Life is Better When You Have A Lhasa To Love You!

I would not say life has been boring lately but not much has happened since my last post a couple weeks ago. In some ways, that is a very good thing! I was gone for 3 days and 3 nights to an early childhood conference in Springfield, IL. It was great, but by the last session on Friday, I was "conferenced out" and ready to go home.

So...how about our Congress? While this is certainly no political blog, the government shut-down and the controversies in Washington, DC, certainly are keeping the political commentators busy.

I am reminded of a song, sung by the character John Adams in the musical (one of my favorites) 1776. The song title is "Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve," and is Adams' lament to God on the behavior of his fellow congressmen and his frustration with their attitudes. The first verse says it all,


I do believe you've laid a curse on North America
A curse that we now here rehearse in Philadelphia
A second flood, a simple famine
Plagues of locusts everywhere
Or a cataclysmic earthquake
I'd accept with some despair
But, no, you sent us Congress.
Good God, sir, was that fair?
~from "Piddle, Twiddle, and Resolve," 1776

You can hear it on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr9jr56b1DE. The first verse ends at 0:58.


 In another part of the musical, the Adams' character states, "I have come to the conclusion that one useless man is called a disgrace, that two are called a law firm, and that three or more become a congress."

So after  recalling the song, I was prompted to see if I could find some other interesting quotations about politics and politicians. Here is what a quick search came up with:

"One thing our founding fathers could not foresee... was a nation governed by professional politicians who have a vested interest in getting reelected.  They probably envisioned a fellow serving a couple of hitches and then looking forward to getting back to the farm."   ~  Ronald Reagan

"If Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, produce nothing, and talk by the hour?" 
  ~  Thomas Jefferson

"I am persuaded that in the case of Congress, the overwhelming temptation is to conclude that it is more important for your constituents that you be reelected than to deal honestly with them."   ~ Senator James L. Buckley

"It's a sad day when members of Congress, who are literally criminals, go undisciplined by their colleagues.  It's no wonder that people look at Washington and know that this city is broken."  ~ Senator John Kerry

"Men who look upon themselves born to reign, and others to obey, soon grow insolent; selected from the rest of mankind their minds are early poisoned by importance; and the world they act in differs so materially from the world at large, that they have but little opportunity of knowing its true interests, and when they succeed to the government are frequently the most ignorant and unfit of any throughout the dominions."   ~  Thomas Paine

"Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself."
~ Mark Twain, A Biography

"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."  ~ Will Rogers

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money."  ~ Alexis de Tocqueville

And here is one final (I promise) from The Colbert Report as Stephen Colbert introduced a new board game, The Government Shut Down Home Game, and explained the rules: "The rules are I go first and I refuse to take my turn, and you can’t take yours until I’m done. I know you’re upset, but we’re both at fault here so let’s negotiate. I will agree to take my turn if you agree that I win."

 Enough about all that.

Now about Lhasas, mine in particular: I recently learned that losing is not a such bad thing, especially when winning would have meant a broken heart and a huge disappointment. So, here is the story:

You might recall that in August Duncan, Windy, Rafe and I went to shows in Lake Elmo, MN. The first two days of our 4-day weekend were Lhasa specialties, hosted by the Twin Cities Lhasa Apso Club. Windy was entered in the class she has always been entered in since she turned a year old—the 12-18 month bitch class. I entered her in the same class for the two days of the St. Croix Valley show as well as in the all-breed show that was held the two days after the specialty. She did nothing but win her class either day. Thank the Lord she did not take Winners Bitch! (Did anyone ever expect to hear me say that?) It seems that I had her entered in the wrong class. St. Croix Valley Kennel Club did not offer a 12-18 month class; instead they offered a 12-15 month class and Windy was 16 months old at that time in August. So, if she had happened to win, she would have gotten enough points to finish her championship but those points would later have been taken away because I my entry error. Whew!!! 

I also learned never to assume a kennel club will offer the usual 12-18 class and instead might do something out of the ordinary, like offer a 12-15 month class instead. This is a good reminder to always read the premium list before entering!

I did not find out about my error until I received letters from AKC demanding I return my ribbons to the St. Croix Valley show chairman. Panic! Where the heck were those ribbons??? I'd cleaned out my grooming bag—where I generally put the ribbons from each show—just two weeks earlier. It took me a while first to find out what I'd done with them and second to then go through them all to find Windy's blue ribbons from those particular shows. I sent them back and now hope everyone is happy.


Speaking of Windy, we are going to a show this weekend. I have a conflict on Sunday so was able to enter only on Saturday. I have high hopes that she will behave herself and show the spirit in the ring that she exhibits at home.


I received a nice email from Barbara, who bought a female from us a few years ago. She and her husband named her "Daisy." (She was Desi at our house.) Barbara sends a note every now and then, and I enjoy reading about Daisy.


This time Barbara sent pictures of Daisy helping out in the workroom. Daisy has a new title, "Workroom Assistant." Here she is, working hard at her job. LOL

Here are some excerpts from Barbara's email, "…just have to tell you again, Joyce what a gift you gave me and Tom when you said we could have Daisy. She is the BEST. Just have to tell you a story - now Tom has been gone two years already on August 22. Last week I was purging in the basement and came across a box that contained 15 of Tom's dress shirts. I looked at them and kept one of them which was my favorite…Went upstairs and put the shirt on the back of the chair in the bedroom. When I came in later, she [Daisy] took the shirt off the chair, had it on the floor, tucked it into a ball and was laying on it cuddled to it. After two years she still remembered Tom's scent…Daisy may not be able to talk like we do, but she surely gets her words of comfort and humor out with her actions. I really feel sorry for people that have not ever experienced the Love of a Lhasa Apso …"


I could not have said it better myself. Those of us who own them know

Life is better when you have a Lhasa to love you.

Joyce