A drive to Sister's Garden...

I took a day trip up to Sisters' yesterday

with some new inventory in tow...

love this new spoon-carved chest and

the fence sections...too cute!

and do I love this pair of made in Spain

roosters, they just complete the country

feel of this setting.

along with the old umbrella frame, you

get the idea that summer is on it's way!

TO DIE FOR STOOL...

I even sorta like the fabric!

A countrified setting for sure, porcelain

 pans filled with soaps, embroidered

tablecloths and warm weathered woods...

and country blues, would love this

old stove if it had a string of lights in it...

A really cool fixture of some sort,

would be great with candle sticks in it.

A cute lil' chest for a whimsy style

on a whimsical day at Sister's Garden...K...

Hoppin' down the bunny trail...

 Cuteness...

 A basket full of cuteness...

 It's bunny soap...at the Candle Shed...

and Sister's Garden...TODAY!!!

Teddybear kennel clip...yorkie...

 Start at the base of the skull and work back

toward the tail, using a #7F. It's spring,

 so everyone wants them short, always shave

with the grain of the hair, down to the knee

on rear legs and elbow on front.

 Attach # 5 blade, hold leg out at elbow

and shave DOWN all 4 legs...

 Using a # 7F, shave down the cheeks

 from the corner of the eye to the neck,

 then shave the back of the ears, from base to the tip

 with a 7F. The tips of the ears are shaved

with a #10, about 1 inch.

Shave under the armpits with a #10,

 this area tends to get matted if the hair

is left long, it's hard to brush out

and it hurts, so just shave it. Do this under the

 tail and belly and under the eyes.

I'm sure your dog is not holding still

for all of this, but remember to make

him stand and use patience...

believe me, Precious is a little toad

and WILL NOT STAND,

she will choke herself rather than stand,

so she's a real pain in the arm, but

she's adorable, so I deal...

PATIENCE!!!

Now it's bath time, the rough-in is complete.

Time to trim the face and the ears,

 be really careful as you scissor the

 contour of the ears, just enough to even

 them up.

When you have the dog dry, brush the hair

forward and begin the process again,

shave with the #7F the whole body and down

the side of the face, again with the #5

on the legs. A simple method for drying,

I hope you all have a small dog crate, fold up a

towel and lay your hair dryer on it,

blow it full speed on WARM for 5-10 minutes,

then take out the dog and brush against the

 grain, if any hair is still damp just spot

dry it with the dryer.

Comb the hair against the grain on the legs,

scissor the long hairs and round the toes,

keep doing it until you have a smooth look,

or just do it the first time if you aren't

that picky, remember, this ain't the

Westminster, so it doesn't have to be

perfect the first time!

Comb the hair forward on the head and try

to trim it round best you can, same with the beard.

Again, don't try to be perfect, it'll come!

Remember, this is just basic,

just to get you started, you can fine-tune

each time as the dog trusts AND OBEYS

you and same goes for you, I think

my very first grooming took me hours.

I studied the book endlessly, but you are sooo

lucky, you have You-tube, check it out,

there are tons of great videos that will

really help you out...

have fun!!!

HOGWASH...

What next...

Baker's Green Acres farm raises hogs,

not just any old hogs, these are a sustainable

breed that handles the Michigan winter with

ease. They have a darker red meat,

 with a sweeter composition than your

regular factory farm meats...

NO STRESS!

But the Michigan DNR has deemed

them feral and plans to destroy the herd

April 1. This is most likely due to

pressure from huge factory pork producers

into whose pockets the DNR is deeply

embedded, money talks...

Just another bid to destroy the family farm.

The Bakers have developed a niche market,

but in todays corrupt society,

you don't have the freedom of choice...

I'm just waiting for the food gestapo

to raid my hen yard, deeming them

as an unhealthy food source,

 but a hen raised in a battery box is healthy.

Please protest this in any way

possible, make it go viral for all of us!

http://buzz.naturalnews.com/000025-Michigan-pigs-invasive_species.htm...

Not to worry...

Actually grooming your dog can be fun...

if you make it a possitive experience!

I'm a self-taught groomer...

my step-pops is a veterinarian,

one day he handed me a book on grooming,

a set of clippers and said LEARN...

I was in my 20's, been doing it

ever since. I watched the dog shows

faithfully to see how breed styles

were really supposed to look, now,

with the internet you have it all

available with a click.

Next week I'll begin to show

a grooming in progress as I work on it.

I am showing you the basics,

nuthin fancy, just what you need to maintain.

Then as you progress, you may want to try

 the finer art of grooming.

THEN...

if you really love it and want a career change,

grooming can be very rewarding.

the money is good!

But I would suggest starting one

on your own, working for another shop

can be grueling, shop competion,

 ruthless shop owners and bad clients

that you want to choke...

you don't have to take their crap,

and believe me, they can sling it!

More on that later as well.

So get an apron and I'll see ya

next week.

OK, here's the poop...

 So you wanna groom your own dog...

I strongly encourage and will answer

 any questions anyone has, this is about

your dog and it's well being!

 Buy a quality clipper, it's worth it's weight!

You'll pay $150.00, but you get a

free blade with it...

THIS IS A MUST!!!

Don't cheap out on me here!

 Get a good slicker brush,

this is a small one, I use a large.

The wires must be bent on the end,

this pulls out the loose hair,

around $10.00...

 Get a  good pair of toe nail clippers,

I know, I know, you are all

chicken shit when it comes to this,

but grab a small container of Quickstop,

a dab of the powder will stop

the bleeding NOW,

trust me, even a groomer

misses every once in a while,

 but it needs to be done

once a month!!!

 Shears, since I only groom small

dogs now, I don't buy into the

pricey shears anymore, I buy my

scissors from Sally's beauty, do buy

the longest ones though,

around $20 bucks...

the above shears can run up to $400.00

for the pro models, but then you

 have to find a sharpener that won't

ruin your scissors, with the cheaper

salon styles, you can replace when dull.

 I'm going to show you all you need

to do it yourself...

this is a #10 blade, this is the one

that comes with your clipper.

This blade shaves the tummy area,

under the tail, the pads and feet

(of poodles)

and under the eyes.

Don't even buy into the plastic guards

that many clippers have...

USELESS

unless you really know how to use them!

 This is a #7F blade, my fave...

this is for summer clips, it takes it short.

I use this on the backs of westies,

schnauzers, cockers, but it can be

used all over if really short is what

you need, but not as short as a #10,

leaves hair an eighth to a quarter inch.

All blades will run from $20-40

and most are in interchangable

with other clipper models. Use a blade

lube to keep sharp and a blade wash

to clean hair out...more on that later!

 A great blade, this can be used all over

the dog or when you use the#7F on

the body, a #5 can be used on

the legs, so the dog doesn't look scalped.

Leaves hair one quarter to a half inch long.

The comb is for fine scissoring, like

the topknot/legs/tail, comb against

the grain then scissor off long hairs.

This comb is great because it's

teflon coated...

NO STATIC CLING!

The most important thing for you

to remember is always groom your

dog on a table and

MAKE HIM STAND!!!

They will be antsy at first,

but will soon learn, if they wiggle,

the table wiggles, hence

dog stands still(in theory).

Don't scream or show frustration,

patiently work at making him stand,

 NEVER HIT!

Sometimes I'll tap him on the head

with the comb or scissors, just to remind

that we're working here...HELLO...

This is all you should need

to take care of your dog and

get rid of pricey, uncaring groomers,

don't get me wrong, there's a lotta

great groomers out there...

BUT...isn't this what you got

a dog for,

now take care of it!

And please remember, you can always

email me with questions...K...

ALL DOGS SHED...

 Bichon Frise...

I came out of retirement when the

economy took a dump, simply for

the fact that I needed the extra income.

Grooming for 35 years has taken it's toll,

bad back, tennis elbow, finger joint pain,

hair in the lungs...

but all for the love of dogs...!

 A poodle with a bichon haircut...

this is your best bet for hair shedding.

Highly intelligent, easy to train and FUN!

Many say I'm too cheap, and I agree,

but there is a reason for this...

THE ECONOMY

I'm not the only one struggling out there!

I only groom small dogs and

I only groom dogs that are groomed

frequently, for conscientious pet owners.

This way I have a constant flow of traffic

and I don't kill myself in the process.

 Oh Gayle, the adorable corgi...

shall we talk hair...and lots of it.

Corgis are perpetual shedders, like labs,

German shepherds, Weimeraners, Jack Russells.

So if you don't want hair...

but I love the corgi and almost got one,

but the size more than the hair stopped me,

they aren't small dogs, but adorable

and a riot...right Gayle.

 Pound puppies...

the terrier mix is a fair shedder,

the hair stays on the dog(like poodles),

which requires brushing, otherwise

the matting begins, but the hair

is easy to brush with the proper brush.

I use a slicker brush exclusively,

 a soft bristle brush is for you,

NOT YOUR DOG

a comb is for finishing

AFTER THE DOG IS BRUSHED OUT

COMPLETELY!!!

A trick for removing undercoat,

when you bathe the dog,

ALWAYS dilute the shampoo,

I use an old dish soap container,

then while the dog is all soaped up,

use the slicker brush all over,

the hair will come out in heaps.

Never give your dog a bath

and not brush it out...

BAD DOG OWNER!!!

 Cold climate dogs, mountain dogs...

why would you want one of these

if you live in Florida or Phoenix.

You have no clue to the amount of hair

you will be dealing with...

DON'T GO HERE!!!

I would charge $100.00 to groom a

 Newfoundland, Pyranees, St Bernard!

 Labradoodle...

this is a big dog, doesn't shed much, again,

the hair stays on dog and must be brushed.

I am totally against mixing breeds for

profit, but if you're dumb enough

to pay $500.00 to $1000.00

for a mutt...nuff said!

But they are fun dogs.

 There is nothing to compare...right!

 YUP!!!

Just remember, ask your groomer first

WE KNOW DOGS!!!

And don't be fooled by the cute little face

Yorkies are adorable puppies,

need constant grooming,

have knee problems,

bark constantly

and think they are Dobermans...

NO FEAR!

Be prepared and change groomers if

 you aren't happy...

there's a lotta bad apples out there!

Happy brushing...

PS...always groom your dog on a table,

make him stand and obey,

you'll make my job a lot

easier!

Oh, has it been that long...

 Seriously...you didn't notice that

your dog can't see, that it's been

6 months since the last grooming...

I used to hear it all the time!

I keep my prices reasonable to encourage

more frequent visits, $18.00, this

allows me the right to refuse to do,

but most comply.

 Not much can be done at this point,

it must all come off, unfortunately

this lil' dog is not very good to groom,

she bites when you touch her feet

and face, if she was groomed every two

months, which is the norm,

she would get used to it.

 The Pomeranian...in full coat...

 without coat...

this sweet lil' guy gets his hair

totally shaved every spring.

This is something I definitely DO NOT

recommend, poms are double coated dogs

and eventually the shaving will ruin the coat,

so if you don't want hair and

constant grooming, do not get a pom...

this lil guy is an angel to groom,

his owners constantly brush him out,

he looks like a little black fox.

And this is the cutest dog

in the whole wide world...

my lil' heathen 'Scratchy'.

She's a Cairn terrier...

key word TERRIER!!!

If you are not prepared for a

high-powered dog, don't go here.

They bark at everything, are bullies

around other dogs, hard to potty train

and hate cats...

but are a laugh a minute, the funniest

 lil' heathens around and

great mousers to boot!

Always research the breeds before

you buy your puppy, talk to a vet

or a groomer to know what

you're getting into, we know dogs

and have heard all the excuses...

don't forget your responsibility

and don't buy from puppy mills!!!

S.P.R.I.N.G.......

 I'm still in shell-shock,

Spring is actually here!

 A beautiful blue sky, sunshine

and blooms all over my plum trees!

 And miracle of miracles...

thar be BEES!!!!!

There were real life honey bees all over them,

but, it'll be short lived as soon that

yellow dragon will be flying the skies

and poisoning all around my house...

aerial spraying of the fields of corn and

 beans that surrounds me...the bees will disappear!

But as momentum grows for better foods,

I have faith that people will awaken

and protest!

There is no planet B...

(my bumper sticker)

Well...

 I was out walking in my forest

yesterday digging up cedar trees

to add to my tree rows, ok, this

is not my forest, but...15 trees later

and two left to plant, I stood up

 and sprained my ankle...OMG...

I couldn't walk, now what,

I'm 30 feet from my back door

and I can't walk without

excruciating pain...GEESH!

 Well, one good thing, I used my shovel

to slowly hobble back into the house,

where I applied analgesic and an elastic wrap

and elevated my leg for the rest of the day...

now, I don't do well when I know I have tons

to do and I'm laid up...

but I'm happy to report that today

my ankle is doing great...sooo,

business as usual and a lighter note...



Experimenting with Mozart...

 OK, I read in Mother Earth News somewhere

 that if you string old video tape around
your flower beds you could keep your

 chickens at bay...in theory,

the rattling and movement of the tape

is supposed to distract them...

 As you can see the lil' boogers have
 roto tilled my hostas and lilies,
 but the stringing

of the tape looks promising...

 I just want to give the plants a little
 more time to get bigger before
 excavation begins...right...

 and they call them bird brains...

as they dust away over at my compost pit,

I work on more strategies to allow them

free range and not lose all my flower beds,

later...

I'm off to Menards to check out fencing,

just sayin'...

ps...when I got home from work,

the neighbors lab had wandered through

and plowed it all down...

Monday I call animal control, two years

 of her running the neighborhood is enough!!!