A long story...

I have been threatened. Somebody wants the blow-by-blow information on my weekend. It was quite a story. I have a Mini Cooper that 2 years ago I locked my keys in and everyone was commenting about how they thought they would have to turn it over to shake my keys out the sunroof since I locked them inside. So I started out on the funny side and ended the same way.

Now...remember as I write this that I have fibromyalgia, 3 vertebrae in my lower back that were bad for so long they have fused themselves together, three bad disks between my shoulder blades and I had major internal surgery last October. But I refuse to give up my play time!! I had been to the doctor on Tuesday and he told me to start doing more walking. If he only knew......

Castle Rock, WA the dogs Saturday began with lots of heat and few bunnies. I had Kansas and he worked his way up from 4th to second in a field of 12 dogs. By then my back hurt but I could still walk. I passed on beating the brush for the 22 Field Champions. We waited until 6 pm and cooler weather to run the 16 bitches. Few bunnies. Annie ran in an area near a creek with a steep bank, grass about 4 ft. high but no water in the creek here. Annie went clear to the bottom of the creek...3 different times as she worked her way up in the ranking. I was about to die. After the third time I asked the judge if I had to go back down there again?? No, it was a trial.

Annie won a second and Kansas won a second. Then I went back to the motel to wash dogs and me. Then I took drugs!! Then I cried for awhile because my legs hurt soooo bad. I was afraid I could not walk for Sunday.

Sunday was hot again, but I could walk. Sasha was in the first brace and we were casting out. (Letting the dogs loose to try to find their own bunny or anything good to hunt.) I had never done casting before but really like it. Sasha hunted around then got to a spot where she had to cross over some downed limbs. She put her front paws on the top, looked at me like "you expect me to climb over this?" Then Annie was in the next brace, so up the hill to get her. A really nice man was good enough to hold one of the dogs every time and Annie warmed up to him eventually. Annie loved the casting thing. Tail in the air and nose on the ground she just went through the blackberry brush, downed shrubs and tall grass. Then we had to run again and again. My legs were burning and my back was trash. Sooo, I didn't beat brush for the field champions again. Then it was time for Kansas to run. He was downriver from the creekbed Annie had been in the day before. Downhill he went! All I could see was grass moving to know where he was then I heard a splash! All I could see in the distance was a culvert you could drive a semi through! I had no idea how deep that water was so I ran down the hill calling for him because no grass was moving. "Shit, I lost my dog!" About that time I fell on my back in the creek I could not see through the 4 ft tall grass! I rolled over on my belly and could see Kansas standing on a rock with about an inch of water over his feet but a stick through his collar holding him there. The judge was trying to get me out of the water and I could think of nothing but getting Kansas. I was much cooler now! The water was about a foot deep!! I handed him Kansas then he pulled me out and UP that hill I went again! Knees shaking, hands trembling I got to the top and the judges say "he needs to run again". (Oh, sh - -!) I got my breath and away we went. Kansas was a bit shook up and didn't want to try going down the bank again but worked the sidehill. It was a trial.

THEN, they said Annie had to run for Absolute so I knew she got first. What I didn't know was she would be running against Helen Hound!! Julie Couch has been such good help teaching me how to hunt and now I was up against her and ANNIE'S LITTER MATE! Yup, 2 Sausage Stables full sisters hunting bunnies for Absolute. WOW! Guess where Annie went? Yep, down that darn hill again and I was thinking here I go again with me and the dog in the creek. But she stayed sidehill and away she went. My legs and back were beyond hurting.

When they announced winners my biggest shock was that Sasha had won NBQ! Were they sure? My Sasha? The red head with blonde roots? I had been calling Miki to keep up with possible points for everyone. Kansas needed 8, Annie had 17.25 and they needed 35. Annie won a first that day so she had that and then we needed to know how many bitches....Miki was on the phone all day with me (THANK YOU!) What I didn't know, but Julie called Miki to warm her up......MY ANNIE had won Absolute! My sweet little 18lb girl is a true killer! She loves to hunt...Her daddy was screaming on the phone when I called him! What a day...what a weekend. Ribbons, prizes, great food, great company, great helpful competitors, great helpful judges, great swimming......great story. Good painpills, good good painpills. And I can still walk.

Charlene

DC Sausage Stables Bethany, CH Sausage Stables Exceptional (Sasha) and CH RoseGate Kansas Traveler (who got to sleep in bed with Annie, Sasha and me)