Today was a LONG day, and it started off on a sour note: Baths.
Baths for all 6 Silkens - Appley, Conner & I plus Opa! & her 2 puppies, Possum & Tiki!, who is joining us for the ride.
I wasn't expecting the BATH for a few more days ... it is only Tuesday. Admittedly, J does not like to bathe me the day of or right before a show because I look like a puff ball, but Tuesday seemed way too early for me. I mean, seriously, what are the odds Appley won't find some shit to roll in before Saturday? Literally. I'd plan to find a dead worm for rolling - just out of spite - except that then I'd have to endure another bath.
Once all of us were dry, and the Sprinter packed, it was time to hit the road. Our friends Bert & Gus live in Mt Shasta with their humans. It's always a good place to stop because we can do zoomies in the yard.
I expect we'll be up early in the morning for more driving .... In an ideal world we'll take a hike 1st with Bert & Gus, but I won't get my hopes up.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Monday, May 8, 2017
Hello, fans.
Silkenfest is again approaching. Apparently that means I must blog ... it's been a while .... LOL. Since I generally only post for Silkenfest, it's been roughly a year, but I also posted a bit after Opa! had puppies. Thank goodness, except for the Possum, the persistent tail biters have moved on to new homes. Cute, but way too energetic & mouthy. Possum is OK, I guess. He will be joining us on our trip to SF2017 ... hmm ... and so will Tiki!? InPhenite Winsome Tickled Pink is another of Opa!'s puppies; J co-owns her with Iola Stetson. I think she'll be a good traveling companion ... she can't possibly whine & yip as much as Possum; he can be very irritating in the car or Sprinter.
Since winning Best Altered in Show @ SF2016, I earned the remaining points needed for my ISWS ALCh title. That was cool. I have also continued to compete in Singles Lure Coursing -- as my fans know, I have been the top Silken in ASFA Singles for MANY years now ... I have lost count.
More recently J has been taking Conner & I to Rally sessions. Sometimes this is fun, sometimes boring ... it can move a bit slow and sometimes they ask us to do silly things .... sit, come front - owner one step back ... take one step front & sit again .. then 2 steps & sit ... then 3 steps & sit. Seriously??? Why? That's lots of moving & sitting for no good reason.
Whatever. We competed for the 1st time this weekend. At the 1st competition I earned qualifying scores & came in 4th (Conner got 2nd). Then they wanted me to compete AGAIN at this boring sport, AGAIN on the same day. Yeah, right. I declined to sit. Period. I wouldn't even look at her; why should I ... I earned a ribbon, & then, J wanted me to do it all again? For a ribbon & stuffed pig? Not likely.
In compromise, I agreed to compete again the next day: 3rd. Conner earned the blue ribbon (goody 2-paws). I could win, but it's more fun to keep her guessing.
Apparently this Rally will be an event at SF2017. With our 2 recent successes, Conner & I are both poised to earn titles at Silkenfest .... maybe I'll cooperate with J's ambition.
I think we may leave tomorrow for Silkenfest. Sprinter packing has been going on for 2 days & now Tiki! has joined the pack for the drive (down from Winsome in WA). I promise to keep my fans posted of any excitement along the way!
Monday, August 22, 2016
Life IS a Bitch.
Wow. Life is full of little surprises. Opa! is pregnant.
This wasn't an accident; J hooked Opa! & Kamiah up on a not-so-blind date. True: Kamiah is no slouch. Not only was he a great lure courser in his own right (#4 Life Time breed Lure Courser), but his kids are good too. He was Bados' dad and dad of Cartier & Rosie, who are great lure coursers & friends, but STILL. Puppies are a big responsibility & a nuisance.
OMG Opa! was such a SLUT while in heat. Yeah, J got the 2 on a date, but Opa! could have kept her tail between her legs . . . she could have bit Kam's nose off, but Nooooo . . . She flagged that tail around to any dog that came in sight.
J is already distracted by Opa!'s waddling & being snippy with Conner's mindless leaping to & fro. What will happen when there are cutesy little puppies squeaking & squawking?
She already decided not to take Conner & me to both a show & a lure cursing event due to fear of our bringing home some infection. Seriously? Yippee about missing the show, but skipping an LC event? How am I supposed to maintain my #1 Singles title if I don't get to compete?Whatever . . . I am sure they will be cute (but irritating). They are due in early September. J is keeping one for sure, but help me out fans . . . don't let her be tempted to keep more.
I should probably post a link to InPhenite's puppy page. (sigh)
http://inphenite.wixsite.com/inphenite/litters
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Some fans heard that I had a busy weekend & have requested that I post. Like . . . it's best to get news straight from the SmartAss Bitch's mouth, right?
Well, in April J decided we should go to the EastCoast Silken Windbound Regional Specialty. She really wants to support ISWS's new Altered Championship track. Even though I beat Conner at Silkenfest, Conner earned the 1st ISWS ALCh. Whatever, (IMHO) I could have beat him to it, but J had taken him to more shows recently. Now she has come to her senses, J wanted to take me.
Neither J nor I particularly like flying to events, but her work does not always cooperate with time off for driving. I prefer direct flights even if we end up flying into & driving from a city a tad further than necessary from the event. Airline connections make the crate time longer & fray J's nerves. For this trip we were supposed to fly into Charlotte, NC rather than Greensboro which was much closer, for example.
The problem? Well, somehow despite J making our reservation in early April & confirming MY reservation (as checked luggage) on several occasions - even earlier on the date of travel - the airline "forgot" that dogs can't be checked on "Airbus" - at least not the one that flies direct from PDX to Charlotte. They called her only a few hours before our scheduled departure. Seriously?????
Their only option was a flight ~7 hours later with a connection in Dallas, TX. Bonus - it flew into Greensboro which is closer to Siendo, NONbonus? This arrival was still was 10 hours later than 'planned'. PLUS our return had to be early Sunday morning; ~8 hours earlier than 'planned' from Charlotte. No Sunday LGRA for me. Grrr. We essentially lost 2 days of visiting with friends. OK, J got to have dinner with friends Friday, but did I?????? No, I ate Sojo's at the hotel.
J was SERIOUSLY stressed about our having connecting flights (vs direct). It did not help when I was kind of 'abandoned' outside the 1st plane while awaiting transport to the connecting plane. In the pic, there I sit: in front of the hot engine. J was getting a tad hysterical . . .
At the smaller 2nd plane; however, they were careful to put me under a wing for shade, gave me water, & periodically came to check on me (J watched from the window before boarding). I liked the American Eagle crew much better than the earlier folk. At Greensboro they actually got me to J & out of the crate faster than she got her luggage.
(note: an earlier crew - maybe even before leaving PDX may have given me water, too)
The next morning it was "Showtime". ISWS puts Altereds just after the little puppies. I'm cool with that. At beauty pageants (aka dog shows), by the end of the day - when its BOB time for the intact hounds), I'm bored to tears & exhausted from boredom. I am sure I do better getting the poking & prodding done with earlier -- perhaps that's why stupid little Conner managed to beat me at some UKC shows.
My competition for Best Altered Bitch & the Best Altered was tough - Breezy & Ziggy from Texas plus Aiden (Opa's uncle - her mom's brother). Both Ziggy & Breezy have beaten me on occasion, but I wasn't having THAT today . . . not after the unpleasant travel. I needed a PRIZE. Wow, and did I get one? Yes! 2 tough chew toys, a tote, flashy ribbons, & a sassy T-shirt for J (my bitch). I heard a rumor that there's even a win pic from the photographer. I'll look AWESOME.
Later I even got to race!!!! (LOVE IT!) I almost never get to race in Oregon. OK, maybe this is a little bit my fault - I admit that I can get pissy if being passed. Just an air snap; that's it; I swear!! Anyway, this was not an issue here as the LGRA meets were hand-slipped. J in her "inphenite" wisdom told Keith & Iola to release me LATE. G*dDamn! I had to play catch up every time. In the 1st race I was a touch put off by the leaders getting snippy themselves (both were pretty new to the game), but in the 2nd program I showed them what I can do with proper motivation. I smoked 'em. See ya! In the 3rd program, I was against some real speedsters - so it was NO FAIR that Keith released me late. I could not catch them with a late start. Sigh. I could also whine about rain delays, etc ... but it is what it is. Honestly, I have no idea how I did overall because they stopped running due to lightning & thundershowers. Actually they only ran "my" 3rd race because they knew J had to leave before they planned to finish the following day. It cleared for a moment & off we went! I've heard a rumor that I won something -- but I am sure it's not "too" big as I did not win that last program.
Well, in April J decided we should go to the EastCoast Silken Windbound Regional Specialty. She really wants to support ISWS's new Altered Championship track. Even though I beat Conner at Silkenfest, Conner earned the 1st ISWS ALCh. Whatever, (IMHO) I could have beat him to it, but J had taken him to more shows recently. Now she has come to her senses, J wanted to take me.
Neither J nor I particularly like flying to events, but her work does not always cooperate with time off for driving. I prefer direct flights even if we end up flying into & driving from a city a tad further than necessary from the event. Airline connections make the crate time longer & fray J's nerves. For this trip we were supposed to fly into Charlotte, NC rather than Greensboro which was much closer, for example.
The problem? Well, somehow despite J making our reservation in early April & confirming MY reservation (as checked luggage) on several occasions - even earlier on the date of travel - the airline "forgot" that dogs can't be checked on "Airbus" - at least not the one that flies direct from PDX to Charlotte. They called her only a few hours before our scheduled departure. Seriously?????
Their only option was a flight ~7 hours later with a connection in Dallas, TX. Bonus - it flew into Greensboro which is closer to Siendo, NONbonus? This arrival was still was 10 hours later than 'planned'. PLUS our return had to be early Sunday morning; ~8 hours earlier than 'planned' from Charlotte. No Sunday LGRA for me. Grrr. We essentially lost 2 days of visiting with friends. OK, J got to have dinner with friends Friday, but did I?????? No, I ate Sojo's at the hotel.J was SERIOUSLY stressed about our having connecting flights (vs direct). It did not help when I was kind of 'abandoned' outside the 1st plane while awaiting transport to the connecting plane. In the pic, there I sit: in front of the hot engine. J was getting a tad hysterical . . .
(note: an earlier crew - maybe even before leaving PDX may have given me water, too)
The next morning it was "Showtime". ISWS puts Altereds just after the little puppies. I'm cool with that. At beauty pageants (aka dog shows), by the end of the day - when its BOB time for the intact hounds), I'm bored to tears & exhausted from boredom. I am sure I do better getting the poking & prodding done with earlier -- perhaps that's why stupid little Conner managed to beat me at some UKC shows.
My competition for Best Altered Bitch & the Best Altered was tough - Breezy & Ziggy from Texas plus Aiden (Opa's uncle - her mom's brother). Both Ziggy & Breezy have beaten me on occasion, but I wasn't having THAT today . . . not after the unpleasant travel. I needed a PRIZE. Wow, and did I get one? Yes! 2 tough chew toys, a tote, flashy ribbons, & a sassy T-shirt for J (my bitch). I heard a rumor that there's even a win pic from the photographer. I'll look AWESOME.
Later I even got to race!!!! (LOVE IT!) I almost never get to race in Oregon. OK, maybe this is a little bit my fault - I admit that I can get pissy if being passed. Just an air snap; that's it; I swear!! Anyway, this was not an issue here as the LGRA meets were hand-slipped. J in her "inphenite" wisdom told Keith & Iola to release me LATE. G*dDamn! I had to play catch up every time. In the 1st race I was a touch put off by the leaders getting snippy themselves (both were pretty new to the game), but in the 2nd program I showed them what I can do with proper motivation. I smoked 'em. See ya! In the 3rd program, I was against some real speedsters - so it was NO FAIR that Keith released me late. I could not catch them with a late start. Sigh. I could also whine about rain delays, etc ... but it is what it is. Honestly, I have no idea how I did overall because they stopped running due to lightning & thundershowers. Actually they only ran "my" 3rd race because they knew J had to leave before they planned to finish the following day. It cleared for a moment & off we went! I've heard a rumor that I won something -- but I am sure it's not "too" big as I did not win that last program.
Damn the airlines & their errors, we had to leave this morning - through Dallas, TX. J was freaking out because the high there was supposed to be >85F - but our connection was early in the day. Despite, her concerns this trip, at least, was uneventful - but I really needed to poop & pee ASAP upon arrival.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Home Sweet Home
I guess I should post one last time for Silkenfest 2016.
Monday after the racing, Rob & J decided to make a concerted effort at finding a REALLY good Texas dining experience. Rob had been cursed at restaurants . . . bringing the wrong entree, not having what he ordered (& forgetting to tell him & get an alternative order), etc.
They came back smelling extraordinary . . . it was the intoxicating aroma of smoked meat. Our meal had been in NO WAY comparable. J had fed us 'the usual'. However, have I mentioned that Rob is a soft touch? He snuck us a sample of the beef "shoulder clod". WOW. Tasty, tasty. I wanted more, but neither Conner nor Opa! would share their bites. (http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/plano-directions.html).
J says she 'honored' us dogs by ordering the Noble Rey's "Off the Leash" beer; Keith, the human with Dior (Opa's Dad), drank 3-legged Lab Stout - but we are not Labs. Hmph.
On Tuesday we came home. I guess the trip was uneventful, but we were at the airport forever (IMHO), and it took forever for Rob to get the van from parking (IMHO). Once finally home; I had to put up with Wicka's crazy over-excitement at seeing us again. OMG - we were only gone a few days.
In summary, it was a successful trip. Although I decided to have some fun rather than repeat my Silkenfest LC Singles win (settling for 2nd), I did make history by winning ISWS's 1st offered Silkenfest conformation Altered BIS.
My work here is done; perhaps I should retire . . .
Just kidding! I plan to attend Silkenfest next year & continue to show everyone how it's done -- well, ow it SHOULD be done (IM-not so-HO).
Monday after the racing, Rob & J decided to make a concerted effort at finding a REALLY good Texas dining experience. Rob had been cursed at restaurants . . . bringing the wrong entree, not having what he ordered (& forgetting to tell him & get an alternative order), etc.
They came back smelling extraordinary . . . it was the intoxicating aroma of smoked meat. Our meal had been in NO WAY comparable. J had fed us 'the usual'. However, have I mentioned that Rob is a soft touch? He snuck us a sample of the beef "shoulder clod". WOW. Tasty, tasty. I wanted more, but neither Conner nor Opa! would share their bites. (http://www.lockhartsmokehouse.com/plano-directions.html).
J says she 'honored' us dogs by ordering the Noble Rey's "Off the Leash" beer; Keith, the human with Dior (Opa's Dad), drank 3-legged Lab Stout - but we are not Labs. Hmph.
On Tuesday we came home. I guess the trip was uneventful, but we were at the airport forever (IMHO), and it took forever for Rob to get the van from parking (IMHO). Once finally home; I had to put up with Wicka's crazy over-excitement at seeing us again. OMG - we were only gone a few days.
In summary, it was a successful trip. Although I decided to have some fun rather than repeat my Silkenfest LC Singles win (settling for 2nd), I did make history by winning ISWS's 1st offered Silkenfest conformation Altered BIS.
My work here is done; perhaps I should retire . . .
Monday, March 21, 2016
Silkenfest Lure Coursing (one day late)
OK, so Saturday was the beauty pageant (which I won - at least the 'Altered' competition), but I only reported on this yesterday. Yesterday was Lure Coursing, and I will report on it today.
I did not win Singles again. Sorry, fans. I could not restrain myself. I ran the prelims more conventionally than my usual - hell, it was cold - I just wanted to keep moving. My scores were great . . . but I could tell that my audience was somewhat disappointed. People, who should be warming up their own hounds, don't linger by the field just to see me run like other dogs. They want to see a little flare. In the finals I did not disappoint. I declined to run into the far field, but waited by the line for the lure to return to me; I also moved into it's path along the 'homestretch' for a 'stalk & kill' maneuver. What fun!
My scores were not good, but not dismal either (some judges have no imagination, but this set seemed to 'get it'). From that point on, it was up to the competition to do their best. I had left open an opportunity for defeat. Ah, well, Wyeth answered the challenge with enough skill to beat my combined score. Singles #1 = Wyeth; #2 me, Agent Gita.
For the rest of the competition, (Open, FCh, Veteran) there were many good runs. Opa! did not contribute to this, but Conner did. Her 1st & only run was a mess. Lots of bumping after the start, and some more serious fault from one of the hound. That one hound was dismissed; Opa! was excused for the day. Silly girl.
Conner's runs were better and looked pretty good to me (as 'conventional' runs go), but they did not score fabulously. He still managed to be 6th in Open. Sienna won this, of course. She runs like I might if I didn't like to add the creativity. The Field Champion Stakes was won by Cartier - last year's top ASFA Silken; and Enzo edged out Tootsie for Veteran.
And the winner is . . . . ? Sienna. She's a hot shit, right now.
I guess I can throw in the basics of today's LGRA results. Whatever, J won't let me compete (Bitch).
To summarize: Matt Cortez's Nova won, followed by Logan (also High Score Vet), then Pippin (High Score Altered), followed by Sienna. Conner - the goofy boy whose enthusiasm is excessive to the point of ridiculous - was down at 12 or 13, but out of 31 entries, so that is not so bad.
Finally, there was that Texas Tough Triathlon: Best in all 3 events over the weekend - the 'all-around hound' . . . . it turned out a Pacific Northwest Sweep:
#4 Conner (InPhenite's own dufus -- well, THAT was a SURPRISE)
#3 Pagani
#2 Moon . . . & #1?
Sienna, our little regional hot shit.
I did not win Singles again. Sorry, fans. I could not restrain myself. I ran the prelims more conventionally than my usual - hell, it was cold - I just wanted to keep moving. My scores were great . . . but I could tell that my audience was somewhat disappointed. People, who should be warming up their own hounds, don't linger by the field just to see me run like other dogs. They want to see a little flare. In the finals I did not disappoint. I declined to run into the far field, but waited by the line for the lure to return to me; I also moved into it's path along the 'homestretch' for a 'stalk & kill' maneuver. What fun!
My scores were not good, but not dismal either (some judges have no imagination, but this set seemed to 'get it'). From that point on, it was up to the competition to do their best. I had left open an opportunity for defeat. Ah, well, Wyeth answered the challenge with enough skill to beat my combined score. Singles #1 = Wyeth; #2 me, Agent Gita.
For the rest of the competition, (Open, FCh, Veteran) there were many good runs. Opa! did not contribute to this, but Conner did. Her 1st & only run was a mess. Lots of bumping after the start, and some more serious fault from one of the hound. That one hound was dismissed; Opa! was excused for the day. Silly girl.
Conner's runs were better and looked pretty good to me (as 'conventional' runs go), but they did not score fabulously. He still managed to be 6th in Open. Sienna won this, of course. She runs like I might if I didn't like to add the creativity. The Field Champion Stakes was won by Cartier - last year's top ASFA Silken; and Enzo edged out Tootsie for Veteran.
And the winner is . . . . ? Sienna. She's a hot shit, right now.
I guess I can throw in the basics of today's LGRA results. Whatever, J won't let me compete (Bitch).
To summarize: Matt Cortez's Nova won, followed by Logan (also High Score Vet), then Pippin (High Score Altered), followed by Sienna. Conner - the goofy boy whose enthusiasm is excessive to the point of ridiculous - was down at 12 or 13, but out of 31 entries, so that is not so bad.
Finally, there was that Texas Tough Triathlon: Best in all 3 events over the weekend - the 'all-around hound' . . . . it turned out a Pacific Northwest Sweep:
#4 Conner (InPhenite's own dufus -- well, THAT was a SURPRISE)
#3 Pagani
#2 Moon . . . & #1?
Sienna, our little regional hot shit.
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