russ-stickacres.com Blog

Saturday we held our annual Rabie’s Clinic with Dale Ackler, DVM, “Dr. Dale” from the Mancelona Veterinary Hospital. The weather spit some rain/sleet, but it was hardly noticable due to the enthusiasm by those attending.

Dr. Dale (with sharp needle in hand), working out of the dog trailer of Mike and Rhonda Walker from Snowwalker Kennel of Elmira. Vet tech Wendy (out of view) is the record keeper.

Just days earlier…

And now…

Mike running his speedy team by the Wee House.

Francie Dorman flies by the Wee House! Look at India stretch out!

Distraction training? You bet!

Buck, Raz and Nauish know those aren’t our dogs. They aren’t taking any chances!

Walker’s young leaders, Luna & Willow, with tight tugs. Every musher’s dream.

Pup Jasmine enjoying all the dogs, with proud owner Tina.

Francie, and India, heading down the trail.

Francie at hook up.

Beautiful and powerful India eager to join the others…

Our dogs, returning from a run with Rustic Russ. They are getting used to the new dog yard set up. And so are we. Hawk – a powerhouse and a great leader!

Our gal, Union, still my favorite gentle, and trusting leader. (Union was raised by Andrew Cesario. Thank you Andrew, and Diane, for creating such a loyal leader.)

Awatchy…watching Rustic Russ’ every move, as always.

Forty degrees is way too warm for these fat Siberians!

Later, we all went for a walk back to the Bear’s Den. Francie and her adorable Mack enjoyed the trails.

Amy B. & Tina B. talking dogs…what else is there on a day like today?

We ended the afternoon with a lunch at the cozy Wee House. Dog talk, race stories, and good eats brought the day to a close. (We missed all of you who tried to make it but couldn’t, for whatever reason. Next year!)

Amy B. stayed into the night watching back-to-back DVD’s of Mary Shields, Dog-Gone Addiction and Pretty Sled Dogs. Amy is now sufficiently educated in the world of sled dogs!

And then on Sunday, snow. First thing in the morning, it was there. And it continued…all day. Sometimes horizontal. Blowing. Fluffy flakes.

My girl, Zip, secure in the Wee House, enjoying the heat from the wood stove.

Rustic Russ said we may be getting sleds out first thing Monday morning, in lieu of the 4-wheeler.

We just might beat our record from last year by 13 days!

Stay tuned…

THBTG

Woodswoman

As I try and uncurl from my self-imposed fetal position from Tuesday, I am noticing some changes around Russ-Stick Acres.

These past few nights of warm temps have also brought amazingly clear skys. The stars have been accompanying me on my nightly walk to the Wee House. They were also visible this morning when Zip and I made our way back to the main cabin in the early morning hours. How nice…to be living in a stargazer’s paradise.

However, my contentment was short lived as I noticed only one rabbit browsing as we crossed the usual habitat area. Yesterday there were two. I’m cursing coyotes as I take note. Our special breed of rabbit (American Silver Fox x Californian) doesn’t have the speed or agility to out maneuver a coyote on the prowl. They are a heavy breed and are slow on the run. I try to rationalize, telling myself the mate is probably nursing a new batch of kits and will be visible tomorrow.

Death is part of life at a small farm. A week ago I heard a commotion from the chicken coop during our Friday night dinner. Upon going outside to check, I realized we had lost a member of our poultry family. Cyndi (named for singer Cyndi Lauper) had died. She had left the flock and tucked herself in a favorite dug-out spot where the chickens dust themselves during the summer sun. Cyndi was named for her flambouant and floppy comb. She was a California Grey Leghorn. She was old. We had bought her years ago in Pellston, MI. She led a long life. California Grey’s are prolific layers. Her eggs were white. We will miss Cyndi.

However, that wasn’t the end of the story. Upon retrieving Cyndi, Rustic Russ found a young chicken had been attacked and killed that same night. (Which was most likely the ruckus that sent me out to look in the first place.) It was sad to lose this young chicken, as she was raised on site by a Buff Orphington hen. We were unsure what might have gotten into their fenced area…until this morning. Upon leaving early to drop me at work, the headlights of the truck scanned the yard only to see a young opossum saunter under some lumber. Rustic Russ and I both shook our heads. Suspect #1.

Stay tuned…

Woodswoman

Please be patient ~ this blog is new to us here at RSA. The set up has been labor-intensive. In doing so I got to speak to a nice representative from Yahoo named Matt (35 minutes), and Tony (58 minutes). (Nothing is easy it seems…)

I’m still fiddling around with trying to get pictures from the Nikon D80 to the computer screen. (Actually, I’m still trying to figure out how to work the D80…)

Not much time today to fiddle about. Lots of stuff to do. However, it is nice to be sitting in my comfy Wee House, in the comfort of my new (to us) toasty wood stove with the glass door. Thanks AC (Animal Control) Ellen, for your gift of warmth!

Rustic Russ is busy working on his new building, complete with windows (including stained-glass windows)! Pretty fancy for a saw mill operation. We are starting to have so many buildings, he is going to be harder and harder to locate! Hmmm…I wonder if that is why be builds so many…

Our trio of horses (Buck, Raz and Nauish) are enjoying themselves outside my Wee House windows. It’s a pleasure to see them so content, playful, and now sun-bathing. We went to the monthly horse auction last night in Gaylord. It was difficult not bidding and coming home with a 4th. However sanity reigned supreme. At least for this month. It’s a nail-biter when horses aren’t even bringing $20 bids. (I heard Rustic Russ mumbling to himself a lot…) Most of the horses left the ring with “NO SALE” shouted, as the gavel slammed down.

I’m a bit thrown off by the time change, along with those surrounding me. Our farm animals are fed on a tight schedule ~ you can set your clock by them and their vocal demands ~ and they know Rustic Russ obliges. Today will be the beginning of sliding the feeding time to accommodate the clock. I wish we could stay the same all year. The Amish do. We could learn a lot by following their lead.

Jim & Jennifer Warren will be stopping by later today on their way to the UP to get a freezer full of various meat we offered his dogs. We have such wonderful sponsors, we can afford to share. I’ve been getting a boat load (o.k., truck load) of moose meat this past week. There’s plenty more to come with the firearm deer season approaching. We are still repaying Jim for many kindnesses he shared with us years ago when Russ was training our dogs from Warren’s Sled Dog Lodge. This is just a small token of our gratitude.

More to follow…stay with us…
Woodswoman