The Birthday Girls

Happy Birthday to our crazy girls Stella and Amy!

I love you with all of my heart. xo xo -CS ^..^

Westminster Dog Show, Part Two

As promised, here are some more photos of our day at Westminster 2009. While it may look very glamorous on TV, here is our reality at 5:30 AM at Madison Square Garden. You have to enter by going up a long ramp and take the freight elevator to the benching and grooming area. Here is Mary Elizabeth. She looks entirely too perky for such an un-Godly hour, doesn't she? And this is before we found Starbucks...

Some of our stuff on the dolly. Luckily we had my husband

and our friend Al to help us throughout the day. They were

parking the van at this point and met us at the bench. Thanks

to Al who took many of these photos as well! Click on the photos to enlarge.

Westminster is a benched show. This means the dogs must be in their assigned benching area throughout the day unless they are being groomed, are in the ring or are taking care of potty business.

Speaking of 'potty business' here's a funny little story. Bridget's bench mate, Tedi B stayed across the street at the Hotel Pennsylvania with her owner and our friend Jane O'Neil. Tedi B simply would not 'go' outside on the city concrete or in the indoor shavings pens. At the crack of dawn, Jane found herself taking a taxi to Central Park so Tedi could 'go.' She just needed a little patch of grass, that's all. As soon as she hopped out of the $24.00 cab, she did her business right away. Jane said it was the most expensive poop she has ever seen.

Here is Bridget's bench as we were setting up.

We decorated it with little hearts for

Valentine's Day.

Taking a break.... It is SO crowded!

Bridget waiting ringside for the Corgis to be called in.

She hasn't been shown in such a long, long time. But she is a

true showgirl at heart, Miss Bridget. She loves being in the

ring and remembers just what she needs to do.

Mary Elizabeth did such a great job presenting her. Bridget loves her.

Come to think of it, all dogs love Mary Elizabeth. She is like Snow White.

(Sometimes I think there are little bluebirds and woodland creatures following her...)

left to right: Rowdy, Ike, Bridget and Tedi B on the bench at the

end of the night. They were SO ready to go home!

The following familiar and favorite photos were in the scrapbook we brought with us for the spectators at Westminster.

Making snow angels....

Bridget's puppies have lovely families!

It is said that there is nothing like the Westminster Kennel Club dog show. While it is an exhausting and long, hectic day, I highly recommend that every dog lover experience it. There you will find hundreds of show breeders who put their heart and soul into the preservation, improvement, protection and welfare of their breed.

If you are considering getting a Corgi, a good place to start is the PWCCA. Each club member (and all of their regional affiliate club members) must sign and adhere to a strict code of ethics. Each member is responsible for every dog they breed or any puppy produced by one of their dogs for the life of the dog, no matter what. Do your homework and get references. When you buy your dog from one of these breeders, you will have someone you can go to for help or questions for the life of your pet. Breeding stock must be screened for known health issues and the utmost care is taken to breed dogs with excellent temperaments. Many regional and national club members also work very hard in Corgi rescue. Most purebred rescues that are found in shelters come from dogs that were purchased at pet shops and came from puppy mills or breeders whose 'responsibility' ends when their check has been cashed. Corgi rescue workers spend many weeks caring for, rehabilitating, evaluating and earning the trust of their little rescues in order to find them the right home. The PWCCA and her regional affiliate club members are not allowed to sell their dogs to pet shops and do their best to match up their puppies to the potential owners. Sometimes there are 'older' dogs and retired young Champions that are available from one of these breeders. These dogs are usually trained and (bonus!) housebroken and make wonderful family pets as well.

If you purchased your beloved dog from a pet store, don't despair. My first dog came from a pet store many years ago. If people stop buying dogs from pet stores, the puppy mills will stop breeding them. Know where your puppy is from. Learn why it is important not only for the dog you will get, but for the welfare of future generations of the breed. What is it that Maya Angelou said? "You did what you knew, and when you knew better, you did better." I love that. The important thing is to educate ourselves and others and to help each other make informed choices in the future.

The future of our beloved Corgis (or any purebred dog!) depends on it! -CS ^..^

Tea Party At Roseann's...

My dear friend Roseann invited me to a special Valentine's Tea Party today. Roseann made all of these delectable little sweets, scones and savories for us. She is a fantastic cook and baker. (She really needs a blog of her own!)

It was Ro, Stephanie, Sylvia and I. Another friend, April, couldn't make it. We are a close-knit little group of friends. I love them dearly. You've seen 'Sex and the City?' Well, that's not us. We're more like, "Kids and the Suburbs." Yeah, that's us. Over the years, we've all been there for each other through joys and sorrows, silly and serious, laughter and tears. I can't even begin to express how much they mean to me.

You can click on this photo to enlarge her lovely menu.


Syl brought a jasmine tea flower. It 'blooms' in the boiling water. Pretty and brews delicious tea. .

Stephanie brought a CD of Jane Austen's favorite music that was recorded in Jane Austen's home! She always finds cool stuff like that.

I know, I'm so lucky. And yes, it was as delicious as it looks! She even sent us home with beautiful Valentine boxes of goodies. Thanks, Ro. I love you with all of my heart. xo xo Cat ^..^

Love Is In The Air

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a lovely Valentine's weekend surprise to find that Susan over at T Party (one of my very favorite haunts) bestowed her Kindred Spirits Award to The Christmas Corgi. She said such nice things about me that she is making me blush. THANK YOU, Susan! Do pop over to visit her blog and web shops. A link to T Party can always be found on my sidebar as well.

Wishing you all bluebirds, chocolate, love songs and Corgi kisses on this

Happy Valentine's Day! xo xo -CS ^..^

Westminster!

Thank you to everyone for the calls and emails about Bridget's Award Of Merit at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show yesterday. Mary Elizabeth and I were thrilled and grateful to Mrs. Donna Francis for the honor. We are so happy for Cheryl, Ed and Liz and their lovely boy Spencer who won Best of Breed. He is such a great dog. Bridget told me she has a little crush on him. Here is a link to the WKC video of the Corgi breed judging. Mary Elizabeth is in the red jacket and black skirt. Congratulations to Carly on BOS and Rowdy on his AOM. All of the entries looked spectacular.
Although we were all exhausted by the end of the day, we did have a great time. I will post more photos as I get them. -CS ^..^

Sick and Twisted

Lavonne's Mama Sheep and their lambs.

My friend LaVonne in Montana is having a really nice giveaway on her blog to celebrate and promote the CSA that she is forming. A CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Traditionally a CSA is formed by those who have huge farms. The idea is to get members or subscribers to 'become part of your farm' and reap the benefits of the harvest. Since LaVonne raises sheep, she put a twist on this concept in that she is using her own wool to form this CSA that she has named "Sick and Twisted." After the March shearing, her wool will be spun into a lovely Shetland and Romney cross yarn. I can personally tell you that this wool is lovely, having used it in my own projects. The winner will receive 4 skeins of Serenity Sheep yarn or roving. I hope it is me :) Here is a link to her blog post where you can read more about it and to her etsy shop, which can also be found on her blog. Check the Feb 4 and Jan 31 posts. There's always a link to LaVonne on the sidebar of my blog as well.


On another note, a big bloggy "Thank You" to Linda over at The Briar Rose Gate for this art blog award. Do stop by her blog and check out her lovely work! (Kristen S., she's got Jethro Tull playing.....)

I'm supposed to list seven things I love and then pass it on. Linda picked seven scents she loves. I think I will pick seven things I love about Corgis.

1) The happy nub wag (or tail wag on a Cardi)

2) How happy they are while making tunnels when running through newly fallen snow.

3) Their sixth sense which draws them into the kitchen whenever you open the fridge.

4) When they sleep on their backs with their little legs in the air.

5) Those wonderful ears.

6) Their swishy pants.

7) How they look when they are lying down with their legs in a frog splat, head down on their paws and their eyebrows shift when they are looking around without lifting their heads.

I'm passing this award on to Karen and Emily. Do check out their lovely blogs and artwork!

Have a happy day my little Corgettes! xo xo Cat ^..^