Cardi Corgi Capers by River Bend

Dora Plays Magic Dog

2012-02-06T16:58:00.002-06:00

Jill sent this adorable video of Dora the Explorer playing with her Magic Dog game. My favorite part of the video is how Dora waits to be invited to participate in her favorite game. Good girl, Dora.

(Dora is out of the Music X Russ litter. They are now 2.5 yrs old. It hardly seems possible that all that time has come and gone.)

It's Me Again...

2012-02-03T20:13:00.000-06:00

Hello folks it is me Shaker again.

Today I kept the world safe from lions, and tigers, and bears.

Mom says, I am watching way too much TV but I did liberate two sticks, 3 leaves and a ton of mud from the back yard. Not a bad days work, eh?

See ya.

Shaker Baby...Not

2012-02-02T18:22:00.001-06:00

Greetings...It is I Shaker.

They call me Shaker Baby but do I look like a baby? NO! I am a watch dog. I am very good at it. Russ is not! I have posted a couple of pictures of me on duty. So you can see I am not a baby. How am I going to get them to stop calling me Shaker Baby?

Musings of a Demented ...Corgi owner!

2012-01-27T15:19:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I picked up a Dremel and started the grueling exercise of nail trimming. Rainbow simply groaned the entire time. Shaker was a bear! He tried to leap off the grooming table, shook his foot and generally created a wrestling match. Which leads me to why I was so weakened when I picked up Ella's back foot. She wiggled and giggled but I got the back foot done. Feeling empowered I moved forward. At which point she shook and flicked my hand off like I was a fly. Unfortunately, I dropped the Dremel on the concrete floor where it was scittering around like a fish seeking water! And Ella simply looked smug!

I successfully finished up the Dremel experience this morning while I was fresh and STRONG! So again feeling empowered, I decided that today was the day, Russ and I would get back to business on training for the performance ring.

Yes, it has been a long time as I had to recover from the wildly humiliating ring experiences that occurred in 2009, when he peed twice in the ring! YESH!!!

So I filled my pockets with treats, nabbed a leash, Russ and headed outside. Before we got to the end of the driveway, he decided that cars were far more interesting than me. No worries, I was ready for that one. I increased my fun quotient and he was back to me. He remembered his heeling at different speeds! Imagine my surprise! But, of course, he wanted to watch my feet and not look at me. He wasn't the least bit interested in any of the food I had in my pocket, so it was almost impossible to get him to raise his head. (Who ever heard of a non food motivated corgi?) Anyway, I upped my "fun" "good dogs" when he even so much as gave me a glance, but this is going to be a process! Now you would think that I would have quit while I was marginally ahead, but NOOOO, we were half mile from the house.

So I decided to move to sit/stay while I walk around him. He completely ignored sit! He gave me his now legendary, "I don't get it" look. When I finally got him to "sit", he was rock solid on stay and walk around. But what was the deal with no "sit"? I tried several more times on our walk and if he decided to pay attention he would "down". Obviously this is going to take some more work.

Earlier training picture.

Well tomorrow is another day. Stay tuned for more training musings!

Reflections on Christmas' Past

2012-01-24T15:14:00.000-06:00

I am slowly putting signs of Christmas 2011 away in boxes, and I am struck by how just about everything survived, well except one little fuzzy snowman. But seriously, no one rampaged the village, stole the low hanging ornaments, knocked over the santa collection or bulldozed the nativity scene.

As Christmas' go it was pretty boring! It must be time for a puppy!

Christmas Toy Graveyard

2012-01-24T14:55:00.003-06:00

This year the kids all got "road kill" toys, and still managed to fill my living room with stuffing! I cleaned a pile of it up again this morning, along with various pieces of tennis balls, toy limbs, assorted ears and wood chips. Then I carefully collected all the toys and deposited them into their basket. I came back about 10 mins later with the vacuum cleaner hose and found this...

Well they certainly have had a good time!

Why is it?

2012-01-23T14:40:00.001-06:00

Why is it that my dishwasher is always filled with more dog bowls than human dishes?

Music says, "she doesn't care as long as it stays that way, and her bed is perpetually fluffed."

January Snow Play

2012-01-22T14:07:00.001-06:00

I personally don't get it, but these clowns love the January cold and snow.

Yep neither foot is on the ground. How does he do that?

This is a particularly good example of what is really going on when I am yelling "Come, I am cold!"

Yep a whole lot of not coming! And these are the ones that are all obedience trained! Best selective hearing on the planet!

But gratefully they finally all listened. And yes, that would be Shaker as always bringing up the rear detail!

Plans

2012-01-22T13:51:00.000-06:00

As many of you know, we are planning our first litter of puppies, and to say the least we are quite excited. But one of the big hiccups for me and the puppy stuff is the whole issue of bringing more dogs into this world and what that means overall. So Kathy and I decided if we were going to occasionally have a litter of pups, that we had to figure out how to give back to the canine world.

The first thing we did was rescue, rehabilitate and rehome a black lab mix named Bailey. I am happy to report that I have had many conversations with Bailey's new forever mom and she is adjusted and happy in her new home. (Although Bailey wishes to report that she is not crazy about salt on sidewalks. I told her I was sorry I didn't find her a home in Arizona, but her new mom was going to get balloon boots.) But that didn't seem like quite enough.

Now as much as I would like to keep every puppy I produce in our planned litter, some are already spoken for, so I had to figure something out that would allow me to go forward in good conscience. I am all to aware that a free puppy, way to often, equates to no long-term committment to the dog. (We only need to look to the aforementioned lab mix for proof in the pudding.) So we decided that we would have all of our puppy homes donate to a good canine charity rather than giving any money to Riverbend. This decision left me feeling clear-headed about our decision to bring more albeit beautiful puppies into the world! (It is perfectly acceptable to read and see bias in the last sentence.)
So then the decision was which one? I spent the last days trying to figure out if we had a local canine charity I could get behind, and unfortunately all I found were loosely run organizations without real organizational capacity, or ones that their administrative overhead far exceeds acceptable standards. (I could spend hours ranting about organizational capacity, but will spare you my tirade.) So I turned my sights to national canine charities. Well I won't spend too much time recounting the travails of that mess.

But the long and short of it is, we have chosen Corgi Aid as our charity. I spent several hours reviewing their IRS 990's this morning, and I see nothing but good! Further it appears from these public forms that their administrative overhead is nearly 0%. Which means just about every dollar donated is used for the health and well-being of a rescued corgi. How much better can it get than that?

I can follow my father's oft words of wisdom..."at the end of the day, you only sleep with yourself. Let's that guide every decision." I do, and will continue to!

Shaker vs. Horse Play Ball

2012-01-14T12:52:00.001-06:00

We are continuing with our blue theme today! Shaker loves these horse balls! (Thanks to Missy and Chas for this one.) When he isn't pushing it up hill, chasing it down, barrel chasing it, he is removing the handle. Which is what he is up to in these blue pics! I might add that it was 14F at the moment he was engaging in this behavior.

Fun Police

2012-01-13T12:38:00.001-06:00

Jill T, human mom, of none other than Dora the Explorer, asked about Music yesterday, so I decided to show the world my little bundle of Fun Police (aka Music).

Music believes it is her role in life to let the world know how UNACCEPTABLE it is to horse around.

Well let's let the pictures speak for themselves.

"Must always be alert to potential play!"

"Oh no I see play!"

"You aren't playing, are you?"

"Ha, I found the ball players, and must stop them now!"

"I could have sworn I said, 'STOP'!"

First snow 2012

2012-01-12T15:07:00.000-06:00

It is January 12, 2012, and we are having our first snow! The whole thing is quite surreal. Yesterday it was 54 in January! Anyway the cardis are crazy happy that finally winter has sprung. Here are a few snaps from their morning romp!

Russ unburied his favorite ball!

Ella contemplates her options.

Shaker stole the aforementioned ball.

Rainbow says, "Game on!"

Riverbend Cardigans New Adventure

2012-01-06T12:15:00.001-06:00

Well things have sure been busy around here so posting has been sparse! We rescued, trained and found a forever home for a lab mix named Bailey, rescued and found a forever home for a Doodle. I must say if I weren't so committed to my cardigans, I would have kept that Bailey girl! She stole my heart, hook, line and sinker! But I know that she is much better off in her new home where she is the one and only!

The kids and I have been busy getting ready for the winter that has yet to materialize, but when the time comes...we are ready! Ella and Russ were particularly helpful in filling the wood racks. They only stole and relocated a few dozen pieces. I guess they thought we should expand the number of places we burn!

Shaker continues to make me laugh every day. I swear it is impossible for him to complete a day without cracking me up! Last night he was so determined to spread himself across my lap that even with much wiggling on my part he just rode out the earthquakes!

Rainbow continues to be our little Rambo, but the little turd is certainly an endearing little critter. I hope to start agility with her in late spring. Stay tuned for many embarrassing adventures with that endeavor!

Music, well as long as she has a couch and a pillow she is a happy girl. But she has put in a special request for dog doors when we build the new house. We will take her memo under consideration.

But I digress from the intent of this post. I am starting an adjacent website that will be dedicated to our conformation and performance events, as well as an occassional litter of puppies. I have deliberatly tried to stay away from mixing our at home adventures and our ring adventures, so this new site affords me the best of both worlds. It is without a doubt a work in progress. For example, I do not have Russ' page up as I have tons of pictures to load before doing him justice. But be that as it may, have a look and tell me what you think. It can be found at http://www.riverbendcardigans.com/

They call me...Mellow Yellow

2011-12-23T15:56:00.000-06:00

I ordered a mess of thundershirts between the doodle with separation anxiety and Ruffles thinking he should have complete access to Ella, I thought I was going to loose my mind!

Well the thundershirt turned Ruff Ruff into Mr. Mellow. We actually started calling it is his sleepy shirt. Shaker wanted to know if it make him look slimmer? And as far as the doodle...well today is better than yesterday!

So for good measure I ordered another one for Rambo...hopefully it will work on her the way it did on her father!

Spa Day

2011-12-15T10:26:00.000-06:00

Spa day, sma day! Hey dudes, it's me Shaker Baby again. Mom calls it spa day...bath, blow out and nail trim, but we here at Riverbend call it "torture chamber day". I mean seriously, what makes her think it is great to be stuffed in a tub, soaked down, lathered up, soaked again and then have that darn noisey blower turned on? And then she grinds our toes off! Yesh!

But hey one good thing happened, a little "Wookie" (aka 5lb Yorkie) got revenge for all of us. Mom came up sputtering about that darn Yorkie being harder to trim than all the Corgis. Then we saw the evidence! The Wookie had exacted great revenge by scratching the begisis out of Mom's arms while she was holding him during his nail trim. Bahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaa....say we the corgis!!!!!

Holy Rabbits!

2011-12-13T20:45:00.000-06:00

We have a little ritual here at Riverbend...the humans eat dinner, clean up, feed the dogs, turn on the yard lights, make some noise to scare off coyotes and bobcats, then head out to the dog yard for romp and business session. Works well, runs smoothly...that is until tonight!

I opened the door to the yard, and immediately saw what was going to make my life difficult...a rabbit inside the fence and loose cardigans! Russ spots it first and takes off after the little bugger. The rabbit runs and smokes itself on the fence. Russ is close but the bunny regroups and heads across the yard. (Meanwhile to know avail I am bellowing..."RUSS LEAVE IT!") Once again the cotton tail smokes itself on the fence. Apparently the green wire is invisible to rabbits too. Ruffles and Music are now teaming to bring the game home. CRAP! All I can envision is blood, fur and wrangling the carcass out of someones mouth...probably Ruff Ruff.

Mr. Rabbie makes one more run at the fence and gets to his shoulders and is STUCK! I elevated my crap comment to #$%^! I made a run for the fence in an attempt to beat the dogs and protect...well let's face it, me from having to clean up a huge mess. Of course, Ruff made it first but just then Rabbie made it through the fence link!

Stupid Rabbit...I bet he won't be visiting Riverbend again any time soon. I guess it turns out we aren't that hospitable to rabbits!

Flashback

2011-12-09T10:04:00.001-06:00

I have been a very bad blogger, but I am going to make an effort to do a much better job!

Any who, the first snow of the year visited Le Claire last night and the cardis were nuts for it this morning. Unfortunately, none of the morning pictures turned out. Quite possibly that was a blessing, as most of them involved me pleading with them to come in and they respectfully declined my pleas!

So as I was reviewing the series of bad snow pictures, I found these spring ones of Ruffles and his beloved but deflated soccer ball. Cheers!

Shaker Baby

2011-10-11T09:50:00.001-05:00

Hey dudes, it's me Shaker Baby. I had some great fun hijacking Facebook last night, so I decided to take over Mom's blog today.

Life is pretty good for me. I finally convinced her to up my rations. She had me on a diet FOREVER, but the other day we were playing and she said, "oh my Shaker you are too thin." YEAH, she upped my rations, and I put a pound on overnight!

Mom also bought some new biscuits. They are some organic, natural something...all the other cardis spit them out so I eat all of them. Hey their edible! Why waste food?

Also Mom froze a mess of shredded zucchini this summer. I love zuke!

See life is pretty good around the ranch.

Shaker Baby Out!

P.S. Mom saw this post and said that I should talk about something other than food, but dudes....what is there to talk about but food?

Dishwashers...or Like Father Like Son

2011-10-08T10:07:00.000-05:00

Now Shaker's love of his food is legendary, but Russ...well not so much. But if he can beat Shaker to the the dishwasher he is a decent cold water rinse guy. Well it seems as though he has passed this along to at least one of his sons. (These pictures were respectively taken when each were about 6 months old.)

Channelling?

2011-10-07T09:52:00.000-05:00

Could it be that Dora saw Ella do this through a doggie portal?

Then and Now

2011-10-06T19:36:00.000-05:00

Shaker Baby makes me laugh. Indeed he makes me laugh heartily every day. Some times, I am sure he is trying and others...well he just bumbles into it.

Since he was a puppy, he has found my dish rinsing lacking in capacity and has taken this important role upon himself. He believes he is saving me from a plumber bill! So please enjoy today's "then (3months old) and today (3yrs)!

Where's Mom?

2011-08-29T10:55:00.004-05:00

Ruffle and Abbster's Dirty Dozen litter turned a year, and it seems as though they have each left a little puddle of themselves in each.

Max (shown here) is a huge mama's boy, and unfortunately just like his father is a picky butt when it comes to eating. But back to the mama's boy thing.

For those of you who remember Russ (Ruffles) out there showing as a puppy, do you see any similarities in the table shot? Could it be the, " Mom, MOm, MOM, Where are you, Mom, MOm, MOM?

Well here's to a year with the Dirty Dozen! So much more to come!

Ella Bella

2011-08-29T10:25:00.002-05:00

Ms. Ella Bella as seen at about midnight last night...

Dora Readies for Irene

2011-08-28T15:01:00.003-05:00

This picture was taken last night as she readied to go out the last time as the early bands of Hurricane Irene were hitting her hometown! I can just see her wheels turning, "I don't need no stinking rain coat, I am a Corgi!"

But seriously folks, I am just go glad to know that Jill, Jim and Dora are fine.

'Da Girls' 2nd Barkday!

2011-08-19T10:20:00.012-05:00

Oh I remember it well, it was blistering hot, my brother and I were racing a storm to get a shed built, and Connie called and said, "Music had her first puppy. It's a brindle. (That's you Dora the Explorer). My reply was, "Well if that doesn't beat all. I can't leave right now because a monster storm is on the way and we have to get a roof on this shed." Well Kathy came home about an hour later, and came out to check the shed progress. I told her Music was having her puppies, and she promptly turned heel and headed to Connie's. As she scampered across our lawn, I asked, "Could ya get us some water?" She replied, "Get your own water, Music is have her babies!"

Well two (2) years, have come and gone since that wonderful day. Dora has jumped in the Tidal Basin, Izzy has captured and released a duck, Rambo...oops Rainbow has created a great deal of havoc, Teegan has run her heart out, Dinah has herded, ran agility and played in a little Rally.

All the girls are healthy and happy. Who could ask for anything more?

Cats Will Play While...

2011-08-18T09:52:00.004-05:00

Yesterday we were stripping and waxing the hardwoods and seriously needed a break! The faithful Cardis were being their ever helpful selves...sleeping! Any way while we were drinking water and the dogs were sacked out, my lovey cat Skitch wiggles through the banister, steps over the dogs and jumps on the table.

Now I am not one to reward a cat for table jumping but this was some serious risk taking! So he got loves and pets, and he hung out with us until Kathy pulled in the driveway. I was ready for great chaos, but these great watch dogs, we call Cardis, were so distracted by the car they never even realized their was a cat in the kitchen!

Music's Update

2011-08-12T09:52:00.003-05:00

Hello, it is I Music.

While Ruffles barks at his food, I decided it was time to update all of you.

I have been very busy training the humans. As of today I have trained the humans to engage in something I like to call joint custody. You see, I so enjoy Lisa and Don and their dog doors that I am willing to ride in a car. Yes, yes, you heard me right I like dog doors and Don has them. I can go in and out to suit myself. This is a good thing!

Also, Lisa understands my food needs. I like a bit of wet food touching every morsel, and Lisa understands and accommodates this desire. Also I have Don trained to feed me my on my couch. This is a good thing too!

Now having said this, the lovely couple has one serious draw back. They get up a O'ridiculous thirty! So I must come home and sleep with my other Mom Kim, so as to catch up on much needed beauty sleep.

So until I can train one or the other of these pet humans to either give me a dog door and cover my food or sleep in, I will settle for "joint custody!"

See you fine folks around the pond...especially if any of you can fit the above mentioned bill.

Music.

Do Unto Others

2011-08-08T13:56:00.001-05:00

We interrupt our regularly scheduled Cardi Corgi Capers with the following reminder...

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Seems simple enough, and enough said!

We now return to our regularly scheduled Cardi Corgi Capers!

It's Wednesday...

2011-08-03T11:04:00.003-05:00

Not To Be Out Done...

2011-08-02T20:13:00.003-05:00

Apparently Izzy read about her sister's antics with the sprinkler and decided to show she has water talents all of her own! (Please note that the duck was released unharmed...Good Dog Izzy!)

I will say that I am hoping that Rainbow doesn't catch wind of this competition, as I would be afraid of what she might do living so close to the Mississippi!

Dora the Explorer v. Georgetown Sprinkler

2011-08-02T12:14:00.005-05:00

On any given morning Dora the Explorer can be found taking on the sprinklers on the Georgetown campus. (Dora is one of the Russ X Music babies, and trust me this love of water and sprinklers skipped a generation. This behavior comes from her great grandfather Fred, who is a known and oft wanted sprinkler thief and attacker!)

The Dog Who Started It All

2011-07-15T10:30:00.014-05:00

Is 4 today! Yeppers, Ruffles is 4!

I can hardly believe that 4 wonderful years have come and gone in a blink of an eye. From that cold September day when I picked up my scared little puppy to today when the demanding monster is a Grand Champion. From the ridiculously early morning in the Ozarks when I took him out of his "house" and put him in my bed to today when his royal highness asks to be picked up and put in bed every night. From the squirrely active puppy to...nope that is the same!

Well there it is, the dog that started a revolution is 4! Thanks be to Cindy and the whole Foggy Bottom Crew for trusting me with such a wonderful pet, companion, and well....show dog!

P.S. Cindy just suggested that I give everyone a run down of his caper destructions! Let's see...3 laptops, 2 keyboards, untold numbers of glasses, 2 cell phones, 11 Christmas packages, lots of ornaments, village people, soccer balls, basketballs, baseballs... Oh my I think the point scale is Ruffles...1008 me...4

It's Wednesday...

2011-07-13T10:36:00.002-05:00

Shaker Baby

2011-07-12T22:09:00.001-05:00

Shaker Baby chilling after his day. It is a shame he is so stressed.

Garage Door

2011-07-12T19:55:00.003-05:00

I indulged myself today with a massage today, and was quite happy upon my arrival home. I hit my garage door opener and pulled the dog mobile into my stall. I then hit the remote again and merrily got out of said dog mobile. Imagine my horror when I saw my beloved ELLA standing under the door as it is coming down. The auto eye FAILED! I bolt toward her and boot her out of the garage just as the door would have slammed onto her back.

OK now I said to myself, I sure hope she is true to form and has not taken a walk on the wild side. So I scoot into the house and open the laundry room door, and bellow "Ella Bella". She comes bounding from the front yard and gallops up the stairs into the house. I, of course, praised her for being wonderful.

And then staggered into the house realizing that I had tensed every muscle in my body, heart pounding, and gasping for air! Next item on my to do list---call my handy man!

CH Davenitch Someone To Watch Ovr Me FB*

2011-07-11T11:12:00.005-05:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled cardi corgi caper to show a few pictures! Ella Bella had a pretty good run in her last 3 shows and pending AKC confirmation, she shall be forever know as CH Davenitch Someone To Watch Ovr Me FB. Thank you Connie and to each of the judges who thought my girl was as pretty and wonderful as I do!

I promised her if she would just finish, she could go back to being her dirty dog self. So after her finishing win in Iowa City she began excavating the boxwood again. It is officially deep and wide enough for her to crawl into and only her head shows! She has also been swimming and mud digging. Thank goodness, she drys and shakes it off!

Reading Rainbow

2011-07-10T10:51:00.002-05:00

Rainbow apparently caught wind of the PBS show Reading Rainbow and took the challenge to heart. Although please note she only made it through the cover and seemingly found the subject matter a little dry.

New Pool Manager

2011-07-09T16:43:00.004-05:00

Hi guys, it is me Shakey Bakey.

Well I didn't want to do it but I fired Mom as my pool manager. She just wasn't performing as desired. So I put out a call for resumes, reviewed several but finally decided to hire in house. I engaged the services of my other Mom Kathy.

I had to supervise her work as she is still in her probationary period. She seems to understand her tasks, and she didn't fuss one bit about me trying to pick up the hose. Mom Kim didn't like for me to pick up the hose at all, because just once I chased her around the yard spraying her. It was crazy fun until she remembered I know the "drop it" command. Any way maybe she won't tell my new hire about my lapse in hose judgement.

Shakey Bakey out!

Dora Does the Tidal Basin

2011-07-08T11:38:00.004-05:00

I know, I know I am seriously late in making this post but, hey, better late than never!

Dora took her family on a cherry blossom walk and became seriously distracted by Daffy the duck. She ditched the family and jumped in the Tidal Basin in a blind attempt to herd that Daffy. Now the human family (Jim and Jill) weren't quite sure if Dora could swim so Jim jumped in for the rescue.

Ok enough said, but I suppose I should have lead off this post with a *spew alert*.

Summer Has Arrived

2011-07-07T10:20:00.002-05:00

My Shaker Baby hates the hot weather. I mean really hates the hot weather. He wants me to open pool season at 50F! I convinced him this year to wait until it was 60F. But now that summer has arrived he wants his pool filled, cleaned and ready to go.

With all the rain we have had it hasn't been easy to fill his requests, so I have heard a rumor among the gang that he is looking for a new pool manager. I guess I better get on the stick!

A New Grand Champion

2011-06-02T11:42:00.003-05:00

If I hadn't broken my darn hand this post would have happened a long time ago. But here it is....GrC/Can CH Summit Fogybotm White Russian CGC aka Ruffles. He finished with 6 majors and 6 competition wins...not too bad for my little pet puppy. And the same judge who finished his CH as a 8 month old puppy finished his GrC. Thanks Judge Clem McGowen! Thanks to Alec for wonderful Ruffles handling!

Thanks to Cindy and Alec for a wonderful dog and a great ride.

Spring begets Mud

2011-04-08T23:39:00.002-05:00

And mud begets... I will not complain. I will laugh that my muddy Cardi boy is officially back! For those of you who do not know my Ruffles, he has gone through an extended period of, "I can't get dirty, I am a show dog". Yesh, I can assure you that attitude did not come from me! But I am pleased to report that he is officially over it and the dirty puppy of yesterday is BACK!!! I couldn't be prouder or happier!

On This Day

2011-04-07T10:52:00.002-05:00

We laid our heads down for the night with heavy hearts after giving the "kids" extra love and pets. Our gratitude for their presence in our lives was magnified by the loss of our friend. So on this night...

When Shaker lain down on my feet, I didn't squirm out, but was instead grateful for the anchor. When he brought his blue bone to bed, I didn't complain but listened with a smile as he gnawed away.

When Russ stuck his nose in my face and snuggled up next to me I didn't complain about being hot, but snuggled back. When he jumped off the bed to get a drink and then asked at 2:30 am to be picked back up, I just did it. On this night, I was grateful for the inconvenience.

And when they woke me up at 6:00am, I didn't grouse but let them out and smiled while I watched them play.

And on this day, when Shaker took his extra lap around the yard before coming in, I didn't scold, but smiled at his silly habit.

And when Ruff Ruff, bounded through the door and nailed me four square on the legs, I didn't do anything but laugh at his silliness too.

So today and for always, I thank Margie for bringing into this world my beautiful Ruffles and his side kick Shaker Baker. From the first bite of potato chips, they had me. Thanks be to Margie and the whole Foggy Bottom Crew. May you find peace, knowing that her legacy is rich and much loved. Kim and Kathy.

Don't Tell God Your Plans

2011-03-22T14:13:00.007-05:00

See any size difference between Shaker and Rambo?

Herding dogs are my thing. Twenty years ago, a border collie named Tippy dropped into my life, and the world turned a whole lot brighter as a result. She was pure delight. If I thought it, she produced it. When she crossed the Rainbow bridge 4 yrs ago, I wasn't sure I would ever find another dog to fill the hole that she left. But as some time passed, I was ready to start the search for another herding dog.

At that point, we decided that looking for a smaller herding dog was probably the best decision. Our thinking went something like this...smaller dog = a little easier to lift in and out of the truck in their old age. So then we had to decide between a pem and a cardi. That decision was easy, I enjoy laid back and loyal, so off we set to find a well bred puppy.

I had never shown a dog in my life, nor had I so much as watched a dog show on TV, so I did not set out to bring a show dog into our lives. I was looking for a hard working companion to walk with me, do some obedience, and possibly some therapy work. Well you all know already what I got was a prima donna show dog that I couldn't love any more than I do. So I guess it just shows the truth in the old adage--"don't tell God your plans, 'cause he'll just laugh."

But I did get that smaller herding dog, until....Shaker Baker (aka Shaker Baby) came into my life. Now he was brought into my life as a show dog...again don't tell God your plans, because he kept growing and growing and growing. Now this lug is also the biggest love ever. In fact, he slept every night right next to my head when I arm was broken. When I would open my eyes, he was right there looking at me, as if to question if I was alright. And now my smaller herding dog out weighs my border collie.

I could go on, Rainbow (also thought she would be a show dog) on the other end of the scale just didn't grow. Oh and I temporarily share space with a Pembroke named Duchess! So at the end of the day, would I change anything? NOT A CHANCE! I love the whole motley crew just as they are--big, small, intense, demanding, loving, gentle, fierce....

Teegan

2011-03-21T14:42:00.008-05:00

Teegan is out of the Russ X Music litter (Aug. 08). I spoke with her "mom" today and my heart was filled with joy! She said things like, "She is the best dog ever!", "She loves my son", and "She is such a snuggler". Well from the pictures she takes after Ruffles love of children. She also seems to have his way of being in the world--she loves to watch TV, does his funny little Kramer stance and has her special spots! Yep add it all up and I see a great deal of Ruffles, and not a lot of Music in this one--except size!

Oh I am so pleased and am so grateful that she is loved beyond all measure!

Dinah Does Agility

2011-03-05T15:10:00.007-06:00

Dinah, out of the Russ X Music litter (Aug. '09) is not only herding but has taken up agility! To say that I am pleased with her home and life's work would truly be an understatement. Thanks be to the Elliot's for, well, everything!

And seriously, for those of you who know Ruffles (aka Russ) check out the look in the first picture, see any resemblance to the looks her Daddy can give? Personally, I have always called that his, "Look Ma no hands" challenge. Yeah, I'll say it again, I am so pleased!

Post Blizzard Playtime

2011-02-06T15:53:00.005-06:00

We had record snowfall, and all the dogs got cabin fever. When the winds finally calmed down enough that we could be outside for more than just a few minutes, I turned 'em loose. Much romping, path making and ball digging out ensued.

Picture It

2011-02-05T13:09:00.003-06:00

Picture it, post blizzard 2011, snow drifts every where, short dogs trying to make trails.

Enter the Shih Szu named Skittles. Background: Skittles is a few bricks short of a full load, but the kid loves him. Skittles attempts to make his way in the same fashion as the Cardis, the Pembroke and the Bearded Collie mix. Needless to say he got himself stuck in a massive drift.

The Cardis, Pembroke and Bearded Collie mix had long since headed for the house when it became clear that Skittles was hopelessly mired. At this point, I am thinking that I am going to have to get dressed--snow pants, boots, mittens and the works to get this fool dog.

At about this point I hear Duchess, the Pembroke leading the charge, followed by Music, the Cardigan and Angel the Bearded. Duchess immediately organizes a rescue crew. Angel is set to trampling down snow while Music is enlisted to push Skittles. Of course, Duchess' role was to bark orders and directives the entire time. But within a minute the 3 heroes had our bedraggled victim unstuck and moving toward the house.

Go Red!

2011-02-04T12:23:00.004-06:00

Dora the Explorer made the Daily Corgi with her Cardi pals in D.C. Russ and Music couldn't be prouder parents...well OK Russ is puffed up and Music is, well, Music.

http://thedailycorgi.blogspot.com/2011/02/cardi-convention.html

Now back when we were three, the Riverbend Corgis posed for a Christmas picture wearing bells too. Of course, Russ and Shaker thought it was great fun, but Music was only game after I fell over the chair trying to get everyone to look in the same direction.

But my favorite, Go Red, Cardi moment does not come with pictures. (Trust me this is most unfortunate!) We (Cindy, Nick, Meredith and I) were traveling home from Rochester, MN in the trusty 'ole Winnebago when I heard a big THUD! "Holy crap,"I said, "What was that?" Cindy jumps up to investigate, and I hear a gasp and laughter. I swing my head around just in time to witness a sea of cranberry wine heading right for the front of the coach. I asked Cindy if I needed to pull over? To which she replied, "No, I've got it." And she would have, if that darn corner hadn't been right in front of us, and the sea of cranberry wine made a toxic shift toward the rug. Have I mentioned that we had a boat load of puppies with us--Shaker's litter? The little heathens were trying to "help", so the kids were enlisted to keep the babies on shore. I stopped the RV and grabbed anything that was absorbent--bath towels, paper towels, socks--you get the picture. CHAOS! While the kids kept the puppies on shore, Cindy and I were laughing so hard we can't see, but some how or the other we got the gallon of cranberry wine mopped up.

At some point, we regained control of ourselves and the only remnants of the incident were a bathtub full of pink towels and the faint aroma of cranberry wine.

While I am sure the American Heart Association would not approve of the cranberry wine for drinking purposes the entire incident still makes my heart happy with laughter.

GO RED!

A Good Pout

2011-01-27T11:29:00.004-06:00

Ruffles got to the cherished Frisbee first, so Rainbow and Shaker decided to have a good pout. Now the question remains, why is this silly thing the favorite toy? Yes, they all seek that nasty blue/red Frisbee thingy to chew on!

Ella's Misunderstanding

2011-01-18T11:38:00.004-06:00

Just before a show, it is quite predictable that Ella will chew on something that will turn her white fur pink or yellow. Today she ate a tube of RED lipstick, but the joke is on her. She is not, nor are any of the Riverbend Cardis entered in Des Moines! Hahahahahahaha, Ella!

Little Heathens

2011-01-16T11:11:00.009-06:00

Ruffles and I after he peed on the cone in the obedience ring. Little heathen was lucky he didn't end up with a clothes pin on his winky!

Ruffles informing me about something! Yep, he is an opinionated Little Heathen!

Rainbow. This one speaks for itself...Little Heathen!

This one is of Shaker, but I had one just like it of Ruffles. (Unfortunately it was lost in a computer crash) Little Heathen but crazy endearing, 'eh?)

Shaker and Russ created this little masterpiece just 2 days before our wedding. Yep, just two days later, we had 100+ people on this deck. We cleared taped it for the day and now it has pet resistant screening, a dog door and appropriate screen guard. Little Heathens!

Kathy and I recently read Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish. First, let me highly recommend this book. It is not only thought provoking and well written, but it is a fun read. So what does this have to do with a Cardi blog?

Well, we recently settled on two kinds of dogs in our house--kitchen dogs and rowdy dogs. The kitchen dogs are well behaved, seldom make messes, always come when called and generally are easy to live with dogs. The rowdy dogs (Russ, Shaker and Rainbow) seldom come in when called, chew things they shouldn't, bark and well they are just a bit more rowdy.

Yesterday Kathy suggested that 'Little Heathens" fit their personality a great deal better than rowdy bunch. And she was right! The Ruffles, Shaker and Rainbow clan are very endearing, great performers, quick to please and, at times, quite naughty!

So give Little Heathens a read and I'll bet you see your Cardigans, as well as, mine ensconced in the pages of this absolutely delightful book.

Dora the Explorer

2011-01-15T13:07:00.006-06:00

Dora as a puppy at Georgetown Business School.
One year later, a seasoned student!

When I opened this picture, I nearly split laughing. How ironic it is that one of Ruffles and Music's daughters would find herself perched on a lecture table at Georgetown. Many, many eons ago, I dreamed of being able to afford Georgetown, but alas I could only afford a NY State School. But the wheels of fate have been very kind to me, so no complaints about State School!

Kathy just walked by and added that she too was accepted at Georgetown, but Northwestern law ponied up more scholarship money. We will laugh about this picture all day! Please, Jill, keep these wonderful images of Dora coming our way!

Sisters

2011-01-10T16:56:00.010-06:00

Dora the Explorer

Dora...Oh my, Where does that look come from? Oh yeah, her Dad!

Rainbow and Ruff Ruff

Rainbow

Izzy. Apparently she and Rainbow share something in common...back burners!

Izzy

Dinah

Dinah and her kitty friend. Shhhhh....we won't tell anyone that one of them likes a kitty.

We would love to share pictures of Dora the Explorer and Evie. I have heard that Dora is 18lbs and full of mischief, so I am sure that she is one of the sisters! I had the pleasure of showing Evie in Kankakee, IL in December and she is a sweet as her sister Rainbow is naughty.

Another Round of Soccer Balls

2011-01-09T14:54:00.004-06:00

We bought the Cardi kids and Duchess too, a round of junior soccer and footballs for Christmas. But, alas, junior balls aren't tough enough for Corgis. So while visiting Nick in Iowa City we popped into a Play It Again Sports to pick up a couple regulation soccer balls. I think the fellow at the store thought I had lost my mind--buying soccer balls for dogs. Seriously, who better to buy used soccer balls? So in spite of his odd looks, we procured one white and one blue ball.

Initially Rainbow thought the blue ball was an alien life form, but after Shaker showed he it was just an 'ole soccer ball, she warmed up to it. I shot some video and some how or the other, I ended up shooting in slow motion so hit the fast forward button to get it in real time. (Yes, I will figure out this new camera but it is going to take a bit!)

Creature of Comfort

2010-12-27T21:04:00.002-06:00

Rainbow drug her bed into the kitchen. Apparently she wasn't comfortable waiting for dinner on the hardwoods.

It's A Cardi Christmas

2010-12-26T13:10:00.006-06:00

Santa came with new soccer and footballs! And it was a Merry Merry Christmas!

P.S. Music and Duchess decided that they would only play if we brought the balls inside. Footballs, soccer balls, and corgis inside....NOT!

Pitiful, Just Pitiful

2010-12-22T16:19:00.004-06:00

Rainbow would have you believe that her bed is never in the right spot, that some one is always bugging her and that, in general, her life is tough. But seriously putting the dog beds up for 45 minutes while I mop...not that big of a hardship for a little dog.

So this is really what happens...

2010-12-21T10:20:00.002-06:00

when I am not looking.

A Big Riverbend Thanks

2010-12-20T14:39:00.009-06:00

Hey it is me Ruff Ruff! I know, I know it has been a long time since I posted but seriously Mom busted up her hand and she has been a computer hog. So now that I wrestled it away from her for 10 mins, I have to come up with a blog post. I thought about Ella's Christmas tree carnage, but I'll save that one for when Mom's blood pressure goes back to normal.

Sooooo I decided to send out a big Riverbend Cardi (and Duchess too) thanks to all the people who helped Mom get back to being Mom. And as a special thanks I am posting some shots of the Riverbend Cardis (and Duchess too) having fun again.

First, Mama U. You were a great caretaker. Thanks for listening to Duchess when Mom needed something, but more importantly thanks for making sure we had kibble and cottage cheese. You're the best!

Thanks to Aunt Sandy and Uncle Chris. You guys rock! You drove, split wood, cleaned, cooked, and most importantly you took us outside.

John Roth is owed a huge bill of thanks for keeping the Cardi yard neatly tended. I love that you didn't mow our toys like "ah hem" somebody we know. Not naming any names but Mom you have taken out a few.

Miss Lisa for well everything from mopping floors to feeding dogs and all points in between. Thanks be to you!

Kerri J at Genesis Physical Therapy. I have never met you but I understand that you are the miracle worker behind Mom's wrist and finger movememt. Because of you, I get to go outside and play ALOT again. I am also planning a full compliment of dog shows. You see Mom really screwed things up when she busted her wrist, I was fixing on finishing my Grand Championship this year. Well, I'll forgive her if she is ready to drive my bus come spring! Thanks to you Kerri J!

Dr. T Cobb a huge thanks for putting Mom back together. We have heard tell that you are the best and now we know for sure.

I'll close with something Mom would say...May God bless each of you and keep you safe, happy and joyful today and always.

Ruff Ruff Out!

Gotta Love Cardis and Snow

2010-12-18T16:55:00.011-06:00

Goodness I love it when he does that...

Ruffles does love his soccer ball. I wonder if Santa will bring him a new one?

Hmmmm...should I jump on Rainbow and Russ?

Ella is telling on Rainbow...

Shaker wants to know why Russ is a ball hog?

It has been snowing in Iowa and my clowns couldn't be happier. Well the pictures speak for themselves.

P.S. Thanks Santa I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new camera!

You say it's your Barkday!

2010-12-15T09:59:00.003-06:00

December 15, 2008---Ella Bella Barkday. So today my girl is 2!

She stole my heart from hello, and it is a good thing too because her nickname during puppyhood was Marly II. If a day went by without a sentence starting with "Look what Ella did..." it was a banner day.

Well here's a shout out to her brother Kodi. Hope your Barkday is a great and you get some treats.

P.S. I post pictures later with my new camera. Santa came early and I am a happy happy girl.

River Life

2010-12-10T09:29:00.002-06:00

I was watching the Shaker, Ruffles and Rainbow play in the snow this morning. Each has a role as they zig and zag about the yard. But today it occurred to me that they were each like the boats we watch throughout the river seasons--a barg, ski boat and jet boat respectively.

Shaker lumbers forward, it takes him a bit to get moving but stand back once he is forward motion. Ruffles it fast, makes tracks and can turn to recover something on a dime. Rainbow is quick as a lick, fits into small places and generally zips about with abandon. Yeppers, the three parallel the most common boats we watch on our Mighty Mississippi! And on that thought, yes I do yearn to sit behind the wheel of my boat and enjoy the river once again.

P.S. I am hoping Santa brings me a new camera so I can once again add pictures! Yes, I could use Kathy's camera, but let's face it there is nothing like the feel of your own camera, and beside every time I go to use it she bellows, "where is my camera?" kbg

First snow 2010

2010-12-05T14:20:00.003-06:00

From Kathy: The first snow came and I only let Russ and Shaker play outside. Dutchess was hardly interested and Music is just a "fun grinch," no one can play and have any fun. She just follows them around barking. I think it is her way of playing. Rainbow is grounded for a few days as she recovers from her spaying.I could not get the boys to come in.

Christmas cometh

2010-12-01T13:16:00.004-06:00

This blog started with a tale of Ruffles getting into the Christmas packages. On that day he not only successfully opened loads of gifts but he got himself so sticky he had to have a bath. So I guess it wouldn't be Christmas without tales of Cardis gone wild.

The village was put up a few days ago, and I promptly reminded the Riverbend Cardis and Duchess too to "Leave It"! Apparently Music was listening because the tractor was found hanging out of her mouth. Can you spell BUSTED! Music is now banned from the living room unless attended by a responsible adult.

This leads us to a kitchen Cardi Caper perpetrated by Ella. (Yes, please note that these two capers were completed by my good dogs! YESH!) Any who, I left Ella in the kitchen while I ran to the store. When I returned home I noticed her very pink foot and mouth. I immediately began scouring the kitchen for evidence--which was immediately found! The Cardigan wreath was missing one black and white cardi, one brindle cardi and a whole host of red cranberries. The wreath was beyond salvageable so it now lives in the landfill. And Ella is still pink. Did I mention we have a show this weekend? Now where did I leave that white lightening?

Paw It Forward

2010-09-19T12:27:00.002-05:00

Okay folks, it has been a while but I just found out my Cardi clowns are the proud recipients of the Foggy Bottom Dirty Dozen puppy guessing game gift bundle. For some crazy cute puppy pictures, go to Cindy's blog Random thoughts on Random things. (I must confess a bias for the litter critter that looks just like my Ruffle Buns.) Any way on to the main event... My Paw It Forward Contest.

Yesterday, Kathy and I attended a funeral for the wife of a friend. She was only 50 yrs old, so needless to say we were all shell shocked and beyond saddened. She was a gal that always had a smile on her face and brought joy to everyone she met. She also had a heart as big as all outdoors and once threatened to adopt all the stray animals in a 5 mile radius of their home. While she was spreading this joy and gathering strays, she was in physical pain. But she never let her smile down. The minister spoke of her being joyful beyond her circumstances and challenged each of us to do the same.

Well that point hit me square between the eyes...or should I say heart. Yes, I have a severely broken wrist, 7 pins and enough nerve pain to fill a 5 gallon bucket, but I can certainly be more joyful! So I decided to laugh more, play more and enjoy my time now!

So this morning when I took the dogs out I watched them play. I didn't as has been my practice these last weeks hurry them to do their business, so that I could get back to my pillows. As a result of this new mind set, I saw Shaker lie in wait for Ms. Rainbow and then commence to fancy foot work the little devil all around the yard. I laughed until my sides hurt. I also saw Music hit Shaker broad side resulting in him rolling down the hill. I saw Ella pulling weed along the fence line and she got a Jewel weed stuck in her teeth. I think she thought it would disappear if she tried to out run it. I watched Ruffles tear up the yard as he ran himself silly for no apparent reason. I also had the pleasure of calmly petting Duchess without any interference.

What a gift! So here's the challenge...How do the animals in your life help you be more joyful than your circumstances? Nothing fancy...just a few lines. Let's figure out how to go forward and spread joy--one smile at a time!

Under Cover Cardi

2010-08-17T11:50:00.003-05:00

The morning of my wrist surgery, Shaker snuggled himself up so tight to me that I could hardly breathe. When I finally convinced him to move, he insisted on lying on my feet under the covers. He couldn't have possibly been cold, so he must have been trying to be comforting.

Silly Dogs

2010-08-13T12:36:00.003-05:00

I have noticed a trend at the Ranch...bone sharing. I initially thought "oh how cute, they're sharing", but I quickly realized it was a ploy for more toys. Yep, these clowns would each grab an end of something and then look at me as if to say, "oh poor us we don't have enough toys to go around!" (Trust me they have plenty.)

But it worked, we bought a dozen new Woobas from Pet Edge. I swear Russ can read. That box arrived yesterday. Russ immediately started barking at it and pushing it around. After much one handed effort I got to the prized toys. (Now today's box arrived and no fanfare from the dogs at all. I guess the box from SCOE doesn't do it for them.)

Outside Fence

2010-08-12T10:28:00.002-05:00

Hi, it is me Shaker Baby. Yeah, they still call me that even though I am 2.

Well Mom broke her wrist so life is a little different right now. For one we go outside fence in shifts now. Mom says it is easier on her constitution. I don't understand, and even Russ, who has been with Mom the longest says he doesn't get it. But, you see, I am a very very clever Cardi and I have figured out how to open all the dividing doors. So I get to go out with everybody. Mom laughs at me and says, it is a good thing that I am easy to live with.

I found this picture that the neighbor took of me keeping the deck safe from marauders. See I can do it all open doors, make Mom laugh and guard the house (OK the deck, but I could guard the house).

Pool Time

2010-08-06T10:40:00.004-05:00

Shaker's favorite season is pool season. There is nothing he enjoys more than a good lounge in the pool. Today he shared with Ella.

Ruffles is 3

2010-08-03T14:50:00.007-05:00

Russ better know as Ruff Ruff, Ruffles or Ruffle Buns, is special, not because he finished his championship like a horse on steroids, but because he is the foundation for my obsession with Cardigans. From that fateful Sept, afternoon at Foggy Bottom to this very moment he is an on-going joy in my life. His quirky sense of humor and undieing devotion to me are the cornerstones of my Cardi obsession. My little buddy is singularly responsible for the demise of two lap tops and a Spotbot, but he is also responsible for more belly laughs than I can count. (Many many thanks to Cindy and Alec for sending this guy into my life. ) It has been a great 3 year ride, and my most sincere hope is that my ride with Ruffle Buns goes on for many many more!

Recess

2010-08-03T12:27:00.003-05:00

My wonderful neighbor took this picture last fall. He called it Recess and I think that sums it up!

2010-08-01T20:40:00.003-05:00

With Kim's broken wrist, we have been dividing the pack into 3 and 3 to go outside. Rainbow usually goes out with her Dad, Russ, and they laps around the yard. Rainbow is really fast and Russ ends up chasing her and sometimes Shaker is lagging behind. Rainbow is also showing some definite herding instincts, even if she is still small. Here is a new picture of Rainbow and her Dad Russ.

Way Too Long!

2010-07-22T16:04:00.004-05:00

It has been far to long since I posted! So I guess I'll do a general update.

Rainbow and Ella are either the best of friends or the worst of friends. But aren't most female siblings like that?

Shaker continues to love his pool. He soaks his whole 45lb self in the water and then finds a nearby victim to shake the excess on.

Music and Duchess are resident old ladies are enjoying the summer and taking the attitude that when they are old they shall wear red and purple.

Ruffles, well he is still my playful boy who turned 3 just a few short days ago! His favorite game remains anything involving a ball and being chased by anyone or anything that has an ounce of energy.

At the end of the day, my life is so much richer for their presence.

p.s. The picture is of 'da boys--Shaker and Ruffles.

Shake ~n~ Bake

2010-06-08T20:36:00.006-05:00

Happy Happy Barkday to my Shaker Baker (aka Shake~n~Bake). Okay I am a couple of days late but we were far far away in a land called North Dakota. Well, my baby Shaker is two! Two! I can't believe he is two already. Where has the time gone? Well here is a few of my favorite pics!

By the way, he still loves the dishwasher, sleeping upside down and hanging out in his now much larger pool!

Snorkeling and Other Fun Stuff

2010-05-28T09:43:00.002-05:00

Summer has officially arrived even if the calendar doesn't say so. The heat indexes rose to points not well tolerated by the Cardi Clowns, so we broke out the pools and added ice to the water.

Now on the pool front, nothing should stand between Shaker Baby and his pool except this year he has grown so much that the dog pool really doesn't fit. He slides his happy self in but can't lie down as his back side hangs over the top. This silly sight prompted a trip to Wal -Mart for a real kid size wading pool. (I just know that emptying it every night is going to be a back breaker! So much for the "smaller herding dog!")

Now this snorkeling business was most unintended. I added ice to the water so it be be just a wee bit colder for them. Well I guess they have clear ideas about where ice should be found and it is not IN water. Rainbow was the first to figure out the ice situation and for the entire first bowl she dove in, got the ice and then distributed it to her friends. But by the time the second bowl arrived she was tired of sharing and every one had to fend for themselves.

Trash TV

2010-05-11T14:02:00.002-05:00

Hey guys!

How goes it? It is me Rainbow. Mom went to the chiropractor early this afternoon. She put me in the room with Dreamy. Bahahahahaha, man is my Mom silly. Dreamy knows how to turn on the TV, so she turned on soap operas. If my mom knew that I was watching trash TV she would have a fit. She doesn't let us Cardis watch anything except PBS and Discovery until we are at least a year. Wow I hope she puts me in the room with Dreamy again.

Please don't tell on me,

Rainbow

On the Road

2010-05-10T08:38:00.002-05:00

I probably should have posted this a couple of weeks ago, but well....

We will return home today. The clowns we have with us are READY to be home and running in their fence. The leashed walks were fun for a while but they are seriously ready for some free play. The romping in our RV has become more raucus every day. Of note is Rainbow's new favorite place--the dinette table. She hops her happy self up on the table and surveys her kingdon. The darn girl can actually ride up there! (pictures forthcoming)

We had loads of fun at Nationals, and crazy amount of fun with family in South Carolina.

I have heard that the dogs that stayed behind have done everything from get on my desk via the desk chair (interesting as it is on wheels...wish there had been a video running on that one) to eating some paint rollers. Guess they were a bit bored during the day.

Well as Corgi Capers go, we haven't had to many for the record books but stay tuned, as I am sure there will be many as soon as everyone is back in their element. These clowns are exceptionally good at pay backs!

Great News!

2010-04-20T11:43:00.003-05:00

Hello Mother, Hello Father!

We are having the best time at camp. Today was the absolute best. You see a very kind coyote left behind some squirrel parts. The Riverbend Cardis were very stupid and dropped them when the head counselor yelled "drop it!" We Winjammin Corgis are much smarter.

The head counselor did spoil a bit of the fun though when she pried our mouths open and stole the legs. Then she threw them over the fence where we couldn't get them, but Dreamy has a plan to pull the safety fencing off. We sure hope the head counselor can't find the staple gun to firmly reattach the fence. It is great fun to watch her hammer staples into the fence posts. We especially think it is funny when she misses and hits her hand.

Well we will write more later but we really must get back outside and roll in the smelly stuff left behind. Boy we sure hope she doesn't find a shovel and finish burying it!

Love and hugs,

Dreamy and Duchess

Shaker and Dreamy

2010-04-08T12:34:00.002-05:00

Hello Mother, Hello Father,

It is I Dreamy or as they call me here at Camp--Stubborn Dreamers. (I am not sure why they call me that I just have things my own things to do!)

I have a new friend. His name is Shaker, Shaker Baby or Shaker Baker....I am not sure which one is his real name because he answers to all of them. Any way, he is a lot of fun. We run around the yard and sleep on the Head Counselors bed.

She is pretty cool about the bed thing unless we get on it with muddy paws. Yesterday she had to was all the covers because I pushed open the swinging door for us before we had our feet cleaned. Then Shaker and I rolled and danced on the bed. Weee Haaaa it was great fun!

Love Always,

Dreamy

From Music

2010-04-06T13:40:00.003-05:00

Greetings,

It is I Music, and I wish to enter a formal complaint. My Mom Kathy is away on business. So last night at bedtime, when Mom Kim put the Double D's to bed, they kicked up a fuss about being alone in the other bedroom. So my bleeding heart Mom Kim said, "oh poor things", and she let them in our bedroom.

Well if that wasn't bad enough, they then got into bed with us and that tailless thing took my pillow! Are you kidding me? There I was without a pillow, does she not know who I am? So Mom dug out another one from the closet. But it wasn't the same, I have worked hard to get my pillow just right. YESH!!!

They had better go back to their own room tonight or else!

Music

Pay Back

2010-04-01T12:35:00.002-05:00

In the name of not taking myself too seriously, I will recount today's caper!

Shaker has been having some integration issues with the camp residents so we are taking it slow. So instead of all the Riverbend Cardigans having free reign of the house, we have been rotating who is out in the "front house" vs. out in the "back house & deck." (Don't worry, everyone has plenty of space, the deck alone is 100ft long and 10' wide!). Okay moving forward...

Shaker and his evil pals (Music and Rainbow) were in the back house when the Ag pick up guy arrived to get our tractor for spring service. The very nice fellow and I were taking the cab portion off the tractor when Shaker burst through the garage deck door. I turned and saw a very happy Cardigan holding a mouthful of ill gotten gain. Turns out it was 3 pair of panties and a bra!

He was very pleased with himself and I only wished that the garage floor would open up so I could fall through. The poor fellow from the Ag dealer ship is trying not to laugh, when I stepped outside of myself to see the absurdity of the situation. It was at this moment I just burst out laughing. Of course, Shaker then dropped his bounty and ran toward me!

I still swear that dog had a look of "stick me in the back...I'll show you!"

Dreamy's Job

2010-03-26T20:50:00.002-05:00

Hello Mother, Hello Father...Today was the best day yet!

The Camp Counselor said, "We have been couped up in this house too long. We need to spend a day outside!" She built a big hot fire in the pit, so she would stay warm and let us play outside ALL DAY!

We ran our courses, played hide 'n seek, chased Rainbow (she likes it really), gathered sticks, fetched, tossed a football and Frisbee. It was just great.

We are all very tired and need to sleep, but we wanted to report that Dreamy found her job. She is the cold water rinse girl.

Love always,

Dreamy and Duchess

Duchess' Job

2010-03-23T13:55:00.002-05:00

Hello Mother Hello Father...it is I Duchess.

The head counselor said no more free loading, we had to find jobs. Well I noticed that the 20something who resides in the basement doesn't always answer the head counselor when she calls for him. So I have made it my job to get his attention. So far I am having mixed results, but I am working on it. Now I told Dreamy to step on it and find a job other than the one she thinks is her job--making the counselors go "awwww, isn't she cute when she wants her belly rubbed?" Yesh that is not a real job!

Love always,

Duchess

Camp Day 3

2010-03-17T21:19:00.002-05:00

Hello Mother, Hello Father....Today was great!

We started the morning with a good run on the obstacle course. We are both much faster and have figured out the turns.

After breakfast things got a little weird. The head counselor said we were going to be broken into teams--Giraffes and Zebras. We were on the Zebra team and we got to go back outside again for another 30 mins, and the Giraffes (aka 'da boys) had to wait until later. (But I think in the end 'da boys got more time outside, tomorrow we are going to watch the clock!)

When we came back in the head counselor said we had to entertain ourselves while she and a co-counselor named Lisa cleaned the house. She said there were only a few rules--no blood and no eating electronics. Dumb rules who wants to have blood and eat electronics, but okay we were game. First we tried to get Ella to throw the ball for fetch but she wouldn't do it. Then Rainbow hogged all the toys and Dreamy got mad at her. Turns out it isn't a good idea to get mad at Rainbow because Music gets super weird about it. The head counselor said that Rainbow was her only child, but seriously what does that matter.

We all went out to play again and it was really warm and fun. Ella got so dirty that the head counselor said that she was too dirty for a picture. Hahahahahaha Ella didn't get her picture taken today.

After our 3rd play period, we learned about sun bathing in the living room. It was great, until the Giraffes (plus Ella, Rainbow and Music) got into a big fight outside. The head counselor threw a pink bucket off the deck at them. Co-counselor Lisa was on the scene and used it to break up the fight. Boy were we glad to be in the sun room!

We slept until dinner, we were so exhausted. We figured out how to be allowed loose in the bedroom. Every time we are told to kennel up, Dreamy rolls over and asks for belly rubs. The stupid counselors think it is really cute and they say, okay Corgi kids you don't have to go in the crates, but we aren't allowed to pee on the floor. Simple enough!

Well goodnight. We hope tomorrow is a much fun!

Love always, Dreamy and Duchess

Camp Day 2

2010-03-16T17:54:00.003-05:00

Hello Mother, Hello Father...It is day 2 of our camp experience.

It rained. It was muddy. We only got to play outside for 30 mins. It sucked.

Then the head counselor only took a picture of Ella. That really sucked.

There better be good eats tonight.

Love always, Dreamy and Duchess

Camp!

2010-03-15T23:19:00.009-05:00

Hello mother.Hello Father. Here we are at Camp River Bend.

Our first day was Olympics Day.

Dreamy won the prize for mud diving. Boy is she dirty. (We aren't quite sure why they put a white fence around the mud hole because it would me much easier to get to without the fence. Duchess has to fold it down so it would be easier to get the the mud. )

Duchess worked out on the balance beam.

We ran track and obstacle courses. Weee haaaaa that was good fun. We especially enjoyed the water obstacle course. Did we mention that Dreamy is really dirty?

Music won the shot put retrieval game, but Duchess won the discus retrieval.

They feed the same slop you do. I thought you said Camp would have good eats. Oops I forgot they tried to poison us with green beans. We ate them but only so the Head Cook wouldn't feel bad.

Oh Dreamy made friends with Music and Ella. Duchess made friends with the Head Counselor.

We are tired so good night. We'll write more later.

Love always, Duchess and Dreamy

So What I Answered It

2010-03-08T12:37:00.002-06:00

Hey folks, it is me Rambo.

Mom is making a big ole fuss about this cell phone thing. What's the big deal? It rang. I answered it. I guess I am like my Dad...I don't get it.

Peace out,

Rambo

Rainbow and Daddy Share A Bone

2010-03-05T22:08:00.004-06:00

Russ picked up his favorite bone to have a good chew when Rainbow decided that her Daddy's bone looked pretty good. Well once again Russ proved what a tolerant Daddy he is and not only shared the bone but ultimately gave it to her.

Rambo and the Dog Door

2010-03-02T08:20:00.002-06:00

Rainbow took a long time to warm up to the dog door. Until about a month ago she would stand next to it and wait for her human companion to open it for her. But once she decided that her little self could do it--stand back!

For a couple weeks she was satisfied to be the first one through as the Cardi troupe made their way to the great outside. But now she bulls her way through and spins around so she is directly facing the swinging door. As soon as one of the other dogs pushes at it, she snipes at their noses. Now none of my Cardis are much for that behavior so they retreat and whine.

Picture it, 17 lb Rambo is keeping Shaker (41lbs), Ruff Ruff (36lbs), Music (25lbs), and Ella (25lbs) completely trapped inside the house by sniping and head butting them if they try to make their way outside.

Now I am trying to convince them that if they just ignore her she will grow bored of the game, but oh no this cast of clowns engage her every time. Sigh!

Eagles Nest is Open

2010-02-27T16:08:00.008-06:00

Hey it's me Ruff Ruff again.

Moms finished the Eagle's Nest Guest Suite, so now all my Cardi friends can come and visit me! I especially liked that you can see the Cardi yard from the window, but Mom said something about the River being pretty. (I didn't get that part!)

See ya soon,

Ruff Ruff

Gates Down

2010-02-26T21:38:00.003-06:00

Ruff Ruff here!

Mom finally got smart and took down all the dog gates. Now we Cardis can hang out in the living room anytime we chose! It's great, Ella and Music love to sit on the couches.

Now on that note, I don't think that is fair, because I can't jump on the couch. But don't worry, I just whine a bit and Mom comes in and puts me on the couch. What I don't get though is why Music and Ella get on the other couch when Mom puts me up with them. What's up with that?

Well that's it for today. I'll be back later with more news.

Ruff Ruff out!

Serious Cute Overload

2010-02-15T10:58:00.003-06:00

Ella and Rainbow have become the best of buds. Not only do they play together but quite frequently they sleep curled up together. But I must admit when I found Ella feet on Rainbow's back I suffered from serious cute overload!

Russ and Eukanuba Year 3

2010-02-13T13:35:00.002-06:00

Russ loves to watch Eukanuba. He has been doing it since he was a puppy. The picture is of him watching the herding group.

Species Neutral Bed

2010-02-04T11:53:00.002-06:00

Russ loves cat beds. He doesn't care much for cats. So we have to call his cat beds "species neutral beds!"

Caper to Cute

2010-02-04T11:46:00.005-06:00

Okay I admit it I thought it was funny when they ripped up the advertisements. I didn't think it was so funny when I had to clean it up. But once again they were way to cute at the end of the day!

Cardi Cute

2010-01-29T14:15:00.005-06:00

Well I woke up to find that my clowns had completely shredded the piddle pad that I put out for the puppy. Apparently she didn't need it so it became a chew toy. In addition to the piddle pad, they had saved me the trouble of shredding time sheets. (Yes I feel very fortunate that the employee hours had already been transmitted to the payroll service. Imagine my chagrin if I had to ask for duplicate time accounts!)

So needless to say I was a little annoyed that I had a mess to clean up. But just a couple of hours later, my cute meter got pegged out. I found Rainbow completely curled up with Ella. I missed the altogether too cute picture but later found Russ surveying his kingdom from the stacked dog beds. And Rainbow made a nest for herself in a quilt my grandmother made for me when I was a teenager. She would have loved seeing that cute puppy all curled up in the blanket.

Rambo Strikes

2010-01-21T16:23:00.003-06:00

Turn your back for 2 mins and I swear chaos reigns! I had Ella's file out and walked to the kitchen to check on dinner. I came back and found Rambo (aka Rainbow) eating the file!

Yeah there she was eating Ella's puppy pictures, and I swear looking at me like "what?" Oh sometimes she reminds me so much of her father.

Any one seen today's news?

2010-01-19T16:49:00.003-06:00

1) Memo to self: When I leave to go shopping don't leave the paper for the Cardis, they won't save it for me.

2) Memo to Personnel Committee: Apparently the Cardis didn't think much of the job description we were working on either.

It Warmed Up...

2010-01-12T11:01:00.001-06:00

It warmed up enough that I decided to let the Cardis have a real romp. I filled my coffee cup, donned my gear and headed out. A few observations:

Shaker loves the cold and snow best. He fancies himself a snow plow. And the most amazing thing is the rest of the kids stay in his paths.
Russ was lost without his cohort in crime Ella. He spent the first 15 mins trying to get her to play, but she was quite content to hang out with a stick by my side.
Rainbow has her mother's mouth and her father's bounce.
Music thinks she needs a throne to watch her subjects play.