It’s 6:30 AM. We need to be at the show site by 8 o’clock. I’ve showered and we’ll go get some breakfast in a bit, but I am so nervous!!!! The boy, Arnie? He is sitting on the bed with a dingo rawhide, with not a care in the world! Ah yes, that’s my boy!!!
Pictures and results will be in late tonight. For now, please keep your fingers crossed and wish Arnie good luck!!!
Today were the field events before the actual Zuchtschau (conformation). I was encouraged to enter Arnie in the gun shyness part of the program so he could go on the cottontail bunny hunt later. Now before anyone goes crazy, no actual bunnies are harmed during this exercise. The dogs are given a visual and scent of the bunny, but it is in such a densely vegetated area that the dogs can’t move fast enough to get the bunny.
Anyway, the first gunshot did startle Arnie, but the second shot sent him running to the car. I was worried about my baby, but the judges told me after that he is not gun shy, because he recovered within minutes of the shots. I was given guidance on how to train Arnie so that he will not be concerned with the sound of gunfire.
Why is this important? Well, because in order for me to do trail work, or any sort of fun out door trail work in competition he needs to pass this test.
The thing is, I think he would really enjoy it. After the gun shyness test, there was the “bunny test” for the other dogs and he was so interested. Arnie is smart, has a good nose and is so fun to be with. I really think he will do well if I can just get him used to the sound of guns.
I also learned how to beat out a bunny for the dog to get the scent of and track. It was hot work, but a lot of fun!
Tomorrow is the Zuchtschau, (Conformation Show). This is where the Judge will examine Arnie and tell me all that is good and all that is bad. I am very nervous. You see, I bred this little boy. I, of course, think he is perfect. So now, let’s see how he does in the real world of Rauhhaardackels (wire-haired dachshunds).
The weather is supposed to be hot and humid, and is supposed to be tomorrow. I have a nice cool outfit to wear, and I have been practicing with Arnie for the event. Now I just will keep my fingers crossed that my eyes see real beauty in his face and form.
We’re staying at a nice motel, and I have to say that I have not had a bad meal yet. The area is very rural, large farms, a lot of cows, horses, and rolling hills. Oh and Golden Rod! So, yes, I have been sneezing a lot!
Off to bed.
Hi Everyone. We’re here in Pennsylvania for the dog show on Saturday. It was a long ride to our first destination, (7 hours and 30 minutes) Hamburg, PA., but we got settled and Arnie is doing well. I’ve been spending time working on his coat and getting tips from other association members on how he should look.
We’re going to a store that specializes in hunting and fishing and sporting gear called Cabella’s. It is such a cool store with stuffed game as well as every sort of gear that a person could need to hunt and fish. I’ll take some pictures while we are there and try to post them tonight.
My inexpensive motel, gives free Internet, breakfast and Nationwide calling. There is much to be said for the suburbs!
Pennsylvania is lovely and we are really enjoying it, although we are missing the other pups too!!!
More later!
After an 11 hour drive we arrived home. We were greeted by four very happy dogs, who danced around the house and the yard!
The drive was actually quite nice and we only got caught once in traffic, just outside Philadelphia. Not an unusual event.
Once we got home I made a spaghetti dinner and Hubby and I were joined by our house sitter for the meal.
But….we are only home briefly as we are taking Arnie to the German Dog Show (Zuchtschau) in western Pennsylvania!!!
So forgive me if I am not able to write much, I will try to blog and send pictures of our boy. Anneliese is staying home with Greta and Fritz as she has gone into heat.
Usually I blog so regularly, but right now with all of the traveling, it sure has been difficult. I will be glad when this show is over and I can be home for a while.
You all have heard that I am a country girl. I like grass under my feet, wide open spaces and trees all around me. Oh yes, and little doggies playing at my feet. However the last few days I have driven down the east coast of the US from New Hampshire, to Washington, DC. We have seen a lot of lovely places in the states in between, but we have also gotten stuck in traffic jams and on swaying buses that have left me feeling less than my normal perky self. The places we have been, the things we have seen, make the 10 ½ hour journey here, all worth it.
We arrived at our truly glitzy hotel, complete with a sumptuous suite, only to find that they nickel and dime you for every little thing. The reason, dear reader, that you have not heard from me is that I am simply too cheap to pay $12.00 a day for Internet service for my laptop. I will, however, bite the bullet tomorrow and pay for a connection so I can access my Flickr account and put this on my blog.
We have been site seeing in DC. Having been here before we have skipped some of the usual spots, like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument (my favorite) and the Washington Mall (A large grassy area around all the Federal Buildings and Monuments.
Instead we did something I have not done since I was six years old. We went on a White House tour. Although the White House is beautiful, and I was truly impressed with the artistic masterpieces, I felt badly that there is not longer a Park Service Guide to show you around, and when I asked for a child’s Guide to the White House, they refused my request! We did see Marine One take off with the President. Obviously he had heard I had come to see his place!
No sooner had we returned from that tour then we headed out to the Dulles National Air and Space Museum. All I can say about that is WOW!!!!! We toured with a Docent for three hours and saw every sort of air plane imaginable, including a Pan Am Boeing Strato Cruiser, and a Concorde! Of course we also saw early airplanes and the ones used during the first and second world wars.
Dinner was wonderful. We went to a restaurant at the top of the hotel where we feasted. Hubby had Steak that was mouth wateringly delicious, and I had Lump Crab Cakes! The view of Washington at night, as the planes flew into and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport, was really something.
Washington is a beautiful city, and the government makes sure that it is kept tidy and clean. The grass is green and mowed and there are still flowers in bloom. Thanks to all who work here, to keep our Nations Capital beautiful.
You can see I paid the fee so I could drop in and say hello. Miss you all and will write more later!!!
As we are currently on our way to Washington, DC I thought today’s Thursday Thirteen should be called:
1. Packed our suitcase with all the non-hanging clothes.
2. Found my travel size shampoo and conditioner, and got our soap in the bag.
3. Went through and decided which shirts and pants to wear on the trip and got them in a suit bag.
4. Got the suits in a bag too.
5. Got our medications in a travel tote.
6. Put a blanket and pillow in the back seat.
7. Have a bag with our lunch and drinks.
8. Have another bag with our cell phones, phone chargers and satellite Navigation system.
9. Have my laptop bag all ready to go.
10. Changed the sheets on our bed.
11. Finished up our laundry.
12. Had our house sitter over for dinner and went over all the directions for the trip.
13. Turned out the lights, locked the door and crossed my fingers and left.
I’m just a week bit nervous about leaving the puppies for the first time. I’m sure they will be fine, but what can I say? I’m their Mommy and I will miss them and worry about them.
Today we started getting ready for our trip to Washington, DC. We pulled out the suit cases, decided which clothes to wear, shoes, etc. I finished up the laundry, then went and had my hair stylist tidy up my hair.
I raced home and cooked dinner for Emily and our house sitter, Dori. The two of them will take care of the dogs and stay here while we are gone.
Everything is pretty much set now. All that’s left is to pack the car and actually drive the 10 hours to get there. A lot of people don’t like long car rides, but I actually do. It’s funny. When Hubby and I go on these long road trips we bring all sorts of music to listen to, but in the end, we seem to talk the entire way.
Twenty years together and we still have so much to say to each other. I hope that never ends!
We’re staying at a nice hotel, attending Hubby’s Army Reunion where we laugh, tell funny stories and jokes and see people we enjoy, but only get to see once a year.
Our visit will include a White House tour, a tour of the new Air and Space Museum and just some relaxing down time alone. We’ll be there for 5 days before heading back home.
Of course I am bringing my laptop so I can stay in touch with you all. I’m afraid I fall into the category of the Internet Addicted.
Yep, time to pack and ride!
Can you hear the voices? The voices of all those who were lost to us on September 11th, 2001. I think for a moment in time their pain must have screamed through the universe before they were forever silenced. Men, women and children. Innocent lives. Just people on their way to work, or flying off to see their families or in their final moments saying good-bye into a cell phone to their loved ones.
I sat in my family room that day in shock and filled with horror. What these terrorists did was not spectacular or wonderful. It was sick, and cowardly.
Please go here to learn more about this day. I wrote a longer entry last year for the 5th anniversary of this terrible day. I can’t believe that another year has gone by us.
I hope that, like Pearl Harbor, we never forget all who died for their country, on September 11, 2001 or in the war against terror, since then.
Since I have a wonderful Plum tree that supplied us with an abundance of plums, I was given a delightful recipe for Plum Kuchen. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream, which ever you prefer, but try it. You will love it!
Plum Kuchen
Pastry:
1 ½ cups flour
½ tsp salt
1 ½ tsp sugar
5 tbs butter
½ cup sour cream
extra flour for dusting
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease an 11-12 inch tart pan with a removable bottom.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the sour cream and continue cutting into the mixture. I used my Kitchen Aid mixer with a dough hook. Either turn out on board and kneed by hand or allow your mixer to do it for you, until the dough takes shape.
Dust the dough lightly with flour and form into a flat round cake. Press the dough into the tart pan, pressing the dough up to the top of the fluted rim.
Filling:
1 pound of plums
½ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
2 tbs butter
2 tbs sugar
Cut the plums into flower shapes as follows: Beginning at the stem end, make a lengthwise slice ¾ of the way down each side of the pit. Cut the “back” seam so the plum halves remain connected on the bottom. Slit the top of each half so that the plum forms a flower shape, making four pettles connected at the round bottom.
Arrange the plums on the pastry, skin side down, forming concentric rows.
Combine the brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and butter, and sprinkle that over fruit.
Bake tart for 25 minutes or until the pastry is set and the fruit is tender. Cool, remove from tart pan and slide onto platter. Cut into wedges and serve with softly whipped cream.
Have I mentioned that I love my Hubby lately?
Well, I’ll tell you, today he took me shopping, at a one day sale at Macy’s, and he found for me a really gorgeous light gray suit with powder blue lining and a matching shirt. The gray suit has the thinest thread of the same powder blue running through to form a pinstripe! It is so beautiful! Best of all, it flatters my figure and I feel comfortable in it.
Hubby has great taste in clothes for me. When he picks something out, most of the time I feel like a million dollars in it. Probably because he likes it too. He wanted to get a second blouse to go with it, and we stopped in at Coldwater Creek, where I got a pretty white blouse there.
All of this shopping was done in the 90+ degree heat and I was so glad when we were done and got to come home to the air conditioning.
So, I never did find a dress. I’m not sure I liked any that I tried on. So many of them show too much skin or are tents that make me look extremely fat, or worse yet, pregnant!
You know a few years ago, I was going through a plump phase. A little rounder than I am right now. Anyway, I found, what I thought was the cutest pant suit to wear to a reunion. I modeled it for Hubby, who said the color was nice, but he didn’t think it flattered my figure.
Oh I thought he was being so mean. So I brought it with us, and one evening I put it on and wore it to the cocktail party.
One of the men we know well came up to us smiling broadly and took my hand and shook it and said, “Oh dear this is wonderful! You look great, when is the baby due?”
I wanted to die, right there. But of course what do you say?
I smiled sweetly and said, “I’m not pregnant, I’m just fat!” And then I smiled some more.
Since then, I never wear anything until Hubby gives me his honest appraisal.
I always felt bad for that man, but I bet he has never done that to any other woman either! LOL