Crazy good

I have been in stealth mode for a while, for various reasons that all called for "radio silence." That said I can now move on, albeit still a bit slow.

First there was the fractured back thing. Picking up pianos is just not wise, especially if one does the picking while wedged in a corner, this using extremely poor body mechanics. The three vertebrae are now healed, but the soft tissue is not. Time for some serious PT, but the doctors are still in the serious testing phase. Do they not know how crazy I get without physical activity? (I think they are beginning to get it now.)

Then the interesting doggy show stuff that led to Ginger hitting the road to strut her stuff for my favorite handler/friend Angie. She was gone a little over a month before she earned herself the title of "Champion." She also has a point toward her Grand Champion title, but I think she needs to come home and grow up for a while before she does any more road trips. Ginger, at just a year, needs some maturity and grown up clothes now. She will come home and we will have fun with her, and she will hit the show scene as we want, shown by her co-owner. I will take her to classes on occasion, as I have a blast with her there. At some point I hope to get over my own issues with the show ring and also find the fun there too. Titles after the name are always wonderful too. That will be a goal for all the dogs.

Nugget is now fully owned by me. I am grateful for the opportunity and the help in being able to accept the offer that was given me. Thanks to all involved. He will occasionally be in the ring as well now. Having Ginger out has drawn a bit of attention to him. He has a few fans who have been less than thrilled that he has not been seen a lot in the last year. He has had a few more important things going in his life. All is well.

Nugget, during his absentia from the public eye, made a few more babies with the beautiful Lucy, down in California. This was his fourth litter, and eight happy and healthy babies are keeping the family busy and sleepless. Again, I will say, having puppies is not an endeavour to take lightly, It can be scary, stressful, tragic, and incredibly rewarding...or all of the aforementioned. It will be such fun watching these pups mature and develop. It was a litter that had been planned for over a year, and much anticipated. I think the waiting list was the biggest I had heard of, many had applied before Nugget even had met Lu. Five blue merle pups, and three black pups will be going to their new homes before the family catches up on lost sleep. I hope to get down to meet them before they move on. For now we enjoy the pictures and phone calls. Nugget seems to be a boy who "seals the mother." My litter tends to look more like their mom. The second litter, from pictures I have seen, seem to have the looks of their mother as well. As does the third. This litter is just moving from hamster to guinea pig stage, so it is a bit too soon to tell, but it will be quite interesting. I went over Lucy with a fine tooth comb when I was down there. Both her "mom" and myself found that the things that she needed were things Nugget was strong on, and vice versa. My wish, of course, is that they make another "Ginger" for the family. I was told by three different breeders, at three different times, that Ginger was "the one." Indeed she is. No dog is perfect, but she certainly gives us less we have to work on, and much more as far as options to continue to improve the breed. Another thing that Nugget seems to be giving is the penchant for healing. He is often too intense and I have a hard time finding his "off" switch. But a great many of the pups have therapy work in their future, and many have already helped to heal a variety of things. I am so delighted that I followed my heart on my litter, as each home is absolutely perfect for each pup. I am so incredibly blessed.

I am off to play. I have Nori, her baby sister Wasabi, and a couple of family members here. Grout was also here for a couple of days. More later, now that the silence has been broken.

Nancy