Winter embracing the Rocky Mountains

Posted: October 29, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain | 1 Comment

Good thing I’ve decided to embrace winter. Or visa versa.

The snow began Tuesday night, if I’m remembering correctly. I ventured into work yesterday morning, determined to embrace winter. What’s a little snow?! After all, I live in the Rocky Mountains. Several clients did bring their dogs in even though school had been cancelled and snow was to continue throughout today, Thursday. Dogs were picked up early. I closed the shop at 1PM, having groomed several of my own dogs as well. This photo was taken yesterday afternoon, the dogs all snug as a bug in a rug, under the insulating blanket of snow. Along with the heater, of course. I have a feeling this winter I’ll again be reminded of how awesome it is to have covered runs!

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Late last night I shoveled the stairs leading down to the housedog yard for one last pitstop before bedtime. Ely and Vincent don’t mind snowy stairs, but Yangsom does, particularly when the snow is higher than her. This scene greeted me this morning.

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Embrace winter! Winter embrace me!

Everyone Wants to Be A Lhasa For Halloween

Posted: October 27, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Art and Photography | Leave a comment

KatyEveryoneWantsToBeALhasaForHalloween

Katy, the daughter of Papillion Melissa, interned at the grooming shop this summer. She draws these wonderful fantasy creatures. The week I was in Pennsylvania, she spent a day at the shop with Carol. This was waiting for me upon my return.

Embrance winter…or visa versa

Posted: October 26, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: DRambles on Black Mountain, FFT Lhasa Apsos | Leave a comment

Stillness, darkness and a thick blanket of snow surround me. What happened to Fall? Or Summer, for that matter. From the weather forecast, Indian Summer seems a dim possibility. Embrace Winter has been a previous mantra; sometimes said with delight viewing Mother Nature (and Jack Frost), other times said with disgust. However, this year I’m going to let Winter embrace me.

Surround me. Force me to slow down. The garden, once again, didn’t get a fall clean-up. Branches from trees Rick felled didn’t get moved to the kindling pile. Slash is scattered about, rather than piled up, waiting to be hauled away. The snow has hidden those tasks, fooling the casual observer. Yes! Winter embrace me!

I wonder how Lana is doing. Her new people, Mimi and Fred, made a road trip from British Columbia, taking her back to her Forever Home.

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We spent an hour together Thursday afternoon at the shop and then several hours Friday morning. A crisp morning, snow on the ground, the dogs were able to play outside under the blue skies. Mimi has had an Apso nearly all of her life. This photo is Mimi with the Lhasa Apso her mother imported into Finland, the first one in the country.

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Fred and Mimi live in the country, overlooking a beautiful valley, with room to grow hay for his horses. The climate is conducive to growing grapes, known as “little Napa valley”.  Later that day, Melissa (Papillion Melissa, not Apso Melissa) and I shared wine in celebration of friends, dogs, children, husbands, anniversaries and…what else…Winter! Rick and I celebrated 32 years of wedded bliss (anyone remember that line from Northern Exposure?) Thursday, October 22.

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Dawn has snuck up on me. It’s time to shovel, feed the dogs and get to work.

The priceless Peggy Guggenheim

Posted: October 23, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Apso Aficionados | Leave a comment

Talk about timely. Vickie send this link to The priceless Peggy Guggenheim. Last night I opened the latest issue of Smithsonian to read Decoding Jackson Pollock only to find this photo of Pollock and Peggy Guggenheim. No mention of  her dogs, but sure enough she’s holding two Lhasa Apsos. Be sure to scroll through the photos!

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Katy on…Edgar Sawtelle

Posted: October 22, 2009 | Author: | Filed under: Apso Aficionados | Leave a comment
Last night Ken and I drove down to the valley to a booksigning.  First time I’ve ever done something like that.
David Wrobeleski, author of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, was in Alb to promote the debut of the softcover edition.
We bought another hard cover, and I took the one I already had, to be signed.  He gave a wonderful talk about the book, answered lots of good questions, including one or two from me, and read from the book. It was great to hear about his long process of writing the book, how the ideas came to be, and how long it took him.  He wrote a draft and 12 re-writes over a period of ten years, but said the entire process took 15 years from concept to completion.  He did much research, but obviously wrote from his heart, from what he knew and lived.  He is a very talented individual, humble and modest and quite charming.  Younger than he looks on the cover picture, but quite bald! 
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I asked him how he came to know dogs so well, as it was quite obvious in the book that he knew dogs intimately.  He said he grew up on a small farm in mid-west Wisconsin, in a small family, and his parents bred and raised dogs (didn’t say what kind).  It was his job, as a child, to socialize the pups and clean kennels.  He also talked about the one, very excellent dog, he’s had as an adult. Said he  realized that he was not worthy of this very special dog and embarked on a mission to learn more about how to train dogs and came across Vickie Hearne’s Adam’s Task, which had a profound impact on his ideas about communicating with dogs.  (Me, too.) 
 
It was wonderful to talk with him.  We have amazingly similar backgrounds, in some areas, and certainly share a deep love of dogs.  He signed my book, “To Katy, who knows how great it can be with a dog.” We also had him sign one, as a Christmas gift for our son-in-law, Ryan. He’s an English Lit teacher in Portland.
 
He’s writing another book, this one based on Edgar’s grandfather, John, who started breeding the dogs.
Something to look forward to! 
He also recommended a couple of books that he’s thinks are excellent.  One, I plan on finding and reading.
It’s called Dog Man by Martha Sherrill.  Perhaps you’ve already read it.  About the Japanese man who saved the Akita after WW2, when only a dozen were left.  His Akitas are now considered National Treasures in Japan.  I read a few pages on Amazon, and it sounds great.  Will try and find it at the library.
 
Katy
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