Good Time!! Haunted Heart!! G.B. Wiggle!! Sixteen Step!! Tush Push!! Boot-Scootin Boogie!! Chicken Fried Country!!

So...How many of you know what the heck I am talking about? Any secret line-dancers out there? Or is this something you don't talk about?

I used to dance-- Two Step-- Electric Slide-- Texas Waltz-- YEARS ago~ and anyone that really knows me, knows that I love Country music.

I was raised on Country music- Johnny Cash- Patsy Cline- the late and the Great. I therefore raised my children on Pure Country and New Country; as babies they were "two-stepped" to sleep to tunes by Loretta Lynn; Pam Tillis; Reba McIntire.

Fast Forward to 2009...

Since I am taking a bit of a sabbatical from Dog Shows~ I decided that I needed a more "rounded" life. My favorite local Country band, Crazy Heart, sponsors Line Dance lessons at a local community center. Every Thursday evening you can now find Lisa and I at the community center learning the steps to the newest Line Dances--

AND~~ I am LOVING IT!!!~~ I haven't had this much fun since~~ my first Puppy Kindergarten Class~~

Of course, I am also discovering that along with age, comes the inability to remember left from right~ But thats all-good!! The rest of the class is middle-aged women and we all have the same problem!

You know... You really CAN teach an old Bitch new tricks!!!

Broadway Puppies Update

I figured it was about time for an update on the Broadway puppies...

The red puppies fascinate me! The female is getting deeper in color all the time, and as her pigment comes in, it looks like she just *may* have black pigment! {I have my fingers crossed on that one} The male puppy, on the other hand, has very little pigment coming in~ and his color is only deepening in splotches; over most of his body he is either white, or cream, or a very pale champagne. His ears are redder, and he has one deeper red spot on one side. It almost looks like a merle pattern-- but without any black, of course!!! Its very strange!!! I am taking lots of photos of the reds, and as soon as I can send the DNA in I will- I am anxious to find out what they "really" are!

The entire litter is very pretty- at two weeks, their eyes are open and their personalities are just starting to come out a bit. Lucy and Laurel are the most reactive- Morgan, so far, is the most laid back. [ Oh- thats the red bitch, the smallest blue dog, and the black dog, respectively] Everyone else is pretty much middle of the road! Oprah looks very much like her mommy did at this age... sigh...I could be so lucky!!

The litter is toddling about, peeking over the whelping box doorway, and starting to paw at each other in slow motion now. They are the best time wasters!! I have the hardest time getting anything done with baby puppies in the house!

Typically, I have had a few people -- pet people-- back out, now that they can send deposits!!! I am actually very happy with that-- since I had way more people on the waiting list than I have puppies! I have a feeling I am going to want to run on more than one of these puppies myself, and don't want to end up feeling forced to put a really lovely puppy in a companion home on a spay/neuter contract!

Hopefully I will have more photo's again soon!

The Babies are Here!

They're Here!

The much awaited Powell x Sera litter has arrived! Sera delivered 8 beautiful babies in 3 hours and 22 minutes (from first to last) with very little fuss or muss!

Like her mom, Vi, Sera is a Wonderful Mom Dog! She is keeping the box very clean, and puppies are plump and warm and quiet. She is so proud of herself!!

I was more than a little suprised, however, when puppy #2 arrived! Instead of the expected black or blue head-- out comes a WHITE head-- Upon drying-- and closer inspection-- I discovered it was actually a RED head!

W T F ???

Ok- I admit it-- My first thought was-- SHIT--- Since I wasn't there for the breeding-- (Sera was bred in Texas) I thought that "someone" let another dog get to Sera! I was FREAKING!! Then I thought for a second-- realized that Powell was bred by Lisa Phillips-- who had the first "known" Pinks... and Sera goes back to some of the older Joseter stuff...

Ta Da... "WOW... I have a Pink Puppy from a Blue to Black breeding" said I

As I grabbed for my cell phone (needed to talk to someone about this one- ) out comes puppy #3-- and it is another PINK--

Calm exterior is GONE-- Panic begins to set in--

Oh My God!!! What do I DO if my ENTIRE litter is NOTHING but Pinks???

My lifeline person (Thank you, Cindy) talked me off the ledge... and in due time, another black puppy and 4 blues were born...

So-- the final count is:

1 black male
1 black female
2 blue males
2 blue females
1 clear red male
1 clear red female

Watch for photos and updates-- I posted on SC-L-- and have gotten all kinds of advice on what I need to "do" with these puppies!!!

Let the fun begin!!

Sera's Big Belly

This is a new way to see Sera: 10 days before her due date, and almost scraping bottom! Poor Baby!!

Whatever happened to her level topline?? Hope it comes back when the bambino's arrive!!

Hello Again, World

So... my friends tell me I have to use my Blog to keep everyone updated on the puppies-to-be-- and my life in General..

I say-- Isn't Facebook and my Yahoo Group enough?

"Oh No" says they...

So...here is the Blog

Date line: Easton, PA- Monday, October 19, 2009

Sera-Bear has grown 10 inches at her last rib from her first breeding. 5" in the last 3 weeks. Its an AMAZING growth spurt. I have started taking her temp twice a day now, and she is not fond of that activity. The whelping area will be set up tonight - if I can get hubby dearest to remove the stuff piled in that corner of the office. I have tentatively scheduled Sera for xrays on Friday to do a puppy count.

School continues to frustrate me... I love the Medical classes- but my Speech and Communication class is misery; I like the materal- the professor- well- is not my style. Those of you that know me well can probably understand the situation! I need DETAILS! If we have a test-- we have a test and I will prepare for it. If the syllabus says we are going to be doing this-- then we should be doing that-- not singing and stuff!! It is good to know that I am not the only student that is frustrated with the class- but it is not going to help my grade any!! Midterms are this week- so I am half way through with this professor- and thankfully this is the only class I will have to take with her!

Things at home are crawling along. The kennel is finished- the rest of the downstairs is not. My husband seems to have lost his motivation -big suprise there! It is better than it was, but a long way from done.

It is very strange not having a dog to show- not even anything in the wings. Fes is in his new home, and doing very well- I don't have anything worthy of being specialed- and no time to run to shows every weekend if I did! I am still training, but my Agility Instructor, Janet, has shut down for the winter, and I haven't made arrangements for another class for Bugsy and Jitterbug. So- right now, I am feeling rather at loose ends, with just the one Obedience class per week with Bugsy, and training on my own at home with Jitterbug...

Oh- we went to my neice's wedding on Cape Cod- it was a Beautiful Fall weekend! Of course, since it was my sisters "to-do" everything was picture perfect - No Way would God DARE rain on -HER- plans!!- :) - There was no blood shed- everyone got along nicely and we had a great weekend away!

And.... thats my life in a nutshell these days!

See-- isn't that boring??

The Power of Dogs

Isn't it amazing how powerful the bond we have with our dogs can be?

I mean- I was having a HORRIBLE day today-- one of those days that makes you wonder who you pissed off "Upstairs" to ruin your life so badly-- A real " I hate myself, my life and everyone in it" kind of day---- know what I mean??

But...Tuesday is Rally Training night~ and it was Bugsy's last Rally class. Plus, I had to bake frigging Cookies to celebrate Bugsy's birthday- of all things- to take to class. (I bet you can tell how much I felt like doing that!)

I SERIOUSLY did not want to go to class- Hey- I didn't even want to get dressed today! But for Bugsy I went- after all, it wasn't HIS fault I was in such a funk- and he does like to go to training.

Somehow- Bugsy knew I was in a bad mood- and he did everything his little blue brain could think of to improve my mood! He worked BEAUTIFULLY~ He "grinned" at me and wagged his tail; jumped and woofed and danced so he could make me smile. While we waited between runs, he jumped up on the bench and sat beside me, shared treats, and gave me cardi-kisses!

Now- please tell me-- how can I stay in a bad mood when I am lucky enough to own such a wonderful dog??

Moving Forward

I have been unemployed for just about 2 months now- and I guess thats my mental limit.

Before I was laid off, when we all KNEW it was coming, I had these grand plans for my 'down-time'!! I was going to sit home, collect unemployment (for the first time in my life!!) get a tan, spend time training the dogs, go back to school, go to dog shows, relax, organize the house, remodel the kennel, decorate the living room...etc...etc... I think, since I KNEW I was going to be unemployed at some point, I was almost looking forward to it!

HOWEVER- I was totally unprepared for how it was going to effect me emotionally~ and ~ completely out of my element with being a "stay at home" person!!

I am- to put it mildly- BORED OUT OF MY SKULL!!

It's not that I don't have THINGS to do! I definitly COULD be training the dogs, organizing the house, working on the new kennel, decorating the living room- Hell-- I could be cleaning- and gardening- and grooming!

But most mornings I find myself having a hard time doing ANYTHING!!!

I am enrolled in school- but class doesn't start until August. I am going to dog training classes- several of them- and I do work the dogs- but there is a limit to how long and how often you can train a Corgi; they are too darn smart and they burn out fast!!

I would be going to more dog shows- but that involves spending money- which I am having a hard time justifying- since I have a reduced income. My specials bitch has dropped all of her coat and my class puppy dog is really not at all competative yet- so there is no sense in giving my money away to the kennel clubs and then giving breed points away, too! So I am staying home more!

I think the dogs and my husband- and even my sons- are LOVING that I am home all the time.

But I'm not! I feel like I don't have a purpose- I guess I was just MEANT to be a worker-bee; even though I have so often been accused of being the Queen Bee!!

I can't wait for this economy to turn around!!!!!!!!