Midtown Ranch

We’ve had lots going on with Elizabeth Katherine and Alaskan summer.

Honda engine is being repaired instead of replaced – woo hoo! I will be without a vehicle for a couple weeks but that is not a great trial. Bus and walking will do for most needs. Elizabeth Katherine and I took the bus on Friday to run an errand – no sweat.

Colony Days was last weekend. We went sheep herding then boogied over to Palmer. We caught most of the parade and ate a lot of delicious food. Sweetie Pies – pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, raspberry. We ate the raspberry piping hot while waiting in line for our tamales (one pork, one smoked brisket). There was some tasty spillage. We also encountered our first yarn bombing which was tremendously silly and cool. Trees were festooned with hand knit articles in an explosion of color and texture. My favorite was the witch legs discreetly peeking from beneath some bushes. We wrapped up with coffee at Vagabond Blues.

Sheep herding – Katie’s got her mojo back. She wasn’t much interested in herding over the winter (with the cold temps who can really blame her) but she was ON this saturday. She gave me some very nice aways and go byes, then sassed the ram too much and got charged. She was more circumspect after that. Her fetches need some improvement. We did not attempt any driving. Overall I was delighted with her work. On Kate’s second go around I loaded Elizabeth Katherine into her Moby sling and took her out sheepherding for the first time. Elizabeth Katherine is  a natural and took to the activity like a champ <grin>. The Moby sling worked fabulous at holding Elizabeth Katherine secure and safe on my chest. Kate is calm enough with the sheep that we were able to get a good feel for how practical herding with Elizabeth Katherine will be – totally doable. Suzanne herded Bing for me, I will be far too slow for a while. Bing was mightily distracted on his first go around – I made the mistake of herding with Kate in the adjacent arena simultaneously. Totally unfair to expect a novice dog like Bing to herd well under those circumstances. His next go was significantly better. He works so very nicely for Suzanne. The lambs are a real pleasure to work this year. They’ve had enough time to grow up a little and don’t look like the yummy little gyros that they did last year.

Garden – potatoes are in, nothing else. Set up a red neck irrigation system in the backyard using an electric timer, 4 way outlet, and soaker hoses. This will also top up the chicken water for us several times a day. If we get the rest of the plants into the ground I have some small hope we will have a modest harvest in the fall despite the distraction and extra work that EKA brings to our family.

Kate’s pups – several have gone to their new homes. Pistol, the pup we fell in love with, will be living with a very nice family in Palmer. They may be interested in herding so we will have an opportunity to see if the herding instinct came out in this breeding. That would be so very exciting if it did!

Would you like to see professional photos of Kate’s pups, Lucy’s pups, and family portraits?
Check local photographer David Jensen’s blog and dig through the posts to these dates:
June 7, 2012 (Kate’s litter)
May 29, 2012 (second blog entry)
May 29, 2012 (first blog entry)
May 23, 2012 (family portraits)
David Jensen’s Blog and Fresh Art

Elizabeth Katherine – She continues to be a delight and a source of deep fatigue. We are working on resolving her anemia (not unusual for preemies). Went to Providence to have a blood draw and swung through Maternity to say hello to our nurses. She is up to 8 pounds 15 ounces. We work on tummy time daily, and finding thumbs so she will have something to help soothe when her pacifier is unavailable or dropped. She has outgrown her early clothing. Fortunately there are many outfits for her current and future sizes! Sleep is for the weak and childless.

Bing is devoted to Elizabeth Katherine. Kate thinks diapers are keen. Today Bing hopped up on the couch to be next to Joanne, holding his baby. He sits near her swing, and kisses her when she is having tummy time (and at any other opportunity). He gets very concerned when she cries and crowds us to see whats going on with her girl. I am so proud and pleased with our very fine corgi boy.

Chickens – no chicks yet. Cross your fingers for white chanteclers. The two partridge chanteclers (about 8 years old, from our original chick batch in the first year) and their Wyandotte half breed offspring (about 4 years old, I think) are happy that it is summer. They enjoy dust bathing in the garden and in a shallow impression under a cottonwood stump. They nip the tips off the grass. I like watching them. They are all laying and we are getting eggs regularly despite their age.