Other pics

Good morning! I thought I'd share a photo here and there from around the farm as I slowly but surely download them off the camera. Here's a photo of my junior dairy goats in the 'big breed' pen - from left to right:

Queisha, Zasia, Francie, Jewel, and Dearly.

The nubians are Purebreds from the Ober-D'Rainbow herd, the Saanens are Americans from the Des Ruhigestelle herd. They are a great group and fun to spend time with!

I'm slow

I'm being very slow at getting photos up.....bad me.......too much sun, too much work in the greenhouses transplanting, potting, etc.....I DID get my roses out in the sun tho, finally, on my deck and on my mom's patio. I also got my window boxes stuffed and put out as they are hardier plants and against the house, may be safe from the morning light frosts we're still getting. Although a really nice warm spring, our nights are still very cold and fragile hanging baskets like Begonias will remain the greenhouses for a couple more weeks. At least the roses like the cold night temps! YAY!

Ok, maybe I'll go drag out the camera ...........

Jackson and Perkins FAILS

What a great time to post a major complaint. Hey, you can even cross-post it if you want! After more than 20 years of ordering bare-root roses from Jackson and Perkins, they fell flat on their face in the service department so don't bother buying from them. Horribly so. Here in Alaska we treat roses as a 'potted plant'. They don't survive our long winters if planted in the ground. So over the years, I look forward to my order. We have greenhouses to start them in, I usually pot them up and put them in the heated dairy room for 2-4 weeks in March or April, so that means ordering before the 'usual' planting time and waiving the guarantee - which I do. They leaf out and set buds by the middle of May to go outdoors, filling the deck and around the house with the smells of rich, beautiful roses. I usually buy 12-16 roses every year. I know the many names very well and have my favorites. Well, I ordered them in February. I told them please ship the first week of April. They noted that in the order and assured me, like usual, that they would arrive as ordered.
The week came and went without roses.
So did the next week.
The 3rd week I called and asked where they were, were my instructions to ship still there? Yes, indeed they were, they were so sorry, oh my, someone dropped the ball in shipping, we'll put a rush on them and get them right out.
The 4th week - no roses. Another call. Oh my, I wonder why they didn't ship out?! We'll get them right out to you!
Finally, I called back again - I explained it was too late for bare-root roses now. By then it would have been late June before I'd even see a flower - why spend that kind of money for a couple of months of roses that I should have enjoyed for nearly 5 months instead? So I asked - since you folks have screwed this up so badly, and not once but 3 times now, do you think you could substitute them for those you have already potted?
Well, sure we can!
So, into the discussion further, I got on the Internet with the 'customer service' person to find the potted roses............there were a few varieties. I said OK, so can I substitute the 13 bare root roses for the potted ones, even tho they are not the same specific variety? And for the same price??? The money I'd already paid WAY BACK IN FEBRUARY???
Pause.....
silence.........
Uh, no, I can't do that for you ma'am, I can send you those in the amount for which you've already paid but I can't make any special accommodations plant for plant....
Fine. I was beyond mad. I was furious. Where was a supervisor with some clout? There were none to be had, after all, they are nothing but sales takers and note typers on their computers, they can't provide any retribution for their terrible service, the ball they dropped not once, not twice, but 3 times...nope, can't do a thing.
Well, I think that's just miserable. I didn't get my special roses, a really big deal here in Alaska especially. After all these years, at least TWENTY YEARS, the loyalty to buying from Jackson and Perkins with their 'former great service' is done with. I think I'll start buying from a different rose company from now on. Too bad too, with this economy, that no one there at J&P seems to even care enough to do something. Not even an email to say how sorry they were but please let them know if I wanted anything else.
Yeah, right....I might see it by Christmas?

Sad, isn't it? A once glorious company reduced to just another internet shopping site any Tom, Dick, or Harry could run. Yes, please cross-post this one around, I sure don't want anyone else to have to go through this kind of mess either!

My grump for the day!

Sunday was our first AHBA Ranch trial in Alaska!

Pics coming soon........Russell of was in the first AHBA Ranch Dog Trial ever held here in Alaska. He qualified for his first leg, so has half his title. GREAT fun too!!!!!!
:-)

Happy Birthday!!!

YAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!! HB TO ME!! LOL! Had a lovely birthday today, Herding judge is still up here so very very busy day, but still, sunny weather and plenty of fun!

Blanche had her lamb this morning!

For Michelle......hehehehe..........
no pics yet, but Blanche was bred to Topple......
she gave birth to a solid black with white Krunet ewe lamb.....yay!!!!!!!!!
:-)

AKC herding trial yesterday

Russell's High in Trial award, Started A sheep.....notice how "unhappy" he is....hahahaha......this boy loooooooves people......

this finishes his AKC Started title with one 4th place, and 2 High in Trials. It wasn't pretty yesterday, but we are still proud of him!