Riding Lesson

I hadn't planned on putting up another post this weekend but it was such an awesome day and we got lots of fun pictures so I couldn't resist.  First, I can't believe it's been so beautiful for so many days.  The wind isn't blowing 100 miles an hour..  no bugs, no humidity!  Awesome!  Mike's grand daughter Kayley came over today because she wanted to ride Lucy.  Kayley doesn't get to ride much so it always turns into a bit of a riding lesson.  But then eventually it turned into Jeri's exhibition...  Kayley just wanted me to do stuff she told me to do but it was fun...  Got to mess around with Lucy...

Open up!

So first we had a "tacking up lesson!"  Here we are getting Lucy's bridle on.  Not too tough.  Lucy puts her head down making it all that much easier...  :-)

Then Kayley did some walking around with Lucy with me always within arms reach.  Kayley always feels more comfortable that way.

Time to mount up!

Then we move onto Kayley riding with me leading.  We didn't get past this stage.  Kayley was a little nervous...  then it turned into the Lucy and Jeri show...  Kayley decided she was going to direct and I was going to ride...  So I did...

Then Kayley decided she wanted me to ride without the saddle...  I said sure!  I love riding bareback!  So here we are...

I even convinced Kayley to try out the bareback for a bit.  But Kayley didn't last for long this way.  Not enough to hang onto...  :-)  Mike even thought all the messing around looked like fun so we threw the saddle back on and he jumped on Lucy for a spin.

Lucy is always a good sport.  Kayley had a fun riding lesson and we got to spend the day outside in the gorgeous weather.  We even got in a dog walk later on in the afternoon.  Enjoy it now!  Snow will be here before you know it!  (can't believe I just said that!  :-)

Can't believe it's Fall... Where did summer go?

The day was beautiful today.  This is my favorite time of year...  I love the Fall...  September 23rd, not only the first day of fall but my friend Mark's birthday too.  Happy Birthday Mark!    But geez, back on the subject, where did the summer go?  Seems like we just got rid of the snow and now here we are again!  My flowers have switched over from the summer flowers to the fall flowers now and my purple mums have just started to peek out...

I'm kinda bummed I'm probably going to miss them totally bloomed out because of my traveling for work this next week..  :-(  But I'll get to enjoy the trees and sumac changing colors on my drive so that will be nice.  It's funny how fast things start to change when it starts to cool down.  The ponies are already getting their winter coat so that means an early winter this year... 

Mike spent the morning outside mowing his yard.  He mowed it two days ago but decided it wasn't short enough so he mowed it again.  Thank goodness, I'm forbidden from mowing in the front yard because I can't walk in a straight enough line I guess....  Works for me!

Oscar and I had a lot of fun today.  We wrestled with his nails getting them all trimmed up again.  Dremmeled a couple of my own fingernails in the process.  ha ha.  Then we did some practicing..  We needed to practice..  Our next dog show is going to be a huge one (30 + mastiffs) and since I'm gone all week, we won't have much time.  But he did great so no worries...

Since it was so nice I decided Oscar needed a bath.  It had been awhile so we got out the baby pool.  Oscar of course jumped right in.  He's pretty agreeable.  He loves his bath so that makes it easy.

Scrub my back please

Mike decided he needed to get out the sprinkler and water the yard so the playing in the water continued for Oscar.  Now I don't quite get watering the yard in September...  But it's Mike's deal so I just let him do his thing while I go do my own thing...  But like I said, Oscar enjoys the sprinkler so the water fun continued for him.

After the nails, and the bath and all the playing fetch and everything else that happened today while we were outside, Oscar tuckered out.  He retired to the cool floor of the kitchen like normal.

snore......

 Oscar is getting big enough that it's tough getting around him in the kitchen anymore.  When he sprawls out, he really sprawls out!  I weighed him this a.m. and he weighs a cool 145 lbs at 8 1/2 months old.  It's a little intimidating when your dog weighs more than you do.  But he's a good boy (thank goodness) so I don't anticipate we will have any troubles.  He has also gotten tall enough that things are well within reach on the counter tops...  Gotta start putting stuff on top of the fridge now I guess.  :-D
Well, send your good karma my way next week.  I'll be in Sheboygan Wisconsin for work and then I'll be driving to Rockford/Freeport, Illinois on Friday afternoon to meet Mike and Oscar for possibly our last show of the year on Saturday Oct 1st.  I'm hoping I find it okay.  My strategy at the show is to meet people and have fun...  nothing more.  :-)
Have a great week and see you on my next post!

I miss you!

Last weekend was a bit abbreviated as I had to hit the road on Sunday for work.  I just got home tonight and Oscar was so excited!  I think he missed his mother!  And I missed my boy.  I think he gained 20 lbs while I was gone!  Big lummox! 

Mother!  Come hug me!

Mother, I love your lap!  But I don't fit anymore!

Say Cheese!  Smile!

Oh I love you!

I'm back on the road next week.  And then our third dog show in Rockford Illinois!  Send us your good karma!

Best of Winners Again!! And Kasey and Karley!

I just want everybody to know that Oscar snores loud and for me who is a very light sleeper, it makes it a bit difficult to get a restful night.  :-)  But more important, Oscar slept well and was looking beautiful on Sunday morning for the 2nd day of the Des Moines Dog Show.  (even if I did have bags under my eyes.  :-)

Here we are consorting with the enemy.  Actually I was just getting to know a gal a little better who was showing against me.  She was from Tulsa and was showing a big brindle female.  We started bright and early at 8:00 a.m. Sunday morning.  I was the first dog in the ring!  No nervous jitters for me today!

I did have a little trouble with Oscar because this judge was really really hands on and Oscar wiggled and wagged and decided he really liked this judge so he had lots of juice this morning!  :-)

Oscar and I won our class and proceeded to the breed class where we would be showing against the brindle female and a big championed male.  Here we are just getting lined up getting ready to get started...

And ultimately, different judge but same results...  We won the best of winners again!  Way to go Oscar.  I was tickled.  Our second day went much smoother than our first just because I decided I was there to have fun and not try to remember to do everything perfectly.  :-)  Oscar did just about wipe me out as we were running around the ring..  That was exciting!  But we kept it together and finished our second show.  Thank goodness I had the magic shoes on.  Yay!

On the way home, Oscar was pretty pooped.  We stopped at Hardee's for lunch.  Oscar and I shared my fries and Hot Ham and Cheese.  It was a beautiful weekend and the drive home was nice.  When we got home I rewarded Oscar by letting him do his favorite thing...  Soaking in his pool...  :-)

We also had other Johnson Ranch winners this weekend!  On Friday night I found out that Kasey had gotten 2nd place on her team in her Cross Country Meet and on Sunday, Karley texted me and told me her Marching Band had won their band competition on Saturday!  Whoop!  Way to go girls!

Well, there's lots of dog shows to choose from in October so wish us luck!  We will be going out somewhere I'm sure!  :-)  Go Oscar!!

Best of Winners!!! Oscar and ISU :-)

I took my vacation day on Friday and spent the day scrubbing Oscar and packing his bag.  We left late Friday afternoon for Des Moines.  I was super duper excited that I had found a hotel for only $50.00 a night!  What a steal!  But...  Having said that, maybe it wasn't such a good deal.  Oscar was expecting the Omaha QWest Center Hilton again so I think he was a little disappointed...  It was not very spacious...

I am not up with this place.  Bad job mom!

And it had a door to the outside world.  These always make me a little nervous so after a quick bedbug and spider check, we got ready for bed.

Even though my hotel was not the most fancy...  and there were two blood hounds howling 5 doors down, it was only a few miles to the Iowa State Fairgrounds...  so the location was good.  Saturday morning we headed off to the Fair Grounds ready for our second show.

After Oscar and I got to take a look around, I was starting to get the nervous jitters...  It didn't help that there was a professional dog handler there that was determined to tell me how to do everything and that what I was doing was wrong...  Right up til I entered the show ring.  It really kind of freaked me out so I kind of had a nervous morning. I'm sure he was trying to be helpful but it really just shook me up...  But Oscar did great like normal...

Note..  magic shoes are on!

Oscar ended up winning "Best of Winners".  We were really excited.  It was great Oscar did so well considering how nervous I was... 

Here's my groomer photographer relaxing after our stressful morning.  We sat here and listened to some play by play of the IA vs ISU football game.  It was a crazy triple overtime victory for ISU!  Whoop!!  Whoop!!  That night we got to go to Olive Garden.  yay!  excluding Oscar of course.  Then we went back to the hotel and crashed for the night.  But not before Oscar and I had a little pep talk session strategizing about our plan of attack for the next morning!  :-)

You got what on my show dog??

 Today, since it was so beautiful outside, Mike decided he was going to paint all the fence...  because I didn't want to get splashed with paint I tried to stay out of Mike's way....  But, some of us weren't fast enough.  Mike yelled at me....  "I got paint on Oscar."  WHAT??  Well, of course I panic (just because I can and because I'm so good at it :-) and immediately start scrubbing Oscar... I had to pick the paint out of the inside his ear.  Thank god for latex paint!  Oscar needs to enjoy the pool now.  It won't be out much longer.

Rasmus also got paint on him too...  He wasn't too bad, just some paint on his nose...  But Rasmus is always easily traumatized so it was something of a drama.  :-)

Mother!  Get it off!  Get it off!  It's burning me!

It was a busy dog day at the ranch on labor day.  I had gotten fed up with Dora's mop like appearance so decided I would get the clippers out and begin my masterpiece!

Before

Never had one lesson on dog grooming!  Yep...  I think I can clip as good as I can cook!  :-)  Doesn't even look like the same dog!  Now Dora kind of looks like a white 4 legged fruit bat.  I think it's a good look for her.  ha ha.  Mike wondered what chewed on her.

After

The mastiffs all spent the day in the garage with me.  Molly was as well behaved and excited as ever.  Here she is in her normal pose...  It's funny how Molly always looks like she's kind of melting...  How does she do that?  Like she doesn't have any bones...

Oscar got a couple new toys which he was really excited about.  We played a little fetch for awhile which was probably the most action that went on today.

ears a flappin!

I love my new toy!  And Mike's grass

But true to their form, the mastiff energy wanes quickly and there you have it....  dog carcasses in the driveway.

Mike eventually finished painting.  The white fence looks fabulous.  Mike joined us in the garage for the rest of the afternoon.

It was an absolutely beautiful day and really fun labor day weekend.  Looks like we are going to have a whole week just like this.  Wish us luck next weekend.  I'm taking a vacation day on Friday to do some dog scrubbing and pack...  Then off to Des Moines.  We will let ya know how it goes when we get home.  Wish us luck!