Thursday, September 22, 2011

After 4 weeks on the road, 2,328 miles, 18 dogs, 4 trials, 1 judge, and couple of art booths, here is what I learned:

You can lose, but you needn't be a loser;
You can ride your bike through sage brush;
The weather in Colorado is dramatic, the people aren't;
Winners always share wisdom with you;
Some people make excuses, some people need to be excused, and for some, there is just no excuse;
Boots, hats, and kids go good together;
Red sheep collars look better than orange;
Some people are grumpy even if they win, and some aren't, even when they lose;
Nothing fixes a bad open run like a great nursery run; 
Range sheep don't like dogs with too much eye;
Hats make great decorations;
Its bad, very, very, bad, when humans throw up by your dog trailer;
Always pack Lysol wipes;
If you put a fake snake in someone's bed, eventually 3 will show up in yours;
Bring lots of metronidazole when you go to Meeker;
Shaving your legs in a trailer shower is harder than doing a marked shed;
Two shedding rings are not better than one;
For the most part, people can enjoy your art, but they have to live the life depicted in it to want to own it;
Life is short, don't be afraid to wear your best clothes to the post, you may not get another chance;
Sheep have really cute buns;
If your dog over flanks, your drive looks drunk;
It is possible to watch a rodeo and a sheep dog trial simultaneously;
It is better to step off a horse than to fly off, you can always pretend you were just checking your cinch;
If you hit the ground, lay there for a moment, people don't laugh as hard when they are worried;
Give the sheep a moment to look through the panel;
Some pen gates can't be shut until the sheep are well inside;
The bigger the crowd, the drier your mouth; 
It is flattering to see your name on a jacket, even if you are pretending it's not;
The farther south you drive, the more your wrinkles show;
People from Texas are slow talkers, but not slow thinkers;
Jack Knox is a funny talker and a deep thinker;
If you form an opinion on a dog based on one run, get used to being wrong;
Hub looks exceptional in pink;
No one entered should go first, that's a variable we can fix;
Watch the old dogs run, it may be your last chance; and
Dorothy was right, "There is no place like home!"

16 comments:

  1. See I told you that you were talented and shit.
    Very funny and meaningful blog. Luv you loads

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  2. Great post. Don't know you personally, but based on the wisdom above, I think you must be the kind of person people are lucky to consider a friend. Well said.

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  3. Brilliant post! I laughed several times!

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  4. So true love love loved it and you to.

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  5. You are a very brilliant woman to have made all these observations. I agree with them totally. Great blog!

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  6. Gee wiz, thank you all!! For the Very nice comments. Hate to take credit for the wisdom part as people shared the wisdom with me. I just wrote it down....Well not the ride your bike thru sage brush part, that was all me. I still have the bruises to prove it! Thanks you guys

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  7. Excellent writing as always Vickie. It is always a pleasure to read what you write. Say what you want, a lot of what you wrote fits you. We followed your trials, well 3 of them anyways. Take Care

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  8. Love love love this. The "shaving your legs in the trailer shower" almost made soda come out my nose.

    Looking forward to crossing paths with you again this year.

    Monique and the wee red bitch Lucy

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  9. Very entertaining post, I especially liked the part about better to step off your horse...
    Reminds me a little of the cowboy poet style, better than a poke in the eye!

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