Americano Blue's musher/mushing chat thread

[RezChamp]

I haven't had any problems with the sled running off to a side. Arrow, my wheel dog, tends to constantly switch the side she runs on so that might be when it doesn't go to one side. I took this before I switched the team a bit. (I put her in lead with my lab.) When I don't have anything but extra lines and a snow hook in the bag, I prefer having one in wheel. Plus, with her still figuring how to run, I feel like I can see how she is doing easier. I typically sit on my heels ten minutes into the run when the dogs have set their pace. I don't know why I do. Might be a habit I picked up from the Sprint mushers.

My dad and I are going to finalize the area this week hopefully. We have some trees that need to be cleared. He is building a shop and so i have to work around that. (My area is close to where is he building.) My parents seem pretty okay with me taking as much area as I need. My plan is to fence off the whole area with cattle wire (Our neighbors dog comes over to play with my labs some times and I don't want him getting in with my working dogs. I don't think he is fixed.) and then set up spots for the dogs. I would like them to have at least a ten foot chain. I know a lot of mushers have their dogs on 4-6ft chains, but I feel like that is just too small a space for them. Especially the larger dogs. Plus I don't want a kennel with more than eight dogs at the most. Most races I want to do require 4-6 dogs anyway. That gives me two dogs to have on back up. Plus, next year I want to buy another sled. My friend really wants to go mushing but her parents don't allow large dogs. I figure it will only take four dogs per person. 

I find it kinda funny that I'm excited to see a dog yard but I am.
10 ft chains is much nicer than 4-6ft
By cattle wire do you mean that wire about 4ft / 4 " mesh(at top)with successively smaller "squares" as it gets to the bottom? If so, ya eh. That'd work. I would put a few rows or barbed wire on top all the way around to ensure strays don't get in easily
Ya it's good to switch to see who works where. I do that too. I sometimes hook-em-up singlefile. It uses lotsa gangline but works out good for argumentative mates.
Your friend is lucky to have such a good friend as you. Right on Blue

 

[RezChamp]

Earlier I was gona post a cpl pix but I forgot...then I remembered... so here I am. And here they are

I made very warm mittens for my granddaughter . The beaded ones in the background belong to my wife. She's repairing the fur trim

 

[theuglyduckling]

Earlier I was gona post a cpl pix but I forgot...then I remembered... so here I am. And here they are
I made very warm mittens for my granddaughter . The beaded ones in the background belong to my wife. She's repairing the fur trim

those look pretty. i like the indian design.
in puerto rico even though most puerto ricans are mixed with taino indian you dont really see these types of things around. you dont see that much indian stuff around at all. they have a taino statue that is really big by a stop light but other than that i dont see much indian stuff at all.

does your wife sell what she makes?

 

[RezChamp]

those look pretty. i like the indian design.
in puerto rico even though most puerto ricans are mixed with taino indian you dont really see these types of things around. you dont see that much indian stuff around at all. they have a taino statue that is really big by a stop light but other than that i dont see much indian stuff at all.

does your wife sell what she makes?

Hi sisip
Thank you. The old style is still used a lot around here. Well, maybe not lots but it is still alive.
There are a few businesses that get merchandise from Natives and mark it up LOTS.
1 site to punch in Google search bar is "Winnipeg Outfitters". They have some beautiful stuff there. If there is a "High-end Native Handicrafts" they have it.
If you saw me you would probably wonder how I could be Indian. Bone and muscle structure and even my interior is( digestive & cognitive propensities etc) but I have green eyes, curly(not kinky tight) brunette with blonde highlights hair, fair skin. Heck I don't even tan anymore.
But I still have the old style in me.
I'm curious about Taino culture now. Gona do some research later.
Do have the blood in you? Maybe you should learn more about it and start bringing parts of it back to life.

My wife doesn't actually make much stuff. She will do some small stuff like moccasins for the wee ones(kids) now and then.
She does mostly repairs. She ain't very "domestic". I grew up on a farm. She grew up in a city.
So to answer your question, she doesn't sell...simply because she doesn't make.
Kinda too bad really because we could be making actually quite a bit of $$. There is sale for it.
I usually make just what I need. I saw a need for good quality to keep my grandotr's hands warm rather than the ill-made cheap material gloves/mitts available at any given store. They're OK in fall I suppose but definitely not good enuf for my g-dotr in -20 to -30 she when she wants to go outside with(grandfather) or play with her sister and slightly older aunty.
You looking for a pair? LOL. Like you need them down south along the ocean eh.
I suppose though they would be quite the conversation starter .

 

[theuglyduckling]

Hi sisip
Thank you. The old style is still used a lot around here. Well, maybe not lots but it is still alive.
There are a few businesses that get merchandise from Natives and mark it up LOTS.
1 site to punch in Google search bar is "Winnipeg Outfitters". They have some beautiful stuff there. If there is a "High-end Native Handicrafts" they have it.
If you saw me you would probably wonder how I could be Indian. Bone and muscle structure and even my interior is( digestive & cognitive propensities etc) but I have green eyes, curly(not kinky tight) brunette with blonde highlights hair, fair skin. Heck I don't even tan anymore.
But I still have the old style in me.
I'm curious about Taino culture now. Gona do some research later.
Do have the blood in you? Maybe you should learn more about it and start bringing parts of it back to life.

My wife doesn't actually make much stuff. She will do some small stuff like moccasins for the wee ones(kids) now and then.
She does mostly repairs. She ain't very "domestic". I grew up on a farm. She grew up in a city.
So to answer your question, she doesn't sell...simply because she doesn't make.

Kinda too bad really because we could be making actually quite a bit of $$. There is sale for it.
I usually make just what I need. I saw a need for good quality to keep my grandotr's hands warm rather than the ill-made cheap material gloves/mitts available at any given store. They're OK in fall I suppose but definitely not good enuf for my g-dotr in -20 to -30 she when she wants to go outside with(grandfather) or play with her sister and slightly older aunty.
You looking for a pair? LOL. Like you need them down south along the ocean eh.
I suppose though they would be quite the conversation starter .

lol no i sure dont need any gloves but some people wear slippers here sometimes. i think the coldest it gets is like in the high 60's sometimes at night if it is raining. some people like to claim they have seen snow on the top of the mountains here but i dont believe them. i think they are just full of it.

no im not puerto rican or indian im from the states but my fiance and his family are from here so they are indian. it is quite surprising when you see how people look here. some are really dark with lots of indian facial features like in the eyes and then you have people with a soft tan look or just pale white with indian eyes. the hair and eye color come from dark brown almost black to blue and green and the hair is from blond to black. it is very diverse here. my fiance has indian looking shaped eyes but not a strong indian look but then his sister who is his half sister has deep indian looking eyes almost asian looking. if that all made sense not sure.

i do know when you go to the forest you see some indian stuff along the trails but its like the people here have tried o erase their indian culture and history or something. it is kind of sad.

here is a link on the tainos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taíno

 

[RezChamp]

lol no i sure dont need any gloves but some people wear slippers here sometimes. i think the coldest it gets is like in the high 60's sometimes at night if it is raining. some people like to claim they have seen snow on the top of the mountains here but i dont believe them. i think they are just full of it.

no im not puerto rican or indian im from the states but my fiance and his family are from here so they are indian. it is quite surprising when you see how people look here. some are really dark with lots of indian facial features like in the eyes and then you have people with a soft tan look or just pale white with indian eyes. the hair and eye color come from dark brown almost black to blue and green and the hair is from blond to black. it is very diverse here. my fiance has indian looking shaped eyes but not a strong indian look but then his sister who is his half sister has deep indian looking eyes almost asian looking. if that all made sense not sure.

i do know when you go to the forest you see some indian stuff along the trails but its like the people here have tried o erase their indian culture and history or something. it is kind of sad.

here is a link on the tainos
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taíno

I wrote a veritable short storey in responce to your post.
There was a lot in the response that had little to do with mushing and it was long.
My daughter showed me how to cut and paste the whole works to PM so it should be there.
LMK if/when you get it. You can PM me back too if you want.

 

[Americano Blue]

I find it kinda funny that I'm excited to see a dog yard but I am.
10 ft chains is much nicer than 4-6ft
By cattle wire do you mean that wire about 4ft / 4 " mesh(at top)with successively smaller "squares" as it gets to the bottom? If so, ya eh. That'd work. I would put a few rows or barbed wire on top all the way around to ensure strays don't get in easily
Ya it's good to switch to see who works where. I do that too. I sometimes hook-em-up singlefile. It uses lotsa gangline but works out good for argumentative mates.
Your friend is lucky to have such a good friend as you. Right on Blue

Yup! That is the cattle wire I'm talking about. We have quite a bit left over from making the chicken area so I want to put it to good use.

I love my friend dearly. She puts up with me when I'm having a bad day and loves large dogs. I want to take her out so she can enjoy the sport I find so much peace in.

Earlier I was gona post a cpl pix but I forgot...then I remembered... so here I am. And here they are
I made very warm mittens for my granddaughter . The beaded ones in the background belong to my wife. She's repairing the fur trim

 

[RezChamp]

Yup! That is the cattle wire I'm talking about. We have quite a bit left over from making the chicken area so I want to put it to good use. 

I love my friend dearly. She puts up with me when I'm having a bad day and loves large dogs. I want to take her out so she can enjoy the sport I find so much peace in. 

Ya eh. That'd work great. I feel a personal gratitude that you are reusing that cattle fencing. It's way more respectful to the earth than buying new materials that used more raw resources to create. Thank you for loving what was created for us. And our children and theirs.

I had recycled "concrete mesh" on my first full yard. It was about 70X55(maybe a bit bigger) and contained 12 dogs. I added a series of kennels on one side and the end by the driveway. The entire complex housed 31 k9's. I got accalades from my peers. Mainly because I didn't have eletricity or proper tools. I used a bow saw, a drilling rig hex shaft, a claw hammer, an axe, a hunting knife and a multibit screwdriver. Nails and screws were reclaimed from old lumber I found laying around. Of course I reused old lumber and also harvested tall thin spruce for fencing top rails and webs and tamarack for posts. I put a row of barbedwire all around about 8" over the mesh to deter the wolves. Then I remember something I heard my grandfather spoke of. I drank lotsa water and a couple cups of tea then went to the poop pile with a 5gln pail and picked up frozen poop turds. I walked all around the kennel about 30-50 feet out and put a cpl pieces of poop along a tree or clump of willows then peed on it about 4 feet up. Guys were losing dogs all around me. The wolves would jump 8 & 10 ft fences to kill dogs then pull them out of the collars then jump back out with the dead dog. It was food for them. These very same wolves went around to all my "markings" and peed on the other side of it but would not cross into my "marked" territory. They even went on the road and marked on the other side of my "markings" in my driveway. Now,.... is that respect or what eh.
Knowing what I know about Wolf it's so hard for me

to know

there are still people that have a hate-on for wolves. I get frustrated tryna educate people.

Even yet today in this Age of Enlightenment .

So.... anyways ....

when I moved back down south I built my yard with 6x6 mesh 5'6" twist-locked 10 guage wire that used to be on our Buffalo enclosure. I had some kennels I it and some out side. I don't have any now.

I ain't so good with friends no more. I'm tired of being used. I just kinda stick to myself and do my own thing now. If they wanted tag along they are welcome so long as they pull their own weight. Besides. I'm getting too old to go outa my way to get close to new people. Most of my real friends are dead now. It hurts me too much to get real close now. My family, especially my kids and grandkids, are who I need now. Oh ya and our Heavenly Father is the one I confide in now.

You and your freind are blessed to have and appreciate each other. Continue cherishing it.

So you like them little mitts eh. Thank you. Aw, they're just cute too. They look big in the pic but they are actually tiny. Just exactly big enough for her tiny hands.

I'm just waiting for a few more $$ to come my way then I'm gona buy a silver fox hide and do my own mitts to match my mukluks. I'll try send a decent pic of my mukluks. I can wear them all day in and outside. I just put rubbers over if I wanna go outside. I put extra insoles to keep
Me warmer in older weather.

 

[RezChamp]

Hah! They came up anyway.
Oh ya... I hooked up misimokoman with the team today for the first time. Dang she did well. I took my phone with me this time. I was gona take some pix and post some of them. It was pretty too there where I went.
It was only like -29 but dang I felt the cold this time. It felt really cold. I must be getting
getting old. Either that or I underestimated the wind chill. My feet were good though. I wore my wraparounds. Hands were good too. Wool and leather. And of course my old leather face was fine. Just my body was cold. I just turned back after a kilometre or so. Dogs hated that tho'.They were in there element for sure.
Anyways..

I forgot about pix
Sorry
Next time.

 

[RezChamp]

you want a pair? LMK and give Me at least a cpl of weeks or more like a cpl months