:Debby on…Lhasa Apso puppies

Tonight, here in my cozy Colorado mountain home with the newly fallen snow painting the landscape, Anna gently, calmly brought her puppies into this world. In nearly record time, she delivered 5 daughters and 1 son. Her grandmother Danielle still holds the record of Whelping In Consideration of The Midwife. Her litters were born without ado in less than two hours. And before bedtime, a feat nearly unheard of amongst us Canine Midwives. But hey! Second prize for Whelping in Consideration of The Midwife surely goes to Anna. The clock just chimed the midnight hour. I have poured myself a nightcap and will linger… over it to confirm my suspicion that all are here. And to spend a bit of time with Anna, letting her know I’m grateful for the hours of sleep I’ll actually get before dawn.

The sire is Edmund, Ch. FFT No Wine Before Its Time. Anna is officially known as Ch. FFT Do U Wanna Dance. Our pick will be call FFT The Purple Marble. This is the first FFT litter born here, at my house, in over two years. Zeke was in the last one.

It’s hard to explain, to describe, but I’m really excited about these puppies. This past year – thankfully!! – brought 3 Gompa litters, but that’s different. Really good, but different. Anna’s puppies represent years upon years of work and love. The Purple Marble will be sixth generation tail female to Jelly Bean. We’re calling her Norma, in honor of Norman Herbel. It was Carolyn Herbel who wrote we’d found the Purple Marble. I pulled up the pedigree and there in the tail female line…so many great bitches. Anna’s dam Victoria, an ROM herself, daughter of Olivia (my Almondine). Olivia’s dam was Tommy – Ch. Fleetfire Shiver Me Timbers’ ROM*. And her dam, my first Bred-By Exhibitor Champion – Ch. Fleetifre Zhel Lee Bhel ROM* And her dam, Jelly Bean. I am intimately connected to each and every one of those ladies.

The nightcap is empty. Anna is curled around her puppies. All are quiet and content. I am going to bed now.

:Debby on…linger

linger…

Time. I’m always pressed for time. Or so it seems. I mention it so often, I’ve actually started editing with that in mind. I’d been feeling like a whiner and decided my time was irrelevant to others. Time flies, that’s for sure. The best laid plans… And all that jazz. I’m hard on myself about time – or at least what I’m suppose to accomplish within a certain time frame. Then the weekend comes, the weekend goes. Still, the stuff sits in the basement, waiting to be put away. This makes me feel like I have no time. Not a logical conclusion…really.

linger…

It’s my new catch phrase. Word, actually. I can’t claim ownership. It comes from a blog entry in the spring 2008 edition of Artful Blogging. The author of linger… is Madelyn Mulvaney. She takes beautiful photographs and writes from her heart. Artful Blogging, described as ‘inspiring work spaces for extraordinary women’ was introduced to me by another extraordinary woman. Our Kathy. My one edition sits in a place of import, right next to In This House, Mixed Emulsions, Bones Would Rain From The Sky, and Annie On… Dogs! Annie is a compilation of articles written by my lifetime idol and hero, Anne Rogers Clark. The … you often see in the subject line on this blog is my own tribute (never mind that I overuse the … to insinuate thought…) to Anne Rogers Clark. Got a story or five about her, but that’s not for this blog entry.

linger…

Yes, Madelyn uses dots too. In a post dated August 12, 2007 she wrote:

“I have been pondering the word linger – which is on my very beautiful chai mug I bought at this wonderful shop yesterday in Victoria. There were only a few mugs left made by an artist with various words on the mugs and I contemplated my choice between linger and cherish… I am on a very strict budget and would have purchased the cherish as well but I have decided to order some more online when I am able. So this morning I ponder on the soulful pleasure of lingering – “

And I have pondered linger… since. Linger… seems gentle, calm. Does it really make a real difference time-wise whether one ‘hurries’ to get things done or ‘lingers…’ while doing the exact same things?

linger…

This past week, once again I’ve immersed myself in the techno world. (This is one reason it’s good to keep beautiful, favorite ‘picture’ books in a place of import.) I know what SEO means and its importance in cyberspace. I’m amazed at the elegant technocrap behind Facebook. I understand how to Tweet to Twitter. When I bury my head in knowledge-quest-de-joir, other things often get ignored. Lack of time?? Or is it because the quest causes me to linger… ???