Brown eyed girls -- Redux

Seems like there are a fair number of songs about brown eyes.  Here are some I found in a quick Google search:

A Pair of Brown Eyes - Peter Case
Brown Eyed Girl - Everclear/Van Morrison/Weezer
Brown Eyes - Destiny's Child

Brown Eyes -- Lady Gaga
Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes) - Mint Condition
Ebony Eyes - Bob Welch
Ebony Eyes - Stevie Wonder
Don't Make My Brown Eyes Blue - Crystal Gayle
Your Big Brown Eyes and My Big Broke Heart - The Russian Futurists

Breathe - Paula Deanda

Lookin in your big brown eyes - Bob Marley

Can you think of any that are missing? 

P.S.  My mom was a brown-eyed girl, and if she were still alive, today would be her 95th birthday.

Feverfew

I planted feverfew several years ago and now, it reseeds itself with abandon. It's fun to see where it will pop up next. This year it can be found under the nectarine and lemon trees and growing up through the slats of the backyard bench.

Feverfew is believed to have medicinal properties. You can read about them here.

P.S.  I had no idea NIH had a center for complimentary and alternative medicine.  Did you?

Hey, check this out!

Hey, check  this out! Darby's tongue is FAMOUS!

All in the family

The family Canidae, that is!

Canidae is the family of carnivorous mammals commonly known as canines. It includes dogs, wolves, foxes, coyotes and jackals.  The first clearly identifiable member of the dog family Canidae appears in the fossil record about 40 million years ago.  It is named Prohesperocyon wilsoni and was found in what is now southwestern Texas. You can read more about the canidae family here.

The Cardigan Welsh Corgi is considered a very old breed, but its existence is only traced back 3,000 or so years.  You can read more about Cardigans here.

Detente

dé·tente  

n. 

1. A relaxing or easing, as of tension between rivals.

2. A policy toward a rival nation or bloc characterized by increased diplomatic, commercial, and cultural contact and a desire to reduce tensions, as through negotiation or talks.

 

There was peace among the animals in our house yesterday evening--if only for a few minutes when the dogs were too tired from retrieving the ball to care that Harry was within reach.

From my corner of the sofa

Sheep and Goats

You've gotta check out this Cardi!

Then check out these photos of Bonnie from this time last year:

Darby was just a baby, too young to go in with the sheep, and spent most of the afternoon sleeping in Aunt Kathy's lap in the shade:

Play

"If you must play, decide on three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stakes, and the quitting time.” -- Chinese Proverb

Darby and Bonnie seem to have no trouble deciding on all three things.

The rules of the game seem (to me) to be "anything goes." Bonnie prefers grabbing Darby by the neck; Darby usually shoulders her way up to Bonnie and bites at her legs (or cankles!) but, neither girl is above nipping at any body part that gets in the way.

The stakes are never high. They both know the prize is fun and neither seems to want it at the expense of the other.

And, the quitting time? Well, that is the one thing they often disagree about! Bonnie usually has had enough long before Darby wants to stop and she doesn't hesitate to let her quitting time be known!

High tailing it around the yard

OK.  So I think the expression "high tailing it" has its origins with deer, not dogs, and particularly white-tailed deer who lift their tails like flags when they run, especially if startled.  White-tailed deer are also known as "Virginia deer" although they can be found in many places in the US.  You can read about them heer, oops, I mean "here",  if you are so inclined.

Stalking

It got away.  From Darby, and from me!  I should have taken a photo without "it," but I didn't think of that until now!

Early Sunday morning wanderings

A pretty time of year

It's a pretty time of year here in the foothills outside of San Diego. The morning overcast that sometimes lingers well into the afternoon closer to the coast, burns off early 25 miles inland, but the temperatures are not yet climbing much past 80 degrees. That will end soon!

Lots of things are growing--like these suckers on the cottonwood tree that everyone told us not to plant but that we planted anyway because we love the way the leaves look and sound in the wind. (Between the cottonwood, the gophers and water restrictions, our lawn is a disaster!)

The tag for this rose is long gone. I have no idea what is is called, but the flowers grow in huge bouquets and the smell is wonderful.

I once read that everyone in Southern California grows Lily of the Nile "because we can."

I think the pretty late-springtime garden is a nice backdrop for the girls.

I GOT A NEW CORGI!

I got a new Corgi!

You can get one, too, right here!

P.S.  I also bought the little rats on the button page!

Ears

For a view of a magnificent pair of ears, please check out the post on Darby's brother Sammy's blog here.

If you don't hear from me for a few days, know that I wasn't able to overcome my urge to drive to Arkansas to steal Zoe. 

Here's a photo of Darby's ears this week last year:

Man! Was I ever worried about her ears!

P.S.  See that pretty succulent in the photo?  It's gone...Darby took a real liking to ripping pieces off then running around the yard with them!  It's the only thing she has destroyed.

Dirty Mouth?

I think someone could use some Orbit gum!

To Erika from Bonnie

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!

From your little dog-girl!

 

 I can't wait for summer to be over so Grandma can send me to you in our new home in Virginia.

Stopping

Looks like they're stopping to smell the roses.

 

 But, if you look a little closer, you'll notice they aren't interested in the roses...

An Interview with Leda Thompson

If you've done any cruising of blogs you'll notice that people interview other people all over the place.  I guess it really isn't any different from what's been done in print magazines and newspapers for a long, long time. 

I thought it would be fun to learn a little more about Darby's breeder, Leda Thompson, who is the Arkansas side of Coedwig Cardigan Welsh Corgis and I thought you might be interested, too.

So, here is my interview with Leda.

MJ:  Who was/is your first Cardi?

LT:  After watching the Westminster Kennel Club show year after year, and saying "got to check out those Cardigan Corgis",  in the March of 1999, I decided to do a search for Cardigan breeders.  I assumed they would be far and few between, and especially far.  Imagine my surprise, when I located a breeder only 40 minutes away.  I went out to visit and learn about Cardigans and met who is now my kennel partner, Kim Shira.  I also met Glacier (Ch. Coedwig's Blue Glacier, RN), who was only 3 months old at the time and fell in love with him.  Kim and I became friends and she was my mentor for the show ring and breeding.  We would go to shows together and I learned the ins and outs of showing.  In December of 2000, after he completed his championship, Glacier came to live with me and Kim gave me a brindle bitch puppy, Fancy (now Ch. Spectrum Cerea "So Fancy")  who was my first "official" Cardigan.

"Fancy"

MJ:  How and why did you get started breeding Cardigan Welsh Corgis?

LT:  The How:   Working with Kim, my first breeding was my girl Fancy, who produced Princess (Ch. Coedwig's Ice Princess) my first champion, and in turn she and Glacier produced the lovely Lilac (Ch. Coedwig's Moonlit Lilac), 

Fancy and Carbon produced Ch. Coedwig's Optimystique (aka Mystique, aka Miss Stinky), who loves agility and took to it like a duck to water.

The Why: Kim and I breed to produce our next show dogs and, of course, to improve our lines to maintain the breed standard.  Our motto is "Striving for Perfection".

Fancy's first litter

Princess -- From Fancy's first litter

Mystique and agility tire

MJ:  If you were talking to someone who knows nothing about Cardigans, what would you say was their best quality, trait, or habit?

LT:  The Cardigan is such a magnificent dog.  Loyal, loving, funny, active, They have a great ability to learn.  Cardigans do well in all performance venues--obedience, agility, herding, even tracking.   I don't think there is really one best quality, as each Cardigan has its own endearing qualities, which is why they are so beloved by their owners.

MJ:   Now, of course, we want to hear what you think is the worst thing about Cardigans!

LT:  Because  they are herding dogs, most people believe that their nipping/herding is probably their worst trait.  If you have more than two--they do love to bark a lot.

MJ:  About how many litters do you help raise each year?

LT:  Right now I limit it to one, possible two litters a year.  It depends on when and which bitches come in to season, age, etc.

MJ:  If one of our readers is interested in breeding Cardigans, or any dog for that matter, what advice would you give them?

LT:   Be prepared--both financially and emotionally.  Breeding and whelping a litter can be very expensive.  First, if you are doing it right, you have had all the health clearances for your breed done.  Then there is the cost of keeping your breeding bitch in optimum health--good food, supplements, medical care.  Be prepared for the cost of a c-section and follow-up care of the mother and puppies.  There is always the possibility of losing the bitch and/or puppies during the whelping process.  You should also be prepared to raise the litter for a number of months if you are unable to find good, loving homes.

To anyone who believes you can make a lot of money breeding purebred dogs--if you do it right, you will be happy to just "break even".

MJ:  Do you have an all-time favorite Cardigan?  We won't tell the others!
 
LT: I had to think long and hard about that.  Carbon, of course, was the greatest to Kim and myself.  Among my gang--it would be hard to choose just one, as each has a personality or quality that is dear to me.  (Each also has a way of driving me crazy).

Rocco (Am/Int'l Ch. Coedwig's Roc Around the Clock, CD, RA, TDI/CGC) has the most titles. and is my Velcro dog.   He produced my latest champion, Ch. Coedwig's Play it Again Sam. [MJ's note: he is Darby's papa, too!]  Vickie (Ch. Coedwig's Painted Lady) is probably my prettiest Cardigan.
 

 Vickie and her litter (Leda's latest litter)

Leda and some of her gang

MJ:  Thank you, Leda, for taking time away from your gang, your work, and everything else that makes up your very busy life to answer my nosy questions! And thank you, once again, for causing my little four-legged brat, Darby, to be in my life! 

P.S.  One more question: With all those Cardigans, how do you keep your floor so clean??