“What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps
me in a continual state of inelegance”
~ Jane Austen
This horrible heat and
drought has definitely had an adverse effect on our lawn, flowers, shrubs, and
trees. We have dead leaves all over the back yard, nearly bare branches on the
shrub in the front yard, and no flowers left to brag about, in spite of trying
to keep them all watered. The corn fields look awful and I imagine food prices
will start to increase even in anticipation of a weak harvest. Oh fun!
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| Griffin I lounging on his swing in the shade |
As far as the people and dogs
at our house…well, all I can say is, "Thank God for air conditioning."
I pray daily that ours doesn't break down.
So what have I been doing in
the two weeks since my last post? I don't even remember most of it! We've been discussing
plans for a make-over of our family room. (My husband watches too much DYI
television!) Why do projects which seem so straightforward and fairly simple turn
into costly, involved projects that entail more work than seemed necessary at
the onset? What began as "Let's replace this old carpet" has become
"Since we're going to do all that work, let's put up new wallpaper"
to "what about adding a fireplace" to "we need an electrician to
run a new wire for the fireplace" to … well, you get the idea. Someday
I'll let you know what we finally decide!
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| The latest photo of Gabe |
Fortunately, my husband is
quite handy with building and renovating things, so that will save us some
money. I am not sure about the wallpaper though. We tried a couple of times to
hang wallpaper as a team in the early days of our marriage. After those
experiences, we did not try again. I thought then that pre-marital counseling
simply needs to be replaced by giving a couple contemplating marriage a room in
which to hang wallpaper together. The room should have at least one door and a
couple of windows and at least one corner should be off square. The wallpaper
definitely needs a pattern that requires matching. If their relationship
survives wallpapering that room, their marriage has a good chance of survival
as well.
Last week went by amazingly
fast. Flash (now Lucky) left early Wednesday morning. I was disappointed that I
was not going to get to meet his new owners because I had to leave at 5:30 AM Wednesday
to get to Springfield for a 2-day mini-conference. Fortunately, they got into
town Tuesday night and were able to come to our home to meet Lucky (and me).
Ted sent me an email describing their trip back to Winnipeg and saying, "All day Thursday he
played, slept, played and was a bundle of joy throughout the day. The
bottle bunny you gave us is his favorite toy. He loves the noise and
so do I. His disposition is excellent and seems very happy. A lot of
the credit has to go to the breeder and his parents. Thursday night he was
put into his carryall again and again a couple of barks and went to sleep until
Friday morning. The routine you had him on works well for our schedule and
will definitely help Lucky to adjust to his new surroundings…We have him
at the office today and is a hit with the staff, and of course he is performing
for everyone..."
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| Zeus & Zora at a soccer game |
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| Zora, looking much like Rafe! |
I've
been getting some updates and photos from most of Rafe's siblings' owners.
Sister Zora and her buddy Zeus enjoy going to soccer games and cheering on
their "kids." Brother Gabe spent some time with his trainer while his
owner was out of town for her work. Griffin II had a similar, but longer,
experience when his people went to Ireland. Griffin I remains a hit with
everyone he meets. I've included some photos that were sent.
As
for Rafe, he is gorgeous and has such a great disposition. After I returned
from Springfield Thursday evening, I got him and Maggie groomed and all the
show "stuff" packed in the car. I was in bed and asleep by 10:30. The
alarm went off at 2:10AM. The dogs and I left at 3:30 for Waukesha, Wisconsin,
and the dog shows being held there. (Another thing I am grateful for is 5 hour
energy drinks.) I enjoy going to those shows mostly because it gives me a
chance to see friends and hang out with other Lhasa breeders. The enjoyment is
certainly not because of the show itself. It is an outdoor show, and this year
the rings were awful. The grass had not been mowed and big clumps of weeds (the
only green things still alive in the heat) made smooth movement difficult. Of
course, the heat was exhausting and the humidity was high, especially under the
tents, which allowed for shade but trapped the heat and humidity. Dogs and
people suffered. We could not wait to show and go!
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| Griffin II, caught pestering that darn cat! |
Friday
was the Greater Milwaukee Lhasa Apso Club's Specialty show. The judge was Kathleen
Kolbert. Although Rafe was not thrilled to be walking through the grass/weeds,
he did well. He took Winners Dog (a 3 point major), Best of Winners, and Best
Puppy in Specialty. Maggie took Reserve Winners bitch. Sadly, that day was the
high point of the weekend for both of them. Oh well, "another day, another
dog show," as the saying goes.
Saturday,
Rafe was reluctant to move and I do not blame the judge for ignoring him. Maggie took 3rd out of a class of
5. She did the same on Sunday. On Sunday, Rafe showed a lot better and I
thought we might have a shot at the points again. Alas, he took Reserve.
We
have three weekends of showing in August. Maggie needs three single points to
get her championship. Rafe needs seven single points to get his. I hope they
make some progress at these upcoming shows!
Speaking
of shows, I've attached a flyer for the American Lhasa Apso Club's National
Specialty show, which will be held in mid-October. If you need a vacation in
October and want to see a lot of lovely Lhasas, join us in Mansfield, MA, for a
week that is sure to be "Lhasa fun." My puppy Windy will be old
enough to show that weekend so I may enter her in one or two of the shows for
fun. There is no need to overdo it with a young puppy.
Stay
cool! Enjoy the photos—and wish Maggie, Rafe, and me safe travel and good luck
at the shows!
Life
is good when you have a Lhasa to love you!
Joyce
P.S. I've been getting emails from people inquiring about our next litter. All I can say is that it is still very much in the planning stage. If we do decide to do a breeding, it will more than likely happen in September or October and the puppies will not be ready for new homes until February or March.
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