To Be Honest, My Childhood Dreams Involved Being a Vet, not Getting Adopted in My 40s

Well, who dreams of that (getting adopted in their 40s)?! Not me.

No, when I was a kid - like plenty of other little animal-loving people - when I wasn't staging elaborate drama productions with my pet Siamese cat and 376 (named) stuffed animals - I hunted for toads...and wanted to grow up to be a veterinarian.

Hey, Mom said we get to do blood and gore today!

We look like we beat up a jar of grape jelly, you fur-brain. 

Or a zoo keeper.

Or (briefly) Hayley Mills in the (1965) Disney movie That Darn Cat!.

Of course, I also wanted to have 12 kids and live on a farm. And on that farm, I'd have every kind of farm animal imaginable.

As pets.

moo.*

bleat.
(Rare Welsh Longwool Butt-Head Ram)

And all 14 of us (humans) would greet each day with bated breath, frolicking with the animals in the fields, milking cows and making homemade ice cream and apple pies. ;)

But, back to that vet thing. Yeah, so I had lofty aspirations, but then I got distracted, and fell in a hole...left my homework on the kitchen table...joined the YMCA...threw my shoulder out...burned dinner (to the 10th power)...saw some Corgis running in a field...had a joyous out-of-body experience...drove the wrong way down a one-way street...used explicit language...with my kids in the car...

And, well, you know, I never became a vet.

Thass kewl.

But, a few years ago (after many years of waiting for the right time), I got two Corgis - I believe you know their names. Thankfully, they got along (mostly) with my herd of rescue cats.

Then, a few months later (because I was desperate to to share them with the world), I logged into Blogger and created The Chronicles of Cardigan.

'Member when we looked like this???
(snapshot via Wayback Machine)

And then, while still a struggling new pet blog author, I found myself at a blogging conference (called BlogPaws), from which I gained a few (cherished) blogging friends, had loads of fun with the dogs, and (notably, among several pet brands represented) exchanged cards with Jane, a producer for Petfinder.com ("...the searchable database for hundreds of thousands of adoptable pets from more than 14,000 adoption groups from across the U.S., Canada and Mexico...").

I might have mentioned them (Petfinder) in a few of my blog posts in the years since that day. OK, so I've mentioned them (along with a few homeless pets available for adoption) in like 19 separate blog posts (before today). (All because of that simple card swap with Jane at BlogPaws in 2011, which got me on a partner list, and afforded me advance notice of Petfinder programs.) I consider it (helping Petfinder help animals find forever homes [and they have helped more than 20,000 of them since 1996]) a privilege. Especially since I'm free to "help" in such a delightfully (offbeat and sometimes odd) creative way!

We went.

So, a couple months ago, when Petfinder announced they were looking for 10 bloggers (with a demonstrated dedication to helping animals in need) to "adopt" (read: honor with a $200 Visa gift card [to offset conference costs], a private lunch with Petfinder's editorial and PR team, a sneak peak at Petfinder's upcoming Summer campaign, and some cool new Petfinder branded goodies) during this year's BlogPaws, I nearly broke my good typing hand filling out the contest application!

And when I learned that I was selected to be one of the 10 bloggers "adopted" at BlogPaws?? It was, well, like a dream. And yet, I couldn't have dreamed it in my wildest childhood dreams (as those - along with being a vet - mostly involved Pop Rocks and Shaun Cassidy).

Funny, how dreams work like that. ;-)



Hmm, you know, the only thing missing from that blog bling up there is a Tiffany-blue box.
Petfinder probably doesn't have those, though. Nope.
But, you know what they do have, that's even better??
Well, I'll tell you:

This gorgeous senior Siamese girl named Tiffany, in front of a Tiffany-blue background!

Precious Tiffany is an adoptable cat in Germantown, MD.

Did you know that you can search for pets (among other ways) by name at Petfinder? Yep, and as of this moment, there are 118 (cats and dogs) named Tiffany waiting to find their forever homes!

*****

Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some toads to hunt (love those warty buggers), elaborate animal productions to stage (how do you think I come up with half of the stuff I write?), mouths to feed and pies to bake (not).

Click here to read the official "Adopted Blogger" article - including a complete list of winning blogs and a group photo - at Petfinder.com. 

* Prop product placement credit: Dewi's cow catbell was generously donated to me (at BlogPaws 2013) by the talented Debbie G., aka Glogirly, owner of both the award-winning cat blog of the same name, and Glogirly Design, where, if you hire her, she will pimp your blog (or business cards, logo, etc.) like nobody's bizness. (And by pimp, I mean customize with class, yo.)

Coming up next...Lots more photos and captions from Jon Farleigh and Dewi's (plus select cats') "veterinary infirmary" and "farm animal" photo shoots!



Note: Petfinder did not, nor will they ever, compensate me for mentioning them on this blog. I do it for the animals, and because it's so FLIPPING FUN!

Calling All Versatile Loggers! (in Which Forestry, Pets Named Paul Bunyan, Blogging and Fudge are Oddly Related)

Disclosure/Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever been, a logger (as in the forest). The following subject matter is--as I discovered partway through writing it--highly conducive to puns and/or euphemisms; however, I absolve myself of intent. Therefore, any instances you might think you see (of the aforementioned) cannot be held against me.

Hello. My name is not Paul Bunyan; however, I play him on Etsy.

And you can call me Babe (not him, silly, THE DOG).
But if you do, I'll call you something much worse.
(Image and Babe-the-Blue-Ox costume via Etsy)

So first of all, in celebration of Earth Week, I would like to recognize all loggers (actually all forestry professionals and stewards) who champion (not just in word, but in deed) sustainable forestry research, education, training and practices. You rock!

And as a small token of appreciation, please feel free to copy this "Versatile Logger" badge and paste it wherever you like. (Full confession: The badge/award used to say "Versatile Blogger*," but I edited it in Photoshop.)

Oh, and also (contrary to most blogging "awards"), there are no "rules" tied to accepting the badge. Nope. So if it suits you, it's scot-free! Yay!

However, I will now share 3 random (previously unshared) things about me (just for fun - since, especially if you're an actual logger [20 years from now, under a blue moon], this might be your first time here):

1.  I have a problem with profanity. In that every time I start to use it, "fudge" comes out.

[Insert 3 seconds of silence while Elizabeth contemplates rewording that last sentence. OK, nah.]

And by fudge, I mean the word "fudge."

2.  I am banned from using the word "fudge" (as an expletive) in my own home. Scout's honor.

3.  I prefer my fudge dark, hot and syrupy (as in a condiment) or frozen (as in a Fudgsicle), as opposed to the malleable, loaf-like varieties.

Anyone else want some fudge, now, too? :) Yum!

AND THIS IS WHERE I SEND YOU OFF WITH A LOAD OF LOGGER, AKA "LUMBERJACK," POP CULTURE TRIVIA

Hello, my name really is Paul Bunyan (and don't ever forget it).

In a recent study conducted by the career guidance website CareerCast.com, lumberjack is the 2nd worst job in the U.S. for 2013. Newspaper reporter is #1. (ouch.)

On a much lighter note...

These statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, in Bemidji, MN, are on the
National Register of Historic Places. 

For some reason, in folklore, lumberjacks like to eat stacks and stacks of flapjacks. The folks at Hungry Jack (a Pillsbury brand) believed (in the 70s) that lumberjacks also liked eating mountains of Hungry Jack (refrigerated dough) biscuits.


ca. 1970s Hungry Jack biscuit commercial "...they gobble 'em down and the plate comes back for..."

Image via Wiki

The fast food giant, Burger King Corp., in Australia (and in no other country), calls its stores Hungry Jack's. This is because the name Burger King was already trademarked there. (Also, the "Jack" is for Australian franchise owner, Jack Cowin, not a lumberjack.)

Image via Brawny Towels (a Georgia-Pacific brand)

The Brawny Man (a lumberjack) has never had a real name and is purely fictional. In 2003, after years of research, Georgia-Pacific gave the (nearly 30-year-old) Brawny Man an updated (not so 70s) clean-shaven look.

And if you're wondering why the lumberjack at all? As cited in a 2003 story on USA Today, "research found women love him."
Well, well. :)

And with that, friends,
Happy Earth Week!

(Now, make like a lumberjack and split.)


* All thanks to Julie at The Daily Dog Blog for bestowing the "Versatile Blogger" award upon me, without which, this celebratory blog post would not exist.

P.S. Thanks also to Coralee at Bark and Chatter for the "Super Sweet Blogging" award. I now know that it must have been due to my proclivity to all things Hershey fudgy. ;)

If I Could Draw the Animals Like This, I Wouldn't Need a Dang Camera!

...But then, I'd have to teach them how to play freeze tag...and hire an Olympic-caliber sprinter to tag them at my beck and call. Oh, and then they'd get fatigued from staying in one place for too long (and fat from eating too many treats).

So, nevermind. I would still need a dang camera*. Grrrr.

Enough jibber jabber, though...

Hi, Dew Dew Baby! :)

Just (if you haven't already today - on FB or Twitter) look at this likeness of Dewi that Bailey's person (who blogs at Bailey Be Good!), the artist behind DrawingMom.com, drew! 

(Imagine my surprise upon seeing this in my blog's Facebook feed this morning! Talk about a good way to start a Monday!)

Anyway, "Drawing Mom" saw Dewi's photo on my blog and drew him (without my solicitation) to be part of her non-commissioned "in-between" drawings portfolio. How cool!

Have a hankering to get your pet's photo turned into a piece of fine art?
Maybe you should go check out DrawingMom.com!

* Still no news on the broken camera front, but I appreciate all the support. :) I'll let you know what happens. 

Classic Cardigan: Jon Farleigh Improvises as a Bumblebee

One year ago almost to the day, in honor of spring, I dressed Jon Farleigh and Dewi up as a bumblebee and butterfly, respectively. It was great fun! (For real.)

And because the same exact flowers and creatures are gracing my garden these days, I though it might be fun to rerun the post in which Jon Farleigh has A LOT to say about his particular "bee" predicament.

So without further ado, from April 26, 2011:

With Captions: The Many Faces of 'Bumblebee' Jon Farleigh

#1
Jon Farleigh immediately regretted having gone
with the spicy burrito from Taco Bell.

#2
"Hey, there; wanna see my stinger?" 

#3
"Ackk ackkk ackk...I gotta stop smokin, man."

#4
 "...la la la la la la la la la la la La...
Figaro Figaro Figaro Figaro FIGARO!!..."

#5
"heh heh...Pull my finger."

#6
Jon Farleigh refused to look at the camera until
his person agreed to refer to him as
"The Harry Hornet."

#7
Jon Farleigh just realized he could have saved 15%
by switching to Geico.

#8
"Psst. I see cat krispies under that rose bush.
Let's eat 'em and then give her a kiss."

#9
"Guess what? I peed in your shoes. Oh, my bad, you don't speak dog." 

Bonus: Double Head-tilt

#10
"Say what? Did she just tell us to do the Macarena?"

Toodles!

***

P.S. On a personal note, you all rock for reading, and in some cases, re-reading this and other posts on my blog. I am humbled, as ever, for the time you invest in me, my pets and this crazy chronicle of mine.

That said, and some of you might have noticed, I'm having some struggles keeping up with (replying to and leaving) comments. (More on this another day.) But anyway, please know that I am thankful for every note you've left and that I haven't forgotten about you (and if you have a blog, I haven't stopped visiting you; I do visit LOTS of you)!

I will return (to comment land), but in the meantime, thanks for not calling me mean, cable-TV words...or rolling my blog in T.P. :)

How Can I Help You Get More Eyes on Your Blog? Let Me Count the Ways

Don't worry, I haven't written a sonnet for you today.

I am, however, going to use my blog experience to try and help you get some more eyes on your blog - if you have one. If not, well, maybe one day when you start one? 

But first, here's a token picture of Dewi that I took earlier today:

He was in this position for exactly 14.2 seconds. :)

And now: the part where I spill my guts

For the last month or so, beginning with the impending one-year anniversary of this blog coupled with the start of a new calendar year and culminating, last week, with the Pet Blogger Challenge, I've been more introspective than usual, prompting a whole slew of personal questions about the future of the blog: Can I (and why should I) keep up the grueling five-day-a-week pace (of posting and keeping up with way too many other blogs)? If it's too much, how do I cut back? How do I keep it fun without becoming redundant? Who the heck really cares - other than me - anyway? 

Can you say "too much introspection can make 'Jane' a very anxious girl"? 

Wanna know what I say?

FOR THE LOVE OF PETE, IF YOU'RE PRONE TO BOUTS OF OVER-THINKING, DON'T START YOUR BLOG RIGHT BEFORE THE NEW YEAR!

Okay, joking aside, I've been struggling with "my purpose" so much lately that I'm having trouble mustering the will to write anything, and that's bad. So I'm resorting to the one tried and true way I know to divert my eyes off of myself, and that's to help someone else. In this case, "someone else" would be all the new or inexperienced (relative to me) bloggers who are reading this post. 

Some Statistics

(because although I'm far from an industry "expert," I do have a little street cred) 

• I have 163 Google feed (RSS) subscribers* (to my blog posts).
• 16 people subscribe to posts by e-mail.
• I've had over 52,000 page views as of this writing.
• My daily page view count doubled from September to October, about the same time I started using Twitter.
• My Google Page Rank is 3.
• Alexa says this (as of today - updated daily) about The Chronicles of Cardigan:
  "Chroniclesofcardigan.blogspot.com is ranked #535,721 in the world according to the three-month Alexa traffic rankings. Its visitors view 2.7 unique pages each day on average, and almost all visitors to this site come from the US, where it has attained a traffic rank of 76,023. The time spent in a typical visit to Chroniclesofcardigan.blogspot.com is about sixteen minutes, with two minutes spent on each pageview. It is relatively popular among users in the cities of Richmond-Petersburg (where it is ranked #543) and Seattle-Tacoma (#12,504)."
• My #1 referring site and URL is Google.com.
• My #2 referring site is Facebook.com.
• My #2 referring URL is a virtual tie between thedailycorgi.blogspot.com and elyancardigans.blogspot.com.
• I have 2,699 published comments.

*RSS subscribers include, but are not limited to, Google Friend Connect "followers." I obtained my subscriber information from Google Reader and Google Webmaster.

Okay, now that you know where the blog stands statistically, I'd like to share the ways in which I intentionally tried to increase traffic (I hate that word, by the way, it's so impersonal) to this blog, starting with the very first day. (I'm going to write in the present tense, though, since I'm writing this for you, not me.)

• Make sure your blog feed is public (not private), which means search engines can crawl it.
• Post something.
• Add "searchable" labels to all your posts. This will not only help people search your archives, but can help search engines find your content, too. 
• Send someone you know your blog address and beg ask them to read it.
• Find, read and comment on other similar blogs (in my case, it was other Cardigan Corgi blogs, namely one, Life with The Horde, in which case, upon the author stumbling upon this site, I had the supreme fortune of having my blog name and address broadcast to her entire readership and added to her blogroll).
• Post quality content often (in my case, back then, it was every day).
• Encourage commenting on your posts. By encourage I mean: ask open-ended questions, write about something thought-provoking, incredibly shocking ridiculous (okay maybe not that) and reply to commenters when possible.
• Leave thoughtful comments on other blogs and add these blogs to your blogroll.
• Make blog friends. (If you're leaving thoughtful comments on blogs you enjoy reading, this should be easy. Note, however, that some of your comments on other blogs might not be reciprocated, and when this happens, it does not mean that you are a blogging loser. You have no idea what's going on with that other blogger. Just suck it up and move on.)
• Join a blog hop(s). I linked up to the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop for the first time in mid-February. I met LOTS of new people on my first few "hops." This is also when my readership grew from a mainly Cardigan Corgi niche to a more encompassing dog blog niche.
• In spite of how much you might hate it, create a Facebook fan page and install a widget on your blog. Mine was born on March 3. I wanted to make it easy for people - who might prefer Facebook to blog comments - to interact with me. I have been rewarded with 146 "people" and 20 "page" fans. I love my Facebook friends.
• Post quality content often. (In late March, after several Saturday blog hops, I decided to quit posting on weekends because my family time was suffering. I still post every weekday, unless I announce a break in advance.)
• If someone asks you to, write a guest post for her (or his) blog. I've done it four times, on three blogs.
• Share the link love and link up to some of your favorite blogs from within your blog posts, particularly if you've been inspired by another's work.
• The summer is a natural time to hit a posting rut. Push though it anyway.
• Leave thoughtful comments on other blogs and add blogs to your blogroll.
• Go to the pet blogging conference, BlogPaws, if you can. There is nothing more rewarding than to meet your blog friends (and make new blog friends) in person. 
• In spite of how much you hate the thought of it (even more than Facebook), get a Twitter handle (related to your blog), install a widget on your blog and start tweeting - even if it's only to tweet your blog posts. And if you've been posting quality content all along, you might even get invited to join Triberr, where your tribemates will even tweet your blog posts, and before you know it, you've doubled your blog's monthly page views. (I have 157 Twitter followers, belong to two Triberr tribes and since October, when I started tweeting, have seen my monthly blog page views double.)
• Post quality content often.
• Leave thoughtful comments on other blogs and add blogs to your blogroll.

Which brings me to the current state of affairs. ;)

So this - at a high level - is how I've helped people find this blog. However, aside from posting quality content often (which is far and away the most important thing of all), making people want to read more than half a post, subscribe and/or keep coming back for more is another story altogether. And lucky for us, one that I'm saving for another day.

Hope this helped...someone...even just a little bit.

I know I feel better. :)

P.S. I will gladly answer any questions!

P.P.S. I've got more parts to show you!

'Tis Time for Me to Acknowledge the Awesomeness of People

For starters, these award-winning bloggers:

• 2 Brown Dawgs' mom at 2 Brown Dawgs  - owner of two beautiful and talented Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, and awaiting the addition of her third, a puppy
• Ellen at Pupparoos - super blogger (she has three) and parent to Stewie, a mighty little rescue dog, and Tucker, a fuzzy baby Sheltie who will make you gasp (he's that cute)
• Irene at Harlequin - mother, animal lover and talented digital scrapbooker in the Czech Republic
• Janet at Basset Momma - servant of Basset Hounds, Fred and Gloria - what more can I say?
• Lauren at Life with Desmond - doting parent of crazy (her word) rescue dog, Desmond, and dog trainer-to-be
• Leslie at Bringing up Bella - passionate dog rescue volunteer and patient parent of Bella, a recovering former street dog transplanted from far-away Puerto Rico
• Mary at Bermtopia - brilliant writer and dog mom to Ben, an adorable Aussie blend with a piercing dry wit
• Scrappy's mom at Yorkie Tails - typist for the born-Irish and now Minnesotan terrier, Scrappy, who just brims with inspirational anecdotes
• Sue at Greyhounds CAN Sit - lover of life and dogs, namely her grand Greyhound, Beryl, and handsome pigdog (her word), Frankie, in the stunningly beautiful coastal town of Feilding, New Zealand

So as I was saying, they're all award-winning, each snagging at least one of these three noteworthy blogging awards:

Norwegian origin

Passed to me from the Czech Republic

German origin, translated "dearest" or "beloved," designed
to recognize "up-and-coming" (less than 200 subscribers) blogs

And, each of these people has generously passed one of these awards to me, along with the privilege of paying it forward.

(For the record: I suck for not doing this in early December - before duplicates happened. But, on the other hand,  if I had, then I wouldn't have been able to introduce you to all these great blogs.)

A few things you should know:

• Most blog "awards" come with at least one rule.
• I have already followed one rule.
• I believe some rules are meant to be broken. 
• That's all I'm saying about the rules. :)
  (but if you must know them, try Google-ing the award names)

~~~~~

But, before I call attention to a few more awesome people with blogs, for fun (smile), here are a few random, previously unpublished things about me and my dogs:

• I once wrote and edited in HTML, hundreds of online reference documents for a large company. And to this day, I enjoy hand-coding lists (especially multi-level ones), including many of the ones you see on my blog.
  I also enjoy diagramming sentences.
  I am strange.
  
  
• Jon Farleigh had a twin puppy brother named Luke.
  Luke lives in North Carolina.
  

  

  Jon Farleigh is on the left (he has less white on his muzzle).

• This is what you'd see while seated on the toilet in my guest 1/2 bathroom.

  

  The toilet humor doesn't end with the blog. :)

• Dewi, although higher energy than Jon Farleigh, is the snuggliest of my two dogs. He will climb in your lap in a chair and spoon you in the prone position. Jon Farleigh, in contrast, snuggles in bursts (but will lick your face off). :)

~~~~~

And now a confession: The reason I have waited to accept these generous honors until now is because it is painfully difficult for me to select new recipients. I subscribe to over 100 outstanding blogs, and I consider all bloggers I subscribe to awesome people. So tell me, what's a girl to do?

Get over herself and advertise some (lesser-known-to-my-readers) great blogs, that's what. :)

Starting with "kreativity"

• Two French Bulldogs - Benny and Lily. They. Are. Crazy. Funny. Their mama could take this act far, if she set her mind to it. Make haste over there to check these cheeky Frenchies out, especially on Ba-da-bing Tuesday! 
• Happy Bark Days - The Adventures of Miss Little Red Maple Leaf - The author of this blog is a Canadian transplant in Singapore who writes about her life with Miss Maple, an adorable red toy poodle. She also writes intriguing travelogues and her photography is stunning.
   

Then on to the "lovelies"

• Peaceful Dog (Which could just as easily be called Peaceful Blog) - Kirsten, the author of this blog, is a professional dog trainer, dog owner of Lamar (a handsome Anatolian Shepherd) and foster parent to two adoptable pitties-in-training, Fozzie and Sandy. Here, you will find everything from dog training tips to photo journals of outdoor adventures with dogs in the Mid-Atlantic (US)-area wilderness. And, she has a soothing writing style that will make you want to curl up in front of a fire with a cup of hot cocoa.
• Ruffly Speaking - A previously well-kept secret of Cardigan Corgi people, this blog is a pleasure fest for the eyes and mind. From the remarkable photography, to the hilarious storytelling, and ending with the vault of expert dog-rearing information, this blog simply should not be missed. I promise, you will not be sorry you went there. 
• Daley's Dog Years - Chandra, the author, created this blog as a eulogy to her beloved dog, Daley, who at age 13, developed Degenerative Myelopathy (DM), a spinal cord disease that targets older dogs and for which there is no standard treatment or cure. A champion for the precious senior dogs of the world, especially those who find themselves homeless, Chandra uses this space to spotlight local dog causes and to provide valuable information to people who care for senior dogs.

And finally, the liebster "up-and-coming"

• The Daily Dog Blog - Julie, a self-employed graphic and web designer, created this space for sharing her beautiful pets: Cali, the 12-year-old Aussie x Golden Retriever, and three rescue cats, Monkey, Ashley and Zuni. Julie is in love with animals and it shows. Hint: I lifted this quote off her "About" page: "How is it possible that there are people in this world that are not “pet people”?"
  This just in: A new Labrador dog girl, Saydee, has moved in while her human (Julie's brother) is on assignment.
• Ozzy's World - Ozzy Oswald is a Min-Pin who was abandoned by his first owner, and through a twist of fate, came to find his forever home with the author of this blog - a DUDE. :) There are no pictures to speak of, other than the little photo of Ozzy in the sidebar, but the descriptive writing makes up for it. I love that this blog is from a man's perspective, but it's the funny stories that hold my attention. And hey, if you go there (please do!), do me a big favor and leave a comment. This guy's been writing his hands off with no comments to speak of (not even mine - that is, until I tell him about this award.).

~~~~~

Thank you again to all the bloggers who tapped me for this honor. You rock!

To the new recipients: Feel free to copy your award image and post it on your blog! If you choose to pay it forward, great! If not, that's okay, too.

Now, go find yourself a new blog to follow!

(Note: Since I'm posting so late today, and because this is way long, and I want people to have time to read it, there will be no post tomorrow. See you back here on Thursday!)

Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Writing a 'Mostly' Dog Blog

A lot can happen in a blog year. 280 posts worth of stuff, to be exact. 280 days of sharing thoughts and images on a virtual page. 280 chances to make an impression - share something helpful - hone writing skills - spread joy. In a nutshell, regardless of who or what I choose to write about, those are the most important reasons why I have a blog at all.

But for today, with this final, 279th post of the calendar year, I'd like to share the top 5 reasons why I specifically love writing a mostly dog blog (beginning with the most important). 

#1 - The community! Dog people (including people who don't have a dog, but enjoy reading about them) are some of the kindest, warmest, most supportive, talented and compassionate people I know. In other words, YOU are the reason I enjoy this blog so much. (Note: Please remember this when you get to #2.)

#3* - I love dogs and I've lived with them much of my life. I'm most comfortable writing about familiar things - and I am passionate about their (and cats', too) causes.

#4 - Jon Farleigh and Dewi were born to be written about and in pictures. They are hilarious. They provide endless fodder.

#5 - Dogs can't read and don't care whether they took a bad picture. 

#2**  - I GET TO TALK ABOUT POOP!

Yes, it's the truth. Best of all, though, YOU LIKE IT (when I talk about it - not the actual poop)!

Starting with the time I wrote about Jon Farleigh NOT pooping in the rain (at MyCorgi.com), you shared how my (and JF's) unfortunate predicament made you crack many horizontal smiles. (You had not yet, as you barely knew me, shared about cracking vertical smiles.) And that made me happy!

Not pooping in the rain. Not no way. Not no how.

Then there was the time that Jon Farleigh ate some hair and used the carpet to dislodge a dingleberry. Who knew such a sorry story would attract so much attention?!

Please look away from me and my humiliation.

[Don't stop me now, I'm on a roll of toilet paper...]

And then there was that one time when Dewi ate something disagreeable, and I wanted to tout the digestive health benefits of feeding mashed pumpkin to dogs. Except because of the serious nature of the subject, I decided to use the code brown word "Hershey" for each instance of the word "poop." Remember that one?

Eat some canned pumpkin and have a nice Hershey!

And other than some of you developing a sudden aversion to chocolate syrup, I think this article was one of my most helpful. Pumpkin really is one of those miracle foods - whether the Hershey is flowing or hung up in the chute. :)

~~~~~

Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a whole lot better now that I've gotten that out of  my system!

THANK YOU for the best first blog year I could have ever imagined!

And with that, since I've got the weekend off...

May 2011 go out with a boom-boom BANG!

and

May you have a swimming (like jolly kids who've just been dropped off at the pool) New Year!


(More regular blog programming will return on Monday.)

P.S. Anyone else think it's about time that the Browns get to the Super Bowl? Maybe they should play on real grass more often.


*#3 is out of order, so...

**#2 got stuck on the bottom.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Cardi Claus!

And he (or she?) delivered us something!

Yay!!!!! We weren't on the Naughty List!!

To those who aren't familiar with "Cardi Claus," he (she) lives on a ranch at the North Pole and herds mountain goats and reindeer when not delivering holiday goodies to Cardigan Welsh Corgi households.
And I own beachfront property in Malibu, CA - NOT!

Okay, so Cardi Claus is really a "secret" gift (ornament) exchange, organized by Janet of Mockingbird Cardigans (and the blog Simple Things), for willing and able Cardigan people all over the U.S.A.! The dogs and I are thrilled that we can participate this year!  

So, now that the loot is out of the bag, I'd like to send a huge THANK YOU to our Cardi Claus, Holly, of Visions Cardigans in Averill Park, NY! Holly and her dogs, Sabrina, Luther, Snickers, Emma, Hush, Sailor, Sea Sea and Ben (the Springer), are now very high up on Jon Farleigh's and Dewi's favorite peeps list. 

Here they are patiently waiting for their biscuits.

I would like it now. Please hurry.

I've been sitting here longer than necessary. 

And I'm pretty excited about my new pointed blue merle Cardigan ornament!

Dewi through the snow?? Ha ha ha

I think it'll look fantastic way up high (where it won't get eaten) on our tree!

Thanks again, Holly and dogs!

Oh, and in case you're wondering, Jon Farleigh, Dewi and I sent "Cardi Claus" on a delivery mission, too. In fact, he might have already landed. I wonder whether Cardi Claus has ever delivered coal? ;)

*****

Everyone, have a merry weekend!

5 Essential Things My Dogs Are Probably Thankful For

I thought I'd list a few obvious things here since, well, you know Jon Farleigh and Dewi can't really speak their true feelings. Right?

Food

I'd rather be taking a nap, man.

Water

Lula: That's a PIG trough. Hehe.
JF: Shut up, Lula! Stupid thing is stupid! Ugh! 

A Warm Place to Sleep

Oh, wait! MY BAD. This one...

A dirt mattress would be better. Seriously.

Friends

Tigger: I hate you, you barbarian!
JF: If I had legs, it'd come up there and smack those stripes off!

Butterflies in Spring

See you in therapy, bro. 

Hope your pets are as thankful as mine! :)

P.S. The crew and I will be taking this Thursday and Friday off the blog so that we can do Thanksgiving stuff. But we'll see you tomorrow! :)

P.P.S. Will follow up on recent comments as soon as possible! THANK YOU for leaving them! 

Many thanks for your feedback! Now see what I did. :)

First off, SurveyMonkey rocks for making gathering your valuable feedback on the blog colors so easy. Go there if you ever decide to add a survey to your own blog. :) (Note: If I had asked you to vote for your favorite out of a group of color schemes, I would have used PollDaddy.com.) Both of these sites offer useful FREE services for bloggers.

Okay, now for the big reveal, but first, THANK YOU for taking the time to help me with my dilemma...and yes, for the sometimes "brutal" honesty. :) To be frank, although more than a handful of responders have been complimentary about the "golden-dotted" framework, quite a few more than that think it detracts from the blog (think Jon Farleigh and Dewi covered in spicy brown mustard). Not good.

One survey participant even shared a web site with dozens of color palettes (including ever-so-important HTML color codes) from which I might draw inspiration. But alas, after trying 974,268 different combinations that I hated, I said screw it this is for the birds and decided that THIS LOOK makes me happy:

In case you can't tell, there's a vintage TV set in the background. (Because dropping the blog in front of an old TV makes perfect sense, don't you think? :)
(This is a stock Blogger background, by the way.)

Honestly, because it's warm, quirky and makes no sense, I think it makes perfect sense (for my style and this blog). Well, that and the colors don't clash (too badly). :)

Thanks again, everyone!

Jon Farleigh and Dewi return tomorrow! Stay tuned!
(See, I can even make a pun about my new background. :) 

The finished product? What say you?

[cue Charlie Brown voice-over]  Uuuuuugggghhhhhh!

Okay, I feel a little better. :)

Do you like the new (Blogger Simple) template? I hope so, because I do. I have lots more freedom with column widths, a wider area for posts (which means you get larger photos - yay!), a cleaner layout and endless color scheme opportunities.

Speaking of blog colors: I'm not completely sold on what you see here (read: I'm obsessively worried that you all hate it), and I REALLY need to put it to rest (so I can rest). Soooooo, I was wondering:
Will you help me??

It's simple. If you have 30 seconds to spare for a friend (me), would you take this one-question survey? I promise it's anonymous. Did I mention it's only one question? Pleeeez? Thank you!!!!

(Brutal honesty, okay?)

Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world's leading questionnaire tool.
Note: If you don't see the embedded survey, click here.

Thank you, friends! I'll share the results (and what I intend to do about them) later this week.

*****

So on to funner things...

Let's see...HAPPY THANKSGIVING to my Canadian friends! I'm thankful for you! Enjoy your day!

And lastly, just a friendly reminder that the last day to submit your pet's photo for the

giveaway is Oct. 15 (this Saturday).

Many thanks to all those who have already submitted photos!!
Every single one of them has made my day and I can't wait to show them to the masses!

If you haven't sent me your photo yet, I want it! Send send send!

Thank you!

P.S. I'm a little behind on replying to comments on my recent posts, but I assure you I have read them all and I appreciate them lots. :) Responses are coming soon.