[Sound Siren] Special Canine Weather Bulletin...Hurricane Joaquin Edition

Good evening. Jon Farleigh and Dewi here with a special weather bulletin.

As you might know from other, less canine news sources, we (along with millions of other East Coast dogs) are sitting here like rubber ducks, waiting for the uninvited arrival passing of that jerkface Joaquin.

Hurricane #Joaquin watch. pic.twitter.com/uEsGCQNMOp

— Flama (@theFlama) September 30, 2015

[Begin interruption]

Me (from off camera): BOYS?

Boys: Yeah, ma?

Me: Hurricane Joaquin is not that man. It's not a man at all; it's a storm. The picture is a joke.

Boys: Like us in these raincoats?

Me: JK! Hurricane Joaquin is TOTALLY that man!

Boys: Uh, oh kay?

[End interruption]

Geez, how rude. *sigh*
So, where were we? Oh, yeah...JOAQUIN! So he's like this big giant man-head way out in the ocean, and he's swimming north and, as many of you know, is expected to pass right by where a bunch of us live, making this HUGE wake and splashes that might rain down on top of us and the mountains and make the rivers and stuff overflow. See?

And all this commotion and splashing is making all the humans scramble to buy all the bread, milk, eggs, ice and batteries within a million miles, because the peeps are worrying about THIS:

So, we would just like to remind you (so that you do not worry about our stubby-legged selves AND can take immediate precautions - as needed - for your own whatever-sized-legged selves) that we are prepared with our (previously published at Richmond Pet Lovers.com)...

EMERGENCY 24-HOUR DOG'S GUIDE TO SURVIVING A POWER OUTAGE*.

Please also take note that in the event we have to use this guide, we will also be working part-time as human foot warmers.

Please refer to your other (less canine) news sources for current inclement weather information.

* Our power outage survival guide has only been tested one time, on us, and might not be entirely appropriate for your current electrical (or life) situation. Does not apply to cats. 

Dewi, why does your jacket seem like it repels water better than mine?

Because, bro, I'm Batman.

☺

Be safe, y'all! (For real! Be prepared; flooding is NO joke.)

Notes:

• The Hurricane Sandy version of this canine weather bulletin was published previously.
• Apologies to Joaquin Phoenix.
• To the beautiful people of the Bahamas, who will surely suffer great loss due to this storm, you are in our hearts and prayers. 

Classic Cardigan on Giving Thanks: The Time I Made the Dogs Wear Thanksgiving Costumes in Gale-Force Wind

Speaking of gale-force wind, I don't know how Dug didn't get blown straight off the porch in this scene. Do you see how high off the ground they are? It's a good thing Carl likes dogs!

See below for a reminder of what happened right before Dug jumped on Carl.

*sigh*

Oh, and by the way, I still have a couple other Dug GIFs left to share this week! ☺

So, this is "Classic Cardigan on Giving Thanks" week! (Remember, from Monday?) And that means, it's time for another classic Thanksgiving-inspired post from the archives!

Once again, going way back to the beginning...originally published on November 23, 2011...

I'm thankful for 32 mph wind gusts...

...that usher in clear skies and cool temperatures. It's not supposed to be warm and muggy in Virginia on Thanksgiving.

Good times!

And I'm thankful for vacation days from school. Because there's no way I could've taken this shot without four extra hands. 

Turkey and Pumpkin

But the thing I'm most thankful for today -- especially as the out-of-school girl children and I were balancing ourselves in a wind storm at the end of a long pier, trying to get a couple decent shots of the adorably adorned dogs, who, incidentally, need to work on their sit-stays --  

is ALL OF YOU, DEAR READERS!

You make it so totally worth it. Today and every day. :)

That's me with my head cut off and hair in my mouth. :)
It's possible that Jon Farleigh's pumpkin hat blew into the river. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all our American friends!

To everyone else, Happy Day!

xo

Elizabeth, Jon Farleigh and Dewi

^^^^^^^

Another Thanksgiving-inspired blog classic (full of adorable photos) is coming up, tomorrow!

Classic Cardigan: People Like to Crawl Inside Dog Crates at My House

It is 49 degrees below zero* outside, and there's a 3-inch layer of ice and snow covering every horizontal surface. My purse strap broke in the grocery store and I spent so much time today trying to find a replacement (online), that I can no longer stand the sight of Etsy. My cat, Bobby Flay (O'Fish), took his collar off three times. I finished one of the most depressing books I've ever read in my life...

And yet, none of those distractions from my day explain why I've decided to remind the whole Internet about this...

Originally published on 7/21/2011,

The question isn't just whether the crate is big enough...

...it's whether the crate can double as a club house.

Don't ask me to explain. :)

(By the way, it's a 36" crate.)

~~~~~

And, then, there was this (photo from "Oscar" night in 2012)...

It's Dewi's (crate) view of Jon Farleigh bedded down for the night. Except Dewi, obviously, isn't the one who had the photo opportunity.

And (because you thought it), yes, I was all the way in there with the door shut. Didn't even have to fold myself into quarters!

Well, tell me. Have you ever tried out your dog's crate?

* It's not really 49 degrees below zero outside, it's a "balmy" 19 degrees above zero (F), and expected to drop down to 6(F) overnight. Brrrrr!

My #RecipeForMoments (Awesome Moments) in the Snow With One's Dog (Hint: No Pajamas!)

It seems to hardly ever snow here in Central Virginia anymore. But this time it was coming--the weatherman said it was coming! A 100% chance, and based on his sage computer model predictions, all the local school systems had announced a snow day, even before the first flake had drifted from the sky.

But, while 80%* of my household's humans were ecstatic, 100% of the furry residents were oblivious, including Jon Farleigh and Dewi. (It hardly seems fair, does it? Being deprived of the anticipation leading up to the season's first major snow event?)

At first it (the dogs not knowing) made me sad, but then--as the green blot of frozen precipitation on the radar inched closer to my side of town--I'd decided that I could handle being excited enough for all three of us. And, so it was. Like on Christmas Eve with my kids--except in January, and with fur-children who'd never even heard of Santa Claus--I went to work, planning the best backyard snow adventure my dogs had ever seen.

Some of you might remember that last year--when I decided to photograph a big snow adventure with the dogs--it had been so impulsive, that I hadn't even thought to change out of my pajamas. And that despite having remembered to grab a coat and my camera, the lengths to which I went to get shots from the dogs' point of view (read: squatting so low that my flannel-covered backside hovered mere inches from a blanket of packed ice) left me hurried to get back inside, lest the numbness in my bottom half topple me over into a scantily clad heap in the snow. It wasn't pretty, nor was I proud for having squelched the dogs' unbridled wintry bliss.

Thank goodness for hindsight, though, because this time? I WAS READY! Not only would I dress in appropriate clothing for a romp in the snow at corgi level, but I would wear a waterproof barrier over my bum, so I could plant it directly in the white stuff: a GIANT TRASH BAG with arm and neck holes!

My #RecipeForMoments = snow, 1 Jon Farleigh, 1 Dewi, 1 appropriately dressed, doting human, 1 good camera, 1 giant trash bag, altered with arm and neck holes

And, friends, that is how I got all these beautiful shots of my furry babies--running around (almost) like they'd expired and gone to heaven (for it to have been fully heavenly, I'd have needed to make it rain bacon).

To whoever is viewing Dewi's gorgeous face on Wednesday, February 12 (publishing day):
IT'S HIS 4TH BIRTHDAY! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET DEWI! ☺

Oh, what fun, indeed! (Jingle bells, optional.)

That'll do, mom. That'll do.
(25 points for wintertime human x animal bonding!)

*My poor husband doesn't get snow days from work, and was, therefore, not so ecstatic as the rest of the humans. 

Do you have a #RecipeForMoments with your dog(s)?

(♥)

Our story is part of the #RecipeForMoments blog hop hosted by BlogPaws. Link up below to share your story of the bond you and your pet share. What do you think your pet feels in your special moments? Five random U.S. winners who link up their blog post will win a Nature's Recipe® lightweight collar camera to capture special moments from their pet's point of view. See BlogPaws for official rules and details.

This post is sponsored by Nature's Recipe® on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Nature's Recipe For Moments on behalf of Nature's Recipe, but The Chronicles of Cardigan only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers. Nature's Recipe is not responsible for the content of this article.

It Rhymes With 'Hump' Day: Encore Dump (I Keel You! Edition)

And by that, I DON'T mean, "I make you keel over with my encore dump." OMG, that would be SO rude! No, I mean, "It SNOWED AGAIN, and look at these pictures of Jon Farleigh and Dewi acting like they're gonna 'keel' each other"! ;)

Full disclosure: My child took these pictures today (after I bribed persuaded her); therefore, I do not deserve photo credit. I did, however, edit all of them in PicMonkey.com, using (among other things) the Tranquil filter (to dial down all that "angry" white snow). Also, no surprises in here. I pinky promise!

All good snow romps begin with a butt munch.

And those make Dewi want to keel Jon Farleigh.

However, Jon Farleigh's reflexes are too quick.

Next, having regained his footing, Jon goes on the offensive with a low shoulder stance.

Which progresses into full-blown desire to keel Dewi.

Except that he gets distracted by a pile of deer poop.

~The End~

Tune in next Wednesday when I rhyme "hump" with...?

It Rhymes With 'Hump' Day: Dump

Oh, hi there, you! Yeah, you. No, not the person over your shoulder, you. Hey, mind if I ask you a couple questions before you check out the rest of this post? Great! Okay, 1) Do you know this is a mostly dog blog? 2) Do you know me (read: I'm not exactly known on this blog for my couth and inhibition - just saying).

Okay, okay, so assuming you do know this is a dog blog and you know me, is it fair to say that when you saw the word "dump" up there in the title, you probably spent a second or two deciding whether or not it would be a good idea to come over here and look? ;) I mean, since you probably assumed I would be putting up pictures of Jon Farleigh and Dewi in the post, you had to have gotten a mental image of something, right? Okay, fine! You don't have to answer my rhetorical questions, but you and I both know that when I said "dump," you immediately thought of...

SNOW!

YEP, WE GOT A SNOW DUMP LAST NIGHT! YAY!

And by dump, I mean we got two whole inches! Whee!

I took over 100 pictures today!

With my Nikon point-and-shoot super zoom!

It was FREEZING!

Can you find Jon Farleigh up there??

There he is!

Isn't Dewi handsome??

Wow, Jon Farleigh looks so serious...

Wha??? 

bwahaha MADE YOU LOOK!!!   

Tune in next Wednesday when I rhyme 'hump' with...

P.S. I'm saving the majority of the snowy day pics I took today for a much more civilized post in February. I hope you will have forgiven me by then! :)

P.P.S. PLEASE don't let me forget that I'm hosting this on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EST! I'd DIE!

It Does NOT Rhyme With 'Hump' Day: Astounded

And grateful.

I hope this meme isn't freaking you out as much as it is me. ;) I had to cover up the baby's head, OK? The baby was MORE freaky.

So, after making the friendship offering Monday, I might have done a little "courting" of (exactly 2) Nunavummiut (citizens of Nunavut, Canada) on Twitter. At first I was ashamed of my forwardness, but then, this happened...

Hi, @myles_dolphin, guess what? U ROCK! That's what. TY 4 being my 1st Nunavut viewer! #BestDayEver #SmallThings :)) pic.twitter.com/D9FKHn1K9v

— Elizabeth Keene (@ChroniclesCardi) January 8, 2014

...and then, I made a fist like that freaky, half-baby meme up there and shouted, "yes!" in my inside voice.

Astounded and grateful. I am these things. 

P.S. You ALL rock. And don't you forget it! :))

Dear Arctic People of Nunavut, I Offer Hams and Warm Fuzzy Dwarf Dogs...

And by hams, I mean hammy, warm fuzzy dwarf dogs (also known as corgis). And please, the Americana
is only here by coincidence, not by statement. Unless you find it hospitable, in which case, I totally meant to include it. 

I've been meaning to write this letter for months, actually. The thing is, dear Nunavummiut, you, - unlike Canadians in all 12 other provinces and territories (whether by accident* or not) - have eluded my catchy titles and strategic social-sharing maneuvers for the entire. existence. of this blog. And, it's about time that I extended a friendship offering. 

This makes me sad. 

The timing of this letter couldn't be more appropriate, honestly, since the only thing on the news for the last few days has been the "polar vortex," which, from its rightful axis in the sky (over you, weather-withstanding people of Nunavut), has come unhinged (so to speak) and will be spreading ungodly cold air southward, wreaking havoc among those of us who (almost) never see temperatures this extreme. (Note: We are scared poop-less, and tips would be appreciated.)

Yes, after this week, we will share an atmospheric (weather) bond that (before I installed the Flag Counter widget on my blog) I might never have known otherwise. 

I'd also like you to know that I appreciate your kindred love of companion animals, namely dogs and cats, and knowing this, I hope you might find joy in observing the finer, furry things my two low riders have to offer - like good face...

Hello, my name is Jon Farleigh. I like to kiss people on the lips.

....and posture.

Hello, my name is Dewi. I am a spooner in bed. 

Shoot, they can even hula dance...

...take themselves for a walk in the snow...

...and, boy, do they love their rescue kittens.

Mmm, the smell. It's intoxicating.

So, you see, we are here (24/7, at the beck and call of your mouse, or your finger on a touch screen) to make your day a little brighter, more tolerable...and yes, warm and fuzzy (the opposite of cold and prickly). And, we'd sure love to meet you!

Affectionately yours, 

Elizabeth, Jon Farleigh, Dewi, and even all six of the kitties

* It is possible that the one visitor from the Northwest Territories was led astray by Google. However, since I'm an optimist, please forget I told you that. ;)

P.S. If you are in Nunavut reading this, I heart you. Please leave a comment!

P.P.S. If you are not in Nunavut reading this, I heart you, too. And I will heart you even more if you can bribe get a Nunavummiuq to visit us! ☺

Stay warm, friends!