Sara's blog

Oreo's birthday hike

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 23 Dec 2017 11:42:00 +0000

I know it has been a VERY long time since I've posted, but I couldn't let Oreo's 11th birthday go by without posting.

Hard to believe he is 11, but then again it seems like he's been in my life forever.

Yesterday, we had a snow day, even though it didn't really snow (the photo above is from a few weeks ago). Around here, we call that "Ichabod Craning", because there is a school district named Ichabod Crane that closes with just the threat of a flurry. Rumor has it that once the whole school had to spend the night, because there was a bad storm and the buses couldn't get the kids home. They never wanted that to happen again, so they close ALL THE TIME. Ironically, they were open yesterday!

We took advantage of our no snow snow day and went for Oreo's birthday hike.

While I am ever grateful for my job, boy did I need a few hours of forest bathing. I think Oreo needed it (and the treats ) too! We had the place all to ourselves - the best gift for a little scaredy boy.

Sorry, we haven't been around much. But I hope you all know this:

Happy Birthday Oreo! Happy Winter Solstice to All!

snow day, fun day

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 13:59:00 +0000

Snowball fun is back in a big way! Finally a real winter storm! We had a snowday on Thursday and again this Monday. Life is good.

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 25 Jan 2017 13:48:00 +0000

sunday math

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 08 Jan 2017 18:00:00 +0000

1 inch fresh snow + 1 forest + 2 beautiful dogs = nature's splendor

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 01 Jan 2017 11:38:00 +0000

Happy New Year! Wishing everyone a year of good health, peaceful moments, and puppies!

peace to all

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 25 Dec 2016 05:00:00 +0000

Whether you are celebrating a holiday today or not, we wish you a peaceful day. Hopefully a day that includes lots of time with puppies!

the big 10!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 23 Dec 2016 22:43:00 +0000

Oreo turned 10 today!

To celebrate, he got to go hiking on a new to us trail in a forest. There was a surprising amount of snow there, and no human foot prints to follow. In fact, we had to park in a snowbank, because no cars or plows had been there either.

Perfect for my scaredy boy. Solitude, so he could relax and sniff without worrying.

Luckily, the trail was well marked and I brought a trail map.

I seriously thought it would be crowded, or at least we would see signs of previous hikers. Silly me.

We definitely weren't alone though!

We are lucky to live close to these beautiful woods. Looking forward to coming back to this preserve in the spring, summer and fall to see how it evolves. But for now, we'll enjoy the gorgeous solitude & quiet that comes with the white stuff.

I hope you enjoyed our hike as much as the birthday boy!

"birthday treats please!"

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 02 Nov 2016 21:47:00 +0000

headless shelties

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 10 Sep 2016 14:34:00 +0000

Do they think if their head is under the bed, no one can see them?

two little helpers

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 20:03:00 +0000

I bake quite a bit. Usually that means nap time for the dogs.

Somehow, they know when I'm baking for THEM, and I end up with two little helpers at my side.

First, they make sure I mix it up right.

"I sure hope she didn't forget to add the honey, I've got a sweet tooth."

Then, they do the smell test before putting them in the magic bake oven.

Oreo says, "Chewy it's a SMELL test, not a lick the pan test!"

Then, they help me clean up while baking.

Here's the pre rinse.

"I'm more environmentally friendly than cascade."

"No need to add any rinse aid."

And then the wash.

"We make sure there's no leftover stuck on food."

Finally, the best part....the taste test!

"I get mine delivered right to my bed. Room service!"

"oops, was that the cookie or your finger?"

"More please!"

dog days

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 23:12:00 +0000

Is it officially the dog days of summer? I think all the days are dog days around here.

Look, I bathed and brushed my dogs! This is what they would look like if they were actually groomed on a regular basis.

Here is what they look like when they're not posing for a photo.

this is MY tunnel Chewy!

don't even think about coming in here

just kiddng! (kinda)

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer as much as Oreo & Chewy.

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 04 May 2016 22:22:00 +0000

spring break

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 29 Apr 2016 16:34:00 +0000

I'm wrapping up my spring break, and have been bringing the dogs someplace different each day to go hiking.

Today, we returned to one of my favorite trails, you've seen it before. The one with lots of boardwalks and planks. Last time, it was covered in snow.

Sadly the beaver dam remains, flooding one of the longest boardwalks. We still found plenty of other ones though.

This is my favorite part of the trail. There is moss all over the ground, so even though the trees haven't leafed out, everything looks lush here.

This is obviously the part of the forest where the fairies live.

We came upon this new dwelling...just the right size for a sheltie!

Then we came upon the swamp, where the beaver lives.

This is the trickiest place to walk. There is a narrow strip of land between two bodies of water. Then more planks to walk.

I'm happy to report that both dogs made it across those boards safely and independently! Forest agility course!

Here is a little creek that feeds into the swamp.

I think we walked about 3 miles in all. It was perfect weather for hiking, not too hot, not to cold.

Here is a little be more about the Rensselaer Plateau. I'm lucky to live at the base of the plateau. People who live at the top see a lot more snow than we do, and have a really tough commute down off the mountain. The roads are very steep and twisty. Don't know how they do it in the winter months.

A few of our students will have summer jobs here! How lucky are they?

Thanks for hiking with us! Now, we're hitting the hammock for a nap. Gotta rest up for the final stretch of school.

we got snow!

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 22:47:00 +0000

We may have had to wait until April for real snow, but it was worth it!

OK, we had our winter fix. Now we're ready for spring.

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 24 Feb 2016 05:00:00 +0000

three day quote challenge ~ day three

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Tue, 16 Feb 2016 16:56:00 +0000

Thanks so much to Caren for nominating us for this quote challenge! It has been great fun.

Since this is a dog blog, I HAVE to throw in some fun dog quotes!

One of my favorite quotes of all time,

"Happiness is a warm puppy." ~ Charles Schulz

Puppies make my heart melt. I dare you to be unhappy around a puppy. It's impossible!

When I see a human baby...meh. When I see a puppy....I have to put my hands on it! Must be the fur factor. I have the same reaction with panda bears. I hear you can go someplace in China and for $150 they will let you hold a panda on your lap for 20 minutes. Is that on anyone else's bucket list?

Then there is,

"The average dog is nicer than the average person." ~ the late, great Andy Rooney

Which I guess is why so many of us would rather be home on the couch with our dogs than out on the town or, god forbid, a party! Dogs are really good company, and they don't care what you look like, smell like (in fact the smellier the better), or what kind of car you drive. Relationships with dogs are easy and they make you feel good! Relationships with humans are tough, and they often make you feel like crap! Dogs will never let you down.

Finally,

"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die I want to go where they went." ~ Will Rogers

I don't want to ever think about a life without a dog.

Life is simply better with them. Dogs rule.

Three Days of Quotes - day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sun, 14 Feb 2016 22:00:00 +0000

Can I make up my own quotes for this challenge? Not sure if that's allowed in the rules, but that's what I'm going to do!

Continuing on with my teacher theme.......

I'm hoping to get a student teacher next Fall. I can always use help, and it's nice to have some youth in the room!

I was thinking...... what words of wisdom from my decades of experience could I give to a newbie?

What would my inspirational quote be?

What I really want to say is, "Why are you going into teaching? Are you crazy? Do you realize 50% of your yearly evaluation will be based on your students' test scores, and a first year teacher will get the toughest students? Hope you have a plan B!"

OK, I guess that wouldn't be very inspiring.

These seem to be my most common quotes in the classroom:

"Play fighting leads to real fighting."

"Less talking, more writing."

"Can you wait five minutes to go to the bathroom/water fountain/locker/office/cafeteria?"

"Don't let other people ruin your day."

"Don't bring ice cream in my room. We have mice."

"That's your phone, THIS is your calculator. Just in case you were confused."

Hmmm....again, not very inspiring.

One teacher gave me advice that I have heeded, "Don't go in the faculty room. The minute you leave they will be talking about you non stop." I would suggest that as well.

I guess I would tell him/her:

"Pick your battles. Most aren't worth fighting."

"Laugh a lot. Kids are funny!"

"Use their slang words. They will roll their eyes, but at least they're paying attention."

"If you get called a "gangsta" or a "pimp", take it as a compliment."

"Most days are going to be really hard and exhausting, but every once in awhile you will see the impact you've had and it will be the best feeling on earth."

And that feeling will have nothing to do with a test score.

Ok. I think I exceeded my quote limit.

Tomorrow, I'm going to have to do some sort of dog related quote!

Three Day Quote Challenge ....day one

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 13 Feb 2016 21:13:00 +0000

I got nominated to participate in a 3 day quote challenge by Dakotas Den. Three days, three quotes.

Thanks for nominating us!

I'm a teacher.

This is my 23rd year in the classroom, not including all the years I've spent as a student. I think I've only been out of the school setting for 4 years of my ENTIRE life. That's crazy.

Last week, I ran into a former student in the main office. She's now 31. My mom pointed out that that was the age I was when she was my student. She has a 10 year old kid. I think that makes me the kid's grandma.

As a special education teacher, I go into regular education classrooms to support the special education students and the teacher. Over the years, this has given me the chance to work with dozens and dozens of teachers in all subject areas. I've learned something from each teacher I've worked with, and am so indebted to many of them. They shaped my teaching and inspired me.

Today, I will share two of my favorite quotes from two of those teachers.

The first quote came from a fantastic math teacher. Not only did he inspire me with this quote, but he also gave me really useful tricks for figuring out word problems and translating systems of equations. I can still hear him saying "money plus money equals money, and tickets plus tickets equals number of tickets." Even though the curriculum has changed 3 times since I worked with him, I still use his tricks with my present students.

Not only was he a good teacher, but his classroom always had a really great vibe.

Here is his inspiring quote:

"Your students might not remember what you taught them, but they will remember how you made them feel."

Really, this can apply to any situation, not just the classroom. Shouldn't we always try and create an environment where everyone feels loved and respected? I try my best everyday to make my students feel valued and important and loved.

Some days it is not so easy.

This leads me to my next quote from an English teacher on the verge of retirement. In fact, I never really worked with her, I just used her classroom for one period a day in my very early years of teaching.

"Be kindest to the student you like the least. They'll end up being your favorite by the end of the year."

This is tough, tough advice....but I can hear that teacher in my head whenever I have a student who is not so easy to love. One must always remember that we don't know what is really going on in someone's life. They are probably acting a certain way for a reason. A little bit of kindness can go a long way. So, if someone isn't being nice to you, be nice to them anyway.

I run into that teacher at my farm stand every once in awhile. Next time, I really should tell her how that one statement has shaped my teaching.

I will forever be grateful for all the teachers who gave me practical and useful and FREE advice. I'm also indebted to the teachers I worked with who weren't so inspiring. They taught me what doesn't work! Which really is just as important.

As you can see in this old video, my teaching skills always need to be honed.

https://vimeo.com/14871211

back to school from Sara on Vimeo.

We're supposed to nominate three other people for the challenge. But, I'll just open it up to anyone who wants to play.

fluffy snow

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 23:51:00 +0000

Finally got a few inches of some good snow. The fluffy variety!

All the school's around us got a two hour delay (not really sure why), but my school had us come in on time. School is closed next week for winter break, so no chance of a snow day then. Oh well, maybe in March we'll get a couple storms. If we don't use our snow days we lose them, and I really don't want that to happen!

Chewy wasn't complaining about the snow. He always stops his antics when he see us watching....

https://youtu.be/ohhD-jgYkcg

Oreo eats the snow, but he never rolls in it.

The lost australian shepherd I wrote about a few weeks ago was finally caught last night. She had been on the run for 18 days, traveling about 10 miles a day. I saw her running down the road once and called right away, but they didn't want me to follow her, because she would run further. She had reverted to survival mode, and even when her owner got within 30 feet of her, she didn't recognize her. The dog hadn't been seen for three long days when a call came in from vermont. She was traveling down a road there. They were able to get a trap set up ahead of her and two hours later they had her. She was 26 miles from the spot where she was originally lost. So happy they got her before the really cold weather this weekend.

https://www.facebook.com/bringzerihome/

rock relative

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 03 Feb 2016 22:54:00 +0000

Well, last week we saw "grandfather rock", a few days later we met the great grandfather!

We did a trail that I haven't been to since Misty died.

It's a short, quick trail. Perfect for walking while you're waiting for the library down the road to open.

The sounds here were amazing!

I've never been down there during the winter. These photos make it look a lot colder than it was.

Quite spectacular, but I think I prefer it without all the ice.

If you want to see more photos of Misty on this trail, click here.

rocks with names

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 21:01:00 +0000

We traveled up to the mountain top preserve again on Wednesday. Still some snow up there, even though we really don't have any.

We did the Otter Creek trail...but saw no otter or creek. Hmmmm. I know there are otters there somewhere. I'll have to find out where they really are since my logical assumption didn't work out so well.

However, we still saw some cool stuff. Like this huge rock which even has a name ~Grandfather Rock.

Treats please!

This place was called the "rock garden".

And this cool place was called the "sentinels". Of course, it was way cooler in person.

And we even came across some more boardwalks. My favorite!

Thanks for coming along on our walk!

early day

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Mon, 25 Jan 2016 22:07:00 +0000

This is exam week for me, which means some days I get out of work a little early and other days I'm there very late.

Today was an early day, so the dogs got a trip to the nature preserve before dusk.

When we arrived there was a woman hanging a sign at the trail head. Her dog has been lost since Saturday. We took a flier and promised to call if we spotted the australian shepherd. I hope she finds her soon!

We looked and the dogs sniffed, but we didn't see any dogs.

We did hear and see the pileated woodpecker swoosh by. He's been quite busy!

We also saw the white tails of some deer in the distance.

Mandatory bridge photo!

Probably didn't need the bridge today.

Don't jump Chewy!

Exam week means I'm officially halfway to summer break, and only three weeks until winter break! Yippee!

pertinacious puppy

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Fri, 22 Jan 2016 23:57:00 +0000

What is Chewy doing? Doggie yoga in the kitchen? I think this pose is called uttana shishosana, otherwise known as "puppy posture".

Nope, he's trying to get a cheerio out from under the oven. You'll have to watch (and listen) to see if he succeeds.

https://youtu.be/gj2Y_QLT4_0

wordless wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 11:57:00 +0000

for real?

noreply@blogger.com (Sara) — Sat, 16 Jan 2016 14:03:00 +0000

It was supposed to rain this morning, but mother nature changed her mind. This is the most snow we've had so far this season.

It was coming down in big fat flakes. Like the fake snow you see in the movies, but this seemed to be for real.

While us humans were in a state of denial about having to finally do some snow removal (it'll melt this afternoon, right?), Chewy knew what to do with it.

https://youtu.be/YnsHtyS9UBk