Miss Hollywood's Dog Obedience Class ~ Week #3 ~ Starbucks Reward!

After a really rough start, Miss Hollywood is now doing so well at her Dog Obedience Classes.  She has shown me that she is Sooooo smart, and I'm not just saying that because she is my baby...well maybe just a little bit.  But even the teacher says she is very smart.

After leaving another great training session we went next door to the pet store, 'Whiskers Barkery' to pick up some more DogNation Treats.  They are fabulous!!  If you are trying to train a dog you should get some.  While we were in the store Miss Hollywood was so good.  She even got a chance to show off what she learned in the class when two different people asked to pet her.  I explained that she was in training so let me get her ready.  I turned to Hollywood and asked her to sit, then I introduced her to these strangers and told them they could pet her under her chin.  She loved the attention and did not jump on them (as she use to do), and she did not wet the floor (as she also use to do).

I was so proud of her.  She even sat at the counter while I paid for her treats and she didn't steal any of the yummy rawhides right there in front of her in the open bins.  They know that is going to tempt the dog (and their owner).

Just as we got to the car and a man walked by on the sidewalk with his dog, and his donkey.  YES, I said Donkey!!!  A full-sized donkey with a pack walking on a loose leash behind the man, right there within maybe 5 feet of us.  Miss Hollywood just stood there watching them walk by.  I think she was just as shocked as I was at seeing a man walking a donkey along the city sidewalks in downtown Prescott, AZ.

I was so proud of how Miss Hollywood didn't chase after them, or worse, bark at them and scare the donkey, so on our way home we stopped at Starbucks to reward her with a cool treat.  Okay, I got a reward too, but I didn't run after the donkey either, and you know I wanted to!  So I got a Mocha Frappuchino and Hollywood got a Pup-cup.  They'll give your dog one for Free if you ask for it in the drive up window.  It's just a small cup with whipped cream, no coffee included.

As you can tell Miss Hollywood Loves Pup-Cups!!

Hey Starbucks...Add these to your #SipFace photos!

Got to get the very last drop...

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Reading Books: My Kindle Ebook Addiction ~ What's on My Shelfari?

I love reading.  When I was a little girl, reading books took me away from my unhappy childhood, even if just for a few hours.  I love the feel of a book in my hands, the smell of a new book, and the anticipation of reading a book I just picked up at the bookstore.  When Amazon came out with the Kindle I was reluctant to try it because I thought not holding a book and not physically turning the pages wouldn't provide the same book reading experience.  For my birthday one year my husband gave me the first edition Kindle Reader.  I found it to be a royal pain in the bohiness with the pages accidentally turning every time my finger touched the ill-placed buttons.  I also thought it lacked some of the book appeal without color pictures on the cover to embed in my mind as I began reading the story.  I used it off and on, but it didn't take precedence over real books.

A few years later when the Kindle Fire came out I got one of those for my birthday and things changed.  It had a touch screen so I could actually swipe to turn the pages just like a book.  And the full color image of the cover made it much more like a real book.  But the major factor that swung the pendulum in the ebooks favor was the ability to take my whole library with me in a small thin package the size of a TV Guide (remember those?).  I didn't have to carry a heavy book bag with me filled with the books I might want to read while I was away from home or fret over losing my place when my bookmark fell out.  I now carried my Kindle Fire in my purse and pulled it out whenever I had a few moments to kill.  Waiting at the Dr office, standing in line, waiting to pick someone up, or on vacation away from my physical library.  It was awesome!  I started exclusively buying Kindle books, unless the book I wanted wasn't yet available on Kindle.  I found that my physical bookshelf was dwindling while my Kindle bookshelf was growing rapidly, with over 100 books on the Kindle by this point.

Last year I bought an iPad which had a much larger screen for reading.  With my aging eyes having things bigger is a must.  I downloaded the Kindle App on my iPad and uploaded all of my Kindle books onto it as well.  Then I discovered Pixel of Ink, who sends me an email every day with a list of temporarily free or nearly free ebooks.  You have to shop quickly because most of these books are newly released and the publishers just want to get quick exposure and reviews so the price goes back to normal in like 24 hours.  So now my Kindle Library contains over 800 books!  I have about three to five books that I am reading at any given moment.  Some True Crime thrillers, some self-help, some backyard farming books, and a few just for fun books.  I am never without a good book to read, anywhere, anytime!  I even get kids books to have on hand when I'm with the grandkids.  They love reading colorful kids books in Kindle version at bedtime, or anytime really.

I sometimes lend my purchased books to my daughters or friends.  Amazon lets you do that you know.  I just log in to my Amazon account and find the book I want in my Kindle library, then select 'Lend this book' from the drop-down menu.  I enter the recipients email address and a message and boom, they get an email with a link to download the ebook to their Kindle Library.  If they don't download it within like 48 hours (not sure exactly) then it gets automatically returned to me.  The only catch is that I cannot read the book while it is out on loan.

And just when I thought the Kindle eBook thing was at its best...I discover Shelfari by Amazon.  Its been around since late 2006...why am I just learning about this now?!  I'm sharing it today because maybe you have been in the dark like me.  Have you heard of this?

Its a virtual bookshelf displaying all of the books I have read before, or am reading now, or plan to read in the future. Here is mine...

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

I have added a Shelfari widget there in the upper right side of my blog. [You can just look up there if the image above isn't visible.]  You can click on the little scroll forward and backward icons at the bottom to see more books on my virtual shelf.  As I add new books to my Shelfari it will update the widget here too (remember I have over 800 books so its gonna take a while).  If you hover your mouse over one of the books it will pop up a little box that tells you the book title and author, along with my personal review (or just a few thoughts) of the book, and at the bottom of that pop-up box is a link to add it to Your Shelfari.  So if you also have Shelfari on your blog and I see a book I would like to read I can add it to my shelf with just the click of the mouse.  If I want to read all the details about a book on your Shelfari and even buy the book on Amazon I can just click on the book image and be taken to the Shelfari site page for that book.  Is that cool and convenient or what?!

The Shelfari website had a book club and forums to connect with other readers and even some authors.  I am having such fun with this.  I see my Kindle Library growing even more now...there are so many great books out there that I didn't know about before Shelfari!  If you already have a Shelfari account let me know your user name so I can go follow you there.  Or just follow mine (by clicking on my Shelfari) and I will follow you back.  Just leave me a message (here or there) so I know you came over after reading this blog post.

Happy Reading!!

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Aack! We Are Being Invaded by Giant Green Caterpillars! (Video)

There are large Yellowish-Green Caterpillars the size of fingers everywhere! They resemble a tomato worms with their coloring and horned tail end, but the markings are different. 

I looked them up and they are 'White Lined Sphinx Moths' and common to the desert her in Arizona.  I was hoping they might be Monarch Butterfly caterpillars but no such luck. I must admit, I'm more than a little disappointed about that.  We have so many moths already, you can't even go outside after dark because if there is a light on anywhere near you then you get flogged by moths. I keep a bug light in the chicken run, so at least the girls can feast on the pile of dead bugs every morning.

Here is what they will look like when they become moth's.  Pretty, but so pesky.

Image from Wikipedia

These caterpillars suddenly appeared just a few days ago and now they have just about taken over the outdoors.  If you look at the ground it looks like it is moving because there are so many of them.  They are crossing the road by the thousands!  It makes me feel so bad when I drive over them, but even on my motorcycle I could not avoid them.  It is really kind of gross.  I tried giving some of the caterpillars to my chickens, but they wanted nothing to do with them.  Darn!

Here is a video of a small section in front of my house...you can see how many there are in the 12" wide screen shot area, now imagine 2.6 acres worth! 

 [Watch in 720p or better to see the caterpillars best.]

When you get near these guys they rear up their heads in an effort to try and look intimidating.  (You can see them do that in the video when I get close to them.)   If you don't heed their warning then they will squirt a green liquid at you.  Some of them did that when I got the camera too close to them.


They are not poisonous, which is good because Miss Hollywood has eaten a few of them.  As you can see here by her 'green paw'...she has been pestering them today.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Do You Like My New Header?

I have wanted to include a cool header to my blog for a very long time, but just didn't know what I wanted.  I searched far and wide for just the right image for the background.  I wanted something that kind of defines who I am when you see it, but it also needed to match the general colors and theme of my blog too.  I went through over 9,000 photos on my devices. (Wow, I can't believe I had that many pictures!) I couldn't find one that fit the criteria needed and was of high enough resolution that it would still look good once I made it the appropriate size.

I ultimately found this image at FreeDigitalPhotos.net after searching for a couple of hours.

It took so long because they have so many images, and I wasn't sure exactly what I was looking for.  I had a ball searching through all the images.  And I can tell you this, they are going to be my go-to place for free images to use on my blog in the future.  All of their images are free...Yes, I said ALL and FREE!  You can use any image you find, in the small size, without a watermark, as long as you give credit to the particular artist who submitted it and to FreeDigitalPhotos.net.  How awesome is that? 

Now if you want to use an image where giving visible credit isn't feasible, or if you need a larger or high resolution image, then you can purchase the rights to an image at really reasonable prices.  Go check them out next time you need an image for use online.  Tip: be sure to register before you purchase any images (or even use the free ones) because you will then be able to see your image use/purchase history, and that makes it so easy to appropriately give image credit where needed now and in the future.  You can even download your image again and again from the history page as well, without the need to search for that particular image again.

Just so you know, this is not an affiliate based post, I have no connection to FreeDigitalPhotos.net and they have not asked me to post a review of their product or service, I just loved them so much that I wanted to share it with you.

So, what do you think about my new header?

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Things From My 20's Are Now Called 'Vintage'

I love new technology.  People close to me know how I get so excited about new gadgets and smarter smartphones.  I get such an itch for the newest smartphone when each new model comes out.  My husband and I have Verizon with the 'New Every Two' program, and each year I would use my 'New Every Year', then the next year I would use his.  He was fine with keeping the same phone but I wanted to try the newest one and two years just seemed to be too long to wait.

I wasn't always this way.  There was a time back in the 80's that I had a fear of push button phones!  I use to have repeating nightmares that I was in an emergency situation and needed to call 911, but the buttons either wouldn't work or they would fall off the phone when I pushed them to call 911, which meant I couldn't get emergency help for my children or husband, or even myself.  I would wake up sweating and my heart beating out of my chest with fear.

I remember about that time I moved to a new house and went to the phone company (the days when there was an actual building to walk into) and ordered new phone service.  They provided you the telephones in those days, so when they handed me the new push button phone my heart started to pound and a bead of sweat immediately broke out on my forehead.  I refused that phone and asked for a rotary dial phone.  The lady looked at me like I was insane.  She said "we don't give those out anymore".  I pointed to an old burgundy colored rotary dial phone on a display nearby and asked if I could have that one instead.  She said it was just for display to show how far we have come with new technology.  I was having a mild panic attack and she could see it, so she got approval to take the phone off the display and let me use it instead.

I kept this phone until it finally died many years later.  But before it died I had to learn to use push buttons because everyone else had them.  They were even in most of the phonebooths (remember those? And remember when they only cost a dime to use?) so if I was not at home, I had to use a push button.  This lack of access to rotary phones, except at home, forced me to try the new phones when I didn't need to call 911, so it was in safe situations.  I was finally able to use the push button phone without having a panic attack.  And eventually I retired my old rotary to the toy box and got a new push button phone, with re-dail!  Such a cool new feature at that time.

Once that hurdle was jumped I moved on to cordless phones with zeal, and then to the first car phone, where it was actually attached by a cord inside the car.  This love of new technology continued to grow and grow until now my constant companions are my Android smartphone which I also use as a hotspot for my iPad wherever I go.

I have tried to slow down on the new every year thing with my phones, but only because I am distracted by the new apps that I can download to my phone and iPad.  They give me the 'new' fun, without the cost or need to learn a new device so often. 

Still to this day I can connect with the experience of using a rotary dial phone. I loved the feel of my finger in the hole, spinning around the dial, hitting the stop, then hearing that familiar sound as it unwound itself.  I will always have fond memories of dialing a rotary dial phone.  How about you? 

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Are Miniature Donkeys In My Future?

Terry is about to get the acre of property next to the house cleared of scub oaks and manzanita's.  We bought that property specifically for me to raise backyard farm livestock...I just haven't decided what that livestock will be.  I've thought about goats, (I haven't ruled them out) but I am expanding on the idea to maybe include a bigger run for my chickens as well.  This would have a double benefit because it would give me more room for more chickens and it would also move the chickens away from my bedroom window.  Then I might get another rooster so I could fertilize and hatch my own babies to keep my flock growing.

The benefit of not hearing them making noise so close to my bedroom is also one of the drawbacks...I wont hear them if they are frightened by a predator.  That got me to thinking about living predator protection.  We talked about a Great Pyrenees dog, but Terry is such a softy with dogs I cannot see him letting the dog stay out in the barn with the goats.  And from what I've read, you can't make them your pets, you have to let them bond with the goats that they will be protecting.  So a dog wont work.  My next thought was a Llama but one of our friends has one and he is over protective and wont let anyone in the pasture but my friend.  He spits too...yuck!.

Another living predator protector is a donkey.  I have always loved donkeys, but didn't like horses.  I was raised around horses, my father broke them for other people, my uncle was a farrier until the day he couldn't drag his oxygen tank out to the corral, my cousin did barrel racing an showed her horses, but I just didn't care for them.  I liked the donkeys.  They were like the misfits of the horse world and I could relate to them.  There is just something about the 'HeeHaaaaaawww!' sound from a donkey that makes me smile every time I hear it.  The only drawback to owning a donkey is that they cost so much to feed.  Terry says electric fencing would cost less.

Thinking about donkeys got me started down a road that my husband may soon regret, hee hee. I started checking out miniature donkeys, not for predator protection, they are too small for that, but just as pets.  They are so adorable, they look and sound just like full-sized donkeys, but smaller so they are less likely to knock me on my butt.  They eat a lot less too.  Being a research nut, I started studying about miniature donkeys.  There isn't a whole lot available out there but fortunately I discovered a mini donkey breeder not too far from me.  I contacted her and asked if I could visit her farm.  She said 'YES!'

Yesterday I took my 'little' sister (as in Big Brother Big Sister) with me to the 'Pamarosa Pond Minuature Donkey's' in Chino Valley, AZ.  The owner Pam took us on a personal tour of her farm, first taking us to see her huge pond that was filled with the biggest Koi I have ever seen and half of it was covered with beautiful lush green lily pads, surrounded by  a strip of cat-tails. 

This is only one view of the beautiful pond. The other picture I took of the 'lush green lily pads' didn't turn out :-(

Next, we visited her 24 chickens with a mix of Silkies and several other breeds of mostly bantam sized birds.  And then she took us out to introduced us to her 20 miniature donkeys.

I tell you, if I was on the fence about getting donkeys before arriving, I fell squarely on the other side of that fence by the time we left.  They were so gentle and friendly.  They all started Hee'ing and Haw'ing when we approached the pasture, their excitement about our visit was so obvious.  They ran up and greeted us at the entrance by the barn.  My 'little' had never seen donkeys up close and personal.  She was a little bit intimidated at first, thinking they might bite her or push her over, but they were wonderful, kind of like big cuddly dogs. Although they did try to pull the shinny snaps off her back pockets a few times, and one kept trying to steal my keys handing on my belt loop...donkeys do love bling.  They loved us petting them and scratching the insides of their ears.  And even the most skiddish one stood right next to me as long as I scratched her hip/butt area.

It's fly season here in AZ so most of the donkeys were wearing their fly masks. They can see through them like sunglasses.

She had a two new babies just three months old.  One stayed with her mommy the whole time while the other one wouldn't take her eyes off my 'little' sister.

My 'littles' face has been blurred to protect her privacy.

Mother and baby (nursing). At just 3 months old baby is almost as tall as mommy.

Pam told me so much about raising mini donkeys that I didn't know from all my research, and she answered some of my questions about their personalities and strange personal habits.  She said she started with three jennets, then added a jack, then grew from there with only a couple of her current herd coming to her from outside sources.  As it turns out Pam grew up around horses and didn't care for them either...but she is in heaven with her mini donkeys.  She said I could contact her any time if I had questions about donkeys and she would tell me what I need to look for, and watch out for, if I decided to buy donkeys in the future.  She was so sweet, I really enjoyed our tour (and visit) that was well over an hour.

Pam also said that several of her donkeys are Therapy Certified so they can visit with ill, elderly, or handicapped people as therapy treatment.  She gives tours to local schools every year as well.  What started as a few pets has certainly bloomed in to something wonderful for her and our community. 

Yep, I definitely see mini donkeys (and maybe a full-size donkey for protection) in my future.
 

Enjoy these other pictures I took at the Pamarosa Pond Miniature Donkey farm.

My 'little' and one of the more skiddish donkeys loving the attention. She must have sensed that we were animal people.

One of the original three jenny's she started with.

Pam petting one of her newest babies.

Pam being followed by her 'kids'.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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Miss Hollywood's Dog Obedience Class ~ Week #2

Today Miss Hollywood attended her 2nd obedience class.  Before I share with you how well she did, and so that you can truly appreciate her progress today, you really need to read my post about how horrible the first class went (I titled that post 'Dog Training or Dog Torture?')  Much of the progress was due to the one-on-one session she was able to do on Friday with Kathy the instructor working with both of us.

Miss Hollywood, exhausted after class.

Since the Friday session I have been working with her in different settings so that some distractions were around us, but not so much that I couldn't bring her back to our work.  The DogNation treats made all the difference, she really likes them so I can wave one in front of her nose and usually pull her attention right back to me.

Today we stopped in a wooded area just before hitting the busy city so Hollywood could stretch her legs after the hour long drive, and potty before we got to the class.  Then once we got into the downtown area, we walked around the vacant bank landscaping (don't worry BofA I didn't leave any doggy deposits *wink*). Then we sat on the bench out front for a few minutes to let her acclimate to the people, dogs, and cars going by.  Once she was okay with that we made the one block trek to the class, crossing one busy intersection along the way.

When we arrived at the class, there were still people inside from the previous class so we waited outside.  As people, and occasionally people with dogs, walked by I would tell Hollywood to sit and stay as they approached, and I put myself between her and them.  I think this made her feel safe.  Each time as they passed us I would praise her for not running towards them, jumping up and generally acting like a fool that she normally does when people and animals walk by her.  She did fantastic!

The big test was still to come, once inside the classroom with all the other dogs and their people so near her, would she be able to focus on me and not make a complete fool of herself (again)?  The instructor called us inside when it was time, she already had our area prepared with barriers around us so Hollywood would not be distracted by seeing the other dogs.  We were right up front though, so she did get to see everyone enter and go by us on their way to their positions in the room.

After going through a few lessons, the instructor could see that Hollywood was doing so well.  She was only mildly distracted by the sounds of the other dogs in the room, so she removed one section of the barrier, allowing Hollywood to see the one dog nearest to us.  With the start of the next lesson I was able to quickly regain her focus away from that dog and complete the lesson.  She was doing so well that the instructor decided to use Hollywood to demonstrate the next lesson she would be teaching us.  She picked up what she was suppose to do perfectly!  I was so proud of her, I know I was beaming.

Halfway through the class the teacher removed the barrier cover so Hollywood could see everything in the room, but the wire wall was still up.  After a few more lessons, she removed even that barrier so now Hollywood was right out there just like all the other dogs.  I felt so happy (and relieved) that she did such a wonderful job in class today.  I think her confidence has really been boosted with this training.

I can't wait to watch her progress throughout the six weeks of class.  Have you ever taken your dog to obedience classes? Do you feel it made training your dog easier in the classroom setting or more difficult because of the distractions in the class with other dogs? After the first class I would have firmly said more difficult, but now I have to say that I think it helps because she learns to focus even with distractions.

Keeper of 1 husband, 2 grandkids, 3 dogs,
3 cats, and 17 Chickens!

 

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