First two points

are out of the way.

Thanks, Auntie Kim, for delivering the news. I hope he sees the ring next week. Poor numbers (read: NO competition) has kept him from even entering. Grandma Kim has agreed that he should go in next week anyway, so will get the ball rolling on that with the handler. I think ring time is never bad for young dogs.

I now can go about my business feeling like this was all worth something. That is a very good thing, as I have really missed him.

Go Nuggie bug. Make me proud-er

G2

Halfway

I suppose it is time to update, but I have been keeping busy doing who knows what, and other things of utmost importance.

So far the Nugg-butt has had no competition on the circuit he is doing. NONE. No competition means "why bother." This weekend may be different, or at least I can hope. The handler is doing well with him, and at last contact said he was learning Nugget's "buttons." That is a good thing. So it will be up to me to get him in the ring and showing well, starting the weekend after he comes home, with Seattle. A venue that rates as my number two most hated. Crazy, loud, indoor, with no where to pee and poop the dogs. Seattle, however, takes the top spot as far as cost. So it goes, and I just need to concentrate hard on taking the learning he is getting from the handler and keeping it going. Hopefully he will be home in time to do a drop in handling class before the ring. He is good, but I feel a bit out of the loop. I think two weeks after Seattle is Bremerton, which is my neighborhood. Easy and cheap. Little gas, no ferries and cheap parking. A nice relief after Seattle. Show season is officially heating up.

Speaking of heat; nothing on Kate. I think she is waiting for Nugget to come home. At least he is used to crate time now. It sure would have been nice to have had it over with while he was gone. Not to be. At this point I haven't a clue when she will come in. I'm sure she will surprise me one of these mornings. Perhaps if I plan something big for myself...

Grand girl number three turned five yesterday. How can it be? She is such a crack up. In typical fashion I gave her a kid safe digital camera. The older two both have them. It is such fun to see what they come up with. If I could only get their parents to download some pictures and send to me...tap, tap, tap.

The Daddy heard me tap and sent a pile of pictures. This little camera allows for some, uhhh, creative picture taking.

The birthday girl:


A picture she took of her Mommy:


And of her sister:


and one I took of her with the banner the girls made welcoming Mommy home:




The snow is coming down now, and it is quite pretty. Last night it was a raging storm on the east side of the Sound, and I was more than a little nervous about what home would hold. I had watched two of the girls for a couple of days, which meant I also had to borrow a car as my truck won't hold two booster seats. Then, of course, when time was up I needed to take the car, and kids, back. My truck snuggly tucked in the carport. It is only a wee bit over a mile from the house to the ferry dock, I think. So, I figured I would drop the car where it belonged and go back to spend some time with the kids, then my son would drop me at the ferry in the early afternoon when he went to pick up his wife at the airport. Nope. He went to work, then from work to the airport, then to the hospital to drop of wife's brother, then home. Then we have to take the girls and Mom to brother's house so she can get the nieces and take all the kids to swim lessons, which ended up being scratched as the mini van that she thought was parked in brother's garage was actually in use by HIS wife, so no room to take four kids to swimming in his small car. (Following this?) So, it is now five and the snow is coming down harder by the minute. Big, sloppy, wet. I get to the ferry and know it will be dark when I walk home. I can only hope it won't be as wet and cold as it would be walking a mile in the Seattle slop. It will be the 6:10 ferry out of Edmonds, so about 6:40 into Kingston. As we reach the halfway mark on Puget Sound I can see the lights in Kingston. That means that it is not raging as it was to the east. I tried to call the neighbor and no one was home, or perhaps no one was answering the phone. I will be walking.

It was pretty out. Very, very light snow falling. Very chilly, but I intend to power walk home, so that could be a good thing. I check my watch and it is 6:44 when I head off the ramp. All is good on the main drag...gee, maybe because there are streetlights!! As soon as I turned down the street that my little road leads off of, I could see that there would be issues requiring me to slow down. I could no longer see where I was stepping, for one. No street lights. There was just enough traffic that I could get a general idea of the layout and where my road began. No sidewalks, so I walked in the road unless a car was coming. Once I got to my gravel road I was in deep doo-doo. I got here, all is grand. I must admit to wanting to woo the man on the ferry with the little gas scooter. Five minutes after I got home the snow really started coming down. Time of arrival? 7:05. Not too bad considering I felt like I was crawling up my road. However, this is not something I would ever choose to do again.

So today I should be house cleaning, and instead I sit here at the computer. I watch the snow falling, and feel my sore throat, and am quite content with the two sleeping dogs at my feet.

So, halfway done with Nugget's time away. I am halfway sick with a sore throat and stuffy nose. My house is halfway clean.

It sure is pretty out there...

G2

My week of driving

It was a week of crazy for me, and for the truck. I suppose for Nugget as well. It was also a week of learning, a week of sushi eating, a week litter naming, a week of laughing, and a week of shedding a tear or two.

Nuggie bug is officially a grown up. He learned about what it takes to be a daddy dog. After two trips across the pond for that we loaded up and headed south for a three week stint with the handler. Boot camp for doggies. As with my oldest human son, this was a tough one as well. I really love the family he is with. It was surprisingly easy to leave him. Or so it seemed. What I find now is that I just can't think about him. I know after a few days it will be better. I know after that first call on Monday evening, when I hear that all is well, I will be better. I hope that by Monday Kate is also better.

Today when we went out to do chores and have the first morning "fetch" session I had to throw out three balls for two dogs. Neither of the other two would go after the first ball, as that has always been Nugget's ball. I guess he must be top dog, eh? So I did the obligatory throwing of the first pitch, then left it and played with the other two. These guys are so much into routine that it makes me insane.

Henry, for example, knows that first thing in the morning the dogs go outside, then I use the bathroom. As soon as he comes in he runs to the bathroom and sits at the doorway and barks for me. Like I don't know that I need to go? Perhaps I might have forgotten where it is? I often try to change up the routine just to mess with his head. And it does! However, there is only so long that I can do the potty dance before I really have to use the bathroom. (I must get the other toilet changed out so that I don't have to use the one that he insists I use!) I hate when people know "my routine" and I doubly hate that I am so predictable that even my dog knows it. (For what it is worth, if I don't feel I can wait for the dogs, then I leave my leg off and hop to the bathroom. None of the dogs budge from the bed unless I put my leg on. As soon as it is on it means "time to get up." sigh)

I looked up Kate's heat dates for the past three seasons and it looks like she could come in anywhere from about a week, to one month and two weeks. She has cycles that are 6-7.5 months in length. My luck will be that it will happen as Nugget returns. No, he will not get a crack at her yet. However, there are pups (hopefully) coming to my neck of the woods. Also hopefully one will be a suitable "wife" for the Nug-butt. Being new to this whole breeding dogs thing, and very much NOT superstitious, I think it may be time to announce that my girl will be Casper's mystery date next month. Stunning fronts, gi-normous ears, and for me (hopefully) an improved top line. The icing on the cake is that they really love each other. From the first visit she thought he was husband material. He seems pretty smitten with her as well. So, fingers crossed as Europe meets west coast...healthy little blue sushi rolls to come in late spring/early summer.

Enough thinking about dogs. I am feeling a bit "verklempt." Time to clean.

G2

Saturday morning

I had the opportunity to support some of the grandkids on their very first "race." I dusted off Uncle Morgan's cowbells and headed to the ferry.
This was also a 5K race that their Daddy was running.

As the crowd gathered I handed out the cowbells and the girls decided amongst themselves how they would be shared. It is a serious business to cheer on the adult runners.



and hard work!


Daddy couldn't stand still. He was a very proud man that day, watching his daughters and nieces prepare for their first race.


After he crossed the finish line, with great time, I might add...


It was time to prepare the kids for their race. There was stretching.


and of course the pep talk


the girls ran a fine race


Ribbons were handed out, but the best reward was this:


What a great day!!

G2

Lots of blue puppies

just saying...

Mark Thorson photo

This is one handsome hunk-a-burning-love.

You go, Casper.

My "big boy"

Yep, officially no longer a puppy, my Nugget.

He is to be off on his show adventure next week, but first up is a bit of business. I am just hoping that all will be right with the universe and he can do his thing and still make it to the handler on time.

The nail biting continues.

G2

The Nugg-man's prelims

look pretty darn good!

Next up is an eight show stint with a pro handler. My baby is growing up and I lose another kid to boot camp.

G2

Puppy love