may 31 2016

i love getting pictures and news of our danes working..  and the fact that all are  having fun, getting such great care while they do an incredible job...there are soooo many pictures- many of service dogs upside down getting a belly rub.  and i think bella's mom gets teh gold star for dog management... or maybe getting bella to manage george.  whatever. "ava"   was here- happy to see everyone-but happy to go with her owner too. as was" merle"-- 2 fantastic merles that are not "allowed " in a show ring ( at least last i knew.) actually , i don't know much about the akc and show ring-- i do know those ribbons cost 15 cents to print- and that saves alot of grief and aggravation to just buy some... horse show ribbons cost alot more  $3.79-- but buying a pile of those would be easier too...  ***** the concept of fun without competition is  a huge concept  that is sorely missing  in this U.S.of A. it is how i got in the circus business- because i had a group of 4h kids some with horses/ponies.. and the usual is to throw a "horse show" and give out ribbons to winners.. well-- it did not take me long to figure out that ½ my group had horses bought by the pound- and not fancy sleek show animals-- one family with 4 kids and  one fat pony and no saddle. so giving out ribbons would make one wealthy kid happy and 19 others miserable and questioning the value of their honest old pony who carried the 4 kids at once. so i gave up the show world-- and we put on that crazy circus ( see  "Dogs Donkeys and Circus"  book)   what a relief- with the competition factor gone....no more "side eyes" -- my kid is better than your kid.  it was a communal event  and enjoyed by 1000 people in august.. kids spent the summer getting this dog and pony ( and pig and donkey) show together. i was a learning experience-- who knew kids could not stay on horses if the clown suit was made of silk? it was funny anyway...  there was no such thing as failure !!! ***** i  finally figured out an on going cp job around here... that stone wall i built years ago---you can almost see it from the camera that shows the driveway and v-pen... right at the bend-- which is why it has been demolished over the years by huge trucks trying to make the corner... and let me be the first to tell you, you can not build a stone wall from the top down....   so the whole thing has to be  piled up and let everyone try and stack  them up again...  it is in the shade.. perfect dog fest project.. stone wall building. and the part i cheated on  and used concrete... did not work either..- so that has to go... it will be  a project almost on camera-- to the right were the split rail ends. ****** maybe anne will be here today to put us back in order...  there is just too much to keep in my head. **** this will be a first-- me giving out a recipie-  this is judy franchi-s invention... and let me tell you they were goooooood. BUFFALO CHICKEN CUPS This makes 24. 12 oz cream cheese, softened 3/4 cup ranch dressing 3/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce (I use Red Hot) 1 ½  cup shredded cheddar cheese 2 1/4 cups cooked and shredded chicken (I use Costco rotisserie chicken and just chop it) 3-4 tbsp honey (to cut the harshness of the wing sauce) 48 wonton wrappers  On Top: 5 oz blue cheese crumbles 4 oz additional cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin tins lightly with cooking spray.  Combine cream cheese; ranch dressing, wing sauce, honey and cheddar cheese. Stir in chicken.  Layer your tins: one wonton in each muffin space and press it into the bottom. Spoon about a teaspoon (heaping) of the chicken mixture into the wonton. Add another wonton for each muffin space and press it down but not too hard. Add another spoonful of chicken mixture. Sprinkle with additional cheddar cheese and blue cheese. Bake for 18 minutes, checking after 10 minutes to be sure they are not too brown. If so, cover lightly with aluminum foil and cook for remaining time. Remove from oven and let cool 5 minutes. Use a knife to loosen around the edges.  Place each in a paper or aluminum muffin liner.  NOTE: You can add as much cheese on top as you want. These are approximate amounts because I do not measure it. Whatever your personal taste is.  **** she brought those for sunday stew---  they were extremely good !!! ****** consensus of opinion, having looked at the calendar for 2017, we will try  breeding opal again..  i say try..  grommet had no trouble last time. When MOMMY NATURE  designed dog reproduction, she must have had a few drinks first.