second litter of "Sweet" Golden pups and am thoroughly enjoying all my "puppy fix" visits

SunKissed Billie 5 boys 3 girls

Lyric's mom "Shimmer" is due for her C-section on May 10th ... the "Dream" litter ... is there a "forever" dream girl "Emma" joining the Golden Embers family?

Show Girl SunKissed "Margo"

Margo with Judge & Handler ;o)

our sweet 7 month old "foster" girl "Margo" is back with us after her amazing first Dog Show in Rhode Island with her professional handler Diana ... we were all there to watch and I captured these wonderful photos of her awesome day:
Best Golden puppy and then Best Group Puppy of all the Sporting breeds! Next on her schedule is Canada ;o)

Willow & Margo Reunited

Looking at the above photo, you certainly wouldn't think "happy" expressions, but Willow & Margo just played non-stop when we got Margo back home ... "forced" bedtime at 11:30p was needed ... Happy but say "bye-bye" to that perfect show grooming and the wonderfully fragrant shampooed coat ;o)

Margo's 1st Swim ; o)

Girls Take Margo Out in the Boat!

Pup & Handler Bond ;o)

MORE GOLDEN DAYS AHEAD ;o)

Snow-Covered Ground for Easter :o)

2011-04-23T14:01:00.001-04:00

It's the day before this year's late Easter ... outside, huge falling snowflakes are covering the pansy baskets, that are now in the cool basement to melt their load of snow ... the pond is open and the girls have already made small circle swims in the frigid water off the dock ... the ice was 5 days later than usual disappearing ... just yesterday we were basking in sunshine ;o)

Willow, Sutter & "Foster" Reese

Who owns this Recliner anyhow?

As "foster" pup Margo leaves today for Breed Show "handler camp" with Diana Mason, a new 6 month old camper boy "Reese" has joined us at Golden Embers Camp Cedar ... his owner sadly had to rehome him as she faced lifesaving surgery ... he's slowly finding his place as he experiences all there is to do ... he freely drags a 25 foot "long-line" until he learns his boundries and has a reliable recall ... but I just put my foot down at him claiming my recliner :o)

Our Easter adventures will include stopping at the Cathedral of the Pines for 6am Sunrise Service and then on to join 14 at my family's dinner table after being entertained by the teenager's Egg Hunt ... welcomed sun and 60 degree temps predicted ;o)

Willow's 2 Cut Pads Healed!

Sutter is Active Again!
AN UNHURRIED SENSE of TIME IS IN ITSELF a FORM of WEALTH ;o)
HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE

There Comes a Time For Firsts in Many Forms!

2011-04-10T14:06:00.003-04:00

All that stuff was in the old van!

As I approach my 63rd birthday, I'm really feeling the desire to "Not Postpone the Joy" ... I have 2 dear friends that are fighting cancer and one is just recovering wonderfully well from brain surgery ... makes me look at my own life just a little bit differently ;o)

Willow, Sutter, Margo

April Ice Melt!

Time to trade the 2006 car ... noticing noises that say "$$$ repair work" ... so I asked my car guy to start looking, but the price of used cars is really high now ... soooo I've traded and upgraded to my first ever (in my whole life) brand new car ... a 2010 Chrysler Town & Country (same as the old car) as it's great for what the girls & I do ;o)
Sutter, having learned Spring "ice safety" over her 9 years, apparently forgot "ALL" to cross the melting ice last week to explore that pesky beaver doings ... about 10 feet from the far right shoreline, she fell thru the thin ice into the frigid pond water and couldn't get herself out ... she was able to touch bottom ... I was out walking in the yard with Willow and foster Margo, when I noticed Willow standing at "alert" ... maybe a deer or other critter wandering the shoreline ... then I saw with instantaneous panic, Sutter's head and shoulders above the ice and could hear her whimpering voice as she looked woefully toward the house ... "I'M COMING SUTTER" and I started off at a full speed run ... then it came to me, the other 2 girls will follow me and I'm still in my slippers ... immediate turn-about, frantically calling Willow & Margo to the house, quickly grabbing my high-water boots and the ladder as I passed the shed (in hind sight should have grabbed the rope too) ... as I reached her, Sutter was wrenching her shoulder against the ice hole to try unsuccessfully to raise her body out of the frigid water ... I carefully pushed the ladder out on the ice and on my belly crept out to successfully pull Sutter up & out ... she ran and rolled in the snow with sheer joy and excitement ..."Atta girl Sutts, get that blood flowing", as we headed to the house for a rubdown by the cozy woodstove ;o)

As the days have progressed, Sutter doesn't appear to have any health issues, but she is walking very gingerly and is unable to do her favorite activity of squirrel chasing ... I've been giving her massages, she has an appointment this week with a veterinary chiropractor and then her yearly vet exam ;o)

Ultrasound - dark circles are pups!

Canine Pregnancy Calendar

Lyric's mom "Shimmer" is pregnant with perhaps her last litter of pups that were confirmed by Ultrasound last week for 4-5 pups ... she had a surgical insemination due to multiple cysts in her uterus and she will have a planned C-Section mid May ... not counting "chicken before they hatch" and not making any announcements here, but it's already been decided that our next pup's name will be "Emma" (Sutter's mom's name) whenever she may come ... "Shimmer's" Pregnancy calendar is up on the refrigerator and yesterday it said that the fetus' look like miniature dogs ;o)

Bonie chewing ;o)

Miss Green aka "Isis"

I've had so many wonderful "puppy fixes" during the past 8 weeks with Lyric's sister "Sorbet's" "Ice" theme litter of 8 puppies ... all but one went to their "forever" homes this past weekend and I feel a special connection, as I actually sat in the whelping box and helped deliver them ... another first for me ... thanks to Kara and her parents Duane & Jean for letting me share in those special 8 weeks ;o)

Margo 6 months

As foster pup Margo celebrates her 6 month birthday, she's getting ready for her first conformation Dog Show at the end of the month in RI ... she met her professional handler Diana for a second time this past weekend and will go to "Show Camp" with her in a couple weeks ... you are a pretty special girl Margo ;o)

So those are the latest updates prompting me to not "Postpone the Joy" ... just spending more time doing things that are fun & that bring me pleasure ;o)

LIFE IS MEANT TO BE EMBRACED, NOT JUST ENDURED...
TREASURED, NOT JUST TOLERATED...
SAVORED, NOT JUST SURVIVED...
LIFE IS MEANT TO BE CELEBRATED!

4-13-11 Thanks to everyone and Sutter says "Woof" for your kind Blog & FB comments/emails and words of encouragement for Sutter's recovery ... she had a wonderful first visit with her new veterinary chiropractor Gretchen Hamm DVM yesterday and with each day she is perkier and so trying to be her old "Wild Child" self ... with "Tincture of Time" I'm sure it will come;o)

Anxiously Awaiting Spring ;o)

2011-03-13T14:44:00.003-04:00

Seed catalogues are appearing in the mailbox, intermittent snow flurries and rain, the pond still frozen allowing the girls to race back and forth across it, the raging water can be heard from the house going over the spillway, the yard still covered with 1 1/2 feet of melting snow, the roof snows have melted, the iced driveway is slowly giving way to soft gravel/mud ...
Soooo, I'd say it's time to change our Blog pic to something more Spring-like ... what more perfect than the girls enjoying a bright sunny 50 degree day ...

"SO WHERE ARE OUR SUNGLASSES MOM?"

Sutter & I continue with her Thursday Agility class and Willow & I are working hard on strengthening our Agility teamwork with classes on Wednesday, Thursday and soon adding Friday, all in 3 different training facilities ... just love working with my girls ;o)
This weekend we participated in Willow's first "working" 8 hour seminar "Novice Skills and Development- Handling the Novice Dog" ... 12 teams put thru their paces by a "Top National & International Agility Competitor-National & World Champion-World Team Member-Professional Agility Instructor" ... Willow was absolutely great, but her mom-handler on the other hand, sure needs lots of "polish, memory and moves" ;o)
Adorable foster pup "Margo" still spends my non-work times with us here at camp and at 5 months she sure is a smart lil' beauty ... we are enjoying our Agility practice times together and down the road the ultimate plan is for her to become a SunKissed kennel conformation show CHAMPION ... we've already spoken for her "R & R" times from the future show circuit, to be spent with us at Golden Embers ;o)

Just Like Family ;o)

This coming Fall the 2011 GOLDEN RETRIEVER NATIONALS are in Georgia and the excitement has already begun ... SunKissed, TruHeart and Golden Embers are all hoping to make the trip ... Field, Obedience, Rally, Agility and Conformation fill the week of plans ... more info to follow in the coming months ;o)

From the Wetherby Kitchen ;o)

THE ICE-man COMETH ;o)

2011-02-25T11:08:00.000-05:00

As February winds down and I sit looking out over our pond with yet another "work weekend" snowstorm (our southern neighbors getting rain!), I'm struck by the "ICE" influences of the month ...

"Sorbet" and Her Pups Hours Old ;o)

5 Boys & 3 Girls at 2 Weeks

The day after Sutter's 9th birthday, the "ICE" litter was born to Lyric's lil' sister "Sorbet" ... we had just finished Sutter's Thursday morning Agility class and Willow & Margo's practice time, when we got the message "The puppies are coming" ... so we jumped on I91 and arrived (for the first time) in time for the birth of all 8 pups ... the first one needed help from the vet, the second just popped out at the vet's and the other 6 were birthed in the warmth of their own whelping box at home ... it was an extra special time for me for a few reasons ... one being that as I looked into Sorbet's eyes before, during and after the births, I got a "heart touging" message from my sweet girl Lyric ...

Thank you Kara, Jean, Duane and Sorbet for letting me share in those 8 special lil' gifts ... I'm thoroughly enjoying every chance for a "puppy fix" ;o)

NOT your Agility 180 turn!!!

As February days flirted with temps of windy -1 to sunny 50 degrees, the yard and driveway could easily be managed with boots on crunchy snow for a couple weeks and then quickly deteriorated to needing "spikes" on the boots and sanded tracks to get out of the yard ... on one very innocent morning after a very pretty overnite dusting of fluffy snow, the girls and I headed out for our Monday morning 11am class ... we allowed extra time by leaving at 9:30a for an hour drive ... Woahhh, 3/4 up the driveway and the tires started spinning and we weren't going any further "OH CRAP" (that cleans-up the actual words that came out of my mouth ... forgive me Lord) ... Hummm, only choice at this point was to back down the driveway ... experts say "when in a skid, take your foot off the brake ... steer in the direction of the skid blahhh, blahhh, blahhh" ... the girls and I experienced not one but three 180 degree spins, before it became apparent that "sanding" was the order of the day if we had any hopes of getting out of the yard!

Ordinarily, that may have been a sign to just stay home ... but this day was extra special ... it was our "Foster" pup "Margo's" graduation day from 1st grade ... our exciting completion of 7 fun weeks of a class called "Basic Pet I" shared with her 5 month old sister "Madison" and brother "Spenser" ... we just couldn't miss it ... long story short, we made it, nerves a little frayed and were only 1/2 hour late (traffic behind snowplows were going 30 in 50 mph zones in 3 towns!) to complete the class ... Graduation certificate, beautiful rosette ribbon and a dog biscuit as big as Margo handed to us from teacher Anne ... such a proud Foster Mom (sorry, in all the events of the morning, we forgot the photo) ... when we left the graduation and playtime after for the pups, the sun was shinning brightly ;o)

Willow, Margo, Sutter

The other day, while splitting and hauling firewood on a gorgeously sunny day (boot spikes still needed on the icy yard), I couldn't resist bringing the LaFlumma recliner from the porch (where the kayaks hang awaiting Spring) and taking time-out to kick-back in the warm sun ... the girls were intrigued and gathered 'round ... and the rest is captured in the above photo!

Margo Challenges Sutter & Willow!

Margo still spends my workdays off with us and the fun those 3 have just bring me so many "stop and smell the roses" moments and of course, "Kodak moments" go without saying ... she shares adventures like our travels south to Massachusetts the other day to celebrate some "birthday" time and share yummy gifts with my Mom who turns 86 on Sunday ;o)

Girls Explore Pond's Winter Things!

As I ready to hit "Publish Post", 6" of snow has accumulated outside the back door, tiny birds are flocking to the feeders and I am contemplating my travels to work tonight ...

Precious ;o)

TAKE TIME to APPRECIATE THE GOOD THINGS ;o)

Agile Sutter Turns 9yrs on February 9th ;o)

2011-02-06T18:01:00.001-05:00

THIS GIRL NEVER FAILS TO AMAZE ME ;o)

CEDAR POND SUTTER

"SUTTER"

2-9-2002

Last weekend, I signed up at the last minute to "audit" (without dog) an Advanced/Masters Agility workshop presented by an US-International Agility team member ... during the course of the day, I asked a question about a particular turn ... "How would that move look?" I asked ... In my mind I was sure it would send my "wild child" Sutter "zooming" straight ahead and out of the ring ... first the presenter used me as "the dog" to demonstrate the best move by the handler ... "call your dog over the first jump, silently turn 45 degrees as you drop your arm to your side, then pivot as you signal your dog over this jump at your left side and around and on to that tunnel in front of you ..." Now it needs to be said here that straight ahead Sutter sees a tunnel and straight out of the tunnel ahead of her is the ring fence and FREEDOM from stress!
"Do you have your dog here", the presenter asked ... "yes, in the car, but you don't want her to do this" and I looked at our instructor for confirmation that Sutter wasn't the dog to demonstrate with ... "Go get her" and with that the 10 working participants chimed in "yah, go get her" and they waited while I ran out to my van ... I returned winded and nervously putting Sutter through some of our "focus" dance moves and then entered the ring, while the presenter continued to talk with the group ... I quickly run Sutter back & forth through a tunnel several times ;o)
The presenter complimented me on taking time to focus my dog ... "Ok leave your dog at that jump and come to this second jump, signal and call your dog, then drop your arm and turn..." Sutter, as I predicted, ran right by me and through the tunnel ahead of us ... I quickly called her and WHEW she returned to me (embarassed, I nervously gave her treats for coming back) ... "Ok, take your dog back and do it again..." On the repeat, Sutter repeated her run to the tunnel and happily returned to my frantic whistle! "This time repeat everything and as you drop your arm/turn, simply say HERE and complete the 360 degree turn, signaling her over the jump and then on to that tunnel!"
SHOCKER of all SHOCKERS ... I released Sutter, dropped my right arm as I started to pivot to my left and said "here" ... Sutter came to my side, pivoted 360 degrees over the jump on my left and continued on to the tunnel she'd taken previously ... with successful completion, everyone spontaneously clapped and cheered ... it felt like my mouth had dropped to my feet ... Sutter returned to my call and I happily dropped to my knees to hug, praise and repeatedly feed her handfulls of many yummy treats from my pocket ... the presenter thanked us for being such willing "guinea pigs" ... there were so many compliments that followed and the presenter told the group that "there are some International teams that don't work as well together as that" ... our instructor asked me if that made the 9 years of training Sutter worth it!

ONLY THOSE WHO KNOW SUTTER's "ZOOMIE" WAYS COULD POSSIBLY KNOW MY THRILL!

NINE wonderful years with this special "independent/agile" girl, who never fails to surprise me over, over and over again ... she's filled my life with companionship, challenges, frustrations, questions, smiles, and experiences too numerous to list ... Once again sweet girl, you've amazed me and made me sooo proud ;o)

HAPPY 9TH BIRTHDAY SWEET SUTTER ... and we'll continue to love, train and learn more about each other EVERY DAY :-))

Willow & SunKissed "Catch" Litter Turn 1 Year

2011-01-28T13:24:00.001-05:00

SUNKISSED CATCH A GLIMPSE OF THE FULL MOON

"WILLOW"

1-28-10

(Mom-Sophie::Dad-Apollo)

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL WILLOW ;o)

(Sisters - Dazzle & Jess and Brothers - Scout, Skipper, Murphy & Crosby)

(Missing SunKissed Emerald Lyric who crossed the Rainbow Bridge all too soon at 3 yrs old on Willow's birth day 1-28-10)

Training, Blizzard, "Foster" Margo ;o)

2011-01-15T14:47:00.004-05:00

Willow, how deep is it out there?

"Hey, I wanna play too!"

A foot of snow, snowblowing/shoveling, single digit temps, a frozen snowcovered pond and oh ya, the (2) 12 hour work nights ... that pretty well sums up the first 2 weeks of 2011...

"See, I'm a Sutter Buddy!"

The girls each started their respective classes making for a pretty full week:

Willow "Clicker Unleashed" at 9am on Mondays
Margo "Basic Pet" at 11am on Monday (her sister Madison & brother Spenser are also in the class)
Sutter "Advanced Agility" at 10:30am on Thursdays
Willow "Beginner Agility" at 4pm on Thursdays

Margo Bird Watchin'

These birdbaths are really under rated!

Loves Snow ... Wheeee!!!!

Pulling "jugs-on-a-rope" ;o)

At 14 weeks old, her potty training is about 90%, has a cute "clicker" recall/sit and target-touch, she sleeps in a crate at night ... and is loving her introduction to Agility equipment ;o)

Willow::Margo ... Sweet Dreams ;o)

PLANNING WILLOW'S

1ST BIRTHDAY on the 28th ;o)

ALMOST 1/1/11 ... HAPPY NEW YEAR ;O)

2010-12-30T14:45:00.003-05:00

Nature's Beauty

I woke this morning to hear TV news about horrendous weather in the West and then I looked outside my own window to brilliant sunshine, a gorgeous 8" snowcover and a passable "snowblown" driveway cleared by 4 hours of my own labors ... the birdfeeders are occupied with various small birds, the woodpeckers are "chowing down" at the suet feeders and 6 grey squirrels are collecting all falling seeds on the ground ... inside the girls are sprawled on their beds and we're happily warmed by firewood in the cookstove, cut, hauled and split on our own property ... I'm sooo thankful as another New Year approaches, to be healthy, happy and physically able to maintain and enjoy my 14 acre homestead in all 4 seasons ;o)
Christmas was fun for the girls and I ... we had a lil' 11 week old visitor who is a Willow/Lyric cousin from SunKissed kennels ... "Margo" just added so much fun to the holiday ... we journeyed to my sister's Massachusetts family gathering and everyone wanted to hold the puppy ... she got very little naptime ;o)

Hey, are all these for US?

Margo loved all the toys!

Blanket memory "kayaking visit" ;o)

[picture if you will, between each of these photo uploads, the girls and I going outside and playing with the new Christmas Frisbees & giant "Chuck-It" balls ... then I return to this Blog ... Oh the joys of slow "dial-up"... girls love it! ]

Awesome Lawn Flag ;o)

Special Christmas Gifts ;o)

The girls had a great "bonding" time with our lil' visitor ... playing or napping ;o)

Gonna catch ya!!!

Hey, let me catch you Willow!

We play by "my" rules girl !!!

Let's Sing Christmas Carols!

Nothing More Precious ;o)

PROSPEROUS 2011 to ALL from GOLDEN EMBERS ;o)

One or Two Pictures Say it All ... LIFE IS GOOD ;o)

2010-12-18T07:54:00.002-05:00

PEACE ;o)

Golden Embers "Foster" Pup Program ;o)

2010-12-15T11:49:00.003-05:00

Buddies ;o)

Willow & Soot Chasing!

Willow/Soot Sparing!

Like Family!

Dispite the frigid temps, we're having fun with our 3rd 10 week old "Foster" pup ... the first two have gone to their "forever" homes ... one to upper Vermont and the other to Texas ;o)

Collar-Leash Training!!!

"Sutter want to use my papers"

SK Mr Black dubbed "Soot" (came out from under the cookstove with a soot black face while exploring on his first arrival at 8 weeks) is with us for his 2nd visit (after my work weekend) ... we're getting him ready to meet a possible "forever" family this weekend ... this visit he's learning collar/leash walking with "clicker-treat" rewards, continued "potty" training and awesome playtime with Willow while continuing to win over his "grouchy teacher" Sutter ;o)
TREASURE THE CUTE MOMENTS THAT MAKE YOU SMILE ;o)
Adendum: Mr Black (aka "Soot") got a wonderful "forever" family for Christmas with another 6 year old Golden ... his new name is "Brady" :o)

Willow's Dad "Apollo's" Big Dog Show Win ... SK "Mr Pink" Finds Home ;o)

2010-12-06T14:02:00.004-05:00

The Hicks

Apollo/ Handler Diana

It was such a fun weekend ... Willow's dad "Apollo" won Best of Breed at the Dog Show in Fitchburg Ma ... Yea Dad ;o)

Our SunKissed "Foster" pup Mr Pink "Troy" (officially named "Peyton" by the Hicks) went to his loving "forever" home in upper Vermont and it truly felt like a perfect fit ... experienced his first snow already ;o)

Sending Mr Pink "Troy" off to Vermont

Amazing what Mr Light Blue "Ty" can learn ;o) Click-Treat!!!

Fostering 8 week old pups individually from SunKissed Golden Retrievers (Lyric & Willow's breeders) is so much fun and I'm fascinated watching each pup's personality develop ... I hear that it's being done as a business ... Hummm, possibly a "retirement" job!

"I'm Mr Light Blue"... he's searching for his "Forever" home!

Fun playing in the Loft playroom ;o)

With sub-freezing temps, the pond has a increasing skim of ice and I'm ever watchful of Willow, as she experiences her first Christmas season of learning about ice safety!
Don't whisper a word, but I shopped for the girls at the Dog Show ;o)

Willow Loves "Foster" Pups ;o)

2010-12-03T11:20:00.000-05:00

Had so much fun yesterday with Willow & Lyric's breeder Kara, visiting Golden friend Linda in her beautiful new home in Massachusetts and "puppy testing" the SunKissed "Mystery" litter ... one 8 week old boy (from 2 litters totaling 15!) doesn't have a "forever" home yet, so we are "fostering" him here at Golden Embers Camp Cedar for individual loving, socialization, "potty" training and "clicker" training ... each pup gets marked with a different color nail polish at birth ... he is "Mr Pink" and jokinly we dubbed him "Harry Potter" ("Mischief Managed") yesterday, but we're now calling him "Troy" ;o)

I'm really loving my new digital camera, but a downside is that even with resizing the pics in the camera, it take a long time to download/upload pics to email & the Blog page with "Dial-up" computer connection etc ... fun learning though and computer knowledgeable Kara has been a great help ... I'm so not electronics savy!

Hopefully we'll help "Troy" find his special "forever" home and then we'll help another, another and another ... Sutter has not retreated to the Loft or the Bedroom and has gently told this pup where his boundries are ... Willow on the other hand just loves her new job!

ENJOYING the Fun of SWEET PUPPIES :o)

Fall Brings Willow's First Heat Cycle :o)

2010-11-28T10:40:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving has passed and Fall has quickly turned to snowcover with a bitter 22 degrees ... the rowboat rests upside down on the shore and the kayaks hang from the porch rafters ... the tractors are winterized ... the first birdfeeder is out ... the chimney and Glenwood cookstove have been cleaned and firewood fills the woodbox ... feels comfy to come in from the windy cold after a morning of "brush-cleaning" our woods ;o)

Willow came into her first heat at 9.5 months and seems to be finishing her heat cycle as she turns 10 months today ... here she models her designer "Pants" that she must wear at her Agility classes ... she had just one day that she didn't seem like herself ... she seems to continue to love her various classes ;o)

Sutter needed her Holiday bath early ... she found something really "STINKY" to enjoy rolling in ... she smelled really bad ... now she's all soft & fluffy and both Willow and I enjoy smelling her shampoo coat!

I'm in the process of learning about the workings/settings of my new Canon Rebel camera and am limited in the photos that I can post at this point ... something called "resizing" of photos that I've taken already ... the 2 photos above were managed after changing camera settings ... just imagine if you will the cutest photos that are just too BIG to post today ... also gotta get going on creating & changing our Winter Blog photo!

A COZY FIRE ... SPECIAL CUDDLY GOLDEN MOMENTS ... and YUMMY COMFORT FOODS
Does it get any better than that ;O)

15th Homestead Anniversary and Work of the Beaver ;o)

2010-11-05T13:23:00.008-04:00

In the Spring of 2009 when I started my "Meadow" project and finished it in the Fall of 2009 with satisfaction and "conditioned" back/leg/arm muscles, I envisioned perhaps some Agility equipment but certainly a wonderfully green grass area for whatever ;o)

:-( This is what that special project looks like today, a year later-FLOODED

The reason ... a Beaver who has taken up residence and built him/herself a lodge in the narrows between the pond and the marsh (in the distance you can see our log home) ... at daybreak every morning the girls accompany me (in my new black "polk-a-dot" high-water boots) to make 3 run-off points at the spillway bridge to lower the pond water level ... then every night the Beaver does his work and plugs up the run-off spots! ... some of the logs are pretty hefty, as you can see by the ones Willow examines in the wheelbarrow :-O
OK ... does Mother Nature have something else in mind for my "meadow project" ... perhaps an arched bridge from which to view the hatching/birth of pond life ... I've noticed that pond creatures like the new shallow gravel bottom ;o)

Celebrating 15 years of home ownership this month ... mortgage-free and filled with "Golden-Love" ... the "Golden Embers" name chosen to celebrate the much anticipated birth of our 1st litter of Golden puppies in 2009 ... the "Cedar Pond" name chosen in memory of the sweet Golden that Graced the purchase of this home on 11-10-95 ;o)

House Warming Gift from nephew Fred & Chrissy

"CATCH" Sister's 9th Month Birthday Visit ;o)

2010-10-26T11:33:00.001-04:00

The SunKissed "Catch" litter sisters Willow & Dazzle, celebrated their 9th month birthday with a very busy weekend get-together at Golden Embers ... every day started with clouds, fog, sprinkles and finally sunshine ... chilly temps certainly didn't keep Dazzle and Willow from starting their day with a swim in the pond ... just a fluffy toweling by the woodstove readied them for their different adventure everyday :o)

Willow

Willow & Dazzle

Thursday evening they shared pizza with Sutter before bone chewing and rough-housing that never stopped!
Friday at 3am the girls thought play-time should begin ... "Oh No You Two" ...crate time till daylight!

Friday was a sunny Fall day and we headed for Sutter's "Tracking" session in Massachusetts with dog friend Carole and her 4 dogs (we've been Tracking/Obedience friends since early 1970's ... she was instramental in getting my husband & I together ... but I digress) ... the girls watched as Sutter successfully tracked her first "stranger" ... afterwards it was a romp thru the huge hayfields with sis Dazzle on leash ... of course Sutter felt her sudden freedom and ran at her "gazelle" speed across the field and across the road to explore the big farmhouse on the hill (she's always drawn to homes!?!) ... the sisters slept right through the night ;o

Saturday we were off early to a workday, pot-luck lunch and meeting at Pillsbury State Park ... walks had to be on leash and with supervision the girls enjoyed the sun on "camping" bungie-leashes attached to the car ... such good WATCH dogs!!!

Sunday we were off early again for "Anty" Diane's family brunch gathering ... to meet the 2 footed family and 4-footed cousins ... YIPPEEEE, an acre of fenced yard to run free with a chocolate Lab "Chance", a black Lab "Reuben", a yellow Lab "Cooper", a Rotweiller "Zane" and Goldens "Sutter", "Willow" & "Dazzle" ;o)

It was a wonderful weekend of adventures and wonderful get-together for these sisters as they turn 9 months old ... they truly adore each other and were both exhausted at each day's end ;o)

HAPPY 9th Month BIRTHDAY "CATCH" pups: Willow, Dazzle and their littermates Scout, Jess, Skipper, Crosby & Murphy ;o)

Willow "Officially" Begins Agility Classes ;o)

2010-10-13T13:16:00.002-04:00

Since 8 weeks old, Willow has been exposed to various Agility equipment both at home and at various training facilities ;o)

This Tuesday she began her "official" structured "Intro to Agility" class with Kathy at AK9C ... there are 4 dogs in her class and of course even at 9am she thinks every new dog is potential chance for some "playtime"!

A ring that takes up 1/2 the inside training area is just packed with various colored straight & curved tunnels, many low 10" jumps, 2 baby see-saws about 6" off the ground, a 4' square purple tippy board mounted on a 4-6" ball in the center, a red-white-blue tire 10" off the ground, and a 12' long elevated blue "dog walk" about 3' off the ground with ramps at either end ... next week there will also be a low A-frame!

With a hand-clicker and many, many, many soft treats, Kathy started everyone teaching their dog to "TOUCH" on command and with a CLICK & TREAT upon success ... first each of our hand palms and then a paper plate on the floor (that's our homework)
then we moved on to encouraging our dogs to get on a low see-saw, a tippy board, going through a straight tunnel and a low tire ... followed by a quick CLICK/enthusiastic PRAISE/yummy TREATs

Willow has the advantage of having been on/around Agility equipment and was quite successful in her first class ... she loved it all ... she's such a HAPPY girl to train and seems to catch on very quickly ;o)

This week's Teacher comment: "You have a very energetic pup there" ;o)

PRACTICE...PRACTICE and more PRACTICE ... but in short sessions!!!

Sutter Starts Tracking Lessons ;o)

2010-10-01T09:43:00.007-04:00

In February of 2002 a "wee Wild Child" called "Pinkie" was born the lightest golden color of 6 puppies on a Leyden Massachusetts farm outside Brattleboro Vermont ... her mom "Emma" a very sweet docile dark red Golden dam ... her dad "Mac" an exuberant dark red sire ... from her dad, I'm sure that Sutter inherited her uncontrolled "wildchildism" ;o)

Since her "Puppy Kindergarten" classes, Sutter has loved to snoop, explore and steal toys from training bags of her classmates ... without possibly breaking this special girl's joyful spirit (and believe me many have suggested different positive & negative ways), it's been a long journey using only positive reinforcement training ... I've always thought that she would be a great "drug sniffing" or "tracking" dog, but since we were invested in training the fun/fast dog sport of Agility, a dog's nose to the ground is strongly discouraged!

While Sutter and I love her weekly Agility training classes together, she just isn't a reliable Trial-competition dog ... in the blink-of-an-eye, she can unpredictably lose concentration and be over the ring fence and off exploring! Interestingly, we took a "Tracking" seminar many years ago and the presenter said that Sutter was a "natural", so as Sutter approaches her 9th birthday, we're starting Tracking lessons together!

"find it"

"what did you find"

place one flag at the start
tramp the grass at the flag
place a 5 cent size treat
scuffle along
after each 3 footprints place treat
at 12 foot mark, put glove/treat down
place 2nd flag a foot after the glove

I now get Sutter from the car on a 6' leash & buckle collar ... with a long rod to point out each treat, I say "find it" and we proceed slowly to the glove, where I tell her to "down" to acknowledge the glove ... TREAT, TREAT ... "WHAT DID YOU FIND ... GOOD GIRL" ... TREAT, TREAT, TREAT ... "GOOD GIRL ... GOOD JOB" ... TREAT, TREAT, TREAT ... and then we do 2 more of these short tracks!

Now it's our job to practice, practice, practice on different grass areas and increase the distance ... eventually corner turns will be introduced and then a stranger will start laying the same sequence of tracks ... hope it stops raining soon !!! ;o)

*** IMPORTANT (lesson learned)
Instructor flag suggestions ... kind used by Electric company or Invisible Canine Fence ... Brilliant idea, I have plenty of white "IF" flags because we have 10 acres protected by Invisable Canine Fence!!!
*** WRONG (lesson mistake)
Sutter sooo respects her white "IF" boundry flags at home that she very reluctantly approached the white "IF" flags that I was using for Tracking ... she was visably uncertain what to do!!!
"Smart Girl Sutter" ... so I got some orange flags and she's OK with those ... she's already pulling me along the track faster than I can point out the treats along the track ... I'm having to slow her down ;o)

Challenges of an 8 Month Old's CGC Test ;o)

2010-09-22T08:13:00.005-04:00

Thank You Linda for the photoshoot ;o)

On a crisp 46 degree "last day of Summer" morning, the girls and I are off at 8am for Willow's 10am "Canine Good Citizen" (CGC) test!
Our 6 weeks of classes have been awesome with teacher-Ann, her "canine assitant Erin" and human assistants Linda & Cathy ... I'm not feeling over confident but feeling that Willow has learned all her lessons well and in fact all 6 dogs in class have shown great improvement ;o)
We got there extra early so we could play in the "Dog Park" and use up any excess energy ... Hah, an 8 month old with excess energy!!!!
On entering the training center, a new full wall mural is being painted on the wall over our class ring, the class movable partitions on wheels are arranged differently, it's unusual that the bustling Puppy Agility class isn't going on, training individuals aren't practicing and "Private" obedience sessions also aren't happening ... WILLOW IS TOTALLY DISTRACTED ... this is not a good sign and I'm beginning to feel my nerves on end :-0
We do some "healing" (walking at my side), for fun we quickly slip thru some Agility tunnels in the ajacent ring and then greet class assistant "Auntie" Linda (Golden owner of Willow's dad & cousins)!
Didn't know that we'd have to fill out a CGC form (darn, I don't have my glasses!)
First 2 dogs pass their test and Willow is next:

Willow sits calmly at my side on leash at the ring entry ... I smile down at her, give her a lil' ear scratch and a soft "good girl" ... "Are you ready" teacher/evaluator Ann asks?
"Forward" walk in and "Sit" to greet/shake hands with Ann ... Willow walks right past and no sit on command! 3 tries and she finally sits near me!
"Forward" and Willow decides to say "Hi" to a poodle now practicing in the neighboring ring ... with much encouragement Willow is once again walking at my side ... we turn right at the big orange cone and continue walking, do an "about-turn" to greet assistant Cathy & dog Erin ... Willow does not sit and proceeds to "wiggle", greet and lick Erin "Oh Erin, so glad to see you" ... again with much encouragement and several retries, Willow finally sits, the handshake happens and we're walking again ...whewwww! I'm really feeling that we've "flunked" our test by now!!!
Next, it's walk by my side as we pass assistant Linda with a moving cart ... Willow has had this senerio in past weeks and successfully ignored it ... NOT THIS WEEK ... she breaks her walk to examine the cart ... again needing much encouragement (no leash tug allowed) to return to my side and we continue our relaxed walk!
Next it's move to greet Ann for Willow's "body exam & brushing" and the sit/down/recall on 25 foot leash ... done successfully, whewwww :o)
Last part of the test is to approach evaluator Ann sitting in a chair, have Willow sit then lay down, hand Ann the leash and I leave the ring "out-of-sight" for 3 minutes (seems like forever!)
Willow got up after 10 seconds but stood calmly beside Ann's chair ... that's allowed as long as the dog isn't frantic and pulling Ann off her chair!
"Return to your dog" Ann calls out and the test is over ... "Congratulations on passing your CGC" and we receive our gorgeous Rosette and ex-large dog biscuit ... OMG, I couldn't believe it (our worst performance together in the 7 weeks!!!) ... it felt soooo bad ;o)
It's all about the dog being calm, friendly and under control ... I'm sure having just come off a long 3 night 7p-7a work weekend, Willow could sense my fatigue and increasing nervous state of mind!

So those are the happenings during our "CGC" test ... Sighhhhhhh ;o)

and next we'll move on to "Intro to Agility" in October ;o)

IT'S ABOUT THE JOURNEY TOGETHER and NOT JUST the FINAL DESTINATION ...

GOOD GIRL WILLOW and LOVING HAPPY 8th MONTH BIRTHDAY :o)

Golden Embers Blog Book Came Today!

2010-09-15T21:18:00.000-04:00

Front Cover

It is certainly exciting to feel the thrill of being a "published author" once in one's life ... the Golden Embers Golden Retrievers Blog site has been made into a "one copy" 71 page soft cover book and it came out sooo well ... all the happenings and special photos saved ;o)
Since I started this blog on December 15, 2009, I've had many encouraging and supportive comments (both in the excitement and the grief) ... while it may have been therapeutic, my love of taking photos of the "Golden Girls" adventures certainly has made this a journey of LOVE ;o)

Back Cover

I've enjoyed it ... thanks to all who "Follow" us ... I'm excitedly looking forward to the girl's Volume II adventures ... it certainly started with a BANG with our Ocean vacation ;o)

"Hey Sutter, we're in this book" ;o)

Wonderful Ocean Vacation :o)

2010-09-11T10:25:00.006-04:00

We've arrived :o)

WOW ... this is FREEDOM is AWESOME!

Lookin' Pretty :o)

My Ball !!!!!

Running free before the rain ;-)

Footprints in the sand :o)

Getting the beachsand off in the outside shower!

This place has EVERYTHING!!!

Bone-chewing on our very own bed ... GREAT!!!!

Mom's inside LL Bean getting us new "bumpers" to toss at the pond at home .... Oh Boy!

Bye Old Orchard Beach Maine ... we'll definately be back ;o)

Thank You GOD for our wonderful vacation time together enjoying one of your natural beauties :o)

As September Starts!

2010-09-01T09:27:00.000-04:00

As 90 degree days usher in September 1st and folks sequester themselves in home-work-car air conditioning, I enjoy a steady breeze flowing through the wide open house ... the sun disappears earlier and earlier every evening, but I start my vacation by enjoying sitting at the picnic table under the 2 huge Beech trees, with a wondrous breeze, peeling my 3rd year of small but "juicy" peach crop, both for the freezer and crisp/cobbler ... the girls sit right close for those "bruise" spots ;o)

The trees are turning their wonderful Fall colors and the berries are gone, but Willow can still be spotted hunting under the bushes for a last berry or two ... there were 22 apples on our dwarf tree and I can pick a "fresh" eat any time I want (15 left)!
the school buses pass at the crack of dawn and at day's end!
sitting on the pond side dock where the kayak and rowboat are tied, I can look down and see various size tadpoles and tiny sunfish enjoying the sun-warmed water ... and I wonder if they'll make it through the upcoming Winter ... can they go deep enough in the pond to survive ... I want to hear those Bullfrog croaks join the Peepers serenade and watch those moving black clouds of "bazillion" Hornpout babies next Spring ;o)
the "veggie" garden struggled but with pond water pumped up with the submerged "sump pump", it produced just enough tomatoes, cukes, green beans and summer squash for us ... the "potted" lettuce is approaching an interesting flowering stage ... can't wait to see the flowers!
Willow is shedding her 2nd crop of "puppy" coat and I'm sad to see all that soft hair go ... it's being replaced with slightly darker and coarser feeling hair :-(
Sutter sheds some but nothing like our 7 month old girl :-)
all day long, the Woodpeckers and Nuthatches feed at the suet-feeders outside the kitchen window ... I place just a small piece of suet in each feeder during the heat of Summer and it's adorable watching each mother bird teach her baby to feed ... the babies are quite vocal :o)
since the berries have gone, I haven't seen the "now grown" Wood Duck youngsters feeding the pond edges for dropped berries morning and evening ... started with 9 ducklings and at last sighting there were varying numbers as they ventured out on their own ... I'm sure the Snapping Turtle and the Hawk cut their numbers!!!

last night as Willow and I came in from our nightly kayak paddle around the pond, there were close to a dozen huge beautiful green & turquoise Dragon flies flying around the yard :o)
I'm hunting for an audiotape of Owl calls, to identify the night sounds that I hear through the open windows ... fascinating to hear one calling to another and getting closer to each other ;o)

The girls and I have enjoyed time away from home this Summer visiting friends/family in Kennebunk Maine, Washington NH and Wolfboro NH ... all visits seem to have the same enjoyable WATER theme ...

See Willow learning to "Dock Dive" .... OOOOOhhhhh!

LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE FALL ADVENTURES :o)

Life is Sooo Short ... What Brings Happiness?

2010-08-23T09:33:00.002-04:00

Being a lover of fulfilling time spent with my "golden" girls and the relaxation enjoyed here at my lil' piece of heaven at "Golden Embers", I've unusually been "mind" wrestling recently with various thoughts & feelings ... questioning if they are spiritual or menopausal responses ?

making the time to return to Church after a brief hiatus ... I sooo love the hymns & spiritual songs :o)

to retire or keep working while I'm still physically able ... don't want to outlive nor leave the retirement $$ that I could have enjoyed more ... but on the other hand, working keeps my mind sharper and I enjoy my co-workers ... humm, 3 more years to the most profitable retirement age!

the wonderful "common interest" times that have been enjoyed with family ;o)

the fun & happiness that comes with feeling included with like-minded friends :o)

Sooo ... what's my answer to

DON'T POSTPONE the JOY!

August Already?

2010-08-10T21:47:00.002-04:00

August has started with one very sad goodbye ... this past week my family said "good bye" to my Mom's twin brother Ben ... common remembrances were his huge heart, his huge smile and his huge hugs ...

He'll be deeply missed :o(

Willow's first big Dog Show happened this past weekend dispite my work schedule and we were able to share in the nervous excitement ... we entered a special class for "amature handlers" like me and Willow at 6 months was judged to be worthy of a "Blue" ribbon ... then she competed with all the "big girl" blue ribbon winners from the other 5 classes ... What's that saying ... "it was an honor just to be nominated" ;o)

(thanks to Kara for the wonderful photo ... a day to remember for sure!)

Willow started her 7 week "Canine Good Citizen" class today and I'll update as that goes along ... we're just lovin' training together ... did I happen to mention what a quick learner she seems to be ;o)

As you can see, the relaxing blanket is spread but we are ready for whatever the rest of August has in store (training experiences, visit to my sister's vacation rental, Willow's 2nd dog show, connecting with friends) ... the blueberries are most gone (plenty frozen for winter pies) and now we're enjoying blackberries and waiting for our own peaches and apples to rippen ;o)

SUMMER IS JUST GOING WAY TOO FAST!!!

Celebrating Willow's 6 Month Birthday ;o)

2010-07-28T15:56:00.004-04:00

January 28th during a day-long snow blizzard, the SunKissed "Catch" litter was born in Charlestown NH to mama "Sophie" and dad "Apollo" ... 3 girls and 4 boys ... Willow was one of those girls and maybe I'm prejudice but I'll say she has the sweetest personality ;o)

Today those special pups celebrate their 6 month birthday and we here at Golden Embers, have had some pretty "FUN" celebrations together with our lil' girl ... a weekend away in Maine for a long over due visit to the Walkers and Matthews at their family lake camp ... an Ice Cream celebration at "Kimballs" in Jaffrey, NH (managing 2 doggie bowls and a cone proved to be quite a "melting" feat in 90 degree temps ... but what the heck, quick tongue licks helped clean up the drippy mess!!!!)

Then this past Monday Willow graduated from her "Basic Pet" class ... proudly I like to think with "HONORS", as she was pretty amazing (all of the 9 dogs made such great improvement from week #1) ... in a couple weeks she'll start a 7 week "Advanced Pet-Canine Good Citizen" class ... we both love taking class together ;o)

Oh ya, we still share in Sutter's Thursday morning Agility classes!

We've spent part of the afternoon today playing fetch in the yard ... retrieving balls & bumpers from the pond ... doing some kayaking, berry pickin' and tonight grilling some burgers, hotdogs and corn on the grill ... Oh Happy 6 month "Birth" Day

HERE'S TO MANY MANY MANY HAPPY BIRTHDAYS
and ADVENTURES AHEAD SWEET GIRL ;o)

Rainy Days are Great for Blogging :o)

2010-07-14T11:22:00.003-04:00

My 2009 summer spent shoveling gravel into my 12 hp lawn tractor-trailer and hauling it down to the soggy "Meadow Project" has now been somewhat flooded by the 2010 beaver's work ... it's turned into an "Island" ... needing a plank bridge to get to it ... OK, so "Cedar Pond" now has an island, with a hue of green as the grass seed has started to sprout ... hummm, do I order more gravel?
I heard on an NPR radio program that the "Dragon Fly" flies over clean water and is a good sign ... if that's the case, then all the huge helicopter-size and many wonderful tiny blue, yellow, red dragon flies that have been graciously eating our pesky mosquitoes, are a healthy water sign and I'm delighted :o)
Here at pondside, on my wonderful family "60th" birthday bench gift, rests my newest necessary foot apparell purchase (not the best of color choices) ... with the current high water level, wild "high-bush" berry pickin' is done from the "Cedar-Sage" rowboat, one of 2 kayaks or "Yup" wading to bushes wearing "high water" boots ... 14 quarts in the freezer thus far (for the pie lovers: it takes an hour plus to pick a quart and a quart to make a pie)
Willow just loves to walk the "dry" ground and graze from the many "low-bush" blueberry bushes ... attractive purple stools! Oh, and I tried kayaking with Willow and doing some berry picking ... creates quite a visual "Kodak moment" ... her mouth goes faster than my hands can pick! "Willow, get your snoot out of that berry pail!"

Where is Sutter you wonder ... lying back on the dock, waiting to be hand-fed her share of berries ... smart girl Sutter!

A wonderful benefit of the high water this late in the year is that I can kayak with each of the girls out into the quiet "Marsh" and enjoy the sound of nature ... normally the Marsh is only accessable in early Spring after the snow run-off ... approaching August, it is usually pretty dried up ... at the right of this photo, looking out into the marsh, you can see the beaver's lodge :-)

Reflecting:
back in 2007 when SunKissed Golden Retriever babies Lyric, Diva, Truly and Teller were just "lil' shavers", SunKissed friends spent a wonderful weekend at 3 days of showing in Essex Junction Vermont (Truly won "Best Puppy in Show") ... last year we returned to that fun scene and Lyric brought home 2 blue ribbons (ok, in each class by herself) ... well, it's that weekend again and the SunKissed friends are returning ... sadly, my work schedule won't let me join them this year   :-(

               DON'T POSTPONE the JOY ;o)

Berry Pickin' Time!

2010-07-10T16:30:00.004-04:00

First blueberries in the "Calder" berry basket

... a night relaxing at home

Inspecting the Beaver "Mud" work and reaping the benefits of high water swimming...

Our tiny vegetable garden, watered by pumping water from the pond (also keeping the grass green) ...

a visitor on the dock ...

A challenge is fighting for every handful of blueberries ... Willow at 6 months is truly carrying on Lyric's love of berries (on the bush or in the hand) ... Sutter appreciates a privilege of age and cashes in on those offered handfuls of pre-picked berries!

MISSING YOU SWEET LYRIC ... EVERY DAY :-(