Cardigans get no respect, none at all. Especially from whippets and their owners. Yes, Scot, you giggling fool.
Last night was our monthly kennel club meeting. One of the topics was the show wrap up report and then fielding some ideas for next year. We’re going to try the herding instinct testing again. Cardiac clinic sponsored by the boxer club. And someone is interested in holding a CAT at the dog show.
CAT is luring coursing lingo for Coursing Aptitude Test and now most breeds in AKC can participate at that level and get a CAT certificate. Lots of cardigan have received their CAT’s and well, beyond the funny word and associating it with dogs, cardigans as a whole are a very versatile breed and coursing is just one of their hidden talents.
When I happened to mention that a lot of cardigans have already gotten their titles, giggles erupted from the hound people sitting around the table. I got comments like-how slow do you have to run the lure? Or – do you have a bag small enough? Or-the corgi is the same size as the bag.
Okay folks, let’s prove those thin skinned sight hounds wrong! First off, our dogs can chase and corner as well as those long limbed things. Sometimes much better as our dogs actually think and realize that the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. Your's blindly follow a plastic bag in circles! And thin skinned, our dogs don’t need no coats or blankets or what not to keep warm when standing still. They can still go out and hunt in the dead of winter. What about injuries? Our lovely cardigans can dive into brush and bramble to continue the chase and come out with nary a scratch, while our poor little sight hounds have cuts, bruises and scratches galor!
We’ll prove them all wrong-our little multi-purpose pooches! I got amazing looks this last weekend when I was talking about how many things cardigans can do. You can shoot over Fred, he points and flushes too. Ratters? Not a problem at all with that. All my dogs love that game in the barn. Guardians, many will tell you that when you come to my house, if you aren’t invited or a stranger, you will get a talking to from the herd and can’t get a pet in until the hoomans say it’s okay. Herding, that’s a big duh. Ducks, sort of chickens, sheep, kids, you name it, we’ve herded it! As companions I have the best hot water bottles in bed on cold winter nights and silly games to lift my spirits.
CAT’s watch out, here we come!
Later gators....
C
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Monster updates
These are by far the hardest photos to take of the two remaining monsters. Neither had any intention of staying still, so you get what you get. The two busiest puppies I have ever had, ugh, their mother through and through!
Jeff Fa Fa--still available and looking for a fun family to join. No he does not have a goofy topline. He was nano seconds from leaping off the table-which he didn't, but boy was it close. 
Not the photo I wanted. Can you see the strangle hold Tall Kid has on him? Notice what is in the bottom left corner? What is missing is the audio of Short Stuff sitting on my foot, barking at me-similar to his father's "you're ignoring me" bark. 
Much better photo-he's one big boy with ears and feet to match. Silly too.
And then I gave up. Short Stuff(needs a new name-Shelby maybe?) would have none of the table or stacking game. One big pile o'fluffy goo. He too is still looking for a good home but there are some special conditions for his placement.
And this is why you put all the other dogs away when you do photos. Jeff wanted to help out. 
Later gators...
C
Who goes to what?
Since all the "girls" are in the poultry yard together and unless you sneak in the chalet and find one laying in the nesting boxes, chances are you have no idea who is laying what egg. After doing a little research, some of the mystery chickens have been figured out.
Dark brown, speckled egg--well she's a salmon/red maran cross! That so explains the feathered shanks, but she has yellowish legs, which marans are supposed to be white. And since there's only one of her, well, that means, only one egg which is totally correct.
You can kind of see her here. Sort of. She's behind the Ancona roo who is telling me I'm too close to his chickadees. The whiteish butts facing you are the red stars that will be heading to my freezer later on and you can kind of see the Red Amerucana hen in there too.
Small buff colored eggs---of course that's Ms Polly, the buff braham. Super sweet bird and very pretty too. Only one of her right now though we have a youngster in the "wings" from the June hatch.
And of course, as I was taking her picture, Mr Ancona Roo, aka Mr Roadrunner, was stomping right behind me. I mean stomping, right on my foot!
And of course, as I was taking her picture, Mr Ancona Roo, aka Mr Roadrunner, was stomping right behind me. I mean stomping, right on my foot!Regular light brown eggs---could be any of the plymouths, red stars or golden speckled wyandottes. We have a good set of those. The issue now it to figure who is laying and who isn't. Who isn't will be traveling north the end of the month and become chicken kiev.
White egg---okay, that's still a mystery. Ducks are not laying right now and these is found in one of the nesting boxes or behind the feed bin where the ducks can't get to. Only one being layed so I have to wonder, is the crooked little hen laying them?
She's a funny looking deformed meat bird who got her death sentence commuted. Very sweet and always following you around. The photos mainly for the girls at the bank who keep asking about her. Up and coming from the June hatch are welsummer crosses, more wyandottes, a couple I can't figure out and one blue amerucana hen---it's the coolest bird around!
Later gators...
C
Monday, September 26, 2011
Little dog lost
Recent thread on ShowCardi-L chat group is about lost dogs. Thanks my friend Barb for putting this up for discussion. There have been lots of dogs lost recently and no time better than the present to post some simple suggestions from the list as well as a few more, should you ever lose your dog.
#1 item is to throw pride and shame of loosing your pet out the window and do what’s best for the dog. The more people you enlist, the more emails that get sent out, the greater chances of finding your dog and bringing them home. And the sooner, the better.
Make sure you have identification on or in your dog. Collars with your cell and home numbers on them are best. A rabies tag with your vets information. Microchips and having that information handy. Current photos of your dog showing head, side and something to reference size-table, chair, etc.
Don’t go twenty directions calling your dog’s name. Follow known paths you’ve been, houses you’ve visited and heck, know where the intact dogs are in your neighborhood. Hormones lead to a lot of “lost” dogs. At some point, it’s best to stay in one area and call for your dog. Give them a stationary point of reference to come to rather than a moving target. Especially helpful if lost in pastures, fields and wooded areas.
Contact the animal shelter and make sure they know what your dog or your breed of dog looks like. Leave photos, posters, contact information. Take a dog of the same breed in and have the shelter employees get a firs-hand look at the type of dog.
Posters-short and to the point: breed, age, distinquising marks, health issues, identification(collar, chipped). Temperament-shy, spooky, friendly. Intact? When the dog disappeared and how to contact you as well as a secondary contact person.
Where to post? Animal shelters, vets offices, pet stores, neighbors, school bus drivers, any sort of regular delivery person in your area. The post office, mailman. Hand them out of your baby sitters. In rural areas, feed delivery guys, route salesman, utility people, cable installers, and I can go on and on.
Email to friends, give permission to cross post. You never know if a friend of your brother’s co-worker might see the email and go—you know I think I saw that dog last night on the way home! Or that you might get an email from a friend of a friend who lives in Texas that knows you live in the area of the lost dog. The world really is a small place.
Speaking of the mighty internet, there are some great websites that can help. Yahoo chat group K9 Amber Alert is one. Breed rescue websites can help, the infamous Facebook as lost pet groups. Petfinder has a lost pet page, FidoFinder, FindToto, just to name a few.
If in areas where it’s wooded, dense vegetation, take a long another dog that your dog knows(if it’s an only dog) or one of its house mates. Leave a trail out and then follow the same trail back to the house.
Leave out food and water and some sort of shelter(it's crate for example) for your dog in case it comes back when you are gone. Do so in such a place that you can shut a gate or door so that the dog can’t bolt or run away if you scare it.
Last resorts are live traps available from many humane societies, DNR and animal rescues.
Hope this helps anyone that might lose a dog in the future.
Additonal suggestions in the comments area would be awesome, 'cause there's always things I never think about that will work!
Later gators....
C
#1 item is to throw pride and shame of loosing your pet out the window and do what’s best for the dog. The more people you enlist, the more emails that get sent out, the greater chances of finding your dog and bringing them home. And the sooner, the better.
Make sure you have identification on or in your dog. Collars with your cell and home numbers on them are best. A rabies tag with your vets information. Microchips and having that information handy. Current photos of your dog showing head, side and something to reference size-table, chair, etc.
Don’t go twenty directions calling your dog’s name. Follow known paths you’ve been, houses you’ve visited and heck, know where the intact dogs are in your neighborhood. Hormones lead to a lot of “lost” dogs. At some point, it’s best to stay in one area and call for your dog. Give them a stationary point of reference to come to rather than a moving target. Especially helpful if lost in pastures, fields and wooded areas.
Contact the animal shelter and make sure they know what your dog or your breed of dog looks like. Leave photos, posters, contact information. Take a dog of the same breed in and have the shelter employees get a firs-hand look at the type of dog.
Posters-short and to the point: breed, age, distinquising marks, health issues, identification(collar, chipped). Temperament-shy, spooky, friendly. Intact? When the dog disappeared and how to contact you as well as a secondary contact person.
Where to post? Animal shelters, vets offices, pet stores, neighbors, school bus drivers, any sort of regular delivery person in your area. The post office, mailman. Hand them out of your baby sitters. In rural areas, feed delivery guys, route salesman, utility people, cable installers, and I can go on and on.
Email to friends, give permission to cross post. You never know if a friend of your brother’s co-worker might see the email and go—you know I think I saw that dog last night on the way home! Or that you might get an email from a friend of a friend who lives in Texas that knows you live in the area of the lost dog. The world really is a small place.
Speaking of the mighty internet, there are some great websites that can help. Yahoo chat group K9 Amber Alert is one. Breed rescue websites can help, the infamous Facebook as lost pet groups. Petfinder has a lost pet page, FidoFinder, FindToto, just to name a few.
If in areas where it’s wooded, dense vegetation, take a long another dog that your dog knows(if it’s an only dog) or one of its house mates. Leave a trail out and then follow the same trail back to the house.
Leave out food and water and some sort of shelter(it's crate for example) for your dog in case it comes back when you are gone. Do so in such a place that you can shut a gate or door so that the dog can’t bolt or run away if you scare it.
Last resorts are live traps available from many humane societies, DNR and animal rescues.
Hope this helps anyone that might lose a dog in the future.
Additonal suggestions in the comments area would be awesome, 'cause there's always things I never think about that will work!
Later gators....
C
It's raining!
I'm not a fan of rain right now, but yet on the other hand, I am.
Still battling the eye infection, so have my magoos on-I can't see s**t. Rain, I hate rain drops on my glasses. It's fall, it's damp, it's cold.
But we need the rain. The sump pump has not been running, which means the duck pond is drying up. That's okay in that Hubby is digging it out and then lining it.
Weekend was a blast! Not only did we do the 4 UKC shows in the Amanas, but also CelticFest.
As many know, Fred is well, bored at the shows. He gets so upset that he can't spend the day upside down sleeping on my pillow or can't get dirty by taunting the chickens. This weekend, different dog! He actually had tons of fun. Wagging tail, loads of ears and a bounce in his stride. Tango went too and towards the end with a few chats about the whole mat thing, she was walking like the pro she's supposed to be. Fred ended up with Best Veteran in Show, shows 1, 2, 3, with Tango taking show 4.
The Ms was in juniors and came home with 4 giant rosettes for BJIS. Nice competition down there this year too. All those kids deserve rosettes!
And inbetween hussling two veterans between two shows and juniors, Ms was showing white shepherds too. Talk about confusing, but hey it worked. I think she took best female both shows Saturday plus something else and then took BOB on Sunday's shows. That was with a 7 1/2 mo old pup too. She looked like a pro and a lot of people pulled her aside to congratulate her and let her know how good she did.
Now I've been a little outspoken about UKC shows in the past and still have a lot of mixed feelings about it. The quality isn't always there in some breeds and so of the judges don't have a clue what they are supposed to look for in other breeds. This time around, I can say it was different. Granted the thought of getting a championship by being the only dog in a breed and maybe beating one other dog in a group, isn't really valid for me. But a nice group of dogs with a judge that understands what to look for, that's different. 13 boxers showed on Sunday-all are nice dogs normally show in AKC and ones that always do well there. Wire-haired vizsla was gorgeous. Beagles, cockers and TFT's were all nice breed specimans. The judges told everyone why they placed the way they did and what they were looking for. Again, all well done.
What I did like and why we went and showed? The people. This club has one of the greatest group of people around. I know many of them from the AKC shows and help them out there as needed. We all helped each other out, asked questions of each other, jumped in when needed and not asked. And I can't wait till next year!
Saturday we did CelticFest/All Things Scottish, after the show. Moved it down to Middle Amana from Usher's Ferry this year. Not as many vendors or activities, but man was it still fun. Hubby finally found a hat big enough for his head, the Ms got a ring and Curly Wurlies. Dogs got tons of attention. Moose did his famous corgi death roll, Pete budged in line for scratches and Fred grunted and rolled in something smelly. We get loads of questions about the dogs and these three are great breed ambassadors. Bag pipes were a curious item for Pete. Moose enjoyed the tabor throwing and then both of them were pissed that I pulled them away from the sheep herding demo. They said they can do it better then those plain old border collies, anyday!
And then it started raining on the way home yesterday. And it's still raining. Bored dogs, wet smelly dogs and I walked into work with Jeff's art prints on the knee of my slacks.
Later gators...
C
Still battling the eye infection, so have my magoos on-I can't see s**t. Rain, I hate rain drops on my glasses. It's fall, it's damp, it's cold.
But we need the rain. The sump pump has not been running, which means the duck pond is drying up. That's okay in that Hubby is digging it out and then lining it.
Weekend was a blast! Not only did we do the 4 UKC shows in the Amanas, but also CelticFest.
As many know, Fred is well, bored at the shows. He gets so upset that he can't spend the day upside down sleeping on my pillow or can't get dirty by taunting the chickens. This weekend, different dog! He actually had tons of fun. Wagging tail, loads of ears and a bounce in his stride. Tango went too and towards the end with a few chats about the whole mat thing, she was walking like the pro she's supposed to be. Fred ended up with Best Veteran in Show, shows 1, 2, 3, with Tango taking show 4.
The Ms was in juniors and came home with 4 giant rosettes for BJIS. Nice competition down there this year too. All those kids deserve rosettes!
And inbetween hussling two veterans between two shows and juniors, Ms was showing white shepherds too. Talk about confusing, but hey it worked. I think she took best female both shows Saturday plus something else and then took BOB on Sunday's shows. That was with a 7 1/2 mo old pup too. She looked like a pro and a lot of people pulled her aside to congratulate her and let her know how good she did.
Now I've been a little outspoken about UKC shows in the past and still have a lot of mixed feelings about it. The quality isn't always there in some breeds and so of the judges don't have a clue what they are supposed to look for in other breeds. This time around, I can say it was different. Granted the thought of getting a championship by being the only dog in a breed and maybe beating one other dog in a group, isn't really valid for me. But a nice group of dogs with a judge that understands what to look for, that's different. 13 boxers showed on Sunday-all are nice dogs normally show in AKC and ones that always do well there. Wire-haired vizsla was gorgeous. Beagles, cockers and TFT's were all nice breed specimans. The judges told everyone why they placed the way they did and what they were looking for. Again, all well done.
What I did like and why we went and showed? The people. This club has one of the greatest group of people around. I know many of them from the AKC shows and help them out there as needed. We all helped each other out, asked questions of each other, jumped in when needed and not asked. And I can't wait till next year!
Saturday we did CelticFest/All Things Scottish, after the show. Moved it down to Middle Amana from Usher's Ferry this year. Not as many vendors or activities, but man was it still fun. Hubby finally found a hat big enough for his head, the Ms got a ring and Curly Wurlies. Dogs got tons of attention. Moose did his famous corgi death roll, Pete budged in line for scratches and Fred grunted and rolled in something smelly. We get loads of questions about the dogs and these three are great breed ambassadors. Bag pipes were a curious item for Pete. Moose enjoyed the tabor throwing and then both of them were pissed that I pulled them away from the sheep herding demo. They said they can do it better then those plain old border collies, anyday!
And then it started raining on the way home yesterday. And it's still raining. Bored dogs, wet smelly dogs and I walked into work with Jeff's art prints on the knee of my slacks.
Later gators...
C
Friday, September 23, 2011
Weekend what ifs?
It's a weekend full of what if's? You know, what if I do this, then I can do this or that or, nope.
If we go to Amana to for All Things Scottish(moved from CR this year), then maybe, I can get the Hubby to hang around the RV park for the UKC show.
If we go to the UKC, will we have enough time to do All Things Scottish and how many dogs do I dare take?
If it rains, what will be do instead?
So for now, I head down with the club trailer and help set up for the UKC show. Ms wants to show her puff ball in juniors and veterans, so guess who else got drug out of retirement-heehee, oh boy is he gonna be pissed.
But then again, a troupe of cardigans at the Fest is always a crowd pleaser.
Anyway, have a great weekend, we'll let you know on Monday how the "what if's" ended up.
Later gators...
C
If we go to Amana to for All Things Scottish(moved from CR this year), then maybe, I can get the Hubby to hang around the RV park for the UKC show.
If we go to the UKC, will we have enough time to do All Things Scottish and how many dogs do I dare take?
If it rains, what will be do instead?
So for now, I head down with the club trailer and help set up for the UKC show. Ms wants to show her puff ball in juniors and veterans, so guess who else got drug out of retirement-heehee, oh boy is he gonna be pissed.
But then again, a troupe of cardigans at the Fest is always a crowd pleaser.
Anyway, have a great weekend, we'll let you know on Monday how the "what if's" ended up.
Later gators...
C
It's been sighted!!!!!
OMG-the first sighting of the season. Though no photo evidence, just happen to see it hanging on the bed post, but won't be long before it's in place on the Ms' head. And once again, it'll be up to no good!(just ask me about my favorite photo on my cell phone)
Okay, so here's the challenge of the day----I would love to see your favorite winter hat on display! The more handmade, the goofier, the better. Hum me thinkest I could bestow a new award on someone - how's the "Sock it to Me! The Sock Monkey Award for Best Hat" sound?
Later gators....
C
Thursday, September 22, 2011
No time to be...behind
Fall is fast approaching....like TOMORROW!! Figured I'd get in the mood early.
I'm not sure if I like fall or early summer the best? Spring is mud, not that I don't like mud, but dogs + mud=cleaning.
Not much of a Halloween person. Get a little decorating done but in all honesty, I'm a little leary of celebrating it. The Ms, going to be a pink poodle, again. I love that she doesn't want to grow up on some occasions. I do miss my little sunflower, Princess and sleeping beauty. Then again if she never grows up, I get to keep my socks, shoes and other shared items of clothing!
I know I read some where that someone was wondering where fall was. They live on the west coast where it's either summer or summer. I'll try to get a photo of the bean fields. The golden yellow is so amazing. Sugar maples are turning orange, red and amber. Virginia Creeper is almost scarlet and green tractors are pulling blue wagons filled with ochre corn.
What next? The Ms is all excited--the Sock Monkey cometh!!!
Later gators....
C
I'm not sure if I like fall or early summer the best? Spring is mud, not that I don't like mud, but dogs + mud=cleaning.
Not much of a Halloween person. Get a little decorating done but in all honesty, I'm a little leary of celebrating it. The Ms, going to be a pink poodle, again. I love that she doesn't want to grow up on some occasions. I do miss my little sunflower, Princess and sleeping beauty. Then again if she never grows up, I get to keep my socks, shoes and other shared items of clothing!
I know I read some where that someone was wondering where fall was. They live on the west coast where it's either summer or summer. I'll try to get a photo of the bean fields. The golden yellow is so amazing. Sugar maples are turning orange, red and amber. Virginia Creeper is almost scarlet and green tractors are pulling blue wagons filled with ochre corn.
What next? The Ms is all excited--the Sock Monkey cometh!!!
Later gators....
C
Reminder to self-get new glasses
So, I've worn contacts for like, 25, no 30 years now. Gosh that makes me feel really old now. Anyway, during that time, I've also had a back up pair of glasses for those just in case times.
I never, repeat, never wear the damn things. I hate them. Go figure, allergy induced eye infection. FYI-don't say the work Pink Eye, people look at you super weird and back away slowly. Let me digress some, pink eye is actually an eye infection. Either allergy induced, bacterial or viral. I've had them all and 20 years ago was prone to them. Had one year where it was every month I went and got meds, so finally the Dr gave me a scrip for mega refills and said you know what you're doing, when it hurts, use them for 10 days.
I can't drive right now as I can't put my right contact in my eyeball. My so called glasses are like 15 years old and I can work on the computer, but feel it's in the best interest of those others on the road, to not drive. My eyeball feels like it's wall papered in sandpaper and glass shards. Left is okay. Antihistamine drops are working some what, but what I really need is a trip to Urgent Care to get some really good sulfa eye drops.
And get rid of these outdated, "magoo" like glasses. Oh and stop in to the one hour place, get an exam and get some new in-style goggles.
This is so not how this week is supposed to go nor the weekend show plans.
Later gators...
C
I never, repeat, never wear the damn things. I hate them. Go figure, allergy induced eye infection. FYI-don't say the work Pink Eye, people look at you super weird and back away slowly. Let me digress some, pink eye is actually an eye infection. Either allergy induced, bacterial or viral. I've had them all and 20 years ago was prone to them. Had one year where it was every month I went and got meds, so finally the Dr gave me a scrip for mega refills and said you know what you're doing, when it hurts, use them for 10 days.
I can't drive right now as I can't put my right contact in my eyeball. My so called glasses are like 15 years old and I can work on the computer, but feel it's in the best interest of those others on the road, to not drive. My eyeball feels like it's wall papered in sandpaper and glass shards. Left is okay. Antihistamine drops are working some what, but what I really need is a trip to Urgent Care to get some really good sulfa eye drops.
And get rid of these outdated, "magoo" like glasses. Oh and stop in to the one hour place, get an exam and get some new in-style goggles.
This is so not how this week is supposed to go nor the weekend show plans.
Later gators...
C
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Look what I found!
http://colliesonline.com/ad_archive_2011/diamante_4_091711.html
Happy Birthday Jerod!
We miss you Trevor!
And look, Tall Kid and The Blonde Dog!!
Later gators...
C
Happy Birthday Jerod!
We miss you Trevor!
And look, Tall Kid and The Blonde Dog!!
Later gators...
C
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Would a kindle fair as well?
Technology is great. At times. We are still on dial up here at home. I have a facebook account, but not the patience to use it here at home. Can you say slooooowwwww! Let’s see website, blog, yahoo, mp3 players, multiple digital cameras, video camera, got’em…but no blu ray, no smart phone, ipads, wifi or a working laptop in the house.
Debate has been about getting either an ipad or kindle. But of course, not for me. Nope, Mom prefers to deal with the real feel of a book. The Ms on the other hand, my book worm child. Who speed reads through 500 page novels like it’s a picture book. The thought of her being able to have access to a library that large with just the touch of a button really intrigues me. Though the constant problem we do have is getting her to put a book down long enough to get her chores or other tasks done, Tends to be a real hassle.
My only drawback is that she might miss the thrill of the chase as we explore Half-Price or Barnes and Nobles, SwapAPaperback or the other great used book stores in the area. Then again....
Would the kindle be able to withstand this? Poor library book got dropped on the way to into the house and well, dogs need reading material too! Cost: $10.
Debate has been about getting either an ipad or kindle. But of course, not for me. Nope, Mom prefers to deal with the real feel of a book. The Ms on the other hand, my book worm child. Who speed reads through 500 page novels like it’s a picture book. The thought of her being able to have access to a library that large with just the touch of a button really intrigues me. Though the constant problem we do have is getting her to put a book down long enough to get her chores or other tasks done, Tends to be a real hassle.
My only drawback is that she might miss the thrill of the chase as we explore Half-Price or Barnes and Nobles, SwapAPaperback or the other great used book stores in the area. Then again....
Would the kindle be able to withstand this? Poor library book got dropped on the way to into the house and well, dogs need reading material too! Cost: $10.
Later gators....
C
I couldn't stand it anymore
I, we, whoever, broke my electic kettle. I swore that I could live with out it.
Lasted all of three months. But I had a great cup of tea this morning!
Later gators...
C
C
Thursday, September 15, 2011
He took the day off for this?
http://easterniowalife.com/2011/09/07/balster%E2%80%99s-implement-era-closes-with-auction-in-scotch-grove/
Yes Hubby took the day off to go to Scotch Grove and wallow in the wares of history.
We already bought some stuff through the online auction--can not wait for him to bring those home tonight. I went to Kathy's Pies yesterday to pick up the fee for shipping those--yes a pie to the auction dudes to bring my stuff down.
I'm just hoping he knows when to raise his hand and when not too--I really don't need a $3000.00 can of oil.
Later gators...
C
Yes Hubby took the day off to go to Scotch Grove and wallow in the wares of history.
We already bought some stuff through the online auction--can not wait for him to bring those home tonight. I went to Kathy's Pies yesterday to pick up the fee for shipping those--yes a pie to the auction dudes to bring my stuff down.
I'm just hoping he knows when to raise his hand and when not too--I really don't need a $3000.00 can of oil.
Later gators...
C
Summer has left the building!
EBD was none too impressed by the frost on the grooming table. Typically, she's right up on the table-great look out position. But this morning, one quick look and she said-let me back in, it's too darn cold out here!Where did summer go?
Later gators....
C
Way too early for this
The stores are full of Halloween crap, oops, stuff already. Figured we should start decorating at home too!
BTW-those are Grape Ghouls that line my driveway. Decorating credits go to the Hubby, who says his charges have another month of growing or is that glowing to do.
Later gators....
C
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Ummm, cookie
Happy Fortune Cookie Day!
I've eaten mine already and what a great mid morning snack.
My fortune?
"Be Alert! You're about to make a new lifelong friend!"
Well hello Friend!
Later gators....
C
The secret of life
No it's not duct tape.
I usually don't post things from emails unless I have time to verify that this is real and correct. But this one really spoke to me. If anyone can verify this I would appreciate it, otherwise I'll do that later.
The one part that got me is right along the lines of a thought I keep with me-God does not give you more then you can handle. In every life experience, if you think you can't, God knows you can! Prayers do not go unanswered, they just might not be answered the way you want them to be, but in the way God knows they should be.
Thanks Mom!
I think this is one of the best ways to answer when someone asks why GOD lets "bad" things happen to "good" people. Or why GOD doesn't always answer prayer in a way we think He should. Rick Warren was the keynote speaker at the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix two weeks ago. You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales.
This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California . In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better."
God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
I usually don't post things from emails unless I have time to verify that this is real and correct. But this one really spoke to me. If anyone can verify this I would appreciate it, otherwise I'll do that later.
The one part that got me is right along the lines of a thought I keep with me-God does not give you more then you can handle. In every life experience, if you think you can't, God knows you can! Prayers do not go unanswered, they just might not be answered the way you want them to be, but in the way God knows they should be.
Thanks Mom!
I think this is one of the best ways to answer when someone asks why GOD lets "bad" things happen to "good" people. Or why GOD doesn't always answer prayer in a way we think He should. Rick Warren was the keynote speaker at the Southern Baptist Convention in Phoenix two weeks ago. You will enjoy the new insights that Rick Warren has, with his wife now having cancer and him having 'wealth' from the book sales.
This is an absolutely incredible short interview with Rick Warren, 'Purpose Driven Life ' author and pastor of Saddleback Church in California . In the interview by Paul Bradshaw with Rick Warren, Rick said:
People ask me, What is the purpose of life?
And I respond: In a nutshell, life is preparation for eternity. We were not made to last forever, and God wants us to be with Him in Heaven. One day my heart is going to stop, and that will be the end of my body-- but not the end of me.
I may live 60 to 100 years on earth, but I am going to spend trillions of years in eternity. This is the warm-up act - the dress rehearsal. God wants us to practice on earth what we will do forever in eternity.
We were made by God and for God, and until you figure that out, life isn't going to make sense.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
We can be reasonably happy here on earth, but that's not the goal of life. The goal is to grow in character, in Christ likeness.
This past year has been the greatest year of my life but also the toughest, with my wife, Kay, getting cancer.
I used to think that life was hills and valleys - you go through a dark time, then you go to the mountaintop, back and forth. I don't believe that anymore.
Rather than life being hills and valleys, I believe that it's kind of like two rails on a railroad track, and at all times you have something good and something bad in your life.
No matter how good things are in your life, there is always something bad that needs to be worked on. And no matter how bad things are in your life, there is always something good you can thank God for.
You can focus on your purposes, or you can focus on your problems:
If you focus on your problems, you're going into self-centeredness, which is my problem, my issues, my pain.' But one of the easiest ways to get rid of pain is to get your focus off yourself and onto God and others.
We discovered quickly that in spite of the prayers of hundreds of thousands of people, God was not going to heal Kay or make it easy for her- It has been very difficult for her, and yet God has strengthened her character, given her a ministry of helping other people, given her a testimony, drawn her closer to Him and to people.
You have to learn to deal with both the good and the bad of life. Actually, sometimes learning to deal with the good is harder. For instance, this past year, all of a sudden, when the book sold 15 million copies, it made me instantly very wealthy.
It also brought a lot of notoriety that I had never had to deal with before. I don't think God gives you money or notoriety for your own ego or for you to live a life of ease.
So I began to ask God what He wanted me to do with this money, notoriety and influence. He gave me two different passages that helped me decide what to do, II Corinthians 9 and Psalm 72.
First, in spite of all the money coming in, we would not change our lifestyle one bit.. We made no major purchases.
Second, about midway through last year, I stopped taking a salary from the church.
Third, we set up foundations to fund an initiative we call The Peace Plan to plant churches, equip leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, and educate the next generation.
Fourth, I added up all that the church had paid me in the 24 years since I started the church, and I gave it all back. It was liberating to be able to serve God for free.
We need to ask ourselves: Am I going to live for possessions? Popularity?
Am I going to be driven by pressures? Guilt? Bitterness? Materialism? Or am I going to be driven by God's purposes (for my life)?
When I get up in the morning, I sit on the side of my bed and say, "God, if I don't get anything else done today, I want to know You more and love You better."
God didn't put me on earth just to fulfill a to-do list. He's more interested in what I am than what I do.
That's why we're called human beings, not human doings.
Happy moments, PRAISE GOD.
Difficult moments, SEEK GOD.
Quiet moments, WORSHIP GOD.
Painful moments, TRUST GOD.
Every moment, THANK GOD.
May God bless you.
C
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Three Little Words
We Will Remember
Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Brandan W. Schulze, September 11, 2007Images on the Army Web site are cleared for release and are considered in the public domain. Request credit be given as "Photo Courtesy of U.S. Army" and credit to individual photographer whenever possible.
The "Tribute in Light" memorial is in remembrance of the events of Sept. 11, 2001, in honor of the citizens who lost their lives in the World Trade Center attacks. The two towers of light are composed of two banks of high wattage spotlights that point straight up from a lot next to Ground Zero. This photo was taken from Liberty State Park, N.J., Sept. 11, the five-year anniversary of 9/11. (U.S. Air Force photo/Denise Gould)
Bells of Remembrance
This construction photo of the Memorial Plaza was taken late July, 2010.The initial phase of permanent construction of the Flight 93 National Memorial, including the visitor's center, will be completed by the 10th anniversary in 2011.The memorial will be built around the crash site, following the plane's flight path, and protecting the area of impact, known as the "Sacred Ground", which will remain protected and accessible only to family members of the passengers and crew.
Though I will be sitting in my living room on Sunday, watching the new coverage, my heart will be with the survivors, their families and my dear friend Karen, on her 10th anniversay walk across the long bridge. She survied, many didn't.
We Will Remember
C
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Battles
Quote from my favorite show, “Castle”....
“There are no victories; there are only battles. And in the end the best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you're very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you.”
I’ve often wondered about people and the battles they pick to fight. More so it’s how they can prioritize their lives, then oops, too late, figure out that it's one they shouldn't have even started, n’t win, then it’s the justification of their actions. Oh man, picking the wrong battle to fight sucks.
Did you realize how many people can’t say no? There have been times when we have just said no. Plans in place, all ready to head out the door, something happens and you just have to say, no.
I got deathly ill a couple of years ago and though it didn’t break the major at the dog show, we pulled our entries or as I love to say, donated them to the club, curled up in my blanket and hibernated for 2 more days till death kindly left me alone. I had some many calls, texts and emails, oh why can’t you come, please, no partying, etc. I had no wish to spend my evenings in the ER in a strange city.
Or this spring, planned a road trip for one day to a show, but the evening before, one of the dogs got severely injured. Once he was all back in one piece, though on meds, wearing the cone of shame and had to be watched like a hawk, yes we could have headed to the show the next day. But we decided that the expense wasn’t justified at a time when we didn’t know if we were going to have to go back for further medical attention. Which we did a week later and then four days after that-damn dog and his bloody stitches.
On the other hand, sometimes there is a need to be met even in the deepest and darkest of times. Claire passed away in her sleep the morning of the Hawkeye KC Dog Show. I was all about optioning out of going, sending the Tall Kid with the dogs and sitting at home to cry for the day. But the Ms, after having her own good cry, said nope, we are going because that’s what Claire loved most-going to shows, seeing people. She would have been heartbroken to know that we stayed home because she could no longer go. So we tucked a hankie in our pockets and loaded up the Big Tow and went.
I think we all prioritize differently. But it seems to me on the emotional front, you can do things a little differently. Monetary funds don’t just land in our laps out of the sky, though many think it should. It’s called pick your battles and do so wisely.
Right now I’m listening to a horror story that is a battle of an ego and what has been lost is the fact that a dog’s life is at stake. This person can’t put all other things aside, shelve their ego and do right by the dog-get it to the place it needs to be and started towards a better life. Supposed can’t afford it. But they are entering shows, taking expensive lessons and get this, on vacation at a resort! Oh and it’s not just about entering the shows, their over inflated ego says they have to go to the big ones to be seen. Well guess what, being seen isn’t you getting anywhere, when you can’t be responsible and do right by your dogs.
Pick your battles wisely and know where you stand!
Later gators....
C
“There are no victories; there are only battles. And in the end the best you can hope for is to find a place to make your stand. And if you're very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you.”
I’ve often wondered about people and the battles they pick to fight. More so it’s how they can prioritize their lives, then oops, too late, figure out that it's one they shouldn't have even started, n’t win, then it’s the justification of their actions. Oh man, picking the wrong battle to fight sucks.
Did you realize how many people can’t say no? There have been times when we have just said no. Plans in place, all ready to head out the door, something happens and you just have to say, no.
I got deathly ill a couple of years ago and though it didn’t break the major at the dog show, we pulled our entries or as I love to say, donated them to the club, curled up in my blanket and hibernated for 2 more days till death kindly left me alone. I had some many calls, texts and emails, oh why can’t you come, please, no partying, etc. I had no wish to spend my evenings in the ER in a strange city.
Or this spring, planned a road trip for one day to a show, but the evening before, one of the dogs got severely injured. Once he was all back in one piece, though on meds, wearing the cone of shame and had to be watched like a hawk, yes we could have headed to the show the next day. But we decided that the expense wasn’t justified at a time when we didn’t know if we were going to have to go back for further medical attention. Which we did a week later and then four days after that-damn dog and his bloody stitches.
On the other hand, sometimes there is a need to be met even in the deepest and darkest of times. Claire passed away in her sleep the morning of the Hawkeye KC Dog Show. I was all about optioning out of going, sending the Tall Kid with the dogs and sitting at home to cry for the day. But the Ms, after having her own good cry, said nope, we are going because that’s what Claire loved most-going to shows, seeing people. She would have been heartbroken to know that we stayed home because she could no longer go. So we tucked a hankie in our pockets and loaded up the Big Tow and went.
I think we all prioritize differently. But it seems to me on the emotional front, you can do things a little differently. Monetary funds don’t just land in our laps out of the sky, though many think it should. It’s called pick your battles and do so wisely.
Right now I’m listening to a horror story that is a battle of an ego and what has been lost is the fact that a dog’s life is at stake. This person can’t put all other things aside, shelve their ego and do right by the dog-get it to the place it needs to be and started towards a better life. Supposed can’t afford it. But they are entering shows, taking expensive lessons and get this, on vacation at a resort! Oh and it’s not just about entering the shows, their over inflated ego says they have to go to the big ones to be seen. Well guess what, being seen isn’t you getting anywhere, when you can’t be responsible and do right by your dogs.
Pick your battles wisely and know where you stand!
Later gators....
C
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Fault(less) judging part three
Now to the nitty gritty. I always get asked about judges. Why we brought this one in. Why we got this one to sub in for this sick judge. Why we would ever think of bringing in that w***h and so on and so forth.
First off I do need to say that I can get in super big trouble with AKC by saying anything bad about a judge, specifically that is. But here’s what I can comment on. Most judges, overall are very pleasant to deal with, even some of them you wish would be back year after year. Some, rude. Some, demanding. Some, think a lot more of themselves then everyone else does. I think that is just simple human nature and not a judge specific quality.
Many are great evaluators of dogs. Many look up the lead to see who has the dog. Many have no idea what is most important when it comes to the key points of breed and well, many just don’t give a damn what they are looking at.
The key about judging is that all have a preference-type, style, movement, color, etc. As the years go by, a savy exhibitor knows what type of dog to exhibit to which judge. As a show chair, we try to get judges that will draw an entry and guess what, that might just mean they don’t like your dog.
The other comment made by a lot of owner handlers, is that we purposely hire handler friendly judges, ie, the ones that look at the north end of the lead. I try to honestly look at it as the judge is awarding the best dog out there. And guess what, you might have it or not. Many times the handlers have the best dog. It's simple economics-showing crappy dogs does not make they any money.
Judging is subjective. Remember there’s always another dog show and another judge to show to. Just don’t show to the ones that didn’t like your dog.
Another subject near and dear to my heart from this year's show is respect. I saw too many frazzled nerves, too many self-centered people who wanted to take out their frustrations on others. I could go into more depth but I think it’s a topic that I will rest for the time being. Being taken advantage of, humiliated in front of your peers and treated with disrespect has no place at the dog shows. If you can’t get your act together and realize that this is just a dog show, then you need to rethink why you are doing this and are you doing this in the best interest of your dog or your ego?
I'm taking a deep breath, counting to ten and exhaling....
Later gators.....
C
First off I do need to say that I can get in super big trouble with AKC by saying anything bad about a judge, specifically that is. But here’s what I can comment on. Most judges, overall are very pleasant to deal with, even some of them you wish would be back year after year. Some, rude. Some, demanding. Some, think a lot more of themselves then everyone else does. I think that is just simple human nature and not a judge specific quality.
Many are great evaluators of dogs. Many look up the lead to see who has the dog. Many have no idea what is most important when it comes to the key points of breed and well, many just don’t give a damn what they are looking at.
The key about judging is that all have a preference-type, style, movement, color, etc. As the years go by, a savy exhibitor knows what type of dog to exhibit to which judge. As a show chair, we try to get judges that will draw an entry and guess what, that might just mean they don’t like your dog.
The other comment made by a lot of owner handlers, is that we purposely hire handler friendly judges, ie, the ones that look at the north end of the lead. I try to honestly look at it as the judge is awarding the best dog out there. And guess what, you might have it or not. Many times the handlers have the best dog. It's simple economics-showing crappy dogs does not make they any money.
Judging is subjective. Remember there’s always another dog show and another judge to show to. Just don’t show to the ones that didn’t like your dog.
Another subject near and dear to my heart from this year's show is respect. I saw too many frazzled nerves, too many self-centered people who wanted to take out their frustrations on others. I could go into more depth but I think it’s a topic that I will rest for the time being. Being taken advantage of, humiliated in front of your peers and treated with disrespect has no place at the dog shows. If you can’t get your act together and realize that this is just a dog show, then you need to rethink why you are doing this and are you doing this in the best interest of your dog or your ego?
I'm taking a deep breath, counting to ten and exhaling....
Later gators.....
C
Fault(less) judging part two
For those of you who don’t know much about our dog show, for the last 5 years we have been working with Tri City Kennel Club to hold a dog show “cluster” . Four days of all breed showing, supported entries and lots of extras. Quad City Dog Obedience club hosts two days of obedience and rally trails. Scott Cty Kennel Club hosted a herding instinct test for the first time this year. We also have a fun match, health clinics, boxer specialty, vendors, exhibitors and visitors galore. It’s a party around the clock.
Areas are set aside on the grounds, which is an RV park, for specific groups of people-beagles and boxers right now. Since I go home each night to do chores and sleep in my own bed, I miss out on the party action once the sun goes down. I was told the blenders were whirring till the wee hours of the mornings.
Our clubs have formed a very well oiled working machine. From grounds to set up and take down, running various portions of the show-hospitialty and other items, we all chip in. This is OUR show, not your show and my show. I see this lasting for a great many years to come.
We drew a lot of professional handlers, this year more then most. Brian Livingston, Jimmy Moses, Paul Catterson, to name just a few. #1 dogs littered the grounds and the BIS line up each day was a who’s who of breed stardom. I love being the group and BIS steward. A front row seat to get a real good look at these dogs. It’s also a blast to be able to sit and discuss things with the judges about, well anything.
What I failed to mention in the first post is that none of this happens without a dedicated team of volunteers. It’s not just the show chair but it’s the judges selection committee, grounds crew, stewards, hospitality, golf cart shuttle drivers, gate attendants, someone who holds a door, catches a loose dog or is handy to hold a dog while the handler runs into the bathroom. For those that read this blog, thank you. No, THANK YOU!!!! We can’t have a successful show without great help, wonderful exhibitors and wise judges.
Later gators....
C
Areas are set aside on the grounds, which is an RV park, for specific groups of people-beagles and boxers right now. Since I go home each night to do chores and sleep in my own bed, I miss out on the party action once the sun goes down. I was told the blenders were whirring till the wee hours of the mornings.
Our clubs have formed a very well oiled working machine. From grounds to set up and take down, running various portions of the show-hospitialty and other items, we all chip in. This is OUR show, not your show and my show. I see this lasting for a great many years to come.
We drew a lot of professional handlers, this year more then most. Brian Livingston, Jimmy Moses, Paul Catterson, to name just a few. #1 dogs littered the grounds and the BIS line up each day was a who’s who of breed stardom. I love being the group and BIS steward. A front row seat to get a real good look at these dogs. It’s also a blast to be able to sit and discuss things with the judges about, well anything.
What I failed to mention in the first post is that none of this happens without a dedicated team of volunteers. It’s not just the show chair but it’s the judges selection committee, grounds crew, stewards, hospitality, golf cart shuttle drivers, gate attendants, someone who holds a door, catches a loose dog or is handy to hold a dog while the handler runs into the bathroom. For those that read this blog, thank you. No, THANK YOU!!!! We can’t have a successful show without great help, wonderful exhibitors and wise judges.
Later gators....
C
Fault(less) judging
I'm back. I'm getting sick. And I am so glad to have the show over and done with for another year.
I'll try to cover all the events and the event, in the next few posts, but first, how about we talk about the weather?
Thursday is set up day for our four/five day cluster. This year the tent guys did us in--during their set up earlier in the week, they were heard saying--this is the event where it ALWAYS rains. Dang!
It was hot enough, now add the pressure of possible rain? Eeek. Cedar Valley Boxer Specialty went off without a hitch, sort of. Due to the passing of a judge's wife, the entire cluster was scrambling for a replacement or multiple replacement judges. Of course we got that all handled and on we went.
Friday-hotter still! Outside had heat indexes of 100 plus. We kept dogs calm, cool and handlers collected. We had a good day in the ring too-since Friday and Saturday are the Tri City shows, I usual enter at least one dog. Pete took BOS for her first grand points, Howie was BOB. Connor and Alec went out and kicked some collie butt and took BOV over the #1 smooth in the country. Of course neither breed did a darn thing in group, but hey, started off the weekend on a good foot. BIS went to a stunning and very deserving GSD handled by Jimmy Moses.
Saturday dawns with the promise of rain-and fulfilled it. Rain it did. We had to postpone the start for 1/2 hour, then 1/2 way through the afternoon sets, pulled all the outdoor rings inside to finish. We had just a few lightening strikes. By BIS though, the rain had come down to a short spitting rain and the sky was lightening up. During the day we also hold a CERF clinic and got a record 98 dogs! Microchipping also went on and the KCC students were awesome in helping out in both areas. Connor did not hold up well when a rude handler ran up and on top of him as well as dealing with the change from outside chaos to inside complete chaos, so just select.
And Jimmy and the GSD did it again, BIS #2 for the weekend.
We then stayed for the steak fry-great food! Alec judged in the puppy fun match-he had about 20 herding puppies and loved it all. Meredith got to show Stormy in the puppy group and me? I sat and watched. Kind of a chill down night for me before CRKA started handling the show.
Sunday dawned perfectly. Temps through out the day were awesome. People were awesome(most) and the dogs loved the weather. Pete took BOS for a grand major and Picasso was BOB. The Ms was 4th in her juniors class(she placed all weekend). Connor, select, oh well. And I wore me new pink jacket--you should see it in the Best Puppy in Show photo and especially in the BIS show photo next to, yeap, #3 BIS for the GSD!
Monday was as perfect as the day before. Temps-perfect. People-perfect. Though, never mind, that's for the next post. No Pete today, the old man Fred went in for his last hurrah. Of course it had to be Sulley to compete against in best veteran but he was happy and loved the steak the Ms had. Congrats to Emily and Sulley and Picasso for sweeping the cardigan ring. Ms took 3rd in her juniors class-funny, the old man must have known that it was his last show, he strutted and was almost flawless, other then the drooling :)
Connor took BOV-made Alec's day. He also got the lead on Drew with Weim in group. It's really great when the owner/handler asks him to take her in and let's him just show the dog. I have a post waiting in the wings about owners and handlers and the battles within. Nothing in group for either dog but it ended the weekend on a great note.
Clean up came easy, fast and we were back home by 6:30! Oh did I mention, #4 BIS to Jimmy and the GSD---again, gorgeous dog. I'm smitten with him.
My house-pigstye. Dishes all over, laundry up to the ceiling and my floors, let's not talk about that.
More to come....
Later gators,
C
I'll try to cover all the events and the event, in the next few posts, but first, how about we talk about the weather?
Thursday is set up day for our four/five day cluster. This year the tent guys did us in--during their set up earlier in the week, they were heard saying--this is the event where it ALWAYS rains. Dang!
It was hot enough, now add the pressure of possible rain? Eeek. Cedar Valley Boxer Specialty went off without a hitch, sort of. Due to the passing of a judge's wife, the entire cluster was scrambling for a replacement or multiple replacement judges. Of course we got that all handled and on we went.
Friday-hotter still! Outside had heat indexes of 100 plus. We kept dogs calm, cool and handlers collected. We had a good day in the ring too-since Friday and Saturday are the Tri City shows, I usual enter at least one dog. Pete took BOS for her first grand points, Howie was BOB. Connor and Alec went out and kicked some collie butt and took BOV over the #1 smooth in the country. Of course neither breed did a darn thing in group, but hey, started off the weekend on a good foot. BIS went to a stunning and very deserving GSD handled by Jimmy Moses.
Saturday dawns with the promise of rain-and fulfilled it. Rain it did. We had to postpone the start for 1/2 hour, then 1/2 way through the afternoon sets, pulled all the outdoor rings inside to finish. We had just a few lightening strikes. By BIS though, the rain had come down to a short spitting rain and the sky was lightening up. During the day we also hold a CERF clinic and got a record 98 dogs! Microchipping also went on and the KCC students were awesome in helping out in both areas. Connor did not hold up well when a rude handler ran up and on top of him as well as dealing with the change from outside chaos to inside complete chaos, so just select.
And Jimmy and the GSD did it again, BIS #2 for the weekend.
We then stayed for the steak fry-great food! Alec judged in the puppy fun match-he had about 20 herding puppies and loved it all. Meredith got to show Stormy in the puppy group and me? I sat and watched. Kind of a chill down night for me before CRKA started handling the show.
Sunday dawned perfectly. Temps through out the day were awesome. People were awesome(most) and the dogs loved the weather. Pete took BOS for a grand major and Picasso was BOB. The Ms was 4th in her juniors class(she placed all weekend). Connor, select, oh well. And I wore me new pink jacket--you should see it in the Best Puppy in Show photo and especially in the BIS show photo next to, yeap, #3 BIS for the GSD!
Monday was as perfect as the day before. Temps-perfect. People-perfect. Though, never mind, that's for the next post. No Pete today, the old man Fred went in for his last hurrah. Of course it had to be Sulley to compete against in best veteran but he was happy and loved the steak the Ms had. Congrats to Emily and Sulley and Picasso for sweeping the cardigan ring. Ms took 3rd in her juniors class-funny, the old man must have known that it was his last show, he strutted and was almost flawless, other then the drooling :)
Connor took BOV-made Alec's day. He also got the lead on Drew with Weim in group. It's really great when the owner/handler asks him to take her in and let's him just show the dog. I have a post waiting in the wings about owners and handlers and the battles within. Nothing in group for either dog but it ended the weekend on a great note.
Clean up came easy, fast and we were back home by 6:30! Oh did I mention, #4 BIS to Jimmy and the GSD---again, gorgeous dog. I'm smitten with him.
My house-pigstye. Dishes all over, laundry up to the ceiling and my floors, let's not talk about that.
More to come....
Later gators,
C
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