Junk mail

How do I get on these lists?? My junk mail box numbers go up and down, whether I surf the internet or not. I never open any unless I know that they shouldn't be in that folder, but somedays there are so many that I must scroll down a few times to check them all.

Today I found myself amused by the collection. Lately there have been a lot of folks wanting to bust into my Facebook account via "Facebook survey." My facebook account is on the highest security setting, which can be frustrating to even me at times, but still seems like the best idea, so I leave it. Of course there are the "You have won" and multiple PayDay loan entries. How the heck did I get on their lists?? Understand, of course, that I am only reading the subject line...these are just a few of today's entries:

From WILLIAM COLGATE II (yep all caps, must be important) "Hello"
MICHAEL vanDERT (I guess the "van" is NOT so important)"COMPENSATION ON YOUR PAST EFFORT"
Barrister Frank Johnston (important title to HIS name) "Personal Proposal"

I love that I have a fund at the Jomo Kenyatta Int'l airport in Nairobi; perhaps that is what the email from the UNITED NATIONS OFFICE OF OVERSIGHT SERVICES is all about. Then of course all the Life insurance and car warranty stuff.

My favorite of the day is between these two:
"Legitimate work at home job" I sure wouldn't want an illegitimate job...
and this one:
"Gain in Size Fast" Well, I think I may know about that one, sigh

Oh my! I must go. Mr. Pokuaa Yaa just wrote to me about my Allocation Oil Quota...SCORE!!

G2

Talk, loss of, and lots of smiles

I have a yearly event that I do with my oldest grandchild. The county fair. We started when she was still in a front pack, and now I get her on my own. She is school age, so our time is much more limited and these things must be carefully planned and choreographed. The date was set for Friday (yesterday). I arranged a walk on the ferry pick up on Thursday.

She is six, so it is no longer a freebie passage. sigh. (I just read that ferry fares have gone up 80% in the last ten years! No wonder it seems so expensive to visit my kids; it is!) So it goes. I picked her up Thursday around noon. She came bearing a couple of bags; one with her "Lion" and the other a suitcase. Of course the Princess Katelan big headed bobble Littlest Pet Shop also had to come so it could party with MY Princess Katelan, and the real Katelan too, and, and, and...Yep, all the way back to the ferry the excited six year old chattered and filled my world with words. Then all the way home, out to the field, during lunch, dinner: I think this kid may also talk in her sleep! She is very cute. She talks to the dogs and has tea parties when I can no longer take it. Again, in full speed chatter mode. The dogs LOVE it. Absolutely LOVE it! They see it as undivided attention....little do they know!! They sit and enjoy the pretend play. Watching her chatter with cocked heads. We go outside and the four kids, three four leggeds and one two legged, run and play together in the field. She laughing hysterically at something that Grandma is apparently not privy too.

During an almost quiet moment it was decided that we needed to check on the neighbor who had taken a weird fall a few days ago. It was after dinner, so maybe around 7:30 or 8 when we went over. It had begun to rain so we drove the truck. Dusk is short right now, and darkness comes quite quickly. In the short time we were visiting darkness fell in the woods in which we live. (She later told her Mom that we were over until midnight.) It is amazing how exhausting chatter can be to the listener and I was ready to head for bed...a trail of chatter following behind. Suddenly my evening routine was destroyed. I couldn't find my cell phone. I called it six or eight times. No response. Panic set in. Retracing steps I remembered calling daughter while on the ferry, but that was all I could remember. The ferry, Walmart, Burger King. That was it. First call was to the neighbor, who was also exhausted and had gone to bed. Nope, she didn't hear my phone ringing at her house. I grabbed a flashlight and retraced my now very wet steps around the house and out to the field. No phone in sight. I stopped and pondered the thought that it really could be in the hole that I dug and filled with the new tree; the tree to replace the one I had cut down the day before; (make note, drill out that stump and fill holes with rock salt.) What a thought. Can you say "dead Blackberry?" I went to bed figuring on making phone calls the next morning...and hoping someone would have found my phone and turned it in.

After a very fitful sleep I called BK, WallyWorld, and the ferry system. Nope, nope, and a message to be left as no one was answering the Lost and Found line with the ferry system. We were off to the fair.

Our county fair has little passports for the kids. There are twenty, or so, stations that they go to and get the areas stamped. After all the areas have been stamped then the passport can be turned in and there is a drawing for some little prize. Grandkid loves doing this, and now can read and follow the map. We were off on our quest; forget the rides, forget the junk food. She was on a mission. After we got a good number of stamped spots, we could then go back to the barns and enjoy the animals. Have I mentioned lately how much I love my new leg? We walked non stop for over three hours. NON STOP. Then we grabbed a bite to eat...her a Quesadilla, me a taco salad. That took all of maybe fifteen minutes, and we were back on the quest to fill the passport. It took five and a half hours. The final four spots were tough to find. The map was wrong. We finally found one of the stations, and she stamped three of the four spots. Score!! As Grandma was on her last legs, grand kid found the last stamp. We were done. Turn it in? No way!! She worked way to hard to give up her prized passport. We grabbed a blank one and filled out the form and turned it in. To the six year old it was all about the adventure, not the prize. That's my girl!

Heading for home I said a little prayer that there would be a message on the house line that the ferry system had my phone. When I got home there was a message...but it was from my doctor informing me that he needed to see me. Oh oh...

A call to the neighbor to make sure she was alright and the decision to call cell carrier and shut down the phone. "First," says neighbor, "try calling me one more time." After eight calls, what was the chance? I did, and she answered. I wanted to cry. You see, we wandered around the fairgrounds with no camera, and no watch. I use the cell phone for both. We couldn't call daughter to figure out plans to return kid, and keep her informed of the passport progress. I couldn't share the excited chatter coming from her six year old. Now all was right in the world once more. The phone had fallen into the cushion of the chair I sat in. It simply could not be heard by my close to eighty year old neighbor until she was almost sitting on it. She brought the phone up to me, and kidnapped the grand child so I could grab a nap.

After an orange dinner (mac and cheese, peach yogurt, and cantalope) we settled in for another night. This time I would be able to sleep; yeah right.

Kate needed her pants in the middle of the night. In two or three weeks we will be able to relax and resume some sort of normalcy. She doesn't mind the diaper. Show dogs put up with so much. It is just another "thing" that she must deal with. I needed to wake up enough to remember where I had stashed everything eight months ago.

The new day has dawned. Today is prepare Nugget for showing. Pack truck and bags. At some point the kid exchange. For now it is Saturday morning kid shows on PBS. I gave in and plugged my grand kid into the the media box. I feel so guilty. But I need a break. I am too old for this...

However, I wouldn't change it for the world. Well, perhaps I might opt for an occasional quiet spell now and then.

Time to go bathe a puppy.

G2

Scratching

Nope. No fleas. (ewwww) No rash to be found. But it seems that the girls in this house are becoming a tad bit unpredictable.

First the four legged one. Young "muffin" seems way too interested in Kate's every movement the past two days. It seems the Cardi-event with all those handsome boys tweaked her hormones over the edge and she will soon join Kitty in the competition for most desirable. In short: scratch Sammamish for her. Luckily we will not be breaking a major. It is not unexpected. I have been waiting since later July. It's just a pain. At three years old it is time to make some decisions with her, and I dread it. I would love to finish her, but I think I need to take her out of the area to do it. Truth be told is that I have a very finishable dog now so the pressure is off of Kate. Sadly she has now decided the show ring is fun...if we stop this we must find another sport in which we can work together. She is not the couch potato type.

Then there is me. I have two triathlons coming up. On the same weekend. One on Saturday. One on Sunday. Do both? hahaha. Not possible. One is here. The other on the other side of the pond. Both are run by women that I admire, and both want me there. The easy way out would be to take the ferry and do the one over there. It is shorter. I have done it before and know what to expect. Over here is "home." The bike route is tougher. The race itself is twice as long on all legs (yep, pun intended). I have until Tuesday to decide if I will scratch this one over here. There is a waiting list of people wanting to do it. I can give them my spot and get my money back. The person running the other one has not given me an entry deadline. She said she will "get me in." It is interesting, this weird twist. I started to do triathlons to prove something within myself. Done. I can do it. I can stop now...right? Wrong! Not only am I hooked on the push, training, and crossing that finish line, but there is something huge in helping others find that "push" to cross the line. I don't like being so obvious and out there. But I am. I must deal with it. If gets someone off their duff, that is good. Anyone can do a tri. Seriously. A half mile swim. Come on! Twelve mile bike. No biggy. Three mile run. So walk it. My mom died at age 57. I am 56. I plan on seeing the grandkids graduate. She never saw her's even get into school. I do believe that we have become less active physically as we have become more active in the work force. There just aren't enough hours in a day to do it all. Sadly it is the kids, and grandkids, that really suffer as we pass on the habit of inactivity. I hope someday to cross that finish line with a grandkid in tow. (Perhaps next year my two oldest will be ready. I can hope.) So, I will be at both events, but only enter one. My fancy cowbell that my son made will get a workout at the one I don't run. At this point I haven't a clue what I will do, so I just keep training.

Just as I do with the dogs. It is indeed a crazy life, and it is indeed my life. I wouldn't have it any other way.

Just what exactly do people do in the winter when all the races and shows dwindle away??? No wonder we suffer from seasonal depression, eh? (For me, I am hoping the truck is paid off so I can join the gym and get my "rush" that way.)

So I am off. The track calls my name and then it is back home to clean the pool. I'd really like to crawl back to bed and figure out who is going where, and when...

G2

I could have sworn

that he hadn't changed that much...

Coedwig's Alchemist 4/21/2010 with his adoring big sis Castell Katelan (who just wants to tear the tape off his ears!)



and Shep's picture from Saturday, 8/21/2010



How, and when, did that happen? (He is still my baby, just not my itty bitty puppy. I sure don't miss the taped ears drama.) What a difference four months makes.

G2

The highlight

photos taken by W.York; thanks, Shep!

of the show weekend was the Cardi-pardi on Saturday at Samhain (as usual). We were all a bit burned out and confused, and tired. The dogs? They just wanted to have fun!! Caleb and Simon joined the mix and are such very good boys. Mark outdid himself at the helm of the bar-b-q yet again, and I neglected to snag some of the salmon, the tuna, and the fresh Happy Valley corn. Yep, lame. I admit it.

Nugget is in love with Wendy, who wants to chew his face off, but secretly likes him too. The lovely Miss Kitty was allowed to come out and play and got slobbered on, but managed to avoid rolling in the chicken do-do. I think we were all a bit surprised that Grandma Kim actually let her come out and play as she is a grooming chore like Nugget. It was such fun to see littermates Nugget, Shea, and Flower together. They are from the first Carbon frozen litter, and Lilac sure produced some pretty babies. Nugget is huge, and very boyish. The girls are very dainty and pretty. My choice is boys that look like boys and girls that look like girls. There is no doubt when looking at these pups. Kate got a chance to be wooed by Casper, who thinks she is "just right." She is a bit smitten with him as well, but puppies always rule to Kate, and there were plenty to choose from.

I have no idea why I was so wiped out, and stressed out on Saturday. The party allowed me to unwind before heading for home with two exhausted dogs. I had to be up at 4am to get dogs ready for an 8am ring call. Unfortunately the long side was cramping up most of the night, for whatever reason. (Perhaps the lack of aforementioned salmon, tuna and corn, eh?) 'Twas a long, but very short, night. After bathing Nugget and getting him about half dry this morning, I opted to leave Kate at home. She was quite happy to sleep in, although she was a trooper in the ring on Saturday. She was happy, with smiling face and wagging tail. There is not a lot more I can ask of her. In the beginning of this adventure she hated the show ring, and let everyone know that she was being tortured. Now she is happy. Not winning, but happy. At what point do I quit with her? If she were miserable I would say "now." She is so very pretty up front; I just don't know...Anyway, pupster was every bit the puppy this morning. He is so cute, and come on, judge, give me a seven month old pup that doesn't boink a bit! It means they are happy, right?? I love him so much it hurts. I know, I am completely herd blind. He should have taken Best of Breed both days. yep. I know it. Nugget knows it. Nothing else matters.

After quick good-byes and one last crawl into Leo's lap and chomp on his eyebrows, (uhh, yea, that would be Nugget doing that, not me!) we headed for home and a nap. Next week we continue our quest for points in Redmond. It is such an interesting sport...thank goodness for Samhain cardi-pardies! (And friends who are amazing photographers!)




G2

2 clean dogs

The truck is loaded.
The dogs are clean.
I wonder what the heck I was thinking entering two dogs in the shows.
The pool is clean and covered. The dishes are done.

The alarm is set. I am off to bed.
I must leave here shortly after 7.

This is just what I need for the post race blues.

G2

Some people go to Disneyland...

Swimming and Biking and Running

Oh My!!

The Seattle Danskin Triathlon is in the books, and I am there, having crossed the finish line. I am now here nursing bumps and bruises and popped blisters, and a crazy grin, and a lot of tears. Life is sweet, isn't it? This was an interesting one. I was a nervous wreck. My body cleaned itself out. But I was so excited I could hardly stand myself. I never once wanted to bail out of it. Ok, I take that back; two weeks before when it was in the 90s I was a bit freaked and decided I would not do it in that heat...yeah, right! Then we were graced with some pretty rain, and much cooler temperatures and I got excited. VERY excited. I knew I could do it. I knew I MUST do it. The weather the week before stayed cool and pretty, until Saturday when it began to heat up. By then my bike was at the transition area, and I had a number painted on my arm and a shirt that I was told I must not wear until I cross the finish line. Hey. Why waste a perfectly good shirt, right?

The night before the night before I got little sleep. No big deal; I would sleep better the next night, which would be pre-race night. All's good. Check in was at Seattle Center and was a zoo. A real zoo. I went with a friend, whose picture will grace the heading of this post (thanks, Nom!) and her four adorable munchkins. It was to be hot, and we went early enough to get a fairly decent spot in line. Like lambs to slaughter we were herded around from line to line. We snagged a few free things, registered and got our timing chips, swim caps and number plates. Then headed to the venue to park our bikes for the next day. The four kids were amazing. I was delighted to not only see them, but use them for some great mental diversion. Had they been whiney or crying hysterically it might have been different, but they weren't and we shared a few songs and stories to keep my mind off the next day's work. Then we got to the ferry. Three hour wait, the sign said. It can't be true, says I. But once again, I was wrong. Once finally on the ferry the younger three kids were SOOOO ready to get out of their car seats and wander and eat. The oldest stayed in the car with me and we talked about fun things like armpit hair. You see, we were the first car on the downside of the upper ramp. It was 90 degrees outside and there were a bunch of folks out on the observation decks, which extend above, and over, the edges of the car deck. Anyone in a tank top, or without a shirt, gave us a perfect view of their armpits. (And yes, I did secretly check my own, and they were fine, thank you very much!) As the ferry pulled in I thought about my schedule for the rest of the day. In bed by 7 as I needed to be up at 3 to make the two hour drive around Puget Sound; the ferry system just was cutting it too close....IF it ran as scheduled.

As I rounded the bend to the house I remembered: the neighbor's were having a wedding that day...NOPE! That NIGHT! With a live band. A very loud live band that was mere feet from my bedroom. And people. My dogs were going crazy with each car that pulled up. The guest "yes" list was at 103. Funny, that was the temperature in bedroom, or so it seemed. I decided to cool off in the pool and just go to bed. And the band played on...and on...and on...I remember looking at the clock around 11...

I was up at three going over the check list one final time, throwing things into the truck, setting up fans for the dogs and giving them frozen bones for the day. No breakfast for either them or for me.

I filled my bottles with electrolyte mix and stuffed a few gel packs and protein bars in a fanny pack and hit the road. The idea of eating anything at 3am made me nauseous. Perhaps I would stop on the road for something. (No, not roadkill, silly readers!) Parking was at Safeco field and we were shuttled to the venue, on the other side of I-5 by school buses. I paid my money, parked my truck, gathered my things, and headed for the shuttle. I had somehow forgotten that school buses are loud. School buses have no suspension. Oh yes, and school buses take very round about routes that make a few mile ride take forever! It's true. They are, and they did. I never ate. I needed to get to the venue and secure assistance getting my leg to the "out" ramp and helping me to my leg after the swim. I needed some "me" time; OK call it prayer time, if you'd like. I needed all the help I could get doing this thing. It suddenly seemed huge.

The lake water was choppy. If I were to water ski it, I would want a tooth protector in my mouth. It was that choppy. 3000+ women were going to jump into the water and swim over the top of little old me, who is just going to just keep swimming, swimming, swimming...Let me just say that I came out of the swim portion well hydrated, and I was not alone. A race? Nope, not to me. An event! As I placed myself on the bulkhead I was greated with the first of many "Are you Nancy?"s. It turned out to be the person whose name graces the Triathlon that I did with my son a couple of months ago. We had emailed back and forth a few times. It was nice to meet her face to face. We chatted. We hugged. I stumbled up and off to my bike. The sound of cowbells and hoots and hollers from my family made me smile big time. Oh yes, I am supposed to be racing, aren't I?

Wetsuit off, helmet on. Hydration pack in place, shoe, bike, I am off on part two. What a beautiful ride. The express lanes on the I-90 floating bridge were closed down for us. Just keep peddling, peddling, peddling. "On your left" was heard constantly as the true racers zipped by. I tootled along enjoying the view and thinking "I wonder if anyone would notice if I just pulled a U turn right here?" Soon enough I was in the tunnel that I knew was not far from the turn around. My goal was to simply stay on the bike. The very steep hill up to the interstate shot my goal, but it was the only time I had to walk, and I was not alone there. The rest of the ride was accomplished from the seat of my steel steed. On the way back across the bridge I was humored by my odd shadow. I was carried by all who cheered me on as they passed me. I slowly began to accept their kudos and statements of "you inspire me."

Back to the transition area. Leg off, running leg on. (Thanks, Dad.) I am two thirds done. Number belt on. Fanny pack with gelpacks on. I am off for the run/walk. As I leave the gate, nice volunteer man says, "do your really want to leave your bike helmet on?" sigh. Lucky for me my crowd of kids and grandkids, signs and cowbells, and a neck cooler, are right there cheering me out to the route. Kira takes my helmet and ties on the neck cooler. Morgan is there too!! I cry a few tears of joy and take off running. I hear him holler as I go. "Go Ma! Look at her run!!"

I decided, because the heat is now hitting me, to do a walk/run thing. Jog a bit. Walk a bit. The route is fantastic. It winds along the lake. People sitting in their front yards on lawn chairs cheering us on. Runners coming towards me giving me the high five. People passing me, patting me on the back. I cry. I stop to chat with a few of the folks in their yards. I can't help it. I grab a hug or two from the motorcycle policemen along the route. I realize that each time I do this I am more energized. Yep, call me the energy hawg, or hag. Whatever. It is true. Suddenly, behind me. Nom. She wants to take a picture. We are about halfway through the run portion. Two thirds (plus one half of a third) through the race. She wants a picture. You see it above. Not too bad, eh? She walks with me a bit and then takes off. You see, she is actually running a race. Me? I am having an experience. Yep, that would be it. Bands along the route, helped me keep the rhythm going. Then it happens. Well there were two "it happens," but I will only relate one right now, as the other needs to stay with just me a bit longer. A woman says to me (for the gazillionth time) thanks for inspiring me. But then this: "I was going to quit until I saw you." I felt pretty humbled. And I just kept walking, running, walking. (Nemo was my constant companion in this race!!) At about 1/2 mile to go it happened again: "Are you Nancy?" I turn and find a woman in a green jersey. I have no idea who she is. Seems she is on Nom's team and would like to walk with me, which is where I was at by then...walking. Sure, says I, but if you are going for time, you do not want to be with me. No problem, says she, I would like to walk with you. We walk, we talk. I explain that no matter what I must run across the finish line. She has done the race so she would get me running at the right place and cross the line with me. My angel in green, she was! Up the hill and around the bend and then we begin our run. People are crowded around the ropes. I am running. Gimping, but running. People are yelling, cowbells everywhere. Where is the finish line? I am dying here!! A gentle voice at my side turns to coach. Go through the pain. Through the burn. Don't stop, you are almost there. It is in sight. I cry. Do not stop at the first pad, she says. It is not the finish line. Go through the next set and you are there. The crowd is roaring. I can't breathe. I hear my kids and grandkids. I feel lifted. I did it. Everything is a buzz. And a microphone is shoved in my face. I hear about every three words this guy is saying. "Inspration...name...why" I had no clue what I said as my brain is shut down now. I did know that my voice was broadcast all over the freakin' park. I could hear myself! To this day I cannot recall what I said, but my son said it was good, so I will take that. He taped part of it, and I will see if I can find a way to link it. Pretty darn funny. Perhaps he edited; great job if you did, dear.

Timing chip is cut off my leg and medal placed around my neck. At this point the blisters on my stump from the bike ride are on fire. The one on my foot doesn't feel too great either. It is hot. I am an emotional basket case. I am hungry and ready to just be home. It is not to be.

Why? My bike. It is at the park. I am parked at Safeco field. I must ride a school bus to my truck and drive back to get my bike. It took two hours. After meandering through neighborhoods and gettting on I-5 (for a one exit drive) traffic was at a standstill. I mean stopped. I was in serious melt down mode. It showed when I finally got back to the park and no one would let me stop to call Morgan and have him meet me. You see I could only pull over and stop if he was already standing there waiting to meet me. ??? About a mile up the road I am close to tears. A nice volunteer noticed "blue." My handicapped placard was hanging from the mirror. Yes indeed, and I was feeling it. I had mistakenly removed my leg for the drive back to the park and my stump had swelled. Putting it back on to walk another mile to find Morgan, in 90s heat, was just too much to ask. He waved me over and told me that he would call down to the guys at the park and I was to pull into the almost empty parking lot that was blocked off, and right across the street from the park. I had on my sunglasses, so he could not see the tears welling up, but they were there. I needed food! I needed rest! I needed some quiet time.

I took Morgan home. He talked about how proud he was. I had my dark glasses on. That was a good thing. I am so proud of my kids. The table has turned.

We stopped for Fish Burritos and I headed for the infamous ferry wait line. It was time to go home to my dogs. It was time to just think. It was time to heal. As I said earlier there is more to the story, but I am not ready to put it on paper yet.

It's all good, no worries, but personal. Perhaps later. Thanks to my family, blood related and other. Thanks to Dad for the means to get the leg that has me doing this. Thanks to the Tri-babes and the fearless Turtle for keeping me going. Thanks to Nom for the idea. Mostly thanks to Mom and Dad for giving me heart.

Out for now, but it ain't over.

G2

Coach or training buddy

I'm a slave to my dog(s)...

G2

Which way did she go??

This is a crazy week, and it has only just begun.

I find myself doing a lot with the dogs. The two tailed dogs in particular. Each day I grind on their toe nails (better?). I am hoping that in two weeks time they will miraculously be the little nubby nails they should be. The dogs no longer complain as they are in my lap a lot shorter time now. One must get right to the quick, but not breech it (is my understanding) in order to get the quick to pull back. That tiny change has made a huge difference on how the feet look. OK, well, that and creative toe hair trimming. I have been told I can no longer consider myself a newbie in this sport, so need to suck it up and make my dogs look like they belong in the ring. I'm trying!! Nugget is a hairball. I regret all the whining I have done in the past with regards to Kate's lack of hair. He has enough for both of them. I think I will start getting him to enjoy vacuum cleaner brushing as he will bring great grief when he sheds. Nugget also has some interesting curly spots on his bum. Today I worked on them a bit with the stripper. Then Kate jumped onto the table so I worked on her bum as well. She actually is getting coat again, and I guess I wasn't seeing it. Now her topline is more level as well.

Why am I writing about all this? Because I should be thinking about the Triathlon this coming weekend, but I don't want to. Tomorrow I will do my regular lake swim and then will work on my bike to make sure it is clean, tire pressure correct, and the chain lubed. I bought my stick of "Body Glide." Yes indeedy, I am for real as I now have it in my supply kit. Just so you know, it is so that I can more easily remove my wetsuit, and more easily put ON my running shoe following the lake portion. It makes for less chafing as well...slick, eh? It has been dropped into the bucket so it won't disappear before now and then, as my nerves begin to take over. The bucket? Yes. Dear Tri-Turtle suggested a bucket for the transition items. It will double as a place to sit. Brilliant!! It also will keep things dry until I exchange for the wet, and then keep the wet contained. Again, brilliant! This is the big one. No, not Iron Man big, but the biggest I will do. 800 yard swim/12 mile bike/3.1 mile run. I know I can do it all, I just worry about the logistics of getting back and forth to Seattle on both Saturday, for check in, and Sunday, for the race. With the ferry system as bad as it is, I just don't look forward to that little part of it. Then of course the parking. EEK!! What was I thinking?????

So I go back to my happy place. The doggies. They show the following weekend. It will be a huge showing of Cardigan Corgis. 27 each day. It's crazy. When I get myself a wee bit worked up thinking about it, it is OK, because I can then think about the Danskin Triathlon coming up...

Hey. I am nothing compared to my neighbor. She has a wedding in her yard this weekend. It started out a small intimate affair and now is looking like the numbers are close to 300. Did I mention it has been raining since Saturday??

So I will close and fix some dinner, after which I will put my dog in the bucket. Wait. I think I got that wrong. Perhaps there is also a reason that Miss Kate is so very slippery, eh?

My plate runneth over and I have no one to blame but myself...

G2

Bummer!!

My son-in-law is one of the hardest workers that I know. Lately he has allowed himself one "guilty pleasure," bicycling. I have mentioned a few times how proud I am of him as he did the Chilly Hilly a few months back, and the Seattle to Portland (STP) a couple of weeks ago. He has been going to the track and racing with a group as well; a group that includes his oldest daughter's Kindergarten teacher.

That all ended today when he went out and found his bike had been stolen off the front porch of their house. It is pretty creepy to think that there was a person, or persons, wandering around, and going through gates, next to my grand daughter's bedroom.

His was a pretty unique bike. Very few were made, and he was quite proud of it. He had customized it to better fit his needs. He has also been riding it to work daily. They also took his new helmet and gloves. Yep, that would be the helmet that replaced the one that he split when he had the bike accident and brain bruise a while back.

Scum bags! The police have been notified and we are watching Craig's List. It is just such a violation. Having lived in a house that was burglarized a couple of times it brings back a lot of anger.

The chances are slim, but I hope it shows up and the guy gets busted! I am grateful for insurance, but as in all vehicles it rarely covers replacement.

Grrrrrr.

G2

Upcoming

Enumclaw shows have majors for both boys and girls and I have one of each entered.
7-15-3-2 on Saturday
8-13-4-2 on Sunday
This area has become a crazy hub of Cardiness. So today the grooming begins in earnest. I have some "grow out" time and sadly may need it. Kate still hasn't gone "in" so I may pull her as the major is secure even without her for those needing it. It will all depend on how loose her joints are in two weeks. Nugget is fine and I am glad I scratched on the last show. He is delighted to be off of crate rest and once again body slamming Kate and hassling Henry...all the time with a goofy smile on his face. What a pup.

The little feed store in town is going out of business and I am very sad. They are having a liquidation sale, so I went in and bought a Coolaroo bed for the dogs. Just one. sigh. Yep. They are playing "king of the mountain" on the cot. Henry laid first claim to it. When I used to board him out in Port Townsend they used these kinds of beds, and perhaps that is why he is so insistent that it is his. With Henry it is always anyone's guess as to what he is thinking. The beds are so easy to clean as they are frames with shade cloth stretched across. I guess I will be making a couple more. It looks pretty easy to do with PVC pipe (this has a metal frame). My grand daughter even asked if she could sleep on it last night. (I think I would have let her, but she went home to sleep in her own bed.)


When I first began to notice Cardigan Corgis, the first thing I really loved was the fact that the boys were so brawny and the girls so dainty. I think that one should not have to do belly checks to know. Now I have a dainty, girly looking girl, and a big burly boy. It is so obvious. I love it. Nug, with all his hair, looks pretty close in size to Kate now. Some is hair, but with his giant bone he looks about the same. When I take the two out in public, even those who think I have the offspring of German Shepard and Dachshund breeding will ask if they are brother and sister. To me Nugget still looks like my little puppy, but I just want him to stay my little puppy for a while longer. I look at the win picture of his litter mate sister and can see that our babies are growing into very beautiful dogs now. What a mixed blessing it is.

I am off to do toenails. Henry scratched Mimi when he was trying to drag her to the pool stairs yesterday. He jumped in and grabbed her water wing and, without puncturing it, started pulling her. Her screams made him even more frantic, and he did learn his lesson well as to where the stairs are. Poor Henry will no longer be allowed on the pool deck when there are kids in the pool. He doesn't try to jump in with adults, but was definitely not having a nice enjoyable and fun swim when he jumped in yesterday. He was a dog on a mission and needed to save his damsel that must be in distress.

Then it is brushing and trimming on Nugget following a bath. Kate is just regrowing her coat and Henry is shedding out his. Ahhh, the joy of animals.

Oh, for those of you in the east sweltering, it is 11:45am and 62 degrees. I would really like to bottle this up and save it for the 15th and the triathlon...perfect weather, for me.

G2

A bit of history

In 1981 I met a person while I was taking a seminar for childbirth instructors. She had a couple of kids, of the two legged variety, as did I. We immediately connected and both of us were sure we had met somewhere before. She was moving up from California and settling in to the town to the north of me. We began doing classes and film showings together.

Flash forward a few years, a couple of kids, a couple of divorces, a lot of medical stuff, and three grandkids. For thirty years we had talked of a trip to Kentucky and Tennessee to see the leaves change color. After a bout with cancer (her), heart failure (me), the gimp disease thing (gee, that be me again), a DS kid with a whole package of medical things (again, her) I told her we needed to just do the trip and stop talking and dreaming about it.

(A couple of years before the trip I had flown out for a couple of days to meet with a motorcycle forum friend who had been in a horrific accident. I had promised that if he pulled through I would be there to help the family, and him, through those first reality checks following the loss of a leg. He made it, I went...and promised I would be back to see him once he was out of the wheelchair.)

Perfect! We would go. We would do a bunch of family history stuff on her side and I would get a chance to reconnect with friends. She was over and we bought the airline tickets. Were we crazy? Absolutely. Would we drive each other even crazier? Likely. However, this is like my sister. We knew when it was time to just give each other some space. We would either come home closer, or one of us would kill the other. Just like sisters, we are.

"We must blog," says she. "Eh?," says I. There is no way I am into keeping any kind of journal or diary. Never have, never will. But we had a very strange way of tickling each other's funny bone, and thus began "2Grandmas2." We blogged all through the trip. We were very sleep deprived. Neither of us had ever done anything like that trip before. We were two grandmas on a mission, but we had no idea where it would take us. I believe the count ended up being five states, eleven days, several tomatoes, heaven knows how many dead things on the road, a heckuva lot of y'alls and dahlens, and a friendship forever sealed in blood, sweat, and tears. She was S2, I G2.

She has since moved on from blogging. Perhaps all the doggy stuff drove her away. Perhaps she has moved to other things as I have moved to the doggy thing and triathlon thing. It's funny, as she was the instigator on this blog thing. She named it. She set it up. I stole it. I sometimes think I should spin off to another blog or two, but I can't let myself kill this one. There is way too much history here, and way too much future. So it will remain as it is.

2Grandmas2

So there you go.

G2

Oh, and the leaves changing? We blew it and went too early. I think it was our way of saying that we would be doing it again someday...

Oh Yes!!

Judge Evie Sullivan...I wish she had judged my dogs. It wasn't me after all. Some do indeed not only follow the standard, but are happy in the ring and vigilant in their checking of angles and proportions. Thanks, Judge, for giving me faith in the "system."

Polly Putt Putt goes for another point. She has made such an amazing turnaround; Jason and Alta were just what she needed to bring her out of her shell. I'm sure Kim will give the details. Caleb was a good boy as well. while he didn't get in the points he was happy and did what he was asked to do. He definitely wants his "mom" to handle him and works well with her. Nice job, Shep. Liam tried his hardest to get himself onto the table in a single bound. Nice catch, Mark. I enjoyed snuggles with my favorite girl pup, Shea. Like her brother she so easily settles in to lap dog. Neither pup showed this weekend; Shea was just there to cheer on her sisters. It was nice.

No, it was great! I had a great time today and am truly grateful for the northwest Cardigan group that has taken me in. Not only am I learning a lot, but have friendships that strengthen with each meeting.

AND, the icing on the cake? Nugget is doing great. Barely a limp now. I am so glad that I didn't push it.

G2