Some Updates and Photos

“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time.” ~ Leonard Bernstein

Once again I ask, "Where does time go?" Here it is Wednesday already; the week is half gone; the month is more than half gone, and I don't seem to have accomplished much. Granted, being away at a dog show on a weekend always puts me behind. Chores like dirty dishes, dirty laundry, dog grooming, etc. do not magically get done just because I don't want to do them.

Anyway, the chores are done, the grooming back on schedule.

Last weekend Walker and I went to the show in Rock Island, Illinois. I paid $10 for a reserved grooming space (well worth the cost!) so getting in the building, finding my spot (a nice one close to the door leading out to where the exercise pens were set up), and setting up was a snap. There were three Lhasa entries, one a class dog whose owner decided that since there were no points, she would save her gas money for another show. The other two of us were specials entered in the Best of Breed competition. Walker won Best of Breed both days, with both judges commenting on his color and his lovely coat and its texture.  Sadly, we did not place in the Group competition, but he showed really well. He turns it on when people applaud and cheer for him!

On Sunday the club also held veteran's competitions for dogs at least 7 years old. I entered Walker. He had no competition in Lhasas so we automatically went to the Non-Sporting Veteran Group, which I am pleased to say that we won. The long-coated standard Dachshund won Best Veteran in Show.

Ch. Joyslyn's Heartbreaker

Oh…speaking of Best in Show, the Shiba friends with whom I generally travel were in Ohio last weekend at the Nippo Classic. My friend Jane's Shiba (Waka) took Best in Show there. I was so excited and happy for her when she called with the news!

When I returned home on Sunday evening, Lynn was just finishing drying Breaker so we took a few pictures of him. His first shows as a special will be in Iowa City at the end of June. He is a pretty dog but will be a challenge for me after showing Walker for so long. Breaker does NOT like to stand still. I'm sure his antics and my attempts not to show exasperation will be cause for laughter among friends watching outside the ring!

Dreamer

I don't know about the rest of you, but the floods in the south along the Mississippi have certainly been giving me nightmares for the past three nights. I keep dreaming that we live near a river that is flooding and have to evacuate suddenly and leave the dogs behind. No matter how I replay it, the ending is always tragic. I wake up absolutely horrified and feeling ill. Many dog breeders and pet owners live in the flooded areas. I imagine they all have horror stories about the flood and what happened to their animals. My heart and prayers go out to all pet owners and farmers in those areas who have been forced by nature into abandoning animals dear to them.

Callie

Tempe

The puppies are doing well. I'm posting recent pictures of three of the four. Penny's pictures looked horrible (she was not cooperating!) so we need to retake some and just have not had time. Penny, who started out such a little thing, has grown so that now she and Dreamer are hard to tell apart at first glance. Dreamer's new owners are coming to get her over Memorial weekend. The other three are still waiting for homes.

Our son Trevor graduated this month (yippee) with his Bachelors of Music Degree in Jazz Performance. We are very proud of him. He is a fine guitarist. He and three friends have formed a metal band (Black Fast) that has just released their demo CD. Their playing is amazing, and I have come to appreciate a music genre that heretofore I did not want to listen to. (I still only listen to Black Fast so don't think I have totally changed my mind and entire personality and started buying heavy metal CDs! I take it in small doses!)

Speaking of music, I am back to my question about American Idol. Who will it be?  I was sad to see James leave the show. I liked his style and energy. I really cannot take Haley's screechy voice and hope she leaves on Thursday. While I am not much of a country music fan, I would much rather listen to either one of the other two sing than have to continue to listen to Haley! Tonight I will be grooming a dog or two while I watch American Idol.

Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!

Joyce