Today I transplanted a bunch of plants in preparation for spreading more mulch.  I put this off all day yesterday and most of today.  It’s just not fun digging up stuff and moving it somewhere else.  I’m beginning to understand that the yard we have is much too big for one person alone to manage.  There is just so much to do, and with husband working 12 hours, 7 days a week it’s all resting on me.  I do some of it each day, but I feel like the people that paint the Mackinaw Bridge.  By the time you get from one end to the other it’s time to start at the beginning again.  When I’m mowing I feel like I should be weeding, and when I’m weeding, the grass is growing.  I haven’t even started the on the main flower garden yet, and it’s getting in worse and worse shape as I ignore it. So I hope to make more progress over the weekend while the weather is a bit warmer and a bit less windy and rainy.

I did take a break today to go to a dog agility trial.  It was held inside a sports dome, with several arenas set up for different sized dogs to run over assorted equipment, jumps, ramps, weave poles, tunnels and chutes.  It was fun to watch.  There were a ton of shelties there, all different sizes and colors, mostly all barking! Lots of other types of dogs as well.   I’m interested in this “sport” because I think Katie would love it, and it might expend some of her energy.   So I spent a couple of hours wandering among the competitors and watching different sized dogs run different agility courses.   Katie has to pass a basic obedience class before we can begin agility.  One of her instructors asked me last week if I had considered agility for her to help her build confidence.  Their goal is to make her less afraid  My goal is to get her to sleep more!

My doggie school homework this week is to take her to two new places.  She’s afraid of riding in the car.  Tonight as I sat reading in the living room, I looked up and asked her if she wanted to go for a ride and she slunk off into the bedroom to hide in her crate.  Geeze, I didn’t even know she knew the word “ride!”  And since she was in her safe place I didn’t think I should drag her out of there and make her go with me, so I went to the grocery store by myself instead.  Tomorrow I’m going to just pick her up and put her in the car without asking her if she wants to go.  Dog psychology.