Happy Leap Day From Whiz World

 

AGILITY!!!

Fin and I are playing again, albeit, carefully.  Had a fun weekend with one day AKC and one day Derrett seminar.  Learned so much both days.

Jumpers:  The opening felt really great, it was smooth and fast.  I was behind on the straight away to the weaves and we lost it there.  Never really got our mojo back, but had fun getting outta dodge :)



Ah. Standard:  Note to self.  Practice leadout using a collapsed tunnel.  Otherwise a fantastic run.

 Things to take away from both the trial and my seminar.

• Work on my lead out pivots, success and failure. Success with jumps, failure with the collapse tunnel. 
 
• Work my rear crosses, need to tighten those up and run through them, no more decell to set Fin on the correct line, move into it rather than stopping.
• Work around the back (my out cue) in a lead out pivot situation.
• Work independence on difficult lines (90 degree from weave to a broad).
• Contacts, whew, at least those are good.
• Continue weave independence training

Honestly, I'm just happy my knee is holding up.  Mild discomfort still, but healing really nicely.  I certainly dodged a bullet on this one.

Turkey!

I do live in the country.  Guess who came to visit.  Two huge Toms with a bunch of girls.

This is looking up the hill from my house.

As I was watching, a car came down the hill.  The boyz took it on.  They stood in the middle of the road challenging the car saying, "gobble, gobble."  The car just stopped.  All the girls continued across the road and once they were across and on the neighbors lawn, the boyz followed and allowed the car to continue.  Must be spring.

Worms

I had no idea.

 How much duct work was actually in my house.

When I look at the condition of these ducts I'm really glad that I'm getting them all replaced.

Motivation you ask?  Why Vici.  What could possibly make me replace all my duct work in the middle of winter (although you wouldn't know it was winter based on the wonderful weather we are having).

So, remember the rats that love me.  That like to come to winter at my house?  Well evidently they discovered the mysterious and wonder of the heating system with all the cozy nooks and cranies making themselves at home.  Tazz found a new sport, running from heater vent to heater vent making things scurry.  Totally freaking me out.

On a side note, 12 years ago I moved into this house and had it inspected.  Both the house inspector and PG&E told me I needed to replace the heater.  Funny how I can procrastinate for 12 years...but then how a furry little creature can motivate me to action.

Such is life.

And the beat goes on

Ahh the joy.  My knee is so much better.  I even worked out a bit today.

I am still unable to gracefully get up from the ground, but that will come.  Agility looks promising for the weekend.  Hike, no so sure...but absolutely a nice long walk.

Today I am incredibly grateful that I did not break something and that the contusion is showing signs of great improvement.  I'm grateful that my dogs don't care and just want to hang out and play with me whether I'm running or sitting on a bench in the backyard. 

I should be grateful that the heater people are here replacing all of my heater vents under the house and providing me with a new heater.  But honestly, I'm just cold.  I hold all of that grateful feeling once the heater gets turned on  (looking like Friday)!

Ouch

Today I'm looking at pretty flowers. 

Pretty flowers are better than talking about my ouch.

Got distracted walking back to my car, looking in my purse, talking, and didn't see the curb.  Hit my knee hard.  All my weight bang, on my knee.  Words that should not come out of my mouth, did.  My cousin was with me and he said afterward, he was more concerned with my swearing then my fall as he had never heard me swear before (Ha, little does he know about my sailor mouth!).

Oh look.  Another pretty flower.  So I've been icing it.  Taking Advil.  There is improvement. 

Today's agility trial did not happen for team Whisner :(  Next weekend we have a one day Saturday AKC.  I am hoping to attend that one.  I have a plan if I can't run.  Fin's back up handler will be going with us.  Today, I am optimistic about the weekend, but realistic about today.  There will be no hiking hills for a few more days.  Hopefully Friday.  We'll see. 

Where did this week go?

Interesting thing happened at the trial last weekend.  It was cold, I was exhausted, I did a good job of warming up my dog, but not myself.  Came home with tight calves that felt like they were in a permanent cramp.  No fun. 

No exercise for me.  Tues I did go to agility and I seemed to be getting better, but Wed the cramps were back so stayed home from class and just worked and relaxed.  I walked around the neighborhood so the dogs wouldn't go nuts, but stayed away from the gym and the hills.  Drank a ton of water. Did a ton of stretching.

Good news.  Feeling better today.  So off to the hills we went.

Just a beautiful day.  Got there by 8am (meant to get there earlier...but).  It was a crisp 40 degrees.  Fin and Tazz had a great time.  We were all by ourselves except for the start of the hike.  I do hate the uphill, but gosh do I love the nature.

Fin was her usual, "I want to go fast and if I can't go fast I'm going to sulk" mode.  Tazz just enjoyed the hiking.  His new thing is barking at the birds and attacking the newts.  I keep telling him that he needs to focus on the walking and stop all this extra curricular activity.  No one listens to me anymore.  Ah well.

The weekend just went too fast!

VAST USDAA.  In a nutshell not alot of Q's, but fun times had by all.

Tazzie did great in the cold weather on Saturday getting 2 Q's and placements.  Sunday he ran hard but no Q's due to an off course and popped weaves.  So 2 out of 5 is actually really great for the Tazz man. 

Fin had a fantastic time with drool and growlies on every run.  This girl puts her heart and soul into agility.  So happy.  One Q in Jumpers on a tough course. Everything else a little thing here or a little thing there.  GP (still looking for that darn Q!) was not to be with an off course tunnel after a very long day just too tempting for the Finster.

Master jumpers.  A fun but challenging course.  The top 3 finishers (Fin in 3rd) were .7 seconds away from each other.  Soooo close!

Masters Standard.  Ahhhhhhhh if I could just take my handling after the table and replace it with actual handling.  Otherwise a really perfect run. 

Tazzie Jumpers on Saturday. 

Overall, fun times.  I thought I ran well and I'm, as always, so happy to have such wonderful friends making agility so much more.

Some days are easier then others

Boy I did NOT want to go to the gym today.  Nope, didn't want to go.  I spent 2 hours procrastinating.

I was going to groom the dogs but got sidetracked because my clippers were broken.  Then was going to do a load of laundry but got side tracked when the dogs wanted to go outside.  Then I was going to work but got sidetracked by facebook. 

Finally.  I forced myself to get my workout cloths on, getting sidetracked twice before finally making it to the car and heading over the the gym.  Once there I worked my cardio.  I pushed.  Then came home.  Now it is time to go to agility and I'm sidetracked by my blog.

Enough of this madness.  I'm outta here.  Not going to look at this computer again until tomorrow.

A beautiful day here in Morgan Hill

A nice walk, gym, sitting in the sun with four dogs, listening to the quail nesting in the bushes, smelling b-b-que, playing weaves to nowhere, a little work thrown in, what a wonderful day.

I bet it is 75 in the sun.

Hike yesterday, today a day off from hiking but gym.  Rain coming in on Tues, today that seems very far away!

And you thought that this was an agility blog...

Agility 3 times this week.  PowerPaws twice and MHDogsports once.  We did the opening from an AKC jumpers course that seemed to be a problem for most competitors a few weeks ago.  I walked it and said, "Oh, I so got this.  Fin and I totally would have Q'd!"

Guess what.  I couldn't get to obstacle 5 without a fault no matter what I did.  I feel the pain for all you guys that tried to do the entire course.  Still had fun.  Did it a number of times and finally got it right, albeit messy.

Today hiked 3.5 miles up and back.  Saw a friend of mine with her 4 BC's, her puppy is getting so big!  Another friend joined me and took a couple photos.  The first is at the first top part that opens up to a wonderful view.  The second is deep in the redwoods.  I love this part.

Unfortunately we had a bit of a tick problem.  Even found a couple of the buggers on me!  Yuck.  I'm going to have to start wearing Frontline!  But I think I got them all, I guess it is that time of year.  This weekend going to go for the long hike on Sunday. 

Hope you guys are out there enjoying this beautiful, amazing weather we are having!



Sometimes it is what you don't do that counts

I had developed a very bad habit last year.  Go to the grocery store and pick up something to eat on the way home.  Started off simple enough, was hungry at lunch time, went and got a sandwich and ate chips on the way home.  Became a problem when "it" was something I did every time...and I like fresh food so I go to the store almost every day.

Bad habits are hard to break.  I know.  I've had more bad habits then I care to mention.

Today as I drove away from the parking lot, I realized that I didn't even "think" about getting something to snack on.  Wow.  I am trying to do this whole healthy eating and tons of exercise each day.  I'm not making huge plans, just trying to change my habits.  Feels good to realize that I can change.  Successful achievement of goals is a satisfying and rewarding experience.

I also have bad habits when I run my dog. 

• Yelling her name over jumps
• Flipping my arm up in the air
• Not rotating completely for a threadle
• Not running full tilt to that last jump

I often do these things without actually realizing I'm doing them.  I'm looking forward to the day that I run a quiet course, don't watch myself on video flipping my arms all over the place, actually do a real threadle in an official agility course, and push myself running full out until I pass the last jump.

Hey, it could happen!