12/30/06 Happy Birthday Joshua! You get to pick what we have for dinner on your birthday around here. Joshua picked pizza. We had cake and ice cream while we played a game of phase 10. It was another rainy day here but we aren't complaining at least it isn't snow or ice. The kids have plans for tomorrow night. Not sure yet what Larry and I are going to do. 12/29/06 It was rainy here today and I slept in. It has been a pretty quiet relaxing day. Tomorrow Joshua will be 16 isn't that crazy? I can't believe my kids are getting so big. One of these days I am going to wake up and not have a job. It's a good thing the fur kids will still need to be mothered full time. hahaha Speaking of the fur kids, it will soon be time to start plotting our show season. Finishing Presley is the goal.... Gosh we came soooo close on numerous occasions this past year surely we will reach that goal in 2007! In April I am going to hopefully put the JC behind both Presley and Tucker. I may give Milly another practice run, last time she tried she took off after live prey. I really didn't relish having to track her down though I did have plenty of help as the show couldn't go on with her out in the field. I added a new page for news in 2007. I was going to delete the news for 2006 but after thinking it over decided to leave it. I wish I had this site up when we first started showing. I would love to go back and read some of my thoughts on Tucker's first point. The days Milly and I totally embarrassed ourselves in the ring. We had so many funny show weekends and each was such a learning experience. The day I brought my striped brat home. The tears still flow down my cheek when I think of that HOT day in May of 2005 when we drove home from St. Louis with our first AKC champion. We were so proud and happy and I think we called just about everybody we thought might care and maybe a couple who didn't. hahaha 12/28/06 I have all the pictures posted of Christmas. Today I have to take the boys to the eye Dr. and then pick up William and MacKenzie for the afternoon. I am so looking forward to Friday and not having any plans. I feel like this week has flown by. 12/27/06 We have had a wonderful Christmas weekend. We started Christmas Eve off by going to Abbi's Christmas program at church. She was of course the most beautiful girl on the stage and in Grandma's opinion the star of the show. After church Abbi, William and MacKenzie came home with us so Matt and Alissa could go out for their anniversary. We came home and made Christmas cookies and prepared dinner for that evening. When Matt and Alissa got here we opened presents after Larry read the Christmas Story out of the Bible. Sitting around the dinner table that evening I once again realized just how blessed I am. Christmas Day after we had breakfast and opened presents we headed out to Mom and Dads for lunch. We had a really good time and ate too much as usual. I have most of the pictures posted but still need to get the ones taken at Mom and Dads up. 12/23/06 Everyone is watching basketball so I have been playing on the computer. I don't think we are going to have a White Christmas this year. In fact the sun is shining and it isn't too awfully cold out. I may even venture out and take the basenjis for a walk. Merry Christmas Shelly! Now you know why Larry relishes his ability to be organized at work. He lives in a 3 ring circus at home. hahahaha 12/22/06 I went into town for the last time until we go to Church Christmas Eve. I have decided to go Italian for Christmas Eve dinner. Ashli was the first to make a suggestion so she got her way. Tomorrow besides doing laundry I plan on just lazing around. I will probably pose the basenjis in their reindeer antlers. That is always fun. Larry and the kids plan on watching the basketball game. Abbi, William and MacKenzie may come out so that Matthew and Alissa can go out and celebrate their anniversary which happens to be Christmas Eve. I am playing the day by ear. The only thing I am certain of is I will be HOME! 12/20/06 Presley was standing here looking at me like are you ready for bed and Tucker came bounding in and jumped over him onto the futon. He is attempting to get the 500 rolling. It has been rainy here all day and I don't think they have gotten enough running time in. If you don't already know this basenjis do not relish wet weather. I think I am coming down with a cold. I feel really drained so after posting this I think I will get some Tylenol and take my brindle heating pad and go to bed. If you don't have one of these I highly recommend them. They stay up against you all night and they don't have to be plugged in so there is no chance of getting shocked. They do come in other colors. I know the red ones work well too! 12/19/06 I am officially done with my Christmas Shopping! Yipeeee or HOHOHO either way I am very Happy! I even think I got something Matthew and Justin will like and they were my 2 challenges. I have decided after 3 days of walking every shoe store in town that I am going to have to order Ashli's shox she wanted. She and I could not find one pair that were her size. I take that back we did find one pair but she didn't like the color. I thought the BRIGHT ultra YELLOW shoes would be an added safety measure but she wasn't convinced. I have posted a new picture of Saydie on her page. She is really growing and I think she looks like Carter. I am so glad so many of you let me know you enjoyed our little incident with the Mexican Dip. I am going to make another to take to Mom and Dads Monday. I will probably giggle as I am putting it into the refrigerator to chill. 12/18/06 Ok I got the pictures posted from Saturday night at the Birch family Christmas Party. If anyone has any they would like added just send them to me and I will get them up. I also added a link on the Basenji Humor page. It is a pictorial and directions for making a Christmas picture. There will also be another story added to the Humor page as soon as I am sure Larry has forgiven the fur kids. They were in very hot water Saturday afternoon and I am afraid I didn't help the situation by laughing. I'll let you know when it is safe to post it! hahaha I decided to live dangerously the story is called Mexican Dip. 12/17/06 I did post pictures today but they were pictures I received of Amber and Joes little ones. The Martinez kids link has new pictures on the family events page. I will get to the Birch party pictures tomorrow. 12/16/06 I posted a page for the Birch Christmas Party on the family events page. I will add more to it tomorrow. 12/15/06 I am almost finished Christmas shopping Thank Goodness! The problem is the ones I have left are my hardest! Oh Well They may end up with a bag of rocks if they don't give me some suggestions! Tomorrow we are having the Birch Christmas party. Thankfully it is at Ray and Sharon's so we don't have to travel! Debbie our thoughts are with you. Wish you weren't 6 hours away, I would come make you some soup. We could sip hot tea and watch movies with our striped boys. Hope that you are back on your wheels soon! 12/14/06 Today I cleaned up a bunch of pictures and files and burned them to disk. The weather was beautiful here today so the boys and I walked top the post office to get the mail. It was nice to be out with them. Tomorrow I need to go and get a few more things crossed off my shopping list. I did pretty good the other day and can finally see hope of finishing. I also need to get stuff to make for the Birch Christmas Saturday and I think MacKenzie may be spending the night with us. Amy is home from the hospital. She has a pic line in and goes for antibiotic everyday. 12/13/06 Happy Birthday Becky 12/12/06 Amy is still in the hospital. They are using a different antibiotic and hopefully it will do the trick. Ashli and I are going Christmas shopping today. I would love to finish up but that may be an impossible dream, But I can hope. I'll update later and let you know how I progressed. hahaha Happy Birthday Ron! 12/11/06 I went to Mom and Dads yesterday and Anna and John had the new baby there. He is adorable, I have posted pictures of him on the Family Events page. I have other pictures taken yesterday also and I will try and get them posted later today. I just wanted to get some of the baby up for those of you who haven't been able to see him yet. Ivaree was there also which was such a treat as I haven't seen her in quite awhile. She is doing very well and it was fun to talk with her in person instead of e-mail. I need to call Mom and see if she has heard anything from Amy and Tony. They decided to admit her last night and hopefully they are getting the infection cleared up. We also took quite a few of our Christmas pictures last night. Some of them turned out pretty cute. I can hardly wait to start sharing them. Yes, they are the Basenji pictures. We won't take the one with the kids until Christmas. 12/10/06 Happy Birthday Amber! I hope your Day was a special as you are. 12/09/06 Today is a special day here because Tucker is celebrating his 3rd Birthday! Thank you again Ron and Lisa for allowing this special boy to call our house home. We love him dearly! Instead of the regular Birthday Cookie I bake Tucker celebrated with a store bought cake! When we were on the plaza today we came across a Doggy Bakery! The stuff looked and spelled good enough to eat ourselves. We bought enough to share with the others. Happy Birthday Allie Brown-Thompson who is celebrating her birthday today also! 12/08/06 Happy Birthday Connie! I finished setting up the bookstore today. We will open up Sunday morning. It will take a while to get it going to it's potential. There is so much more room than we had before. Really exciting to think what it may be like this time next year. I also went Christmas shopping with Joshua. The good news is he is done and I also was able to pick up a couple of items for Alissa and I now have 2 items for Ashli. Tomorrow Larry and I are going with Matt and Alissa so maybe I will be able to pick up a few more things. I know the kids were so much easier to buy for when they were little. It was also a lot less expensive! hahahaha 12/07/06 I have been altering the pages on the site for several days. Just a reminder to refresh them from time to time. I have been dissatisfied with the look and appearance of some of them. I also discovered some new aspects of my software which will help to make additional pages fun and fresh. I started playing with Presley's pages and before I knew what I was doing I had totally changed the whole theme of his area. I decided to play off of his name and I am really liking the results. I also redid Milly's pages the other day also. I think I am happy with hers now too. Tuckers may change slightly, but I doubt I mess with either his or Millys show results pages. They take a whole lot of time to redo, I was almost regretting doing Presley's about half way through. It isn't too bad when you are doing a show at a time. The weather has been chilly so I haven't been out much and I am afraid if I don't start walking more I am going to expand more than the web site. I really have got to make myself get out. I also need to get my Christmas shopping done. I remember when I used to be done in September. Oh the days..... 12/06/06 Mom called this morning and Anna had the baby. It is a boy and I will post the particulars when I make sure I have the spelling and facts correct. This makes 4 grandsons for Virginia and Brian. Nathan and Amanda are expecting their second baby in July. What ever it is it will be exactly what we wanted but a little girl would sure look cute with all those boys. His name is Armani Lee and he weighed 7lb. and 10 0z and was 20 inches long. He arrived at 11:11 last night so his Birthday is Dec. 5th. The picture on the hospital web site is adorable. William came home with Ashli last night. He is wearing what he refers to as unders now. They grow up fast. He loves playing all the singing Hallmark decorations I have set up. In fact he plays all of them at the same time which is rather over the top festive! I think this weekend we are making our annual ornament treck with Matt and Alissa. We enjoy this special time each year to spend a little bit of time with just the two of them. After getting our ornaments we stroll through a few stores and then have dinner out. The first year we took Abbi with us and I am not sure what the final ornament count was but lets just say that year is well represented on their Christmas tree. Now the little ones stay with Ashli, Justin and Joshua. We may attempt the Basenji Christmas pictures this morning. Not sure how successful we will be. I may just gather all my props today. 12/05/06 Well I went into town and started setting up the Bookstore. We also found out we are getting another Baby Birch in July! We are very excited, you will find the details on the family events page. We are still waiting to hear if Anna has had her little one. I think he heard it was cold outside and is going to wait for warmer weather. He and his Aunt Eva will get along really well! 12/04/06 Happy Birthday Dad! We love you so much! 12/03/06 After a long day of car shopping.... If you didn't already know I hate car shopping! Ashli is back behind the wheel. She is very happy with her replacement car as it is almost a twin to the one she lost. Actually it is an Accent and the other was a Rio but they are made in the same factory. This one is a little newer with a few more options and less miles. It is BRIGHT RED, she ought to be able to spot it in the parking lot. You can see pictures of it on the family events page. Needless to say I didn't get the chance to take Christmas pictures. We watched the Eukanuba Dog show last night and was rather suprised to see a Brindle Basenji in group. We had never seen this particular dog in person before. He didn't place but when you have a striped dog it is pretty exciting to see. 12/01/06 Well we missed the snow but it sure is cold. If it is going to be cold it might as well be snowy! I have spent today going through Basenji Humor and it's links. I wanted to make it both easier to navigate and give it a cleaner appearance. I decided to redo the pictures on "My Song". I put on a better picture of Tucker singing and also added Presley. The song is the same and I also left the pictures of Allie and Quinn because I liked them so much. I also reworked Cosmo's page. If you haven't followed the link on that page to Cosmo's corner you really should. You will look at you dog differently afterward and you may even start hearing them talk to you. <g> Well tomorrow I think we are going to test drive cars. Ashli is ready to have wheels again. I hope she is able to find something that she likes as well as the last one and is in her budget. 11/30/06 We are under a Heavy snow warning so looking for it to get nasty anytime. I have been working on the web site focusing on the Photo Gallery. If you go into the Christmas, Easter, Birthdays and other Holidays you will notice a change. You may need to refresh the pages to see them. I added some previous years getting ready to expand the web site in the future. I will be doing the same thing in most areas of the site eventually and will let you know as I complete them. For those of you who ask how I ever get them all 3 posed together, you will find out we practiced a whole lot. Easter 2004 was the first try and you will see we have definitely improved. Believe it or not Milly is in that 1st picture with Tucker. Tomorrow it will be December! Can you believe how fast this year is slipping away. 11/29/06 It is COLD! We are under a winter storm advisory. It is feeling like winter has finally arrived. Milly and I walked to the Post Office and I swear it was colder coming home than going. I took Miss Moo to the boys (4 legged) dismay because she doesn't have to stop at each and every light post and tree on the way. Amy I am playing my Barry Manilow Christmas CD you gave me. The boys (2 legged) looked at each other and rolled their eyes when I got it out. The house is decorated, the tree is lit, I have a cup of coffee and am feeling quite cozy as I try and get into the Christmas spirit. I may even put the Christmas collars on the fur kids when Justin isn't looking! hahaha 11/28/06 Well the insurance company finally called and they did total Ashli's car. So after tying up a few loose ends tomorrow she is free to start looking for another car. The weather was simply beautiful today. I actually got warm when I went outside without a jacket today. To think tomorrow at this time we have a possibility of SNOW. What a change, I hope we all don't end up sick. I gave the dogs a bath today and put their Christmas collars with the jingle bells on them. Thankfully Milly's panties aren't needed this year. It will make for a Merrier Christmas season for all! Justin came in and took their collars off because he thought they looked stupid. I thought they looked sweet. I started working on the props for our annual Christmas pictures. If they turn out the way I have them envisioned they should be really cute. Trying to come up with something fresh each year can be challenging. hahaha I will let you know how it goes. 11/25/06 The service for Uncle John yesterday was very nice. I think he would of been pleased. After having lunch we went back to Mom and Dads to visit with Randy and Mary who left today to head back to Mississippi. I am going to have to walk many many laps around town to compensate for all I have eaten this weekend. It seems like all we did was eat. William came home with us last night and is really excited because we are decorating for Christmas. I need to run into town to get a few things. 11/23/06 HAPPY THANKSGIVING! We are so blessed and Thankful and hope each and everyone of you feel the same. You can see the Thanksgiving Greeting we sent out this year if you go to the Photo Gallery and click Other Celebrations and then click the Thanks giving picture. We spent the day at Matt and Alissa's. After dinner the boys and Abbi went and hit a bucket of golf balls while me Alissa and Ashli scoured the adds. When it got dark Abbi talked her papa into taking her to drive through the Winter Wonderland. There were so many lights and for $1.00 more you could get 3D glasses which Papa got her and William each a pair. The funny part was we were driving through and William who came forward to sit on my lap for a better view all of a sudden says, " Dwama look it's Pweswy!" We drove through a second time and I still am not sure exactly which figure he thought looked like Presley. We won't be shopping tomorrow like usual. Tomorrow is Uncle Johns funeral, it will be really hard but I am so thankful he was part of my life. Photo Gallery 11/21/06 Right after I posted the news yesterday I got a call that Ashli had been in an accident. She had picked up Abbi, William and MacKenzie and was on her way to the house she provides childcare for. The accident was no fault of her own and she and the kids are in one piece. We have so much to be grateful for as it could of been so much worse. It is looking like we will soon be car shopping again. On the lighter side, William has quite an entertaining recount of the accident complete with sound and visual effects all the way down to the sirens. 11/20/06 We received Milly's Championship picture and her certificate from AKC today. We were pleased with both. I had a little bit of fun with her and you can see the results on the Basenji Humor page under the link Milly receives certificate. I also posted her New Champion picture on her Show pictures page. 11/19/06 We are enjoying some nice weather. I actually got out and went for a walk this afternoon with the boys (4 legged) and didn't freeze. Ashli washed her car and the boys (2 legged) watched football. Larry worked overtime this weekend. I still am fighting off the crud, I don't feel bad enough to go to the Dr. yet but I don't feel well enough to risk going out to Mom and Dads. I would hate to take something in to them when they are doing so well. We got some sad news, my Uncle John passed away this afternoon. We loved him a lot and he will be missed very much. I am trying to figure out what to get the kids for Christmas. I am pretty much done with the easy ones. William and Abbi are pretty well covered. So you can see I have a ways to go. 11/17/06 I have been working my way slowly through the site fixing a few things that drive me nuts or making clarifications to some pages. I talked to April this morning and they are starting to prepare for their newest addition. They aren't sure exactly when but they will be traveling to China for the second time. It sounds like the new little one will have plenty of room in the new bedroom. Ellee has informed her Mom that it is pretty but she isn't sleeping in there. Aren't adjustments fun especially when someone else is adjusting!?!? Ashli is feeling a little better this evening, but Abbi was home sick today with the same thing. My fingers and toes are crossed that I manage to escape it. Larry must be getting concerned also because he was spraying the disinfectant spray on just about everything a while ago. 11/16/06 The AKC web site has Milly listed as a Champion so we are anticipating the arrival of the official letter and certificate from AKC sometime soon. We still haven't received the picture taken With "New Champion" on the placard either. We did receive the picture of Presley's first major last week and it was taken 2 weeks earlier so surely Milly's will arrive soon. William and MacKenzie were out yesterday and when we got ready to go to church William got my cowboy boots that I wore as a toddler out of the hutch and decided he was wearing them. He did look awfully cute in them I need to get a picture of him wearing them when he brings them back. Yes, I did let him wear them. I wonder if Mom has one of me wearing them. Speaking of William, he thinks he knows where Santa lives. No not the North Pole, but a house they pass regularly on the way to their house. He gets all excited when he sees it and once when he saw the glow from a TV through the window exclaimed Santa is watching TV. He is gonna be a hoot this year. We definitely have a bug in the house. I hope we are able to get rid of it instead of the passing it around all winter. I hope I feel worlds better tomorrow and Ashli really does. I just hope we don't swap ailments. I talked to Mom this afternoon and she and Dad have managed to avoid the crud so far. I sure hope that continues. 11/13/06 Well we have had a very successful show year. This past weekend was our last for this year unless something changes. With the Holidays coming and all the family gatherings and parties we will take a much needed break. This year we have gathered some impressive Breed Wins with Tucker who to be perfectly honest doesn't always have a good time showing. Being the perfect gentleman that he is always does what is asked of him but after several shows in a row it is quite obvious he is only going through the motions. Miss Milly, only being shown a handful of times this year picked up both her majors to become our second AKC Champion. Then there is my brindle brat... Presley has worked through a couple of showing quirks to begin showing to his potential. He picked up his first major this year and went reserve to more than I care to think about. He has received many wonderful comments from the judges and even snagged a few Best of Breeds from the classes. We will be seeking that final major with a fresh zeal this coming year. I will admit I really felt we would finish Presley this year and when we left our last show and chance for that last major yesterday with yet another Reserve I couldn't help but feel a little bit bummed. We got home and I checked my e-mail to find a note from someone who is preparing to say goodbye to her brindle boy who is suffering from fanconi. I was given a strong reality check. Yes, I did cry myself to sleep last night but not because of the days results. It was for Pete and his mama who are bravely facing the future and squeezing every ounce of love and happiness from their time together and due to the fact that curled next to me concerned that his mama was crying laid my brindle brat whom is healthy and hopefully going to be in my life for many years to come. I hope that in the near future fanconi and the awful toll it takes on basenjis and the people who love them will be a thing of the past. We stopped by Matt and Alissa's last night on the way home. Abbi, William their Grandma Karen and I played a game of UNO while Christmas lights were hung on the house. When we went outside to see them lit up William got sooo excited. He was jumping up and down yelling "Santa Daws is Dumming". There could not of been a better reward for the effort of putting them on the house. It is so neat being able to witness such a touching scene in the lives of your kids as they take on the role of parent. Larry and I both are dragging today. Must of picked up a bug or something. Really not feeling too good today. 11/01/06 Ashli is thrilled with her new car! Alissa and I told her to enjoy the first month because then the reality of paying for it kicks in! Milly has dug another hole under the fence. The boys and I did a temporary fill job on it but next week we have to do a more appropriate job. When living with basenjis it is very important that you periodically walk the fence line to check for weak spots or tunneling in progress. Especially if you live with a Milly! I looked out and wondered why the boys were running the fence line as though they wanted something on the other side. I went running when I saw just what it was they were concerned about. It was a Miss Moo running on the other side. Milly came running back to me when I called her which is definitely not her style. I didn't know whether to kiss her or wring her pretty little neck! 10/31/06 Yesterday was pretty much lost to me. I must of got a bug. I feel a little bit better today but not quite all there so still have loads to do. Like I mentioned we had a great weekend, not only did Milly become our 2nd champion we also got to see Jenn finish Dollar on the same day. We were asked not to break the major by pulling Milly on Sunday. It had been quite a while since I had shown Milly myself but she and I once again took to the ring together on Sunday. Milly was awarded Winners Bitch and Best of Opposite Sex for another 3 pts. I told Larry when I came out of the ring that She looked sooo different to me than she had last time I showed her. I didn't feel her tense up on the table and she had a width about her that wasn't there before. I am actually looking forward to taking her in the ring in Tulsa. I got confirmation today that she has been moved up to Best of Breed from Open. Now our focus is on Mr. Presley. We are 66% of the way to our goal of 100% Champions. One more major to go! Yipee! I am getting ready to be visited by 3 very special trick or treaters! The kids are bringing the babies out tonight. Ashli also bought her first car today. I haven't seen it yet but will post a picture of her and it later. 10/29/06 We had a wonderful weekend! We now have another Champion living with us! Miss Milly picked up her second major on Saturday to become Ch. Lacada's Energizer Bunny. It has been a long day and I am beat so I will write more later about her weekend. We again took reserve on Presley! He showed very well and we know his day is just around the corner. Monday and Tuesday are going to be soooo full trying to get ready to leave for Tulsa on Wed. but I will try and take time to fill in some gaps. 10/26/06 I didn't get the crates cleaned and I sort of maintained the house. hahaha Today is going to be mega crazy and to top it off it is rainy! My first stop is to get my hair cut. I have a few odds and ends to pick up and I need to stop by the book store and see what can be done. When we get home that is when things get crazy. Dogs will need bathed, crates cleaned and bedding changed. Tack box needs to be gone through to make sure all that will be needed is accounted for. I need to trim tails a little and Larry needs to do nails. I definitely got the better job. A few wild hairs and I'm done. Soooo glad we don't show poodles. Nails and tails and we are ready to go. We don't even use chalk on our dogs. They are all natural what you see is what you get. I call them my wash and wear dogs. I also have a little laundry and packing and hopefully will get to see Survivor. If not I shall survive. Someday I may do a picture essay of what goes on around here before we go to a show. I will title it, "And We Call This Fun". haha My hat is off to those folks with the hours of grooming talk about a full time job. I honestly don't think I would ever get anything else done in my life. For those who have asked, Mom is continuing to improve. She is doing very well. I just talked to her and she and Dad have been putting up apples. She said they finished the last of them yesterday. 10/24/06 Well it is already Tuesday evening. I told you this week was going to fly. Larry brought William and MacKenzie home with him this evening. Alissa is having to work late and they usually spend Wednesdays with me anyway. My goal tomorrow.....maintain the house and get crates cleaned. hahaha Amy sent me pictures that were taken this weekend when Amber brought the kids over to the pumpkin patch. They are soooo cute. 10/22/06 Larry & Justin are out changing the brakes on the Van. They are being assisted by William who decided he was coming home from church with us this afternoon. It is quite a bit warmer today than it was yesterday but still pretty brisk. This week will be busy and will fly by I am sure. I only hope I am able to get all my things done that are on my list. I need to possibly get the bookstore set up for the grand opening next Sunday. That will all depend on whether they are able to get it finished. Then I have all the normal getting ready to travel stuff plus If I don't get my hair cut I may be tempted to whack at it myself! hahaha I will let you know Thursday if I succeeded in my mission. 10/21/06 The counts are out for Tulsa and is it going to be fun! I am soooo glad we decided to go. There are over 100 entries including sweepstakes! I also am so glad I already have our room reserved! hahaha Abbi, William and MacKenzie spent the night last night and Matt and Alissa are coming out this evening to get them. Abbi & William helped me make chicken and noodles for dinner. We had quite the mess to clean up when we were done but hearing William brag to his papa that he made the noodles when he got home made it well worth it. Ashli also informed me that I am the one who has MacKenzie spoilt to being held. She says that when she watches her that she doesn't cry when she is put down. They hold up one of Kenzie's fingers and say this one is grandma. I can't help it that she raises her hands and grins when I walk by. It has turned off rather chilly here and today it was rainy also. Makes us keep a brisk pace when taking our evening walk. 10/18/06 Oh My Gosh Saydie is adorable and seems so small. It was so much fun getting to see Jeremy and Heather and welcome Miss Saydie to the family. It was a bonus having Mary Jane here also. Mary Jane is my Mom's older sister and Elaines birth mother. hahahaha My mom and Dad refer to my cousin Elaine as their oldest child. I got the pictures added this evening. Sorry it took so long but I had William and MacKenzie today and the little miss wanted to be held alot. You will find the link on the family events page. I also added some soccer pictures taken a couple of weeks ago to Abbi's soccer page. 10/17/06 When Larry gets home we are going to go out to Mom and Dads for dinner. They are getting SURPRISE guests this evening. Jeremy & Heather are coming from Mississippi to introduce Miss Saydie to her Great Grandma and Grandpa. We are all going to have a spaghetti dinner. My Aunt Mary Jane is also at Mom and Dads so this is really going to be nice. I am going to take the camera so you can check for pictures tomorrow. 10/16/06 I have been updating different pages on the site. I so enjoyed adding Presley's information for the Lawrence show on his show record page. I can't help myself I still have a goofy grin every time I think about it. That major meant a whole lot to me. I also added a picture taken of him Saturday to the show picture page. On the Fur Friends page you will find a picture of Dakota and a goofy picture of Presley and Zoie. 10/15/06 We just got home from Lawrence! We had a wonderful time we enjoyed staying and having dinner Saturday night with Amy & Tony. I am sooooo Happy and Proud to say Mr. Presley went Best of Breed Saturday to pick up his 1st major. He really showed well and when the judge pointed to him for Breed I could feel the tears welling up. Presley also made the cut in groups! Wow what a weekend. Lawrence again was a very fun show for us. Thank you Jane for the prize donated for Best Of Breed. I am baking the salmon steak for the basenjis tonight to celebrate. We now are 1 major away from his championship. Maybe soon we will be able to share REALLY BIG news! Presley wasn't entered Sunday so enjoyed a short weekend. 10/12/06 I have had so much fun reading all the e-mails being sent in response to the Basenji Song. I have tried to reply to all of them but if I missed someone Please accept my apology. I got a kick out of hearing all the basenji reactions to the sound. It seems some of them started singing and others went searching for the visiting pack. I am so glad it has been enjoyed! Happy Yodels to you all! Tomorrow will be busy getting ready for the show this weekend. Besides the normal bathing, packing and such All three grand babies are spending the night tonight. Our house is quite the jumping place. I think I will sleep good tonight. I sure hope MacKenzie has the same plans! hahaha Well I got some sound on the "My Song" page. I still have some kinks to work out. This was sort of a test and I want to get a better recording of them. The smooth even voice is Tucker. He also is always the one to start the group. Not sure if that is just a personality thing or if it is due to him being the Alpha Male. Basenjis have a very strong pack order built into them which can make living with them quite adventurous from time to time. The high pitched voice preceded by the short choppy yips is Miss Milly. Presley was pretty quiet during this session but if you listen carefully you will hear a low gravely voice that has a rooing tone. Well that is the Brindle Brat. If you have dial up you need to give it a while to fully load and then it will play through smoothly. Hey this sound was all completely provoked! On the most part our Basenjis are pretty much non vocal. They follow the rule unless you have something worth saying remain silent. Don't you wish some of the people you deal with daily had the same motto! hahahaha 10/11/06 Well I have added a page to the site that features our basenjis as well as a few friends. There are links both in "Basenji Humor" and the "Frequently Asked Questions" pages. We have had a lot of people inquire as to the "Yodel". This page is titled "My Song For You". It will feature the Basenji yodel as the background sound. Be patient as I am working on something very special that will be worth the wait. So for now you can just see what they look like when they yodel. Check back regularly to see if I have it completed. 10/9/06 I have added more pictures from the "Cousin's party" this year. My Mom and Dad and my Aunt Nola and Uncle John have always been close. As their kids started getting older and moving away they came up with the Cousin's party to get their kids together on a yearly basis. Through the years we have expanded with their other siblings and family members coming. We are now into the fourth generation. Maybe someday I will post some pictures from previous years. I went to Mom and Dad's and they are doing great. Mom is getting around pretty well as long as she doesn't over do. Dad has been busy clearing brush and cutting down old trees. It was sad to see the old willow tree down but Dad was afraid it would one day break apart and fall on one of the kids. We are all concerned about Uncle John. Please keep him and Nola in your prayers. I know I have talked about Beret and how much I love this boy. Linda sent me a picture of him from this years Nationals. I thought you might like to check him out yourself. 10/05/06 I have been trying to work through the site making sure it is easy to navigate. The great thing about this site is it is a work in progress. My goal is to keep it current and fun to browse. I hate it when I find a site and am interested in something they have posted only to realize it isn't current. If you encounter a problem let me know and I will see if there is something I can fix. We are all busy doing what we do. Ashli is really looking forward to the Preschool opening. Hopefully next month will be the Grand opening. She is anxious to get a car, which will make all our lives much simpler. She is going to class twice a week this semester. The boys are now in school also. Gosh the summer flew by. We are home this weekend. Next weekend we show in Lawrence. The Lawrence show is usually always very fun and relaxing. We have been anxiously waiting for Presley's Breed pictures to come from the Salina show. We really anticipate them being very nice. 10/04/06 I finally got the pictures added from the Cousin's party. I feel sooo bad because I missed so many that were there. I had just started taking pictures when we had to take Mom to the hospital. If you have any please send them to me. I also added the pictures of Ava and MacKenzie taken last week at Mom and Dad's. Mary also sent me pictures of Saydie last night. "Family Events" 10/03/06 All 3 basenjis are running together now and all is at peace in our world. I am soooo glad that is behind us. I gave Milly a bath yesterday and left her in the bathroom to dry a little. Not thinking I left her new leather lead in there with her. You guessed it True to form she chewed it. That is our Milly! The weather here has been really warm for this time of year. It is October and the temps are in the 90's. What is up with that? 10/02/06 Well life is getting back to normal. I picked Milly up from the vets a little while ago. She did very well and was tickled to see me. I haven't let her run with the boys yet but anticipate a hearty B-500 in the near future. The hormones have quit raging and my lovable sweet boys have returned to replace the grumpy monsters that had invaded our home. There were a few days there I thought I was going to go insane. I just talked to my Mom on the phone and she sounds wonderful! I think she is doing even better than we had hoped. It is still going to be awhile before she is totally back to normal but she is making giant strides. We don't normally allow our dogs to ride outside their crates but this weekend to conserve space we collapsed their crates and allowed them to ride loose. While Tucker spread out on the back seat, Presley decided he would be most comfortable sharing my seat with me. I told him this was a one time deal but I could almost feel the wheels turning in his little brindle head. "Note To Self". 10/01/06 We just got home from the wedding! It was beautiful and a good time was had by all. You can see pictures if you go to the "Family Events" page and click on the church doors. For those of you who don't know the whole family, Ron is our nephew. He is the son of Larry's brother Ray and his wife Sharon. 9/29/06 Well the counts are in for Lawrence. In the classes we are 1 dog short yet again. Still are thinking about showing one day in the hope of taking Breed. Best of Breed would equal a major...... decisions decisions! 9/28/06 Saturday is the wedding! Kristen will officially become Mrs. Ron Birch. Tomorrow will be busy getting stuff around to head up for rehearsal as soon as Larry gets home. We have to drop Milly off on the way out of town. She is staying with Dr. Susan for the weekend. Besides all the regular stuff I want to bath all three. I think I will do it today instead of our normal Friday routine. We are watching the Breed counts for Lawrence. Will Presley show or not is still to be seen. After feeling stupid for missing Topeka with him I felt forced to chance Lawrence. If you know me at all you know I am not a gambler. I like knowing that I am going to get something for my money. This is the one part of dog showing that I don't care for. When I enter a show I like knowing we are going to get to actually enter the ring. I have said before that the next dog we get I want to pick up the majors first and then the singles! hahaha As though any of us have that kind of control. But hey I can dream if I want besides we must all have a goal. hahaha 9/27/06 I went to Mom & Dad's today. Mom is doing wonderful! It is so nice to see her getting along so well. Mary has been staying with them all week. Amber and the kids were over today also. It was so fun getting Ava and MacKenzie together. The two girls are a week apart in age and both just as cute as a button. I took some pictures I will post tomorrow. 9/25/06 I talked to Linda last night and Beret got an Award Of Merit at Nationals yesterday. We were so excited. He is wonderful and we love him to pieces. Way to go Beret! Congrats Linda on a wonderful presence at nationals this year. You deserve to be very proud of the Jerlin gang. Wish I could of been there to celebrate with you! I'll bring the chilled coffee to the next show! hahaha 9/24/06 William came home with us yesterday after Abbi's soccer game. Abbi scored 3 goals and we had loads of fun cheering her on. I got a call from my sister a little while ago and Mom is going home today. She is doing remarkable and when I talked to her this morning she said she had slept well. Keep her in your prayers! 9/23/06 Yesterday was long and tiring. After a stormy evening both inside and outside I got to bed around midnight Thursday. Ashli and I were up and on the road about 4:00 am. We got to the hospital in time to see Mom before she went into surgery. The procedure went very well and we are anticipating a long but hopefully smooth recovery. Thank you for all the prayers, please continue to do so. After seeing Mom back in her room Ashli and I had to head across town in rush hour traffic to pick Larry up at the airport. He had a nice time in Atlanta but I think he was glad to be home. I heard a few results from Rhode Island and wanted to congratulate all the winners. We were especially thrilled to hear Linda and Music won their class as well as Carrie and Conan. Way to go guys! The boys are still on edge. Calgon take me away! hahahaha 9/21/06 The week is flying by. I still haven't heard anything from Rhode Island. I think judging begins today. Gosh I wish I could of gone. Tomorrow Mom is having her surgery. It has been a long time coming and we would appreciate your prayers that everything goes well and she has a smooth recovery time. Ron and Kristen are getting married next Saturday. We had originally planned on boarding all 3 basenjis as it is not that easy to find a babysitter for them. Not everyone is set up for or programmed to deal with them. I would be a nervous wreck that they had somehow slipped out a door or damaged someone's home. So we have decided to take the 2 boys with us as we are used to traveling with them anyway. We will leave Milly with our vet that weekend. The boys are still struggling through Milly's season. I keep telling them we only have about another week to deal with it. When we come back from the wedding it will be over. They look at me like I'm crazy which I probably am as I tend to talk to them as though they are going to audibly respond. hahaha I know that Milly will be glad to be free also. She obviously has to be crated more than usual, but is being a pretty good camper. She is probably spending her time dreaming up ornery things to do when she makes bail. We will probably all reap her wrath when she is sprung. 9/20/06 The boys and I went in and packed up the bookstore as we are getting ready to move soon. Afterwards we went shoe shopping. Let me tell you it sure was easier buying them shoes when they were little. Neither of them were really into walking the mall with me. I haven't heard from anyone in Rhode Island yet. I bet they are having a lot of fun. Really wish I could be there. I have Mackenzie and William this afternoon. They are keeping me on my toes and the time is flying. It will soon be time to head into town. 9/18/06 Well we decided to go to Salina regardless of majors. We had Tucker entered in Breed and we thought it would be good practice for Presley who needed some work on moving with his head up in the ring. Friday and Saturday Presley made us quite proud by coming out of the classes over 2 specials to take Best of Breed. Would you believe we were again 1 dog short for the major? We received many wonderful compliments on him and we now are ready to forge forward in our quest. Boy those majors are really going to be special to us as we have been able to see them so often just at our finger tips out of reach. Check out a picture I took of him Friday in Salina. I think you will have to agree my brindle brat has grown into a very handsome boy. BOB Picture We were able to make contact with some dear friends from way back in our days of showing pugs. We also moved forward in making new friends that we are sure will add to our enjoyment of showing. Milly is in season and I can't wait for it to be over! The boys are a bundle of nerves and hormones. They can't go downstairs because Tucker sits and guards her crate. Presley follows me around whining to the point I could almost pull my hair out. They exchange nasty comments with each other one minute and the next are back to my sweet boys. I would love to spay her and not deal with this anymore. We will be going to Lawrence next month. Who we enter and show is still to be determined. We are also looking forward to 4 days in Tulsa the first part of November. I can't wait as it sounds like it is going to be lots of fun. I decided to book a room on the show site so we can just park and walk most of the time. 9/12/06 Well there aren't majors in Salina which was a bummer! Added to that hearing people start to talk about heading to Nationals is tough. We don't get to go to this years nationals because Larry has to go out of town on business. We had so much fun last year and really hoped to be able to go this year. Good luck and safe travel to all who are heading to Rhode Island! To Tino and new Ch. Cowboy, have fun in the Breed Ring. To my boy Beret, I'm rooting for you as always! Gosh I wish I could be there! 9/11/06 Happy Birthday Saydie Emily Colston! Congratulations Jeremy and Heather she is absolutely beautiful! Saydie is Mom and Dad's 23rd Great Grandbaby. Papa Colston has pictures and info up on his website! Pictures of Saydie 9/01/06 Well we are waiting to see what the breed counts are for our next show. We hope there is a possibility to again go for another major. Ashli brought William home with her tonight. So we had our boy this evening. He has plans on going to the races tomorrow. I think MacKenzie is going to stay with Grandma and help her bake for the reunion on Sunday. 8/28/06 Well our weekend in KC was .... informative, disappointing and yet a whole lot of fun. As those of you who know us or visit the site often know we have been on a search for Presley's majors pretty much all year. We left for KC in the hopes of possibly getting one on Sat. Not only did we not get the major, Presley placed far lower than we felt he deserved. We don't expect to win every time we enter the ring which would be very unrealistic as we have very stiff competition on a regular basis. We just felt he should of placed higher than he did on Saturday. I only mentioned this because it is something that so many people allow to discourage them or worse yet affect their own feelings and opinions of their dog. We are very secure in our belief that Presley is a quality representative of his breed and will one day receive his title. Besides if he suddenly sprouted a third ear he would still be my baby. Though it may of been slightly shaking in disagreement with what happened in the ring my head was held high as I headed back to the grooming area with my striped boy. We had a really nice time visiting Saturday afternoon with friends and I love walking the vendor area which I did several times. We headed to our room that evening hoping for a good nights sleep only to find ourselves booked in a party zone. Lets just say the "rest" was hard to come by. Woke up to rain which can make it interesting to load and unload especially when you have dogs who feel they are made of sugar and will melt if wet. Back at the arena Larry decided to try Presley on a chain instead of his Kangaroo, which only proceeded to give Presley an attitude. For some reason he hates the feel of the chain on his neck. Head shaking, tail down and leaning away... Larry switched back to his Kangaroo and we headed to the ring. Sunday we were in a sort of hot seat. Though we were one class dog short for a major, there was a chance that depending on the Breed placements Presley could still pick up a major. On the other hand we risked taking points that we really didn't need. We felt we had no choice but to show him. Presley won his class and won Winners Dog and Best of Winners for another 2 points. Thank you Vickie for taking Tucker in for us so Larry could stay on Presley. Our friend Beret took Breed dashing our hopes for the major. It was a deserving win and we walked away with no regrets. We just felt after Saturdays results we needed to show him and pursue the major every chance we got no matter how tough the task. After watching Beret show wonderfully in groups we decided to head home. We stopped and picked up William who spent the night last night. I guess he had been asking to go to the dog show all day. Maybe we will have a junior handler one day! 8/24/06 Happy Birthday Venice Michal Schultis who was born today weighing 7lb. 1 oz and measured 19" long. Congratulations to Bryan, Dawn and big sisters Sydney and Paris. We wish you much joy! Bryan and Dawn Schultis are Presley's breeders. 8/23/06 I have been trying to reconstruct some of the pages to help make the site easier to navigate. I will slowly work my way through the whole thing tweaking a few trouble spots. I also plan to add a new page to track Tucker's accomplishments showing as a Special. For those unfamiliar with the term "Special", after a dog acquires his AKC Championship title he can then enter shows as what is referred to as a Special to compete for Best Of Breed. After allowing Tucker some time to relax and "grow up" a little we have decided to give him the opportunity to exhibit in this capacity. We love our Tuck and are so proud of him and are enjoying this time of sharing his charm. 8/22/06 Congratulations to Cowboy and Celestino!! This weekend Cowboy became CH. Rugusa's Nebraska Cowboy. You can find pictures of Cowboy on our Fur Friends page. Not too much happening, just enjoying the last few days before school starts. 8/21/06 While at the dog show this weekend Presley was "Spotted" by the Capital Journal. I was shocked to see he made editors pick. My silly clown is a STAR! hahaha I will post his pictures on the basenji humor page. 8/20/06 We just got home and unloaded! It was a wonderful weekend! We could not be more pleased with our Tuckers performance. Today our friend Beret again took Best of Breed so he and Tucker split the 4 day show weekend. We were very proud of both boys as I have a very soft spot for Beret. 8/19/06 Sorry guys that I didn't update the site last night. We brought William home with us and Larry and I took him to the park to play a little while. Yesterday Tucker again showed very nicely but Best Of Breed went to our friend Beret. Today we didn't show until around 3:00 so it was a long day of waiting but we were very pleased as Tucker again took Best of Breed. I will try and post tomorrows results when we get home. Presley wasn't entered at all this weekend so he has been going along for moral support. Next weekend both boys will show. 8/17/06 Today Tucker took Best Of Breed at the Manhattan Kennel Club Dog show. That was a whole lot of fun and we were very proud of him. Will add more later just wanted to post for those who planned on using the site to find out how we did. 8/14/06 Well summer is rapidly drawing short with the exception of the heat! I can't hardly believe Abbi is starting school this week. The time has simply flown. She got a haircut which looks very sweet and she was showing me her new school shoes. Justin and Joshua still have a couple weeks before starting classes. 8/11/06 We have another new baby joining the family next spring! Congratulations Ryan and Emily!! Parker you are going to have so much fun with your new little brother or sister. 8/10/06 Happy Birthday Matthew!! I prayed so hard for a baby of my own and God answered by sending you into my life. Your dad and I are so proud of you and the man you have grown into. We love you sooo much and wish for you the same thing this year as we have each one in the past. May you always be happy, healthy and surrounded by people who love you 8/09/06 Ashli took some very cute pictures of Abbi and MacKenzie which are posted on the Grandkids page under the link group pictures. You may wonder where Mr. William was, he was here with Dammaw and Papa. We have had a blast the last 3 days having William stay with us. 8/07/06 Happy Birthday Alissa!! You are such a special part of our family and we love you so very much. It is true, we didn't lose a son we gained another daughter. 8/06/06 Happy Birthday Presley!! Today my brindle Brat is 2 years old! I know some of you think I'm crazy over the basenjis and you are probably right which I'm comfortable with so heres the scoop! We will be taking the traditional cookie candle and birthday hat pictures which will be posted later. Presley got a new toy also. Presley also received the cutest card from his Uncle Jagger. Pressy you are so wedged into my heart that you better enjoy a very long life. For in order for you to ever leave me my heart will have to be shattered. May we celebrate many many more birthdays together! 7/31/06 Wow I can hardly believe how fast the summer is flying by. Alissa went back to work this past week and I have had the babies quite a bit. This past weekend Matt and Alissa had the opportunity to take a weekend to themselves and so we had the little ones two nights. I decided that on Friday I would run to Sams to stock the bookstore and then grocery shopping. I had to laugh at myself because it was sort of a trip back in time for me. Matthew was 7, Ashli was 3 and Justin was almost 2 when Joshua was born. I can remember pushing one cart with babies and pulling one cart with groceries. As I was walking through Walmart with MacKenzie in my arms, because she was tired of being in the car seat or possibly fearful the stuff piled around her was going to swallow her up, and William sitting in the seat squirting dog shampoo on his lap and Abbi standing on the end of the cart adding things she "needed" I thought how very lucky I was and Where was PAPA! When I picked Larry up from work I told him I thought I must be getting old because I sure was tired. Would I do it again? You bet! Well it is official... A Black basenji now resides under our roof. You can find out the info on the "Someone New" page. We think we have most of our remaining shows mapped out for the rest of this year. We just have to play it by ear as to who gets shown where. I told Larry the other day that I thought it would be nice to get our majors first on our next puppy. hahaha 7/18/06 I got Tuckers picture posted from Sedalia on his show pictures page. I am still waiting on Milly's from the previous week to show up. I also have some pictures taken Sunday at Moms house of Ava and MacKenzie together. The girls are a week apart and growing like weeds. 7/14/06 The weather has been so hot here and the humidity so high I have walked the dogs very little. Last night Larry and I took them on a shorter walk than usual at 9:30 pm just to pacify Tucker who was keeping a post on the front door. I am not looking forward to colder weather but it would be nice to have a day or 2 that it was in the upper 80's or low 90's and felt like it. With the heat index so high it is pretty dangerous to be out for long. It is really tough on Jade. We have to be very careful she is not left out any longer than necessary to do her business. We are beginning to look at future shows and think Topeka will probably be our next show. Now I just need to figure out who to enter what days. This is the part that I hate. If only money were no concern. hahaha Until we strike it rich I guess that is always going to come into play. 7/09/06 I have pictures of the fourth of July for those of you who were asking. I need to get them transferred from the other computer and will get them posted ASAP. I also want to sent our heart felt sympathy out to Kirstyn, Amy, Levi and Tony on the loss of Virginia. I know how much he meant to you and how much it hurts saying goodbye. You provided him with a wonderful home and he provided you with lots of wonderful memories to hold on to. I love you. We just got home from Sedalia. We had a really nice time. We got to have dinner and visit with friends that we don't get to see as often as we would like. I love walking our dogs everyday and this weekend was really special. Our evening walks consisted of 7 basenjis! I'm really going to miss that. Saturday night Jerry and Linda Ehlers hosted a cookout at their home for the Show Me Basenji Club. The food was wonderful and the company fun. A good time was had by all. I also got to see my first basenji who was actually born in the African Congo. Jon Curby brought Luka who is one of the latest imports. That was very exciting for me. Well, Presley and Milly both showed well again this weekend which is our main objective though neither placed in the points this weekend. So that means the hunt for majors is still on. We had Tucker entered Sunday as a Special in Best of Breed. We were so excited and proud when he won Best of Opposite Sex. Sunday was a BCOA (Basenji Club Of America) supported entry. So we came home with a medallion which meant a lot to us. Jerlin Basenjis had also donated Breed prizes and we received a lovely statue of White Tigers. I will post a picture of it later. Thank you so much Linda we will treasure it always. The special Charm of Sedalia lives on for us! Our Tuck is such a special boy to us and continues to live up to his name! 7/07/06 Well we are about ready to leave for the next show. This show site holds very fond memories for us going way back to our pug days. There are some shows that you just enjoy just for being there and for us this is one of them. Tucker also went Best of Breed here for his first point a couple of years ago which just added to the atmosphere. We are looking forward to socializing with friends and I get to see one of my favorite brindle boys. Presley's Uncle Jagger and his family are going to be there which is always a special treat for us. Well I better go help load up. Hopefully we will have news to share when we get home. Whisper a prayer and keep your fingers crossed! hahaha 7/04/06 HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! We are going to Matt and Alissa's for a 4th of July party. I am looking forward to snuggling the babies. Will probably over eat and have to walk twice as far tomorrow. hahaha Yesterday we had to go to town and buy Larry new suit coats to show in as we had a little infestation of the "African Basenjimoth." Tomorrow will begin all the preparation for this weekend in Sedalia. I have to go completely through the tack box and organize it as I pretty much dumped it this past weekend looking for something. The dogs will need bathed, crates cleaned, bedding washed. It is what I call the fun work! Call me crazy but I really enjoy it. Now vacuuming and laundry I could do without! hahahah 7/02/06 Well I hope you have been checking for updated pictures of MacKenzie. I have been trying to keep them pretty current for those of you who haven't gotten a chance to meet her in person. I also posted some new pictures of Ava on the Family events page under the link "Ava Rose". These two girls are the newest members of our family and we are so proud of them both. We just got home from a very fun weekend. We went to a dog show in Vermilion South Dakota. We had a blast hanging out ringside and going to lunch and dinner with good friends. We enjoyed laughing and catching up on each other. If you think the dog shows are just about ring time and ribbons you are really mistaken and cheating yourself out of so much. The icing on the cake this weekend was the fact we did very well in the ring too. Presley my brindle brat showed very well and took Reserve Winners to 3 point majors both Saturday and Sunday. He is getting so much better with his head shaking that it is very tolerable. I just know a title is in the future for him, I can feel it in my heart. Everyone says he already has one, "Mama's Big Brat". I sort of have to agree he is a little bit pampered. We are so proud to announce Miss Milly went Winners Bitch and Best of Winners for her first major Saturday. Thank you Tino for taking her back in for Best of Winners. Maybe someday we can return the favor. hahaha Milly took second in her class on Sunday even though she showed very well again. We also showed Tucker Saturday for the first time in almost a year. There were 4 other Champions besides him entered so there was lots of competition for Best of Breed. He showed nicely and we were very proud to show him off as he is a VERY SPECIAL boy to us. Well this is going to be a very busy week. We have a 4th of July party, a Royal's game plus all the stuff getting ready to show again this coming weekend. 6/20/06 I have been trying to keep current pictures of the baby up for those of you who haven't gotten to see her in person. Yesterday she met Great Grandma and Papa who gave her their stamp of approval. She is doing very well in fact I think she gets prettier every time I see her just like Abbi and William do. I guess we have good genes! The weather here is HOT! It has been pretty quiet as Ashli and Joshua are at camp this week. Justin got his 1st check Sat. and felt rather rich until he saw how much was taken out in taxes. hahaaha 6/09/06 Tucker, Presley and I just got back from a walk. I usually don't take both boys at one time because they are pretty stout but didn't have the heart to turn one of them down. They were both sitting there looking at me like Please take me. We really didn't do too bad, only saw 1 bunny and 1 cat in addition to the regulars that they know. It is so hot here that in order to take them walking you have to go early in the morning or toward evening. Matt and Alissa will be back out in a little while, This is the last day of vacation Bible school. I am really going to miss seeing the babies everyday. I will probably post new pictures this afternoon. I need to go into town and get a haircut, it is just about to send me over the edge. That is the worse thing about short hair is you have to cut it so often. 6/08/06 I am getting spoilt by all the time with the babies. Matt and Alissa came out this morning so there are new pictures of the kids added to MacKenzies picture page. It is HOT here so haven't been out too much. We are getting ready to plot our show schedule. It is time to continue our search for Majors! I will let you know where we are headed next soon. 6/07/06 I have posted new pictures taken today to MacKenzie's picture page. Alissa and MacKenzie are doing wonderful and went home this evening. We were sitting at Abbi's T-Ball game and who do you suppose shows up? The force of a Mothers Love... can move mountains. 6/06/06 God is wonderful and has blessed us with a beautiful baby girl! MacKenzie BreAnn weighed in at 9lb 5oz and is 20 1/2" long. I have posted pictures on her page, they were all taken within an hour of birth. Alissa was pretty tired as could be expected so after getting to hold MacKenzie and snap a few pictures we decided to take the kids and let Alissa get some well deserved rest. Hopefully we will get some cute pictures of her dressed tomorrow. 6/05/06 Well, in just a couple of hours it will be a very special day for our family. It will be a day we will celebrate for many years to come as Mackenzie's birthday. William is spending the night with us and will go to the hospital in the morning with me and Abbi is spending the night with her Grandma Karen and will go to the hospital with her. Alissa seemed very tired this evening when they left I hope she is able to get a good nights sleep. Larry came home very excited about his job, I think he is going to really like the change. Justin is doing great with his job and is looking forward to that first paycheck. My stitches came out today, my finger is still numb, but it felt great being able to get my hand wet. I bathed the dogs and cleaned crates and even moped the kitchen and dining room. They were all driving me nuts. hahaha As soon as we return from the hospital I will be posting pictures of Mackenzie and all the vital information. Keep her and Alissa in your prayers that we will have a safe delivery. 6/02/06 Mackenzie is still keeping us in suspense! We have taken a poll and everyone is ready for her to make her appearance.... she seems to be the only hold out. Alissa had a Dr.s appointment today, if she doesn't deliver before they will induce labor TUESDAY. Yesterday we went to Mom and Dads to see Ava Rose who was born May 30. She is simply adorable. Ava is Mom and Dad's 20th Great Grand baby. They have 4 more due this year and 1 waiting in China. There were 9 of them there yesterday, I will post a picture on the family events page later today. 5/30/06 We are still on baby watch! The telephone rings and everyone runs for it hoping it is THE CALL! Alissa is doing pretty good, she has been diagnosed with gestational diabetes so they are watching her and Mackenzie pretty closely. We are all ready to celebrate the safe and happy arrival of our newest addition! Jenn called yesterday to let us know that her boy Rooster picked up both of his majors this weekend. We were so happy for her especially knowing just how much this litter means to her. She has put her heart and soul into these puppies and it is wonderful seeing her rewarded for the effort. We don't have any shows scheduled right now, as soon as the baby arrives we will start scheduling the summer. We had planned on Lure coursing this past weekend but just didn't feel comfortable leaving town. Life around here is getting ready to change drastically... after 17 years on 3rd shift Larry will be going to days starting Monday. We may have to get a bigger bed. Presley and I are quite used to having the entire bed to ourselves. 5/16/06 Tucker and I just got back from a morning walk. The weather is simply wonderful today. I was sitting on the sofa and mentioned to someone I thought I was going to go for a walk and Tucker who appeared to be totally sound asleep pops up as if to say I'm going too! They also know which lead is theirs on the hooks by the door. Tucker has been known to take his down to make sure you know his intentions to go. These dogs are so full of personality and are way smarter than most people give them credit. It isn't that they don't know what you want them to do or have the ability to perform any given task or command. When living and working with a basenji is very much an agenda and timing thing. If it fits into their agenda and the timing is convenient for them then smooth sailing. But hey it is probably that independent streak that has preserved the breed in their natural habitat to this day. If you expect total obedience to your every command, "DON'T GET A BASENJI". Well it's Presley's turn to go for a walk! 5/14/06 Wow I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted any news. I want to start by wishing all the mothers in my life a very Happy Mother's Day. There are 3 I am going to address personally. Mom, I have been so blessed to have you as my mom. You and Dad have always been there and provided us with an excellent example to follow. You have managed to raise 6 children who each feel like they are the favorite. My mother in law, what can I say without you I would not have Larry. Alissa, I always knew the day would come that I would cease to be the most important woman in Matthew's life. Thank you for all the love and support you give to him. We are so proud of the two of you. Also, thank you for blessing our family with 3 beautiful treasures. I hope this Mothers Day as we anticipate Mackenzie's arrival is a special day. I love you all. We spent the weekend in Emporia at the dog show. We had a lots of fun. I look so forward to the social aspects of show weekends that I am able to come home glad I went regardless of the results. I feel sorry for the people who climb on the emotional roller coaster and gauge the quality of the weekend on whether they win or lose. Hey I love to win as much as the next person, but I think I have discovered a treasure in dog shows that some have failed value. It's called FRIENDSHIP and common interest, it makes all show weekends good. Presley showed very well this weekend. He took Winners Dog Sat. and his cousin Radar took Best of Breed and a Group 2. Bet some of you thought I said all the above because we lost. hahaha Sunday we got to see Danny take his first points. We are showing next Sat. in Gardner, after that I am not sure where we are going. I want to lure course Presley one day Memorial weekend not sure which one. Then the hunt in on for the majors. We have also decided we are going to enter Tucker as a special in a few shows along the way. We have given him close to a year to just chill. He finished sooo quickly, in less than a year at 17 mo. old. He finished last May and we went ahead and showed him in the shows we were already entered in for Breed and of course we took him to the Nationals last fall. It was such an honor to see our boy in such company. Other than that he has just gone along for the ride and company. We have always thought very highly of Tucker, and while showing him received lots of very nice comments from the judges. We asked some respected opinions and received the encouragement, so after talking it over have decide to feel the waters. We will just play it by ear and see what happens. 5/08/06 Today is Justin's Birthday and as Justin says Tucker has been a Champion for a full year now! Ashli has her last class tonight so we will celebrate his birthday tomorrow night with a shrimp dinner. Alissa also had sonogram this afternoon and Mackenzie is around 7 lbs. Will keep you posted! 5/6/06 Well we left early this morning and went to get Mom's gift. Amy, Ashli and I spent almost 6 hours together in a car half of which we had a 5 week old baby goat in the backseat with Ashli. Poor Ashli, she is and has always been a neat freak. The girly girl type. She got to hold little Toby all the way home and lets just say he wasn't the cleanest of little guys when we picked him up. We laughed so hard, we were all a mess as the farm we got him from was very muddy and they had quite a few goats. I was standing there and felt a tug on my purse and one was trying to taste my bag. They were all very friendly imagine being in a muddy petting zoo. We get a lesson on feeding the baby, pay for him and his milk supply and head for home. The lady assures us that as long as he is laying down it is impossible for him to urinate or poop. We were driving down the road and Ashli says Hey Guys he just wet all over me! Either the lady was confused or we got a gifted goat. Thankfully We had put a towel and a sheet in to put around him. We stopped by Amy's house on the way to Mom's and cleaned ourselves and our present up a bit. We put his bandanna on him, stopped and got him a collar & lead, picked Kirstyn up at gymnastics, picked up 2 pizza's and headed to Mom's house. I think she was truly surprised! His name is Toby. Tally wasn't too thrilled with her new friend, so Mom was afraid to leave him out with her so when we left to come home he was in Tinkers crate under the kitchen table. I am so glad we gave him a bath! You can see pictures of Toby on the family events page. 5/5/06 I was sent some pictures today of one of the dogs that was recently brought over from Africa. It is a wonderful feeling to be a part of a breed that still looks like the original! Larry and the boys tore down the old shed in the back yard. It really looks different out there. We planted the rest of the barrels today also. Surely we are safe from frost. I made a bandanna for Mom's new baby. We decided we would stop at PetSmart on the way home tomorrow to get a collar and a lead for him. Amy was so excited to find him that she forgot to ask what color he was and besides we want to make sure it fits him. I am taking the camera with me so I will post pictures of him tomorrow evening. She is going to be so surprised! I can hardly wait to see her face. Dad will love it too... 5/4/06 Larry has taken a couple of days off and so we just got home from town. I got my hair cut as it was driving me nuts. Today was a baby news day in the family. Alissa went to the Dr. and it won't be long before our Mackenzie is here and Jeremy and Heather found out they are going to have a girl. Since Mom and Dad don't have the Internet,I guess I can share what we are getting Mom for Mothers day. Sat. morning Amy and I are going to pick up a pygmy goat. It is still on a bottle and the lady is saving milk for us. We have come a long way since the year we got her hermit crabs! hahahah Bet you all wish we were your kids huh! Larry's Mom and Dad do have the Internet so I won't share what we are getting her. I will say just in case she happens to read this that I promise it won't be a goat! 4/28/06 It is rainy today, it is also grocery shopping day! I sure don't want to go do that but the kids have sort of grown accustomed to eating regularly. Ashli is babysitting tonight for friends so I am going to make one trip. I am going to try and create a page of just fun basenji stuff. I will be adding the link to the "Who did it" and Presley's letter to "Just ask Allie". I will probably add other humorous stuff also. 4/27/06 The weather has been great, I weeded in the yard this afternoon. I also realized we are going to have to treat our yard for ticks. I sure do not want to chance another bout with lymes disease. We will just keep the dogs out of the back yard until it is safe to let them back in. I hate the thought of using a chemical out there but also think the benefit outweighs the risk at this point. This is the first year we have noticed a problem since we treated the yard before we moved in. I guess it is the price we will pay for such a mild winter. Ashli has been working on the van all day, Larry hit a skunk and she is determined to rid it of the smell. We are watching the breed counts again! I just looked and they are not in. 4/24/06 It has been a rainy day today. Enjoyed the time with the kids and even managed to get Mackenzie's quilt tied out. When I dropped the kids off I told Alissa that she is going to have to give me enough time to get it bound and then I am ready. It is hard to imagine that in just about 4 weeks we will have another blessing to snuggle. I added a link on the Lure Coursing page so you can keep track of the dogs in field events. Before you think Milly is being left out I will say that so far she shows more interest in live prey. We will probably from time to time let her run a practice to see if her perspective changes. I really don't relish the little game of trying to snag the basenji who is pretty pleased to be running free in an open field. I can be funny like that! 4/23/06 We had fun today, Presley ran to be certified with ASFA and did very well. He really gets excited about it so I think we will have lots of fun in the future he and I. Tucker was more interested in the little black girl from the city than the plastic bag on a string so needless to say he didn't certify. He really does well running by himself so we will probably let him get his JC through AKC. Well it has been a big day and Abbi and William came home with me to spend the night so I had better get to bed so I will be functioning early tomorrow. 4/22/06 We were really looking forward to showing at Purina Farms again this May, but after considering the likeliness of there being a major there had to look toward other options. It would be nice to be able to pick our shows with location as the only option, but until Presley bags the majors we are forced to play the odds. With the green grass and white fences Purina Farms is a beautiful place to show and visit. And we would probably get the added benefit of getting to visit with area friends. Presley was planning on getting some more coaching from his Uncle Jagger. hahahaha Tomorrow Justin and I are going to take Tucker and Presley to Lure Course. I am really looking forward to it. I just hope they will run well with another dog as that will determine their potential for a successful field career. School is winding down, it won't be long before summer is in full swing! YIPEE 4/18/06 Today we celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary! We had a very nice weekend. It was so much fun watching the babies hunt Easter eggs. Sunday afternoon we got together and had our first family gathering in the new building Mom and Dad had built for such an occasion. It was so neat to be able to all get together and not be stuffed inside the house. The Easter bunny showed up with a friend and gave the kids kites, candy and various other goodies. I think the count was around 56 of us. 4/14/06 Abbi had her friend Avi over last night for her very first sleep over. Guess who came to see grandma? Yep, William spent the night with us. Tomorrow we get to go hide Easter eggs, this is what happens when Dad is the chair person of the company Easter egg hunt. The boys were just thrilled to hear who gets to be the bunny! hahahaha I just hope it isn't raining! 4/13/06 We got some of the Easter pictures taken and they are up. Today we hope to finish up. Ironically the one who is the most cooperative is the one we have to totally retake due to red eye and such. Still hoping for that group shot... it could happen! Well we have started the process of figuring out exactly where and when we will show next. Due to prior obligations and a new grand baby expected soon as well as the old pocket book it can get tricky. Will let you know so you can whisper a prayer or shout it which ever works best for you. There are some shows we really wanted to go to this year intending to combine family visits and places we wanted to see along the way. Unfortunately some of them aren't likely to have the needed majors. So they are sort of up in the air! 4/11/06 Today we plan on taking our Easter pictures. I sure hope that everyone cooperates. If we are successful you will see them posted in the photo gallery later today or tomorrow morning. I am running behind as Jenn already sent me her Easter greeting, which you can see on the friends page. (I will post it after I get mine up) I will add we did not discuss our ideas, so the similarities are strictly coincidental. I guess GREAT minds think alike. Some of you probably could substitute another adjective there but I prefer Great. hahaha 4/9/06 We had a wonderful weekend, though the best we managed in the conformation ring was Reserve to the major, we felt Presley showed well and we were well pleased. So the hunt is still on for the major, we are confident it is only a matter of time until we have our second Champion in the house. We want to again express a heartfelt congratulations to our friend Linda Ehlers and her tri boy Bond on Back to Back 4 point majors. Also Ch. Jerlin SS Special Forces was BOB both Sat & Sun. You are only as good as your competition and we feel we go up against some of the best most every time we enter the ring. We also got to watch our 2 favorite setter boys show and this time the bonus of seeing their sisters. Dollar and Rooster are growing up into very handsome boys and their sisters are quite lovely too. Dyan and I decided to take Presley & Isaac out and let them run a Lure coursing test. Tucker couldn't run because he is recuperating from a pulled ligament, but He and Sarah who is too young went along as the cheering section. We were both proud moms as our boys got their first qualifying run towards their JC's. Thank you to all the folks who walked us greenhorn newbies through the process. I am sure we were quite amusing, Presley being Presley in true form vocally drew lots of attention. I could barely hold him back every time they started the lure and he screamed and carried on like a possessed creature. I am just glad he was able to put his running behind all the smack talk! hahaha Isaac used a far more reserved tactic and waited his turn in calm dignity befitting his Champion status. He would look over at Presley like you fool it is a plastic bag for heaven's sake. Have you never been to Pet Smart? We had lots of fun together and the weather was beautiful! Our baby Mackenzie may be joining us sooner than we anticipated, she is now expected the end of May. Gosh she will be here before we know it. 4/06/06 I have already had my first cup of coffee so my eyes are at least open. Today will be very busy, but we are really looking forward to the weekend. That makes it fun work! Alissa is having another sonagram today, seems Miss Mackenzie is either on the big side or may join us a little sooner than we thought. We are anxious to hear what they find out. Grandma had better take that quilt with her this weekend and work on it. Yesterday I was working on the pond and heard "Eva, Eva want out" I turned around and William was climbing the fence. This summer may be very interesting. Yes, he calls me Eva, sometimes Evie. It is because he does everything his papa does and that is what Larry calls me. He knows I'm grandma, but when he talks to me it is always Eva. When I let him out he went over to the swing and sat down and patted it and said Eva sit. I of course took a break and swung with my boy for a little while. 4/05/06 I want to apologize to everyone for the mess up yesterday with the WHO DID IT page. I got the percentages and the verdict page worked up and made the link and went to the WhoDI pg. to link it up and accidentally deleted it. I had to recreate it which put me behind schedule. When I finished it I published, and went about my business. What I didn't realize is that I also deleted the link on the directory! When I started getting e-mails that they couldn't find the verdict, I laughed and thought these people are as blind as I am accused of being sometimes. Well the egg was on my face so to speak! Any way it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed each and every response. Maybe someday I will come up with something else fun to share with the help of my silly furkids. I did find it amusing that most everyone we show with picked Presley..... What do you suppose they are trying to say about my brindle boy? hahaha I worked around the pond yesterday, every spring I tell myself that I am just going to fill it in...but after I get it cleaned up it is my favorite place to relax and clear my head. The boys had to mow the lawn the other day so I guess Spring has officially sprung for us. Well need to run, William is here to spend the day. Right now he is helping Justin bake an apple pie. Justin should someday become a chef as he is such a good cook. Somewhere out there is some very lucky young lady. haha The goal today will be to keep the house in order so packing will go smoothly tomorrow! 4/04/06 As some of you know we had a little incident with the fence line in the back yard. Believe me the pictures don't show the extent this individual dug. I didn't realize until I started filling it in. As there was an obvious guilty party and I knew the one, I thought I would have a little fun with it. The "Who did it" link explains the game. We have laughed so hard over some of the responses. The week starts getting very busy around here starting today. I will pull out everything and make sure it is ready for this weekend.I try and be prepared as you just never know what may happen. After seeing everything Jenn brought to Columbia, my stuff is nothing! hahaha Last fall we won some gift certificates (thank you Vickie) and we used them this past weekend. We got Tucker a new kangaroo show collar. He looks rather dashing in it! I may even bathe the dogs. hahaha Actually the only thing different for them is they may get their tails trimmed a little bit. This past weekend Larry and I bought a lap top. We had been wanting one for quite awhile and finally took the plunge. I just love it, I can now send pictures from the shows before we get home. Besides it will help with the bookstore also. So it wasn't just for fun! hahaha They are back from Africa. We are all witnesses to Basenji Breed history in the making! I am very interested to hear what they found and observe what happens next. How will it affect our beloved Basenji breed? Which ever side of the fence you stand on in regards to the Africans, if you truly care about the future of the basenji you must be interested in this event. Learn the facts before you take a stand! If they support your view, wonderful, if they don't be willing to change your opinion. I am not trying to promote or say anything except, Everyone should know for themselves why they believe something and have concrete reasoning behind it. There is nothing sadder than to see or hear someone fight and argue over something and when asked why they feel that way have nothing to stand on. Besides I'm still gathering the information for myself. 4/02/06 Larry and I will celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary this month. We decided to go away for the weekend just the two of us as with upcoming obligations we weren't sure when we would get another chance this month. We laughed when we checked into the motel because we were able to carry everything in one trip. Usually when we check in there are multiple trips. We didn't have to scout out potty areas or decide the best place to put crates. We didn't have the kids arguing over what program to watch on the TV or what they wanted for dinner. We had a very nice time just enjoying each others company. We reflected on our 25 years of marriage and the life we have built together. There have been challenging times and it hasn't always been easy,but gosh when you look at the blessings (our family and friends) that surround us it has been so worth it. After 25 years together we are not only still married we are still in love. Missed the kids and I know some of you will understand this and some of you won't.... I did have a hard time falling asleep without Presley pressed against my side. hahahaha It was fun but it was good to come home too! 3/30/06 My Goodness the wind is blowing today, I wasn't sure if I was going to make it up the hill on my walk. The good news is I practically ran home with little effort. hahaha They are predicting this wind is going to usher in some severe thunderstorms this afternoon. I just hope not too severe! William spent the day with us yesterday, and decided he was going to wear a pair of snow boots he found. They were a couple of sizes too big but he insisted on wearing them ALL day. In fact he had them on when he went home. He is growing up so fast. He has been talking for quite a while but yesterday I realized he was speaking in sentences. 3/29/06 It is going to be another beautiful day today...As soon as I post this I am off on a walk. The boys went fishing after school yesterday it was so nice out. Oh, Ashli got a progress report from her college class and she is getting the highest grade points possible. She was so excited and we are so proud of her and her hard work. In less than 2 months she will be a High School graduate. WOW time has flown. Not too much out of the ordinary going on around here, looking forward to Wichita next weekend. I am trying to dream up something new for Easter pictures this year. I can't hardly believe it is almost April! Be sure to check back and see what I come up with. 3/28/06 Tucker and I just got home from a nice walk around town, it feels like spring! The birds were so loud it was wonderful! In a little while Presley and I will take a lap. I will probably talk someone into going with me this afternoon so we can take all 3. These guys are stout and though I have done it before, it is so much more relaxing to not constantly have to put all my weight leaning back as they propel me forward just so we don't literally fly down the street. hahaha Congrats to Cowboy and Tino! I loved the pictures, you can see them if you go to our friends page. 3/27/06 The boys had a good time with Ray and Sharon. They said did you know that Ray knows the words to just about every Cher song. We got tickled listening to them. The car didn't run well but they enjoyed the day. It is very good for kids to spend time with their Aunts and Uncles from time to time. Our kids are so fortunate to have an extended family that takes interest in them and enjoys spending time with them. Yesterday after church we went to Abbi's soccer game. It was a lot warmer than last week, but the strong wind made it pretty chilly still. I had a blanket around me and held it up making a tent of sorts and before I knew it had company. William was excited to get in the tent, and When Abbi came out of the game she too liked sitting in the tent with grandma. Abbi did very well and I even got a picture of her scoring a goal. After we got home the basenjis had company, a lady drove out to just spend time with them. She has had a couple of rescues and is thinking about accepting another and wanted to just spend time with ours. She did understand that none of ours were rescue dogs and all 3 were purchased directly from the breeder as puppies. Both boys were 8 weeks old and Milly being the oldest when coming home was 4 months old. They behaved very well, and true to form. Presley rooed when Shelby got in my lap, Tucker sang to the door bell and did his ballerina twirl for a treat when asked. Milly was friendly but a touch more reserved than the boys which is pretty typical of her with strangers. They each took an opportunity to torment Shelby into her Sargent Carter fit. It was like hey Lady, you want to see something cool. She had a coat with a REAL Fur collar, I probably don't have to tell you that it received a fair amount of attention. I don't think I will be buying a fur coat anytime soon. She kept saying they are sooo calm, Don't they run and act like demons? Ashli was sitting there and I am sure mental pictures were flashing through her head. I didn't make eye contact with her. I assured the lady that they had their fair share of 500's complete with using the sofa as a springboard, but knowing she was coming had allowed them plenty of back yard play time to expend some energy. I did go and get a roll of toilet paper for Presley, he looked at me like your just GIVING it to me, and it isn't even my birthday! He then demonstrated proper basenji activity. I couldn't let her leave thinking they always acted like labs! In fact they are just as naughty as the next on any given day. But if they weren't they really wouldn't be a Basenji! She seemed to really enjoy them, she actually laid down on the floor and let them check her out, made me wish I already had the new carpet installed. hahaha I don't know whether she will end up getting another, but she seemed to understand the basenji. 3/25/06 The boys went to the racetracks with Ray & Sharon to be Ray's pit crew, haven't heard yet how the car ran. He has made some changes making it run on Alcohol, and this was the first time out. Ashli and I went to the community blood drive. Between me being slooow filling my bag and Ashli getting a little woozy we were there for quite awhile. hahaha The wonderful thing about a small town we got to catch up with neighbors. We came home and I took a nap as donating blood wipes me out for a couple of days. Larry took us out to a new Italian Restaurant in town and it was very good. I need to bathe the dogs, so I had better go get it done. 3/24/06 WOW! 4 point majors all 3 days in Wichita! It would be soooo fun to win one of them! All we can do is show the best we can the rest is up to the judge. Maybe I ought to buy Larry a new shirt for luck! I just got off the phone with a couple of friends and we are all staying in the same motel so now I am really anxious to get away and see everyone. The kids had something they were doing at the church this afternoon and I had some time to kill. I happened to need something from a store in a strip mall next to a Pet Land. Stupid me decided to walk through and a familiar sight caught my attention. A 10 week old red basenji girl. Why I didn't just turn and run.... but instead I asked if I could see her. They brought her out and I played with her a little while. I asked just how much they were asking for her, a whopping $800.00. I then asked him just where she came from, he informed me that Breeders don't allow them to divulge that information. (How stupid, I thought you expect me to pay $800 and not know who bred her.) I then said I take it she is registered, he said oh yes, I asked to see her papers. :) He said all we have is a transfer paper. I said well can I see that. He then went and got it for me. The registry wasn't AKC and the breeders name was right there on it. He obviously wasn't thinking too sharply. Anyway I said don't you think $800 is a little steep. He then informed me what a bargain that was because she had her shots and was wormed PLUS was GUARANTEED against ALL genetic diseases. When I informed him that was not possible. He assured me that it was. I asked what about Fanconi, which he hadn't a clue about. He said no one would stand behind a dog that long. I assured him a responsible breeder would not only educate any buyers about fanconi and all the other particulars on basenjis, they would also accept the dog back at any stage in its life. He grabbed the puppy out of my arms and said I am done talking with you, and walked off. I then went to the car and cried for the sweet little girl who I was unable to help. I hope someone comes into her life who knows what they are getting into, and can provide her a happy home. She sure didn't ask to be in the situation she is in! 3/24/06 Presley wrote a letter to "Let's ask Allie!" and it was published in The Basenji magazine. I decided I would post it as her reply was really cute. 3/23/06 The Wichita Show closed yesterday. Now we are curious as to what the breed counts will be. We anticipate a major, but have been surprised here lately with being one short. I guess we will just have to wait and see. I know just because there is one available doesn't mean it will come to us. On the other hand we feel Presley is worthy and we have a chance. Either way we look forward to the time with friends and are content in knowing he will finish one of these weekends. Be sure and check this page in the future because I will be one proud mom that day and will for sure post it here. The sun is shining today and I really hope it gets warm enough to go out for a while this afternoon. Relatively speaking it really isn't all that cold, I am just wimpy when it comes to cold. 3/21/06 Ashli had class last night, so Presley and I drove her in and then had 2 hours to kill while we waited. We went to Lowes and got to visit with Shannon for a little while which was nice.... A funny story... about 3 weeks ago I took Milly with me to Lowes, I was talking with a lady. I had told her Milly was a basenji and later in our conversation I mentioned that they are sometimes referred to as "the barkless dog". Another lady had by this time sort of eased into the mix. She says Oh, sort of like the Basenji. I looked at her and smiled saying, "Milly is a basenji". She then says Oh no, my uncle had a basenji and they can't have any white on them. She isn't a basenji! She was dead serious. Back to last night, we then went to PetSmart. Our dogs love going to PetSmart. They like the attention they receive from the people there and Presley really likes the treats I usually get them. We strolled around for awhile and then Presley saw the guinea pigs. They were in a glass front case, floor level. Let's just say the employees at PetSmart can attest Basenjis are not MUTE. He began with a whine and escalated into true basenji form. I guarantee you we won't be getting any guinea pigs at our house. We moved on quickly before we were asked to leave or a poor rodent died of fear...* I posted some very helpful information on collecting urine samples and sugar stripping your basenji on our health page. 3/20/06 I have figured out where I am taking Tucker for his hip x-rays for his OFA rating. I will probably make the appointment sometime in April. Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and suggestions. I feel very comfortable about where I am taking him. Will let you know how it went when we are done. I posted the St. Patricks Day pictures in the other celebrations link. Isn't it great the fun you can have with a $2.50 green hat and red hair! If it makes one person smile than it was money well spent. 3/19/06 Well, I had plans to go to Lawrence to let the basenjis practice for lure coursing... BRRRR I admit I am a wimp. Maybe after we have done it a few times and I am really hooked, you will find me out there bundled in 5 layers of clothes as the snow swirls around my ears. Until then I am afraid I am a fair weather courser! haha We are under a winter weather watch and this week we start Spring Break! Hopefully this will be our last blast of winter weather before Spring is here to stay. I had an awful dream last night and was almost afraid to look at Presley this morning. I think I have watched way too much Animal Cops Huston on TV because I dreamed Presley had mange, he looked pathetic with just patches of hair here and there. I am sure some of you are laughing, but those of you who know me well know how traumatic that would be for me. Presley sleeps right next to me and it sure was nice feeling the familiar soft healthy coat when I reached for him! 3/18/06 We just got home from watching Abbi's Soccer game. She scored 2 goals maybe 3, Grandma was pretty cold. They all had on gloves and hats. Can you believe last weekend it was hot! Larry just said they announced everyone around us was in a winter weather advisory! YUCK, I am soooo ready for spring. I hope I don't lose all the plants that are coming up around the pond. If you are watching any of the basketball, you know that the Jayhawks lost last night! :( The good news is Justin is still alive! He is not a KU fan and isn't shy about it, which can be dangerous! 3/17/06 We usually go to the St. Patricks day Parade, but it was too chilly for me. So we stayed home and watched basketball instead. The kids all have their brackets filled out. I just wish they all were for the same teams! 3/15/06 Well I started the kid's page, I need to get a recent picture of Justin and Joshua alone. At least there is something on this page now. Sometimes I wonder where the time has gone. Seems like yesterday they were babies. We have been blessed with 5 of the greatest kids in the whole world. We couldn't be prouder of them. Ashli always wanted a sister and when Matthew and Alissa got married she got her wish. Our family is growing before my eyes. In just a couple of months we will welcome our 3rd grand baby! 3/13/06 We had a wonderful time in Columbia! We went on Friday morning and relaxed in the Hotel hot tub and enjoyed some nice family time away. We decided to show Presley, as there was a possibility he could of picked up the needed major by going either BOB/ or BOS. We really really struggled with this but after talking with some people we respect decided to go ahead and show him. He is still pretty young and hadn't been in the ring since last fall and we were anxious to get him some ring time. We were very pleased with his performance and placement as he took Reserve both days behind dogs we felt were of quality. Thank you Linda, I'm still smiling. hahaha I especially enjoyed this weekend as I got to snuggle with one of my favorite guys, Mr. Jagger Brown-Thompson. We also were privileged to see Shelby win a Group 3 on Sunday. The weather was stormy all weekend, during groups Sat the power went out and we had golf ball size hail falling on a tin building. You can just imagine how loud it was. On our way home Sunday we came very close to being involved in a very serious accident when we came up on stopped traffic on the interstate. God had his hand on our van as we were able to avoid being hit by several semi- trucks having difficulty stopping on the rain slick high way. Six cars wrecked all around us with the debris flying by our windows. We heard the original wreck was 40 miles ahead of us. After sitting for over an hour we decided to turn back and take an alternate route home. We made it to Warrensburg, we stopped to let the dogs potty and run into Walmart to get some chicken, we had exhausted the pizza, taco's and hamburger fix over the weekend. I am checking out when they announce that we were in the middle of a Tornado warning! I look up to see Larry walk in the door saying the sirens are blowing outside. What a trip, We actually saw a funnel. We finally made it home safe and sound after close to 7 hours in what should of taken us closer to 3. 3/06/06 We have been watching for and reading with interest about the latest trip to the Congo. We weren't basenji owners the last time dogs were brought back from Africa so this is quite intriguing to us now that we feel a vested interest . 3/04/06: I couldn't seem to find any graphics with a brindle so I decided to make my own. A picture of Presley was my base and it developed from there. It finally rained! The basenjis weren't thrilled this morning, in fact I had to INSIST they go out to do their business. Funny thing about rain.... It seems to increase the size of a basenji bladder! :) 3/01/06: Well, I have most of the Basenji pages activated, I will be tweaking some of them. I am going to try and get the family pages developed in this next week. 2/28/06: I can't hardly believe that tomorrow will be March! The weather is wonderful though we really could use some rain. We have so many people who show interest in how our show week ends go. Some of them have even started watching the televised shows. hahaha I thought I would try and explain in simple form how the conformation show works. *Dog show page* 2/27/06: I have been working on the site for a week now. Still Have so much to add. I will just keep plugging away at it. We were really disappointed to see that Columbia was short a dog for a major. 2/20/06: We started this web site!8/06 |
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