Thanksgiving stage is set

 Thanksgiving has happened chez Boud.  And a lovely one it was.  We had a crowd, see below

*The complete turnout of Dollivers, left to right Blondie Firstborn, Dreads, NameMe, Call me Michelle, and Bette Davis.  With the complete Dolliver Kennels in their train. Left to right Shaggy Dog, see other pix for better views, Red Setter, Whippet and Wire Haired Terrier. Blondie Firstborn with Yellow Parakeet, NameMe with Turquoise Parakeet, Call me Michelle with Blue Parakeet.

Here's the table, set for action

And after asiago cheese and breadsticks, and a toast to us and Thanksgiving in the pomegranate juice cocktail,  Handsome Son off in the kitchen, starting to organize this

Is this not a sight to gladden the heart?  Piping hot, served to me without my lifting a finger.  What a treat. 

We finished up with the Victory Cookie and pots, plural, of tea. The VC started as eight pieces, and after eating and sending home with Handsome Son, now is two lonely pieces waiting for me to take care of them, not too hard, I think.

This was the most relaxing holiday I think I ever had.  The cheese and cracker starters were lovely, just chatting and munching, no concern about  things in and on the oven, timing them, watching the clock, just enjoying.  Handsome Son had everything organized, declined my offers of help.

Both very happy about various political outcomes and feeling much better about everything, especially the prospect of a vaccine not too long hence.

Lovely time.

*The Dollivers knitted and named by me, adapted from Knitted Babes, by Claire Garland, aka dotpebbles on line, likewise the parakeets, her pattern, my adaptation. The Dollivers have many outfits, mostly designed by me.  Knitted dresses and Bette Davis' hat from patterns in Knitted Babes.  Straw hats by me.

 The dogs are from the Knit Your Own Dog book, by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne.  The polar bear you saw a few weeks ago is from their Knit Your Own Zoo book.  Great fun. 

As is a lot of life at the moment!  

And here's what also happened: Handsome Son said he thinks this is how we will do holidays going forward.  Fine by me.

Dolliver Kennels, another triumphant Westminster

Another Westminster, and this year NameMe, the wrangler of the Dolliver Kennels, assembled the Irish Setter, Wire Haired Terrier and Whippet to announce our new winner.

Meet GCH Dolliver Kennels Bunchafluff Bichon Frise, kennel name Fluffy, Best in Show at Westminster, Dolliver Kennel Division, 2018.

Again we have a winner onsite, and NameMe says I knew he was a winner back when he was just a little bit of lint.  And now look at him.  Great partying tonight chez Dolliver Kennels.

Greensleeves wins the day, see below 6WS

On the grounds that they weren't shown to best advantage, always the Dollivers are the main attraction, the Tinies, led by Greensleeves, in new gold festive bow, which did not placate her at all, requested firmly more pix featuring them.  The dogs backed them up, not being shy about pix themselves, being champions after all.  And they wanted you to see the tree with its snow leopard stars, and the hand carved llama.  

They appear to have been taking courses with the Ds, very articulate and organized and unstoppable.  So here are the demanded   gently requested pix.

Now I'm going to make a cup of tea.

Westminster 2015 at the Dolliver Kennels

So a beagle won!  that must be Darwin having his say yet again..see earlier blogpost about beloved family beagle from son's childhood.

Meanwhile, since the Dolliver Kennels does not sport a beagle, wrangler NameMe decided to wear her best red dress instead of a tight suit, and the group gathered around to see the proceedings.  

Two of the mini dolls wanted to ride, and were accommodated, so the Afghan hound and King Charles spaniel declined to attend, in case they were pressed into service as, my dear, working dogs!  so we left them clutching their pearls in dismay.

And discovered that the head of one mini doll was a silkworm cocoon I've been looking for all over the place, completely forgot it was part of a doll. Easily removed, though, and can be replaced with a bead.  So the person I promised it to ages ago will now get it.  Helen, this means you.  She was riding last year's Westminster winner.  The doll, not Helen.

It means that the four important things I couldn't find are now found.  As long as I don't go and lose them again, by putting them safely in a place where I won't forget I put them..

And all the denizens of the Dolliver Kennels want to remind you, dear blogistas, that if the show has reawakened your urge to have a dog in the house, please don't buy at a store.  Check local shelter or breed rescue and see if you can't find a friend for life there.  A rescued animal thanks you every day of her life, ask me how I know this.

Meanwhile, the bear who lost his sweater asked for a dolly, and now has two of them to play with to take his mind off being robbed.

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.

Happy Grounddog Day

The hounds of Dolliver Kennels came out today, courtesy of wrangler NameMe, to celebrate Grounddog Day.  They insist that this is right, since every dog has his day and this is their day.  Elton consented to come out of hibernation to perform, after NameMe lent him her seasonal ski cap.

Accompanied by barking and howling, he banged out a nice rendition of Hound Dog, How much is that Doggie in the Window, Dog of my Heart, and Moon River, which, he explained, was to give the howling maximum opportunity.

 Clockwise, starting with Irish setter, is the shaggy puppy, Wirehaired Terrier, winner of Westminster last year, Whippet, Dalmatian and Big Shaggy Dog.

The patterns for the breed dogs came from Knit Your Own Dog, by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne, a book of breed-specific patterns, great fun.  Especially when people ask you what you're knitting and you say, oh, an Irish setter..the two shaggy mixed breeds came from the brain of Boud, and resemble a couple of dogs in her own past. 

The Dalmatian is a bobblehead, mugging for the camera, put in in memory of the late great Dal K.C. Adams,who was the mascot of this development in her day.  Full name Katie Cherie Adams, but she answered to K.C.  The Herend Porcelain Afghan hound declined to take part in this vulgar brawl and continues to preside over the kitchen from a high perch, above it all.

As you see, maximum of snow and sleet, wintry mix, in fact, and minimum opportunity for seeing anyone's shadow today. Either way I think six more weeks of winter is a reasonable expectation, if winter can be said to be reasonable.

After this exhausting photo shoot, the dogs have retired to sleep, a policy long advocated for the month of February by the cats.