mar 7 2023 

i have not run out of broadway shows to express my frustration-  i will work on it..  "Roar of the Greasepaint Smell of the Crowd" comes immediately  to mind.....there are several shows who's lyrics are  now politically incorrect but  still interesting... 

meanwhile-- judy has me and my "only 3" dogs  booked for a speaking bit... i think at 11 at a retirement  home...

we work on our weekly goal of making 100 people smile per week... yesterday she "did 42"  with just sizzle because i had the other 2 in my car while i tried to solve other details. and i thought 3 dogs are a lot for judy to handle-- especially since one of them would have been larkey who is soooooo happy to go anywhere.  i have done this kind of thing with an entire litter of pups... it is fun/

how many of you remember the bit about  if a load of hay passed you on the highway, you got to make a wish...  i am thinking maybe that concept might allow the people involved with the equine rescue network a chance to help with the hay... several people have sent checks- and thank you very much.... but i should get it organized so the folk  who might not have a million dollars could help with $10.. that is the cost of a bale if i pick it up at the truck stop... and i don't mind doing that-- it saves $4.50 per bale a week. and we use 80 bales between meridith and crazy acres. plus ERN does have  their own 501 c3.... which i will publish when i get a bit further-- for those who don't know... ern rescues equines from the slaughter trucks going to mexico,, or in the case of donkeys... China-- for makeup...speciality are teh draft horses who have spent years pulling a plow. and are just worn out.... they often buy those  to get them here to learn to eat carrots, get medically cared for and then go to meridith for    i hate to say. " a soft landing". but that is what it is... to prevent them from being put in those crowded trailers.. we did this with "moe". a belgain mule  in tough shape.. harness scars , head hanging, angry kicking... all 1800 skinney pounds...  we never thought she would make it thru a new england winter...

 that was 3 or 4 years ago..... but now she gobbles carrots, stands shock still for kids to  brush her legs and on ocassion she has worn the usual work harness for a tug of war with a group of kids.   she still is awfully old... does not gain weight in spite of everything... but she  now stands under a tree and naps very poetically.  she can be seen from the street....

then there is the rare ocassion a healthy younger horse is auctioned off - who knows why... but often it is a behavioral problem so it arrives here and our resident bull rider tries to ride and train it... which would make it saleable for a profit --- in order to buy the hay for the rest of the rescues. it is 99% volunteer effort... wallace  does get paid per ride-- which can sometimes be fun to watch.... he has not yet fallen off anyone...... yet

 mar 6 

i am the pothole between a rock and a hard place--- crazy acres has always been teetering under some impossible project or another.... and flexibility to weather any storm has always been our success..  i personally need another project equally as compelling-- i have turned over the mamagement of the SDP to the board and lynn-- who i hope will recognize that does not mean i have turned over the CONTROL of me.. because i am sure you all recognize life would be a lot simpler if i was just stashed away in a nursing home--- to be medcated to snoozing like all the places i now enjoy visiting. with the 3 dogs i now own. i have always had 4 to 8 ..... as long as i have a breath in me--- and can back up a trailer, i  have and can earn enough money to support myself and whatever animals i choose to acquire....  without that project, i will put my dogs in the forrunner, take that iron stove apart and put it in the trailer and drive off looking for a place to live. there is a broadway show song.  from .. "carnival"--- "i've got to find a reason..." ---wonderful show.... PAUL-- SINGING Look my friend do what’s best for you Do what’s best for you Look my friend I’m out of step with the rest of you Is this the answer to your prayer That’s fine, your prayer not mine Your life not mine The phony and fake with nothing to take Or bring to the world Just cling to the world for life Look my friend I’m out of step with the rest of you I’ve got to find a reason For living on this earth I’ve got to find a reason For taking the space I take Breathing the air I breathe There’s more to this there’s more to me Something in me that needs to Do more than suck the breath from life Like moss and leaves and weeds do Holding up my head Holding down a place Being worth a name To go with my face I’ve got to find a reason For living on this earth Something to want Something to be Somehow to say   I am me L aaaaaast amen aaa aUpdate: June, 10th 2013 amen

 march 5 2023

so many people say their pets crossed the bridge-- when the wonderful part is the concept that your pets stay there waiting for you to join them... then. you cross the bridge together.,

i have so many pets waiting for me, i need to worry about the underpinnings of the bridge.

 mar 4

my biggest internet problem is i do not know how to get things off my camera and onto emails to put on. my computer for use wiht the news.... it sounds so easy... others try. and give up----- i dunno why... but that doesn't help....   i write a lovely funny story and can not get a photo to go with it i have never been able to work the camera and the dog at the same time. i just wrote   " now i sit me down to eat i pray the lord the dog won't eat  my dinner."    and all i could come up with was a picture of courtneys baby with her dog's head right at the highchair table...   it is a really great photo, but i think it has been in the paper before. and i need one before 10:00 today i can put food on my coffee table and get dog's heads inteh photo... take the picture..  then curse away because my phone does not send photos well at all. dead end./ 2 loads of hay are in---- thanks to 4 at meridith.---- and bud and " m1 helper" putting up the hay elevator... then carlie and "other m2....?mike?) loaded hay into loft so many mmmmmm's. so little memory.... many hands " the devils playground???" no that doesn't sound right "light work"?or was that idle hands???  and .. camera mark--- did you get my email about the photos??? and i was to warn people about ??? shutterfly eliminating some services... picture storage ... or somethign ... and going in with ??? costco.. so consider yourself warned... even if i can't remember why. topsfiled 8 inches.\due.... and it is ?raining? this picture was animalepisodes... in boston... on the common... in a big tent for 30 days and nights ... as santas farm 8 dogs and 30? other animals donkeys etc.

 we get too soon old and too late smart.... I've been warning about the the drought---and lack of water being a problem in ways we didn't foresee... and now the deluge of water in California is not sinking in to the water table but causing mud slides into thE ocean... which will not help next summer. This snow pack will help some...... but.... my local frantic problem .... is the hay crop---local being in  Canada---Which is where I've been getting our hay from.. but I went to get it Wednesday and found that Monday's hay truck was already empty and the next load would be Thursday evening so he suggested I come back on Friday morning which is exactly what I will be doing....  hopefully with Judy I think ---though on these hay  trips it's not totally necessary for me to have a second person... I just back in and they load it-- they tie it down--- I pay them ---and go away.. where I go to Meredith and somebody gets it to dump while I sit... I pull forward-- lower the trailer and go home... that doesn't take two people...but it is more fun.....

Between Elizabeth and Carly they will get it taken care of and Carly says if I manage to get a second load today that she and her significant other will see that it gets in  my barn as reserve.

 

Today's statistical question....  if baking sweet rolls makes you gain 3 pounds in one day. why does NOT baking sweet rolls make you lose 3 pounds in one day ?

it doesn't work like that.. but they were good..  The whole project started with simple naan bread  Which leaves out the brown sugar butter and Karo.

 

I was trapped in the house yesterday  .... giving me a perspective of what lots of “elderly” people go. Thru..... my problem was my car—which is usually parked up the hill by the front door.. Was still hooked to the hay trailer and there was really no logical reason to unhook it which means poor mark has to deal with the on and the off---- I forgot to mention the fact I had no golf cart up by the front door either..  I'm sure in an emergency I could have walked down the hill which was icy or more probably gone down cellar and out through the garage is would probably be a safe way to go... but I've gotten spoiled between the warm car and the golf cart.. so having nothing to do I hopefully have finished up the paperwork to give to the accountant to get my IRS taxes up to date... thank heavens I have COVID to blame things on.. although I think at 85 I can get

away with a lot ----hopefully.. I know that I have asked for the forms to send in money when you don't send paperwork...  and I have not received any... I think they expect me to get it off the Internet... but again I'm 85 I don't get along well with the Internet anyway if they expected me to send them money then they ought to be able to send me the forms.. we'll see if that works. My paperwork is a bit late.

go back to the trapping concept--- I certainly got a picture of a person sitting in a chair staring at a black television-- all alone nothing to do.  the commercials on TV for local daycare help show a smiling younger woman help and older woman on with it sweater...  well around here yesterday it was Karen and she didn't help me on with the sweater but she did bring me Indian food.. 

 

Judy and I have a personal goal of 100 people per week and this week we have not done it I'm ashamed to say.

she has been in contact with a lot of senior drop in centers. but their activities directors are all booking Appearances sometime in April... Where she was gone the month of January on a well deserved vacation, we got behind in our organization because in January she would have been booking March and heaven knows there are a whole lot of places they are thrilled to have us come.

we did have a new thought with this leave explore cameras running....  topsfield senior center wanted to know what was teh cost FOR THE ELECTRICITY --- because some one would question that....sounds like ipswich neighsayers....with the noisy smelly dog arguement.

does anyone know cost of running a tv????

 

that's not totally unlike what happened to us last year Where we didn't breed to have puppies, so now we're going through a period of no puppies to graduate  for the next year or two....  hopefully  cici is pregnant it will have puppies sometime in may 2023.  hopefully we will raise these the old service dog project way so that they would be ready to graduate sometime in may of 2024 if  lucky.  We got out of step between the neighbors complaing about noise and covid--- whatever... SDP needs 3 litters of 6 pups each to function efficiently with a few dogs constantly in every level of training.... with a constant availability of graduates.  it's been a while since we have had that.

 mar 3 2023

carl and his training problems....... his added complication is that malarkey  - his brother--- has domininated him and is fouling up my progress.... larkey does not do a thing.... EXCEPT  a very quiet growl whenever he walks by Carl... and carl just backs away... it was evident yesterday with all 4 in the car- and judy decided to water them by holding a plastic bag open for them to drink...( out of the back window...)..i will watch his breakfast when anyone gets here to feed. no fight. just a simple "good morning Carl- now if you would just step aside and let me eat your breakfast too."

? news? 

Nice Friendly baseball game--- 2 teams. 4 umpires

Went for 9 innings with tied score

At which point the umpires left the field because their contract was for 9 innings.

So the 2 captains decided to bash. On without them.... and it worked.

ouch----the umpires were tecnically correct.... but...talk about taking you eye off the ball....

i do enjoy  noticing how errors are made...ok i was on january calendar-- needed to flip to  feb 3rd and note a dr apt.... so i flipped up the page ... and teh 3rd was right where i expected it to be on

 a friday.  and filled in the info....then judy tells me the march  calendar says  i have another dr apt  tomorrow march 3rd....  because i caught and flipped 2 pages... and because feb had 28 days the 3rd of march was also a friday. 

from another source i had kept the feb 3rd apt ) 

whoda thought?

pouring  rain-- i can not get hay today even if they had any.... so to morrow...  i saw this hay bit coming and have a little extra in our loft... but i need to do more...

we have 2 senior drop in centers right near the hay guy-- so that works...  getting to 100 people a week. is a challange.. but we are on it.  i was really impressed with topsfield's senior center

friendly place  on the second fl;oor of  a new addition out back --they quickly added --- with an elevator

the old, origiobnal town hall part has very narrow corridors--- and we had 3 danes.... all behaving... but nce in the building i did take their collaers off- so people can't grab them.. and we walked to the elevator- all 3 dogs whoa'd at the door and stood even as the door opened.. til i said ok get in.. and all 3 got in like they were going to church ! it was impressive... and was noted by the small crowd we had aquired...

and i remembered..... 40 years ago... the topsfield dog officer said to me  " why anyone would want a dog that big i do not know". it may have taken me 40 years, but it went thru my head when all the staff of this town hall admired 3 well trained dogs. 

i should not even mention it.. pride goeth before a fall.

 carl does not come when called.... lesson... in boring detail.....

“ carl...come”

 

Written in dog lesson language

 person language--- dog reaction---- person reaction.  Repeated 123456 times//

preparation. Cotton loose leash---- small cookie set aside--  confined area some how—one or two rooms ...

 sitting quietly-----

************

carl come---naw,  I don't feel like it---don't move

Carl come---get lost--- pick up leash and walk to  Carl put leash around his neck and pause

CARL COME---NO----- YANK HIM ONTO HIS FEET AND LOOSEN THE YANK STAND--- PAUSE..

 

IF HE TAKES ONE STEP FORWARD.  Which he may do because he knows damn well what he's supposed to be doing

then very sweetly good boy--Good boy--good boy and don't tighten the leash at all and step backward one step yourself and say

 Carl come---He will probably stand very still and say to himself “this is not going as I planned but  I maybe better rethink it.. and give her another small step”  and maybe I can teach her not to yank.”-----  repeat til your rear is near a seat and  the cookie and.....

then very sweetly good boy--Good boy and give him a big head hug- ear scratch 30 seconds— 

then give him the cookie let him go to end if loose leash if that happens....---- he will stand there and say “what the f#$%$^&* was that all about”

wave your fingers in front of his face and say ok.. go way lie down...---W..H...A...T ????----waving fingers repeat.  go away lie down

sitting still if he does not move---say back and touch toes with your toe...... this woman is nuts...

 

At this point he will do one of two things he will either go away from you. TO POSITION “A”  or he'll just back up a little further....

Either way... carl come..... Let me try the one step forward again and seen WHAT she DOES-----good boy good boy good boy head hug. NO COOKIES.  HEAD HUG-----  darn I Thought that might have produced the cookie---  stop look and think

good boy wave fingers backup more finger wave go away and lie down-  I'm supposed to back up?---  Good boy  5 seconds of pause

Quietly Carl come and watch for the slightest movement forward which gets the good boy head hug, ear scratch and then hand wavego away and lie down

and watch for the slightest movement backward. which gets the repetitive head hug ear scratched

10 seconds oh good boy and pause and repeat come to get a step forward and a good boy. and the hand way and go away and lie down  that's another good boy.. and all of a sudden he will say ---- I GOT IT-----  LET HIM TOTally loose in the house

 

To be repeated from  “A”. maybe ½ hour later—and he will test to be sure the rules are still the same so have leash and cookie ready

 

Tapering this to practice in  real life. A shorter time between carl come – have cookie--- and go away. And eventually.. no cookie... just  good boy’s....

EVENTUALLY GET TO THE GAME OF FORWARD AND BACK WITH SUPER GREASY HAMBERGER AND YOU  SHOUL D HAVE A TRAINED DOG.  NOW PRACTICE SOUNDING ANGRY.... BECAUSE THAT MIGHT HAPPEN TOO.