Lisa's Headbliss

Painting Bliss

2012-02-02T15:31:00.000-08:00

Started doing these little miniature paintings that are about 4 x 6 as I had very short windows of time to work recently and really enjoyed the immediate satisfaction I received from being able to see a painting evolve quicker than the larger canvases I usually work on. They sit on a little wooden easel that makes them easy to display and move around too.

Snow Days!

2012-02-02T15:23:00.000-08:00

Even though my dogs and I are all enjoying this mild winter break, there is nothing quite like fresh snow to play in. So in honor of the fact that Isla (Copperluna Three Cheers) is in her first big show this weekend I wanted to share a picture of her at play not too long ago in the depth of winter. Can hardly wait to see her all spiffed up for the show!

Spirit Rider Golden Retrievers!

2011-09-12T20:55:00.000-07:00

This is a recent picture of our Golden Retriever Gang taken in the beautiful mountains west of us.
Faith,Ember,Beamer,Kona,Kiss,Loma and Isla in the front.

Yellow Ducky!

2011-08-10T21:32:00.001-07:00

Caught this pic of this little one from a recent litter napping with her favorite cuddle toy "Ducky Dude" !

Isla's First Win!

2011-08-10T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our new little girl Isla won the Best Baby Puppy Class at the Alberta Kennel Club show held at Spruce Meadows (Calgary) on the August long weekend! She has a very promising show career ahead as she took it all in stride and loved all the attention!

Curly Baby!

2011-06-14T07:17:00.000-07:00

This is our first Bashkir Curly foal for 2011! He is strong and enjoying the sunshine!

Copperluna Three Cheers

2011-05-31T21:29:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to welcome Isla (Copperluna Three Cheers) to our home today! Pictured is co-owner, Shannon Flynn who is her breeder and brought her all the way from Scotland to live with us.She is absolutely beautiful and we can hardly to show her off in the ring!This afternoon, she settled in for a nice nap with her duck, wolf toy and our bichon, Baron. Quite comfortable and settling well already!

Buffle Head Ducks

2011-05-26T20:37:00.000-07:00

This spring I was thrilled to see a male Buffle Head duck return to our pond for a few days visit but with a female as well! The morning mist was calm and promising of the weather finally shaking off the winter blues.

Digging up Spring!

2011-03-27T11:40:00.001-07:00

"Keep digging! Green grass must be here somewhere!"

Well! I've never experienced a year like this. Not only is spring delayed, but there is also a delay in my golden girls coming into season. So many people waiting too for their new fuzzy family members to join their family, and I'm at a loss as to what to say...Mother Nature has her own schedule this year...there must be a reason not apparent yet. However, the right pup always seems worth waiting for in the end and the patience of good family homes proves worthwhile too.
I did make a vow going into this winter that I would not complain about the winter and try and find the beauty around me...I made it till February...then I just lost it!! Really! seriously! I can rant on the weather as good as Rick Mercer can rant on the government and I no longer make excuses for my temperment. I'm fed up and there isn't enough vitamin D in the world to make up for the lack of sunshine lately! Ok going to go put another log on the fire and pout.

Glass Event

2011-03-16T14:01:00.001-07:00

Delightful Dinner and a Dish Event!
Last night I hosted 8 women who first sat down to a dinner that included Wild Mushroom Soup with Sherry, Gingered Grapes, Stuffed Tomatoes with Spinach & Artichokes and many other items and finished with a fresh fruit Pavlova!
Then the glass fun began as each participant created their own memorable glass dish that I will fuse and slump for them. It was fun to see the pieces in creation and the variety of styles! I will post some more pictures once they are finished.

Blue Heron Gallery

2011-03-10T10:16:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce the opening of The Blue Heron Gallery. It is in the great little village at Pigeon Lake. Several pieces of my glass work are now available through this gallery. You will also find a wonderful variety of paintings, pottery, sculpture etc. There will be an opening evening on Tuesday March 22 from 6-8 pm if you are out in that area.
PS If you get a chance to have a bite to eat at the village I would recommend the ECO Cafe. Great Food!

Stone Cold

2011-02-18T18:56:00.000-08:00

One of my smaller lambs was unfortunately tramped yesterday afternoon in the sheep pen. When I found him he was stiffened,stone cold and frozen into the ground. With all the signs of a dying animal, I brought him in the house to pass on peacefully. A very faint flair of the nostrils alerted me there was still a flicker of hope. So after spending the night nursing him, I was amazed to see this little guy awake and hungry this morning and with a little help walking again by this afternoon. He beat the odds. Our girl Ember has claimed this lamb as her own by cleaning it,sleeping with it and depending it from the other goldens.Sometimes hope is all we have, but sometimes that is enough...

My Mom..things left unsaid

2011-01-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a day that everyone dreads. The day they must lay a parent to rest and go through the preceedings of the day, the buriel, the memorial, the gathering reception.With great pain in my heart I gathered with family and friends to pay tribute to my Mom. This photo captures one Christmas when I sewed her a coat with the skills she taught me. She said she felt like a queen in her coat of many colours.I love the joyful look on her face.
I am truly blessed. I grew up in a "functional" family that is a tribute to my Mom and Dad's love for us all. I am the person I am because of them, and I am proud and blessed to have two sons who are a reflection of that devotion to family as well.
My Mom taught me so many skills that have helped my on my journey. Sewing, cooking, knitting, gardening, preserving, collecting. The list goes on... but she also taught me the other skills needed in life...love, forgiveness, compassion, devotion and generousity.
She took the time to appreciate the world in which she lived. A Sunday drive was common as she drank in the wonders of nature and the country life she loved. She would tear up easily. Wether it was watching a sad news story, or holding a young animal or laughing till she was crying at Carol Burnett or Lucille Ball, but she always had a tissue at the ready, tucked into her waistband. This was part of her tenderness that I loved about her. She cared. She also always had her camera ready when she came to visit anyone. She loved having photos to share with anyone of how all her children and grandchildren were doing and I am so very grateful for all those photos she took when I was to too "busy" to capture life with my own camera.Those photos are vital to history and to capturing life as we knew it.
We were her life...she was a mother at heart. Yesterday the pastor talked of leading a life that was significant, which is different than having a successful life. Mom's life was successful too though, because she was so significant to my siblings, our spouses, her granchildren and friends throughout her life.
Growing up, we all seem to want to stand alone and struggle with our parents to assert our independence. Despite my age and my ability to stand alone, I can't help but feeling my net has been pulled out from under me and now I must truly fly by myself. But I do so now with the skills she provided me with as a loving mother.
I thank her ...and I miss her with all my heart...

New Day!

2010-11-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Its a new day again. Change is inevitable in our lives and how we accept it is up to us. When on the edge of a cliff, do we choose to fall or learn to fly?
The change of sky this morning was a welcome change from yesterday's photo of the morning. Other things have not changed...still cold and I still need to fill the bird feeder!

Spring In Winter!

2010-11-29T10:46:00.000-08:00

This was the morning I greeted! Cold but beautiful! Then I walked out to the sheep pen...and this is what greeted me!

This is of course after I settled the boys into the barn with their Mom and put their new wool warming coats on. These lambs are from our herd of St. Croix and Dorper cross sheep. These sheep shed their hair fleece in the spring (NO SHEARING :)) This flock was supposed to be lambing earlier in the year according to the man we purchased them from...This girl is only the beginning of our first winter lambing...and I mean winter...-17C this morning. So I had these real wool pillowcases that I really didn't like as pillowcases, and fashioned some real wool coats for my wool-less lambs...ironic. Actually the lambs were fairing pretty well when I found them and and a good deal of hair coat to them..but this will boost their ability to withstand the cold. And lambs are still just as charming in November as May! Can hardly wait to see them springing around the pen...

Spirit

2010-11-20T21:32:00.000-08:00

Spirit knows what we need and when if we are open to it.
Today I met a very kind 75 year old man who had the table beside me at the annual arts and crafts guild sale. It was both our first time for doing this sale, so we put our chairs side by side and chatted when we could. He was a horseman and made stunning, highly crafted horsehair belts, hat bands etc. He had to press the base of his neck to talk as the doctors had removed his voicebox in a 9 hour operation. He is now 2 years cancer free, that was at stage 4. Over the course of the day he and his 20ish granddaughter told me of his experience with the doctors and procedures at the U of A and the Cross Hospital in Edmonton, where Mom will be going for treatment of pancreatic cancer that was confirmed yesterday.They offered comfort and reassurance of the quality of care and support he received. He now walks a mile a day, rides and is planning next years sales where he can sell his work. He was inspiring.Any success of the sale, whether sales or promotion didn't matter one bit by the end of the sale. My day was important for many other reasons. Thank you Spirit.

Gibson's Good Looks Payoff!

2010-11-20T18:37:00.000-08:00

Gibson was a handsome puppy from our Loma/Falco litter two years ago. He was adopted by Carrie Bottomley and her family and thanks to Carrie's skills as a photographer, Gibson has been earning his keep as model! This is a picture of him as a puppy, but if you check this week's Zeller's flyer, Gibson is pictured on the front page with Carrie's daughter as a TV picture insert! Great photo!Very cool!!

The Tim Brothers

2010-10-04T12:32:00.000-07:00

So I received 2 wonderful emails today from families who adopted from our amazing Tim/Kiss litter of 13 pups in 2009. It is always so nice to hear what they are up to and I am so proud of both these boys. However they both experienced very different weekends and just thought this was interesting to share.
Spiritrider's Hot Stuff McDuff (McDuff) had an amazing weekend, when he passed with flying colours the testing for therapy dog through the PALS association-(Pet Access League Society) This is exceptional as Mc Duff is only 13 months old! Very young to be calm and well mannered enough to pass their strict guidelines for doing this very special work. PALS dogs are allowed access to hospitals, nursing homes, etc. to give the gift of hope and comfort to those in need. Mary Lou, his owner, is an exceptional lady who will make great contributions to others lives by doing this work with him.
Meanwhile, this weekend, McDuff's brother, Spiritrider's Smoken Hot Duke (Duke) had a very different life experience. Here is how his owner Gina relayed the story.

I love my Dog but….
Duke barked at the back door..perhaps it was a little more of an aggressive bark, but a bark none the less..I opened the door thinking that the neighbor’s cat was once again in our garden. Duke ran to the patio and was accosted and Assaulted by a SKUNK!!!!!
I screamed, the kids screamed….Duke continued to bark and Kelly started throwing things at the skunk, he stared with a milk jug and then picked up the heavy artillery, the wine bottle. The skunk stood its ground. Duke ran into the house when he could safely make a break for it and I hustled him downstairs to the shower…we started with all the V8 we had in the house, moved onto strawberry shampoo and decided that we needed more tomato juice.
Kelly and Logan dashed to the store and came home with 6 litres of tomato juice, that we then bathed Duke in. I rinsed him off only to find that, not only does tomato juice turn to cement on a dog, but it doesn’t do much to eliminated the smell. We continued with shampoo moving from strawberry to oatmeal and then to baby shampoo.
Kelly’s Dad arrived to save the rest of the day. He was dressed in his painting overalls and had his hunting hat on he was ready for business…he was also carrying the box of ‘fix the skunk smell’…also known as Semi Permanent hair curling solution…yup, Duke was going to get a perm. As Bill read the hair styling directions I started to laugh and laugh and laugh…to the point I couldn’t see or breathe. Here was my father in law, outdoorsman extraordinaire about to style Duke with a Perm. Apparently he has used this technique before as he has hunted with his doges since the beginning of time and this has always done the trick.
Well... low and behold it worked.

Duke is now in the garage for the night and we are airing the house out and praying for a BIG rain tonight to freshen the air in the back yard.
Damn skunk...

Gallery & Studio Grand Opening

2010-09-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the time has come finally in my life to make some exciting changes! This weekend as part of the annual Rocky Studio Tour, I will be launching Spirit Rider Gallery & Studio! One room is dedicated to gallery space for my glass work and paintings. One room is my studio working space.And one room for a teaching studio and glass supply store area! Tall ceilings, big windows, and space to create!!! I have been working on the class list of the glass classes I will be offering in October and Nov. and will post them tomorrow. I am so looking forward to finally just being able to create and share knowledge and inspire others to follow their creative head bliss!!
The studio tour is Sept 17,18 & 19 from 10 am-6pm. For a map please go to www.rockystudiotour.com There are 16 studios participating this year and it is also Alberta Arts Days! So come take a drive and enjoy the fall colours and see something new!

Beautiful West Country!

2010-08-13T20:57:00.000-07:00

This is a some of the spectacular scenery we saw on a rare day away from the farm. We were on a little road trip out with our visiting WWoofer from Belgium who has been working so hard here. We also got caught head on in a cattle drive and I managed to get some pics through the sunroof as they moved past us. Sometimes the Canadian pride swells as we get to show off what a beautiful country we live in!

New Curly Filly!

2010-08-13T20:44:00.001-07:00

Sugar has had her foal! I little late in the season, but she is beautiful and Sugar is a wonderful mother!

Summer Bliss!

2010-07-19T10:38:00.001-07:00

This is the Nordegg River, which Calum & I came across on a afternoon roadtrip out with the dogs on our way to the Brazeau Dam. This is one of my favorite things to do with the dogs during the summer. They love their trip and swim time. Calum used his life guarding skills yesterday, and made his first save, (although not human)as Beamer did get caught at one point in a some dead wood hanging in the water. Hopefully next trip out we will be able to take our new family addition from our Kiss & Tim litter.

Summer lamb!

2010-07-16T21:59:00.001-07:00

Our first lamb from our new St. Croix flock of sheep was born late this afternoon and then endured a marble size hail storm!! He looks like he will be the first of many late summer early fall lambs to start arriving!

Blissful Sleep

2010-07-05T19:14:00.001-07:00

Sleep should never be taken for granted! Because when you don't get enough, it can effect your whole outlook on things. One of my litters of pups has had 3 rowdy nights in a row and it is wearing on us. Tonight I will be taking them for a long vigourous hike before bed to help tire them out to try and make it through the night.I was reminded today by a stranger that this too shall pass and they will grow out of this stage, but at 3 in the morning, with pillows over our heads, patience is challenging. Come morning (at a decent hour)their adorable faces melt away the thoughts of frustration from a disturbed sleep and we move on with the day...while they experience blissful sleep positions like this one!!

Nature up close!

2010-07-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

A beautiful summer day brought out this very easy going butterfly who allowed me to spend a good deal of time watching and taking photos up close. What beautiful markings it had.

New Curly Horse Baby at Spirit Rider Farm!

2010-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

It's a boy! Beautiful curly lashes to boot!

Another Best In Show!

2010-06-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Multi BISS CanCH Auburnmist Special Blend WC, AGNJ, AGN, RA "Tim" has added his third Best In Show to his outstanding performance record at the Edmonton show on the weekend. Tim is the sire of Kiss's litter born last week and the sire of our amazing 13 puppies we had last year that resulted in my upcoming show girl "Ember"! These are tremendous puppies that are a wonderful to live with! He is also a half brother to my girl "Faith". Congrats Wendy! This is the link to his k9data page... http://www.k9data.com/pedigree.asp?ID=232829

Pigs Are Smart!!

2010-06-09T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last week I watched an excellent documentary on pigs done by National Geographic. I learned so much about these animals and while I knew they are said to be very intelligent, I was surprised by the research and testing that shows just how smart they are. These animals are capable of lateral thinking (I know many teenagers who are not capable of this!), the piglets always nurse from the same teat on the mother, and the skull of the animal actually changes depending on wether living in captivity or the wild! Just to mention a few facts. Nature is truly wonderous and mysterious and never to be underestimated! These are pictures of "Socks" & "Speckle", our 2 piglets we are raising this year. This is the second time we have raised pigs, and I think of all the animals I have worked with, pigs are the most interesting, entertaining, funny creatures. Everyone always says you shouldn't name something you will eat, however, I believe they deserve a name. It is respectful of them and a reminder of respecting all life, no matter what the purpose.

Loma's Wait is Over

2010-06-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

Well,Loma has delivered 7 girls and 2 boys (& 1 angel puppy) after a troubled labor that resulted in a c-section. Of course this always happens in the wee hours of the morning at the emergency clinic. A cheerful vet and vet tech helped make everything go well though. Thanks Dr. Epp! & assistant! All is well and Loma is sooo happy to have her own pups finally!

Waiting

2010-06-01T21:29:00.001-07:00

While Kiss was taking abreak from her pups thiis afternoon, Loma moved in to sit by the litter. She has been hovering over the pups since they were born. She is due next week to have her own pups but can hardly wait...

St.Croix Sheep

2010-06-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Took a few pictures of our flock of St. Croix & St.Croix/Dorper sheep. The St. Croix are a breed of sheep that are known for multiple births, their excellent maternal abilities and the ability to lamb twice in a year. The carcass quality is very lean and the studies shown on the Katahdan sheep which is the breed derived from St. Croix, have an extremely low cholesterol rate. Well below beef, chicken etc. This flock is very quiet and very interesting to watch. The Dorper sheep genes are introduced into the mix for their body size and build. This flock is due to lamb in Aug. Sept. so we are anxious to see new lambs at an unusual time of year for us.

Nature's Wonder!

2010-05-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

The eggs we have been incubating have finally hatched. Unfortunately only 1 Americuana (they lay the blue/green eggs) hatched and now we have 3 bantam yellow silkie chicks as well. Huge size difference, but they seem to be getting along.

Puppies Arrived

2010-05-27T14:59:00.000-07:00

Well, a bit early, but Kiss has delivered her pups! 4 boys & 3 girls. It is always amazing to see Mother Nature at work and the natural instinct as the pups wiggle towards nourishment.Kiss is such a great attentive mother and I look forward to raising this litter. It is a repeat breeding and last year's litter of 13 was one of the easiest I ever raised because of their temperament!The development of this litter can be followed on my website at www.spiritriderfarm.com

Loss of a Friend

2010-05-18T19:26:00.000-07:00

Grand-daughter Kiss, Teka, Great Grand Daughter Carbo

It is with a heavy heart I pass along the news that Teka has peacefully crossed the Rainbow Bridge. Teka was not just my first Golden Retriever, but so many other things as well. She was my first purebred dog. A dog that led me into showing and became my first champion! It was through her I got involved in the sport, life and passion of purebred dogs where I've met wonderful people and dogs, and learned not only what it is to be an ethical, responsible breeder, but also to pursue the preservation of a breed type. I even started my boarding kennel business because there was no where in the community where I could leave a dog comfortably. Her temperament was true Golden Retriever and the foundation for my breeding program that continues to shine in her daughters, grand-daughters and great grand daughters now.
In order to continue a breeding program reality means sometimes placing my retired girls so I can focus on the upcoming generation.I was fortunate to be able to share her with my sister's family for the past 9 years and will always be grateful for the wonderful care and love she was given. She touched so many lives and lived a wonderful 16 years and 2 months! A wonderful accomplishment and a blessing!
Run along and play now my girl! We won't forget you...

Friends

2010-04-27T18:22:00.000-07:00

We had two bottle lambs this year and they bonded with our Golden Retrievers to the point that they would nap together and when they would go running off after something in the yard off the lambs would run too. Wish I'd had a video of that. This is Ember sleeping with the little one. I found a home for both on Sunday where they get a whole pasture to eat down on their own.

Arucana Hatching

2010-04-27T18:11:00.000-07:00

A lady I met provided me with Arucana eggs, but unfortunately my hens were not broody enough, so we had to build an incubator. We used a filing cabinet and other than not really being able to keep the humidity up enough it works pretty good. All the eggs are various shades of robins egg blue. Isn't nature beautiful! Now we are just waiting and of course checking the temp and humidity all the time (which is a family project, since we put the incubator in the bathroom!) and turning the eggs several times a day too!

Up & Moving

2010-04-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Well after an unusual painful illness wiped me out in March, I am finally up & running and just about back up to speed. Never ever take your health for granted. Without good health you are nowhere and can be really miserable ;)
I am pleased to say we have managed to breed our two Golden Retriever girls, Kiss & Loma & are looking forward to confirmation of pregnancy! I have been working on the website and trying to round up previous buyers of our pups to get updates and pictures to keep us informed on the performance of our breeding program.
I wish spring would come! It has been bitterly cold and hard to get enthused about anthing outdoors, so I have started seeds this week to try and bring hope to my green thumb that is very blue right now!
I also need to get back to the studio, I am quite behind. I am also in the midst of finishing up a show jump to sell.
Lots of other things on the go...never dull around here, that's for sure.

Degas

2010-03-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

Well, I was fortunate to be able to see the new exhibition of Degas sculpture, drawings and paintings at the new Art Gallery of Alberta. Amazing! While the sculpture Little Dancer was the only piece he ever exhibited in public in his life (and it was there) also in this exhibit was work he had in his studio when he died, and they were cast as is in bronze. These were the most intriguing to me. The artist's touch is present and so alive that they capture the essence of sculpting with passion. His drawings on tracing paper were beautiful and full of expression and it is funny to think that someday someone could come into your studio when your gone and what you would otherwise toss as a study, or uncompleted could end up touring the world surrounded by security guards.

Spring!

2010-03-07T20:22:00.000-08:00

Well Finally!! Spring has officially arrived here. Faith has come into season so we can finally get our puppy planning underway. Perfect timing to raise puppies for us and pefect timing for those wanting a new puppy to raise this summer!
Spring has also arrived in many other ways here too, with lots of bookings for dog grooming and we are starting to build some of our popular show jumps for horses. I have also been painting more and will post some pics of my work when they are ready. The incredible power of the extended day length and warmth of the sun has made a huge difference in the strength I have now and hope you are all able to make the most of it too!

Followers

2010-03-03T09:56:00.000-08:00

Hey! I have my first follower! Welcome! I promise to try and get better with my commnications this year with everyone and I hope this will help me keep in touch...
Thanks!

Waiting

2010-03-03T09:51:00.000-08:00

So here we sit waiting for Mother Nature to kick in so I can do the breedings I have planned for my golden girls. The weather is certainly warming...all the dogs are starting the spring shed and with 6 of them in the house right now it appears like we are starting a new decorating trend...I'm calling it "Plush"!

Ember in snow

2010-02-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

So I couldn't resist posting this picture I took of Ember, my youngest pup yesterday. Her great grandmother celebrated her 16th birthday yesterday! She was my first golden retriever and a real testament to the breed. Don't forget to hug a senior! Dog or otherwise...it will lift their spirits!

creating

2010-02-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, we have days where we just need to sit and contemplate where we are at in life. With the passing of another aunt of mine in a one month period, a moment of thought is only natural.I think about finding small things to appreciate in a day that seems negative. Appreciation for the breath of life and the ability to create.What I create tomorrow is yet to be born. How cool is that! To wake each day and create something that was not on the earth the day before. That is art.

New Blog

2010-01-18T18:20:00.000-08:00

So trying to post again.