Best Halloween Costume

This image caught my eye on my Goat slide show over on the right column.
You know I like this!http://kmima.tumblr.com/post/1432291002/chica-reality-hampered-by-dreams

If you click the link underneath it, you will go to a site that I can't tell you much about, except that it is fun.
It is titled Trap Pretty Horse.
If you like photography and creativity, and I know you do, take a look. It looks like its a collaborative, and if you want to open it up, click on the script (language?Japanese?) to the left of RSS at the top.
Your Halloween Treat!

The Trail Project Lives

Once again, I have to show you my other distraction. We have broken ground on the trail, and by this week-end, I hope I can say we have a half mile completed and ready to ride. Go to the other blog I administer, Ligonier Valley Trail, to see this month's progress.

Driving Around

Happy Birthday

To my favorite guy!

Fall Flowers

Fall Wrap Up

I got behind on my posts, so I want to catch up on Fall news before the snow flies.
Did I say that? Mowing is underway, and the place is getting ready for winter. Some of the grasses will remain standing for winter browsing. Its that time of year and Neo has been dating a few of the girls.
When he's not with them, he manages to be a bit of a pain, and twice I arrived at the barn in the morning to find him with the chickens.

Both times he managed to break through his gate that forms the back wall of his stall. The second time he lifted the gate off its hinges.
That's not easy folks!
We've made a few modifications. I had a special guest stay a few days. My high school best friend, and maid of honor, Terry, spent a relaxing few days of walks and touring around the area. We also had a few small feasts from the garden and Delallo's grocery store in Jeanette.
I can't wait to do it again. Jake finally found a new home, and we are all so glad its with Sam and his family.
Sam was Jake's farrier - and a Penn State fan - so all's good!
Sam also has two 4-H riders that will give Jake a few more years of activity. We managed to get to the Forbes State Forest and take a hike in the Laurel Mountains before all the leaves were down. Beam Rocks Trail is about as flat a trail as you can find, and my knee had no complaints about the brisk walk.
It felt good to be out and moving, and Jock appreciated the new smells and the many pats he got along the way. The weather turned from shorts and tank tops, to long pants and long sleeves, it seemed, overnight.
The afternoons can still warm up, but I've unpacked the turtlenecks, so I'm ready for the frosty mornings and cool nights.Tomorrow, my Fall flowers.

Do Border Collies Make Good Pets?

I was with a group today, and was asked a variation of a question I get many times. "Are Border Collies good house dogs?" NO!

They are athletic and attractive dogs, but don't be fooled by the good looks and agility. It comes with a price. Time. Yours. These dogs stay active for most of, on average, a fourteen year life span."Do they make good pets?" Yes - if you walk them four times a day. I mean it! They are work. They look for work. They need work - physical and mental. They are genetically, naturally, historically working animals - whether you want them to be or not. We hosted four 4-H lambs three summers ago, and as soon as Jock got in the corral with them, he had them grouped against the wall, without us giving any commands. We don't know any herding commands!For lack of goats or sheep to herd after the morning chores, Jock "herds" the tractors, quads, wheel barrows, lawnmowers, whatever moves. He runs everywhere he goes. He watches everything for movement, and can't wait for us to start up a motor.Tired is not a condition you often see a Border Collie in, which is why they can easily become a pest or unhappy. By the time he was almost two years old, we had become Jock's third owner. He needed intense attention and probably got those four walks a day - minimum. Winter or summer. Some Border Collies are known to herd people when they are bored. They become intimidating and nippy. We were able to avoid that with lots of walks and play.If you want to learn more about the work going into saving Border Collies and other dogs, visit The Dog Liberator blog. There they talk about the habits and personalities of these dogs, and the work they take to train and make each of them part of a home.Our Jock is a happy dog because he gets to run, chase and herd. Can't you see the smile? But remember, it comes with a price. Hard work.