Ties, Tricks, and Tide-ings!

Let me begin by wishing each of you a very Happy Valentine's Day (weekend)! Hope you've been able to spend some time with the ones you love this weekend.

For the ladies out there, Petey insisted that this handsome photo of him be included with the title "How about a kiss?"

While we haven't posted in several weeks, we have been very busy. On Monday, we finished our Agility Classes. And while Emily the Jack Russell Terrier has graduated to the Intermediate level of classes, I'm afraid that Petey and probably his love-sotted lab gal pal Isabelle will be repeating the Beginner level.

Here are the students with their marvelous and infinitely patient instructor Allison. It took four tries to get them all in the same shot - what does that say for their obedience? I love that Isabelle is giving Allison a kiss -- what a black-noser! All-in-all, despite Petey barking at me to "go ahead and give me the damn treat/toy" and sometimes lying down when I told him to come, we had a terrific time and will certainly do it again. Even if you never intend on trying agility trials, it's lots of fun and a great way to spend time with your dog.

Petey and I were also invited over to Beaufort for a dinner party and to spend the night at the home of Lulu's friends Nancy and Jeffrey. Petey didn't know what the dress code would be, only that he and the host dogs would be wearing tails. Then we spotted this snappy necktie at Lulu's and decided it was the perfect thing to wear to a party when you're meeting new lady dogs.

(By the way, Lulu has these canine collars and ties in all sorts of patterns and sizes - Petey took a medium- and she's happy to ship! Call 843-524-LULU.) Petey also wore his tie to the Animal Shelter's Valentine's benefit last Saturday to much attention and admiration. He looked like he was posing for a Match.com photo!

Nancy is a wonderful mosaic artist and her home is fabulous, including a gallery and her studio. I loved her work and wanted to share a few pieces with you.

This is actually the back of a piece untitled "My Mother, Myself" which is a lifesize dress form, covered in mostly mirrored tiles. The "head" is an antique vanity mirror and as you can see, on the back is an apple with a serpent that coils around the neck like a necklace. It's fabulous and the centerpiece of her front hallway.

Here is a beautiful, fully-functional garden bench. I've got just the spot for this under my pine trees in the backyard...(don't I wish!)
This third piece is called "Formal Dining." Many of Nancy's mosaics have witty names. You can see more of her work and find out more about her on her website.
It's always so inspiring to be around brilliantly creative people. It makes you look at your own world through refreshed eyes.

Speaking of inspiration, I've found a wonderful blog called Advanced Style, that celebrates the personal style of women "of a certain age." With so much hype that women need to disguise their age or dress age-appropriate (ie: "youthfully but not too young") I found it gratifying to find a site that salutes the individual. These women are firecrackers! Three wonderful quotes..."Life is short, but very very wide."..."the only romantic thing left in life is a hat!"...and finally, "You will always have a great time if you make up your mind, 'I'm going to have a great time!'" That last quote came from a spunky 90-year old! God bless her!

Have to leave you with some more photos of my boy enjoying the beach. This particular afternoon he dropped his orange ball on the towel of a woman who remarked plaintively "I'm frightened of dogs." I tried to call Petey away but every time I got closer, he just move the ball closer to the woman, finally nudging it with his nose until it was practically in her lap. "He's a very nice dog" she remarked, laughing at his persistence. "I think he may be able to cure me of my fears of dogs. I just assume they are going to bite me."


As if he understood her every word, Petey picked up his ball, wagged his tail and trotted off to see some young ladies he'd beguiled earlier. Mission accomplished.

Didn't catch the name of this cute little Cairn girl, but she came scampering up and gave me a kiss. Petey ignored her completely. Typical.

So we leave you with this image once again - of a rather small dog with a very large heart, living life in the sunshine rather than in the shadows.

Happy Valentine's Day!