you look up in the sky tonight
and see that star shining so bright
know that Huan is looking down.
Today was a sad day for us here on earth. Huan's funeral was today. It was very sad, but at the same time it was obvious how many people's lives Huan touched.
In that sense, today was a celebration of Huan's life, and all the things he accomplished, and all the people whose hearts now have a little piece of Huan in it.
I know that Huan is now looking down on all of his family and friends and keeping them safe. I also imagine that Huan is having some very interesting discussions and debates with some great scientists that have gone before him....Einsteen, Galileo - those would be some pretty interesting discussions.
Huan worked on some amazing projects. I have read more about Huan's work, and while I don't understand much of it - I know that if Huan was doing the research and interested in something, it must have been important.
While he was a great scientist, admired and known the world over. He was amazing because at his level he could have had anything, worked anywhere, and called all the shots. But Huan wanted to do research. He wanted to learn and he wanted to teach. He wanted to give back and didn't forget what it was like to be the lowly student.
With as much career success as Huan had he still kept his priorities straight - a thing so rare these days. His friends and family all shared how Huan always made it home for the holidays and that he spoke of his family often and how important they were to him. Huan understood that family and friendships are not something you take for granted and that those relationships are the most important thing in life.
Huan is one of those people that will continue to give back even though he cannot do it directly. Students will still learn from him and the work he had done. Friends will share things about Huan with each other and will be changed because of something new they learned about their friend. Even strangers will read about Huan and will be changed.
Huan would want his work and the search for answers to continue. He would want his family and friends to know that while he is no longer with them on earth he is with them always in heart and spirit.
Godspeed Huan!
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Shining Star is Gone
While the world is a quieter place today because of the loss a great man, it is also a better place because he was in it. Those who called him a friend, brother, son, uncle, teacher were lucky. His family helped to make him who he was and while they knew him best they will miss him the most.
It never makes sense why we lose the people we do. A young man in his prime with so much to give and contribute. A teacher, an inspiration to students and friends. A man who did more in his short lifetime than we ever will.
It always seems like we lose the ones who touch so many when they still have so much to give. It never makes sense. God takes these special people, it seems, all to early from us, and we will never know why... other than that their work here was done and now they must go.
So Fly Angel Huan - you are up in the stars now - where you belong.
It never makes sense why we lose the people we do. A young man in his prime with so much to give and contribute. A teacher, an inspiration to students and friends. A man who did more in his short lifetime than we ever will.
It always seems like we lose the ones who touch so many when they still have so much to give. It never makes sense. God takes these special people, it seems, all to early from us, and we will never know why... other than that their work here was done and now they must go.
So Fly Angel Huan - you are up in the stars now - where you belong.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Random Pictures from Days Past
Nick - ready and willing....
What concentration.....but what is he looking at....
Oooh, the goats....(sorry it's blurry)
Here are the sheep waiting in their pens to be worked.
Ready for your close-up?
This sweet thing...no not the post, the goat!
Hey, check out my profile...
Jackie and pup.
Sara and Zephyr
My what a big boy he has become these last couple of months.
My favorite shot from Sunday. Charm and Jim - so sweet!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
My Amazing Girl!
Reese and I went to an agility lesson tonight and we had a great time. Reese really exceeded my expectations. She only ran off a couple of times, and really only to the door, when she heard some noises and got distracted. I think it is safe to say I was being boring then and she was probably a little stressed and needed time to explore. (It was at a barn where lots of other dogs have been running around, there are horses boarded there and I think I heard some sheep - so the smells were probably overwhelming.) It didn't take her long to get back on task though. She did not get the zoomies and run all over the whole barn and refuse to come back like she has in the past. I had to use a bit of trickery only a couple of times and then she came running back and got her reward.
The teamwork we have built up working stock this year has really paid off and helped improve our relationship. When you see that teamwork transfer over to a new venue it really is huge for the handler. Yes, we have worked hard and we are seeing the results but it doesn't so much seem like work now. It is just fun, I am having so much fun with her each day. Even though we are working on things I try to make it as much fun and as much like a game as I can.
Recalls, recalls, recalls. They still need a lot of work but I am seeing results and it is so rewarding to see. It definetly makes me want to keep working hard on them, so they continue to get stronger and faster. Having family members that had a dog get hit by a car, my sister saw it happen, really puts a fear in you about letting your dog off leash. Especially one that has as much drive as Reese. We are progressing nicely and I think we are almost ready to start adding a few light distractions besides smells. We are trying to go to as many new places as we can to generalize what we have now before adding a lot of distractions.
Through all our hard work I have been increasing Reese's drive to work with me as opposed to the other things she might find interesting on her own. I am having so much fun with her these days. She really is becoming the dog I always wanted. I always knew I had to play a big hand in shaping that dog, but now I am learning just how to do that. Dogs come to you with everything they need, but then it is up the human to shape those things to be what you want.
So we are going to continue to work on running contacts and while it will be a long process, it is just getting cold here and if we are working outside, we will need to be moving to stay warm so this is a good time to work on contacts. I am going to get a thinner plank for outside so that I can work on Reese just running over it, really driving full speed. She was doing okay on the plank in the basement in the past but I realized she wasn't running over it full speed. Speed is one of the reasons I want running contacts. The other is for injuries - to avoid them and reduce the risk. I sat with a rehabilitation veterinarian while watching agility once and picked her brain a little. She stated that was one of the things she would worry about most was the shoulders from the quick stops that many dogs do on the down side contacts. Some dogs shift their weight properly as they stop to reduce the jarring and I could probably teach her to do that, but I want to go for running contacts first.
It was a good lesson, Reese stayed focused on me for I would say 80% of it, and 10% I had to get her back focused on me but she did refocus quickly and the other 10% she was checking the door and wandering a bit. But it was okay, I was able to work on getting her back and we need to learn how to reconnect when we lose that connection. When she started to wander off or I was talking with the instructor I was grabbing her collar in the beginning and then trying to send her through the weaves. I was being too controling of everything she did. Once I relaxed and let her wander away a bit, she actually returned to do check-ins quite frequently and most of the time she just sat there and relaxed while we talked. Then I sent her through the weaves again and it was much smoother and she did just fine. She was also on informatin over-load with everything I was telling her both verbally and then my body language was telling her something else. I think the lesson is be clear in what you want to tell your dog and use the most plain language you can.
I am finding working with a dog is sort of like playing tennis. The most subtle change in placement/tilt of your racket or the way your swing moves will change the trojectory of the ball entirely. When working with your dog the most subtle change in your body language will tell your dog something completely different. It really is amazing how much they pick up, and it is also important to remember that dogs read body language first, they hear the verbal commands second.
So we have a lot to work on, and we will be videotaping a lot of it so that I can see what I am doing. I'll try to put some of our contact work up as we progress.
The teamwork we have built up working stock this year has really paid off and helped improve our relationship. When you see that teamwork transfer over to a new venue it really is huge for the handler. Yes, we have worked hard and we are seeing the results but it doesn't so much seem like work now. It is just fun, I am having so much fun with her each day. Even though we are working on things I try to make it as much fun and as much like a game as I can.
Recalls, recalls, recalls. They still need a lot of work but I am seeing results and it is so rewarding to see. It definetly makes me want to keep working hard on them, so they continue to get stronger and faster. Having family members that had a dog get hit by a car, my sister saw it happen, really puts a fear in you about letting your dog off leash. Especially one that has as much drive as Reese. We are progressing nicely and I think we are almost ready to start adding a few light distractions besides smells. We are trying to go to as many new places as we can to generalize what we have now before adding a lot of distractions.
Through all our hard work I have been increasing Reese's drive to work with me as opposed to the other things she might find interesting on her own. I am having so much fun with her these days. She really is becoming the dog I always wanted. I always knew I had to play a big hand in shaping that dog, but now I am learning just how to do that. Dogs come to you with everything they need, but then it is up the human to shape those things to be what you want.
So we are going to continue to work on running contacts and while it will be a long process, it is just getting cold here and if we are working outside, we will need to be moving to stay warm so this is a good time to work on contacts. I am going to get a thinner plank for outside so that I can work on Reese just running over it, really driving full speed. She was doing okay on the plank in the basement in the past but I realized she wasn't running over it full speed. Speed is one of the reasons I want running contacts. The other is for injuries - to avoid them and reduce the risk. I sat with a rehabilitation veterinarian while watching agility once and picked her brain a little. She stated that was one of the things she would worry about most was the shoulders from the quick stops that many dogs do on the down side contacts. Some dogs shift their weight properly as they stop to reduce the jarring and I could probably teach her to do that, but I want to go for running contacts first.
It was a good lesson, Reese stayed focused on me for I would say 80% of it, and 10% I had to get her back focused on me but she did refocus quickly and the other 10% she was checking the door and wandering a bit. But it was okay, I was able to work on getting her back and we need to learn how to reconnect when we lose that connection. When she started to wander off or I was talking with the instructor I was grabbing her collar in the beginning and then trying to send her through the weaves. I was being too controling of everything she did. Once I relaxed and let her wander away a bit, she actually returned to do check-ins quite frequently and most of the time she just sat there and relaxed while we talked. Then I sent her through the weaves again and it was much smoother and she did just fine. She was also on informatin over-load with everything I was telling her both verbally and then my body language was telling her something else. I think the lesson is be clear in what you want to tell your dog and use the most plain language you can.
I am finding working with a dog is sort of like playing tennis. The most subtle change in placement/tilt of your racket or the way your swing moves will change the trojectory of the ball entirely. When working with your dog the most subtle change in your body language will tell your dog something completely different. It really is amazing how much they pick up, and it is also important to remember that dogs read body language first, they hear the verbal commands second.
So we have a lot to work on, and we will be videotaping a lot of it so that I can see what I am doing. I'll try to put some of our contact work up as we progress.
For those trialing this weekend....
May all your runs be clean,
your jumps collected as you turn quick,
your straight-aways fast, and may one paw always hit the yellow.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Maddie O' Maddie
Dear Maddie:
It has been a year since you've been gone. A very long year. I was looking at some pictures of you and Reese last week and you two were such good buddies. She loved you and was always happy to see you coming over for a visit and she loved the walks we went on.
Your Mom and Dad still miss you very much and I know that they think of you often. We all know you are not in pain anymore and are having fun chasing bunnies and running after your chipmunk friends. But you will always be missed and we will not forget you.
Love,
Sare
It has been a year since you've been gone. A very long year. I was looking at some pictures of you and Reese last week and you two were such good buddies. She loved you and was always happy to see you coming over for a visit and she loved the walks we went on.
Your Mom and Dad still miss you very much and I know that they think of you often. We all know you are not in pain anymore and are having fun chasing bunnies and running after your chipmunk friends. But you will always be missed and we will not forget you.
Love,
Sare
Friday, November 20, 2009
Ears
I love watching what a border collies ears will do. They get big when they are little and sometimes have a hard time deciding what to do. Up, Down, half mast. It is so fun to watch a pup grow into their ears. This was Reese when she was little and trying to figure out what her ears were going to do. It's sort of like when you want your hair to be curly and it will only be wavey. Or you want it to curl under and it only wants to flip out. Sometimes you just have to learn to work with what you get.
The Flying Nun ears
Copter Ears
Right, I said go Right
Trying to keep it straight.
Oh, well one must relax when chewing a good bone.
Say you there, with the box on your face....Get away from my bone.
Say what you want about my ears, you know I am the cutest little thing.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Working Dogs
This past weekend was absolutely gorgeous. I finished up the fall yardwork on Saturday. Reese and I went for a long hike and played and played and played some more - all outside of course!
Sunday was just as nice, a little bit cooler but only by a few degrees. It was a great day for working dogs and Reese and I had a great day. Reese worked the goats and did a fabulous job. She looked great, she worked close but not too close, it was all controlled and she kept her balance point very nicely. She took corrections for her flanks easily and it just felt great.
We really felt like a team out there. I feel like things are really starting to come together for us and we are starting to click as a team. We are working on some non-stockwork things to improve our teamwork and it is really starting to come together and it shows.
It wasn't just evident to those watching us but when that working relationship clicks you can feel it, and I did. I know Reese was very pleased with herself and it took a lot out of her, she was concentrating and working very hard to keep things in control and she was rewarded by it working. I know she worked hard because she was completely wiped out all night after we got home. It was nice to see a very contented pupper after a good days work.
Sunday was just as nice, a little bit cooler but only by a few degrees. It was a great day for working dogs and Reese and I had a great day. Reese worked the goats and did a fabulous job. She looked great, she worked close but not too close, it was all controlled and she kept her balance point very nicely. She took corrections for her flanks easily and it just felt great.
We really felt like a team out there. I feel like things are really starting to come together for us and we are starting to click as a team. We are working on some non-stockwork things to improve our teamwork and it is really starting to come together and it shows.
It wasn't just evident to those watching us but when that working relationship clicks you can feel it, and I did. I know Reese was very pleased with herself and it took a lot out of her, she was concentrating and working very hard to keep things in control and she was rewarded by it working. I know she worked hard because she was completely wiped out all night after we got home. It was nice to see a very contented pupper after a good days work.
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