Powder bluuuuuu

Voice mail from my hubby:

"Grown men should not be seen walking out in the country with a pomeranian in their arms."

Now that would explain the brochure for the powder blue prius and the package of holiday window clings.

'Nuf said!

Later gators,
C

Walk through time--I'm feeling old now

Once again, I yell out the front door for a specific dog, who has found that the underside of the Chateau Quack/Chick Chalet is the best spot in the entire world. I must of course go check that area out as I feel there is a tunnel being dug to help, er, free?, the chickens from their horrendous jail. Me thinkest that it's more along the lines of digging for a free dinner?

Anyway, the culprit turns 11 on Saturday. 11? 11!! How in the world did that happen? Can't be, can it? I swear there was a time when a certain kid almost could not look over the top of his dog on the table, now he towers. A first champion, a first rally title, a first state fair win. And at age 11, the dude is back in the ring with the Ms and loving every minute of it. Retirement was getting boring anyway, or was it?

Recent escapades include the duck head he brought in to the house. Or letting the horses into the front yard so that he could go to the creek. Or how about destroying yet another sprinkler?

Here's a Happy Barkday to Fred, aka Papa aka FREDERICK! A boy's best friend and the foundation of the Foggy Bottom/Summit Cardigans.

CH Kylea's FogyBotm Magic Tric CGC CD RN HiC TDI(retired)

And let's not forget his legacy.....Champion Summit's Margaritaville FB(daughter), Can CH/GRCH Summit FogyBotm White Russian CGC(grandson and group placer), CH Sumjammin Five O'Clock Somewhere FB CGC(grandson), CH Sumjammin Come Monday(granddaughter), CH Sumjammin Changes N'Lattitude FB(grandson), CH Sumjammin I Want You! at FB(granddaughter/group placer), mjr pt Summit Foggy Bottom Sailor's Moon and Summit FogyBotm Persuid's Plunge, ptd Summit FogyBotm Great Northern Lites(great grandsons) Plus he's got several other kids with peformance and herding titles!

I think there might be a big bone with his name on it!

Later gators....

C

Sorry -- LCS takes a blow!

For years, we've run across groups of people who claim that corgis are mean, rotten, nasty, noisy, nippy little hair throwing dogs. The joke is that out in there in the hinterlands, there is a dedicated group of people who let those false notions stay alive and keep the hidden joy of owning a corgi to themselves.

Sorry, last night was a huge blow to the LCS(Lesser Corgi Society).

Our annual pre-show meeting and BBQ was held at Ellen's barn out by Mt Vernon. Ellen has dressage horses, gives lessons and also is owned by a beautiful whippet named Jackie. The Ms loves nothing more then going out there and being Ellen's bucket bitch - doing horse chores, holding horses or even mucking a stall if needed. We've had some wonderful dinners out at her place and it was great last night, a little hot, but still great to eat out at the buffet out in the barn.

Dogs always welcome and Lace and Moose got to go. They had a blast. No leashes, able to wander all over the place. Chase a few beezers, whippet, mt curr mix(who's in love with Lace) but mostly they were good dogs, hung out in the barn aisle with us, tongues to the ground. Yeap, Moose was an angel and made loads of friends. Especially is they would rub his ears. Lace went in the house later while we cleaned up and decided that Jackie's couch was now her favorite spot, didn't hurt that the a/c was going in the house either. It was even nicer to know how trust worthy my dogs are-not even a thought about taking off, stealing from the buffet or starting an argument with the other dogs.

Again, apologizes to the LCS, your secret is out--corgis are calm, quiet, well behaved, and can really charm the pants of people who have no idea what a corgi is!

Later gators...
C

'Tis the season for venting

Could be that I just feel crappy(seriously considering surgery at this point!) or could be the weather(once again, 75% plus humidity) or could be that idiots abound?

Double Standard:
As defined by the illustrious Merriam-Webster dictionary:
:a set of principles that applies differently and usually more rigorously to one group of people or circumstances than to another(or oneself--I added that part).

It's interesting the stuff that people put out on the web in a childish attempt to provoke or even more childish game of one-up-man-ship. At times it feels like you're dealing with kindergartners. That's the reason I didn't go into teaching, just not the patience for that type of behavior, but it's even more irritating when you see it, in supposedly, mature grownups.

My suggestion-rather then continually spitting out nonsense, you might do best to take a look at the double standard you are creating. Though having given this suggestion, I might be shooting myself in the foot. As in, I've been the great beneficiary of a person's confusing and rude attempt to provoke. So, never mind, keep the double standard going, because here, WYSIWYG. No hidden agendas, no provoking, though sad that the above behavior has created an image for an entire group of innocent individuals.

Later gators....
C

I love the mail man, hate the Fedex dude

Fed Ex dude is on my s**t list. Seems my vaccines were shipped but 2nd day air sends them from their fairly close to me location to Indianapolis for an overnight stay. Then sends them back my way where he delivers them, not to the front door as indicated on the shipping info, but in our lovely 115 heat index, sets them just inside the front gate. Good thing I had Alec check for the package and saved it from roasting. Vaccines still cool and usable. Though I did complain both directions-where I purchased them from and with my local Fed Ex. I love this company's customer service. Full refund on shipping and an additional $25 credit on my account.

But my mail man is the best ever. He knows to ring the bell at the gate if the dogs aren't out or to get our attention. And yesterday he delivered this!

We got Connor's bronze level GCH certificate a few weeks ago but also got this awesome and very heavy, medallion in the mail. My key ring is getting heavier-three BBE medallions, new title and now the bronze medallion.

Later gators...
C

A roof over my head

Adjustor crawled around the rafters, roof and attic.

Ugh.

It's not looking good.

From what was relayed to me by the young son, it's good and bad. Good in that the whole roof will not need to be torn off. Bad, the roof vent has to come off, soffits and facia removed, the roof literally opened up, supports, rafters rebuilt, reattached, then the roof lowered and resecured. A small area of shingles will need to be replaced along with soffits, facia and roof venting.

Good news is that the shingles are on a 20 yr warranty.

Bad news, no idea how long it will take nor when it will start.

Bad news, it's raining and we are in a mild threat of severe weather for the next 48 hours.

Good news, no wind yet.

Now comes the paperwork part!

Later gators....
C

Getting it right, yet soooo wrong

I have a lot of dealings with AKC during the course of the year. Local all breed club stuff and of course being a show chair/cluster chair, I'm always talking to them about that.

Yesterday a website was forwarded to me. I won't post the link but all you gotta do is google MI blue merle pembroke corgi and well, you'll see what I wish had been labeled as a spew alert email.

Blue merles are not a recognized color in pems. Period. Yes the two breeds were bred together for a short period of time in the early part of the 20th century, then people realized that both breeds were distinct, different and it was stupid to continue. At no time, were blue merles accepted in pemmies at that time--if you can find information contridicting that, please forward it to me. So plain and simple, blue is a cardigan color.

Back to this website. Over the years, I've seen this crop up but not nearly as much as lately. Lots of cardigans with docked tails being passed off as pemmies. And with the advent of the "other registries", getting papers and passing them off as the real deal, is much easier. First red flag, unaccepted color. 2nd red flag, a standard posted on a registries website but with the acception in it's registration information that states as long as it looks purebred, even if the color is not as listed, it is purebred. 3rd red flag-why the "breeder" is doing that color-cause it's cool. Let's just say I did a little more digging and found more interesting things.

Getting it right----granted AKC isn't perfect, registrations are forged and litters are falsified, but they do a damn better job of policing them than any other registry I know. A standard is a standard for a reason. Parent clubs are formed for a reason. If you want cool, go to the shelter, there are tons of great "cool" looking colors and breeds there.

Also interesting to note which "other registries" AKC allows to transfer information from. Check it out if you get a chance. The sad part is that too many people get suckered in with the official looking papers of the other registry. I get them coming up to me at shows or events, wondering how to get involved in AKC shows as they have papers on their dog. To which I have to be honest and say the only way to do AKC with your dog is to alter it and file for the mixed breed or ILP registrations and do performance events. Shock, dismay and sadness goes across their faces at the same time. But it's papered!

Now the wrong part of AKC. I'm dealing with it today in the show chair function. Our premium list is up, with an event missing as well as we are adding a feature to the show that won't be in the premium list. I'm to forward a copy of a permission letter to a person to forward to AKC with her application for the event. We are also offering a herding instinct test at our show, same procedure had to happen--I have to give permission for the event to the person filing the application. Heck, every year I have to give that to Tri City, Cedar Valley Boxers, and QCDC. This time they needed my official signature. Scanned in and sent to them. Seriously? For a match? For the shows, tests and other events, they've been good with the standard letter with out the signature-never questioned, never doubted. Why now???

Ugh, just another hoop to jump through.

Calgon, take me away!!
Later gators....
C

Connor updates!

Canine Chronicle/Show Site All breed standings

5 GCH CH Diamante's Five Alarm Fire

Breed standings
11 GCH CH Diamante's Five Alarm Fire

Dog news is still back in May, so will see where that takes us when they update--see if they all agree.

Hawkins Points - we think he's over 100, which should keep him in the top ten at this point.

Way to go Alec and Connor!!! Now where's my shirt?

Later gators...
C

It's not the heat that will get you, it's the humidity

I can handle the heat. I love the heat to be frank. For those of my friends further south, and to the west, you have it easy with the 105 temps. Last night they said that's exactly what it was in Las Vegas. The humidity level.......... 2%.

Hello???? 2%? Our humidity level is at..............80% or greater. Considered oppressive.

Thank GOD for central air. Since the Ms does not sweat(yes you read that correctly), anything over 84 degrees can stress her to the point of heat stroke. We've avoided that twice this year but the a/c is must for her. Of course Alec lives in the sub-artic known as the basement, easily 10 degrees cooler down there and the dogs like to spend time down there this time of year.

From the National Weather Service:

Excessive Heat Warning
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE QUAD CITIES IA IL
342 AM CDT TUE JUL 19 2011
...THE DANGEROUS HEAT AND HUMIDITY CONTINUES....HOT AND HUMID CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH MOST OF THIS WEEK. TEMPERATURES IN THE 90S WITH HIGH HUMIDITY LEVELS WILL CREATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HEAT INDEX VALUES OF 105 TO 115...OR HIGHER. LITTLE RELIEF FROM THE HEAT WILL OCCUR AT NIGHT SINCE LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE UPPER 70S. THE DANGEROUS HEAT WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY AND MAY CONTINUE INTO THE WEEKEND OVER ALL OR PART OF THE AREA. THIS WILL LIKELY BE THE MOST SIGNIFICANT HEATWAVE THE REGION HAS EXPERIENCED IN AT LEAST THE LAST 5 YEARS.

We lost a chicken last night due to the heat. We have a mister system going outside the poultry enclosures and fans in the Chateau/Chalet. I, goodness me, told the Ms that if she saw a chicken in distress, to set up a couple large crates in the bathroom(mine of course) and throw them in there. I foresee walking in the door tonight to dogs with their noses plastered to the bottom of the door and sounds of very happy chickens coming from behind said door. Especially one little brahma hen named Polly and a cornish cross called the Crooked Lil'Hen. Might also be about 25 4 week old chicks running around too.

Wish I could get the horses in to some place cooler. Torey and Phoenix understand the power of the hose and will stand still in the pasture as you spray them down, but the Ms and Alec will have to atleast throw a halter on Moo and Rio to get them to stand still. Sprinkler will be set out in the pasture for them. At least they do stay up close to the barn, as magically, there always seems to be a breeze of some sort through there. Winter it's blizzard force winds, this time of year any breeze is appreciated.

Oh the dogs? None of them have any ambition. Take that back. They are bored and starting to cause mischief inside. Time to break out all the kongs, buster cubes and new chews. As soon as you open the door, they run to it, screeching halt and then debate on if they have to pee that badly. Alec has to judge the Jones Cty 4-H dog show today. At least it starts at a fairly early time, mid morning, so the dogs and kids won't be melting, hopefully.

Stay cool folks!!!!

Later gators....
C

Double standards

I've been dwelling on this subject for a long time now.


I ran across something many weeks ago that kind of struck me as odd. Okay odd is not the word to use in this instance, that fits in elsewhere. I should say that I found it more predictable? And maybe scary. Yes scary.

How is it that one person can attempt to force their opinion on others, yet if a semi-educated person really took a look at that person, they would find that more often then not they live by a double standard. It's the classic, do as I say, not as I do.

More scary is that this person in spewing this opinion, has created an atmosphere of hate, distrust and unwelcoming within our community. The unfortunate victims of their attempt to back stab others, is actually themselves. Well that and many good people in this community are lumped together with them as being rude, bad and unreliable. Again and again, proving this otherwise has been a blessing in disguise for a few :)

Think on it-it's kind of eye opening.

Later gators...
C

Big Woo Hoos!

Sending out big shouts of joy to both Max and Chip and their hoomans, for jobs well done this weekend.

Max went to an IL show and came home with his 2nd major! Way to go Liz!!!

And Chipper went to the great northern territory known as Duluth and came home with four more points for the weekend! Good Job Shelley!

Charile is vacationing pool side, just waiting for the next show. Needs a major and couple of singles. Then what will I do with my self except be the official bucket bitch for Alec and Connor. I need the official shirt first.

Later gators...
C

Like mother, like son

I'm a bad puppy parent. Sorry for the lack of photos recently but man, it's been non stop chaos with fair, heat and picinic. The Comedy Troupe is now 6 weeks old and terrorizing the house. Funny, Connor adores them and can't get enough. Neither can Pete. Everyone else is leary because they are just waiting for more puppies to appear out of the woodwork!

Merlot likes to hide under or sleep under blankets. This weekend(camara not handy), she jumped in the chair, dug under the fleece blanket that was thrown there and all you could see was the tip of her nose sticking out.

These were taken by the Ms earlier in the week:

I know that under there, somewhere is a puppy!

Hi Jeff! How's it going??

And yes that is a metal scent article. A year ago when my dear friend, Kaye's estate, was being settled, I bought two full sets of scent articles as well as a couple extras. These puppies, like their mother, carry around dishes, metal silverware so I figured, what the heck, start them early! And they carry that darn thing all over the place now.

It's hard to eat when a sibling's body is in the food dish.
And last but not least---official names!

Wide Load aka Jeff aka Foggy Bottom's Spark of Insanity is staying here for the Ms to play with.

Shorty aka Abbott aka Foggy Bottom's Who's on First? is available to a companion home.

Kinkajou aka Ollie aka Foggy Bottom's Buck Private is going to a companion home in IL.

Narrow aka Nero aka Foggy Bottom's Another Fine Mess is headed to the great state of WI to a performance home.

Later gators....

C

Wagons Ho!

Never, ever let my father on Craigslist, nor my hubby. Seems they both saw the same ad, said the same thing and 8am on Sunday were on a mission.

I will be in possession of the following item by the end of August.

It needs a little cleaning up, just one or two minor things repaired, repainted into our colors(hunter green and blue) and well, it's ready for the shows. Comes with all the extras to do either an 8, 6 or 4 up team. Little too big for 2 but will work that way, seems David might have a wedding booked in September.

And I still haven't gotten the adjustor out for the roof yet! Though the cat did her own inspection last night and forgot that we removed the ladder-had to be "rescued" this morning.

Later gators...
C

Iowa Corgi Frap--just around the corner

This weekend is busy--it's major clean up, mow, trim and get ready for the influx of a thousand corgis. Okay that might be a little bit of an stretch, but man, we have a lot that visit.

Annual Iowa Corgi Frap
The Munier McDonald Homestead
Central City, IA

July 23rd(Saturday)
11ish till ?????

Potluck sides and desserts(we love anything chocolate or fruity)

BBQ Chicken(home grown this year) and Grilled Sweet Corn(local as ours was toasted by the hail storm)

Also provided are drinks-Lemonade and Iced Tea. You are welcome to bring anything else you might like.

Fully fenced yard with Chickens and Ducks to harass, Horses to bark at and the Pool will be open too. Those adventrous can also take a trek to the creek - though you never know what will happen(ie, Moose and the smelly green stuff) Agility equipment will be out for those who want to play on that too.

Please bring along chairs, ezups and xpens. We do not have any trees big enough to provide decent shade and well, it's supposed to be HOT.

Corgis, Corgi mixes, Corgi Wanna Bees and hoomans all welcome. If you are curious and just want to come and visit, by all means, pull up a chair and learn to love a life filled with corgi hair.

Please email me at fogebotom@yahoo.com for directions or if you kind of know the way, follow the bunny butt signs.

See you in a week!!!!

C

Counts!

Just got an email from Jackie. Results from the fair will be posted at The Linn County Fair but the poultry show counts are in already!

392 total birds entered and shown this year. Now we also have to consider that instead of 15 pens of meat birds there were like 3 this year. Also I believe there were a couple absent exhibitors. For a 4-H county fair, that's unreal!

Way to go kids!!!

The Ms is so excited after this year that we have plans to attend two regional poultry shows and she's now researching breeders for new birds. I think we created a monster.

Later gators....
C

False representation

NDC(no dog content-sort of)

Recently I had a conversation with a dear friend who has been promoting a process for a long time now. Decades if I count back a little. He has a doctorate in nutrition and is extremely active in the US with the organic movement. As in he speaks across the country, is on the BOD of several organic boards and is also an organic inspector.

Our discussion revolved around the way people like to use words out of context or provide false representation of a process, action or procedure to make themselves look good, others look bad.

Take for example, the word organic. Unfortuantely in the US, there is no real standard put out by our government aka the USDA(agriculture's governing body) about what is considered organic and what isn't. Okay, there is the NOP now, but they aren't the end all, beat all, final decision maker on organics. But for the most part they leave it up to the individual states and other outside associations to come up with the rules. As a consumer or person interested in "going organic" it can be confusing as all heck.

So what does organic mean for the point of view of a farmer, gardener or consumer? In the simplest term, it's not just planting a garden and preserving your own produce. It's a whole system of cleansing the earth, planting untained seeds and using management practices that avoid the use of man made chemicals for disease and insect control.

Here's the beef folks-when someone talks about growing organic, having an organic diet, or living an organic lifestyle, unless you totally understand what is required, you are misusing a term or providing a false representation of yourself(so what else do you provide false representation on?).

Let's look at the home gardener-are you using seeds certified as organic? Has the ground your planting in been with out chemical additives for 3-4 years? If you buy plants for your garden, are you buying organic plants-do you know if the soil they are growing in hasn't been treated with chemcials or the plants sprayed with growth hormones? When you fertilize your garden with manure, what feed was fed to the animals? You can see, it's not just about not using chemcials on your garden, it's a whole cycle beyond you.

You might ask then what word do you use? Those in the organic movement prefer that you use the word natural. FDA even gets into it at this point with requirements on how food can be labelded. That's why when you read the label, if you see natural vs organic, you know why.

So off my soap box--the key is and it's not just the organic thing, it's more about understanding what you are talking about, what you say and how you act. Saying one thing, doing something else and then pointing fingers at others(even though the other people aren't trying to hide a darn thing). Just popped into my head a lovely quote from Crazy Annie--ask me a direct question and you'll get the truth.

Later gators...
C

Storm updates

Here's a few links on the storms from yesterday. From what the Weather Service is saying now, we had over 100 mph sustained winds and yes, we live in the Northern Linn Cty area. I do love living in Iowa, just wish someone would stop saying-Toto I don't think we are in Kansas anymore!

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Severe-Weather-Moving-Through-Eastern-Iowa-125337408.html

http://thegazette.com/2011/07/12/too-early-to-tell-about-storm-damage-to-iowa-crops/

http://thegazette.com/2011/07/12/power-still-out-for-many-eastern-iowans/

http://www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_7042.shtml

As far as the roof goes--still not word from the adjustor. And radar shows rain---ugh.

Later gators...
C

I hate alarm clocks

Especially when they go off 1/2 hour earlier then you want and they are 1/4 mile away and sound like Tornado Sirens!

So Monday morning, day of horse show dawns. Well dawn wasn't upon us yet, nor could we have seen it if it was. David sat up in bed with a HUM, that isn't the alarm clock. I wake up and we both realize, it's the tornado siren up the road going off. We had about 10 mins before all HELL, yes HELL broke loose.

Run to the MS-sirens, you know the drill. Grab puppies, down stairs. Run up, grab the rest of the herd and get them downstairs. Of course the vari's aren't back down stairs after the poultry show yet, so double up dogs in crates. We managed to not forget anyone this time around, that's if you don't count the cat :)

I'm not kidding you, 10 mins and it hit us with a BANG! No tornado-just straight line winds lasting 12-15 mins between 80 to 100 mph. Some sustained 100 mph down drafts were clocked in other communities. Storm ended up lasting about an hour overall.

Our biggest worry was the roof. And yes, we were right to worry. We sat and listened the howling then horrible house shaking banging. David ran out and checked, yes roof still there. Now water leaking into dining room. Run up to attic.....

The ridge seam on the house is pulling apart. You can phyiscally see the roof coming up and down at the seam. Our home has a hinge roof system which joins it at the ridge seam/joint.

I prayed it would hold together then the power went out. Now I have to worry about sump pump.

Great morning so far, eh?

Well when all is said and done, the corn field is flat. Cap board missing off the fence and found 200 plus feet away in the hay field, broke in half, rest in the corn field. Garden-we might be able to salvage the vining plants-cukes, zucchini, winter squash and potatoes. Pole beans and peas are okay too, but the rest is flat. Might get a few tomatos to come back that were training up the wire panels.

Roof-adjustors are coming out to see what we can do. Called the builder and they will send someone down to work the contractor. Shingles are missing as well as the ridge vent coming off. We can live in the house but we won't be able to withstand another round of bad storms until it's resecured. Shingles have a huge warranty, so that's an easy fix. Plus I have a full set of shingles in storage.

Barn-no worse for the wear! No repairs needed there.

Sump pump/basement-ground water levels are low this time of year so when the power went out it leveled 4 inches or so below the overflow line and no water in the basement! Power returned some time before lunch as I went home to make sure the a/c was running for the dogs and check out the damage then returned to the show.

Luck had it that the horse show was delayed and as noted in the previous post, we made it through the day. Fair grounds lost a lot of branches, one huge tent was shredded but that's about it. Oh arena flooded too.

Sigh, this is the 3rd storm with either tornados or funnel clouds or straight line winds. This time we watched the bow echo on the radar and knew we were in trouble. Towns to the NW of us are in worse shape. Our prayers go out to friends in Dysert that not only have a tree in the house, but lost their arena, part of the barn, severely injured horses and one still missing. The town of Vinton had damage to every structure or tree. Jan from work had trees down all over and spent the day doing clean up.

I'll try to get photos tonight and post the damage. It's surreal. But what I learned a long time ago is that phyiscal possession can be replaced. Humans can't. No one was hurt and as long as we avoid more weather, our roof will stay intact till it's fixed.

Anyone attending the picinic in 2 weekends(the 23rd) we might have a little construction zone going on. I promise that I'll try to get hunky crewman :)

Later gators....
C

Over. Done. I need a vacation from my vacation

It's officially done. Another year in the record book and man, I need a vacation from my vacation.

So last I left you, we had gotten the poultry show done and were now on to a day of rest before the big weekend. David had Draft Horse pull on Saturday, I had dog show set up then dog show on Sunday followed by tear down and Horse show on Monday.

Draft Horse pull as a huge success, little warm but not horrible. God saved that for me on Sunday. Once the open goat show was over, we went and started doing some dog show set up. Then back up to the grounds at 6am on Sunday to finish up.

We have a great building to use but a little flooring issue as after three other shows during the week, it's all dust. So water wagon to the rescue and we have a cool, damp, non-dusty floor. But in exchange, we had 90 to 100 degree temps for the day. Not a good for dogs or humans alike.

Judges were great, kids were great and all in all by 6pm that evening(yes our show is that large that we start at 9, end at 5:30. ) no major issues.

Timber the BC once again did his little catch me if you can with his handler, Christopher. Comic relief for the day. I needed that. Great help too! Jackie and her son Mike who run the poultry show, came up to help. So did Candace, Corrina and Abigail. Can't do it with out great support staff, thank you!!!!!

So how did the Ms do???? Well......

Moose-told the dumbbell in open obedience where it could go. If he had done the retrieve instead of going out and staring at it, she would have gotten a 190 plus score but alas, red ribbon. She was happy though, he did most everything else she asked of him.
Moose-agility-it was hot, he was tired, she was really tired but still managed a blue and 3rd place in under 16".
Eddie-prenovice obedience. Now let me tell you for a dog that came out of mothballs two weeks earlier because her original dog-Pete was in season, he did pretty damn good. Other then getting riled up by Timber prior to long sits and downs. Red I think was her score but she was up in the top 5 in a huge class of like 20 kids.

The big win was with Fred. Did you know he's 11???? Did you know he's still got it???? Oh Yeah, the Ms takes BIS for showmanship with the Old Man. She was so happy and he actually looked like he was enjoying being back in the ring!

So that closes another dog show for a year--those reading this blog---keep working with your dogs and see you next spring!!!

Now to Monday--there's another blog post for the early morning's events. But for now, I'm nursing a sunburn, brusied legs and pretty happy with how the Ms and her herd did at the show. The shocker of the day was Torey. I mean he's a decent horse by the standards, not outstanding but well enough put together to not be an embarassment. Aged Stock Geldings is the biggest class in halter. Usually 15-20 kids. He was squirrelly outside the ring, walked in and turned into a statue. Came out with 6th place!!!!!!!!! Let's just say the Ms was super happy. 2nd place in draft halter as we were up against a belgain. Any given day a belgian will win over a clyde due to it being a more popular animal and more seen. Quality well, I'll save that for later. Judges don't really truly understand draft structure and judge them as a stock horse. 'Nough said.

Rest of the day was hot with sun but a decent breeze. They got 7th in trail, again she was happy as she keeps getting better and better placings each year in that class. Reds in pleasure as Torey was throwing his head a lot but that's okay, more work in the arena as he usually just pleasure and trail rides.

We dragged our dusty, hot butts home and well.....unloaded all the fair stuff, some of it got put away and then......surveyed the damage. That's for another post....

Later gators....
C

He Who Hear's Voices

Or is it He Who Catches Flies? Nah, this time it's just Charlie.



Seriously, though he goes by many different names(depending on what voice in his head is telling him to do), I can't help but love the goofy boy. Alec keeps telling me that I have a knack for picking the weird ones. Though from this photo, weird could be good????

I am still in shock. I thought it was the wrong photo, had to be someone else's dog. I'm used to seeing a tubey, hairless, muddy, silly puppy romping in the back yard pool or puddle with Frankie and Dove.

Man, you can see his daddy there as well as mom. Good job Ruffles and Abbers!!!

Later gators....
C

So fair, so good!

Well we survived static exhibits and the poultry show. That leaves draft horse pull, dog show and horse show.

Results at this point for the Ms are:
Rocket-blue
Herb-chocolate mint-blue
Single stem flower-heritage snapdragon-red(didn't get judged till late in the day and the heat wilted it some-oh well)
Visual arts-decoupage bird house-blue(possible state fair consideration but was a little tacky due to the heat and humidity)

We also all helped out with the poultry show, starting with set up on Saturday. Planned for tons of birds and planned it well. Only a few spare cages and it was moved to a new and much better building! David was here and there all day long with the fair board stuff and I was a judge's assistant. Purposely because I wanted to learn more! And man did I learn stuff. Thanks' to Jackie for letting me do this and for putting on a great show. Potluck for lunch, great door prizes and overall, a well run show!

Results for the Ms and her birds:

American-Commerical Barred Rock pullet-blue
American-Commerical Barred Rock cockeral-blue(for sale-two available-or headed to freezer)
Mediterian-Ancona pullet-blue
Mediterian-Ancona cockeral-blue and best in subcategory
Commerical Egg production Red Star pullet-blue(for sale-three available)
Commerical Egg production Red Star cockeral-blue and best in subcategory(freezer bound)
Asiatic-Buff Braham pullet(the infamous Polly)-blue and best in subcategory
Other Standard-Amerucana pullet-blue
Other Standard-Amerucana cockeral-blue(for sale-two wheaten's available)
Pairs-Barred Rock and Ancona-both got blues
Light Ducks-Indian Runners(2) aged drakes-both blues and one best in subcategory
Med Ducks-Ancona(2) aged drakes-both blues and one best in subcategory
Showmanship--the Ms had 2 cuts in the class and was in the top 4 in the end-tough tough class.

We also got offers from one of the judges to purchase some ducklings we might produce!!

Garrett---make you a deal on a drake in exchange for ducklings!!!!!! We currently have a chocolate, black and white and lavender and white(that one we will loan, not sell)

We landed at home at 6ish, unloaded and fed all the poultry, sat in the chair and died.

What a great day! Great people, wonderful judges and lots and lots of cool birds.

More next week after the rest of the fair is over!

Later gators...
C

Broke my flip flop

No photos, I just couldn't bear it. I broke my flip flop--not on a pop top though, would have been much better.

I broke it running out the door, to "save" the dogs from the stampeding herd of horses.

Okay, so that's a little extreme. Way extreme. "Save" the dogs-ha, it was save the agility equipment--Clydesdales were doing their walk throughs on the modified jumpers course. My dogs--the smell, the color, ugh, went to on a walkabout in the pasture.

Fair chaos-we forget somethings. Like chaining the gate AND latching it with the snap and wire. See we have a locksmith named Torey and his apprentice is Rio. Gates are to be played with and opened. I sit down in the chair to watch a little bit of the news before we start herding chickens to the tubs. A Clydesdale waltzes in front of the picture window. Then a bay, a paint, a paint, you get the picture. Let me fill in the blanks with three collies, three cardigans and 1 ugly dog out in the yard too. Well they were.

Unlike other people with multiple species on their place, we have rules about how the livestock acts around each other. Dogs are exposed to all the stock routinely, not hidden away behind fences and panels. Chickens and ducks are not to be eaten-still working on that one(breakfast this morning was a wayward hen). Horses are not to be chased by the dogs and dogs are not to be teased by the horses. Those are pretty well enforced. The horses ignore the dogs as long as the dogs leave them alone. My dogs do not even think about chasing horses-it does not happen, period. They are more then happy to just go out and eat goodies, roll in smelly stuff and turn shades of green. Which is what happened.

5 horses in the front yard wandering around the agility course-mowing it for me. One cardigan sitting at the front step watching them-signaling faults and off courses. Two collies bounding around the pasture going from one steaming pile to another, the third totally out of his element and just too damn happy and not knowing why. One cardigan in the barn, a dark shade of green on his chest. And the ugly dog, sitting on the step next to the cardigan, he's the timer.

Oh wait, I'm missing one short dog. I stand at the step, chewing out the broken flip flop and beller---you got it---MOOOSEEEEEEE!!!!!!!! I know exactly where he is-creek. 2 mins later he comes bounding up the path and you could smell him from that distance. Oh it was bad. He was bright green from head to toe. Did I mention the smell? Ewwww.

He got a bath with a cold hose. So did Fred-the green dog in the barn. They slept in the kitchen last night, no way were they getting any where near my bed. Horses went back in the pasture, no worries there-they know the routine. Gate secured 3 ways and Torey chewed out for undoing the chain. Me-new flip flop found, warm water in the tubs and it was wash day for the chickens. Access the agility course-all good, no damage and a darn good job with the mowing and trimming.

Today's chaos.....we have to catch the Ancona chickens(known to be flighty and hard to controll) this afternoon to take to the show. Should be another adventure to post later.

Later gators....
C

Hard at work

Dog showin' is hard work, just ask Max!

Thanks for the photo Liz!! Keep up the good work, but please make sure the boy get's enough zzzzz's between shows!

Lator gators....
C

Rolla photos

Diane Larson with Downey Photography, does candids at the dog shows. Just ran across a set she did of the Rolla shows where Connor got his group 1. I can't get a link to just his photos, but if you go to like the 3rd page of photos, she got some super awesome shots. A very correct and pleasing head as well as perfect side gait shots of him. It's great when a dog has the full package and really conforms to the written standard, not just parts.

http://ddldogshowphotography.com/tinc?key=oT2Q1nPg&fs_settings=3,74,1,1,800,740

Look for some upcoming advertisements with Alec and Connor!

Later gators....
C

Weekend? What weekend?

I come back to work to recover from the weekend! We had it jam packed as noted in the previous post, most of it got done, some not, and other's-1/2 done.

As noted, TODAY starts the 2011 Linn County Fair. Horse/Pony game show-Ms only has one entry in that with the egg-n-spoon class. Then it's back home to wash chickens for the poultry show on Thursday. In between she and Dad are finishing up the final touches on the rocket and getting things packed for entry in horticulture and her visual arts project. Which I might add, is super cute this year. Took an idea from a tv show and expanded on it. Photos after judging, which is tomorrow. Then poultry entry Wed, show Thursday, Friday clip horses, Saturday draft horse pull and draft demo, set up dog after the goat show is done. Sunday dog show, Monday horse show.

But back to the weekend. I had to spend money, it hurt. The Ms, she grows and grows and grows. New shoes, capris, tops and assorted other items. We were every where. Sunday wasn't much better as we had our coupons to use at Michael's and went a little over board.

MONDAY was the day for bargins though! David found his feed grinder at Hanson's Grove-which he some what regretted our parking spot as he had to carry it all the way back! The Ms found a breyer she didn't have and even got a deal on it-she's learning the fine art of wheelin'-n-dealin'. To Mt Vernon and the Lincoln Hwy Show--found my plant stand, two collie statues, a ring at the Silver Spider, homemade short bread, and hum, what else, oh, David found heehee- a handle for the gate--made out of an old Ford wrench. Then to Marion for more deals--we were dragging and it was only noon!

Rubber duckies, more post cards, "family photos"--ask David about that, and almost a new garden gate, but alas, it's not tall enough.

Home-puppies are now in general population and Merlot is not liking it. Over possesive is an understatement with her. Nap time for humans, actually we spent about an hour with our feet soaking in the wading pool while The Ms teased Max with the hose-he was banned to the outside until he dried off. Secure all dogs, head to Central City for fire works.

The benefit of knowing the grounds like we do, means taking the back road in and getting primo space. Great show once again-sat with Mom, Dad, Angie, Scott and Brenda. But took twice as long to get back home. Seriously need to work on traffic management out of the grounds.

I so need a vacation from my 3 day vacation!

Later gators....
C

Busy weekend

Well, since the weekend looks to be packed with stuff to do, figured I'd post now while it's slightly quiet.

Tomorrow is errands and more errands and let's see, more errands. With fair fast approaching--eeek-next week!! We, I should say, the Ms has a few things left to attend to: rocket, visual arts project and horticulture. The last one is potted plants this year as the garden with all the rain and hail, did not do well enough to have something ready. Then let's see, farmer's market in the morning, grocery shopping, up to the fair grounds to help set up for the poultry show, back to town to shop for shorts, new shoes for the MS and see if we can find a cooler show outfit for her for dog showing. Oh forgot, new jeans and white shirt for the horse show. Load up on supplies to carry us through the week at fair too. Did I forget about moving the Comedy Troupe to the study/dog area of the house? That means floor coverings, crates, pads and a new xpen to set up.

Sunday-more errands. I have some great coupons for stuff to finish her visual arts projects.

Move chicken house. Build screens for chateau quack. Build gate panels for the pole gates to keep dogs out of pasture. Clean agility equipment for fair.

Honestly, I know I'm missing something??????

Monday it's all about antiques!! 32nd annual Hanson's Grove, then Lincoln Highway Show, then Marion then I think we might have just enough time for a quick trip to Kalona for supplies.

Fire works! Wee haaaa!!! We usually take Eddie and Moose up to the Linn County Fair Grounds and find our perfect spot and sit and watch. I lose the Ms to the crowds as she finds her friends and says see ya!

Now the only hope is that we can get the Ms through the heat. Thank goodness for central air, other wise I would have a kid in the emergency room daily with heat stroke. Today it's up in the upper 90's with heat index of 110 to 115. Humidity is in the horrendous zone-75 to 80% Dogs are pissed about not being able to be out for the usual 5-6 hours. Especially Connor-he loves his big yard and girls. Last night he was actually depressed and kept longingly looking out the window. Time for kongs, buster cubes and new bones to fight off boredom. He even hates heading down stairs to Alec's room which is easily 10-15 degrees cooler then the upstairs. Silly dog. For the rest of them it's about 1/2 hour out then back in. Even the new chicks got moved into the house from the outside brooder-just too darn hot for them.

So to everyone out there, have a Happy Fourth of July!! Eat way too much, have too much fun and don't let the heat get to you!!

Later gators....
C