I think Lois will understand

what we don't want to talk about...

We don't want to talk about the  H A I  R. 

As corgi owners we talk about a lot of good things with our dogs.  When people I meet out on the street ask about my dogs I tell them that Corgis are wonderful dogs.  And they ARE wonderful dogs.  In fact, I would venture to say that, at least by my standards, Corgis are pretty much the best dog a person can own.   There is that one sticky little problem though... their fur.  

So when people on the street ask me about Corgis I am quick to point out that they are great dogs... if they won't mind the hair.   And a lot of hair they do have.  I once heard that they shed enough hair to make at least two more of themselves in one year.  I believe this statistic. It doesn't even seem like an exaggeration.  

 I feel the need to tell people how much Corgis shed.  I suppose I do this in the hope that they will not go home and decide to get one.  I do not want this breed to become "popular."   Maybe it's because I've seen first hand what backyard breeders can do to a popular breed like the Golden Retriever.   We had two growing up... one with terrible skin problems and one with hip dysplasia.  Perhaps it is because I like that people have no idea what breed my dogs are and constantly stop to oooh and ahhh over them.

 This is Mr. Bailey after a 5 min session of brushing on his rear end... on ONE SIDE ONLY.  When I look at this picture I think of how much hair Leda must have at her house.  She must haul it out in giant trash bags.  She must own a Dyson Animal.  I WANT a Dyson Animal.

 This is a standard size dinner plate.  This was after another 5 min session on the other side.  Having two dogs has been wonderful but what I never thought about was the fact that two corgis means DOUBLE the hair.  My poor vacuum is on strike.   That first picture is an entire kitchen trash bag full of fur that the vacuum picked up in a 2200 sqft house after two weeks of only occasional vacuuming (not the whole house at once like this session was).  Yikes!

The truth about owning a corgi is that you will spend your life living like this... looking past the hair and embracing all the other wonderful traits that make these dogs the perfect dog.... at least as far as I'm concerned.

I love them both...

... but the colors on this one make me weak in the knees!

Look at those colors, that nearly-perfect Zoro mask, those "Angel Eyes" above her lovely brown eyes. 

Look how the freckles hint of the brown just beyond.  And, what a brown!  Cafe au lait?

Here's a better shot of the muzzle frecklage.

See that brown spot behind her elbow?  Oh my!

The black is like jet and the white so white!

See that brown spot on her leg?  Another spot that makes me weak!

That tail! 

What can I say?

Spots, frecklage AND whorls!  She has it all!

And, she is as sweet as can be.

Sweet as can be yes,  but a little thief who steals things -- edible or not!

I love them both...

...but, this one!  Sigh!

the eyes on this one!

the way this one looks at me!

really looks at me.  as if she understands.

understands that i am about to make her get off the bed.

no matter that after nearly three years she FINALLY discovered that she could jump up on the bed all by herself!

{this moment}

{this moment}  

A Friday ritual. 

A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week.

A simple, ordinary, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. Inspired by Soulemama

 

I know it says no words, but I just have to say: Leda, I think your Bailey-boy found a good forever home with my girl. 

 

No Corgi Content

Crows but no Corgis.  At least not in the photos.  The Corgis were on the patio with me trying, it seemed to me, to decide if they should bark at the raucous crowd in the trees.  They didn't bark.  Just kept looking at the birds, then looking at me.  I felt they expected me to do something like shush the birds for making so much noice so early in the morning!

But, I wasn't about to say anything to those crows! I remember the movie "The Birds" and this information about crows being really good at remembering slights!

Signs of winter on the West Coast

Erika posted photos of snow and ice -- winter in her new state of Virginia.

Here are some signs of winter in and around our house on the West Coast.

Snow flakes!  Sort of.  Erika and I used to cut them together every January.  This year,  I cut some for me and some for her and mailed them to her.  It was better when we cut them together.  Sigh.

Ugly grass.  Cute dog though, huh?

Closed-toed shoes.

Candle on the kitchen table at dinner time and red wine, not white or beer.

Flannel PJ bottoms for me; and an extra hairy coat for her. 

Reading in the sunny, warm living room.  (Cold Mountain Companion purchased when we were in Gettysburg.  Very interesting aid to better understanding the wonderful book Cold Mountain.)

Fog -- just in the lake valley where I walk with my friends on Saturday morning. 

Beautiful sunrises like this one...

and this one, and

and this one yesterday morning.  It rained most of the day!  We need it so badly.

Very southern, Southern California doesn't have much of a winter, but it's there if you look for it!

West Coast weekend good things

1.  Noticing that a quilt is moving...

2.  Discovering why!

3.  Being allowed to chew a bone (a very old, clean one) on the sofa.

4.  Remembering.

5.  A new load of firewood.

6.  Lights left over from the August party for Erika, staying up all year now.

7.  A kitty cruising around the backyard, but not too far from an open door to the house.

8.  Being on the opposite side from the dogs.

9.  Greens that the dogs sniff but aren't interested in eating.

10. Sniffing the compost pile.

11.  Sniffing the air above the compost pile. 

12.  Nasturtiums in January.

13.  Disobeying the rules.

14.  REALLY sniffing the compost pile.

15.  Sweater for Erika's tea pot, finished.

16.  Chilly, top-down drive to get...

17. ...frozen yogurt at the new place in (our) town.

We had a good weekend. Hope you did, too!

Here's to a good, new week!