This little white dog and I have much in common. Misti and I are both women of a certain age. We want to help but mostly we want everyone to do things our way. We arrive uninvited and try to rearrange situations to suit ourselves.  We are offended when the very people we are trying […]

Does anyone remember Ralph E Wolf and Sam the Sheepdog ? From Looney Tunes? ( Ralph is really Wile E Coyote, in case you didn’t know) The other day when  Puncher and I were moving pairs, images of  Ralph and Sam waltzed right into my noggin. You see, when Puncher sets out to move cattle, they “skee-daddle.” […]

In the Cowgirl World, a “Saddle Series” is a series of  horse competitions over time with the winner taking home a new trophy saddle. Barrel Racing, Cutting, Ranch Sorting.  All western events have them. The saddles are highly prized in the horse kingdom.  I’ve never won one.  I may buy one on EBay someday. My […]

I have always used an older well behaved dog (if I had one) to facilitate my puppy training. It’s not exactly training as in “sit”, “come”and “stay”. The older dog serves to ease the puppy into his many “First Times”. First night in the kennel:  I put my good old quiet dog, Tip, in the pen next to Ace for company. Tip has performed as […]

I am passionate about my cowdogs. I’m a zealot and a fanatic. I think about them and talk about them all the time. Just ask T.H. and my friends. I spend hours every day and week working with my dogs. This has been a dream of my cowgirl life. I’m living it. This blog is about living my passions daily in mid-life. In that spirit, here is the […]

Yesterday morning, T.H. made a casual comment to me that “We have 3 too many dogs now”. I wonder which dogs he considers superfluous?  Obviously he hasn’t read my blog post about too many or not enough dogs in which I fully explained my logic. My magical thinking that turns 5 dogs into 1. Nevermind. I’m pondering on which ones he […]

I call for the cattle. They turn three into the arena. Puncher locks on the cattle. For me that is the rush.  I send her “Away”.  She stops when she gets to them and looks back at me. Probably waiting for my neurotic evil twin to shout something confusing.  I have silenced her. I “woosh” her […]

Today is Friday (I know it says Tuesday up above. Pretend it’s still last Friday) Tomorrow is Saturday, the first Cowdog Trial of the year. I have practiced Puncher so many times the last few weeks that I think I made her neurotic.  She would just look at me like “What on earth do you want me to do? Woman make up your […]

My new horse shoer came out on Saturday. A younger guy. Jake. He drove 50 miles to get here.  I wanted everything to be perfect so if we get along he will come back. It is nearly impossible lately to a.) find a shoer and b.) get one to drive out here. My old “old” shoer quit me last month. He […]

This is a very philosophical topic. Too much or not enough?  It is right up there with “Is the glass half-full or half-empty?”  I think a person is one or the other.  No matter how hard I try I seem to remain a half-empty person while T.H. is a half-full person.  You would think this […]