Good Bye, Sweet Blaze.

We had to say good bye to our dear friend Blaze today - Farmer Man's best friend.  We knew it was coming but somehow you're still never quite ready to lose a pet.  He'd been slowing down this past summer and fall; he no longer followed either of us anytime we left the house, he slept more, he ate less.  We knew he didn't hear much anymore and suspected his eyesight was going.  Then, two days ago he just seemed to lose the use of his back legs.  We found we had to hoist up his back legs to get him to walk, he'd stagger outside and just lie down even in frigid weather.  We'd have to go hoist him up again to get him back inside.  He couldn't, um, lift-his-leg to do his business and would just fall down into whatever business he had done.  It was time to say goodbye...he could no longer function as a dog.

Blaze, a Border Collie cross, came to us through our pal Molly.  Almost twelve years ago Molly was a very young lady working for the summer at the Clear Lake trail riding ranch, which also held the Clear Lake/Wasagaming pound.  She had called home to her Mom saying that a lovely dog had come into the pound and was due to be put down and she just couldn't let that happen.  He had obviously been on the run a while and was a mess, but seemed to have a beautiful disposition.  Molly worked on finding him a home and when his time at the pound was up, Mom Nancy supported Molly's call and took the dog out of the pound.  Thank you, ladies!

Molly eventually got in touch with us, knowing that our farm dog Nicky was very elderly.  We had always loved the breed: Jes had always been interested in frisbee sports and a Border Collie would be a great match.  Farmer Man wasn't in town but I went over to Nancy's to meet the dog and fell in love!  I brought him home and Blaze was a bit of a surprise present!  Our vet, Dr. Sherry at Wheat City Vet, estimated he was three to four years old at the time.

It wasn't easy at first!  Blaze wasn't well socialized and we had the big farm dog (a Malamute) and we had little Teddy Bear, the diva.  Blaze also didn't like cats at all and the old farm cat Peanuts had to scratch his face a few times to teach Blaze some respect.  Because I didn't know the dog and was still working on walking him and teaching him simple commands, when I was working in the gardens early on I would tie him up someplace close by.  Soon, he was chewing through the rope to be free to come lie down beside me, where ever I was working.

Blaze really became Farmer Man's dog: Jes was always up-and-out earlier than I was.  Blaze would be with him every minute of the day.  When Farmer Man was working on the tractor, Blaze would find a place in the shade and just watch the tractor go up and down the rows.  At potato planting, when the speed is a little slower, Blaze would follow the tractor, up and down the rows. If the farmer was hoeing, Blaze would be lying someplace close.  He might take some time to go swim in the dug out, smelling bad for a time after, but he was never far for long.

When we acquired Grizzly Bear, Blaze and the puppy developed a special relationship.  I don't know if it was because Grizzly was the youngest, but he would groom Blaze intensely, licking his ears, face and even his teeth!  I wonder if Grizzly will miss him?  Blaze eventually became the most accepting dog, showing no problems with visiting dogs, barn cats, chickens and goats.  Even though he absolutely had Border Collie in him, he never showed any inclination to 'herd' anything, but that's okay.

Blaze was the kind of dog that didn't care about toys or treats - he just wanted love and pats!  Oh, he'd chase a ball or frisbee, sometimes he'd bring it back.  But what he loved most was getting his tummy rubbed and his ears scratched.  He was always a hit when we did farm tours, even with children because he would just lie down, roll over and offer his tummy!

I know we'll just automatically be looking for him for a while; it will be hard to find him 'not there'.  Hopefully, he had a good life and enough love and pats!  And we'll see him again....over the Rainbow Bridge.

The First Pastel Egg!

We've waited a while for the Chicks to start laying eggs.  In the last few weeks we've gone from three eggs a day from the old Hens to about fourteen a day!  When the Chicks really get going, we should get about thirty eggs a day.  But, what I've been waiting for is a pastel Ameraucana egg!  It's why I got the breed, aside from the fact that they are beautiful hardy birds, because they lay gorgeous blue/green eggs!  The  eggs are ultimately no different in taste or nutrition to any other egg, and you don't get the shell served on your plate with your eggs, but still I had a yen for some pretty eggs.

We've been getting brown eggs from the Sex Links, in a small way,  for about two weeks. Finally, yesterday morning, an Ameraucana Hen laid an egg!  Unfortunately, she chose to lay it by the front door, on the outdoor bed for Blaze the Border Collie.  Blaze was the first to spy it and promptly picked it up, brought it to Farmer Man's feet and dropped it!  Splat! went my first beautiful egg.  We figure Blaze thought it was a wee ball and wanted Farmer Man to throw it for him.  There on the pavement was a gorgeous, deep yellow yolk and bits of a truly lovely egg: somewhere between sky blue and mint green.  The picture doesn't really do it justice - it is really a lovely shade!  Oh well, I don't get to eat my first pastel egg but there will be more to come! 

Ohhhhhhhh, Good.........

After a beautiful day yesterday - blizzard today. Now, I know that there are places in the world where the weather is truly outrageous - our thoughts go out to the people of Japan, and we've been worried all day about friends in Japan and tsunami prone areas like Hawaii, the Pacific Coast and Los Cabos. But, but, it's almost mid-March. And we're having a white-out! What melted yesterday is now a layer of ice under, at this time, four or five inches of new snow. It's going to be very interesting getting around the next few days. Of course, not all of us seem to mind as much: Blaze is enjoying himself immensely!

Enjoying A Nice Day!

We've been quite a pair of hermits; with temperatures hovering around -40 C (with the windchill) we've been snuggling up to the wood stove with the seed catalogues. Well, today, we finally got out and about for a while. Temperatures rose steadily to a balmy -2 C, with a windchill of just -12 C (about 8 F). The dogs were well over due for a good walk, and fun was had by all! A nice stroll down our gravel road, a little snow swimming for those little dogs that thought they could run over the fields and snow drifts. Even The Hens and Rocky ventured out for a while!

I Smell Gopher!!

Blaze is on the trail! He's got the scent! And he's not giving up......until dinner time! Anytime Farmer Man is working around the farm, Blaze is with him. The only time Blaze abandons him is when Farmer Man is working around the large north field, which is in alfalfa and grass. Soon, the siren call (or squeak) of gophers lures Blaze away. And he becomes obsessed. And he never gets one! But we give him full credit for never giving up!!

New Look: Summer 2010

Don't know if it is the latest fashion, but The Bears have a new look for Summer 2010. It's a little over-due, but it's hard to get into a groomer in Brandon; they are the busiest people around here (after the Tim Horton's coffee people, probably). It would have been nice to have The Bears this short before tick season started, but that is how it goes! They look (and smell) gooooood right now! Next on the agenda: Blaze for a summer strip-down and bath. Blaze, who loves swimming in the dugout, smells really baaaaad right now - so we can hardly wait for his appointment next week! We may even have to have an intervention bath before his appointment.

Dog Days!

Happy, happy doggies everywhere around Aagaard Farms! Days of romping, roaming, digging, swimming, chasing!! Yesterday, during potato planting Panda Bear and Grizzly Bear were just in doggie heaven; they followed the potato planter, sniffed at all the freshly turned earth, trotted up to say hi to Vartan and Natalia anytime the planter stopped, rushed off to check a gopher hole, chased some birds, barked at an airplane, ran to the house for a drink, barked at a passing car and just on and on and on. Blaze was not far behind them, and he also had a swim in the dugout, one of his favorite things. Diva Teddy Bear was, of course, not mixed up in any of this nonsense. She spent most of the day reclining at the front door.

The First Asparagus, and The First Skunking...

Ah, Spring. Farmer Man found the first asparagus last night. We'd walked the rows about a week ago and found no sign of anything but weeds. Last night, he scored!! A handful of short, fat shoots - just yummy!! If you've never had fresh asparagus from the garden (truly fresh, minutes from the garden) it's glorious! Are we still eating local? You bet! Last night's dinner was our own, homegrown pork roast, our own Russian Blue potatoes, fresh asparagus and some store-bought yam (from far, far away, as they say in The Dark Days Challenge). Just delicious!

All this has been tempered this morning by Blaze and Grizzly Bear having their first meeting with a skunk this year. Wasn't as bad as it could have been....neither was fully sprayed. But even a little whiff of skunk is too much! The occasion called for an impromptu bath by hose with the special skunk shampoo. Much struggling, whining, and shaking later, the situation seems under control! Now we've just got a couple of wet dogs getting dirtier by the minute as they go around the farm!

The Neighbors Come A-Calling!

Out to check the chicken coop last night - too early and too light to actually tuck The Hens into bed. Just checking and having a stroll around. Just past the coop, what do we see but some of the neighbors! There are plenty of deer around these parts, but they don't come too close, and we don't often see them this early in the evening. I think having dogs (even though The Bears only come up to a deer's ankles) and the barking and scents seem to keep the deer away from the house. Now, if Blaze had been with us, instead of reclining on the front driveway, he could have had big fun and an awesome work-out!

Little Doggie, Big Bed!

Farmer Man's brother-in-law, Murray, was our awesome house/chicken/dog/cat sitter while we got a little winter vacation this year. He must have mentionned to his wife, Susan, that The Three Bears had cute little beds, but Blaze, the border collie had none; Blaze just finds a comfy spot by Farmer Man and stretches out. Murray was heading our way this weekend, and sister Susan sent along a little (well, big!) present for Blaze: a beautiful, round, plush bed. Funny thing is, Blaze doesn't seem interested. We've called him, told him to sit here, wrestled him onto it, rubbed his tummy, draped ourselves over it, wrapped him in it to get his smell on it but no, he's not interested. He slept last night curled around it! However, Panda Bear is rather enjoying it.......

Snow Day!

Woke up this morning to a fresh covering of snow - everything looks beautiful, clean and fresh! Officially we've had 6.2 cm (almost 3 inches) of new snow. Now, it's February and really, snow is not unexpected, but I could live without more. However, I realize that all the snow that sits out here now becomes the water in the irrigation dugout in the spring, so I really should be happy! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....First problem: it was also windy, so in some places the snow has blown in over a foot deep. Second problem: Farmer Man is still away, so shovelling is my duty. Blaze and The Three Bears are enjoying it! My kitchen floor: a wet, muddy mess!

Where'd That Darn Squirrel Go?

He was here all summer! Blaze has a thing for a squirrel. All summer, any time either of us was working in the barn or around the chicken coop, Blaze would be off to find the squirrel. The squirrel lives in the bit of shelter belt by the coop, and for hours Blaze will follow him as he leaps from tree to tree, going about his business. So, daily, when we go to collect eggs, Blaze searches for his 'friend' but I'm afraid he's got at least six weeks before he finds him again!

Doggie Play Date?

Now, we have some dogs. Blaze, the Border Collie, you've met, if you've been reading this blog. We also have three 'Little Bears', three small lap dogs. We seem to attract the neighbour's dogs on a regular basis. Copper, who lives just west of us, is over here almost every day lately. They are such sociable dogs, and I don't think her people are home much. To the east of us are two mixed breeds, an Akita-cross named Sam, and a mix named Libby. These two don't come hang around like Copper, but if we're out in the east field they'll come by for a visit. Everybody gets along quite well, and it's fun and romping in the field!

Aquacize for Dogs!

Blaze likes to swim in the dugout in hot weather. It's one of the reasons he smells bad all season, with little pieces of muck hanging off him. But yesterday, it became apparent that it can be a good thing. Blaze was at the vet a week ago, who said he was a little lame because he was getting older (like the rest of us!) and because he was a little over-weight. So, during his swim yesterday he decided to give chase to a pair of ducks nesting in the area. The ducks didn't seem even slightly worried, they just swam ahead; when they got to the end they just flew up and landed maybe six feet behind him and started paddling in the opposite direction. Blaze would turn and dog paddle after them. This went on for an HOUR, maybe twenty laps of the dugout! Great workout for the old dog and did he sleep like a baby last night!

A Personal Day, Sort Of....

It was a Sunday off, the first in quite a while. Farmer Boy did start out with some serious work - weed suppression in the potato field. (You GO, Farmer Boy!). I worked in the beds and borders, which are seriously behind schedule (The Veronica teucrium IS alive, yeah!!) Then, off to try out our new fishing gear! Farmer Boy has fished since he was a little boy, and Santa brought him the gear for Christmas. We went out yesterday to get a second set and then after set-up and practice at home it was off to the river. Definitely a learning curve to this fishing thing - push forward, hold line, cast, push back. I wasted more line reeling in the wrong direction but may have the hang of it now, sort of. We'll try again next day off.

Then, off to refurbish the fountain that is beside our outdoor sitting area. Farmer Boy decided we needed a deeper reservoir so out came the old pond and in went a new deeper one. The foundation is a piece of rebar and an old potato fork. Then, the artful stacking of rocks and we have a beautiful, lyrical little fountain. By bedtime, though, it was apparent that tooooo much splashing was going on, we were losing too much water so some rocks will have to be re-arranged. Faithful Blaze supervised the whole procedure.

A Long, Hard Day....

Every farmer needs a faithful companion. Blaze is Farmer Boy's. He is with Farmer Boy constantly during the day; he'll follow the tractor up and down the field (finally, he'll get smart and go lie in the shade and just watch the tractor go by). He's there for the hoeing and weeding, he's there for the feeding of the chickens, he's there for transplanting seedlings although he occassionally likes to lie down on the flats of plants. There is only occasionally some seperation if a gopher calls it's siren song and Blaze must response. After a long, hard day he loves to go for a swim in the dugout, where he emerges dripping, kind of slimy and smelling bad but very happy! And then, the only reward he craves a good rub on his belly! (Which, of course, is kind of slimy and smelly)