I Really Thought I Could

 I really thought I could pull it off, however putting 5 hours a day into 10 puppies, and barely getting anything else done, blogging is going to have to be on the back burner on a daily basis.

I am still going to give myself an "E" for effort, as it is a lot of working looking after 10 little ...

"Oh how sweet these recycled babes are", Jan 2/23

"Could you imagine any more innocent puppy faces then these 10", Jan 4/23.

Let's fast forward a week later, which just happens to be today....

"Let me introduce you to the "Seek & Destroy" Gang" 

I have soooo much lovely things to blog about... the beautiful gardens I put in last Summer, the renovations we did the Year before, and the renovations we are just in the midst of completing, however no time to do so in the moment now, nor in the next couple of weeks....

Please think not I complain, I am just too dang busy to blog everyday as I had envisioned myself doing again.  Guess what? I have had to rethink that for now... hahaha.

Until then...

This is all she wrote...."Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard"

Over At The Checkerboard Aussies

Beyond busy is an understatement with 10 puppies to attend to, never mind anything else.

Honest to goodness their whelping pen is cleaner then our living quarters. Why? because I spend a lot of time with those Checkerboard Puppers.

On that note, there will be some posts going on over at the Checkerboard Aussies Blog, so head on over at the following link:

The Checkerboard Aussies, Australian Shepherd Dogs

This is all she wrote this day....."Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard"

Everything Aussies

With the arrival of the 10 puppies on December 2nd/2022, my Life has been nothing but "Everything Aussies", as in Australian Shepherd Dogs. 

I’ve been breeding Aussies for going on 16 Years now.  We are known as the Checkerboard Aussies.  How did we come to choosing this name? I was talking to my Cousin Brad & his wife, Paula, when I first started breeding Aussies, saying to them, “I have no idea what to call ourselves”  immediately Brad suggested the “Checkerboard Aussies, which truly is very fitting considering we are South of the Checkerboard.

From a young girl, before becoming a teenager, I recall telling a friend I wanted to have lots of property, horses & to breed German Shepherd Dogs  

That dream became reality when I lived in Kitchener ON, breeding German Shepherd Dogs.  After a couple of litters we kept one of the pups, who we had named Boggie.  At 125 lbs., he was truly a gentle giant, loving people, other dogs, cats, & even came nose to nose with a field mouse not even making a move to show it any harm.  We lost our sweet Bog when he was 12 1/2 years old. He had been one of the best dogs in my Lifetime, until I was blessed to have a 2nd best dog. 

When I moved back to Bruce County, as I am a true blue Bruce County Girl born & raised in Southampton, ON, going on 20 Years this Year, we bought our first Australian Shepherd.

My husband, Rob, had no idea what I was talking about when I told him I wanted an Aussie.  Two years prior I had been on the Internet checking out Blue Heelers, and Aussies.  Shortly after moving here to Wiarton we got our first Aussie, Blue, who we tragically lost by someone coming into our driveway one night & hitting him.  We were devastated as he loved me & was very bonded to me.  My friend called me not long after we lost Blue telling me about a litter of Aussies.  This is how we came to have Bandit, my 2nd best dog in my Lifetime.  

Bandit DOB June 2005

Bandit Loved our Grandson, Aiden, who was a Year older then him.  Where Aiden was, Bandit was.  Bandit was an amazing Babysitter/Protector.  The one time we had Aiden for a week, I couldn't find Aiden, I was calling and calling, almost frantic.  At the back of the house coming out from the Hay field was Aiden with Bandit following right behind him.  I never had to worry about Aiden as Bandit never left his side.

Bandit also helped every new puppy we brought into our pack. Our first female, Lexus, not the pup in this photo, used to get into my flowerbeds when I was weeding them.  When I told her "NO flowerbeds, get", Bandit used to go up behind her, drag her by the back of the neck out of the flowerbeds.  This boy was always my right hand Best Friend.  Bandit loved everyone, especially our grandchildren.  He loved the cats, other dogs, and anyone he met on his Life journey.

My Mother lived with us for 5 Years, & she also loved him so very much.  When she moved into the Nursing Home he sometimes got to go along to visit her too.  Of course, by the photo, it made her day seeing him too.

Oh yes, Bandit was his dad's boy too.  When Rob was outside, you were sure to also find Bandit right along.  When Rob went to go in the truck, Bandit made sure he was in there right along with him.  Have you ever seen a picture with a dog showing his Master so much affection as this one?

This boy could put a *smile* on your face on the worst of days.

When I came home I always had the best greeting in the World I could ever have from this boy.  I went away down to Nova Scotia for 3 days, and Bandit didn't move from the top of the stairs the whole time I was gone waiting for me to come home.  Bandit was my boy, through & through.

Bandit had the most beautiful *smiles* in the World, can't you tell?

My & Rob's Bandit Boy.

My Boy, My Bandit 

I could share many many more photos of Bandit, and many more wonderful stories about his Life with us, however I am certain it would take page and pages of this blog post.

Thanksgiving Monday, 2017, we lost our boy, he was 12 1/2.  I think of him often, I look at photos of him & still cry, I miss this boy so much.  He was my joy & my comfort many times through all the years he was mine.  Bandit has a piece of my Heart forever.

Bandit was the "Checkerboard Aussies, Australian Dogs.

This is all she wrote this day..... "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".

Steal of a Deal

 I didn't think I was going to get a post in today... I have the feeling this is going to be my starting line every day, as I am always beyond busy.  

We have ongoing renos which, I hope, are going to wrap up soon.  I am excited to share all that in a later post.  We renovated our bedroom & downstairs washroom 2 years ago, last year the main floor bathroom, living/dining room & foyer, 2022 starting in October, I think? I will have to check back on that with my photos, making one of the spare bedrooms into our upstairs laundry room, & I am LOVING it! the other spare bedroom also had a complete makeover, new stairs coming up from the foyer, and... I think that's it.  Enough to say, "I am so done with renos for now".  The only thing left to do upstairs is the kitchen, and that will be a huge chunk of money, especially for the countertop, the cupboards I would just reface & paint, easy peasy, and the flooring was already done last year.  Another post for sure.

I have to say our downstairs dog room, and the pup's whelping pen is cleaner then our upstairs living quarters.  Between changing their bedding, feeding them, washing their bedding, washing dishes, and other puppy cares it's a fulltime job in it's self.  I love them & since a young girl it was one of my dreams to breed dogs, and it is one dream which has been fulfilled.

Today they all had their first mani/pedi, which I am certain Mama Tesla will be appreciative those sharp cutting little talons have been clipped back.  All 10 of them were so very good without any squiggling at all, much to my relief.

Once the pups had arrived I thought what in the heck was I thinking when I sold our old washer/dryer set ! all the puppy bedding to be handwashed in the laundry tub & hung to dry in the basement by the wood stove, as it definitely wasn't going in our new washer/dryer.  Last week I thought to myself, I wish I could get a good used washer for $50. which is near impossible for what I had seen when I put ours up for sale.  For whatever moved me, in the wee hours of this past Sunday morning, I checked on Facebook's Marketplace... a front load washer popped right up for $50 !  I couldn't believe it, so I messaged the person right then & there hoping it hadn't been sold already.  At a descent hour in the morning the lady responded to me saying it was available !!!  Happy happy me ... Rob went to Owen Sound Monday afternoon, and had it hooked up as soon as he had gotten home with it.  I couldn't believe my luck, & I can also use if for throw rugs as well.

My 2009 Steal of a Deal, as the lady advertised, "works like a charm". 

The only issue was the mold around the inside gasket.  The lady had told Rob it was stained, however in reality the door hadn't been left open each time after use for it to dry out.  I put it through a cycle with Affresh washing machine cleaner, and tomorrow I will make a concoction with baking soda & vinegar.  More cleaning ideas, if I have no success, here: Cleaning Tips for a Front Load Washer Gasket.

Every day is a busy day so...

This is all she wrote this day...."Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard"

A Day Late & A Dollar Short

 A day late & a dollar short .... I wanted to do a blog post yesterday but I just didn't have the energy.

Let's get right into those $$$$'s will we?

Who's in for a 52 Week Money Challenge with the outcome of $1,378 savings at the end of this Year?  I & some others have successfully done this in past years, however quite a few more haven't.  Some have even started it going backwards, getting the "big" monies out of the way right at the get go.  $1,378.00? just think about it, you, hopefully, might be a day late, but not a dollar short at the end of 2023.

If you are up for the challenge leave a "yea" or "nay" in the comments.

We had two appointments to view our "Chunky Monkey" puppies yesterday.  One was 9 am, & the other 1 pm, so this pretty much cut into the day, with trying to get everything else in-between throughout the day.  You know like making & feeding mash to 10 puppies, washing puppy bedding, taking our adults in & out all day, cleaning kennel runs.... never mind catching up on our own laundry, dishes, bed making, sweeping up dog hair, you know that "other stuff" needed doing.

The puppy appointments were so worth it !  I strive to find the very very best homes for our Checkerboard Aussie pups, being very fortunate to do so all these years, but for a handful of incidents, sometimes unavoidable with some people being able to answer my battery of questions, & slipping under the wire to not being good keepers of animals.  I have though been fortunate to get 3 pups returned, who I did find perfect homes for, and who do keep in touch with me on a regular basis.

Back to the puppy appointments... 2 of our sweet Checkerboard Pups have found their PERFECT forever homes, & that makes me soooo happy.  3 of the pups now have homes, 1 pending a potential forever home, and 2 appointments forthcoming.

Meet "Charlie's" New Forever Home Master & Mistress, Don & June.

Don & June recently lost their beloved Aussie of 15 years, Benji, & boy oh boy I certainly know how difficult that is as our Bandit is in my heart almost daily.  They have always have had a dog, both were "farm kids", as June put it, growing up in Scotland, so just couldn't have their nest void of a 4 legged best friend who loves attention almost 24 hours a day but for some time out spent sleeping.

Meet this sweet little Red Tri Girlie's, her name is still out for debate, Forever Family

Oopsie I have been gone for hours, and I don't think anyone noticed.  I started at about 6 am, got all above this done then got called away, & never stopped until now.  That's ok another puppers found her new Forever home this morning !  And now this was hours ago as I am so very busy, with another puppy appointment cropping up then lots and lots of messages.  Hours later, again, it is now 7:20 pm !

Ok I think I will just have to give it another old 1-2-3 attempt tomorrow, as right now I am overtired and overworked.  

Well it's all good, as I would much rather be busy, maybe not this busy, then bored, wouldn't you?

This is all she wrote.... "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard"