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Monday, July 30, 2012

Building Phase 1; Complete.

Shell complete
Neil returned this morning at 4AM and reported that the shell is now complete! Wow. Can't believe we've come this far. More photos can be found by clicking here.

This comes right on time and right IN time for our participation in the MN Honey Producers State Fair Booth. Delivers of our out-of-state honey products begin next week followed by the honey and bee product deliveries by our Minnesota producers. When all is said and done, we'll have up to 22 pallets of honey and other bee products in our detached garage and more in our basement! Other storage arrangements will be made once we make our move because hauling honey to the fair every morning from 6 hours away just isn't quite practical.

Phase 2 can begin once our Watertown property sells. Click here for our Watertown listing photo album. In phase two comes the finishing of the interior and the addition of our utilities such as well, septic, outdoor wood boiler and complete solar system for electricity. Until then, we'll be pleasantly up to our eyeballs in honey!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Building Project Update

It's shaping up!

I played hooky yesterday and zipped up with little Zola, our new Hedlund Husky puppy, to check on our building project. Neil went up last weekend to get a jump start on things before the carpenters arrived on Monday. They've come a long way in just a couple days!! It's really looking like a house now.

Last night it poured down rain which made it necessary for them to do some inside work while the exterior dried out. When I left this morning, several windows had already been installed.

Several new photos have been posted, including some fun ones of Neil's new and improved wilderness shower creation. Click here to view them. 

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Zola has Arrived!

Zola at her first event.
Zola has arrived! She is out of Tumac (Points Unknown's Tumac, a Tuloon/McKenzie son) and Cookqiz (Points Unknown's Cookqiz, a Tuloon/Bazil daughter) and was sent to us by our dear friends Lidia and Richard Dale-Mesaros of Uktousa Kennel in New Hampshire.  A wonderful gift in return for the gift given!

She had a bit of a rocky journey when her plane was delayed last Wednesday night by 2 1/2 hours due to a storm in the Boston area but arrived seemingly unaffected by it all. She made it clear right away that she much preferred to be outside with Sweet Pea and Tuloon than in the house. So that we get ample time to bond with her and to introduce her to the things inside the house, we "make" her come in for a few hours in the evening. Otherwise, she will sit by the door and whine until we let her out.

She went to her first event for socialization on Thursday evening. The University of MN put on a fun Pollinator Party near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis. Needless to say, there were LOTS of people and strange sounds around to make an educational impression on the youngster. She loved the people and the music but was a bit cautious about young children running quickly up to her. Just an indication we need to seek out events and places where there are young children so she can be desensitized.

On her second day, since she didn't seem the least bit distressed by her big night out, we spent the day letting play groups out around her kennel. She got to meet all of the other dogs through the fence, with Sweet Pea closely watching for any suspicious behavior and taking action to keep Zola away from the fence, if she deemed necessary. Sweet Pea is definitely up for raising yet another motherless puppy. I say "motherless" because Sweet Pea has made it clear, over the years, that if the puppy has a mother living in this kennel, she is not the least bit interested. If the puppy has come from outside of the kennel and needs a mother, she volunteers and puts her heart and soul into the job.

Today is her third day at Points Unknown. Why slow down now? We went to puppy class! I made sure to arrive before anyone else so she could scope everything out without drama. The first puppies to arrive were a boxer and a lab. Oh boy! What good examples of dogs with opposite personalities to the Hedlund Huskies. Hedlunds greatly dislike other dogs flying in their faces, even as little puppies. This line of Alaskan Husky is extremely good at setting boundaries and displays excellent dog body language. It wasn't long before both the boxer and lab entered Zola's space without permission and as if they were engaged in a full body contact sport. Zola screamed and hid under the chair.

It took a third time of this seemingly outrageous behavior, to Zola, to nip it in the bud. This 9 1/2 week old puppy had enough. She flew out from under my feet, snapped at and yipped at the boxer. The boxer looked confused but also appeared to have gotten the message as she then sat and watched as Zola did the same thing to the lab. Zola's confidence grew from her courageous display and I saw her begin walking around as if she owned the place. From that point forward, all of the rowdy puppies got the message that Zola was to be respected and would not put up with any unnecessary shenanigans. She chose to hang with the softer and more quiet puppies and acted as a buffer between the two groups when the play got too rough. Such amazing behavior for such a young pup.

No more plans for the day other than to catch up on things now that Neil has headed back up north to help finalize our building project, Phase 1. I think Zola is appreciating her nap, at the moment. My next adventure with Zola will be to introduce her to a road trip up the north shore, Lake Superior and our Hovland property when I run up this week for a quick visit to check the progress.

To see more photos of this beautiful new baby, please click here.




Saturday, July 14, 2012

Building Project Update

Neil helps to lift the last truss in place

Neil and our nephew, Andy, spent last week helping our carpenters with the framing. They accomplished a lot in a very short period of time. Click here to see the new photos added to our photo album!

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Sasha/Phoenix Potential Litter

Phoenix is quiet as can be and very unassuming until all of a sudden, with a burst of energy, he jumps straight up into the air.

Phoenix and Tuloon leading on the left and Sasha leading on the left.

Phoenix in the middle

Big Marshmallow

Sasha, what a sweetie!

Sasha's lean into the harness stance.


Having just bred Phoenix and Sasha, we're hoping for puppies the end of August!

Phoenix is a 6 year old Hedlund Husky. He's one of our best open country leaders that is 30 inches at the shoulder and 70-75lbs. Being extremely attentive, he will turn on a dime once given a command in harness. His work ethic is exceptional and he is intensely focused. When off duty, he's the biggest marshmallow you'll find. It's amazing to see a 75lb intact male being so gentle, tolerant and playful with young puppies and young humans. Phoenix has some traditional Joe Redington Senior blood on his sire's side with the remainder of his lineage being deep Hedlund.

Sasha is a 2 1/2 year old Alaskan Husky with lineage mainly from our Points Unknown Zulu line and a dash of Hedlund Husky. Weighing in at 64lbs, she's a nice size female. She lives in a nearby kennel where she leads a small team. She has the intense work ethic that runs in our Zulu line. Sasha is energetic, sweet as can be and is extremely people oriented.

We can't be more excited about this pairing!



Dog Family Visit

Chica is Phoenix's half sister. Salsa is in the background

Houdini is the brother to Jesse who is the dam of our 2002 Zulu litter

JitterBug (formerly Temperance) from the 2011 Topa/Oken Litter

Juma is Sweet Pea and Klaus' sister

Nacha is Sweet Pea and Klaus' sister

Jitterbug was so happy to see Neil

Salsa did a little dance when she saw us.

Salsa (formerly Tofte) from the 2011 Topa/Oken Litter

We took a trip down to Northfield yesterday for a visit with our friends Jim and Judy Dunlop, their granddaughter Lily and our dog family. Temps were extremely hot but with a nice breeze and some shade, it was tolerable. So nice to see everyone!

Sunday, July 1, 2012

New Member of our Wholesale Family



Please welcome a new member of our Scent from Nature wholesale family! Voyageur Canoe Outfitters is located off the Gunflint Trail north of Grand Marais, MN. Pick up some of our hand-crafted pure beeswax candles to burn during your canoe adventure to add to the ambiance of your wilderness experience.