Corgi Tales

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-26T18:22:00.008-06:00

I've been very blessed to have my brother Tim visiting for the past week. Since he flew, Elvis didn't get to come along and stayed with my cousins back in Michigan. Reports are that he's been doing a lot of howling - especially at night, but that Pete has found the way to Elvis' heart is through his stomach. Carrying around a few choice treats in the pocket makes any corgi (at least ours) an instant friend.

Part of my Christmas Eve tradition is to ring the Salvation Army bell for the Red Kettle Campaign at my neighborhood grocery store. It was a lot more fun to do it this year with Tim, and, with temperatures in the upper 40's, we were able to bring the girls along and take the kettle outdoors. I'm quite sure they brought in a few bucks - especially from the kids who were begging Mom to pet the dogs.

On Christmas Day we went for a couple of nice walks - one of them over the Main Avenue bridge in Fargo (which is gorgeous) and the other at a large park a few miles north of town. It's our favorite place to go in the winter for cross country skiing or just a good romp in the snow. This year, with our lack of snow, it was a hike through the mud. Hence, the girls have had two baths in the past 72 hours and I'm still finding clumps of mud in the carpet! Nonetheless, we had a great time and were sad to say goodbye to Tim this morning. Hopefully he and Elvis will do a speaking tour over spring break in the Upper Midwest and stay with us for a few days.

It doesn't look like Christmas without snow!

2011-12-04T12:12:00.005-06:00

We are headed into the second week of December and we have no snow!! It's been an extremely dry Fall, which has been great for the rivers, as we actually have a shot at a minor flood (or none at all!) next Spring. That would be glorious!! But it just doesn't look like Christmas without snow; not in Minnesota! I can't remember the last time we had a 'brown' Christmas but it's been quite a few years. We still have three weeks to go so hopefully we'll get a few inches by then.

Not only has it been dry, but it's been unseasonably warm and sunny. No complaints about that!! I took the girls to the Holiday Lights parade a couple weeks ago. We go every year, but it's usually so cold that we don't last long. This year it was 35 degrees and we saw most of the parade. (I always try to get there after the firetrucks - with sirens blaring - have gone by.) The girls were dressed in their winter jackets and reindeer antlers and they got more attention than the floats, I think. They were pretty darn cute.

Therapy Dogs

2011-10-28T10:19:00.010-06:00

I can't believe that it's the end of October already. One thing that grief has done to me is distort my sense of time. Events that were a few weeks ago feel like they were months, or in some cases, years ago. I'm desperately wanting to do some serious journaling about the last 8 months, and I go into every weekend resolving to do that. I know it would be a very healing thing .... just to put events in chronological order and write up the notes that I have on assorted scraps of paper, napkins, church bulletins ... whatever happened to be handy when I thought of something I didn't want to forget. Grief has a strange way of magnifying some memories and erasing others. I look at some of my notes and go, "Huh?" because I have no memory of it, or the memory is inserted in the wrong place on my timeline. I'm finding that journaling, while healing, is also very exhausting. I can only do it for short blocks of time.

In the meantime, I have my therapy dogs. No, they haven't gone through the official therapy dog training, and frankly, Princess wouldn't make a particularly good one. She's too aloof. (Quite a few people have told me that she has a cat-personality.) But she can, at times, be very loving, especially at night. She snuggles up along my back and it's very comforting to feel her there, especially now that the weather has turned colder and I have my flannel sheets on the bed!

Dan and I connected in the MN River Valley for a
couple days just before he went back to China.

Dee Dee, on the other hand, is a natural therapy dog. She could teach the class. When I'm feeling sad, she knows it! When my heart is heavy, she totally gets it. She comes and sits by me, kisses my nose, licks my tears and rests her chin on my leg, looking up at me with big, sad eyes. She is THE BEST.

We had our annual wellness checkups this week and the girls are both in excellent health for their age. They ran a blood panel on Princess (who is 12-1/2) and everything came back perfect. Dee Dee had a good checkup too. I was afraid that Dee Dee had gained weight this year, given the lack of exercise when things were harried at home. But she was 29-1/2 lbs - exactly the same as a year ago. And Princess was 25-1/2. She is shorter and has a much smaller bone structure. One thing that Tim and I have talked about for years was the possibilty that we could lose our parents and our dogs close together, given their ages. I'm so grateful that I won't be facing that. I need my little therapy dogs.

In memory of my parents .....

2011-09-28T16:44:00.002-06:00

Dad                  May 19, 1927 - June 23, 2011
Mom                 June 27, 1926 - September 1, 2011

Neither one of them grew up with pets, but they ADORED our corgis.   Princess, Dee Dee and Elvis brought joy into their lives, just as they have ours.    We miss them so much!

Figuring out Fears

2011-08-24T14:07:00.003-06:00

Is there anything about this picture that looks scary to you? Me either. But there is something in this scene that scares Dee Dee.

I am getting ready to leave to Michigan this weekend, and have started setting things out that need to be packed. Last night Dee Dee refused to come into the kitchen for her supper. I could tell she wanted it, but was afraid of something. I watched her as she suspiciously eyed a couple of dresses that I had hanging over the back of a chair. Then I remembered that she has been afraid of clothing hanging over the chair before. It's hard to even imagine what is going through her little mind that would frighten her about that. But I was telling Tim about it and he said Elvis is afraid of loose dark-colored clothing too; especially if it sways slightly. If he sees a woman wearing a dark colored skirt, he will run away. Princess used to be afraid of black balloons; any other color was OK but not black. It's so interesting to try and get inside their little minds and figure out what's bothering them.

The girls have enjoyed coming to work with me quite a bit this summer. They make a nice addition to our 'staff'. Princess wanders the halls, taking naps here and there, always making her presence known when someone is heating something in the microwave or eating their lunch. Dee Dee, on the other hand, prefers to stick close to me; hanging out pretty much all day under my desk.

Summer is winding down, and Monday night was the annual 'dog swim' at our local wading pool. The night before they drain the pool they allow dogs to come and enjoy a dip. Since it was a hot night, I thought we would go. However, in past years Dee Dee hasn't been willing to go in the pool unless I'm in the water with her. I had hoped to get there at 5:00 when it started, but it was closer to 7:00 when we got there. By that time there were a few ... ahem ... logs floating in the pool. I wasn't too keen on standing in the water, or, for that matter, having my girls investigate them, so we decided to skip the dog swim event this year. We just went to our usual park and played Frisbee instead.

Hotter than ....

2011-07-19T11:50:00.015-06:00

If you want to experience weather, in all of it's extremes, the Upper Midwest is the place to live. We reserve the right to grumble when the mercury dips to -30 F in the dead of winter, but honestly, I prefer that to 95 degrees above with a dewpoint of 81. Which is what we have now. One step outside and you might as well be in a sauna. Step back inside and your glasses fog up like you've just been dropped into a cloud. I try not the run the AC more than I have to, but I've broken down this week.

The girls aren't great fans of the heat either. They were pretty lethargic all day Saturday, so Sunday afternoon I took them to a nearby lake for a little swim between thunderstorms. Yesterday I got out the little wading pool I picked up at a garage sale for $2 and filled it with cool tap water. Dee Dee wasn't so sure about it at first, but when I picked her up and set her down in the water, she stood there, relishing the coolness. They had fun jumping in and out to retrieve the ball and were quite content for the rest of the evening.

Then, in the middle of the night the thunder-boomers came. BIG thunder-boomers. Princess was already sleeping between me and the oscillating fan, but Dee Dee prefers the bathroom floor, next to the AC vent. After a couple of especially loud cracks of thunder, she decided she wanted to be up on the bed too .... and not just ON the bed, but waayyy down under the covers by my feet. It had to have been pretty warm down there, but at least it was quieter. We have had a lot of late night storms this summer, and I've grown weary of being awakened by thunder, tornado sirens or Code Red calls, warning of severe weather approaching. I'm longing for the day when I can sleep with the windows open once again; a cool summer breeze lulling me to sleep.

Gotta Brag a Little ....

2011-06-18T21:48:00.007-06:00

The past several months have been consumed with caring for my parents who are struggling with some serious health issues. I have traveled to Michigan by train, by plane and most recently by car, which meant the girls got to come along. They have always been good travelers, but they were on 'off the charts' good behavior this time. I am convinced that they picked up on my stress and decided to be extra good. Dee Dee, who has not been able to be in the same room with her brother Elvis for years without snarling at him, got along with him fabulously. Last year, I had to keep a muzzle on her when we went to the beach, but not this time. Princess endeared herself to my Mom by sleeping with her, pressing up against her back and giving her comfort while Dad was in the hospital. The condominium where my folks live does not allow dogs, so we had to be somewhat discreet in our comings and goings. I made sure they got out for a good walk or swim each evening, and they were content to be left alone all day. A mom couldn't be more proud!

Elvis kept us in stitches with his stick obsession. I could be waayyyy down the beach with my girls and if I lifted up a stick, he'd come charging down towards us, then complain loudly when the girls didn't play by 'his rules'. He's hilarious.

The girls continue to amaze me with their understanding of new words and fairly complex problem solving. Yesterday we were playing with a Frisbee on a paved parking lot. It's nearly impossible for them to pick up a Frisbee when it is on a hard surface that doesn't give like the grass does. But Dee Dee figured out how to push the Frisbee up against the curb so that the bottom lifted up just slightly and then she could grab it. Smart girl!

The Annual Hot Dog Walk

2011-05-17T07:26:00.007-06:00

Each spring the Fargo Park District sponsors a fun evening at the Yunker Farm dog park where dogs compete in various categories: tallest dog, shortest dog, best trick, owner/dog look-a-like and best dressed. Owners are served free hot dogs and there are treats for the pups as well. This annual event has a history of landing on a cold, rainy night but last evening was beautiful. The sunshine and mild temperatures drew a big crowd, and the 'girls' got a lot of attention in their Doggy Diva Tshirts and colorful visors. I'm sure we could have won the 'best dressed' category if we'd been able to hit the 5 p.m. registration deadline. Unfortunately, by the time I get home from work, dress the girls and drive up there, it's closer to 6. Nonetheless, a fun evening. Dee Dee got a little nervous with that many dogs around, but Princess had a great time. And for once, she kept her visor on! Usually she rolls in the grass until she can get it off. She's not into that 'girly stuff'! But she didn't seem to mind last night, and even was willing to pose for a few pictures.

I noticed a TV camera crew there from one of our local stations, and saw them zoom in on Princess and Dee Dee. So I was very excited to watch the newscast and see a clip of the girls. However, my excitement turned to sheer horror when the news anchor referred to them as "weener dogs"!!! Before the credits had finished rolling, an Email message was flying through cyberspace, informing Kirsten of the difference between a Dachsund and a Corgi!

Another year, another flood .... and A MOUSE in the house ....

2011-04-10T09:31:00.000-06:00

After three months of anxiety, knowing that a major flood this spring was all but certain, it is finally upon us. In 1997 when the river crested at 39.7 feet, no one could have imagined that 12-15 years down the road, we'd express relief at a crest of 39 feet! But after 2009 (the highest crest in history at 40.8 feet - and perilously close to losing our cities), anything under 40 feet is met with relief! Simply stated, the communities along the Red River of the North have gotten darn good at fighting floods! Hundreds of improvements have been made to our infrastructure since 2009, a flood wall now winds its way through south Moorhead, eliminating a view of the river for home-owners, but also giving them significant protection during what has become an annual event. Hundreds of homes have been bought out by FEMA (110 of them in my neighborhood), which allows earthen dikes to be build along that land, giving us some measure of protection. Permanent flood protection (i.e. a diversion project) has been on the planning table for over two years now, but when you're dealing with two states, plus the federal government, and a price tag of 1.8 billion dollars, these things move slowly! But this is our third major flood in as many years, and we are tired.

Our biggest threat this year has been complacency. However, with a major flood a certainty, we got to work early and three MILLION sandbags had been filled by early March, eliminating the last-minute panic mode which has characterized some of our previous floods.

So we have now crested at just about 39 feet - which we expect to hold steady for several days since it's raining today - definitely not what we need, but meterologists don't think it will raise the crest; just prolong it. So viligance is the order of the day!

So .... to make a hard transition here to another topic ..... we have a mouse out in the radio station where I work. With an abundance of cords, wires and cables in every room, and multiple sightings of the little critter, we set some pretty sophisticated little traps - all to no avail. Apparently the little guy isn't hungry or else (shudder) he has found something else more tasty to snack on. So I brought Princess to work with me on Thursday. She loves to hunt field mice so I thought she would certainly catch the critter roaming our halls. Not only did she let him run right past her without flinching, but she sprung the trap and ate the peanut butter. She's been fired.

Moorhead Dairy Queen

2011-03-01T20:26:00.022-06:00

It's an annual rite of passage. Never mind that the thermometer reads a frigid -3 (F) or that the windchill is -28. It's March 1st. And around here that means one thing .... the opening of the Moorhead Dairy Queen. A part of the community since 1949, it is one of the oldest DQs in the country, and under only its second ownership. Perhaps that is part of the secret to its success. Or perhaps it's that when most DQs joined the Brazier franchise and became indoor establishments, the Moorhead DQ remained an old-style walk-up store. That means that, for one thing, prices are lower. Significantly lower, in some cases. And, if you talk to the locals, they'll tell you that the food is better too. Maybe that's because ice cream just tastes better when eaten outdoors, in the company of friends. No doubt, some friendships have been forged, standing in line. It's not uncommon, on a hot summer night, to stand in line well over a half hour. People expect that. No one complains. It's all part of the experience. Yes, going to the Moorhead Dairy Queen is a part of the culture here. In a community that has its fill of Starbucks, Burger Kings, Taco Bells and all the usual eateries, the Moorhead Dairy Queen is a throwback to a simpler time - when life was less hurried and visiting with neighbors was common.

But March 1st? Really?!?! In a part of the country where winters are MUCH longer than the calendar-prescribed three months, one would expect the DQ to open .... well, maybe June 1st. But owners Troy and Diane Deleon shut down for just four months out of the year (November-February) and they know that, come March 1st, people will be waiting in line .... having planned their day around this annual event. Several years ago I remember ordering a blizzard in a blizzard. It was crazy. We're hearty folk up here. And, after all, a tradition is a tradition.

So today, the girls and I made a run to the Dairy Queen. The lines didn't look TOO long when I got there. I chose what appeared to be the shortest one. Ha! It would have been nice if the lady in front of me had turned around and said, "Uh, you might want to choose another line. I'm going to order 11 blizzards." That's right. ELEVEN blizzards. She was taking them back to everyone at the office. Really, I could have killed her. But, putting on my "Minnnesota nice" face, I just smiled, gulped and waited. The air was frigid, with a stiff wind to boot. Even the girls were shivering. But they know the routine. Wait patiently and you get a 'dog dish'. That's a little cup of ice cream with a milkbone biscuit. They cost somehing like 30 cents. Maybe 40 cents now. I've never really asked. It's just part of the deal. Diane loves my dogs. And it's not uncommon to see a half dozen canines standing in line with their owners, waiting for their treat. I've witnessed a few snarls. I've taken Dee Dee to the car a time or two. But for the most part the pups are versed in "Minnesota nice" too.

There's snow on the ground here. A LOT of snow. It's supposed to get in the teens below zero tonight. We're preparing for spring flooding .... most likely 4-6 weeks away. It is decidedly winter here, yet. Except at the Moorhead Dairy Queen. In the Red River Valley, it's one of the first signs of spring.

Winter Fun

2011-02-10T12:32:00.005-06:00

It's been a brutally cold and snowy winter across the entire nation it seems, and in Minnesota/North Dakota we have certainly gotten our share of both. When the girls were younger, I took them out for a walk every evening, no matter how cold it was. But they've gotten older and I've gotten lazier and many nights we have settled for about ten minutes of playtime in the yard. OK, some nights it's been more like five minutes! Our back yard is a giant snowdrift, which at one point is level with the back deck. So the girls don't need the steps; they just run straight into the snow and have made a nice little track around the yard and back to the door.

I've been trying to make up for the lack of exercise during the week by going on a good outing on the weekend; both Saturday and Sunday, if possible. Our favorite winter playground is MB Johnson Park north of Moorhead. It's not an official 'dog park' but it could just as well be. The place is a mecca for dog owners and cross country skiers (who don't necessarily like to share the same trail), but it is so large that there really is no reason we can't all get along! We enjoy a trek through the woods, meeting lots of other canine friends along the way. It's a great place for some winter fun.

A Family Christmas - Better Late than Never

2011-01-14T15:30:00.011-06:00

This holiday season wasn't good to travelers. That's an understatement. It didn't matter where you were going or how you were trying to get there; the journey was destined to be a nightmare. I had planned to drive to Michigan with the girls in December, but an 'active weather pattern' (to use the term of our meteorologist) caused me to re-consider. In the end, I took Amtrak and went after New Years to get a lower fare. A couple of days before I was to leave, I was notified that Amtrak had suspended travel between Whitefish, Montana and St. Paul, MN and canceled my trip. Ugh. Fortunately, I was able to go a couple of days later. Amtrak was dealing with a major backlog and some significant delays so it wasn't an easy trip, but I'm glad I went. I think that, for this year at least, it was the best option.

Of course traveling by Amtrak meant Princess and Dee Dee couldn't go with me. I am so thankful to have next door neighbors who love the girls and are always willing to take care of them. I don't know what I'd do without them. This trip proved to be a major breakthrough for Dee Dee. When I've been gone in the past, she has refused to go next door .... sometimes refusing to leave my yard or even the house. Princess is happy enough to stay next door, so that has left Dee Dee home alone. She must have finally gotten lonesome enough that she decided to step out of her comfort zone, because after the first two nights, she slept next door on a little bed they made for her in the kitchen. That made life easier for everyone! She was very happy to see me when I got back, and spent the day sleeping on my coat! Dog Logic 101: If I lie on her coat all day, she won't be able to leave again!

Elvis gave the girls several nice gifts that they've had fun playing with this week. He gets so many treats and toys as honorariums for his 'speaking engagements' that Tim shares them with us. Elvis is really into opening gifts - whether or not they are for him. It's quite funny. He seems to have the surprise element of a gift figured out, and whenever someone is opening a present, he is right there. He was quite happy with the Greenies he got from us. Corgis love any kind of treat, but Greenies are definitely a favorite at our house.

Ending the Year with a Blast .....

2010-12-31T13:59:00.008-06:00

.... of winter, that is. We are enduring our third consecutive winter that is unusually brutal. Honestly, I think this is the worst one yet, although up until yesterday most of the snow that fell, came straight down, without a lot of wind. But now we are in the midst of a good old-fashioned blizzard, complete with heavy snow, 40-50 mph winds, and arctic air. We are presently in a bit of a lull between the two-punch storm, so I decided to go out and at least get a start on dismantling the drift in my driveway. What I didn't know was that there was a heavy coating of ice underneath the snow; which was polished to an unbelievable sheen by the wind. When two little corgis cannot even walk on the driveway without falling over, you know it's bad! Dee Dee was making her way up the driveway and literally fell over on her side. Too funny. It wasn't nearly as funny when I fell on my keister.

Yesterday was one for the record books. I made it to work in the morning (which is on the far, far southwest end of Fargo, out of the city limits). It is more developed out there than it was ten years ago, but still, when the wind blows, it is a totally different experience than it is in town. I worked a few hours, got the most important things done, and by noon I realized that I either needed to leave then, or plan on spending the weekend there.

I had the girls with me, but with plans to leave for Michigan on Monday, I really needed to get home. It was a white knuckle trip, on glare ice, with zero visibility at times and ice pellets pounding the windshield. And, on the car radio, I was hearing reports of a 100 car pile-up just a few miles west of where I was. Needless to say, I was happy to get home. I crawled under my down comforter with the girls snuggled up beside me, and we enjoyed a quiet evening listening to the radio and following the reports of a major rescue operation going on at that accident site. Some people were trapped in their cars for a number of hours, but by 11 p.m. everyone had been rescued and injuries were minor. This picture of the girls was taken out at work. I let them go potty, but didn't let them out of my sight.

The girls have had fun playing with their Christmas gifts from their best friend, Sadie, next door. They got plush animals with two squeakers and no stuffing. It's been almost a week, and the squeakers, so far, are still in tact!

Norwegian Corgis?

2010-12-06T22:42:00.046-06:00

The agenda for this past weekend? Baking cookies. Lots of them. I sign up for a ridiculous number of exchanges each year. Six weeks out, it seems like a good idea. I mean, what could be easier? You make dozens of your favorite cookie, swap with other ladies who have done the same, and come home with a huge variety with which to impress your friends. Actually, it is a good idea - to a point. The problem is that I have no family in the area, and since most of my friends are also involved in the exchanges, I just don't have that many people to take plates of cookies to. They go to the neighbors, I bring some to work, and then I usually take a plate to public servants like the police, fire department, ambulance service. But I still have a lot left over and there's only one person at my house to eat them. Unless, of course, you count the girls.

When I was 13, our family moved to Minnesota and we were introduced to krumkake. My Dutch roots make me partial to banket , although my love of banket soured a bit after I lost a crown in a piece of it a few years ago. Yes, I looked for it, or maybe I should say watched for it, but it was never found. So that one piece of banket cost me $850 and it's never tasted quite as good since. But I also love krumkake and it turns out, so do my corgis. There are a lot of recipes out there with various ingredients and flavorings, but in my opinion, krumkake isn't any good without cardamon. I love to just stick my nose in it and sniff. Ummmmmm I suppose that's the next thing they will declare is a hallucinogen.

Anyway ... the rule at my house is that we only get to eat the ones that break, burn, or otherwise don't turn out. Usually that is the first four or five, and then I get into a rhythm, catching drips, flipping the iron, and rolling cones. Underneath my feet I have two little girls who are salivating and hoping that some broken pieces will fall their way. I'm not sure if it's the texture, or the flavor but they have a definite preference for krumkake over any other kind of cookie that I bake.

Of course they love all sweets ...and they can be quite adept at getting what they want. One day last week I indulged in my favorite guilty pleasure - a McDonalds caramel Frappe. If you haven't tried one ... trust me, they are the best and taste much better if you don't ask about the calorie count. I needed to make a quick stop at Herbergers, and since I didn't want Dee Dee licking the caramel residue off my straw, I took it with me into the store, leaving the 2/3 full Frappe (the kind with a dome cover and a little hole for the straw) in the car. I did feel a little silly, carrying a sticky straw around with me. At least one sales associate asked if I wanted her to discard it for me. "Uh, no .... I mean, it's for my frappe ... I didn't want my dog to lick .... oh, never mind." Pleased with myself for being so prudent, I headed back to the car, looking forward to the rest of my Frappe. Approaching the driver's side door, I saw both girls in the front seat, happily licking sticky sweetness off the seat. Those stinkers had managed to get the cup out of the beverage holder, get the cover off and spill it all over the seat, the armrest, the floor. As soon as they saw me, they stopped in their tracks and looked at me with faces that said, "It was her idea, Mom. I'm just helping clean up the mess!" Ah yes ... the mess. Actually, it wasn't too bad. They had done a pretty good job of "cleaning it up". I guess I can be grateful for that. Scrubbing sticky caramel out of the carpet in sub-zero temps isn't my idea of a fun time. And a fun time they had clearly had.

Did you get that?!?

2010-11-20T16:10:00.005-06:00

The falling snow and plummeting temperatures tell me that we're making the transition from Fall to Winter. Actually, I don't mind either of those things so much, but I really hate the short days. There's about a 3 week period when I go to work in the dark and come home in the dark. The only positive thing about that is that I sometimes see brilliant sunsets in my rearview mirror as I drive home in the late afternoon. North Dakota has THE BEST sunsets .... combination of low horizon and combine dust in the air. They can be simply spectacular.

I enjoy evening walks with the girls, but we all look forward to the weekend when we can go to the park in daylight. A couple hours ago, I told the girls we were going to the park 'pretty soon'. They know that 'pretty soon' means we are going - but not right now. But they follow me from room to room in anticipation. A few minutes ago, while folding a load of laundry, I tripped over them for about the fourth time today. I looked down and said, "You know, I would work faster if you two girls weren't attached to my heel." They looked at me with blank expressions, so I repeated it. They cocked their heads to the side, and looked at each other with the funniest expression, as if to say, "Did you get that?"

This is a short post ... because, well .... it's going to be dark in another 20 minutes and we still haven't been to the park. Better run ....

A Decade of Love

2010-10-21T21:37:00.001-06:00

Ten years ago today - October 21, 2000 - Princess came to live with me. I picked her up about 9:00 a.m., she jumped happily in my car and never looked back. We spent the afternoon playing in the back yard, raking leaves, with friends dropping by to meet her. They pronounced us perfect for each other. We were - and still are - very much alike: loving, independent and strong-willed. Now a senior citizen, Princess often comes to work with me, as she did today. She is friendly, but not pushy; never barks at anyone but happily greets our guests, her little stub of a tail wagging. People love her. When the vet checked her over last week, she commented that Princess looks about half her age. (I wish the same could be said of me!) She is a wonderful companion and SOOOO very loved. Happy 10th anniversary, my sweet girl.

Mid October Musings

2010-10-16T12:51:00.015-06:00

This past month has been a blur. Three weeks of fundraising at work were followed by an Extreme Home Makeover right across the street from us! It was a crazy week with streets blocked off, porta-potties along the curb, hundreds of volunteers working 24/7 and more activity than I'd seen since the Flood of 2009. Despite the noise, floodlights and dust, it was fun to be a part of it, and it was all for a wonderful family that has done much for disabled children in our community. The show is supposed to air in late November or early December.

When it was all over, I was exhausted, and glad for a week of vacation. I canceled most of my original plans, and we stuck pretty close to home. The Fall colors have been exceptionally brilliant this year, and we enjoyed some day trips to area parks, and I did some biking on several of the MN state trails. I had hoped to do more, but on Monday I had a little rollerblading mishap. Princess was chasing me around a parking lot when my legs went out from under me, and I fell - hard - sustaining a whiplash and bruised tailbone. I was pretty sore for a few days.

I got my leaves raked this week and other yard work done .... windows have been washed, gutters cleaned out, and the garage is looking better than it has in a long time. My neighbor changed the oil on my mower for me. You're supposed to do that more often than once every ten years??? Who knew?!?!
Yesterday the girls went to the Vet for their annual wellness exams and shots. Dee Dee has a tooth that needs to be pulled, and Princess has 'mature cataracts' on both eyes. I'm a little perplexed by that since she can spot a squirrel or rabbit from 100 yards away! Dee Dee put up quite a fuss while she was being checked over, and provided an unsolicited stool sample right there on the exam table. That ended up costing me another $60 when it tested positve for some parasite. Overall, the girls are in excellent health for their age.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

2010-09-03T20:40:00.022-06:00

Nature’s first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leaf’s a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

I was reminded of this beloved poem of Robert Frost this week as I turned the calendar page from August to September. As if on cue, our weather made a dramatic shift from hot and humid to cool and crisp. Some are complaining, but I don't dare. I whined about the heat most of the summer. I'm just not a 'hot and sticky' kind of person - and neither are my girls. I hate having to carry water for them on even the shortest walks, and having to mow my lawn before 7 a.m. because that's the only time I can stand it.

So bring on the cooler weather. I love Fall. I love sleeping with the windows open; the cool breeze pushing me down under the comforter and snuggling up close to my girls. I love cool evening bike rides, Honey Crisp apples, the sound of crunching leaves underfoot (not yet, thankfully!) and the aroma of scented candles burning in my living room. I love seeing school buses in the morning, wearing sweatshirts, and checking out the new Bible Studies in the church bulletin. I love the smell of autumn air.

Speaking of smells .... a few weeks ago my brother was traveling through Michigan's Upper Peninsula with his dog, Elvis. Tim's favorite place to hang out (in the whole world, I think) is Au Train Beach on the south shore of Lake Superior. It is a beautiful beach, and he recently purchased a parcel of land just a stone's throw up the Au Train River. Making the trek north from Holland, Elvis slept most of the way. When they got about a half mile from Au Train Beach, Elvis suddenly woke up, stuck his head out the window and sniffed the air, turned toward Tim and smiled. He knew where they were. My girls remember every park we've ever been to, and it doesn't matter what way we go, or where I park the car. Familiarity is in the smell, and it always amazes me.

The last few weeks have brought sad farewells to some of our canine friends. Einstein, the common link between my girls (Princess' brother and Elvis and Dee Dee's father) was put down a week ago. We also lost Dee Dee's nephew, Scooter, and another corgi pal this summer. And a few weeks ago I got a call from my friends, Phil and Val, telling me that their little Einstein (a charming little terrier who was obsessed with chasing balls) had died. As Phil put it, Einstein 'helped them raise their five boys' and was with them through some major life transitions. Only another dog lover can understand the bond that exists between canines and their humans. These losses remind me that my girls are getting older too, and that I need to cherish each day that I have with them. Nothing gold can stay.

The Dog Days of Summer

2010-08-16T21:18:00.003-06:00

The Moorhead Park District sponsors a 'dog swim' event at the neighborhood wading pools the night before they are drained for the summer. It was a cool evening for swimming, but in a way it was nice, as there weren't as many people there as there might have been otherwise.

Swimming in a pool is an entirely different experience for dogs than swimming in a lake. For one thing, they have to step (or jump) off the edge into the water rather than run into it as they do at a lake. Getting out is a little different too. They have to push themselves up out of the water onto the concrete. And then there is the chlorine - which, I suspect, stings their eyes, just as it does ours. Both of the girls were nervous, and needed a little coaxing to get in the water. For Princess, watching the other dogs splash around and chase after the ball was enough to make to conquer her fears. She stood on the edge, leaning toward the water, trying to muster the courage to take the plunge. I finally gave her a little push and she fell in. Once she realized that she could swim, she was hooked. I pushed her a couple more times and after that she did it all by herself. I was so proud of her, and she had so much fun. She is a brave girl.

Dee Dee - not so much. For one thing, she hates commotion, so just having so many other dogs around made her nervous. I picked her up and put her in the water several times - even pulling her on a leash while she swam, but she just wanted to get to the edge and scramble back up to solid ground. People were incredulous when I told them how she charges into Lake Michigan and lets huge waves swallow her up and absolutely loves it! It's hard to imagine being afraid of a little wading pool after facing the waves of the Great Lakes.

Itasca State Park and Walker Bay

2010-08-01T09:41:00.029-06:00

The heat and humidity have made it hard to sleep this summer, so what better way to relax than head to Itasca State Park for the weekend. Lake Itasca is the source of the Mississippi River. There's a lot to do there.

We pitched our tent at Bear Paw Campground and, I'm happy to say, didn't actually 'see' any bear paws other than the engraved ones on the sign! There was, however, a skunk who found his way into the campground the first night. Our food was safely stored in the trunk of the car, so we were bypassed, thankfully.

On Saturday we went to the Mississippi headwaters. I'm sure I've been there at least a dozen times over the years, and I've never seen the water as deep as it was this time. They've had a LOT of rain this summer; one ranger told me they'd had around 14 inches - just in July! We waded across, none-the-less, and the girls enjoyed cooling off, although the congestion was a bit too much for Dee Dee. She was happy to head back to the car and move along to the next spot - which was a stroll along Mary Lake and the Red Pine Trail. My eyes were peeled for glimpses of the Minnesota State flower, the showy lady slipper, and I wasn't disappointed.

It was a hot day, so in the afternoon we took a drive to Lake George and on to Walker, which is one of my three favorite Minnesota resort towns (along with Grand Marais and Lanesboro). Leech Lake is a much prettier lake than its name would make it sound (I have yet to actually see a leech there), and the public beach on Walker Bay is just wonderful. We had a great time cooling off there. When it was time to leave, Dee Dee put up a fuss. As soon as she realized we were walking toward the car, she stopped in her tracks and looked at me with pleading eyes: "Please, Mom, just a little bit longer ..." I gave in - three times, in fact - before I decided that we really did need to leave! In the evening, I went to a show at Jaspers Jubilee Theatre in Park Rapids. By that time, the girls were worn out and happy to nap in the car. I got this picture of them sharing the shady side of the back seat. Dee Dee woke up when I slowed to take the picture, but they had been lying almost on top of each other, sound asleep.

Dee Dee is Ten!!

2010-07-01T07:47:00.002-06:00

Happy birthday, dear Dee Dee! Happy birthday to you! Tim and I sang that song to her this morning as we were rolling out of bed. Tomorrow we will sing it to Elvis. They were born an hour apart - on different days!

We are in Michigan this week visiting family and will be stopping to see friends in Illinois and Iowa on our way home. I've been very busy helping my parents with various things, but I've managed to get the girls to the beach to swim every day. They LOVE it. Especially Dee Dee.

Last night after a wonderful dinner at the Everyday People Cafe in Douglas, MI, we watched the sun go down over Lake Michigan. The waves were huge but Dee Dee was completely undaunted. I'd throw a stick into the water and she'd charge in after it; the waves completely swallowing her little body. Then she'd emerge, allowing it to push her to shore. If she lost the stick along the way, she'd go right back in and look for it some more. I was amazed - both at her courage and at her strength. Princess was a little more cautious. She's a year and a half older, and she knows her limits. (The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.) Elvis, of course, is an old pro .... he goes to the beach several times a week. We attracted quite an audience of people who were watching and taking pictures. One family actually clapped as we walked by! When I told them how old the girls were, they were amazed. We head for home tomorrow. It's been a good week ... a nice mixture of work and play.

Sheyenne River Valley

2010-05-30T10:13:00.001-06:00

The girls and I went camping for Memorial Day weekend at Fort Ransom State Park in North Dakota. It's a quiet, peaceful place nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley, which is quite pretty. We hit a weekend of record-setting heat though (97 degrees yesterday!) so came home a day early. I turned on the air conditioner and all three of us crashed!

Fortunately, the air was dry so it cooled down at night which made the evenings quite pleasant and comfortable for sleeping. Early mornings were lovely as well, and we did a little exploring. We even saw a bald eagle - a rare treat. The entire area is a bird sanctuary, and I enjoying the chorus of brown thrashers, western meadowlarks and morning doves as I awoke each morning.

The girls enjoy camping and love to sleep in the tent, but the first night we were there Dee Dee was clearly frightened of something and wouldn't get out of the car. At first it seemed to be the tent, as she wouldn't walk in that direction, even to get her supper. But when I carried her to the tent, she eagerly went inside. The only thing between the car and the tent was the firepit and a lawn chair, and to my knowledge, she's never had a bad experience with either of those before. Oh, to get inside her little head sometimes! I never figured it out, but after that first night, she was fine.

North Dakota doesn't have mountains, canyons or coastline, but there are some hidden treasures waiting to be explored, and you don't have to contend with crowds. The Sheyenne River Valley is one of them.

Selective Hearing and Slow-beying

2010-05-25T10:55:00.005-06:00

Mothers Day has come and gone, and I got my free sundae from our local Dairy Queen which offers dog-dish treats and recognizes dog-mamas. Taking my girls to the park, breaking up squabbles, comforting them during a thunderstorm are just a few of the things that make me a 'real Mom'. A few years ago we had some friends from out of town spend the night. They were intrigued - and quite amused - as they observed me interacting with the girls throughout the evening, particularly when the neighbor dog showed up on our doorstep wanting Princess and Dee Dee to come out and play. Later on, when Dee Dee started getting out of sorts, I told her to go to her kennel. My friends exclaimed, "They're just like a couple of kids!"

Yes, they are like a couple of kids - in many ways. Just like kids, they have selective hearing and often slow-bey when I tell them to do something they don't really want to do. That's especially true of Princess. If she's outside and I tell her to 'come', she will walk verrrry slowly towards me, stopping to sniff every blade of grass and go potty several times along the way. She reminds me of a toddler who comes up with reasons why they shouldn’t go to bed yet and then – once in bed – needs several drinks of water followed by a couple more bathroom visits. Anything to delay the dreaded bedtime!

A few days ago the girls were playing in the back yard when I went in the house for something. I came back a few minutes later and called them. Dee Dee came running, but Princess was no where in sight. I stood on the back deck and called her name over and over. Nothing. The thought crossed my mind, 'Well she is getting pretty old. She probably can't hear me - poor girl.' Just as I turned to go back inside and grab my keys to go look for her, I happened to glance down. This is what I saw. She was hiding under the steps, obviously hoping I wouldn't blow her cover. I gave her a little poke in her furry 'behind', and she made a mad dash to the house as if to say, "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

Bedtime Routine

2010-05-04T13:06:00.005-06:00

Dogs love routine, and so do I. That makes us particularly well suited for each other. But I do laugh at how little it takes to create a routine with dogs. Do it twice, and it's a routine. That's assuming it's something they like, of course. Like a bedtime snack. I often have a glass of skim milk before I go to bed, and one night, a few years ago, I gave the girls some too. I'm sure it wasn't more than 1/3 of a cup. They liked it. So (and this was my mistake) the following night I did the same. The next night I was brushing my teeth and noticed that they were both out in the kitchen, quietly waiting by their bowls. I decided to ignore them, but they didn't move. They weren't barking or whining or anything, but they were persistent and I finally caved and gave them some milk. Wellllll .... that sealed the routine, and now they expect (and get) their drink of milk every night.

But then came the night when Princess wasn't feeling well. I can't remember what had happened, but she was limping for some reason and had crawled into her bed early. Dee Dee, however, waited by her bowl as usual. So I poured a little in her bowl, and - not wanting to show favoritism - poured a little in Princess' bowl too. I could see her out of the corner of my eye, and she was in a dilemma. She wanted her milk, but she didn't want to get out of bed. So ... (now, please don't think I spoil my girls when I say this) .... I brought her milk to her. The next night she still was having some pain, so I brought the milk to her again. And ... you guessed it ... we had a new routine! Dee Dee gets her bedtime drink of milk in her bowl in the kitchen, while Princess gets her milk in bed - brought to her by me. Last night, just for fun, I decided to put her milk down next to Dee Dee's and see if she'd come get it. I peaked around the corner and there she was, in bed, with her head arched way up - towards the kitchen - waiting for her milk to be delivered. And of course it was. Sigh. I do wonder sometimes who the alpha member of the family is. I'm pretty sure it's not me.

The Many Faces of Dee Dee

2010-04-16T12:31:00.012-06:00

It's Friday .... which means that Princess got to go to work with me today. That started about three years ago when we had a turnover in staff at the radio station where I work. Dee Dee comes occasionally, but not often, since she barks at whoever comes through the door .... UPS man, FedEx, listeners coming to pick up a prize, etc. Princess rarely barks, unless you provoke her with something like the the vacuum cleaner, a rolled up newspaper or by blowing soap bubbles at her. She barks when we're playing outside. But she doesn't bark at other people, and so she is a perfect 'office dog'. My co-workers love her. When I come home from work on Thursday, I will say, "Princess, do you want to go to work with me tomorrow?" She lights up, and the next morning when I let them outside to go potty, instead of coming back inside with Dee Dee, she goes and stands by the car, smiling expectantly. Dee Dee really isn't too upset by the fact that she doesn't get to go. She's a homebody and likes the security of our home and her kennel. On the rare occasion that she does go to work, she sleeps under my desk, by my feet all day. The girls have very, very different personalities. Princess is pretty even-tempered and stoic, while Dee Dee is much more moody and wears her feelings on her sleeve ... uh ... I mean, lip. Even at almost 10 years old, she still looks - and acts, in many ways - like a puppy. She's full of playful energy, and very affectionate. She loves attention and once she deems you 'safe', she will roll over to have her tummy rubbed.

She is actually much more obedient than Princess; she wants nothing more than to please me and loves being told she's a 'good girl'. Princess couldn't care less. But Dee Dee has a short fuse, and can be a bully - especially towards Princess. I can read her body language pretty well, and so can Princess. When I see Dee Dee steal a 'look' in Princess' direction and/or Princess turning to face the wall, I know what's coming - and it isn't going to be pretty. I practice 'early intervention' and send Dee Dee to her kennel before it escalates. Sometimes all I have to do is say, "Dee Dee" in a stern voice and she trots off to her kennel. She knows it's a safe place to escape from whatever it is that is bothering her and everyone else feels safer too! There isn't a more loveable dog in the world than Dee Dee, but other people don't always get to see that side of her and that makes me sad.

A missed opportunity?

2010-04-09T19:11:00.008-06:00

Something I've observed over the years is that often times, the bigger the opportunity, the smaller the window for seizing it. And that may have proven true in the case of Elvis being on the CBS Morning Show. They wanted Tim and Elvis to fly to New York right in the middle of their speaking tour on the East Coast, and it just didn't work out. They indicated that they would probably be calling the following week to arrange a date, but now - two weeks later - that hasn't happened. So it may have been a missed opportunity.

Tim really isn't too sad about it, as he doesn't like having to 'ship' Elvis through the baggage department. I don't blame him. I can't imagine either of my girls handling it very well either. Anyway - here are a few pictures of them on the East Coast, being interviewed for FOX news and with a special cake just for Elvis.

Elvis on FOX News

2010-03-24T09:53:00.002-06:00

It is spring break week for Hope College, and my brother Tim and his corgi Elvis are on a speaking tour up the East Coast. They were on FOX News last night and will probably be flying to NY next week to be on the CBS Early Show. Here is the direct link to the FOX news story.

http://www.comcast.net/video/dog-does-calculus/1449285442

http://www.hope.edu/hopetoday/ has additional links to the CNN Story that ran in 2008 (now on YouTube), the FOX story above, a longer version of that story on local FOX television in Virginia and an interview on Public Radio in VA.

A Look Back .....October 21, 2000

2010-03-14T08:58:00.006-06:00

Today is Princess' 11th birthday, and I thought I would post my journal entry from October 21, 2000 - the day she came to live with me. She was a year and a half old, a little thinner, a little more spry but with the same confident, feisty personality she has today. Little did I know, eleven years ago today, that in Sarasota, Florida a litter of puppies was being born - one of whom would change - and enrich - my life with more joy than I could have ever imagined. Happy birthday, sweet Princess!

October 21, 2000

Princess' and my first day together could not have gone better if I'd ordered it straight from heaven. She really seems happy here, and Barb says we are a perfect match. I think we are. I picked her up about 9:00 and ran a few short errands so she would get used to riding in my car and having me disappear for a few minutes and come back. After the first time, she didn't seem to mind. Never barked or whined at all. Then we came home and she was happy in the house for about 1/2 hour - just as she was the other evening. I fed her, she ate well and then suddenly got very skittish on me - wouldn't let me approach her, ran and hid behind furniture. I felt so bad for her - could tell she was just very bewildered and scared. I finally lay down on the carpet and gingerly she approached me. When I could reach out my hand to rub her neck and tummy, she relaxed and lay down beside me. Ever since then, she's been fine. We were outside most of the afternoon. It was a perfect autumn day - sunny, in the 60's and I had a lot of raking to do. Laurie came over for a while to help me and she thought Princess was the cutest dog she'd ever seen. My next door neighbor has a black lab and when she came out, she (Sadie) barked at Princess but Princess just looked at her and didn't bark. However, Sadie kept barking so I finally went over to pet Sadie and Princess got very agitated. She barked at me (she has a high pitched irritating bark but fortunately rarely uses it) and when I came back over into my yard she was jumping at me and obviously very upset. It was kind of funny. My neighbor thinks she is beautiful and she said "Mike will be so jealous." The rest of the afternoon we raked and Princess had so much fun romping in the leaves. Denise Larson and her girls stopped by to meet her and the girls enjoyed playing ball with her. After a few minutes she was retrieving the ball. When we're outside she loves to romp and play but when we come in, she is pretty mellow. She loves to lay next to you on her back and have her tummy rubbed. She cuddles right up to you. Princess is alert and responsive - comes when you call her. She does jump in the bathtub if she gets a chance. I was told that she LOVES to have a bath. She barked at the vacuum cleaner (I decided she might as well get used to it because I vacuum every day) and when I ran the mop over the floor she got behind and tried to "herd it". FUNNY!! She likes to be with me, but she doesn't follow me everywhere now that she is used to the house. I am setting down a few ground rules - no begging at the table, and she must stay on the passenger side of the car. I have signed up for six weeks of training with her, beginning November 1st (more for my sake than hers). She was pretty tired by tonight. It was a big day - lots of new places and new people. I have her little travel kennel, and when I opened the door she went right in, lay down and went to sleep!! I couldn't have hoped for anything better. I was told to have her sleep in there and stay in there when I'm at work. Even though the space seems confining, they feel secure in there and do better if you leave them in there. Gradually, after a few weeks, I can try letting her have the run of the house for short periods while I'm gone. All it all, it's been a great day.

We're Baaaacccckkkkk ....

2010-03-09T11:18:00.003-06:00

I owe a huge thank you to the Google technical support team for restoring our blog! Two weeks ago, in the process of changing my Email address, I accidentally deleted my Google account .... and this blog went with it .... disappearing far into Cyberspace somewhere. CorgiTales is not a blog that makes any profound contribution to society, but I've had a lot of fun with it and we do have followers ... so I was pretty devastated at the thought of losing it. Realizing that I was a mighty small goldfish in a HUGE ocean, I started posting requests for help on every site I could find, without a whole lot of hope that I'd get any. But several days ago, I received a message that our blog had been restored!!! Yeah!!! The only problem is that my photos were not restored .... so gradually, over the coming weeks and months, I will upload those again. I figure if I do a couple of posts a day, it shouldn't be too painful. I learned a couple of important lessons .... 1) back up your posts in a Word document and 2) don't start deleting things when you really don't know what you're doing!!! (I think I have learned that lesson before .... why didn't I remember it?!) So anyway, we're BACK! And CorgiTales, by the way, originated as the name of our scrapbooks ... now on Volume Six ... and counting!!

Drifting Along ....

2010-02-16T11:05:00.022-06:00

It's mid-February and the main topic of conversation these days is spring flooding. Again. This year. It's getting really old. We have more snow than we did last year at this time, and it has a higher moisture content than last year's. And, just like last year, there is more snow south of us - snow that eventually melts and runs north. Crazy river. Many people still have battle fatigue from last year ... so the thought of going through it all again is hard to take. I broke down and spent my vacation budget on flood insurance. It was just too close last year. The big unknowns yet are how much precipitation we'll receive in March and April, and how fast the snow melts. A slow melt is what we're hoping for.

The long winter starts to take a toll on everyone about now; including the girls. They've been fighting more the past few weeks, and I'm not sure what that's about. It may be that they haven't been getting enough exercise. We've been getting out with the snow shoes on weekends, but I've turned into a wimp on weeknights. I get home from work and just want to hibernate for the rest of the night ... especially now with the Olympics going on! I tell myself that the girls are 9-1/2 and almost 11 now and they don't need as much exercise! But they've put on a couple of extra pounds, and we all sleep better if we get out for at least a short walk in the evening. Their leads are buried somewhere deep in the snow, so I let them run unleashed in our neighborhood. They're usually pretty good about staying close to home, but they do like to wander down the block to a house rented by college students where they know they're likely to find left over pizza and other tasty delights. One night last week I let them out to go potty about 11:00. When Dee Dee didn't come right back, I called for her, and she barked - from my neighbor's yard. There is a fence between us, but the drift in my yard is so high that she was able to walk right up and over it. Getting back wasn't so easy. I had to put my boots and coat on over my pajamas and sneak into my neighbor's yard to rescue her. I wasn't too happy with her that night - nor the next day when Princess did the same thing! The drifts are like concrete. I cracked my bumper on one at the end of the driveway (grrrr ...) and the girls have cut a track through the back yard on top of the snow. It's kind of funny because, looking out the back door, you'd never know we had a deck! It's just one giant snow drift that covers everything. Yes, we are longing for spring .... we just don't want it to come all at once!

Cute, butt .....

2010-01-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

I don't know if it's because they have no tails, or because they are so low to the ground, but corgis have the cutest little butts! Many times we have been out for a walk, and someone has come up from behind us and commented on this! Of course with two of them walking together, side by side, they are especially fun to watch. Dee Dee has wide hips (can anyone relate?) and when she lies down to relax or munch on a chew stick, her short little legs fan out to the side as in this picture. I call it the 'flying squirrel' pose because of how her legs are spread. Princess, on the other hand, finds it more comfortable to keep her legs close together, and lie with one of them tucked up under the other. I suspect that is the position she was in before birth, crowded in Babe's belly with the other puppies. Dee Dee is longer and has much bigger bones - and when you look at her from behind, you see how sturdy those back legs are. Princess has narrow hips and thinner, more fragile looking back legs. My brother says she looks like a woman walking on high heels.

A couple of weeks ago we were visiting a friend who lives in a third floor apartment with a walk-out balcony. It was too cold to go out there, but the girls loved watching the action in the parking lot through the sliding glass doors. My house doesn't have any windows that are low enough for them to look out, so it's always a big treat when we go somewhere that does. They can be entertained for hours, watching for rabbits, squirrels or other critters.

Happy New Year! Brrrrrr .....

2010-01-02T09:15:00.006-06:00

Happy New Year to everyone! It's hard to believe it was 10 years ago that we were consumed with Y2K, and holding our breath to see if there was a massive computer crash, power grid failure etc. at the turn of the millenium. It's also hard to believe that 10 years ago, I didn't even know what a 'corgi' was!!!! I got Princess in October, 2000 - and my life changed forever.

It is COLD. REALLY cold!! Minus 33 degrees F this morning, with a wind chill that is minus 60! The girls tolerate cold weather quite well, but they went potty pretty fast this morning! I get such a chuckle out of Princess. She stands on three legs - alternating the leg that is raised - presumably to warm it up! Smart girl!

We are taking care of our neighbor, Sadie, today. Sadie and Princess are the same age, and they've been pals since the beginning. When they were young, they used to chase and chase and chase around the garage and through our yards. Now that they're old ladies, they just enjoy hanging out together. Dee Dee adores Sadie. I mean, really adores her. Occasionally she gives Sadie some 'lip' but most of the time she gets under her head and gives her lots and lots of kisses; then rolls over in an act of total respect and submission. It's so interesting, because she doesn't do that with any other dog; certainly not with Princess. Sadie is much bigger, of course, but she's really the most mellow of the three of them, which has been a good thing because she could take care of Dee Dee in short order, if she wanted to. But they are all great pals.

Christmas Snowstorm

2009-12-25T16:46:00.027-06:00

It's been many, many years since the Midwest has had a major snowstorm on Christmas Day. There are a couple of aspects of this one that are headed for the record books .... 18 inches and counting, and the duration of the storm: 3 days, if you count the 5 inches we received Thursday night. We had a little reprieve yesterday for a few hours and then it wound up again, dumped another foot of snow and brought a lot of wind with it. Plans were changed and, unless you got out of town Thursday night or early Friday, you ended up staying home. The girls and I slept late this morning (soooo nice .... had the radio on, listening to Christmas music in the background), and I spent the day finishing up my cards and blowing snow. My snowblower isn't very big so you have to stay ahead of the drifts. I'm usually at work, so don't have the opportunity to do that, but this time I did and I'm so proud of myself. I was dug out before any of my neighbors (for once!) and even was able to help with my neighbor's driveway, since he DID have to work ... a 12 hour shift, no less.

The girls think the snow is just great, and they had a lot of fun playing with Sadie, their pal next door. Running through deep, heavy snow with legs that are 5 inches long is a lot of work, and they are getting older .... so they came inside and went right to sleep. Merry Christmas girls!

Reluctant Reindeer Christmas Photo Shoot

2009-12-12T17:50:00.028-06:00

It is nearly the middle of December, and I have never gotten such a late start on my Christmas cards. Sending and receiving Christmas letters from family and friends is one of the best parts of the holiday season for me. Since I grew up in five different states, and have lived several different places as an adult, I have quite a few friends who I hear from only at Christmas. Facebook has been a new point of connection with old friends, but I still enjoy reading the comprehesive Christmas letters .... and I'm dismayed that the trend is moving to shorter and shorter letters; sometimes only a paragraph! No! I protest!

This is the way they're supposed to be worn, aren't they?

Usually my cards are made by the end of October, my letter is written the day after Thanksgiving and they are in the mail the first week of December. Not this year! I had company over Thanksgiving (great fun!) and December has been consumed with baking for three different cookie exchanges, hosting a graduation open house for a friend and a year end fundraiser at work. Suddenly I find it is mid-December, and I'm almost in a panic! The letter is yet unwritten, and I don't have a single card made! I don't even have my tree up yet. Last night I decided that 'this was it' .... do or die ... so we went over to my friend Sandy's to have our picture taken in front of their tree! And my usually very cooperative and photogenic girls decided to be stinkers. Maybe they were picking up on my sense of urgency .... who knows? Whatever the case, we could not get them to look at the camera ... let alone 'smile'. And, just as I knew she would, Dee Dee finally 'had enough' and started to snarl at Princess .... at which time Princess closed her eyes and arched her neck as faaarrrr away from Dee Dee as she could ... and the photo shoot was over! But, just like with kids, sometimes the funny, candid shots tell the best story - and I think that will be the case with us this year!

Fright Night

2009-10-31T20:45:00.029-06:00

Halloween isn't exactly the most favorite of days for Princess and Dee Dee. It ranks up there with the Fourth of July. Even the cute little toddlers who come dressed up as puppy dogs or clowns are scary looking to the girls. The other day I left them in the car while I ran into a grocery store. There was a display of ghosts and goblins just across the street, and when I came out of the store, the girls were looking out the back window, barking furiously. We can be walking in the neighborhood, and suddenly they will stop - dead in their tracks - suspiciously eyeing someones' lawn decorations.

October isn't their favorite month for several reasons; Halloween just being one of them. It's also the month we go to the vet for their annual checkups. When Dee Dee recognizes the clinic, she refuses to get out of the car and wants me to hold her when we get inside. Princess puts on a much braver face, but her quivering back legs give her away. They were both pronounced 'in excellent health' for their ages. No cataracts (common in dogs of their age) and I was complimented on the condition of their teeth. Dee Dee's weight has been right at the 28.5-28.8 mark for years, but Princess - who has a much smaller build - has now dropped to 25.6 lbs - which makes her look and feel so much better. We love the staff of the Casselton Veterinary Clinic ... they are the best!!

October also took us to Michigan to see family, with a stop in Eastern Iowa to see friends. The weather in Michigan was the same as what I left behind in Minnesota - cold and wet!! Nonetheless, we did work in a trip to the beach one day, and the dogs had a great time. Dee Dee picks on her brother mercilessly, so she has to wear a muzzle when she's around him. She really doesn't mind it all that much. I think it makes her feel more secure, and it keeps Elvis safe - and my blood pressure from rising! The weather this month has been absolutely miserable, with several days of snow (thankfully, it has all melted), but the sun is out today and hopefully that bodes well for November. My leaves still have not been raked .... that is on the 'to do' list for tomorrow!

A Bad Joke or a New Breed?

2009-09-15T08:28:00.014-06:00

It's that time of year when we are transitioning from summer to fall, meaning you can need air conditioning one day and heat the next! We've had a beautiful September though; in fact, I think it was warmer than June, July or August! It's a very busy time of year for me at work, and I feel guilty that my girls don't get to see a lot of me. I try to make it up to them when I get a chance. Last weekend I took them to a lake where they could swim. They LOVE that! Yesterday I took them for a walk around a little lake - but one that doesn't allow swimming. For Dee Dee, that is sheer torture. Every ten steps she would pull towards the lake with eyes pleading, "Can we go in here?"

I had a very funny experience with them a few days ago. I had taken them to a fairly large park near our home, quite early in the morning. I didn't expect to see anyone there, but there was a big truck in parking lot with a lot of cameras set up and a few men standing around. It turns out they were there to film a commercial. I parked, let the girls out and they bolted across the grass, barking all the way - just as they always do. The men had a bit of a puzzled look in their eyes and one of them walked over to me, asking if we were there for the commercial. I said, "No - we're just here for a walk." "Oh", he said, "We're waiting for some people to come for a commercial, and we ordered two Great Danes. When I saw your dogs, I thought it was somebody's idea of a bad joke." I burst out laughing. "Well, these dogs are the new Miniature Great Danes."

Three for Thee - ODB Designs - September challenge

2009-09-13T10:27:00.016-06:00

I've done it again .... hijacked Princess' and Dee Dee's blog to take part in a rubber stamping blog hop. This time it is for Our Daily Bread Designs which has become a favorite company for purchasing wonderful scripture stamps and sentiments. The card I have posted here is a pocket card for their September challenge. It is a 4X6 inch card, using the Fruit of the Spirit set. It's one of my favorites. Cardstock is from Stampin' Up (elegant eggplant, always artichoke and sahara sand); jumbo brads are from Close to my Heart. Autumn Traditions DP, tab punch and ribbon are also Stampin' Up. I got these recipe cards from Current - but they are VERY old - and I don't know if they're still available. I thought they were perfect for this card though. Be sure and check out all of the other participants in this challenge.

http://kellrick.typepad.com/our_daily_bread_designs/2009/09/our-daily-bread-designs-three-for-thee-design-team-challenge.html

Farewell to summer .... NOT!

2009-09-07T19:47:00.041-06:00

Labor Day is generally viewed as the end of summer, but we're not about to let go of this one yet! We just haven't had enough summer yet ... in fact, the past week has been one of the warmer weeks of the season. We had a wonderful holiday weekend, visiting friends in Paul Bunyan land. My friend Laurie and I enjoyed a little kayaking, and the girls got to swim ... well, actually swim is a misnomer, as Pelican Lake is so shallow that they were able to sprint through the water to retrieve their stick.

This picture of Princess swimming beside me was actually taken a couple of years ago in Michigan. There's a funny story behind it too. My brother Tim and I took turns in the kayak while the other one had 'dog duty' (my two plus Elvis) on shore. Princess didn't like me going off without her though and kept swimming after me until Tim came out to get her. He finally tied her leash to a lawn chair so she couldn't get away (or so he thought). It worked for a while. I paddled upstream and around a bend so she couldn't see me. Eventually I turned around, came back into view and !

I saw Princess in the water, still tied to the lawn chair, swimming towards me with the chair flopping behind her. It was the funniest thing I ever saw! She wasn't making much progress, but her determination was impressive

Family Fun

2009-08-20T19:18:00.041-06:00

My brother Dan returns this week to China after a year in the US. It's been a fun year ... we got to see him several times and this week he came up for a quick day trip and chance to say goodbye. We took a long walk along the Red River and the time went way too fast. The girls have gotten to know him this year, and Princess even sleeps with him when he's here. (In fact, she snuggles up to him more than she does to me .... she has such a bossy personality that it's really hard for her to show anything that might appear to be 'submission' to me!)

My other brother, Tim, sent these pictures of Elvis this week. I just laugh when I look at this photo of him in a deep hole at Au Train Beach in the Michigan Upper Peninsula. He will chase a stick anywhere ... even into a hole and especially if Tim eggs him on as he did in this instance! Like Dee Dee, he loves to have his picture taken and willingly smiles for the camera.

Speaking of Dee Dee .... she has a subtle way of letting me know when it's suppertime. Well maybe not so subtle ....

Swim Party and other Summer Delights

2009-08-09T11:27:00.031-06:00

We have had a busy week. I had an open house on Tuesday for my stamping business, and decided to make cheesecake. Knowing that my oven tends to run hot, I set the temperature about 10 degrees lower than the recipe called for, and the time about 15 minutes less than what was called for. Even with that, the cake was WAY overdone .... so I ended up making a second one .... then got a few last minute RSVPS so thought I'd better make a third one! The girls thought that was just great, as they love cheesecake almost as much as I do! They both had turns licking the bowl.

Then on Thursday night we went to a swim party at a local pool. Several years ago the park district started something that is kind of fun. After the last day that the pool is open for the season, they host a dog swiiming party that evening. In the past we have gone to a park with a large wading pool .... plenty deep for corgis to swim, given their short legs! But this week, the they had both the big pool and the wading pool open for dogs and their 'people' to swim. My girls are used to a lake, where they can swim to shore and get their feet back on solid ground, so they weren't very excited about the big pool. But it was hilarious to watch some of the large dogs charge down the diving board and make a flying leap into the pool!!! For our part, we stayed over in the wading pool section and all was well until somebody decided they needed to bring their pit bull over there to 'socialize' (off leash of course) with the smaller dogs. I was not happy about that. I have an opinion about people who own pit bulls .... ... Anyway, at that point, we decided to leave. But it was a fun evening. The pictures here were taken a couple years ago in a neighbor's backyard pool. My girls are very strong swimmers, and love the water. It's been so cool this summer that we haven't done a lot of swimming, but it's supposed to warm up this week and we're going camping next weekend so hopefully they'll get a few more chances to swim yet this summer.

One issue with having two dogs is that toys tend not to last very long! Everything (ropes, sticks, Frisbees, pillows) is viewed as fair game for tug-of-war. They can tear a normal Frisbee to pieces within minutes, but I finally got a Frisbee golf disc which is harder, and we've had it for over 5 years. It's not in great shape with punctures and teeth marks everywhere, but they still love to play with it and it's held together - so far!

Happy Anni - VERVE - sary!

2009-08-01T10:05:00.011-06:00

I have hi-jacked my own blog (well, actually it's my girls' blog) today to take part in the first ever official Anni-VERVE-sary Blog Hop. Verve is my very favorite photo polymer stamp company. I love their images, and especially their 'plain jane' scripture stamps. Verve turns two today and we’re celebrating with a hop, hop, hop! When I saw some of the other blogs in the Hop, I have to admit, I was a little intimidated, because there are some seriously talented ladies taking part in this. Fortunately, it's not a competition ... it's a party. It kicked off over on the Verve blog, so be sure to hop on over there to start from the beginning! And to make this party a real shindig, there’s a mystery jackpot hidden at one of the stops along the hop. One lucky commenter on that blog will win Verve’s entire August release! But of course, it wouldn’t be a mystery if you knew which blog, would it? So give a little shout out to the bloggers in the hop and you just might have a reason to jump for joy! Thanks for stopping by and be sure to hop on over to Jeanne's blog 'http://nannys-room.blogspot.com', for a little more Verve-y goodness. (If the Verve post on that blog isn't up, then the next one you want to go to is Kerri's http://www.cardsbykerri.blogspot.com/ )

Stamps: Kindred Spirits (Verve)

Paper: Soft Suede, Very Vanilla, Thoroughly Modern DP (all Stampin' Up)

Accessories: Eyelet punch, Hodgepodge Hardware, 5/8 Vanilla Grosgrain (all SU)

Strong Willed Corgis

2009-07-22T13:06:00.039-06:00

I've mentioned before that my corgis have very different personalities. In fact, when I talk to other corgi owners, I sometimes think that mine must be on opposite ends of the personality continuum. Princess is 'off the charts' independent, bossy, opinionated and strong willed.

Dee Dee is usually very compliant and easy going .... but now and then she exerts her will, and when she does, it's usually pretty funny. When getting ready for a trip, I can count on Princess to attach herself to my heel as soon as she sees the suitcase come upstairs, the camping equipment go in the trunk or the cooler in the kitchen. She is going to make darn sure that she doesn't get left behind. Dee Dee is more complex, because, while she doesn't want me to go off and leave her, she really would rather that we all stay home.

We had decent weather on our vacation overall, but the first few days were cold and stormy. The first night in the tent went well, as we had just a light rain that is actually a very soothing sound on the tent. The second night out, we weren't so lucky. Thunder, lightning and eventually hail pounded the tent. The hail was just pea-size (if that) but it sounded like baseballs on the tent. Dee Dee could not get out of the tent fast enough. I waited until there was a bit of a lull in the storm, and then I took her to the car and sat there with her until the worst of the storm subsided. (Princess was in the tent alone ... sleeping soundly.) After that, Dee Dee steadfastly refused to go back in the tent. In some ways this was nice. She slept in the car, and Princess enjoyed having me all to herself in the tent. But I felt bad for her, all alone in the car. Still, if she felt safe there ... then that was a good thing. So all was well until the second to the last night of our trip, which was a few days before July 4. Some kids in the campground decided to get a jump start on the holiday and were shooting off fireworks.

There is nothing that freaks Dee Dee out more than fireworks. I tried to cover the noise by putting the radio on in the car, but it didn't help her much. After that, she just couldn't find anywhere that she felt totally safe, and she became downright ornery. Both of the girls (and me, too, for that matter!) were getting pretty tired by that time and were ready to go home, but Dee Dee's logic played a trick on her. She wanted to go home; that was very clear. But she was tired of the car ... of riding in it, and of sleeping in it. With limited understanding of how a car 'works', she knew enough to realize that if she sat ON the driver's side floor, we weren't able to go anywhere.

And so each time I left them in the car to go into a store, bathroom or to snap a picture, I came back to find Dee Dee sitting right on top of the gas pedal. I told her to 'come'. She looked at me like I was crazy. I tried to grab her collar, and she dug down and arched her back. Dee Dee is strong when she needs to be. (Just ask the groomer who cuts her nails.) It was funny and frustrating at the same time. The first few times it happened, I was able to coax her out of the car with a piece of turkey, then pick her up and put her in the back seat. But she got wise to that, too, after a while. She really can be a character! By the time we crossed the Red River into Minnesota, we were all worn out, and happy to be home.

Big Sky Country

2009-07-10T21:25:00.023-06:00

We had a wonderful trip last month to Glacier National Park in Montana. Camping with two dogs is fun but also takes some planning. We generally try to go early in the season before it gets too hot, because there are obviously times when I have to leave the girls alone in the car. If it is too warm, that really gets to be a problem.

I remember one time a few years ago where I stopped at a rest area and made a mad dash in and out because it was in the 90's and even with the windows open, it was just too hot to leave the girls alone for more than a minute. I've also been known to take them with me into public restrooms ... not very often, but I've done it. Anyway, we were very fortunate with this trip because, although it started out cold, windy and very rainy, by the time we got to our destination, the weather improved greatly and was perfect for the rest of the week. The US National Parks don't allow dogs on the

hiking trails due to the crowds, and, in places such as Glacier, because of the threat of bears. Bears see dogs (especially small dogs) as prey, and I cannot even imagine what I would do if one ever threatened one of my dogs. (It's one of those things I can't even think about.) It was cool enough to leave the girls in the car while I did some morning hikes, and the scenery that exists in the national park, also exists in areas surrounding it (national forests, state parks, etc.) where I can hike with the dogs.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the drive home along Hwy 200 which goes through a very sparsely populated area (i.e. no towns!!) I wouldn't want to have car trouble in that area, but fortunately that wasn't an issue and I just loved watching the sun go down over the vast, open ranch land with the mountains off in the distance. Our last stop was Medora, and the ND Badlands.

We took a day trip outside the park and around Flathead Lake one day, and it was beautiful! We even found a designated dog swimming beach at Yellow Bay State Park on the east side of the lake. That was fun!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-04T08:16:00.026-06:00

Happy 4th of July. We are spending a quiet day at home, as we just returned from a wonderful camping vacation to Glacier National Park in Montana. Truthfully, this is the girls' least favorite day of the whole year ... especially Dee Dee's. To say she hates fireworks would be an understatement. She spends a lot of time in her kennel and I leave the basement door open so she can retreat down there if she hears too much action and needs a safer place. MN is a state where fireworks are illegal, except professional displays, but we seem to hear plenty of them anyway.

I will post a couple of photos from our trip today, and more in the coming days. The first part of the trip was tough ... four days of rain and cold ... and getting kicked out of a bluegrass festival at Cross Ranch State Park in ND because dogs weren't allowed. I had called specifically to ask about this when I made my reservation and was told that dogs were OK as long as we sat towards the back. When I got there, I was told the same thing at the gate ... and we went in and sat down .. only to be kicked out by the ranger 10 minutes later. The girls were snuggled up beside me and not bothering anyone, so it was very disappointing to have to leave.

The rest of the trip was great. The weather improved and Glacier was fabulous. We also had a wonderful campground with WiFi internet (yeah!!!!) and we were able to connect with my brother Dan as he traveled from Seattle to Denver. That was unplanned, and a wonderful bonus to the trip! The girls had a great time, but were getting pretty tired by the end of our time there. I could write a book about Dee Dee's antics

on this trip ... maybe I'll limit that to a post. She was one worn out dog by the time we got home!

"Wabbits!"

2009-05-24T10:29:00.018-06:00

It is Memorial Day weekend and we're getting two out of three nice days, which isn't bad, although it is a little discouraging that I still have to run the furnace in the morning to warm the house up. We're supposed to get heavy rain tomorrow, which will probably cause the river to rise out of its banks again, but hopefully only for a short time. We've been below flood stage for about five days now! We drove to Sauk Centre yesterday to connect with some dear friends from North Carolina who are in Minnesota this weekend. It was a wonderful day and the girls got to go swimming, and even chase a few ducks. Princess, especially, thinks that is great fun. I still remember the first time I took her to Lake Michigan (where my family lives). There were flocks of herring guls all along the beach and she would charge towards them until they took off. I'm not sure if they enjoyed the game, but she sure did!

In my last post I showed Dee Dee trying to find rabbits behind the computer monitor. These pictures are of her looking for the 'real deal' under my deck. There is at least one nest there ... maybe a couple. I'm not sure. But she sure tries hard to get them. Last year she got at least four baby rabbits ... which was kind of hard to watch, but she shook and killed them in almost an instant, and all my neighbors cheered. Our neighborhood is over-run with rabbits. I don't even try to have a vegetable garden, but I do get pretty frustrated when they eat my tulips and hostas! Our black lab friend next door is envious of Dee Dee's ability to get under the step (it's so funny because she has to back out) . They are all learning that patience is a virtue!

Getting Back to Normal

2009-04-28T08:42:00.013-06:00

Things are slowly getting back to normal around here, as the flood waters recede and we begin a massive cleanup campaign. And I do mean massive. Think 5.5 million sandbags, and something like 70 miles of temporary earthen dikes. There were times when I wondered if we'd gone dike crazy, but the determination to save our communities was pheonomenal! As the dikes are torn down, a layer of slippery mud is left behind. It's a mess. But the river continues to drop, and we are looking forward to the day when the bike trails are clear and we are able to enjoy our parks again.

My sandbags were picked up yesterday .... my grass is turning green ... and my tulips have pushed up through the soil. They should be quite pretty in a week or two if the rabbits don't get them. Speaking of rabbits: enter Princess and Dee Dee. Especially Dee Dee. She is obsessed with rabbits!!! There is often a nest beneath my deck and she is fixated on that whenever she goes outside. I mentioned that during the flood, I kept the girls with me - not wanting to get separated from them. I decided to tease Dee Dee one day. I went to YouTube and pulled up a picture of a rabbit ... and then a squirrel .... and then lifted Dee Dee up on my lap so she could see them. It drove her crazy!! She could see them, but she couldn't smell them. She jumped up on my desk, determined to find them!! Surely they must be behind that monitor!!

The Red River Valley Flood of 2009

2009-04-08T18:49:00.035-06:00

I’m not a mathematician, but after experiencing my second 500 year flood in 12 years, the formula of probabilities seems skewed to me. The past three weeks have been a blur, as we’ve experienced a blizzard, an epic flood, another major snowstorm and now await the second crest of the Red River. It’s not often that we pray for cool weather in April, but right now that is what we need, as it allows the river to drop before the next big run-off, which is currently forecast to begin next week.

Compared to other kinds of natural disasters, a couple of things stand out about a flood. One is the fact that floodwater is not covered on a regular homeowner’s insurance policy. Flood insurance is available through FEMA, but it is very expensive and it only covers the structure of your home; none of your furnishings or belongings. The other thing about a flood … at least about this kind of flood, is that you have time to prepare. That is both a blessing and a curse. It is nice to have the opportunity to move things to higher ground and build sandbag levees around your home, but the exhaustion that comes with that – especially when it drags on for weeks – is unimaginable. The fatigue and the stress, added together, really start to take a toll.

This flood, also, has had the added dimension of being historic. No one has lived through a crest of the Red River above 40 feet before. We are at the bottom of a huge, giant bowl (the prehistoric Lake Aggasiz) and when you get this much water trying to drain at the same time, it does some quirky things.

I live 2 blocks from the river on relatively high ground (keeping in mind that no ground in the Red River Valley is very high!) During the Flood of 1997, I focused on helping friends and the community at large – something I have done again this year – but with the added concern of how it was going to affect me. In 1997 I was never in any real danger. This year I was. I worked several nights (10 p.m. to 2 a.m.) at the Flood Call Center (a centralized dispatch center for the community), helped build sandbag levees in my neighborhood and baked quite a few Papa Murphy’s pizzas for those whose bodies held out longer than mine did on the sandbag line! I placed sandbags around my basement window wells and back door. I moved as much of my basement up to the main floor as I could, and shook ice out of my sump pump hose every three hours around the clock. Travel in and between the cities of Fargo and Moorhead has been extremely challenging, to say the least! All but two of our bridges are out of commission, and the entrance ramp that I normally take to get on the Interstate has an earthen dike across it. My normal 12-15 minute commute has turned into a 45-70 minute trip, and there was one day that it took me 2 hours and 40 minutes to get home! We’re not used to that in this part of the world!

Some of the poignant memories that will never be forgotten include parking my car (facing forward) at the edge of the driveway in case I needed to make a quick escape, having my dogs leashed 24 hours a day so that I could quickly grab them if we needed to leave, getting a Reverse 911 call at 6:30 in the morning advising us to evacuate, the sound of Blackhawk helicopters dropping 1-ton sand baskets on a school campus that had a major breach, and the sound of emergency vehicles screaming as they raced to patch a leaky dike. (The coordination of emergency, military and law enforcement personnel - as well as disaster relief services – has been stellar!)

I have been very blessed. I never lost electricity, and other than some seepage caused by an ice jam in my downspout, did not take on any water. With basement drains plugged to prevent sewer backup, I never felt in any imminent danger. But with a river flood, it’s pretty much an ‘all or nothing’ deal, and I’m well aware that one major breach of the dike protecting my neighborhood, and we would all find our homes filling with water, as happened in Grand Forks/East Grand Forks in 1997. Because of that, the city has built a number of contingency dikes behind the primary structures. Unfortunately, one of those contingency dikes is being built right down my street, and I’m on the wrong side of it. It’s tough to think of your home as a possible sacrifice to save the rest of the city. Things are looking good right now, and I have confidence that we’re going to be just fine.

Another anomaly of the Red River is that the crazy thing runs north into Canada, eventually emptying into Lake Winnipeg. That creates another interesting set of problems in the spring when the southern valley typically thaws before the northern valley, resulting in ice jams along the river. It’s also why, when we had over a foot of heavy, wet snow a couple of days after the first crest, we were even more concerned about the fact that areas to our south had two feet!

Princess and Dee Dee are great stress relievers and they’re always happy for snow, no matter what the date! Since I live on one side of the river, and work on the other, I have not wanted to get separated from my girls. I have kept them with me throughout the flood and have been very grateful for a boss who not only has understood that need, but actually enjoys having them around. I’m sure that they have picked up on my stress at times, and they haven’t been getting as much exercise as they normally do. Frankly, there aren’t a lot of places to walk right now! The sidewalks and streets are an icy mess, and almost all of our parks are along the river. In addition to that, since my neighborhood was officially an evacuated area, security was pretty tight. Sunday, March 29 was the day the river crested, and I decided to celebrate by taking the girls for a long walk. We were not more than 2 blocks from home when I was stopped and asked to show identification. Fortunately, I had stuck my driver’s license in my pocket before we left the house, and there was no problem – but one does have the feeling, at times, of being in a war zone. There was such an eerie quiet that afternoon as we walked up the street …. no cars, no one out in their yard … just the sound of pumps running, helicopters overhead and emergency vehicles off in the distance.

With Easter weekend upon us, I am reminded of God’s many gifts. The gift of life and the gift of community are particularly meaningful to me right now. Many passages of scripture have encouraged me over the past few weeks, but this one – Isaiah 43:2 – stands out among them.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

A Ten Year Old Princess

2009-03-14T10:14:00.018-06:00

My sweet Princess is 10 years old today! The years are flying by much too fast. We are going to go play in the snow today (LOTS to play in ... but it is starting to melt ...) and then will go to the Moorhead DQ for a treat. Our DQ is one of the oldest in the nation and still the kind where you walk up to an outdoor window and order. They open March 1st of every year, and it doesn't matter how cold it is, there are always people in line! (One year there were literally people standing there ... ordering a blizzard ... in the middle of a blizzard!) We are hearty folk; that's for sure! Either that, or crazy. Probably a little of both!

Princess is still able to jump up on my bed quite well, but when she's really tired, she will stand by the foot of the bed and make a little sound (soft but audible to me) that lets me know she wants me to lift her up there. The girls go to work with me on Fridays (a special treat that they love), but they are always quite tired that night as they don't get their usual long naps in. For some reason, they were especially tired last night. So I put Princess up on the bed about 8:30 and she was 'gone'. A couple hours later, I pulled back the covers to get in and it aroused her slightly; just enough to make her stretch ... and then 'thump' ... she rolled right off the foot of the bed! I jumped up to see if she was alright and she was on the floor, snoring. She never even woke up! She seems none the worse for wear this morning.

Saturday mornings are our grooming time; the girls get brushed, nails trimmed, a mini bath, teeth brushed ... and then at the end, they get a Greenie (their favorite treat and too expensive to give more than once a week ....) The only part of the grooming that they really hate is having their nails cut. Dee Dee still fights me terribly ... (often ending up in a muzzle) ... but Princess has gotten quite tolerant of it. This morning, however, she just didn't want them cut. After all, it's her birthday! She does something that I find absolutely fascinating, when I'm calling her to 'come' but she doesn't want to 'come'. She knows that what I'm calling her for is something she doesn't like. She also knows that if she doesn't come, she will get a spanking. And she also knows that my lap is a safe place ... the place she goes to when she's been naughty, or when she's hurt, tired or otherwise needs comforting. So, when I call her for something that she doesn't like, she will slowly approach me, and then when she gets just about to the spot where she doesn't want to go, she will jump into my lap. It's like she thinks if she can just get onto my lap, then she'll be safe and I won't cut her nails. Once I realized what she was doing and how important it was for her to have my lap as a safe place, I made sure that if I needed to do anything unpleasant to her, I did it off my lap and then she could come up there to be comforted afterwards. I want my lap to always be a safe place for her.

March Blizzard

2009-03-09T20:22:00.047-06:00

March is my least favorite month for several reasons; the main one being that by this time every year I'm just plain tired of winter. This winter has been quite brutal and we're getting hit with another big storm (to be followed by arctic temperatures). Tomorrow will likely be a snow day as the roads are just too treacherous to get out to the radio station, and I plan to work on some stamping projects. We have a lot of family birthdays in March and so I need to replenish my supply of cards.

The girls love the snow and never seem to tire of it. (Of course they're playing with the neighbor dog while I'm blowing out the driveway!) They are both very jealous of the other, but they show it in opposite ways. If I'm loving on Princess, Dee Dee will just come over and push her way onto my lap. But when Dee Dee is the one getting the attention, Princess will plop down, facing the wall, with one leg stuck out behind, and sulk. It cracks me up.

Tonight I was petting Dee Dee while Princess was lying in her bed, sort of half asleep. I was saying, "I just love my Dee Dee" over and over ... watching Princess out of the corner of my eye. Then, in my middle of my chant, I said, "And I just love my Princess too ..." and saw Princess' little stub of a tail start wagging back and forth, without her even raising her head. It was so cute. She doesn't want anyone (especially me) to know that she needs love but sometimes her body language gives her away. She will be 10 years old next week ... and she is ALL princess.

Happy Groundhog Day!

2009-02-02T19:49:00.029-06:00

I can't believe we haven't posted since Christmas Eve! We've been hibernating! It's been so cold!! Many days we never got above zero. (Come to think of it, we haven't gotten above zero today either.) Actually, January was a busy month with a visit from my brother Dan, and several stamping events. When the girls were younger I was very committed to exercising them every day, no matter how cold it was. I must admit, I've been more complacent about that this year. We go for a short walk in the morning, but the longer evening walk has been replaced with a few minutes of playing in the yard. I have a nice, long run in the basement and corgis have such short legs, that they can get fairly tired just chasing the ball down there. We have a very deep layer of snow this year, and the girls get sore if they run in it very long. Dee Dee seems to be having more of a problem with that this year than Princess. Princess has recently become much more spry and doing things that she hasn't done for several years ... like jumping up on the bed. I'm not sure why. She's about two pounds lighter than she was a few years ago, and maybe that is the difference. She's going to be 10 years old in a few weeks ... so I'm thrilled to see her so agile at this age.

Backing up to Christmas Day for a minute .... it was kind of a long day as we were alone, but about mid-afternoon I decided to dress the girls up in their reindeer antlers and walk up to the nursing home a few blocks away to spread some Christmas cheer. I had stamped little treat bags and filled them with some healthy snacks and we handed those out to the residents who were around. They loved the girls ... and the girls loved the attention. I got this picture of them there ... they hate those antlers and always look like they are so heavy that they can barely hold their heads up. Makes me laugh!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-24T14:55:00.009-06:00

While other families read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" on Christmas Eve, at our house, we read "A Corgiville Christmas" by Tasha Tudor. Such a fun nostalgic tale about parties and merriment in the little town of Corgiville. And after the girls have gone to bed, I enjoy watching the video "Take Joy" .... also by Tasha Tudor and one of my all time favorites.

With lower gas prices and my brother Dan home from China, it was tempting to drive to Michigan to be with my family this Christmas. But the weather is always a big unknown, and there is nothing more stressful than driving around Chicago in a snowstorm (unless it's being stranded at O'hara Airport in a snowstorm!) I am sooo glad now that we stayed home - even though it's a bit lonely, we are warm, and safe and the girls provide great companionship. I light lots of candles (way too many candles, according to my Dad), sleep on the couch in the living room in front of the Christmas tree with the girls snuggled up beside me, and enjoy watching many of the concerts on PBS. That has become our little tradition. Tomorrow I will make a ham dinner and we'll go to the park. This morning I took my snowshoes and there was hardly anyone there. The snow is a little deep for the girls right now though, and I had to pull Princess up out of a snowbank a couple of times. Tim goes cross country skiing with Elvis, but when I've tried it with the girls, it seems like there is just too much equipment (poles, long skis) and I'm always running into them.

We wish all of our friends - corgi and human - a very Merry Christmas!

Blizzard Bloggings

2008-12-14T18:57:00.021-06:00

With weather forecasting being what it is these days, we sure weren't caught off guard by the first big snowstorm of the season. We'd been hearing about it for a week! Sometimes the reality doesn't live up to the hype, but this time it did. We got a triple dose of snow (11 inches and counting), wind (35-50 mph for the past 18 hours) and bitter cold (-11 and dropping). So it was a good day to snuggle up with the girls inside. When they were younger, nothing could dampen their enthusiasm for snow, but today they were quite content to just hunker down and sleep away the day while I worked on my Christmas cards (a Tasha Tudor stamped image that I must say I've gotten quite tired of coloring X 100). The girls went outside to go potty a couple of times and weren't quite sure how to get around that giant drift at the bottom of the deck, but where there's a will, there's a way.

Tomorrow I will dig out and make them a little path through the back yard. They love to make tracks and chase Sadie - our black lab neighbor - through the snow.

Time to GET UP!

2008-11-23T09:25:00.011-06:00

My girls amaze me with how much they understand. Often, when I talk to them, they will cock their head slightly to the side in a quizzical expression, as if to say, "I'm really trying to understand but you're using words I don't know." They understand phrases like "go potty", "go for a walk", "go to the park", of course, but there are many other expressions they understand as well. One of them is, "it's time to get up". Over the years they have both slept with me at different times, but I got to the point where it had to be one or the other, but not both. They would wedge me in from opposite sides, and I couldn't roll over or move much at all. And I need at least a little space when I sleep!

Last summer, Princess took a liking to the basement where it's cooler, and she is still sleeping down there most nights. Dee Dee sleeps with me, and we enjoy a little snuggle time in the morning, until I realize I've hit 'snooze' one time too many, and say, "It's time to get up!" Dee Dee springs to life and jumps off the bed. Then I say, "Go tell Princess it's time to get up" and she bolts down the stairs, pokes Princess with her nose and runs back up with Princess close behind. If Princess doesn't follow her, she runs back down, pokes her again and barks. It always makes me laugh!

My Daily Corgi Fix

2008-11-01T16:44:00.026-06:00

I don't go many places without my girls, and I haven't taken a vacation without them since 2003. But I had to leave them at home this time, and I missed them a lot. Elvis has never paid much attention to me; mostly because he associates me with Dee Dee, I think. (She is his sibling and unfortunately, is quite a bully when he's around.) The first night of our trip, Elvis eyed me suspiciously and thoroughly checked out my luggage, like he was afraid she was hiding in it somewhere. But over the next two weeks he warmed up to me quite a bit, and by the end of the trip, he sat on my lap and even snuggled with me in bed. There is no doubt who is #1 in his life, however. He and Tim have a relationship that is truly extraordinary, and it is not uncommon to see the two of them having a 'conversation' as these pictures show. Elvis watches and listens to Tim so intently and his loyalty is something to behold. Tim is on sabbatical this semester and has been traveling around the country with Elvis, doing their "Do Dogs Know Calculus" talk.

On this trip, we got to see them give it at three different colleges. Elvis takes this job very seriously and is totally 'at home' on a college campus. Even when we were out doing touristy things, it is very common for admirers to strike up a conversation with Tim and they're always fascinated with the "Elvis" story.

Favorite Places

2008-10-31T08:35:00.030-06:00

We saw so many beautiful places on our trip that it is almost impossible to pick a favorite. For me, Letchworth State Park is probably at the top of the list, but a close second would be Poet's Walk along the Hudson River. We sort of stumbled on that park without knowing much about it, and it turned out to be a highlight of the trip. Kaaterskill Falls was a neat place and had the distinction of being the only place where we ran into crowds. It was Columbus Day weekend and is also not too far from the NY City area, so that probably accounts for it. Dan decided to climb to the top of the falls, crossed over it and had trouble finding a way down, so Tim and I visited with people while we waited for him. Easterners sometimes get the reputation of being uppity, but we didn't find that true at all. A couple of other hikes that I particularly enjoyed were Watkins Glen State Park (western NY) where you hike through a gorge and see several beautiful waterfalls. I also enjoyed a hike we did to an overlook of Lake George. Some of my Dad's relatives had a summer home there so we went to Lake George a lot when I was growing up. But seeing it in the fall was a treat.

Colors

2008-10-30T08:32:00.042-06:00

Digital photography is the greatest! You can shoot all the pictures you want, get instant feedback, keep the good ones and delete the rest. But more than that, it has helped me learn what makes a good photo. Something I started doing on my recent New England trip was shoot closeups of a single tree .... sometimes pointing my lens straight up into the leaves. I loved the results. The colors in New England were so brilliant, and these photos will give you a sense of that.

Vermont

2008-10-29T08:14:00.062-06:00

I woke up this morning to the news that Vermont and upstate New York were buried under two feet of snow yesterday! To think that a mere two weeks ago we were there basking in sunshine, 60+ degree temperatures and glorious colors makes me realize, once again, how incredibly blessed we were.

After we saw Niagra Falls, we traveled straight through to Vermont, and then slowly worked our way back. Vermont lived up to it's reputation as an absolutely beautiful state, and also as a very liberal one, politically. Obama signs were everywhere. And there were many other signs of it's leftward leaning as well. We had several unique experiences there. This picture of Daniel was taken in the Brattleboro, VT home of Nobel prize winning author Rudyard Kipling (author of The Jungle Book, among other notable works). A family friend had rented the home for the week, and we spent two nights there. It was really fun! There is a delicatessen in Brattleboro that is to die for (albeit expensive).

We spent a couple of days touring the quaint covered bridges in the area. (They are all pretty much alike and clustered together.) We did have a very "Vermont" kind of experience at one of them that is better told in person than in print. (Hint: public nudity is legal in Vermont.) We were fascinated by the old, old cemetaries; grave stones that date back to the early 1800's, men who gave their lives in some of our nation's early wars, and stones listing the names of numerous family members (many of them children) who died over a short period of time from various epidemics that swept through New England. The Green Mountains of Vermont are not green in October, but multiple shades of yellow, red and brilliant orange.

Niagra Falls

2008-10-28T13:08:00.021-06:00

I've had a few people ask when I'm going to post some more vacation photos so I'll upload a few each day this week. I flew in and out of Buffalo, so we went to Niagra Falls the first day. We often stopped there when I was growing up, on our way to Schenectady to see grandparents, but I had forgotten just how majestic it is! You can see the foam and spray from at least a mile away. These pictures are from Niagra State Park on the US side - which is lovely. However, the views of the falls are even nicer from the Canadian side.

I didn't get over there this year, but my brothers went there after they dropped me off at the airport on the last day. Tim and Elvis had done their 'Do Dogs Know Calculus' presentation at a highschool in Buffalo that morning and they had another talk lined up in Flint, MI late in the afternoon. They thought they had time to stop at the falls after they passed through customs - and so they did. Time got away from them, (i.e. I wasn't there to keep them on schedule) and when they got back to their car and checked the mileage, they realized they weren't going to make it to Flint by 4:00. However, the school in Flint had already done some rearranging of their day to fit Tim and Elvis in, and he didn't think he could just call them up and say, "Uh ... we went to Niagra Falls and lost track of the time ... and now we aren't coming". So they got in the car, asked Elvis to calculate the shortest time to get from Buffalo to Flint, and (from what I've heard) set a new world record. I'm so glad I wasn't a part of that drama; after such an enjoyable, stress-free vacation, it would have been a pity to end it with such a tension-filled day. A few extra minutes getting through US Customs, or getting pulled over for speeding (which they were definitely doing) could have cooked their goose, but they made it - with 10 minutes to spare!

A New England Vacation without the Girls

2008-10-21T11:57:00.120-06:00

I just returned from a lovely and very relaxing New England vacation with my 2 brothers. Tim, a college professor, is on sabbatical this semester and Daniel, who lives in Asia, has returned to the US for the next year. So we decided to take advantage of the flexibility in their schedules and do a trip together. It has been over 5 years since I've taken a trip without my girls, and I missed them terribly. I hired in-home care for them while I gone (fearing that Dee Dee would never survive in a kennel) and I knew it would be especially hard on her. Princess is much more resilient about things like that. I really thought that Dee Dee would eventually warm up to the young man who came over to feed and walk them every day, but I under-estimated either her stubborness, or her devotion to me; probably both! She refused to even go out of the house for the better part of the first week and even after two full weeks, Logan only succeeded in getting her to go out in the yard to go potty. When he tried to coax her into a walk, she'd pull out of her collar and run right back to our front door. Endearing; but frustrating.

When I got home, both of the girls were very happy to see me, but none the worse for wear. I did think that Princess was going to dislocate her hip, though, from all the wiggling! Corgis don't have tails ... but that doesn't keep them from showing their glee. It's almost like there is a hinge in the middle of their body and they wag the whole back side! I will share more about our trip in a future post. (including some Elvis stories .... yes, he got to go along since the guys picked me up in Buffalo). For today, I just want to share a few of the incredible photos from the trip. We had clear blue skies for 12-1/2 out of the 13 days we were gone and hit the fall colors right at their peak. It was amazing.

The pictures I'm sharing here were taken at Chimney Bluffs (on Lake Ontario) and Letchworth State Park (the Grand Canyon of the East) - in western New York. The scenery was breathtaking and rivaled anything I've seen out West.

The Case of the Missing Buns

2008-09-25T17:14:00.036-06:00

It was a busy day at work and I missed lunch. So when I got home tonight, I was really hungry. I took the girls to the park for a walk, stopped at Breadsmith, and in a moment of weakness, bought four of their super-soft butter-top buns and an oatmeal craisen cookie. I was too hungry to wait for grilled burgers, so I stopped at Hornbachers Deli for some honey turkey and fresh veggies for my sandwich. A couple minutes later I pulled in my driveway and gathered my things. But wait. Where were the buns? My car gets to be kind of a pigpen (even a neat person has to have one messy place ... and mine is my car) so I did a quick search amongst the scattered bills, dog toys and water bottles .... and then I saw it. The Breadsmith bag. The empty Breadsmith bag! I glanced at Princess, who was still in the back seat, waiting to be let out of the car. Total innocence on her face. Then I looked at Dee Dee. She was licking her lips. "Dee Dee, did you eat my buns?" She took one look at me, jumped out of the car and made a dash for the house - and straight for her kennel. I followed her. "Dee Dee!! Did YOU eat my buns?" I held the torn bag about an inch from her face. She cowered in the back of the kennel - still licking her lips.

This wasn't her first offense, and I doubt it will be her last. For the record, Princess has a pretty lengthy rap sheet too. But Dee Dee never ceases to amaze me with how fast she can pull off her stunts. I was in the grocery store less than 5 minutes. She has developed quite a taste for gourmet coffee drinks too. I stopped for a cafe breve one time last year and left it in my beverage holder while I ran in the pharmacy across the street to pick up a prescription. When I came out, I snapped this picture of Dee Dee through the car window .... she had managed to get the cover off, and was slurping the HOT coffee as fast as she could. She loves hot tea, pretty much any kind of soda and beer!

Lest you think I'm a totally irresponsible dog owner, I hasten to add that I have never actually given her beer. But my next door neighbor, Mike, has given her a taste now and then, and she LOVES it. Looks like we'll be trading dog obedience classes for doggy AA meetings.

Elvis on CNN

2008-09-24T14:51:00.017-06:00

Tim and Elvis are on a college speaking tour of the Midwest this week, and we just found out that CNN picked up the story done by a local news crew in Beloit, WI. It's a great little piece. I love the girl at the end who says (somewhat unconvincingly), "I guess if Elvis can do calculus, I should be able to get through it." I hope she has an easier professor than Tim is.

Click here and enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBG8SSB763w

Properly Trained ....

2008-09-12T10:09:00.029-06:00

I saw a photo frame in a gift shop a couple of years ago that said, "Properly trained, man can be dog's best friend." I immediatly knew I had to buy it for Tim and Elvis because that sums up their relationship perfectly.

In August of 2001 Tim came out to visit us in Minnesota and had no intention whatsoever of going home with a dog. But Elvis was living in a home with a female person and 4 female corgis .... and they spent a lot of time with me (another female person) and my two female corgis. I don't know if he was just growing tired of being the only 'guy' among so many women or if there was something about Tim that attracted him (some of both, I think) but Elvis latched on to Tim that weekend and claimed him as his own.

This picture was taken that weekend; Elvis staking his claim and looking down at all the girls with an air of superiority. There were a few challenges involved in getting Elvis a plane ticket but eventually it all came together and several days later Elvis flew back to Michigan with Tim. I'll never forget that morning .... making a hasty run to our veterinarian to get the 'fit to fly' document .... then going to the airport and watching Elvis move down the conveyer belt in his kennel, just as contented as he could be. He knew he was going home with Tim, and if this was part of the process, then so be it. He never looked back. Tim, however, did look back a few times when it became clear that the 1 year old Elvis was not yet through the puppy-chewing stage. Several rocking chairs still sit in Tim's living room, runners mostly gone, as a reminder of those early days. But the love affair between man and dog took root. Elvis is quite different from my girls in that he is a 'one man dog'.

My girls enjoy attention from others ... and quickly warm up to them. Elvis has a handful of human friends (next door neighbor June and a few other professors in the math department at Hope, but for the most part he is only interested in one person - Tim. He has a way of making any other person (me, for instance) feel like they are nothing. This summer we were touring an old fort on the Keewenaw Peninsula in Upper Michigan and I finished before Tim did, so I went back to the car to let the dogs out. Elvis jumped out, but steadfastly refused to move out of sight of Tim's car. He minds Tim perfectly, but when I told him to 'come' , he looked at me with a 'who are you to tell me what to do?" look on his face. Another time, Tim had gone to an event at the Hope College chapel and Elvis was sitting right outside the door (off leash), patiently waiting for him. When Tim got home later that evening, there were two messages on his answering machine. The first was, "Dr. Pennings, we found your dog Elvis and we're going to bring him to your house." Tim already knew what the second message would be. "Dr. Pennings, Elvis refuses to go with us. He is sitting by the chapel door."

So Long to Summer

2008-08-31T22:08:00.016-06:00

It's the last day of August, and summer is waning quickly. My job is very busy from mid-August to the first of October, so for all practical purposes, my summer was over when I returned from Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Labor Day weekend is one that I spend ... laboring .... as I did today for almost 12 hours. When I finally left there tonight at 8:45, it was completely dark, and that, more than anything, is a reminder that summer is fleeting and winter is not far off. In between the two, of course, is Autumn - which probably would be my favorite season if I weren't so busy at work. This past week has had a distinct autumn feel .... cool nights that are wonderful for sleeping, and gusty winds that have ushered in cooler air.

This afternoon the girls and I took a break with a friend and walked around one of the newer housing developments near the radio station. It was a struggle just to remain upright as we walked into a 45 mph headwind. I didn't think that corgis, who are so low to the ground, would notice the wind all that much but they really did. We were getting dust (and other debris) in our eyes, and had a hard time hearing each other, but we did manage to discuss the Picken's Plan for harnassing wind energy and we agreed that there certainly is a lot of potential for that in the northern plains! Tonight, however, my thoughts and prayers are with the residents of the Gulf Coast who are once again being threatened with a devastating hurricane. We have blizzards and occasional floods and a rare tornado - but I don't think I could handle the stress of a major hurricane every few years.

So long to summer. It was a good one .... not too hot, but warm enough to enjoy the lakes and evening walks along the river. I will miss the long daylight hours and being able to run around barefoot. Before long the leaves will start turning and with each one that falls, it is a wave goodbye to summer.

Ahhh .... Vacation!

2008-08-15T20:14:00.026-06:00

The girls and I have been vacationing in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for the past week and are having a wonderful time. The weather has been absolutely perfect, which makes camping a whole lot more enjoyable. It's actually been a bit cool at night, but hey ... I'll take 'too cool' over 'too hot' any day!

We have been mostly alone, but last Sunday I ran into a college friend who I hadn't seen in about 10 years at a picnic spot! Very fun!! The next day I connected with my brother Tim, who was traveling with a couple of his students, and Elvis, of course. We spent a day exploring the Keewenaw Peninsula ... one corner of the UP I hadn't really 'done' before. The girls have been swimming constantly. Dee Dee, especially, can't get enough of it and even the big waves on Lake Superior don't seem to phase her.

No matter that she had only been out of the water 10 minutes .... a new view of the lake meant it was time for another swim! It's been a very refreshing week .... lots of time to read, relax and hang out with my girls.

Two Kinds of Corgis

2008-07-31T10:13:00.021-06:00

When I take my girls out in public, they attract a lot of attention. This has been a fun thing for me because I am not very outgoing, and my corgis are natural conversation starters. The comments I hear most often are "What kind of dogs are those?", "That's the kind of dog I've always wanted" and "Are those the Welsh corgis? They're alluding to the fact that there are two kinds of corgis, but actually they're both Welsh. Pembroke Welsh Corgis and Cardigan Welsh Corgis are actually two different breeds. Both originated in Wales to herd cattle, but they descended from different breeds. Pembrokes are better known ... probably because that's the kind the royal family has. Pems and Cardigans have similar personalities. They're smart, strong willed and low to the ground with a long back and short legs. Cardigans are a little larger, and the most noticable difference is that they have a tail.

I haven't seen very many Cardigans, but we do run into this pair at the park now and then. They are beautiful dogs with alert, intelligent faces. And, as these pictures show, they can sit straight up, using that long tail to balance themselves. Actually, I think they just like to show off in front of my girls, who can only dream of being able to perform such a stunt!

It's Street Fair Time!

2008-07-18T13:36:00.020-06:00

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year ... the annual Fargo Street Fair. Many communities have some kind of craft fair during the summer, but I think ours is one of the best. There are a few vendors that I check out every year, but also some great new ones. There's the giant bag of kettle corn that I can't leave without (you can get a small bag for $5 or a giant bag for $8 ... kind of a no-brainer! ) and the turkey drumsticks that you stand in line 20 minutes for. There are the musicians and street performers ... we saw a guy on stilts so high that he had to walk around the traffic lights when he crossed the street! But I think the best part is running into friends that I haven't seen since last year's event, and just 'hanging out' and watching people. Princess and Dee Dee would not rank the Street Fair high on their list .... there are just too many people who stop to pet them and Dee Dee, in particular, hates 'commotion' ... something there is an abundance of at the Street Fair. But they fared quite well last night ... a two-dog cleanup team happily munching their way down Broadway, picking up popcorn, bits of burger, hot dog or pork chop, dropped french fries .... and anything else they caught wind of. (There are advantages to having your nose so close to the ground!) There have been many years where it's either rained - or just been too hot to be squeezed amongst so many bodies, booths, dogs and strollers, but this year the weather has been perfect. I think we'll go again tonight ... not to shop, but just to hang out and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of a summertime tradition.

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T23:37:00.012-06:00

Hope everyone had a nice 4th of July. Minnesota State University Moorhead hosts an Old Fasioned 4th of July Celebration every year, and I don't think we've ever had a nicer day than this one. It was gorgeous ... sunny, warm, light breeze and low humidity. Who could ask for more. The girls wore their flag bandanas and sun visors and were huge hits. They enjoy the attention to a point and then they get kind of tired of it ... especially all of the little kids petting them. But they did very well. A local TV station took their picture and so I hoped they would be on the news tonight, but they didn't make the cut. Oh well ... maybe another time! We came home for supper and I thought we'd go to the park for a walk, but by that time there were some fireworks popping off in the distance and Dee Dee refused to get out of the car. She cowered under the dashboard so I brought her home and she made a beeline to her kennel.

Princess and I walked all the way back over to MSUM (about 2-1/2 miles each way) to watch fireworks. She did so well ... didn't even crawl up in my lap until the grand finale, but just sat by me and watched them ... actually seemed to rather enjoy them. She was happy as a lark walking all that way, having me all to herself. I do love fireworks ... a great ending to a very fun day!

Happy Birthday Elvis!

2008-07-02T09:40:00.052-06:00

Dee Dee and Elvis are litter mates, but they were born a day apart ... just before and just after midnight. Dee Dee is really glad she doesn't have to share a birthday with Elvis; there's a healthy dose of sibling rivalry between them and she feels like she's living in his shadow anyway! I haven't written much about Elvis on this blog (he lives with my brother in Holland, Michigan) but I will try to post some stories about him in the coming weeks. He is quite the dog ... I mean, how many dogs do you know who have an honorary doctorate degree?! (See November, 2007 posts for more .... ) Tim and Elvis are going to receive yet another award later this month. See http://www.hope.edu/pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/18897 pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/18897 for details on that. Today, however, we just want to wish Dr. Elvis a happy birthday and share a few of his funnier photos. Seems the boy likes ice cream.

He also enjoys sleeping with his head under the bed. Who needs mini-blinds anyway? And sticks ... well, Elvis is legendary for his obsession with sticks. The story behind this photo is really funny. Tim and Elvis like to kayak. They also go to the beach. They go to the beach a lot. Elvis loves to have Tim throw sticks into the water so he can retrieve them. But this particular evening there were no sticks in sight. (For Elvis, a stick = something close to a branch.) So Tim told him to 'go find a stick' and Elvis dutifully trotted off looking for one. He came upon a group of kids who had built a nice bonfire on the beach and a few minutes later, Tim sees Elvis running down the beach with some kids chasing him,

yelling "Hey, give us back our firewood!"

Happy Birthday Dee Dee

2008-07-01T10:12:00.014-06:00

Dee Dee, who turns 8 years old today, will always be my baby. She has more grey than either Princess or I do, but those bright eyes, her zest for life and desire to please endeared her to me from the day I brought her home (in spite of the fact that she walked in the front door, went straight to the middle of the living room carpet and peed!) After I had Princess a few months I realized that I never again wanted to come home to an empty house. I thought that I'd get a second dog when Princess was 6 or 7 years old (approximately half-way through her life expectancy). But then, a few months later, I found out about Dee Dee.

She was only 8 months old and had already been in four different homes that hadn't worked out for various reasons. She was completely irresistable and I took her home 'on approval'. There were days I wondered about my decision. I wanted so badly to keep her, but she and Princess fought a lot that first summer. She was very insecure, but as the months went by and she realized she finally had a permanent home, the fights became much less frequent. Dee Dee is a very compliant dog; not particularly strong willed (unless she sees a rabbit). She loves her kennel, likes to hang out the car window when she rides, get tummy rubs and be told she is a 'good girl'. She is an awesome snuggler, and very in tune to people's moods. If I'm feeling sad, she will pick up on that right away, come over and put her chin on my knee and look up at me with big, sad eyes. My two corgis are on opposite extremes of the personality continuum! "Dee Dee", by the way, is short for Detour Dierdra (so named because the white on her back does a detour off to one side). She has a larger bone structure than Princess, so people always think she's the older of the two, but Princess is actually her aunt. Dee Dee's birthday wish list includes going to the park to chase rabbits, going swimming, then to the Dairy Queen and home for a tummy rub. Happy birthday, sweet girl!

In Memory of Tasha Tudor

2008-06-18T15:23:00.006-06:00

I received the following Email this afternoon announcing the death of beloved children's illustrator and corgi enthusiast, Tasha Tudor. I have loved Tasha's artwork and books for many years and several of her prints grace our walls, as well as a photograph of her (taken several years ago) which hangs on the wall of my bedroom. She will be missed.

It is with great sadness that we must tell you Tasha Tudor, 92, passed away in her Vermont home on June 18, 2008 surrounded by family and friends. We have created an online memorial website and invite all who loved Tasha to share their feelings and memories in the Memory Book section. Memorial Website

The office of Tasha Tudor and Family is closed for the time being and will reopen on June 30th.

Due to the extensive travel plans of our national and international guests, the Secret Garden Tours of Tasha Tudor and Family will proceed as scheduled. They will, however, be led by our capable staff, instead of the family.

We thank you for supporting Tasha Tudor's lifestyle and artwork during her long career. We hope that Tasha's message of 'taking joy' in all that one does will be remembered as we pass through this difficult time together.

-The Tudor Family

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet, within our reach, is joy. Take Joy.

Fra Giovanni

A Stormy Night in June

2008-06-14T20:13:00.013-06:00

The weather this spring has been memorable nationwide. A couple of months ago it was the Southcentral part of the US that was being battered, and now it is the Midwest. My thoughts and prayers are with my many friends in Iowa as they face these historic floods. Seeing the pictures reminds me of the 1997 Red River flood here in my corner of the world. This evening the girls and I are in the basement since there are wall clouds and funnels in the area. I needed to do my ironing anyway! We met my brother Dan at our church camp near Brainerd over Memorial Day and dodged storms all weekend. Dee Dee hates thunder and that weekend hail was added to her long list of scarey things in life. We did have fun though. The girls (Dee Dee especially) loved climbing on the tires looking for squirrels.

One night Dee Dee asked to 'go outside' and I assumed she needed to go potty. Wrong. She just wanted to go play in the tires some more. Never mind that it was 11 p.m. and pitch black. We don't get to see Dan very often since he works in East Asia and we had a wonderful time just hanging out with him.

A Divine Appointment?

2008-06-13T21:10:00.001-06:00

Call it providence ... call it a divine appointment ... call it what you will. Something very neat happened this evening.

I had to go to WalMart to pick up a prescription, and since the parks are flooded, I decided we would go for a walk in one of the newer housing developments on the way. I had never walked over there, and the yards are big and lush and really nice. So I found a nice open area where I could park, and I let the girls out. As soon as I got them on their leash, I noticed a woman come around the side of the house and she was looking at me very intently. I wasn't sure if she didn't want me parking there, was afraid the dogs would go potty on her lovely lawn or what. I thought maybe she knew me from somwhere, so I said "Hi". She said, "What are the names of your dogs?" and I noticed her lip was quivering. I said "Princess and Dee Dee." And then, with her eyes full of tears, she replied, "I'm Tammy. I'm Bruno's mom."

Bruno was Princess' brother. He was diagnosed with cancer in March and they put him down a week ago. She went on to tell me that her family was gone and she was all alone in the house and was missing Bruno terribly. So she decided to work in the yard and we happened to park right in front! I was able to introduce her to the girls and we sat on her driveway for a while so she could pet them. Princess (who can be a real snob) wasn't all that interested, but Dee Dee snuggled up next to her. Bruno looked so much like Princess (except a LOT bigger, she said). We had never met before and chatted for a while. Eventually we parted, and I took my girls on their walk but I couldn't help but think how cool it is that God cares about us so much that He would orchestrate such a meeting.

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:56:00.010-06:00

I always wanted to be a Mom. I'm not sure what it is about women, but the need to nurture is very strong for most of us. And so, for those who, for whatever reason, don't have the opportunity to express that, Mother's Day can be a difficult day. It's a reminder of what we are missing. For me, I have found great fulfillment in being a 'mom' to my two corgis. It seems that all of my unmet maternal longings have attached to these two girls. If you, like me, experience the joys and sometimes frustrations of motherhood associated with kids of the four-legged variety, .

Happy Mother's Day! We may not go to school programs and drive our kids to soccer practice, but we still give the love, comfort, security and companionship that a mom provides and thus, are deserving of a pat on the back - or, perhaps a lick on the face! We might not get flowers, dinner out or a fluffy new bathrobe, but the unspoken love and gratitude of our four-legged kids is just as real. The next time you come home from work and are greeted with tails (or in the case of corgis, back ends) that are wagging so hard you'd think they would pull a muscle, remember that you are loved and appreciated as much as any Mom.

These pictures, by the way, were taken at the opening of the Moorhead Dog Park a couple of years ago. We won the trophy for 'best dressed' that evening. It was very fun!

I'm Dreaming of a White ..... May Day?!?!

2008-04-26T13:51:00.009-06:00

Ok - this is ridiculous. I've lived in the Upper Midwest for most of my life and I've seen plenty of snow in April ... even an occasional flake in May. But this year April is going down as the snowiest month of the 'winter' - by far! Three snowstorms this month and we're starting to wonder if spring is ever going to come. We've had a few nice days ... emphasis on the word few. But these crazy snowstorms that seem to always hit the weekend ... well, it's getting a bit depressing, to be honest. The girls love the snow ... but even they were a bit bug-eyed this morning when I went to let them out and couldn't even get the door open because of the drift! April snow has a way of clogging up snowblowers too ... and it's just too darn heavy to shovel ... so I had to get professional to get the driveway cleared. Surely, this has to be the end. (We've said that now for the past three storms!) May is just around the corner; my tulips are thoroughly confused and I've been getting my camping gear ready for what I hope will be a long, warm summer. Maybe we'll just skip spring this year and go directly to summer. As much as we like to complain, a foot of wet, heavy snow is still preferable to the tornados that some parts of the country experience with alarming regularity this time of year. And the ground has thawed enough so that the snow - when it melts - will soak in, and green things up instead of running off to the river and flooding. Yep, there is a bright side ... even to a foot of new snow the last week in April.

Happy Birthday Babe!

2008-04-08T22:20:00.012-06:00

Midnight is fast approaching, but we can't let this day slip away without wishing a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to the matriarch of our corgi family, Babe Diana Wales. Babe is Princess' mother and Dee Dee's grandmother and a very good 'mama' corgi to everyone. In fact, she is the only corgi in the family (possibly the only corgi in the world) who can effectively discipline Dee Dee ... and do it with great patience and without anyone getting hurt!! Babe is 10 years old today; that is 70 in dog years, and though she has some extra pounds she needs to shed (don't we all?!), she is in pretty good shape. She doesn't run real fast, but she's a great swimmer and has helped all the corgis in the family (except for great-grandson Scooter who, frankly, is just too big to float) learn to swim. Babe has a sweet and gentle nature, but don't let that fool you .... she can be tough as nails if she needs to be. And she has quite a sense of humor ... takes great delight in striking some very funny poses and just 'holding' them until she's knows you're looking at her and laughing at her antics!

One of my favorite is what Susan and I call the "Mother Teresa" pose where she gets underneath the drapery sheer and walks forward just far enough so that she appears to have on a nun's habit. (Too late tonight to dig that photo up and scan it in but maybe I'll post it later.) Babe loves 'wabbits' and milk bones and has a secret stash of treats that she thinks are safe. She evidently hasn't been watching carefully enough when Princess comes to visit. Babe, we love you and wish you many more birthdays!

Early Spring - the MUD Season

2008-03-23T21:44:00.007-06:00

This is the worst time of year to be a corgi. No, actually I'll re-phrase that. This is the worst time of year to be a corgi owner - particularly if you're a person who likes a clean house like I do. The snow melts, and on the flat land of the northern plains, it has nowhere to run off to, so it just pools and creates giant mud puddles that last for weeks. We've had a pretty cold winter, but not an excessive amount of snow - until this past Friday, when we got 9 inches of wet, slushy snow. We had been well on our way through the mud season, but now we get to start melting snow all over again ... and another extended period of mud. When your legs are only 4-5 inches long, that means that you carry mud into the house not only on your feet but on your tummy as well. It's a season that tests my patience every year, and this one is no exception. Hard as I try to take walks on paved roads and trails, the girls still seem to pick up a lot of ice and dirt on their bellies and bring it into the house.

Oh well. It's only a few weeks and I keep telling myself that you have to endure this season before we get to the good stuff .... the green lawns, flowers and rivers that stay within their banks. Spring will come and it will be worth the wait. It always is.

Happy Birthday Princess Isabella!

2008-03-14T17:39:00.016-06:00

Nine years ago today, in Sarasota Flordia, there was a litter of puppies born that would change my life. I didn't meet my sweet Princess Isabella for over a year, and by that time she had moved north with Susan and spent most of her life in another home just a few blocks away. The twists and turns that brought us together are kind of interesting. Princess' parents are Burt and Babe, and she has a brother named Einstein. Susan bred Einstein with Panda (another corgi in our neighborhood) and they had a litter of puppies that included Dee Dee, Elvis and Cracker Jack. Susan and I both frequented a little store called Stampin' Etc. in Fargo, ND. Bonnie, the owner, had two little girls who had recently lost their dog in a traffic accident and Susan decided to give them one of her puppies (Cracker Jack). Elvis stayed with Susan, and Nicole, the little girl who owned Princess, decided that she wanted one of the puppies too (turned out to be Dee Dee!) But first, she needed to find a new home for Princess. I had been thinking about getting a dog for quite a while. One day I was shopping for stamps and admiring Bonnie's new puppy and she mentioned that there was a 1 year old corgi named Princess that needed a new home. I invited Princess (and her owner) over for a visit, and the rest, as they say, is history. It was a beautiful Fall day when I brought her home and I remember going to bed that night, thinking that it had been one of the best days of my life. Princess was - and still is - a very easy dog. She has never chewed, never had an accident and she barks only at the vacuum cleaner (haven't been able to break her of that habit in 8 years!) Anyway - it's all very interesting to me now, as I look back and I'm so thankful to all the people (Susan, Bonnie, Nicole) who helped bring Princess Isabella into my life.

Dee Dee - the Conniver

2008-03-09T09:57:00.017-06:00

Dee Dee is the more 'high maintenance' of my dogs, which means that Princess often gets the short end of the stick. So I try to be intentional about giving her some individual time. This morning she was lying on the sofa, so I sat down on the floor beside her and started rubbing her tummy. She loved it .... but Dee Dee couldn't stand it. She came over and nudged me to pet her too, and I pretty much ignored her. So then ..... she poked her nose at Princess to say, "Let's Play" and waited for Princess to jump off the sofa and chase her. The instant that Princess jumped off, Dee Dee skidded around behind me, jumped up on the sofa and assumed the 'tummy rub' position! She is a conniver!! I could tell lots of stories of plots she has hatched to get something she wants. She's so devious ... but I can't help but laugh at her antics. She is too smart for her own good sometimes!

Hmmm - doesn't seem to fit ....

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T18:42:00.032-06:00

Yikes ... it's been several weeks since I last posted. I guess that's a good thing ... it means winter is going fast. Not fast enough though ... it's going to be down around -30 F (and that's AIR temperature; not windchill) tonight. I've been busy though. The last weekend in January I was fortunate enough to get to attend the US Figure Skating Nationals in St. Paul with a couple of my best friends. Oh my, did we have fun! The skating was phenomenol, we had great seats (just a few rows behind "Kiss and Cry" and all the press) and stayed for the exhibition skating on Sunday night. It was all just too much fun! At the end of the special performances, Evan Lysacek (men's champion) autographed a frisbee and threw it up into the crowd. My friend Melissa and I both dove for it. I'm quite sure that Evan was throwing it to me, but somehow it went home with Melissa. Go figure!

Since then, I've been very busy working on swaps for my stamping business. This is a busy time of year for that. My corgis have been a little neglected, between all the stamping I've been doing and the cold weather. This morning they went outside to go potty and when they came back in, Dee Dee had a bare spot on her face - about the size of a dime. I'm not sure what happened, but am guessing she went to lick the clothes line pole and got her nose stuck. She hasn't complained, so it must not be bothering her too much.

Brrrrrrrrrrrr !!!!!

2008-01-20T08:33:00.002-06:00

Oh my goodness ... it has gotten brutally COLD here of late. The air temperature this morning is -26 degrees (F) and the windchill is down around -40 (F). Even for hearty mid-westerners like me (ha!) that is COLD. When Princess and Dee Dee were younger, they never seemed to mind the cold very much; they chased each other around to keep warm. But now that they're a little olders (7 and 8) they aren't as interested in spending time outside when it's this cold. Yesterday they went out several times to go potty but stayed close to the house and came right back in. Fortunately we have a big area in the basement that they can run and at least get some exercise.

But we are finding these cold winter days are good for snuggling up and just hanging out together. Dee Dee, in particular, is a great snuggler ... she will get under the covers with me and push her head into my neck and fall asleep that way. It's great!

January Thaw

2008-01-07T19:55:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Life got busy with the holidays and here we are, a full week into 2008 already. My mathematician brother explained to me one time why the years seem to go faster, the older you get. It's because every year becomes a smaller percentage of your entire life, and since it is relatively smaller, it seems to go by faster. That makes sense to me.

We've been enjoying a wonderful January thaw .... temps above freezing the past few days (highly unusual) and sunshine to boot. It's been great. The girls and I enjoyed several nice walks over the weekend with our friend Susan and her corgis. I found out that Uggs are great when it's bitterly cold (they'll keep your feet warm in any temperature) but not so great when the snow turns slushy. I came home with very wet feet yesterday, and my boots are still drying out. For the dogs, the slushy snow is even harder to push their bodies through than light fluffy snow. Think about it. If you had to walk through wet snow that was up to your hips, that's what it's like for them. But they love it. After a few hours rest, they are quite stiff. I gave them each a baby aspirin last night and that seemed to help. Anyway, it was good to play in the snow and we took some pictures of our brood.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-25T17:37:00.012-06:00

Merry Christmas! Since I wasn't able to be with family this year for Christmas, I babysat for a single Mom who had to work. Single moms, in my opinion, have just about the hardest job in the world ... I can't even imagine the fatigue of trying to be both breadwinner, and fulltime parent. Anyway, this little guy was very sweet and we had a great time together. His favorite activity was to play in the dogs' water dish.

He was intrigued with them eating out of those bowls, and wanted to do the same. Next thing I knew, he was splashing in their water dish and dumping it out on the floor. So much fun!!

Spending the day with a baby (something I don't get to do very often) seemed kind of fitting on Christmas Day as I considered the humble way that God chose to reveal Himself to us. My favorite Christmas passage is the first chapter of John, but another powerful word picture of the way Jesus came to earth is found in Philippians 2 ... that God would come not as a king but as a baby ... in order to identifiy with us in all of our weakness. I have a favorite song (which was recorded by Damaris Carbaugh a number of years ago) and also a favorite Christmas poem (written in the 17th century) and both of them speak to this aspect of Christ's coming. What an incredible gift to give up Heaven and all that was there in order to come as a baby and spend 33 years walking among us and then dying so that we can share in the glory of Heaven someday too! That is definitely something to celebrate!

He Became Poor - Byron Carmony

They borrowed a manager of hay for his bed,
Jesus, my Savior.
No soft downy pillow, no warm cradle spread,
for Jesus my Lord.
His were the planets and stars in the sky,
His were the mountains and valleys so high,
His all Earth's riches from pole unto pole,
But He became poor to ransom my soul.

Overwhelming Love - Richard Crashaw

"That the Great Angel-blinding light should shrink
His blaze, to shine in a poor Shepherd's eye;
That the unmeasur'd God so low should sink
As Pris'ner in a few poor rags to lie;
That from His Mother's Breast He milk should drink,
Who feeds with Nectar Heaven's fair family;
That a vile Manger His low Bed should prove,
Who in a Throne of stars Thunders above;
That He whom the sun serves, should faintly peep
Through clouds of Infant Flesh! That He, the old
Eternal Word should be a Child, and weep;
That He who made the fire, should fear the cold;
That Heaven's high Majesty His Court should keep
In a clay cottage, by each blast control'd;
That Glory's self should serve our Griefs and fears,
And free Eternity submit to years,
Let our overwhelming wonder be."

Joy!

2007-12-15T23:23:00.004-06:00

I'm feeling joyful today because I finished my Christmas cards - finally! I trimmed my list waaay back this year, from 70 to around 30. I was also thinking about joy this afternoon when I was out running errands with the girls. It was 20 degrees above zero today ... that's warm in this part of the world ... so I had the windows open. If someone asked what I enjoy most about my corgis, I'd have to say it's seeing them bring joy to other people. I love driving around town with the girls, pulling up to a red light and, out of the corner of my eye, see them bring a smile to the driver in the lane next to us. Today, the lady in the other lane was laughing at Dee Dee, who was hanging out the window as far as she could . I love it when the girls light up someone's face ... and they almost always do. They have sure lit up my face ... and my life!

And then gradually I kept adding people back in. When I finished my last card tonight and counted up my final numbers .... I had made 76! Hmmm ... didn't do too well on the cutting back plan. Maybe next year! Yeah ... right ....

Forgiveness

2007-12-09T20:34:00.001-06:00

I've been learning some important lessons lately about forgiveness. It's pretty easy to forgive people when they recognize that they've hurt you and apologize. It's a lot harder to forgive when the other person digs in their heels or worse, doesn't even recognize (or admit) that they've betrayed you. Forgiving those who 'know not what they do' has good biblical precedent though. (Luke 23:24). We all have blind spots, and I'm very glad that God forgives me for even the things I'm unaware of .... so I need to do the same for others. Today I tried to express that to someone in a tangible way. Corgis (and all dogs, I suspect) are good examples of unconditional love and forgiveness.

There are some mornings when I'm running late and am downright crabby at my girls, either for some little infraction on their part or just because I'm frustrated and they're the easy targets. I will leave for work, and come home at the end of the day and - no matter how irritable I've been in the morning - they are waiting at the door, butts wagging (corgis don't have tails but it doesn't keep those back ends from moving!!) and happy to see me as ever. They have humbled me many times as I realize I don't deserve that unconditional love, but surely am grateful for it.

Snow!!!

2007-12-04T00:36:00.004-06:00

We got our first major snowstorm of the season, and while I used to gripe about shoveling and icy roads, my corgis have given me a new appreciation for winter. In fact, it has become my favorite season. Since corgis have a double coat, they stay very warm and it's actually much easier to go for long walks in the winter when they can cool off and eat the snow than it is in the summer when I have to carry water. We have a very nice college campus near our house that has wide sidewalks and is well lit on winter evenings, and it's perfect for walking the girls. The students seem to enjoy having us around too. There is one large hill with a big concave area beneath it. It is like a huge bowl. The girls LOVE to go to the top of that hill, and when I say "RACE", they take off like bullets, running the circumference of the 'bowl', barking all the way. They like to create paths through our yard and chase each other through the maize. And if I throw a ball that lands in the snow, they have great fun digging, sticking their nose down in, searching for it. It always amazes me - the things they find buried in the snow. They'll be digging frantically, and suddenly emerge with a piece of pizza or part of a sandwich. One day Dee Dee found an entire hamburger and there was no way she was sharing it. There are lots of buried treasures in the snow.

Anticipation

2007-12-02T10:33:00.002-06:00

My girls teach me a lot about life. Some day I would like to write a book entitled Life Lessons From My Corgis: Devotions for Dog-Lovers. Many of the things they teach me have spiritual applications. I was thinking about that this morning as I was sitting in church and the candle was lit for the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is all about anticipation - looking forward to the coming of the Christchild. I, personally, love to look forward to things. When I take a special vacation, I enjoy planning it and looking forward to it as much as the trip itself. Anticipation is a lot of fun for me.

Dee Dee is very good at anticipating; much better than Princess. For example, if we're in the yard playing Frisbee, they are both very excited because they know I'm going to throw it. But while Princess stands next to me (where the Frisbee is now), Dee Dee goes out into the yard, watching me carefully so that she can anticipate where it's going to be thrown, much like a center fielder taking position when a powerful hitter steps up to the plate. Because she is better at anticipating, she usually gets the Frisbee. The same holds true when it's suppertime. If I say to them, "Do you want some supper?", Princess will run and stand by the closet door where the bag of dogfood is, while Dee Dee runs to her food bowl where she anticipates the food will be in just a minute. Again, she has the edge because she is good at anticipating.

Princess Gets a Squirrel

2007-11-25T10:04:00.002-06:00

I've had a crazy weekend, and haven't gotten done nearly what I had hoped to. Yesterday, I was trying to work on my Christmas cards and the girls were wanting to go out ... then come in ... then back out ... you know the routine. Somewhere along the way I lost track of Princess, and when I went outside, she was no where to be found. She rarely leaves our yard, and when she does, she's usually just next door. So I was quite concerned when I couldn't find her yesterday and went out looking for her. A half hour later I still hadn't found her and enlisted the help of my neighbors to look for her. I was just about to get in the car to search for her, when she suddenly appeared ... coming through the trees with a squirrel in her mouth. It was a fresh kill and she had obviously been feasting on it for some time already. Both of my girls love to hunt critters and have caught various things - a baby racoon, a couple of baby rabbits and a couple squirrels. This one wasn't big but she was so proud of herself. My brother is fascinated by this because Elvis doesn't show any interest in catching critters. Must be that in the corgi family, the girls are the hunters.

Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-22T22:17:00.001-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! This has been a year with many changes and challenges, and yet I have so much to be thankful for! Faith, family and friends top the list - along with a wonderful home, meaningful hobbies and of course CORGIS! We had an enjoyable day with some friends who raise buffalo. I've been fooled there many times ... thinking I was eating beef, only to find out it was buffalo. But I do believe the turkey we had today was real. And it was wonderful. My friend Melissa is an awesome cook!

As I've mentioned, Princess and Dee Dee have very different personalities and the amount of human interaction they require is one of the places you really see it. They both love people and love attention, but with Princess, a little goes a long way. After a few minutes, she's had enough and will go find a quiet place to be alone. Dee Dee has a bottomless pit when it comes to affection - both giving and receiving it. She loves to have her tummy rubbed and, as this picture shows, she found a good source of it today! Aren't these girls the cutest? They have a very handsome big brother too.

The Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving are two days of the year when I don't leave the house (except to take the girls for a walk). I am not a crowd person and I really don't enjoy shopping. I'll be working on Christmas cards, holiday baking and enjoying the music of the season. But Thanksgiving has always been my very favorite holiday of the year.

Holiday Lights Parade

2007-11-20T20:15:00.002-06:00

I took the girls to the Holiday Lights Parade this evening .... a chilly night, but not too bad, especially when you're standing in a crowd of people. And the floats were awesome ... horse-draw sleighs, lots of reindeer and of course Santa. Afterwards there was a community Christmas carol singalong on the plaza and then fireworks, which we didn't stay for. Fireworks and corgis (actually fireworks and any breed of dog, I suspect) don't mix well. My girls actually don't enjoy parades much either (too much commotion) but I haul them with me because they're so cute in their antlers. People love them!

I have to laugh because every time I put the antlers on them they act like they are sooooo heavy .... they'll just lie down flat on the floor like they are in these pictures. The crazy things probably weigh all of 3 oz!

So different .....

2007-11-18T17:57:00.001-06:00

Parents often are amazed at how different their kids can be. That also applies to corgis, I've found out. My brother and I have often commented about how my girls are total opposites and Elvis is a blend of my two. Princess is a very easy dog in that she rarely gets into trouble. However, she is extremely strong willed and independent. She minds me only to avoid being punished, and when I tell her to 'come' she comes very slowly with several stops along the way as though she doesn't want me to think that she is actually obeying. Dee Dee, on the other hand, aims to please. She wants nothing so much as to hear the words, "Good Girl". She really wants to obey ... her biggest discipline issue is impulse control.

This month both girls are having teeth pulled. Dee Dee had one extracted this past week and Princess is having one - possibly two - pulled next week. An expensive lesson learned about not giving your dogs bones to chew on (or any hard object for that matter). The teeth were infected so they are both on antibiotics. And the difference between my dogs is nowhere better noticed than when giving them a pill! It's unbelievable. All you have to do with Dee Dee is put the pill in a little piece of food (doesn't matter what it is ... doesn't even have to be buried) and she swallows the whole thing - no problem. She inhales her food, so she doesn't even taste it. Takes all of 20 seconds. With Princess, it's more like 20 minutes. You can bury it in food, crush it, do anything to it you want and she will find the pill (or pieces of it) and they come shooting out the side of the mouth! Over and over and over we go through this. I've given up on burying it in food. It's not working anyway. I'm putting the pill as far back in her mouth as I possibly can, closing it and massaging her throat - like the books tell you to do. Nine times out of ten the pill still reappears on the floor but eventually it goes down.

2007-11-17T11:20:00.002-06:00

I'm a big time paper crafter .... addicted to both rubber stamping and scrapbooking. Next to my 'girls', they are the best therapy I know. And I've needed a lot of that this year!! When I first started making the girls'memory albums - about 7 years ago - I was almost embarrased to show them to people. I thought they'd think I was a little 'over the top' - making albums for my corgis. At the time, I was lucky to find three or four sheets of 12X12 scrapbook paper in a dog theme. But - oh my goodness - there are dozens of dog-themed papers, kits, embellishments, ribbons, you-name-it - out there now! And of course I own every one of them!! Evidently I'm not the only person who's a little enamored with my dogs! We are now up to volume six (and counting) LARGE albums and I've had so much fun making them and showing them to people.

Inner Strength

2007-11-13T13:13:00.006-06:00

If you can start the day without caffeine,

If you can get going without pep pills,

If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles,
If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it,

If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time,

If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong,
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment,

If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him,

If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend,

If you can face the world without lies and deceit,

If you can conquer tension without medical help,

If you can relax without liquor,

If you can sleep without the aid of drugs

Then You Must Be ...... The Family Dog!

November

2007-11-11T19:20:00.003-06:00

We had such a dank fall, but November has been beautiful so far. The girls and I went to see friends this weekend - out to a fellow SU demonstrator's buffalo ranch yesterday and today to stamp with some other friends out in Minnesota lakes country. It was a lovely day and the girls had fun chasing squirrels and hangin' out. I should have been starting on Christmas cards today, but I just can't seem to get inspired. It's been a tough year on a lot of fronts so I'm not sure that I'm going to do a letter. Maybe just a card. Or maybe I'll take the year off completely.

The girls look pretty cute in their new Lands End jackets, don't 'ya think?

2007-11-09T22:31:00.004-06:00

Princess got into a tussle tonight with a friend's dog and got the short end of the stick. It was such a helpless feeling to watch her being attacked, but she's a tough little cookie and doesn't seem any the worse for wear - just tired and a little sore.

In the top photo Dee Dee (L) is pictured next to Princess, Princess' half-sister Blaze, and Einstein, who is the common link between my girls. He is Princess' brother and Dee Dee's father.

The girls love to go to the park with their corgi friends and if I tell them that Susan is coming to pick us up they will sit on the porch and look down the street until they see her car. This picture of Princess is entitled "Waiting for Susan" and the raised paw means, "I'm ready!"