Chico was right on the money today, two out of three times. Our Jumpers run was slowish (0.96 seconds under the standard course time), but clean and within time, so we got a Q. Our run in round one of Performance Speed Jumping was also clean, so we got another Q – one of the two we need to go play that game at Cynosport – and a chance to proceed to round two, where the prize money is awarded. Practically, what that means is we have to almost immediately run another course. Ooops. I hadn’t bothered to look at it because I didn’t think we’d be in the running, so to speak. I also took a little too long putting Chico in the car so I missed all but the last forty-five seconds or so of the walk through. In other words, I was massively under-prepared for round two’s run. And that showed. At the start line, I had no dog. He wandered off, and in the process of coming back, he idly took a jump, starting us out as eliminated by an off course. But I gathered him and took off running and got most of the course, including two nice sets of weave poles, before we fell apart again at the end. As we left the ring, I gave a big “Thank you” to the judge for letting us run at all; someone complimented me on “a good recovery,” I said, “Thank you,”and we headed out for home.

We’re entered again on Sunday, with a day off Saturday. After the farmers’ market I’ll meet a neighbor with a common interest in micro-hydro power to look at my house as a possible site for a teeny turbine in the river. It’s not a great spot for solar, but good heavens, there used to be a water powered mill in my building, you’d think we could come up with something.