THEY'RE HERE!!!

All 11 of them!!!!

I had hoped for six nice fat healthy puppies. Cara, Becca's co-owner thought perhaps 8 puppies would be great. Never did I even remotely dream that there would be 11 (ELEVEN!!) babies baking inside Becca!!

This morning Mom and babes are doing well, Becca has had her first remotely solid meal and the babies are nursing.

I need more sleep. I need to get some work done. But . . . I have a few wee distractions today.

Tonight??

This morning Becca's temperature had dropped significantly and she didn't quite finish her breakfast. Signs are that she's moving towards delivery but probably lots of time to go yet.

The midwives have rearranged some of their plans with Cara arriving here in the next few hours.

Fingers crossed all goes well!! (And that I don't faint!!)

Day 59

So the waiting really begins.

Carpetting is now finished in half the house and the rest will wait until puppies are moved to laundry room or to Becca's breeder's house. Looks fabulous but no pics as my camera had an accident this past Sunday. May have to rely on midwives to bring cameras with them!!

Becca continues to get bigger and bigger and more and more uncomfortable - poor little girl!

Day 44* Update

Becca's breeder was over yesterday and we got a few shots of Becca in all of her pregnant glory. Based on the date of the first breeding, yesterday may have been Day 44 and she's looking awfully full considering she has over two weeks to go!

And yes, she does look like she wants to kill someone!!

Yes She Is!!

Yes - Becca sure seems to be pregnant. The subtle signs were there over a week ago, this past week she was "viewed" by several experienced dog ladies who all confirmed her condition. We're now at the stage where she seems to be increasing in size every day.

My friend Allison was here for several days of intense work time and spent most of the visit trying to convince me that she really was worthy of a puppy.

And when Marc got in a little while ago he actually thought he saw something "move".

He's also been singing to her - "I'm just a girl who can't say no, I'm in a terrible fix" (think Oklahoma!) . . .

Is she or isn't she?

The waiting game to see if Becca is pregnant continues.

While I was away this past week Becca's breeders took her in (somehow I just didn't want her alone during the daytime) and Becca had great fun at their home.

Becca had a couple of bouts of what we're hoping was morning sickness on Wednesday and Thursday so I'm very hopeful that she is pregnant.

And I really want to get the house painting and recarpeting done before the litter (if there is a litter) is born in late April. Guess I'd better get after my carpet layer and finish picking colours!!

Home again

Becca and I are back home after a lovely trip where Becca met up with her handsome suitor TJ. We were made very welcome by TJ's Mom and I really enjoyed spending time with Carol's other dogs as well.

Now the waiting begins with the hope that signs of a pregnancy will be visible in a couple of weeks. If the breeding was successful we will be welcoming babies in late April.

And I need to get the house in order!!

And so it begins . . .

I'm embarking on a bit of a new journey starting with a drive to Fall City, Washington tomorrow morning.

Becca, my almost 4-year old girlie whippet, came into season 3 months early and as per plans made last year, will be bred to a versatile boy who has accomplishments in showing, lure coursing and agility. And he has an awesome temperament.

Becca and I will make the trek down as it appears the optimum time for making babies is upon us.

When I got my first whippet I never had any intention of being a "breeder". I always felt that was best left to those who had amazing dogs and who really were the experts involved in the breed. Even when I got my second whippet and again when I got Becca I still never planned on being a "breeder". And then Becca developed into a very talented runner, with decent conformation and an amazingly effervescent personality. Just so not like a lot of the whippet girls I had met.

After much discussion last year my whippet mentor agreed that perhaps it was a good idea to figure out a boy for my girl. And after a bit of deliberation on which boy would be the best match for Becca the plans were set in motion.

Becca's co-breeder and I will be the official co-breeders of this litter and so far, if all goes well, I actually will be whelping the babies at my house and Cara may take Mom and babies to her house for the final four to five weeks before they all head off to their new homes.

Stress?? You betcha! And lots of it. But so exciting too!!

Yes - it's the "New Year"

And not much change yet from the old one. I head home this week to see my man and doggies who I have missed very much over the past 3 weeks. Also a very dear friend will arrive late Thursday evening and on Friday I'll have both of my lovely work colleagues staying at the house. I'm anticipating a weekend of much red wine!

It will definitely be great to get home. While in Ontario I've only been able to get out a couple of times for a walk - braving ugly cold winds both times. Everytime I've seen someone out walking their dog(s) I've thought about my two whippets at home and how happy they will be once I'm back and we can get back on track with our daily walkies. Also hope to reconnect with my doggy friends and head out with others to some new walking locations in the Fraser Valley area. All good!!

The NFL pool ended yesterday for another year - I ended up tied for 8th this year - a much better result than in other years. Still not sure if I'll enter the playoff pool - one wrong choice and you're pretty well out of the competition.

And I'm hoping to get down to Washington State to see the potential hubby for my girl Becca. I know I've seen this boy in the past - probably when he was being shown for his Canadian championship but I need to see him again, in the flesh and in his home environment. And once the decision is finally made the hand-wringing and worrying will really ramp up - will there be anyone interested in a puppy from the litter besides me? will the puppies live up to the potential that is hoped to result from the parental genes?

Too much stress - I'd better just get back to work!

Happy New Year to all - hope the year is full of good health, good fun and good friends!!

(and a pre-New Year's photo of Becca making a new friend . . .)

MERRY CHRISTMAS (and all that!)

This year I made the decision to spend Christmas and New Year's with my mother rather than at home. It was about time for me to spend a Christmas with Mom as I have not spent a Christmas with my parents since 1982 when we all travelled to my brother and sister-in-law's home in the Vancouver area - my parents flying out from Ontario and me travelling by bus from Jasper. Since then I spent Christmases either with my ex-husband's family or post-divorce with friends close to wherever I was living. With my Mom now living alone as Dad is in a home, I felt it was time for me to spend the holiday season with her.

We've had a nice visit and I have been able to reconnect with some good friends who still live in the area. Last week my friends Helen and Pat and I took in "Unsilent Night" where one walked through a portion of town where several installations were set up and various sonic themes were played through whatever personal music players people brought along with them. Quite an interesting experience and one I would definitely do again.


Yesterday Mom and I had a quiet but very lovely Christmas. I'd cooked a boneless turkey the evening before (the turkey turned out great after much hand wringing but I finally dove in - good thing I'd just rewatched "Julie and Julia" and had Mrs. Child's instructions of "no fear" wringing in my ears!) and the home was gorgeous thanks to my Mom's holiday decorating. And as usual, she set a lovely table for Christmas dinner too!

One of Mom's younger sisters spent a good part of the day with us and I must say some of the conversation was quite entertaining. (Who knew a Christmas with one's 80-something Mom and Aunt would involve a conversation including sex toys!! I'm still trying to pick myself up off the floor!)


Being away from home over the holiday season means I am missing Marc, his girls, our friends and especially my two whippets. It didn't help that yesterday I received a best holiday wishes e-mail from an amazing canine artist whose e-mail included a photo of her with her lovely blue brindle girlie. Her little whippet so reminds me of my Becca. Once I get home I don't think I'll leave the dogs alone for about a week solid!

At least I have another Christmas to look forward to as I travel home on Ukrainian Christmas Eve and perhaps can persuade Marc to stay home from work the next day!

Decorating the Nest

I've previously mentioned that I've been working on getting a few spaces in the house finished up in an effort to really make me feel that my house is more me rather than still looking like the previous owners live there. Gradually over the past few years I've come up with more ideas of how I'd like the place to look and so far 3 spaces in the house have been substantially changed from when I first moved in.

The ensuite bathroom is lovely thanks to Marc's hard work gutting the entire space and starting over. A few little touches are still needed but we're getting there.

The kitchen/family room/office is now looking really great. Still more to do, especially in the family room/office but at least the walls are painted and everything else that is still to be done seems relatively insignificant to me. Sure the fireplace needs "something" done to it, a light of sorts needs to be installed to highlight the fireplace area, and the tv currently in the living room needs to be moved back into the family room and mounted on the wall, but at least all of those jobs can be done without total disruption to Becca and Tazio. Of course their needs are the most important in the house!!

Next week will see additional painting done in the bedrooms and I've been trying and trying to get enough time to check out carpeting possibilities for the areas where a certain awful green carpeting needs to be obliterated! (If I didn't like the idea of toxic smoke I'd do a primitive dance around the burning green rug!)

I originally thought everything might be done by Christmas but since I won't be here for Christmas perhaps the end of January is a more likey completion date.

Then there's the main bathroom and small powder room that will need to be redone. Oh, yes and the landscaping at the front of the house just has to go.

And in the midst of all this I'm trying to finalize the choice of a husband for Becca (yes, puppies in 2010!). And I really need to keep up with my work!

A Lovely Sunday Walk

Yes, we should have gone lure coursing today but I have so much work to get organized before Tuesday that late last night I decided I just had to stay home and get more work done.

That said it was a lovely day and I wanted to make it up to the dogs so we headed off for a nice walk at a local park with two friends. Tazio stayed up front with Philip and Becca walked behind with Susan and I.

Gorgeous day out and I'm so glad I took my camera. Autumn is definitely here and while we don't have the gorgeous maples of my native Ontario the local trees still provide some lovely yellows, pinks and oranges.

The start












Fast moving walkers and whippets
















The bridge













Back to the parking lot











And now back to work!!

A week and weekend with human and whippet visitors!

This past week I was able to spend some time with two good friends - one that I haven't seen in years and another that I see several times a year, always during dog events.

A good friend who I was able to get back in touch with via Facebook is Maria. Maria was on her way to a new adventure in a more eastern area in Canada whose name strikes a chord of fear in many a Canadian's heart but which shall remain nameless. I don't want to offend anyone and frankly I see the attractions of the place, never mind the cold!

Maria came through town, spent the first night of her adventure here in our humble abode and set off early the next morning driving east.

Then, this past weekend saw a first in our household - whippet visitors that numbered more than one! (And of course my good friend Jenn who accompanied said whippet visitors)

Jenn came up to Canada to show our mutual friend Beth's girl Lark in this past weekend's dog shows held in Cloverdale. Lark is one of my favourite whippets and just needed one more Winner's Bitch award to earn her Canadian championship. Jenn also brought along her girl Tara who we puppysat last December and who fit in quite well with my two dogs.

Now the only proviso for any additional whippets staying here is that they all be girls as my boy Tazio gets a bit put out when he's around boys. I think it was due to the time he spent as number 2 boy to my first whippet Senna, Tazio's half brother.

We had a lovely weekend, visiting, going to the dog shows (Lark took Winner's Bitch on Sunday and is now Can CH Serendipity Skylark FCH, FCH, SR, OTR, TRPX, DPC!!), talking a lot about life, relationships, dreams, dogs, travel and just generally enjoying each other's company.

Love being able to host good friends!!

Dispensation Of The Cheese!

Flowers Of The Week

Another weekend, another lure coursing trial

This weekend found my youngest whippet and I travelling over to Vancouver Island for two days of lure coursing in the area between Nanaimo and Ladysmith. Earlier this year Becca and I travelled to the same area for a very successful weekend of lure coursing where Becca completed her Field Championship and became the first of my three whippets to achieve this title. This weekend was another awesome weekend. Becca finished 2nd in the trial on the first day and while she didn't place on Sunday we had a great time.

Becca has really been my dog of many firsts - first girlie dog, first Canadian show champion, first Canadian field champion, first CWA Dual Purpose Champion and also has her Title of Racing Proficiency (and one ARX point!), first whippet that I've taken to obedience and that has both charmed and enthralled the instructor, first whippet to take swimming, and now it's looking likely for Becca to become my first whippet to have babies!

When I first got into whippets many moons ago I never ever considered having anything to do with having a litter - unless one of my boys (as I only ever wanted boys) proved to be simply amazing and someone wanted to use him as a sire. And now I'm suddenly in the midst of health testing to ensure Becca's got the right stuff to become a mommy.

Very scary!!

A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words!

NFL FOOTBALL IS BAAAACCCCCKKKKKKKKK!

Okay kids - this week sees the return of NFL football to our tv screens. And what better opening game to the season can you ask for than for the Tennessee Titans to be travelling to the hallowed Heinz Field to play the PITTSBURGH STEELERS! And kids, do you know how to spell "ROETHLISBERGER"? 'Bout time you learned.

You may have detected a wee bit of favouritism associated with any mention of the PITTSBURGH STEELERS!. And the fact that the excitement bit of punctuation is also somewhat attached to that particular team name. AND YOU'D BE RIGHT!!!

Needless to say the Older Brother and his wife are hosting a bbq the the evening of the season opener and I will be travelling to their home probably mid-afternoon as the tv coverage of this event will commence at 5 p.m. West Coast time and I don't want to miss a minute. Now a part of me would love to be at the Kickoff and Rib festival that is part of the Pittsburgh pre-season opener festivities taking place right now but I will happily settle for a lovely 'burger from Jimmy's grille on game day.

If you've read any of my earlier blog posts you may have run across those from the last NFL season and especially from last season's Super Bowl game when the PITTSBURGH STEELERS! came out on top in the league.

(Hmmm, I'm already wondering if the shrine will be in place at Jim's house for this fabulous season opener.)



The Terrible Towel is at the ready and the arm is warming up . . .

Garage Sale Follow-up

I felt I should post at least one photo of one of the items that I came home with after our little garage sale trip last Saturday (also came home with a lovely little watercolour) and after one comment on the previous post I've got off my butt to do so.

The stone mason had some absolutely amazing rock at his property that he was selling but short of going with a slate floor for the main bathroom I couldn't see anything else that would really be "needed" for the house.

Well . . . except for one thing . . . an old wagon wheel that was leaning up against a deck support.

It looked lonely and it only cost a box of Corona beer)

Ah, the weekend is upon us . . .

And it appears that there are many yard sales of interest THIS weekend that simply must be attended.

A fellow that Marc used to work with is having a yard sale. This gentleman has been 18 years at this location and is clearing up and heading to his real home (and huge acreage) elsewhere.

Now I always enjoy a yard sale but this one is quite special. You see this indivdual is and has been a stone mason for MANY years (yes, he's even older than I am!). Now, consider this - a geologist going to a yard sale with a lot of gorgeous rock on sale - and keep in mind said geologist is always ready to renovate or do something to the house and yard!

Perhaps it might have been in Marc's own best interest to have not even told me about this particular yard sale - it might be quite frightening to see what I simply can't live without!!!

The oldest is leaving the nest . . .

Well not actually "my" nest but, as August is winding down, my partner's oldest daughter is getting ready to leave her mom's home and head off to the hallowed halls of higher learning. She was unable to obtain full-time summer employment this year so I've been providing her with a bit of work here and there - partly to help me out with my massive, mind-numbing workload and partly to provide her with something to do where she feels "needed" and with a bit of income.

Today, while we were out running errands (her "work time" with me sometimes is more "paid companion" rather than "part-time staff") including my finally picking up a copy of "Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through The Looking Glass", taking Becca into the local Petsmart for a roam through the store and to buy dog cookies, and a lovely dog walk with Tazio and Becca at the park, she mentioned she's going shopping tomorrow to pick up a few items that she will need for living in residence and for school. It brought me back to when, in 1976, I went through the same, somewhat exciting, experience of pulling together the items I would need to live away from home while at university. I can still remember how exciting it felt to be on the threshold of starting my "adult" life.

I'm supplying her with my trusty laptop that I purchased just over two years ago and which became the workhorse for my consulting business. This summer I ordered a new laptop to replace the original that I knew I'd be giving to Samantha. This weekend will see my computer guy and I getting all the programs and data transferred from the old laptop to the new laptop, reformatting the drive on the old laptop, and readying it with MS Office, etc for her use at university.

I keep thinking of different little tidbits of advice, information, etc that I can pass onto her that hopefully will help her with her transition from high school student to university student. And I'm sure her mom is doing the same thing.

She's a very intelligent, savvy girl but it's been quite interesting how much I find myself thinking of the challenges that await her and how I want to ease this transition for her.

And how old her heading off to university makes me feel!