Summer, summer, summer time....

No dog shows, no agility trials - just hot, humid, lazy days.  Thought I'd take this opportunity to ramble about things I find amusing now that before dogs, I wouldn't have even considered thinking or saying.

Post dog show, go to any "family" restaurant near the show site and you can hear the most outrageous things.  "Did you see the rear on that bitch?" is my personal fave :)  And as you all know, dog people have absolutely no compunctions about discussing the most intimate bodily parts and functions of their dogs.  I actually like to watch the faces of the non-dog people at nearby tables.  Try it sometime.

At the National this year I came around a corner in the hotel and walked into a group where one woman was exclaiming that she knew "all I need to know about frozen semen."  Not at all an unusual thing to hear in a group of dog people but, imagine being a non-dog person?

Several years ago I hired a handy-woman to replace the back door on my house in New England.  Said woman was a lesbian (I throw this in now so you will see how funny the story is later).  What should have been a couple hour job ended up taking 8 hours and during that time I had to keep the dogs busy and out of the handy woman's hair.  So I gave Sam and Gin each a bully stick.  Sam decided to enjoy his outside and trotted out the door that was being replaced.  The very responsible handy woman felt the need to tell me my dog was chewing on a stick and, was that ok?   I replied that yes, it was ok and that it was a bully stick.  Oh, what's a bully stick?  Ummmm, ahhhhh, well, it's a treat made from a  bull or steer penis.  Really?  Yes.  And he likes that?  Yes, Sammy loves dick......  Yes, that's what I said.  I used those exact words.  I don't know what I was thinking.  I told the lesbian handy woman that my male dog loves dick.  BTW, did I mention she had brought along an assistant for the day?  A male handy man who was gay.  I thought he was going to choke when he overheard the conversation.  For a great description of how bully sticks are processed go here.

Owning and showing dogs has taught me so many things.  Mostly it's taught me that things that used to make me blush don't anymore.

The Butcher of C'ville

Understanding House Mate is out of town for nearly a week at a work-related conference.  That means it's just me and the Horde.  Before she left, we needed to get one dog chore done - toenails.

I've posted before about doing nails.  The only truly cooperative dog is Ginny.  Bogey tolerates but doesn't enjoy.  Sam and Moira make it a 2-person, job and they both get a little something to help them relax before we get started.  As Sam has aged, I think his feet have become arthritic - I know his back has - and he doesn't tolerate the chore well.  Moira has been a fight since day one and nothing I do seems to make it more agreeable for her.  The only time I've seen her even moderately tolerate having her nails done was when Marla did them - and, honestly, I'd be afraid to fight Mar too!

So last night we did nails.  I put a new sanding band on the Dremel, scooped up Ginny and zipped through all four feet.  Then it was Sam's turn.  He was fairly relaxed until the last foot.  We had to pull out the peanut butter to get the job done but his feet look better too.

Next it was Bogey's turn and here's where things started going wrong.  Bogey gets clipped, not Dremeled.  He has white nails so it's easy to see the quicks and he has little girly nails - not the big, manly nails that his daddy (and Moira) have.  We've been really good about keeping his nails clipped so it's generally a super quick and easy job to get through; even if he struggles a bit.  Unfortunately this time Bogey moved abruptly when I was clipping one nail and I quicked him - badly.  Blood, blood and more blood.  He bled for probably an hour.  I didn't have any styptic handy so I used some flour but that wasn't very effective.  Note to self - buy styptic powder.

Then came Moira.  Even with a little something to help her relax, Moira was unruly to say the least.  I'm wondering if she is one of rare animals who actually has the opposite reaction to sedation.  She fought as if her life depended on it.  I started out with the Dremel but didn't get very far.  Thinking the noise was making things worse, I switched to the clippers.  Bad idea.  While I was clipping on a hind foot, she jerked and I quicked her too.  I've never quicked a dog so badly.  Her nail bled for a good 2-3 hours.  There was blood everywhere; on the floors, the carpet, and the deck looks like a small animal was butchered out there.  I finally caught her up, put a gauze pad with Neosporin on the toe and wrapped the whole foot in vet wrap for a couple hours.  That did the trick.  Oh, and I didn't get more than 3 nails done.

This morning, everyone is fine but I need to call the vet about Ra.  I might spring to have her put under to have her nails done then commit to doing a couple miles of road work with her every day to keep the nails down.  I don't like the stress doing her nails puts on her - or me!  The exercise would be good for both of us too.

Bogey's Summer Cut

Bogey got a haircut a couple of weeks ago.  There was just more coat than I could deal with and we felt he'd be happier and more comfortable during the hot, humid summer days here in VA.  It also makes it much easier to find ticks.  Here's how he's looking these days....

Doesn't he look cool and comfortable?

Beans, Beans

the musical fruit.  The more you eat, the more you toot.  The more you toot, the better you feel.  Let's have beans with every meal!

Fortunately, I don't think that children's song is referring to green beans 'cause, man, I've got some green beans.  Visited a friend last night because her husband, knowing I love green beans, planted "some" for me in his garden.  "Some" ended up being 2 rows each about 30-40 feet long - which translates to about 8 plastic grocery bags full.  Eight plastic  grocery bags translates to an entire large Coleman cooler full.  Even before I put the water in, the beans filled the cooler.

So I've spent the better part of today, processing these beans so I can blanch and freeze them.  Moira helped.... a lot.

Everything is now blanched and vacuum sealed.  I have 20 bags of beans to put in the chest freezer.  Each bag is a little shy of a quart - I didn't measure exactly.  We also gave about about 3 plastic grocery bags full to friends and neighbors.  We have enough beans to last until this time next year!  Yum!!

NCC - Non Corgi Content. Well, maybe a little.....

Wednesday I leave to visit my very good friend Lynn.  Lynn lives in Minnesota and whenever I talk to her for any length of time, I sound like I live in Minnesota too.

As part of my visit with Lynn, we plan to visit the stables where Lynn and her daughter take riding lessons.  Rachel, Lynn's daughter, also works there to pay for her horse-riding habit.  For any of you who ride, you know that the optimal footwear for riding is a shoe or boot with a heel.  The heel prevents your foot from slipping through the stirrup.  Since I don't ride, I don't have boots like that.  Well, I do but I'm not going to wear my black, Italian leather boots to a stable.

Understanding House Mate has more shoes than she can count.  Seriously, I don't think she can count them and I know she sometimes has problems finding a matched pair in her closet.  BTW, I'm one of those freaks who keeps all her shoes in their original boxes.  Anyway, UHM has 2 pairs of boots that would be suitable for riding. A pair of cowboy boots and a pair of fancy, dressy, lace up boots that kind of look like cowboy boots - sort of.  UHM was actually willing to let me take a pair of these boots - that have never been to a stable, much less seen a horse - with me to MN.  But first I needed to try them on to determine which boots to take.

I got my "boot socks" and then pulled on the cowboy boots.  Ummmm, what's wrong with these boots?  My calf won't fit in the shaft.  It's like the leg version of a muffin top and my foot and ankle are going numb.  Would you call that sausage leg, or what?  Huh, the socks must be too thick.  Change socks but I still have the same problem.  I make UHM try on her own boots to prove to me that they actually fit someone.  Apparently, she has scrawny calves because they fit her just fine.

So I try on the fancy, dressy faux cowboy boots.  And they don't fit either!  The upper is too narrow.  What is going on here?!?!

UHM tries to tell me that everyone is different.  Apparently, I "carry my weight" in my calves.  What a load of crap!  I am going to have to resort to wearing my own boots for riding - which is actually a better plan because my boots have seen a barn and various sorts of shit - they've even stepped in it.

Now, for Corgi content.  Lynn and I became friends through dogs.  Her younger dog, Logan, is a member of the Samily tree.  This is Logan....

So, not only do I get to visit Lynn and go horseback riding, I also get to spend time with "family," which makes leaving the Horde home for a few days more bearable.

Finally Friday!

I know, it was short week but I love me my Fridays!

Tuesday I finally got Sam's National sweeps photo in the mail.  Let's just say I won't be posting it here.  It's bad - really bad.  As in, Sam's tail is sticking straight out behind him (think setters) and his ears are all wacky because he's listening to everyone say his name and trying to watch the toy the photog is throwing.  I look absolutely mad and like I have 14 chins - a trick as I'm on the slender side.  The only one who looks good is the judge!  Oh well.  He has other good win photos from earlier in his career but, it sure would have been nice to have his last National photo be a good one.

Understanding House Mate and Bogey are in Chesapeake, VA, this weekend for a beginning herding clinic.  I can't wait to hear how Mr. B does.

I'm planning to hit the C'ville KC show tomorrow for giggles.  Cardigans are on at 10am w/an entry of 5 (0-4(1-0)).  Sunday morning Moira has a make up agility class.  Class was cancelled last night due to a storm blowing through.  It's looking like our summer schedule is going to be a little unplanned - more of a drop in class than a regularly scheduled one.  In the fall, we'll go back to a regular schedule and Patty, our instructor, has even indicated that she might split the class into two.  We are starting to get to the point where some dogs are ready for more while others still have skill sets and confidence to work on.  I would be bummed not to see some of these ladies regularly.  This is, by far, the best class I've taken in terms of my classmates.

Time to let dogs out and then head to bed.