Iditarod (Again)
“Okay,” says Spence, “looks like some of them have finished the leg from Grayling to Eagle Island.”
“The names!” says Admin.
“And right now the leader is John Baxter, with Hugh Neff 16 minutes behind, and Lance Mackey 48 minutes back. But the point is I know who we’re rooting for.”
“Who’s that?”
“Justin Savidis of Snowhook Kennel, known as A.J. Currently in 37th place. Turns out the Snowhook people are fans of Chet.”
What’s this? Did I hear my name? I open an eye. Spence and Admin are at the table, laptops open, steam rising from their coffee cups.
“What’s the origin of this term musher?” Spence is saying.
“Probably a corruption of French,” says Admin. “The voyageurs must have called out: Marche, marche.”
“I thought maybe it came from the sound of the sled moving in the snow,” Spence says.
“Did you?”
http://snowhookkennel.blogspot.com/
Welcome Meashka, Dima, Sasha, all of Oley Howlers.
Tags: Iditarod, Justin Savidis, musher, Snowhook Kennel
This entry was posted on Saturday, March 12th, 2011 at 8:18 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
8:54 am on March 12th, 2011
Good Morning CHET! You have fans from around the globe. That is pretty cool.
Research: Probably Admin is correct. Musher coming from the French. Of course, the driver was the one saying “Marche” but it ended up meaning the driver. If the driver had said “Courir” (French for run) perhaps he would be called a Courier.
On the other paw. . . if it was the sound of the sled runners going over the snow, wouldn’t that be “swish”. And that just wouldn’t work.
8:55 am on March 12th, 2011
Good morning, y’all! Guess what? I get to go to Dad’s lacrosse game today! If I were Rio I’d be skipping, skipping. Oh heck, maybe I’ll do it anyway!
Oh, and more good news. My boy got word yesterday that he’s been accepted to the University of South Carolina. Even if he gets the job for the public defender’s office, he wants to take classes nights and weekends so he can finish his undergraduate degree and maybe even go to law school, so this is a first step. His sister, who goes to Clemson University, wasn’t so happy, though. When he told her she said, “I guess this makes us archenemies!”
9:13 am on March 12th, 2011
Congratulations to Kirby’s boy!!
9:26 am on March 12th, 2011
Good Morning! Great pics Oley Howlers! Congrats, Kirby, you must be very proud. Melanie – I think you must be right about the sound of the sled runners (Spence, what were you thinking?) What’s this about 37th place for our team? Oh no…
9:28 am on March 12th, 2011
Good morning and Congrats to Kirby’s boy.
Melanie, since we are too lazy to look it up this morning, what does marche mean exactly? March? Go forward? Move out?
Today they turn the river green in Chicago and have their St. Patty’s Day parade. Weather is terrible for a parade. Wind gusts of 30-40 mph. Barb is 1/4 Irish, but No Way would she be out there!
9:41 am on March 12th, 2011
Morning all.
Bear. 37th place is just fine. They did not plan on winning and 37 is still mid pack.
Yay Kirby. Just remember not to chase the ball.
9:47 am on March 12th, 2011
Macy: Dad warned Mom about where not to sit. She usually sits by the endzone when she goes to football games, and he says we shouldn’t sit too close because the balls that miss the net — and apparently there are a lot of those! — end up going out of the endzone. He says we can still sit back there, just not too close. And I’ve promised to be on my best behavior and not chase any balls.
By the way, today’s forecast is for sunny blue skies and 72 degrees. Sorry, y’all!
9:49 am on March 12th, 2011
Rio – Your post at 10:40 last night had two words that might trigger the Dreadful Moderation Filter – d i e and k i l l e r
9:53 am on March 12th, 2011
Ummm . . . Isn’t St. Patty’s Day on the 17th or so? I remember them turning the river green. Dan took me out for an outing in Chicago and we ate at a restaurant over looking the green river.
Hmmm. 1/2 Irish from way back here. The guys are also half Irish. It does add up. Their Dad was 1/2 Irish, I’m half Irish . . . wait . . . maybe the guys got all the Irish genes. Considering the red and auburn hair (if OTAS didn’t shave his head) and beard, very light complexions Yup, it could happen.
Oh, French “Marche” to march, to go on.
Dan is remembering the Japanese people he knew when stationed in Japan. Hopefully all are okay. The Nuclear Plant exploding doesn’t sound good.
10:11 am on March 12th, 2011
Mom is one-quarter Irish. She was talking about that with Grandma last night. Patricia Reilly Giff is coming to Mom’s library, so everyone is reading her books to get ready for her visit. Mom read a couple of books about a girl during the Irish potato famine, and it made Mom want to know more about her Irish heritage. Grandma said the family didn’t come over until the turn of the century — the last century, that is! I’m not real fond of going hungry, so it would be interesting to know how Mom’s family got through the famine.
10:14 am on March 12th, 2011
Weird, I commented to Barb and MagPie’s comment. When I put it up, Macy’s, Kirby’s, and MollyPop’s were not showing until I came back 20 minutes later. We seem to have a time warp on the blog.
Anyhoo, the following web site is fascinating. They took the info from the all the buoys and reports and show where the tsunami went. Just click on the picture showing and it enlarges. Beware of the third picture, it’s a download for Google Earth. Awesome if you have Google Earth.
The rippling out of the energy wave covers the entire Pacific Basin.
http://nctr.pmel.noaa.gov/honshu20110311
10:21 am on March 12th, 2011
Kirby, YSAS watched a documentary (Netflx instant) called “The Botany of Desire”. One of the things they researched was the potato. When the potato arrived in Europe there was only one type, so when the blight happened, all the potato crops failed.
I think there’s a painting by Van Gogh called The Potato Eaters”.
10:25 am on March 12th, 2011
Musher….research is required!! Good morning Chet and everyone.
10:26 am on March 12th, 2011
I submitted my comment and there was one of VanGogh’s most famous paintings!! Thanks Melanie!
10:32 am on March 12th, 2011
Kirby: Excellent news about your boy….even if that makes your girl and boy “archenemies.” Hope he decides to go on to law school. I was office manager of a law firm for eight years (putting myself through undergrad school) and it’s very interesting work.
10:34 am on March 12th, 2011
Does anyone know how to make coffee using a French press?
10:38 am on March 12th, 2011
The character in the book lived on land owned by an English nobleman, and he couldn’t wait to get rid of his “grubby” tenants and run sheep instead. He wasn’t at all upset about his starving people. In fact, he did everything he could to speed the process, grabbing their livestock and their fishing boats when they couldn’t pay their rent. And, of course, hunting and fishing on his land was not allowed. People were already hungry before the potatoes failed, so when those were gone they were eating grass, seaweed that washed ashore, anything they could get their hands on. Much of the population either starved to death or emigrated if they could come up with the money for passage.
10:38 am on March 12th, 2011
B.Stover: Zoë puts in the coffee and then hot water. Let’s it sit for a minute or two and then pushes the handle down. Don’t ask me how much coffee, because she likes it so that spoon stands directly up right in the cup.
Last drive of the weekend. The other way down the hill this time. Getting Dan’s Birthday Cake!!
BBL
10:48 am on March 12th, 2011
Thanks, everyone, for your best wishes for my boy! Part of his problem when he first started college was that he didn’t know what he wanted to do, so he just drifted from major to major without any real passion for anything. And then he flunked out and things just kept getting worse and worse. But now he seems to have discovered what he really wants to do, so I’m hoping he will be able to follow through on his dreams. He was at rock bottom for awhile, so Mom and Dad are really happy that he’s doing so well now.
10:55 am on March 12th, 2011
Great. Thanks Melanie. That’s what I’ll do using my usual measurements of water and coffee. I need some coffee…..
(Whispering: I believe that Dan’s birthday is tomorrow.)
10:59 am on March 12th, 2011
Kirby T: Congratulations to your boy AND his arch enemy, your girl. Enjoy your lacrosse game. I would be envious of your weather (-5 (F) cloudy and snowing here) but I feel terrible still and am staying in bed or, if I get energetic, in a bubble bath today.
Oley Howlers: I’d let you pull my sled anytime. Except not today. You are all good looking howlers. And the eyes on Meashka!
Melanie: Give Dan a Happy Birthday hug from me. And thanks for your research. Those are amazing pictures from NOAA. And a cool Van Gogh.
B.Stover: Melanie’s instructions sound right. Just never force the plunger down. If it is sticking let it sit a little longer or wiggle it back and forth so that it plunges easily. Otherwise you could have a boiling water geyser. The Librarian uses a French Press all the time.
11:05 am on March 12th, 2011
I love the sound of the sled running over the snow. It is so neat that we are all cheering for the same Iditarod team. Mom and I are cheering for some of the teams that are in the lead to win, but our hearts are out there on the trail with Whitey-Lance and the gang.
I think, but don’t hold me to it, that the word mush does comes from the French. Mushers no longer say “mush” to their dogs to get them going. They say something like “hike” or “let’s go”. In the case of the Oleyhowlers, “pizza” would probably work.
11:06 am on March 12th, 2011
Since it’s been a while since we’ve done Word of the Day, I thought in honor of Robert Service, we would try again. The first two lines of The Creation of Sam McGee are as follows:
“There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;”
So the word for the day is “moil”. (hint: it has nothing to do with any Jewish religious traditions). Wookie
11:16 am on March 12th, 2011
Wookie…good one. I cheated and looked it up because I sure didn’t know the answer. I’m not going to say in case people want to guess.
Kirby, congratulations to your boy. He seems to have charted a good course for himself now. It can be difficult at that age trying to figure out what to do.
11:17 am on March 12th, 2011
Yes, Melanie, St Pat’s is the 17th but that is a Thursday so they ususally do the celebrating the weekend before.
Barb’s maternal relatives came over before American Revolution, but dad’s side were late comers, Germans and Irish who came over mid 1800s. Yep, they were probably hungry.
Speaking of hungry, we are going to get corned beef, cabbage and potatoes for a boiled dinner tomorrow. Then will have some Reubens with leftover corned beef. Yum!
11:17 am on March 12th, 2011
Wookie: That would be a word that described what all those miners did when they couldn’t find any gold. They would sit on the corner with their hats in front of them waiting for someone to throw a gold coin inside. The “oil” part of the word is from the hair oil that gets on the hatband. So it was “miner’s oil” that eventually mushed down into “moil.”
11:27 am on March 12th, 2011
Whitey!… Great! Now even Spence and Admin are rooting for Whitey’s team….woooo!…How fun and exciting is this?…snort!
Moil!… That is a word that Shakespeare uses in one of his plays….snort!… “Double, double moil and trouble.”….cough!
Nuclear!….Did someone say something about a Nuclear Plant blowing up???…wuffle!…We got up and started reading and haven’t turned the news on yet….sniff!… Wouldn’t a Nuclear Plant blowing up be extremely dangerous to everyone?….gasp!
11:34 am on March 12th, 2011
Dawson: Thank you. Everything worked fine and this coffee is heavenly. I’ve had the French press for a long time but haven’t used it in years so forgot how. I just got some coffee from Peru (through a blog called Tasting Table) and I wanted to use the F.p. (We haven’t heard from the Librarian for a very long time.) I hope you start feeling better.
11:35 am on March 12th, 2011
Kirby, really interesting definition but not the one we know for moil. By the way, my Mom is one quarter Irish (Half Italian and one quarter Scottish). Dad is the only purebred in the family, 100% Polish. Like Mom I’m a mixed breed but that’s OK because Mom says I’m purely wonderful (I’d blush if I could) so I’ll just lick her face instead . Wookie
11:45 am on March 12th, 2011
Wookie: Well, I didn’t look it up in the dictionary, so that was just my best guess! Grandma is half Irish and half German, and Grandpa is a mix of Welsh, English, Scottish and American Indian, so that definitely makes Mom a mutt — just like me!!!
11:47 am on March 12th, 2011
Wookie: You are purely wonderful! I love the word moil and have never heard of it. My curiosity is such that I’ll have to look it up. (First time I’ve ever used a sentence with “such that.”)
Kirby: Ewwwwwwww…..
Rio: You’re funny. Wonder if Shakespeare did use it…..More research….
11:51 am on March 12th, 2011
Here’s the NYTimes article about the explosion at the nuclear power plant.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/13/world/asia/13nuclear.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&src=igw
11:51 am on March 12th, 2011
Mary here, posting from her quilting retreat. I ended up getting a cold and so my productivity is down. It’s been a fun trip regardless.
Congratulations Kirby’s boy!
11:54 am on March 12th, 2011
Whitey-Lance and team have made it to Shageluk, where they are stopped…resting and eating. They would be getting checked by vets also at all these checkpoints. They only have 24 miles to go before they reach the village of Anvik and the Yukon River. I have no idea when they will they start out for the Yukon.
12:02 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rio: Just because you found a quote using the word doesn’t mean that you know what it means! (Not sure if that makes sense!)
12:10 pm on March 12th, 2011
OK, gang, gotta say TTFN! Dad called and asked if Mom can go to the local high school and pick up some of the boys on the team who are taking the SAT today.
BBL!!!
12:19 pm on March 12th, 2011
Wookie: I was going to look that word up yesterday when I recited the poem. I have two guesses and I’ll put them in this one post. One is “hanker after” or “yearn for” only a stronger word than hanker or yearn. Those gold seekers were addicted gamblers, pure and simple. They wanted that gold so bad…they moiled for it.
Or…it could be just the process of panning for the gold.
12:30 pm on March 12th, 2011
kirby!…That makes two of us!…snorkel!
12:54 pm on March 12th, 2011
Moil!…. My friend is moiling for some Mexican food so she is going to leave me and meet up with two of her friends that she’s known since they were 12 years old…heh!….She said there is a margarita just waiting for her…sniff!
12:57 pm on March 12th, 2011
Good morning all. Howdy Dawson. I just read the blog and am all caught up. Staff is awake and even got some of her hairs cut this morning. It was good to hear about Kirby’s boy. Makes me think of Mary and her boys. Good wishes to her and them too even though we are being tough on them.
I have to check out the Iditarod and then it is time for lunch.
1:06 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby: Rio was kidding. The quotation from Shakespeare (the witches in Macbeth Act 4, Scene I) is, “Double, double toil and trouble;/Fire burn and cauldron bubble.” (I apologize if you already know this and are just kidding but this sort of thing makes me antsy.)
1:11 pm on March 12th, 2011
B. The French Press thing has always been a problem for us too. N was told to use 2 tbsps of coffee for each 6 oz. water and let sit for 4-6 min. before plunging. Her friend’s coffee always turns out great – Nana’s not so much. Suppose the kind of coffee one uses impt. also (duh) She has tryed the Honderas blend, which Coffee Roasters said must be ground specifically for FP.
Dawson – will try your method.
1:47 pm on March 12th, 2011
Our sister, the Librarian, used to work at Montana Coffee Traders in Whitefish, Montana. She is still an expert French Press coffee maker. She is very fussy about coffee and that is where I, and Dawson, learned whatever we know about coffee.
She calls her press a ‘bistro’. She left hers here once and we had to mail it back to her ASAP even though she had another. I guess it was her favorite.
25 Years ago when I was visiting her she took me through the place and it was very interesting. I didn’t buy coffee though. I bought an ISI whipped cream maker which I still use. They are great!
1:55 pm on March 12th, 2011
Bear: I use three heaping scoops of coffee beans that I grind rough (as opposed to fine when I’m making espresso) to two cups of very cold water. I didn’t really time it this morning (will tomorrow) but I probably let it stand for three minutes. I think that the F.p. is good for just one cup of coffee which is why I probably stopped using it. I normally have two cups in the morning and the Cuisinart electric drip pot keeps the second cup warm. However, the F.p. coffee tastes better. I usually use French roast coffee from the market. The coffee I used today is Counter Culture Valle del Santuario from San Ignacio, Peru and the label states “Certified organic–shade grown.” They’re really serious about their coffee!!
1:58 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H: since you have learned a lot about mushing, this is a test….do you know where “gee” and “haw” came from for the terms right and left?
2:03 pm on March 12th, 2011
I’ve been reading the label on the coffee package. Valle del Santuario translates to “Sanctuary Valley.” Under “Tasting Notes” is, “A fragrance of caramel and vanilla greets the drinker as soon as this coffee is ground, leading to a brewed cup filled with notes of chocolate, tropical fruits, and honey. It’s an amazingly complex cup, and evidence of the greatness that can come from this part of the Andes Mountains.” Sort of sounds like wine tasting notes (sob!!). Here is the internet address:
http://www.counterculturecoffee.com
2:22 pm on March 12th, 2011
C.Harris: Does the Iditarod go right past your house? Phooey. I know I read about the origins of “gee” and “haw” just the other day but I have already forgotten. I will have to look up again…or maybe I will wait for Siber H. to reply.
B.Stover: The coffee description does sound like wine tasting notes. I have pulled out the only Robert Service book of poetry that I have, “Ballads of a Bohemian”, in which he says not a word about the Yukon but much about drinking wine in Paris.
2:31 pm on March 12th, 2011
C.Harris: Try this site for gee and haw: http://www.takeourword.com/TOW144/page2.html
2:34 pm on March 12th, 2011
I’ve got one!!
I’m going to Moil in the Northern Territory of Australia!
I really liked Kirby’s and Riö’s.
2:45 pm on March 12th, 2011
munch, munch, hold on here, I’m munching on some really good chocolate. Yumm. Needed that after all that moiling today.
Okay, We’ve got Newton Marshall (Jamaica), Justin Savidis (Snowhook) and Wattie McDonald (Scotland) all together at Shageluk.
That’s three of my teams. Also DeeDee Jonrowe (who has pink coats for her dogs) is in 10th has been and gone from Eagle island.
Cool.
3:04 pm on March 12th, 2011
Gee and Haw have been used for years as directions for horses. Actually centuries.
3:25 pm on March 12th, 2011
C.Harris and others, No, I don’t know where the terms gee and haw came from in mushing except I think they were words used on farm aminals like mules and horses as Staff said. I will go to Melanie’s link.
Mom has taught me gee and haw and hike.(doesn’t take rocket science)
Newton Marshall is running some of Lance Mackey’s dogs, probably a puppy team. The idea of running young dogs in the Iditarod is to get them some experience but most importantly, so they will have fun. Our Scottish dude, Wattie, is running someone elses dogs also…maybe Doug Swingleys. At home in Scotland, Wattie runs Siberian Huskies, but getting them over to Alaska would be extremely difficult and costly. When Scotland got so much snow this winter, Wattie used his team of Siberians to do things like get groceries for his neighbors…cool guy.
3:35 pm on March 12th, 2011
On Facebook Rebecca wrote that the Anchorage people will let them know when the dropped dogs have arrived so that she can go and pick them up. That was sixteen hours ago. I’ve written a comment asking if they had called yet. Here is her comment:
“AJ came into Iditarod with 13 dogs and left with 12. Yesterday he arrived in Ophir with 14 dogs and I expect his breif turn around that caused my heart to stop was to return to Ophir to drop a dog before making the long run. It’s starting to peice together.
The drop dog coordinator will call when the dogs arrive in Anchorage and we… can collect our trail travelers.”
3:43 pm on March 12th, 2011
Dawson, I didn’t know Robert Service drank wine in Paris. Good grief, that is a long way from the Yukon. I’d rather drink cowboy coffee made over a campfire in the Yukon.
Dee Dee Jonrowe has pink booties and pink dog jackets and a pink parka for herself because she is a breast cancer survivor. We always wish her well in the Iditarod.
Whitey-Lance’s musher, Justin, has slowed down the pace from his first half of the race. This is fine…don’t panic. They are all rookies and I know he is doing what is best for his dogs. We wand them to finish and have fun doing the race.
3:46 pm on March 12th, 2011
Cool. The Jamaica team and Wattie (I love his name) McDonald are hanging out with our guys. Good company.
3:50 pm on March 12th, 2011
Thanks Stover…A lot of teams are now running with 12 dogs or less. This is normal in long distance mushing. Lance Mackey is down to 9 dogs.
Many thanks to the Iditarod Air Force, which consists of a bunch of talented bush pilots flying the dogs back to Anchorage. There are volunteers at the checkpoints to take care of the dogs until they fly out. I’d like to fly around with a bush pilot.
3:58 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H: How many dogs do they have to have to keep running the race? You say Mackey is down to 9 and Snowhook seems to be dropping lots of dogs. Can only the winner win the prize money? It seems like others should win something it is such a hard race.
By the way, what is a Snowhook anyway? A hook that goes in the snow? Is it to anchor the sled or something?
3:59 pm on March 12th, 2011
This came from Rebecca seven minutes ago:
“I received word from the dropped dog coordinator that one or two of our dogs are ready to be picked up from the correctional facilitiy, but was also given some distressing news. One of our dogs is at the vet in Anchorage; I expect to know more within the hour.
Requesting good thoughts and prayers for our dog at the vet, if you would be so kind.”
4:01 pm on March 12th, 2011
I’ve commented on Facebook that good thoughts are coming their way from Chet’s blog.
4:04 pm on March 12th, 2011
Oh, what bad news. Thanks Bee for that thought on Facebook. I hope we hear that the dog is Ok soon.
4:09 pm on March 12th, 2011
According to one of the links that I posted yesterday, Robert Service only lived in the Yukon for a short time. He lived in Paris and Hollywood for a while and at the end of WWII he lived in the Brittany region of France until he died. He’s buried there.
4:12 pm on March 12th, 2011
Hey, y’all — I’m back! Our team won 10-6! I had no idea what I was watching, but it was pretty exciting. First we picked up the three boys from the high school. They were nice, but they scared me a little so I had to sit in Mom’s lap the whole way to the academy. Luckily it wasn’t far, but Mom was pretty much covered in black hair by the time we got there. And I’m sure you’ll be glad to know that I was a perfect gentleman at the game. I didn’t chase the ball or anything. Well, except a ball that one of the players dropped on the sidelines. Don’t worry, I gave it back to him…eventually (when Mom made me).
4:19 pm on March 12th, 2011
It sounds like you had fun Kirby and such a gentleman!
4:21 pm on March 12th, 2011
B. Coffee description sounds heavenly. Staff. we are familiar with these terms for directing horses. Just heard dog at the vet’s in Alaska – waiting to hear more news…
4:23 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H: you get an “A.” I remember my grandfather plowing with mules in Kentucky when I was little and he used “gee” and “haw.” It has origins from “the old country.” Yes, I am a fan of Dee Dee also. No, the race doesn’t go past my house–Yukon Quest race is closer. However, I have a friend that opens her house up to mushers to eat and catch a nap.
Yes, we will send good thoughts for all the dropped dogs–it is a tough race. Dogs love to run but 1,000 miles in a couple of weeks over mountains is extreme. I am glad that it is closely supervised by vet teams, observers and the media. As I mentioned last year, that wasn’t always the case and that history haunts the race to some degree still. People really like the race and I know my relatives in Kentucky follow it.
4:31 pm on March 12th, 2011
Bee: I did know the real quote — sorry I distressed you by making you think that I thought Rio’s quote was real. Again, I hope that makes sense! (Rio probably won’t think it does — again!)
Rio: I hope your friend is having fun, but I surely hope the rim of her margarita glass is salt-free!
Mom and Dad are leaving again — and this time they won’t take me with them because they’re going to a plant store and then out for dinner. Rats! (Down Maggie — that’s just a saying!) Until I’m back again, I’ll be thinking good thoughts for the Snowhook dogs!
4:44 pm on March 12th, 2011
According to the OED, one meaning of the verb “mush” as applied to traveling “on foot through snow with a dog-sledge” is derived from the French marcher> to advance. Interestingly “mush” as noun and verb in another sense (something crushed or mixed, or to crush) is an onomatopoeic alteration of “mash” derived from the Old English max> net and is related to crushed grapes for wine making, malt for beer, and mix for mead. “Musher” of course would be the noun derived from the verb.
4:45 pm on March 12th, 2011
Mollie, They can finish a race with just 8 dogs, but they won’t win. (maybe in the past someone has, but I don’t know) If anyone can place in the top 5 with just 9 dogs, it will be Lance Mackey. We’ll see. Don’t worry about Justin being down to 12 dogs…the guy that is leading the race right now, John Baker, is also down to 12 dogs and so is Dee Dee.
The prize money goes to the first 30 mushers that make it to Nome. It is, or course, on a down sliding scale, but at least some of them will get some gas money.
You are right about what a snowhook is. The musher throws it down on the ground behind the sled when he wants the team to stop. It ususally stops them, but not always. It will not stop a fresh team. They also have a brake that they throw down behind the sled and step on it. It helps, but neither one will stop a fresh team or a team chasing a moose.
4:57 pm on March 12th, 2011
DON’T READ THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON’T WANT TO KNOW THE MEANING OF MOIL. According to the OED it is both noun and verb, derived from Middle English moillen> to make wet, from Latin mollis> soft. It means to wet, moisten, soil and also toil, labor.
5:02 pm on March 12th, 2011
Just watched an interview with Justin Savidis on the Iditarod’s website. He has deliberately slowed down because he thinks he might have gone too fast for the first half of the race and his dogs were getting tired and dispirited. He is giving them lots of rest and even stopping on the trail to give them affection.
There is no way to learn how best to do the Iditarod except by doing it and learning how to pace yourself and the dogs.
C.Harris, I agree with you about the haunted history of the race.
5:06 pm on March 12th, 2011
A Robert Service poem about an ancestor of today’s marauding goats:
The Ballad of Casey’s Billy Goat, is quite humorous.
5:10 pm on March 12th, 2011
Hey Melanie, the Northern Territory is already pretty wet! (in some parts, that is)
5:13 pm on March 12th, 2011
As of ten minutes ago Rebecca still had not heard anything from Anchorage. She mentions the interview that SH reported on.
5:48 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H: was just going to tell you the video was up. Glad he’s taking care of his dogs. They need to have fun to race!
Hi LizF. Thought I’d catch your eye with that. Good luck on the art show. Wish I was there.
5:48 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H & Bee: Thanks for the Snowhook updates. Does A.J. know anything about the dog at the vets or does he have to wait until the race is over to hear?
6:11 pm on March 12th, 2011
Hope that dog is ok.
We may look up the Ballad of Casey’s Billy Goat that sounds interesting.
Rio’s friend is having Mexican food and that made us hungry for it, so Barb is making fish tacos for dinner. Has anyone tried them? They don’t sound all that good but they are yummy. We are using tilapia, but any white fish, salmon or shrimp will work. Saute it, then make tacos with cilantro, sour cream with some lime juice, shredded cheese, onion, tomato and anything else you want. Wish we could have the margarita too, but have to settle for some sparkling grape juice!
6:21 pm on March 12th, 2011
That is a really good question, Mollie. He wouldn’t have to finish the race to learn about it…they have communication between the checkpoints and Anchorage. Rebecca must be at their home waiting on word about the dog at the vets.
6:25 pm on March 12th, 2011
Thanks Melanie, B too for yesterday!
6:38 pm on March 12th, 2011
Robert Service must have been thinking of Riö when he wrote this part of the poem:
left him in a state of consternation,
And he couldn’t understand it, till he saw that grinning goat:
Then with eloquence he cussed it, and his final fulmination
Was a poem of profanity impossible to quote.
MagPie, tell Barb it sounds great. I could fix it with the shrimp!
7:11 pm on March 12th, 2011
PBS is showing Les Miserables. This is great!
7:19 pm on March 12th, 2011
Home!….My friend is finally home, home home!!…grunt!… OUT! I need to go OUT! Now!….grump….And turn on the damned computer!…fart!
7:22 pm on March 12th, 2011
Interview!…
SiberHMelanie, is there anyway you can copy the link to the video with Justin Savidis and post it here on Chet’s blog???…snort!….If it’s illegal then Admin will have to pay the fine or do time!…heh!7:39 pm on March 12th, 2011
Mom had some pictures of me she wanted to post but she couldn’t get her new camera card to work. But now my boy came home and saved the day! So here’s me with one of my players — they look pretty fierce with their masks and sticks, but I was brave!
7:41 pm on March 12th, 2011
B&M: The tacos sound good.
Mollypop: I haven’t seen Les M for a long time.
7:42 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby!…Where’s your head??…gasp!
7:42 pm on March 12th, 2011
And here’s a picture of me with the treat Mom gave me while we were watching the game.
7:47 pm on March 12th, 2011
And here’s me burying my bone. Mom tried to find it after the game was over, but I buried it too well. That’s OK, it’ll be there next time!
7:48 pm on March 12th, 2011
Sorry I scared you, Rio! My head was down because I was sniffing his shoes — lots of good scents there!
7:49 pm on March 12th, 2011
OMG!….There is a live Exhibition game on tonight between the Rockies and The Snakes!….WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!….Am I happy or what?…snort!… It starts here at 6:30 which is not that far away!….WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!…gruff!…A baseball game! I get to watch my Rockies tonight!….
7:52 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby T. Penworthy the 42nd or so…Wow! You are very brave. Do you see the size of that Lacrosse players calves?! He is huge!
Japan: I finally got around to watching the news. Earthquake, tsunami and nuclear power plant explosion. A triple whammy. My heart goes out to the Japanese.
7:52 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rio: I just tried to tell you at 7:48 that I was smelling his shoes because there were lots of good smells, but what I said is in that moderation place. So I changed a few words — maybe this one will get through!
7:53 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby!… I like your footwork on that red carpet pal!…heh!….It’s like you are prancing or something…sniff!…To bad you lost your bone. I never bury anything, I just eat it as fast as I can so no one else has any opportunity to take it away from me….sneeze!
7:56 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rio: I’m happy that you get to watch baseball tonight, but I’m being moderated — twice! — for what I said to you in recent posts. 🙁 Not sure why. Not even any pictures this time.
8:01 pm on March 12th, 2011
Riö’s Day is MADE!!
Kirby: Proud of you for not
stealingcatching the ball!I have spent the last 40 minutes hooking up the computer to iChat with OTAS & F’s mac, so they and YSAS who is visiting can say happy birthday tomorrow to Dan. FACE to FACE!!
Pretty cool.
Hope all goes well with WL’s teammate at the Vet’s. I’m going to bed.
I hate time changes.
8:02 pm on March 12th, 2011
Oh good, that one got through! I thought I might have to give up for the night! I’m definitely prancing in that picture, Rio. After all, I have a treat! When I get those at home I eat them right away, but for some reason whenever Mom gives them to me outside some instinct makes me bury them! Must be the same thing that makes the Howlers howl!!! (And by the way, that “red carpet” is the track around the football…er, lacrosse…field.)
8:04 pm on March 12th, 2011
You are very handsome Kirby. The mystery of moderation…
I’m glad you can see the Rockies Rio.
8:05 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby!….Someone, I think it was Molly, told me that the words “kill” and “killer” would get you moderated…snort!…Did you use those words in your post to me?…sniff!….Wow! My friend is in a really good mood tonight! She got to yak all afternoon with her friends and eat Mexican food, now she and I get to watch a Rockies pre-season game. Life doesn’t get much better than this!….Wooooo!
8:07 pm on March 12th, 2011
Melanie: Well, here’s the picture that shows me
stealingcatching the ball that the player dropped on the sideline. Mom made me give it back, but I was going to anyway. Really I was!8:07 pm on March 12th, 2011
Giants won Dodgers (8-7) at Scottsdale today! I’m glad you get to watch baseball Rio.
Any word on the Snowhook dog yet?
8:08 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rio Pal-o-mine,
Baseball! yippee! It won’t be long now. A friend of mine who gets a partial season ticket package to the twins has offered to let me buy in to some games. I think I will do it this year as you can NOT get anything but single seats to the games. Those tickets are just so HOT, dammit.
since I will be staying in the cities most of the summer and keeping the parents as healthy as I can then I get to go to some of the games.
That is my theory and I am sticking to it.
Kirby, other pal-o-mine. You seem a lot more stout than I thought you were. I guess you have been eating some of those treats. I really like your ears pal, but you know that already.
Macy, I haven’t heard from you lately. I thought of you today because a community school I go to sent out a new listing of classes and one was surviving job loss. They said job loss was a ‘process’. Nothing that is a process is ever any fun.
Melanie. The word ‘fulmination’ above is a good one. It has enough syllables to sound like what it means.
OK, except for prayers to the Snowhook team I guess that is all for now.
I hope my avatar comes back.
8:11 pm on March 12th, 2011
Cripes! Hey avatar, over HERE!
8:15 pm on March 12th, 2011
OK, now I’ve posted twice but they never showed up! And yet it says “99 responses” and here we are on the dark side, so they must be swimming around in cyberspace somewhere! Phooey!!!
8:17 pm on March 12th, 2011
Staff: I’m stout? Really??? I like to think of myself as solid!
8:21 pm on March 12th, 2011
Hey everyone – Tupper and Gilly have been the only ones usingthe computer lately, so tonight, we are getting a chance.
Siber! The Corgis are very puzzled today. Mama was setting up at an art show and someone there had 2 Siberian Huskies. One was grey and white and the other was a pretty beige and white. That one had truly gorgeous eyes, according to Gilly.
Anyway, the Corgis told the SH’s that they have a SH friend in New Mexico. Oh? they asked. How do you know him? Thru the Chet’s Blog, they told the SH’s. But those SH’s had never heard of Chet! Can you imagine??? The Corgis told them about Chet and Bernie and they said, ho hum – we only read non-fiction – everything else is just a waste of time.
So, the Corgis changed the subject and asked the SH’s if they had a favorite team in the Iditarod.
Are you sitting down, Siber?
Those SH’s said they had NEVER HEARD OF THE IDITAROD!! They said they knew SH’s “were used as some kind of sled dog”, but these two are…
are you SURE you are sitting down Siber…..
these two SH’s are OBEDIENCE DOGS!!!
So, our question Siber is….
is there a store where Border Collies can rent Siberian Husky outifts and mess with people’s minds?
Tupper and Gilly are still shaking their heads.
8:23 pm on March 12th, 2011
Thanks to Stover for providing the definition of moil. There is one related meaning as well, which is a short hand tool with a polygonal point used for breaking or prying out rock. So that is what all the moiling is about. And we are saying our best puppy prayers for the dog that was sent to the vet in Anchorage.
8:23 pm on March 12th, 2011
MinPin!…She posted on the Snowhook blog….sniff!… Maybe she is mad at the Plunderers for some reason…huffle! ….MinPins can be very emotional and moody at times me thinks…grunt!
Rockies!…We are watching a show before the game about the making of the amazing new training facility that the Rockies and The Snakes had built down in Arizona….snort!…This is where they will be playing tonight. It is really an incredible place! …zowie!
8:31 pm on March 12th, 2011
Ok – so now we are REALLY confused….
Siberian Huskies are like Border Collies
and Rio is actually a MinPin….
What’s next – the mice are going to start chasing US???
8:38 pm on March 12th, 2011
Oooer!….This will be the last spring training day game against the Snakes before they meet again on Opening Day, April 1st at the Rockies Stadium….snort!….This is very exciting stuff!…gruff!…It’s like music to our ears watching our most wonderful announcers talk about the game…sniffle!…We haven’t seen these guys in Months! They are all back and looking Tip-Top…lovin’ it!…Woooo!…I wish Wookie could watch this game….hmmm.
8:47 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rio: I read about that training facility. It sounds really amazing and wonderful. Ours is not like that one.
8:54 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby t: I think that picture of you next to the Lacrosse player makes you look quite svelte.
Siber H: An obedience dog. Excuse me while I roll on the floor laughing. Haw and Gee!
Rio: Enjoy the game. I don’t think I’ll be able to get it on MLB.com.
8:55 pm on March 12th, 2011
I am so happy it is almost officially Baseball season!!!
Herbals, Siberians are NOT like Border Collies. I do not believe that persons story about the Siberians being obedience dogs. I believe you kats (never thought I’d say this), but I do not believe that story. Maybe that person had been drinking or worse. I would say that, yes, Border Collies are smart enough to mess with a Siberian’s mind. Mom has had both a Border Collie and a Siberian (not me) at the same time, so she knows.
There are a lot of Siberian Husky owners that know nothing about the Iditarod and not much about Siberians either. Some of those Siberians end up with Husky Rescue.
Mom knows a vet that thought she would make obedience dogs out of her two Siberians…that plan did not work out.
Kirby, those are cute pictures and we still love your ears.
8:57 pm on March 12th, 2011
Herbals!….So there really are other Siber Huskys that don’t care about the Iditarod and mushing and all that stuff?….snort!…This is very confusing and hard to believe…sniff!…That’s all SiberH talks about during the month of March. It’s sort of his March Madness…heh!…I think his Ma brought him up right. Those other clueless guys are missing out on a lot of history and fun, fun, fun!….snorkel!…We love you Siberh for bringing us the Iditarod!….Wooooooo!
8:58 pm on March 12th, 2011
Thank dog my avatar is back. I had the wrong email address listed. I think Alice was playing a trick on me.
It couldn’t be Abbie as she is lapping it with the ill Mr.Staff.
I am staying far away from him myself.
I have to go do some laundry, besides it is the dark side. I will see you all tomorrow.
Say goodnight Alice.
9:00 pm on March 12th, 2011
goodnight Alice
9:03 pm on March 12th, 2011
Dawson: Svelte — I like that word! Now I just have to find a lacrosse player to stand next to all the time!!!
9:04 pm on March 12th, 2011
Mollie!…Your teams training facility is not like ours, but keep in mind your guys are the World Series Champions!…snort!…Every time my guys play your guys, it will be very special indeed!…gruff!…Can’t hardly wait for it!…heh!
9:10 pm on March 12th, 2011
Okay, Whitey-Lance and the gang are on the move west toward the Yukon River…24 miles. They will then turn north and travel on the river for 150 miles. All mushers and teams have to take a mandatory 8 hour layover somewhere on the Yukon River.
I hope we hear word soon on the dog that is at the vet in Anchorage.
9:12 pm on March 12th, 2011
Helton!…Tod Helton is looking like a 30 year old player out there tonight!…snort!… What a great guy! Best guy to have on first base no matter what. We are thinking he is very healthy again and going to be a big part of the team this season….wuffle! snort!
Goodnight! …Alice…heh!snort!heh!… You little trickster, you !…grunt!
Bliss!…Watching baseball tonight. Seeing all our guys again…chorkel!…How great is this!???…heh!
9:19 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber – just so you don’t worry about those two SH – they were 4 years old, had been with their person since puppydom, and seemed very well groomed and taken care of. Maybe their person just has delusions of obedience, but I don’t think there is any danger of them ending up in rescue. They were actually just laying down under their persons table watching the set up.
They didn’t even yark. Now what kind of SH doesn’t YARK, for pete’s squeeks.
Tupper and Gilly have decided they are going to sleep on the problem. And since we have to set the clocks forward…we might as well go to bed too. Mama is getting up at 4 am for the show.
Humans are nuts!
9:22 pm on March 12th, 2011
Yukon!….Do they actually race on the river?…snort!… SiberH! This is fascinating. Wouldn’t this be hard for the guys to run on? All that ice with their booties on…sniff!… I’m having trouble imagining this Yukon River running thing…snort!… Please explain SiberH!…heh!….What’s better than this, Baseball and The Iditarod at the Same Time….Woooo!
9:28 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber-H: Do you really mean ON the river? I guess we hope the team will be in the top 30 to come in? We don’t want them to get the Red Lantern do we?
9:28 pm on March 12th, 2011
Kirby, We love the pictures your Mom took. You look like you were having a great outing.
Siberians as obedience dogs? Barb’s neighbors tried Huskys, but they said they kept running away from their unfenced yard while they were gone during the day. Duh, they like to run!
Sometimes people decide they want to try to fight the genetics. Barb has known people who try odd things with their dogs. She used to have Airedales, who were wonderful dogs, but she knew some people who were training them to hunt and retrieve ducks and pheasants. She wondered why they didn’t just get a bird dog!
Dawson, we agree, we are saying prayers for those in Japan.
9:38 pm on March 12th, 2011
They do race on the frozen Yukon. Rio. They do in both the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. The only problems I have ever heard them talk about on the Yukon is the wind and the cold. Those are not a problem this year.
It must not be hard on the dogs’ feet. The pictures I have seen of the frozen Yukon with some snow on top of it…it just looks like a very smooth raceway. The same is true of the big, wide river the truckers drive over in Ice Road Truckers.
Baseball and the Idotard together are fun, Rio. Will you please keep me informed about the baseball game. The Rockies can win against the snakes. Go Rockies!!!
9:51 pm on March 12th, 2011
Mollie, I do really mean on the river. Maybe C.Harris or Dawson can better describe for us what a big, frozen river up north is really like. I have only seen pictures of the rivers in the North in the winter and here I have only seen pieces of ice floating down the Rio Grande.
I am not sure how I feel about the Red Lantern. I would be happy for Whitey and the team to just finish the race even if they do end up with the red lantern, but I don’t think they will be that far behind. To just complete the Iditarod is a great accomplishment.
9:53 pm on March 12th, 2011
As of an hour ago Rebecca posted that there was still no word about the dog at the vet.
Good night all.
10:11 pm on March 12th, 2011
Ugh!…We’ve been dealing with our old computer for the last hour or whatever!…grunt!… I now have the blog back and read SiberH’s remarks about the Yukon and racing on it!….snort!….That is so wonderful! Actually running on the Yukon River in the Iditarod!….Wow!….snuffle! Those guys who dream about and love this kind of stuff must be in 7th heaven!…woooo!
Rockies!…Update. Score 2 – 1 Snakes, bottom of the 5th…grunt!….They are actually trying to interview Dinger, he didn’t have much to say…heh!…What a dinosaur…snorkel!,…Good to see him again though…yark!
Whitey!…I sure hope Whitey isn’t the one at the Vets tonight, but given his history anything can happen!…wheeze!
10:13 pm on March 12th, 2011
night Stover, I hope there will be word in the morning.
Melanie will learn this tomorrow—Newton Marshall has scratched. We probably won’t learn why until tomorrow.
Maggie, Typical Husky behavior…running away.
10:19 pm on March 12th, 2011
For Melanie tomorrow—Newton Marshall scratched “for the well being of his team.”
10:35 pm on March 12th, 2011
Siber, We understand about the running, it’s in their makeup. What we couldn’t figure out was the dumb humans. They wanted a farm dog that would lay on the porch all day while they were gone. Seriously, 8 hours of being left alone at a house on a busy road. Barb would NEVER leave me out while she was gone, even in a fenced yard. She says she would worry about me.
Well, everyone keeps talking about the time change, so guess we will make it an early night. We agree, datlight saving sucks!
Night, all.
10:37 pm on March 12th, 2011
Refreshing!….This has to be the only sport left that isn’t about big $$Money$$ and the payoff plus fame….gruff!…How wonderful! Its all about the love of the sport and taking care of the guys on the team….sniffle!… Refreshing and uplifting! Thanks again SiberH for bringing the amazing Iditarod to us….snort!…I for one really appreciate knowing more about it and knowing about guys from the Snowhook Kennels. Sniff!….My friend said we will be making a donation to them next year in hope they will run again!….gruff!snort!
10:46 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rockies!….Dexter Fowler made it to 3rd just now, bases loaded!….heh!… The score is 3 – 3 in the sixth inning…Wooooo! …Fun! Fun! Fun!
10:58 pm on March 12th, 2011
Maggie, (she will read this tomorrow) Mom’s favorite question when she is at an adoption event with Husky Rescue is, “Will these dogs get along with chickens?” We are not farm dogs and all a prospective owner would have to do is read a couple of paragraphs about us on the internet to gain a little knowledge.
Newton Marshall scratched because some members of his team are sick. The dogs will be fine…they always are, but they need to stop racing. They will be flying first class back to Anchorage.
Our heroes, Whitey and the gang, are now less than 10 miles from the Yukon.
Rio, you are right—this sport isn’t about the money.
I’m falling asleep, but I will find out tomorrow from the blog, how the Rockies did. Please post the info, Rio.
Good Night All!!!
11:00 pm on March 12th, 2011
One last thought in my tired brain—GO ROCKIES!!!
Go Whitey-Lance and team!!!
11:14 pm on March 12th, 2011
*******Important*******
The Annenberg Foundation will donate $1 for every “Like” vote on
the Dog Bless You Facebook fan page if 100,000 votes are received in the next 10 days. If that number is reached by Sunday, the amount goes up $200,000. This money will go to the rescue and the needs of the doggies in Japan. Right now, they have 50,000 votes.
http://technolog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/03/12/6256126-sxsw-100k-facebook-likes-for-dogs-sends-100k-to-japan.
11:21 pm on March 12th, 2011
Rockies!…Update. Score 5 – 3 Rockies bottom of the 8th !…heh! …Looking good so far!…snort!
11:21 pm on March 12th, 2011
I am hoping next year to see a team of pugs.
Macy out.
11:23 pm on March 12th, 2011
Mom will have to be at church an hour earlier tomorrow — or at least it will seems that way! — so she says we have to turn the computer off now. Good night, y’all — and don’t let the bedbugs bite, because it’s baseball season now and Rio is gonna be too busy to take care of them for you!!!
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