Saturday, June 16, 2007

August, is a Cairn Terrier Birthday Month

Monday's Walk: In Pictures Mostly (08/02/06)

I took a ton of pictures of Maggie and Geordie on Monday during our cemetery trail walk. Then I spent about three hours discarding the truly horrid ones. Walking and taking pictures is challenging, especially so when you have the perfect shot-- and the shutter goes off something fifteen seconds later, and all you get is half of a dog's butt. I spent part of yesterday and a bit of today reducing what I could glean to byte-sized pieces.

Maggie and Geordie have learned a new word: FIG. My former husband, John, an organic farmer, has a bumper crop of them this year and brought me a small flat of them. I adore them, and apparently so do the dogs. So much that in order to get some, they seem to be willing to endure the unspeakable: THEY LET ME GROOM THEM. These two will practically prostitute themselves out for fruit?!?

Yesterday, we revisited the elementary school track but took it sort of "free-style" -- using the asphalt only to reconvene, which added another half mile the one-mile walk we'd have had if we'd stayed on the curved-and-narrowed.

Today, it's heating up, so we did the traditional neighborhood loop. Not so exciting but better than nothing. After all, our backyard is neither large enough nor exciting enough to encourage much cavorting. Besides, Geordie has already transformed it into Craters of the Moon and breaking off the hard hair on his muzzle.


Maggie pauses to consider Maggie onto a scent. Geordie scouts.

To G's chagrin, gate is shut. At least he can hunt. . .


Exhilaration: Maggie " Aerial" of Geordie


Geordie's butt. . . Maggie follows trail. All you see is Geordie's butt

Pack of two/Maggie checkin' out / Maggie is stealthy.

A pensive moment? Geordie's "scratch 'n sniff session."

Geord considers options. Maggie "truckin' like the do-dah man. . ."

I must wade out of a Mt. Everest of papers that is this house. Moreover, it's 8:30 and we still haven't had dinner. I must keep up with the news-- or what passes for it.

TTFN,
Jill, Maggie, Geord-an

Lopez Eight Happy Birthday-- "Now We Are Six"

Geordie and Spicey's rendezvous in late May through early June of 2000 resulted in a beautiful litter of eight puppies, five boys and three girls on this day on beautiful Lopez Island, as breeder, Carol Onstad of Scotch Broom Cairn Terriers, played canine midwife to Madonna-like Spicey, as one puppy after another entered the world. (As I recall, I was out boating with Larry, Alan, Alan's then-girlfriend, and her parents on the Willamette River when several of them were born.)

Rooty, who is Scotch Broom Ginger Root, ME, was the "earthdog prodigy" of the group-- smashing his father's AKC Earthdog Cairn terrier youth records for all levels of earthdog-dom, except at the Senior level, for which they tied to the day! He lives in Renton, Washington with his "sister" Freda and Randy and Daryl Bahls.

Tarry, aka Scotch Broom Tarragon, CD, JE was the obedient one of the group. Still is, mostly, I presume. He bloomed fairly late as an earthdog. In fact, his owner Bette Shuh and I and many others thought of Tarry as "the pacifist," as his initial contact with them appeared to be an effort to befriend them. . .Time passed, and his enchantment turned to sheer terrier instinct. The Mark Spitz of the litter, Tarry once outswam a Newfoundland in pursuit of a tennis ball.

He lives with his human Bette and his sister Ede in both Portland, OR and Lopez Island, WA. Mostly it's Lopez Island, though. Tarry's other talents include earning the title of The Fastest Cairn Terrier in the Northwest for three years in a row. (This link shows 2003.)

Riley, who is also Scotch Broom Haute Cuisine, is the Emeril Lagasse of the litter, always "kicking it up a notch" for Lew and Jenny Pic in Florida. He makes the best dog treats ever.

Cairn Terrier Gourmet

Cairn Terrier Haute Cuisine
(New on Holy Terrier Dog Designs)
I found myself stealing from Maggie and Geordie's Care Packages, munching on the cheese cookies-- well, all the varieties-- except for the liver.

Scotch Broom Rosemary lives in Portland, OR with Laura and Richard Riter, her pet Westie named Brodie, having adapted beautifully to her job as Baby Adam's nanny.

She is incredibly maternal toward her young charge and guards him and his family against intruders. Rosie and Brodie recently showed their earthdog instincts by double-teaming and disposing of an unwelcome guest, a rat, in the backyard.

Happy Birthday!
Jill, Daddy Geordie, Aunt Maggie


You Don't Send Me Flowers: It's Geordie's Birthday!

Geordie turned 11 today-- a prime number. Morning started with Tahitian Noni Canine Essentials yoghurt parfaits for M&G. (your source, of course)

Mostly, this August 7th has been pretty much as most others-- except that from time to time, Larry and I would utter the words, "Happy Birthday, Geordie"-- or something similarly lame and uncreative. Here is his astrological chart. I know that everyone who reads this will want to see it

He got flowers for his birthday. However, we didn't give them to him. A firm believer in selecting his own gifts, Geordie stole a plastic vase full of sweet pea blooms off the kitchen table but this went unnoticed until we discovered them scattered upon the table. Petals led toward his "lair"and the

Circumstantial Evidence.

At Larry's suggestion, we took Maggie and Geordie to this really scuzzy state park with a cool- sounding name-- Bonnie Lure Park, at Eagle Creek, which flows into the Clackamas River.
Its internet description was a bit of a hype. The only "terrestrial mammals" we saw were humans and canine. The native plants were of the variety that would not be ignored.

The forty-minute drive led to more heat and mugginess than home. A short and uninspired trail offered an abundance of stinging nettles, blackberry brambles, and drunken teenagers-- apparently that was the "wildlife" to which the Web site for Bonnie Lure referred.

At one juncture, Geordie lusted after (instead of wanting to pulverize it) a Rottweiler-cross bitch, but nothing would become of it, as we detoured through a skinny corridor generously lined with thorny blackberries and yet more nettles. Maggie grazed on blades of grass, ruminant that she is. When we were finished, the dogs slaked their thirst with some water we'd brought from home.

Meanwhile, Pat Gentry, had already arrived in her turtle-home-- a very homey fifth wheel-- with her dogs, which included a ten-day-old puppy. I am referring to him as "Vagabond" because he is on the road. He is also Geordie's latest grandson.

"Vagabond" grandson and Ol' Grandpa Geordie

Maggie and Geordie feasted on a raw turkey neck and an assortment of organic greens, which included beet greens, arugula, cilantro, and more. Each received a Cinnabone and some dried tripe.

Happy Birthday also to Haggis, Geordie's litter brother.

Bon anniversaire, mon cher Louis Geord-an. . . Je t'aime!

Jill and Mag (who loves him in her own way)


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