Talk About Fireworks!

Well....Solo has finally ventured into the realm of true "studhood". He has (finally) physically covered a bitch <vbg>. We had done an AI with Monkee, because I wanted to be assured of pups, and we couldn't get him interested in hopping on top. He would flirt and flirt and flirt....then come over to me as if to ask "did I do it?" Um....no.

Last night I turned him and Duri out in the yard to let them play and flirt. I actually had to go and retrieve them from the far corner so I could continue on with the rest of the evening's duties - but I considered it a good sign! Especially since Duri wasn't chewing on his head when he actually mounted! So we tried in the living room this afternoon...a whole lotta work (on their parts), and flirting, and drooling, and panting. Nothing. So we put them up for a while to let them cool down while we did other things around here. We postponed Solo's trip to Jill's tonight so we could try again. He has shows Friday through Sunday, and I'm going out of town Friday morning - so it was now or never!

Brought them back out for another try this evening - and it looked like it was going to be a repeat of the matinee. So much so that Victor went outside to handle watering the dogs in the yards. Well....Solo finally managed to hit the mark (or fall in <vbg> - she's not a dainty girl)!! I couldn't help but giggle that right afterward, the sound of fireworks came from down the street and then the dogs in the house setting off into a group howl after they tied. Ta-da!

Holidaze - How We Spent the 4th

We spent the day attempting to take care of things around the disaster we call home. Victor picked up some supplies at Home Depot to fix our dryer vent. For whatever reason, the Silkens in the yard by the house/driveway think that the outside vent was put there for their own enjoyment. The latest play session(s) once again obliterated the outside cover, then the removal of the hose and various other parts through the hole. They also managed to remove a big chunk of the inside drywall. The end result was a fine entryway for flies and mosquitoes to come in at their leisure. So at least it's plugged up for now! Hopefully it will last a good long time, considering the sauna I walked into this morning while checking on laundry.

Speaking of saunas - once again the a/c has gone out in the Sprinter, yet again causing me to cuss various converters (ok....THE converter), and now once-reliable mechanics. Timing is really bad too - as I am supposed to leave for Colorado Friday morning for a series of Rarities shows (as well as delivering some Borzoi to their new homes). So we will be attempting to cram 6 Silkens and the additional passengers into the Astro van for this trip. Thanks goodness it's the Silkens and not Borzoi!

Of course we were prepping for my trip as well. Tomorrow night will be bath night for everyone to try and get them spiffed up for the show. It's an ISWS Specialty Show at one of the shows - so I'm hoping to snag a needed ISWS win on one of my guys to put towards their ISWS championship. Taking Gabe, Trouble, Kandi, Luna, Ginger, and, of course, Tyler.

Also spent a good bit of time cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen where the pups are stationed. Steam-cleaned their area (and the rest of the floors afterward) and then went over it with Lysol. We switched out ex-pens as well so we could clean the old one. Of course, the one day we really wanted it to rain some (since the old pen is stationed in the yard)....it didn't. We really wanted the pen to get a soaking after spraying it down with Lysol. Oh well...maybe tomorrow!

Also working on getting my new laptop set up. I've been installing programs throughout the day, and setting up the extensions in the Firefox browser (after I installed the browser itself) and in the Dreamweaver program. I just had to bite the bullet last night and pick it up at Sam's Club. Another Vaio with more capability than the previous one...but cheaper. Wasn't too thrilled with the Vista OS being on it....but looks like it will do. So far everything installed on it without issue, including my pedigree software - we shall see. Now maybe I can get some things done around here as far as computer work!

New Site Design - BCOA 2008

Have pretty much completed the design for the BCOA's 2008 National Specialty Show and it's now viewable online at http://borzoiclubofamerica.org/2008/. This one was certainly an experience in CSS with a fixed header and footer and 2-3 columns on the pages.

Great Analogy Fable

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package.

"What food might this contain?" the mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap.

Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning. "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The pig sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers."

The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"

The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house - like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey.

The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient.

But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.

The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral that the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them.

The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember - when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.

We are all involved in this journey called Life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

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Do you still believe that PETA and other animal rights groups' activities won't affect you? There is a mousetrap in the house!

Borzoi Central Updates

Trying to catch up posting various proposed legislation information on the Borzoi Central Forums. There has been such a steady rise in laws that affect pet owners and in many instances removes our rights as property owners. Although most folks like myself do feel they're a special kind of property, but property nonetheless.

New items posted include Dover, DE; Ohio (SB 173); and Lawton, OK (Advertising Permit).

Also posted updates for CA's AB 1634 and District of Columbia.

Also posted several new events to the Events Calendar (mostly in the month of July).

New link for the Sighthound Mall Yahoo group posted in Hound Clothing and Market - Arts links pages.

New links on the Health page - canine autoimmune thyroiditis, vaccination protocol, feeding sighthounds,

New link added to the Jewelry page (a GORGEOUS brooch/pendant of a running Borzoi - the detail is exquisite!).

OKC Finale and Puppy Party

The OKC show cluster ended with a sputter for us although Sassi took Best Opposite with Victor handling her. With an 8 am ringtime it meant Victor could get an earlier start home after visiting with his friends up there.

For the weekend I hadn't managed to be very productive at all - unless you call catching up on all the SYTYCD episodes that were tivo'd [sigh]. Couldn't hold a thought for more than a few seconds so did not catch up on any needed work, much less any cleaning. Yay for chronic fatigue!

That afternoon Missi, Isaak and Junior got quickie-baths as we were heading over to the Frey's to meet up with them and Sylvi. Took plenty of pictures, including some stacked shots and hope to get them edited and posted soon. Also have pictures from my friend Joyce from the Silkenfest specialty back in May I need to get posted.

No rest for the wicked!