New Camera - Testing, Testing

Got a new camera (from Santa) and am trying out the video feature.  This sillly video stars Lola and Callie.

The Goddess Perch

Starting the Skating Rink

I could get quite buff if I actually skate this track every day!

Sleeping Off Turkey Dinner

Merry Christmas!

The dogs and cats all got new toys.  Lola tried to steal all of them.  Sparkle is busy trying to pull the head off of hers.  Callie is chewing hers like a corn cob.  Baby Puddy enjoyed the wrapping paper the best.

It's a brilliant, sunny and cold day and I will be donning my snowsuit and big  boots and take the dogs out for "walkies".  Maybe I'll get some pictures to share.  In the meantime - here is Baby Puddy enjoying her festive bed.

Update:  Got outside for "walkies" and here are some of the pictures we took today.  Now, I sit back, drink some wine and wait for the turkey to cook.  YUMMY!

I Love You

Handsome Boomer.

Thawed Out

We had an EXTREME cold snap here in prairies this past week.  -35C temperatures with windchills dipping to -45 and below...way too cold.  I did not put my nose beyond the jam of the door.  When we put the dogs out for their "duty" we made sure we had a timer on for 5 mintues maximum.  No way did we want them to freeze.

Anyway - the temperatures are now more into normal range and we are out and about.

Peter took these photos tonight- nothing to do with temperature.

Seven Thousand

Today marked the 7,000 visitor to Berner Bumps.  I want to thank all my readers for coming along on my ride with my berners, cats and just stuff that happens.

No Pups For You!

No pups at Kimberlite this December.  Neither Sparkle or Ophie conceived.  Oh well - at least I don't have to set up whelping boxes and lose sleep....sigh.

Muskrat Love

"And they whirl and they twirl and they tango"

Mr. Slinky and Baby are staring into the ice and watching as the muskrats scoot back and forth from their den carved into the bank and out into the pond. Highly entertaining.

Sunday Walkies

It's a gorgeous November day and had the dogs out for "walkies". 

Dog Gone Exchange Rate

I wish this was my story but it's not - this one belongs to my friend Lynne and her berner puppy "Chloe".  Lynne and Paul went off to a wedding in Newfoundland a week or so ago and left their berners in the capable and loving hands of their neighbours, June and Ken.  Ken, took the dogs out for carrides and along the way stopped and picked up a big bag of milkbones and $400.00 from the bank.  He had another errand to do, and left the bag of milkbones and envelope of money in the car, with the dogs (or maybe it was just Chloe).  When he returned, the milkbones were gone and the bag they were contained in AND also the 400 dollars.

Subsequent following of Chloe on her "grand rounds" shows she has deposited $60.00 into the "Earth Bank".

Hot Tub Hotties

Me and Bogart.

Kitteh Hotel

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Bread Basket of Canada

Ever wonder where your daily bread comes from? 
It comes from hard working farmers.  I took this picture from my front yard at 5:30 pm this evening.  They will most likely go all night until this field is done.  What a wonderful piece of technology The Combine.  It allows the farmer to make one pass through the field - cuts the grain, sorts it (separating the wheat from the chaff). 

Here is Wiki's definition. 

"The combine harvester, or simply combine, is a machine that harvests grain crops. The objective is to complete three processes, which used to be distinct, in one pass of the machine over a particular part of the field. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn (maize), soybeans, and flax (linseed). The waste straw left behind on the field is the remaining dried stems and leaves of the crop with limited nutrients which is either chopped and spread on the field or baled for feed and bedding for livestock."


This piece of machinery is extremely expensive.  Imagine if this technology was not available...

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What Cats Do While You Sleep

Hey Stupid Driver!

This is for the imbecil who pulled out in front of me at Sunset Estates (idiot turned right onto the highway). Hey LOSER!! - the speed limit is 100 kmph...LOOK before you turn! Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic and I was able to avoid hitting this moron by going into the opposite lane.

Whew - That's a Relief!

The vampire quiz

My Quiz Result: You are not a Vampire. You are an ordinary mortal.

Take this quiz: The vampire quiz

Take more quizzes, myspace quizzes and fun quizzes on personality, love and other topics.

I Spy

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Futility

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Brake Pedal Kitty

I went to the vet the other day with one of my kitties and I allowed her to be loose in the van. Much to my horror, she jammed herself underneath my brake pedal. I was able to slow down and stop on the side of the road, albeit, kitty was being jammed (as gently as possible) by me pushing the brake pedal. Once stopped, I dislocated Kitty - (she with her claws hanging on to whatever) and inserted her into a one of the dog kennels that I always carry in the van. She quickly rummaged through the blankets and covered herself for the remainder of the voyage.

December Puppies!

While I have not taken either Sparkle or Ophie for an official pregnancy test, I am 99 percent sure Sparkle is pregnant. She is displaying all the symptoms - super sucky, wanting to lick me, not wanting me from her sight, and taking very precious care of her "delicate" self :-). She is 5 weeks into her pregnancy and I can see the tell-tale swelling of her belly.

Ophie is being a bit different this time round and so I think she may have conceived also. She's also on the suckier side and wants to cling to me. She would be 4 weeks pregnant.

I will be bringing both girls in on their last week of pregnancy to determine puppy count.

I will also be putting the "Pup Cam" back online once the action starts. Maybe we will be lucky this time and the girls will deliver their pups at home.

Stay tuned.

Side Gait - the letter "M"

I love this picture of Joey - it demonstrations the letter "M" that symbolizes the side gait (in the Bernese Mountain Dog). The front paw is either at the nose or slightly ahead - reaching. The rear paw behind the croup - driving. The other two front and rear paws forming the lower middle section of the "M". This demonstrates "reach" and "drive".

Note: This movement should be demonstrated at a relatively slow trotting pace. The dog, with correct balance and angulation, will demonstrate this "M" without being raced around the ring.

Get Along Little Doggie

Was looking out the kitchen window this morning and see cows. But they are not where they are supposed to be - they are strolling through the fields. So, I phoned my neighbour to tell him that his cows had broken out.

About a 1/2 hour later the owners come with a couple of pickup trucks (modern day horse and rider). It is just amazing to watch the cows respond to their owners. They "know" the trucks and they "know" their owners. While it was not as sexy as watching "City Slickers" with Billy Crystal riding herd, it was amazing to see these cows follow the trucks. They came galloping from all over the fields.

It took them about 3/4's of an hour to lead the herd back into the pasture. It entailed getting out and rattleing grain buckets and jus yahooing them....and not one "cowboy" hat among them.

Fascination

We had a power outage last night and broke out several candles. Baby Puddy was quite fascinated with the pumpkin scented candle.

Guinness - also known as "Dot"

It is with great sadness that I announce that Guinness, beloved sweet girl of Paul and Lynne passed away yesterday. She was 8 years old. Guinness was from my "G" litter and she was the tiniest little thing when she was born, weighing only 220 g. She struggled to nurse, so I fed her with an eyedropper. This gave her enough strength and she was then able to latch on to a nipple on her own. Despite her rough beginning she went on to grow into a strapping big girl and is one of Treeline Bernese foundation mommies.

I shall fondly remember my G litter of Dot and Dash so called because of the markings on their heads. Dot with a splash of white on her crown and Dash had a white stripe down her neck.

This is my favourite picture of Little Dot - despite that ball being almost bigger than she was, she kicked that thing around the yard.

A New Simon's Cat!

This is coffee snorting/replace your keyboard funny!

Happy Birthday H Litter

The H litter turns 8 years old today. I remember when these guys were born. Genie had to have a C-section and I had brought Bonnie along so her two babies could have their dewclaws removed. Well, as Genies babies were delivered we popped them on Bonnie to nurse and much to Bonnie's delight because she only two babies of her own and I am sure she figured that she had more babies and I kept them hidden from her. Since Genie had 7 puppies, Bonnie was happy to help nurse the babies and the two moms raised the litters together.

Thelma and Louise - The Sequel - Fight

Dar and I are fighting over who is Thelma and who is Louise. I so want to be Thelma - that means I have the love scene with Brad Pitt. But, Louise is so cool and James Marsden is oh-so-hot too (but no love scenes). Decisions, decisions.

Jeopardy - How to Win

Peter and I enjoy watching "Jeopardy" on TV and seeing who can answer the most questions (or is that give the correct question to the answer). I realized that the show comes on at different times during the day and so I watched the show, wrote down the answers and waited for Peter to come home (hee hee hee).

We sit down with our dinner and are watching TV. Jeopardy comes on and I start answering the questions (I do miss some intentionally). Peter looks at me and says, "What? Did you take smart pills this morning?".

The game continues and final jeopardy comes on. Of course I have the correct answer. Peter is just amazed with my intelligence. I try to keep a straight face but do finally succumb to fits of laughter.

It was an awesome joke!

Happy Birthday G Litter

G Litter turns 8 years old today. That was my big litter of two - who were called Dot and Dash - now known as Guinness and Neve.

Hope you girls get lots of presents and belly rubs.

Thelma and Louise - The Sequel - Day Two

We woke up to snow - but it was not sticking to the roads. The hotel offers a free breakfast. Well, this one was one of the poorest examples I have ever seen. The breakfast room was reminiscent of a lunch room at some office. No decor what-so-ever. A few muffins, some bread, yogurt, and coffee - that's it. No fruit. No waffles.

Apparently, we were supposed to pay a park fee. Well, we simply drove around the toll gates (following the big trucks). I thought the park fee was only for someone camping overnight - not someone staying in a hotel. Since our parking was underground in the hotel our car was not seen - so we saved 40 bucks! Great because that breakfast was LOUSY!

On the road around 9 am. Still no mountains to be seen in Banff. The drive between Banff and Golden, BC took around 4 hours. It's gorgeous - we did manage to see a few mountain peaks that were floating above the clouds. The passes (Kicking Horse and Roger's) are breathtaking. It is a wonder of technology and the determination of the men and women who toiled through these mountains. We had the most appropriate music playing... Gordon Lightfoot's - Canadian Railroad Trilogy.

Dar decided she would have a hissy fit in Golden. We stopped at a Husky/Mohawk station to gas up. The new thing these days is prepaying at the pump. I had already gone into the store to use the facilities and Dar was trying to pump gas. Well, she had problems. For whatever reason she could not get the pump to work. She had inserted her credit card but still the gas refused to flow into her tank. She got frustrated. She got back into the car and drove away. She heard a CLUNK - wondered what that was. Well,turns out it was the gas nozzle that was still in her tank. Luckily, it did not come off. Me - I am in the store totally unaware of the drama that is going on outside. I see the store clerk run outside. I see Dar come into the store (snorting fire and brimstone). I am still unaware of what happened. All I hear is her saying...I cannot find my gas tank plug.

She stomps back outside and this waitress from the restaurant comes out to tell her that the plug is on the back of the vehicle. Dar snarls at her..."your pumps don't WoRK!". Poor little waitress.

I get in the car and ask her...WTF? What has just happened. She snorts and spurts about how the gas pump didn't work and how she hates the prepay stuff. We find another gas station that offers full service and get our tank filled.

About 15 minutes down the road Dar is starting to calm down and suddenly feels like a big SHIT. She hopes she can find the address for this station and write a letter of apology. She really didn't mean to have a melt down. Me - I just ate my bbq cashews that I had bought and just let her rant and rave until she had worn herself out. (Shades of Legends of the Fall - Dar is Tristan - the rock we break ourselves against).

We finally reach Kamloops, BC and can now travel on the Coquihalla. Oh I forgot to mention - I do not have any money in my wallet. Well, I have 3 American dollars, but no Canadian money. Darlene says all I need to pay for is my plane trip home from Abbotsford. Now, I do not mean to leave home without money but I thought I could stop at some ATM along the way, but so far I've not used one. Now the Coquihalla is a toll highway. It connects Kamloops to Hope, BC. Always 2 lanes - sometimes 4 lanes so one does not get blocked behind slow transport trucks or RVs while going through the mountains. So - I am to pay for the toll.

This highway is one big climb from Kamloops to Merrit, BC. Merrit is in a valley - so down you go and then once past Merrit another big climb (hence all the lanes). Then you reach the apex and it's the biggest downhill slope I've ever been on. Going 110 kmph for over an hour and we are still going downhill. I keep waiting for the toll booth but it never appears.

Dar has brought along her GPS and we have programmed it with the address that we want in Abbotsford. Once we are passed Merrit, I note that Hope, BC is another 133 kms, however the GPS is showing our destination at 120 kms. This is just not right - we have to pass Hope and Chillewack. We are supposed to take Road 3 off of the Transcanada.

We are still descending this amazing hill and the GPS says turn right in 3 kms and there is this exit for Hwy. 3 to Princeton. I know this is not correct but I turn anyway and the GPS then says...."make a legal U-turn ASAP". I love the "legal" U-turn suggestion. The GPS got confused between Hwy 3 and Road 3.

We manage the "legal" U-turn and another hour later find Road 3. We miss a few roads but finally manage our final destination...Bonnie and Al's house. Ding ding! (GPS chirps upon arrival).

We fall out of the car - crouched like pretzels and it takes us several strides before we can walk upright. We greet Bonnie and say...Wine and hot tub please - doesn't matter which order.

Bonnie not only provides us with wine and hot tub but a fantastic supper. What a wonderful home...funky little retreat nestled in the Fraiser Valley. This home is a rambling ranch house with four bathrooms, 3 kitchens and only 2 bedrooms! A wonderful place for weary travellers - I highly recommend it.

And the funniest thing - the Coquihalla is no longer a toll highway. HA HA. I did not have to pay.

PS - no men were shot on this trip, no trucks were blown up and we did not drive off any cliffs.

Thelma and Louise - The Sequel - Day One

My niece Jenny has a contract nursing assignment in Abbotsford, BC and was wishing she had her car, so my sister Darlene (Jen's mom) decided to drive her little Cavalier to BC. The car is a standard, and while it has air conditioning, it does not have cruise control. I decided to accompany her from Saskatoon to Abbotsford. It took Dar three, 12-hour days to get from her farm in Dundalk to Saskatoon. Her first day she made it to White River, Ontario and then next day she made it to Kenora, Ontario. The third day she arrived at my house. She managed to lose her car keys in Brandon - but luckily had spares.

Friday morning saw Darlene and I hit the road at 8 am. We had planned on going to Abbotsford via Jasper, but, at the last minute diverted to Banff because Darlene's son, Gord was going to Banff that weekend and we could have an overnight visit. The drive through Banff National Park, Kicking Horse Pass and Roger's Pass (over the Rockies) is beauitful, but very slow because the roads twist and turn and the speeds often go down to 60 km or less. Jasper is a much faster drive. Anyway - we had not even been 1/2 hour into our trip - just made it to Saskatoon when Peter calls to tell us that snow is expected in Banff that evening. We wonder whether we should divert once again and go to Jasper (we have to make this decision in Saskatoon because the highway forks) or take a chance and hope that the snow is not too bad and the roads will be ok (we do have snow tires in the back of the car). We decide not to be whimps and head for Banff.

When we get to Calgary, we try to find a garage that will put the snow tires on the car - but everyone is booked. So, we proceed to Banff with our summer tires.

We arrive in Banff around 5 pm. Gord is not expected to arrive until 8-9 pm. We are booked at the Spruce Grove Lodge and because it is off season all the hotel rates are extremely reasonable (lots of vacancies). We take a walk through Banff - it is a gorgeous alpine town - however, there are no mountains to be seen as the weather is socked right in. What a shame - drive all this way to see the majestic Rockies and all we can see are a few pine trees.

After our walk, we decide to have a hot tub and sauna (the hotel has these facilities). The hotel is actually joined by a tunnel to The Voyageur (and that is where the pool facilities are). We have those plastic keycard passes and stand by the pool door - insert the key into the card reader but it does not go green. I try again - nothing. So, I go up to the lobby to complain that our key card does not work. The receptionist tells me we don't need one. OK - duh...we never even tried the door, just assumed it was locked because the of the big sign that said "no trespassing - for guests only" and the fact that it had a card reader on the doorknob.

Dar and I are the only ones using the facilities and after a long days drive a hot tub and sauna are just what we need to relax our cramped muscles...ahhhhhhh. I decide I've had enough and am going back to the room. Dar is still in the sauna and I tell her I will meet her in the room. I have the key. I go into the change room to take a quick shower and put on my clothes. As I am stepping out of the change room I see the door to the hallway click closed. I look in the sauna and Darlene is gone - as are her clothes. I'm thinking...oh oh - I'd better get back to the room as she will be pounding on the door. Instead of using the tunnel, I just cross over the parking lot and get to our room. Darlene is not standing there, nor is she inside. A couple of minutes later I hear her knocking on the door. She's standing there in her clothes and tells me that she couldn't get through the tunnel because she did not have a key (she thought it was locked) and waited until someone opened the door for her (turns out that door was unlocked - once again she never tried the door). The funniest thing though was that she had put her clothes over her wet bathing suit and was standing there with her soaking wet butt showing through her jeans. I am sure the person who opened the door for her thought she was "special".

Gord and his fiancee arrive around 9 pm and we had ordered pizza and wings. We had a wonderful evening. Gord had brought his guitar and we had a little jam session. The most amazing thing of that evening though was watching Gord eat chicken wings. In would go an entire chicken wing - he'd move his mouth around and out would come bare bones. It was amazing! He's an awesome eating machine. We said goodnight and were probably in bed around 11 pm.

Around 3 pm, I heard a BEEP and woke up. I was not sure if I had dreamed it. I looked over at my sister and saw that she appeared to still be sleeping so figured I must have dreamed the noise. I was about to fall back to sleep when I definitely heard a rather loud series of BEEPS. It was the smoke detector. Darlene was now awake and I asked - "Did you hear those beeps?"

She replies "I think I dreamed it".

I retort, "We can't have the same dream".

I see that the radio alarm clock is blinking - so we had a power bump and that set off the smoke detector. None-the-less, I get out of bed and go to the door and open it - and sniff the air. I do not smell smoke. I had a difficult time falling back to sleep because I kept expecting the alarm to beep again (anticipation).

Sidney

It is with much sadness that I announce the passing of "Sidney" beloved sweet girl of Charlie and Dawn. "Sidney" was from the "M" litter and she was the first born. I always thought of her as glamour girl because of her lovely "white gloves".

Mr. Slinky Will Not Tolerate Any Hanky Panky

Kimberlite's R and S Litters

Sparkle and Ophie are in heat. So - if all goes well, we will have two litters at the end of November. Fingers crossed.

Dog Showing This Weekend in the USA

I am sitting here in my motel room in Helena, Montana. I left on Tuesday night and spent the night at Swift Current. Was on the road on Wednesday by 8:30 am and headed towards the border crossing at Climax. The guards there were quite thorough and checked all my paperwork, inspected the van to make sure I was not bringing in anything illegal. After I get the OK to proceed - I have to drive through these two big pillars that x-ray the vehicle to see if there is any "radiation". If, it finds radiation, then your vehicle is subject to a much deeper inspection. Fortunately, I was not carrying any radiation - however, I'm sure if the dogs had of farted the thing may have gone off.

It's hot here in the West -- and yesterday was one of the hottest days. With mercury at 91 degrees F, here I am driving with front and rear air conditioner working, cruise control (and Montana has a speed limit of 75 mph) and I am climbing mountains. I glance down at my dashboard and check the gauges only to see (to my horror) that the temperature gauge is in the redline! Oh! Oh! Last thing I need is my van overheating. So, I rolled down the windows. Shut off the A/C and take off the cruise control, turn the dial to defrost and turn the heat on FULL BLAST. I can literally see the temperature gauge dropping.

I've forgotten how noisy it is to ride with windows opened. Anyway, I had to continue to do this full heat - back to A/C all the way to Helena - but at least my van did not explode (6 hour drive). The dogs were not too uncomfortable as the wind blew back in the van. However - my hair was another story. I didn't look at myself in the mirror until I was almost ready for bed and much to my horror see that my hair is sticking up at 90 degree angles - courtesy of the wind blowing through the windows). I was a delight to look at. And I thought people were looking at me because I am so stunning...ha ha...NOPE - it's because I looked so stunned.

Got settled in nicely in my room and and enjoying my time with my room mate Vicky. We had an early night - I think I was asleep by 10 pm.

Up early thought and off the show. While I tried my best, we didn't get any points today. But, I have 3 more shows...so crossing my fingers.

How To Fly

Photo credit

Darkroasted Blend

Useful Signs

I could use the one on the right. I had no idea that alligators were musical!