Today Dennis left for Chilliwack, taking Amigo to his new family.  He had his check list, checked it several times, then off he went around 8:30 a.m. as planned.  About 20 minutes later I made my way upstairs and found, to my horror, his packed suitcase!  The stars were in our favour as when I phoned the cell, he actually had it on and was in an area along the way that had cell service.  He was at 16 km on the Colleymount Road, so turned around and came back.  Needless to say his departure was delayed significantly, but at least the inconvenience was minimal, compared to what it would have been had we not connected.  Poor guy!  His list didn't say, "put suitcase in van prior to departure." 

I can see how these things happen.  He had his chores to do this morning, even though I said I would do them.  He had several slips of paper to bring along dealing with things he was to do while away.  We put in an order at Lee Valley which he will pick up in Coquitlam, so he has the paperwork connected to that order.  Our Bose sounddock quit working so he has that to take along.  He has mail and papers for daughter Susan in Kamloops.  Plus, he has Amigo and his food, water, treats, host/hostess gifts for his brother and sister-in-law, plus his own water and snacks for the trip.  In the bustle of getting out the door with a dog the size of a small pony, the suitcase was forgotten. 

Niko, our little border collie with the back legs that don't bend, is really attached to Dennis.  He tolerates me, but he sees Dennis as the source of all things good.  Dennis takes him along whenever he works outside so the bond there is very strong.  Niko came upstairs after lunch and found some of Dennis clothes folded in a stack on the floor.  He sniffed them closely, then quietly lay down and placed his head on the pile of clothes. 

I will be the chief farmer and dog minder for the next 6 days.  Dennis had to make a flap in the fence so I could feed the sheep from the outside.  Ben, the ram, is very aggressive right now.  There is no way I will go in that pen.  I will feed and water them through the fence. 

Right now I have 2 extra dogs besides our 5. Sam, an older beagle, is staying until Saturday.  He belongs to my neighbours who need to go to Kelowna for a medical check-up.  Sam is as sweet as they get and is happy to just hang out in a sun patch on the floor.   Bella, my son's Akita, is staying for the rest of the month as he is just too busy in his store.  She is a lovely dog, full of energy.  She is good with people but tends to be a bit dog aggressive.  Today she was just too aggressive with Niko, who she normally plays with nicely.  After intervening a few times I felt it was time to separate them.  It is a beautiful and sunny day.  I wanted Bella to enjoy the sunshine so put her in the pen that housed Amigo during his stay here.  In the pen there is a barn full of hay, a heated water dish, and about a 50 ft. by 70 ft fenced yard.  The fence is 7 feet high.  After being in the pen for several minutes, Bella figured out there was a gap in the wire over the gate.  She got her paws up, pulled herself up, squeezed through the opening and over the fence she went.  I watched the whole thing happen.  She is a very clever dog.  Once out she just wanders around the yard, exploring and sniffing, then lies down on the deck.  She is a good dog in every way other than with other dogs.  She doesn't seem to accept it when other dogs tell her they have had enough.  But, this is easy enough to manage.  The older dogs are happy to just go outside for a few 1/2 hour breaks each day.  At those times Bella comes in and chills out in her crate. Seems to work just fine. 

Time to get on with my list of chores, all involved with improving the chi in this house.  I'm starting with the clutter. 

Here are some pictures taken on December 27, 2005.  Notice we had no snow at all.  It was beautiful!
That is my husband Dennis and my now late mother.  She came for Christmas for a couple of years.

One of the things Mum loved to do was sit around a camp fire.  We would have a fire whenever possible when Mum was here.   She loved to gather sticks to feed the fire.  We would have drinks and just enjoy the extended autumn.

 

Here is a picture taken the next day, December 28.  Our first snowfall, and one of many that year.  What follows here is a picture of Mum giving her opinion of the snowfall:

She's trying to look cross!

 

Bye for now!