Jul 30
2008

There’s an election coming up — it’s only a couple of months away.  To me, this feels like one of the most important elections that has occurred in my lifetime.  I’m embarrassed for our country and sad for many of our residents because our priorities seem so skewed.  For example, why would we deplete the limited fossil fuels available to us rather than develop what will be continuous and clean and (ultimately) free fuel?

I love the huge white turbines, I love the way they swoosh as they capture the wind.  . . . and the sunshine — it drops in every day (at least here in the southwest).  We won’t deplete it by using it — what a terrific concept!

Last week there was an editorial in our local newspaper decrying the efforts to develop renewable energy when everyone knows that airplanes need jet fuel.  I think that with a little ingenuity and some old-fashioned elbow grease, we can probably develop hybrid airplane engines.  In the meantime, let’s save the fossil fuel for the airplanes and use renewable energy everywhere it can be used.

On Saturday night the local Barak Obama campaign headquarters will open its doors — I’ll be there.  I hope a lot of my friends will be as well because we have serious work to do. 

This was an unpaid political message straight from my heart.



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Comments  •  Building green, Health and Welfare, Musing, Thoughts on America  


Jul 30
2008

Just for fun . . . if you want to know what song topped the charts on the day you were born (or married, or whatever) this is the place to look.  “Sentimental Journey” was #1 on June 17, 1945, so perhaps that is my guiding music.

www.joshhosler.biz/



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Comments  •  Musing  


Jul 28
2008

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You’d think he’d look a little happier on his birthday — maybe it’s the “dressing-up” stuff.  My heart dog is three years old today — what wonderful gifts he’s given me.  The titles are well and good, but what really count are the moments we’ve spent together.  He’s always ready to go — anywhere — he’s a gentleman in the house, he’s an ambassador for his breed.  He can be trusted with babies, small children, strange adults (now, come on, we all know some strange adults), other dogs – whether huge or tiny.

This is my Kip to whom I’ll sing happy birthday, give special treats, and thank for each day we have together.



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Comments  •  Kip  


Jul 26
2008

It’s raining, it’s pouring . . . our TV weather guy, who is cute but not all that accurate, got it right this time.  Hurricane Dolly has curled around from northern Mexico into western and central New Mexico.  We don’t get the 100 mph winds, but we are getting the moisture.  What makes this good (at least in our part of the State) is that it did not come in as a thunder/lightning/hail storm, but rather as steady rain that our sand/caliche has a chance to absorb.  It’s also good because Inca has a self-imposed obligation to go out into a storm and bark at the thunder (or fireworks or the bug zapper).  With this nice steady rain, I can listen to the big, fat drops striking the roof and windows, but do not need to listen to Inca telling it to get out of our yard.



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Comments  •  Inca, New Mexico Beauty  


Jul 23
2008

Chase finished second in the 9 to 12 month puppy class last Sunday.  The first three days, he had been placed over the puppy that won, but Sunday that puppy won the class and went on to take Winners Dog and the major.  So Chase and Sherri are off to Corpus Cristi on August 9th and 10th, and then on to Topeka on August 14th through the 17th.  At Topeka, there will be two Cardigan Specialty Shows on Friday and Saturday evenings following the all breed shows — so he’ll have six shows in the four days.  Then our little guy is coming home.  It’s time for him to get tracking and to learn some obedience.  I just don’t know how to break the news to Kip and Inca.



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation, Obedience, Tracking  


Jul 22
2008

Let’s get going here

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It’s a little blurry — like a puppy in motion — but he was definitely ready to go!  Again thanks to Jeri for the photo.



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation  


Jul 21
2008

Go down to the post from Saturday night (Beaumont Kennel Club Day 3).  Jeri Lamy sent me some photos of our Chase-puppy being a show dog.  So, I added them to the appropriate post.



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation  


Jul 20
2008

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Several weeks ago I reported that I had purchased an iRobot Roomba 530 for the downstairs.  We named her Tess.  She has well and faithfully performed her duties of picking up dog hair every two or three days.  I’ve been delighted with her work.  I could have given her a raise, but instead I obtained the services of an upstairs Roomba.  Adrienne and I named her Sally.

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On Thursday my friend/housekeeper vacuumed my house with her Dyson.  Today I turned Sally loose on the upstairs.  Notwithstanding the vacuuming only a few days before, Sally collected a small trash bag of unneeded dog hair (actually dog hair is only needed by the dogs for a finite period of time) – and she collected it from spaces that are not accessible to the Dyson, but obviously places to which dog hair will gravitate.

When Kip, Inca and I go to Rally class this afternoon, Tess will hit the downstairs again.  Otherwise the two dogs will watch the Roomba, scrambling out of her way when she heads in their direction.

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My daughter-in-law, who has Jack Russel Terriers, bought a Roomba (after I bragged on mine).  They named her Hazel and are very happy with her.  Debi does insist Marc close the outside doors when Hazel is working so she doesn’t escape and go racing down Meadowlark Drive where she might be hit by a car.



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Comments  •  Health and Welfare  


Jul 19
2008

Saturday:  Chase was second in his Sweepstakes class, but again won his regular class.  Again, no points.  He’s showing well, still acting like a big boy, still unafraid of the hustle and bustle in the arenas — so that’s what we seem to be taking away from the Houston shows.

Perhaps we’ll have a break-through tomorrow.  Think good thoughts for the baby.

Photos just in from Jeri Lamy.  Her girl Lizzie finished Saturday.  Thanks, Jeri.

I know you have a cookie!

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He’s coming at you!

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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation  


Jul 18
2008

I’m hearing that Chase looked great and behaved very well.  Again he won his class, but no cigar.  He’s a handsome puppy, but some judges stop looking at puppies once all the class winners get into the ring.  Perhaps tomorrow things will change for the better.

Jeri took some photos of Chase the first day and was kind enough to email them to me.  Unfortunately they are sort of green (flourescent lights).  I’ll try to run them through PhotoShop tomorrow and post if they clean up.



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation  


Jul 17
2008

Today our Chase-puppy was at the Bluebonnet Cardigan Specialty at the Reliant Center in Houston.  Today is his 9-month birthday so he had to play with the bigger kids.  He won both his sweepstakes class and his regular class.  Sherri said he stood up like a little man, totally unafraid of the noises, loudspeaker, people running around the rings — THAT is great progress.  She also said that he gaited his way to his ribbons.  Jeri and Heidi are in Houston and went by to say hi to Chase.  Thanks to you both.  He’s such a people dog — I know he was glad to see you.

. . . another report tomorrow evening.



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation  


Jul 14
2008

A couple of weeks ago Shelley tagged me with the duty to share the six things that make me happy.  http://blog.yasashiikuma.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/hapiness-award2.jpg  I cannot believe how difficult it is, not only to identify six things, but also to prioritize them.  One posting with discussion of all six is out of the question.  So, I will dole them out like Advent gifts, one at a time.
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#1 is my granddaughter Adrienne.  From the time she was born, she has made me happy.  I love spending time with her.  I loved watching her sway her diapered bottom in time to Latin American music.  I loved watching her learn the sound of each piano key.  I loved listening to her new words.  Her smile brings tears to my eyes and her laughter makes me laugh.  She is a special little girl, a blessing in my life, and a reason to be alive in twenty years.

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There’s one more photo I must add.  Adrienne loves music.  She was in first grade at a Catholic school which gave various awards at the end of this school year. teaching-pooh-to-play-1-blog.jpg  Adrienne received (in addition to a bunch of academic awards), the St. Vitus Award because no matter what she’s doing, she does it dancing.  Her love of music and rhythm started when she could pull herself up on a coffee table.  For her the piano was a source of both amazement and amusement.  In this photo, she’s teaching her Pooh bear to play.



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Comments  •  Adrienne, Musing  


Jul 14
2008

Chase is still with Sherri at Camp Hurst south of Houston.  I’m pretending he is learning to swim and to play “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” on the harmonica.  I spoke with Sherri this morning and that is not what our puppy is learning.  He apparently thinks he’s a big hot-shot stud dog, prancing around with his tail and his nose in the air.  He adjusted well to the bedlam at the Dallas and San Antonio shows, and is now ready (we hope) to perform under similar noisy conditions at the Bluebonnet shows in Houston this week.

If he’s very good, he can come home for the three weeks between Houston and the Topeka shows.  (If he’s very, very good, he can come home to stay.)  We have peaches ripening so he can blow his normal diet by eating windfall.  It will also give him the opportunity to terrorize Kip and Inca who are quite certain he has permanently returned to Oregon.

 . . . missing my puppy . . .



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Comments  •  Chase, Conformation, Inca, Kip  


Jul 8
2008

It all started with German Shepherd Dogs.  My parents had three when I was born and it took me a long time to figure out there were other breeds.  It was a lot like learning there was a political party other than Democrat.  When I was married in 1967, the next logical step was to get a German Shepherd Dog — and so we did.  She had a lot of health problems with which we lived for many years.  Along the way, we got some better dogs and then bred some even better dogs.  A divorce, a move, law school, traveling and for a long time, I had no dogs.  I bought a townhome.  When I was ready to again have a dog, I opted for a portable German Shepherd — the Cardigan.

This is a photo of Steamer with me in 1977.  He taught me that the girls live to be loved, but the boys worship you.  He was such a gentleman in the house, always the willing companion, a discriminating guardian.  My sons were his children.  He is buried in the backyard of the old Victorian home near downtown Albuquerque.  Steamer will always epitomize the perfect dog.

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Comments  •  Musing, Other dogs  


Jul 8
2008

Kip ( my first cardi) and Adrienne (my only granddaughter) have grown together.  When she was a year old, I brought her a giant stuffed tiger.  I was in Chicago and went to a Sam’s Club shortly after Christmas.  They’d marked the tigers down to $9.99 and so I bought one.  To get it home, I stuffed it in a suitcase — before the days of being charged for every checked bag.  Since it was after 9/11, one of the security guys at Midway opened the bag to inspect it and the tiger sprang out at him.  The huge line of waiting passengers howled, and I assured him it was not alive.  When Kip was first introduced to the tiger, he was pretty concerned about the newcomer — so did what any red-blooded Cardi would do — he grabbed its tail and hung on.

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Comments  •  Adrienne, Kip  


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