Westminster preparation is under way..

Today and tomorrow is the Westminster AKC Dog Show, biggest there is, except for Crufts, in Manhattan, and despite the deep freeze and lack of roads and transportation, amazingly it seems all the canines and their attendants are there and trotting around like anything.

NameMe, being the Dolliver Kennel wrangler, has started campaigning for one of those too tight skirt suits with a too short jacket you have to tug down all the time, just like the handlers at Westminster, the women ones, anyway.  We'll see.  

But she's got the residents of the Kennels all excited and ready to party tomorrow, no matter who wins.  Their money is on an Afghan hound, a King Charles spaniel, an Irish setter, a whippet or a wirehaired terrier, except he won last year.  That way if one of these breeds wins, it's a big win for Dolliver Kennels. Of course no matter who wins, the shaggy dog and her puppy will point out that they have the blood of practically all breeds in them.. And if some other breed has the nerve to win, NameMe is planning to get the winning dog knitted by guess who, to add to the kennel lineup.

So, maybe there'll be a little suit, but there will definitely be cookies. Note the feline touch in the picture, just making sure cats are Not Forgotten in the Excitement.

Martha Stewart Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies, to be exact.  This is the first time I tried this recipe, and it's very hard work mixing in the flour, very stiff dough, no wonder she says you have to have a food processor, which I don't. 

But they look nice, and taste fine, even the ones which got a bit crumpled in a contretemps with the oven timer which I forgot was hanging in there and which trails down, hitting whatever's in its path when you pull out the tray. Doesn't affect the taste, but the aesthetic is a bit dented.