The joy of blogging
One of my friends made a comment when I started the blog that she was surprised that I waited so long to start one. What I really like about the blog is that it gives me a place to not only keep track of my life but also a place to put my photos. I had stopped taking photos because I didn’t have anywhere to put them. Digital just isn’t the same as print photos and you end up with so many more digitals. So now I blog and enjoy taking photos again. I love looking at my dogs 🙂
Good News for the home team
Leslie had her girls Xrayed last week and her Doc has had pretty good results in predicting OFA results and it looks like both our girl Candy and Leslie Pem girl Cheery-o are going to have passing hips. Yippeee!
Today I also got Lindy and Henry’s CERF certificates in the mail. They had their CERFs done at the CWCCA nationals in April but I misplaced my “ring bag” when I got home from the nationals and I just found it a couple of weeks ago. Now they are listed on the OFA site or will be when they update it. PJ was done last November in Tulsa, Kathy has his CERF paperwork but since she has move twice since then she is looking for them to send in but we will re-do it again in April anyway.
The Toller Nationals
I’m home from the Toller nationals. It was held in Claremont, CA about a 12 hour drive from El Paso. I had a great time and saw some really nice dogs. I acted as Chief Steward for the Obedience, Rally and Conformation. I was asked by my friend Phyllis of Philmac Tollers. Phyllis was the Show Chair and I hope my being there gave her a few less things to worry about.
A Novice dog
Here are the results:
Sweeps Judge: Jane Jensen
Best in Sweeps
Manitou’s Granturismo 12-18 bitches
Best of Opposite Sex
Portstar’s Napoleon’s Conquest 12-18 Dogs
Best Veteran in Sweeps
Reddecoy’s High Country Piper, JH 7-9 Dogs
Best of Opposite Sex
Ch. Lonestrees’ Lil Journey to Oz, CD, JH, NA
Regular class Judge, Lester Mapes
Best Jr. Handler
Lindsay Stiflinger from the Open Jr Class showing Ch Jetstream’s Sit up and Take Notice
Best of Breed
Ch Fionavar Javahill Topgun, CD
Best of Opp
Ch Vermilion Joy4 Javahill, SH, RN
Judges Award of Merit (4)
Ch. Jetstream’s Sit Up and Take Notice
Ch. Cinnstar KD’s Red Tornado, CD
Ch. Westerlea’s Sir Edmund UDX2, MH (from the Veteran Dog 7-9 class)
Ch. Anando Off Center Toller Tyson
Winner’s Dog and Best of Winners
Javahill’s I’m a B’liever from the Open Dog Class
RWD
Portstar’s Napoleon’s Conquest from the BBE class
Winner’s Bitch
Javahill Faith of the Heart from the BBE class
RWB
Kelticfoxs Daddy’s Wee Lass from the 6 to 9 class
HIT
MACH2 Foxgrove’s Electric Slyde, RN, XF (from Novice B)
Kathy and the quilt
They had a great raffle, I won a few nice things but I didn’t win the big prize which was an amazing quilt. The quilt was done with Toller art, paw and nose prints, sweeps of tails and some very creative paintings. I was very happy that Phyllis won the quilt, she worked hard and she didn’t have much time for fun at the Nationals so it was a nice reward for her.
I enjoy the breed and really was happy to see some of the country’s best jaunty little red dogs. It was also nice to see like my own breed many of the top winners had titles both in front of and behind their names.
Wordless Wednesday
Bronco Sue
Pippin’s Babies
Our exciting news is that Pippin’s pregnancy has been confirmed by ultrasound.
Puppies are due on November 5th or 6th. Of course with all pregnancies we have to wait it out and hope that everything goes well and that the delivery is uneventful.
We are very excited about PJ’s 1st litter and we hope they are beautiful and healthy. Updates as they happen.
Pip and Polly also added another set of letters to her name, Pippin now has her AXJ agility title too.
A relaxing Saturday
Ok maybe not really relaxing but since I’ve spent the last month either working or traveling on the weekend any weekend at home is relaxing and it will be my last for awhile.
We started the day by participating in Onate Trail Dog Fanciers Association’s AKC Responsible Dog Owner’s Day. We had a booth at the El Paso Country Fair, an event that is held each year as a fund raiser for at risk children. We talked about responsible dog ownership, did a meet the breed demo and just hung around and chatted with folks.
OTDFA
Lindy on a Haybale
PJat the duck pond
Lindy at the duck pond
Mom, Cody and Jess tailgating
Go Miners!
Go team!
Not the 64 yarder but it was good
Now back to your regularly scheduled dog programing…………..
Good news from our doggy family, Kathy’s Missy who is our Candy’s sister was WB for 2 points down south, Leslie’s Pem girl Phoebe was Best Veteran and Herding Group 2 today in Tennessee and Miss Pippin and Polly competed in Agility today and finished their AXJ title. We hope Pip is a “working mom”.
Skywatch Friday
My first Skywatch, this is a September sunset somewhere in NM off of I-25 between Albuquerque and Las Cruces.
Ode to the Old Lady
This whole crazy life gone to the dogs started with a beautiful German Shorthaired Pointer puppy named Windy. Although here a Solstice we now are focusing on Cardigan Welsh Corgis my 1st dogs were Shorthairs. I had Snert, Gwen, Sigfried and Lane and on Valentine’s Day 1997, Windy arrived in El Paso.
I had been exploring showing dogs for a couple of years, I joined the GSP club, I worked the 1996 GSPCA nationals show, I stewarded with the New Mexico Stewards Association for a year and then I started looking for a “show dog”. I found one and my life changed.
Linda and Kevin Flynn of Milton, MA had a beautiful litter of 6, 2 girls and 4 boys. Their Keltic Shorthairs had done well on the east coast and they were beautiful. After many discussions they allowed me to chose one of the girls since they felt both were of equal quality. I choose Miss Pink and Miss Teal staying at Keltic.
Miss Pink became Ch. Keltic’s Winter Solstice, CGC.
aka Windy or The Diva or Woo
- Windy, Best of Breed
When I got Windy I also got Linda and Kevin Flynn. Linda and Kevin are the very best kind of people to start a new person out in the sport of dogs. Besides being wonderful dog mentors they are wonderful friends and Windy gets the credit for bringing them into my life. Without Windy I wouldn’t have Linda and Kevin or any of the truly special people in my life. I would not have met, Leslie and Bob, Harry, Kathy, Phyllis or the rest of my gang. Of course without Windy there wouldn’t be the Solstice Cardigans and El Paso would not have the Onate Trail Dog Fanciers Association, the AKC licensed Kennel club that I founded. So one dog makes a big difference.
Ch. Vacation Dog
Windy is my 1st show dogs, 1st Champion, 1st National award winner, 1st agility competitor and 1st brood bitch. Windy hated the ring, my fault, I made it too important and my nerves made it scary for her but she is such a beautiful girl that she finished in spite of my bad handling.
Windy did love to travel, so because she liked to go but hated to show I thought it would be a good idea to get her an RV. Windy loves her RV and was always happier hanging out there than in the nasty crate. When we went to look at them the salesman knew who the RV was for and went and got her a chair to sit on while we talked the deal, offered her ice for her water bucket and went and got a bigger golf cart so she could ride around to look at them too, yep the Diva!
Windy took trips to Napa Valley, the Grand Canyon, Cape Cod and she spent one New Year’s Eve with the crowd on the Rose Parade route wearing a New Year’s Eve party hat and seemed like she enjoyed the parade the next day. She also went on some neat dog show trips but she didn’t think they were so fun.
On a snowy day
Windy in the Whelping box
Windy will be 12 on November 11th and although she is getting ackey and creaky in the rear she still never misses a meal, loves to carry around her stuffed animals and chew her rawhides. Every day is a joy no matter how demanding she is.
Although she is in the autumn of her life with winter fast approaching the Diva still rules from her tattered arm chair, demanding servitude from me and homage from the younger dogs. Hail Woo! Long may she reign!
Windy on 9.23.08
- The Power of a Dog
Wordless Wednesday
Something just isn’t right!
Tonight I’m fixing the dogs dinner and I realized that at the same time I’m putting their food in the bowls I’m fixin Chili for the tailgate party tomorrow’s Battle of I-10 UTEP v NMSU and I realize that the dogs are getting beef and I’m fixing vegetarian chili! What is that all about?.
Actually I’m trying to fatten Mr. Skinny boy Henry up by feeding him my version of “fat balls” the dogs love them so I give each dog a small taste while Henry gets a full portion with his dinner. While I’m trying to fatten Henry up I’m trying to de-fat myself and trying to eat better hence the vegetarian chili, I just found it kind of funny.
Dog fatting Fat Balls
5lbs cheap fatty hamburger
Med. Jar Peanut Butter
Jar of Molasses
Box of Corn Flakes
Mix together, form meatballs and feed raw.
Vegetarian Chili
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- Green Chili powder to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile, drained
- 2 (12 ounce) packages vegetarian burger crumbles
- 3 cans whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
- 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn
- 1 can Veggie Broth if needed.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, and season with bay leaves, cumin, oregano, and salt, green chile powder. Cook and stir until onion is tender, then mix in the celery, garlic, and green chile peppers. When vegetables are heated through, mix in the vegetarian burger crumbles. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 5 minutes.
Mix the tomatoes into the pot. Season chili with chili powder and pepper. Stir in the kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and black beans. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer 45 minutes. Stir in the corn, and continue cooking 5 minutes before serving. Can also be mixed together and heated on low in the crock pot.
Solstice Kennels 
