Breakfast on the Farm

The first Saturday of the month is the Farmhouse Breakfast day. It was raining and we went early to avoid standing outside for long, but they have obviously done this many times and had the outside portions sheltered. We didn't wait long. And the rain stopped. We had the good sense to order children's portions this time which was "just right" (in the words of Goldilocks).

As for rain, we've actually had some this weekend. From light showers to heavy downpours, it's been off and on these past two days. Lovely. There has even been some thunder. It will take some more to soak into the ground much. The unusually hot weather this past summer has really stressed the Red Cedar trees. Most are turning red with drying foliage. Hopefully they will survive with more moisture arriving over the winter as they are beautiful big trees.

We had an invisible fence installed on Friday and began training with our brown dog. Right now she is training on-lead and only approaching the boundary twice daily for which she gets much praise and reinforcement for turning away from the line. Of course, being the dog that she is, on Saturday during her first training (in the pouring rain), she saw a frog jump into the bushes and she went right after it, apparently oblivious to any noxious form of stimulation as she crossed the "line". I corrected her by making her come right back (and through the noxious form of stimulation again) and she has performed with flying colors since. She gets an audible signal first when she approaches the line, followed by a small "buzz" if she doesn't correct herself quickly. We will keep working in this way until Wednesday when the trainer returns and we start working off-lead.

This is my last week of staying at home. I begin my new job next Monday. Some new routines will replace the current flow. The hospital seems keen to have me and I am looking forward to applying my skills in a new place; to be useful. But in the meantime, I will enjoy this final week of quiet self-selected activity...