Baking Bagels with Berners

I had it planned perfectly! American Idol starts at six because for some reason, I have the east coast version through Direct TV -- so anyway, I started the bagels at four. I had walked and/or trained all six dogs so they were tired...

I printed the recipe out after making the font big enough...

...to read without glasses.

I had special Montana whole wheat flour

and so I was all set. Halo got up to supervise.

I know Elizabethanne said kneading the dough is a great upper body work-out but I felt smug -- I have a KitchenAid! Besides, I walk large, strong dogs so I get that upper body workout a lot!

Zoey wondered if we could please play catch

but she decided to help by pointing out which of the measuring spoons was a tablespoon.

Syd, Zoey and Cadi all stood at the ready in case a quick floor clean-up was necessary!

The Kitchen Aid was beating the tar out of that poor dough -- I think Syd heard all the yeasties screaming...

But it turned into a ball and so I put the dough to rise under the special towel Kay and Sue gave us many years ago...

but the dough did not seem to be rising so I got worried that indeed the mixer had killed all the poor wee yeastie beasties. I started a new batch, kneading it by hand -- yes, it is an excellent upper body workout! I got the second batch all set to rise when I discovered that the first batch seemed to have risen after all! Good thing we like bagels!

In the meantime, Zoey wondered if we could please play fetch now?????

and Asia wanted me to turn on the tv so she could watch American Idol.

I explained to Asia that we had some more time before American Idol and since the tv is literally not on at any other time, she decided to come and help out in the kitchen -- here she is pointing to the boiling bagels -- and yes, those boiling bagels get ginormous!

While the bagels boiled I admired the view

and went to the loft where one of my bikes sits on the trainer. I rode this morning because as Elizabethanne said, the harder you ride, the more bagels you can eat :) You don't need to see a picture but trust me -- I do not look as stylin' as Elizabethanne does on her bike!

Looking back up at the loft, you can see Karma -- she likes to sit up there and watch us, pretending to be a goddess or something like that.

The bagels were done boiling -- look at the steam coming off of them!

So I boiled and baked and boiled and baked, and soon had 16 bagels! I did not have a big enough plate for all of them -- but here is a sampling...

Persistent Zoey on the grooming table -- "could we PLEASE play fetch now?!"

Made from scratch cocoa and fresh bagels -- do I know how to throw a dinner party, or what?!! Here is my one guest (aka Heidi) at the American Idol party getting worked over by Mrs. Maize :)


My bagels were chocolate chip and it was very hard to hand knead the chips into the dough -- the mixer did better. I also think my dough did not rise as well as it should have in either batch -- clearly the fault of the yeast and not the baker ;) However, they were good enough that I ate two with my cocoa!! And it was fun to make them :) I sent Heidi home with some and stuck the rest in the freezer.

Okay, who is next????

Bagel Break for Berners

Thanks for your comments on the bagel theme -- I am having fun and expecting more pictures soon :) Heidi could hardly stand cute Logan in his undies and chef hat, and Chris is feeling envious over Cindy's oven!

I am making chocolate chip bagels tomorrow for my pretend American Idol party, and will definitely provide a report -- thanks so much to Susan for all the fun with bagels!

It was back to school today for me, and I feel very blessed to have the job I do :) The girls felt blessed that I came home and that they got to play in the snow that is falling -- here are some fun pictures for you...

Okay -- seriously -- could she be any cuter???! Sydney, now 14 months old


These two are Zoey who was giving me a break from throwing her beloved funny toy -- that puppy (now 16.5 months) sure loves to retrieve!



Halo walked over and took Asia's stick, and chewed it right in front of poor Asia!


The puppies love to bark at Maize and try to get her to play with them. Usually she is not so interested but the new snow and mom staying outside put her in a playful mood, and she had fun with her granddaughter and niece :) Not bad for 9.5 years!




I hope you are having a playful day, preferably involving bagels!

Busy Baking Bagels with Berners and Babies

Yes indeed -- yet another participant in the Bagel Baking Challenge! Cindy is our latest in what I hope is a series of bagel bakers :) Cindy has a Kaibab B and D litter dog, an Angel Dog from the Kaibab A litter, and is grandma to Glitterati, Mika, who was helping out with bagel baking, along with Cindy's two-legged grandkids. So, straight to us from Salinas, California is Cindy's adventures in bagels:

Assembling your baking crew is very important


Make sure your four legged audience is sleepy


Using the proofing setting on the new Wolf Range worked great


Water play is a good distraction while waiting for the bagels to bake


Yummy, warm plain bagels with peanut butter and jelly!

Cindy adds to Susan, "Thanks so much for the recipe :)"

This is very fun -- who is next???

Guest Blog! Baking Bagels for Busy Women (revised with yet another bagel baker/assistants!)

Elizabethanne took me right up on the Bagel Challenge and shares her report...

Assemble your ingredients and remove any rings:


Hire good help:


Make the dough by hand. It is an excellent upper body workout and allows one to work out the frustrations of the day. It looks like this after rising:


Make it into long things that some people call "snakes," but I can't call them that because a friend of mine told me that he has snakes getting into his Moab condo and hanging out in the guest bathroom and I would just as soon forget that he ever told me that. About the condo? I told him, "Sell it!"


Then I tried this cool move to attach the two ends together. I found it on YouTube:


While they rise, go get warmed up on your bike on the indoor trainer. Watch something motivational, like ski racing.


After rising, boil the bagels. Warning: They get REALLY big:


They have to boil for seven minutes, so you have time to train dogs. Work on some freestyle moves:


Put in the second batch to boil. Do a little herding practice. (Away to me!)


Put the ginormous boiled bagels on the cornmealed pan and put them in the oven. Note: I put cornmeal on the shopping list and Greg came back with "coarse" cornmeal. Manly cornmeal! I did not know there was more than one kind. Definitely use a fine ground corn meal. Otherwise, it's a lot like little rocks on the bottom of your bagel until you scrape them off into the sink with a knife.


Go ride your bike for a 30-minute steady state interval. Sweat profusely. Remember, the harder you ride, the more bagels you can eat!

Remove bagels from the oven and arrange them artfully on a plate, inspired by the last 30 minutes of cycling while watching the Food Network. Oooooh! Pretty!!!!


Serve with some green tea and a veggie omelet. Full disclosure, I did not make the omelet.


The bagels were delicious! So much better than the ones you can buy in Utah, and the cinnamon and raisins were a nice addition. Thanks for sharing the recipe!

With much appreciation from:


Mary-Ann again: Once I stopped laughing, I realized that I was suddenly VERY hungry for bagels!! Guess what I will be serving at my American Idol party this week? Well, only one person besides me comes so it is not exactly a party -- but I will be making and serving bagels, and now that you know that maybe we will have a crowd!!

Thanks, Elizabethanne! Not only is she Ace Puppy Namer, but I am sure you will agree that she is one clever baker!

Sunday Morning Addition!!!!

My goodness! We have started something! Just got these photos from my daughter, Nicole, who was inspired by the Poodle Bakery and made her own bagels -- she reports that they are "delicious and huge!"



She also shares a photo of her baking assistants -- looks like Noah has a new gig :)


Okay, who is next??? Send me your pictures and review :)

Bagels!!!!

I have always wanted to make bagels -- and now Susan has shared her recipe so I have no excuse not to try. Thanks, Susan!!! Can you add raisins or chocolate chips??

I think we should all try to make bagels in the next week :)

Water Bagels
makes 8 bagels

1 package (2-1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1-1/2 cups warm water
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 rounded teaspoon salt
4-1/4 cups flour (or a bit less); I use ½ cup of whole wheat flour, the rest white flour, but you can use all white flour just as well
4 quarts water + 1 Tbsp baking soda
corn meal for sprinkling on the baking sheet. Sprinkle it thickly or the bagels will stick to the pan!

1.Dissolve the yeast in the water in a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, salt and enough flour to form a soft dough.
2. Turn the dough out onto a floured board and knead until it is smooth and elastic (about 7-8 minutes) adding flour as needed to keep the dough from sticking.
3.Cover the dough with a lint-free towel and allow to rise for 15 minutes.
4.Flatten the dough, then divide it into eight portions. Roll each portion out into a ‘snake’ about 10 inches long (remember those clay snakes you used to make?). Make each snake into a circle and pinch the ends together.
5. Place bagels in inch or so apart on a floured board. Cover them with the towel and allow to rise for 20 minutes. Then AS YOU SET THEM TO RISE …
6. Bring the water+baking soda to a boil in a large pot and preheat the oven to 375 deg F.
7. Place the risen bagels, four at a time, into the boiling water. Reduce the heat and simmer for seven minutes (I generally turn them over about half-way through). Remove the bagels, drain well, dry the bottoms with a towel (so they’re less likely to stick) and place on baking sheets that have been sprinkled with the corn meal. Repeat for the other four bagels.
8. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Check the bottoms to see that they’re light brown as well.

That’s it! The whole thing takes two hours, start to finish.

Bitch

Tonight I was hoping to get a certain kind of picture to illustrate what I wanted to write about, but alas, everyone was getting along.

I don't know about your dogs, but mine provide excellent examples of how to handle conflict. Forget what that Loser on television has to say about all that dominance crap -- there really is no jockeying for position or fights about who is in charge at my house. Rather, living with six dogs is almost always a lesson in collaboration and respect.

There is sometimes conflict -- as I have previously mentioned, Zoey (aka The Dog Who Loves Too Much) frequently has Asia growling and carrying on, but this also represents a lesson. Asia's efforts at getting Zoey out of her personal space are ineffective because it is really like nagging -- lots of noise, no consequence -- and so Zoey just keeps on with the cuddling.

But the real lesson I wanted to share is what happens when there is a true conflict -- a serious difference of opinion between the bitches (and that is what they are called so I am not swearing). Usually there is a warning and then WHAM -- someone gets nailed. It is noisy and scary and intense -- and then it is over as quickly as it started. There is no blood or gaping wounds -- but there is no question that someone was upset and someone else knows about it.

This is how I prefer to handle conflict. I cannot stand it when people are like Asia and give ineffective messages about being upset, or when people just walk away and pretend like everything is fine. Yes, it is scary when the feelings are big and intense -- but its real.

I had my kids without drugs. It was very, very important to me to remain fully present and aware of everything -- even and perhaps especially the pain. I did not want the experience dulled -- I wanted to be there in every way, and experience the whole wickedly painful and blessed event.

And so that is how I like relationships -- I like them real, even when it hurts. I don't want to be protected from the genuine and honest experience of human emotions. And in the same way, I have no interest in pretending with others -- I would be a terrible poker player.

And so like the dogs, I am very slow to anger but once there, it is real, intense, and nobody ever sits around trying to figure out how I really feel. I do not see this as a bad thing -- in fact, it took years to arrive at this place of what I consider respectful authenticity and I do not plan to change it. I always remember what I was told as a very unhappy 21 year old -- depression is anger turned inward.

And so I learned to appreciate my full emotional range, and lose the cultural messages about bitchy, hostile women. And in doing so, I discovered along the way that anger expressed usually just goes away -- at least it does for me.

And this is what I see in the dogs also -- we have a scary bitch fight and then all is well, nobody holds grudges, and we are back to collaborating again. Yes, someone probably learned a lesson ("don't even think about stealing my food bowl, you bitch") but nobody seems to need to repeat it over and over and over -- its just done. And there is no sulking either -- it truly is just done.

I love this about the dogs and sure wish people were like that. Why can't we -- especially women -- have the freedom to express what we really feel (in a respectful way, of course)? And why must people see the expression of strong emotions as a negative thing? What is wrong with being honest and true?

And so -- like breakfast -- the dogs offer life lessons:

1. Get along.
2. If getting along isn't possible, walk away if that feels like a good option.
3. If you cannot walk away, make your point in a very clear and convincing way.
4. After you make your point, stop.
5. Get along again.

And here is my advice for people who find themselves on the receiving end of WHAM (i.e., honest and strong emotion) -- stay present. Yes, it is hard and scary, but the best things in life are the things we face -- not the things we run from. Learn to respect -- and appreciate -- your inner bitch.

Speaking of bitches...

Mrs. Maize is the most perfect, sweet and wonderful dog. Recently she got very tired of Cadi's new trick of snatching her bowl right from under her nose -- Cadi was doing this so fast that it was amazing. Maize had had enough, and WHAM -- Cadi heard about it. It was over in a flash, and guess what? No more bowl stealing...

This is Maize on her bed. Tony Mora made it years ago, and then died of ALS (I hate that disease) but I know he can see how much Maize loves this bed. Yes, I cover her with a blanket -- and kiss her nose -- every night :)


Sweet Mrs. Maize's granddaughter, Sydney-Lou, is every bit as wonderful and loving as Maize -- but watch out Zoey when Syd gets annoyed as she is quite in touch with her Inner Bitch... Aren't they (Maize and Syd) cute together?


Zoey is very much a peaceful girl, and prefers not to get in conflicts. She just waits until I leave the one chair in the living room and steals it -- a peaceful solution indeed...


Okay friends -- let's all be real - nice, but real. And don't be afraid to embrace your Inner Bitch.

Breakfast

Each morning I have the same thing for breakfast -- it involves two eggs, some cheese and a low carb wrap. Before you send me a 911 about my cholesterol, let me assure you that I am one of those people who actually has low cholesterol! It must be genetic as my sisters are the same way -- when we checked mine a year ago, it was 129.

So anyway, I have this whole little routine about breakfast and I suspect I like the orderliness of it because so little else in life is that way (orderly I mean). Recently I have been struck by the many life lessons that are contained in my breakfast, which seems odd but is true -- let me explain...

I like my breakfast a certain way -- the eggs cooked medium and the cheese just so on the wrap. But sometimes I get distracted -- usually by an email from Kris Osojnicki -- and my eggs get overcooked or the cheese and wrap get burned around the edges. Sometimes a yolk breaks -- disaster! I used to cook three just in case of a yolk emergency but I developed greater skill and confidence and now do not need to cook the extra egg -- besides, it is hard to split an egg six ways (the dogs get the extras)!!!

One morning -- as I looked at my sadly overcooked eggs -- I thought to myself, "well, there is always tomorrow" -- and that got me thinking about what I can learn from my breakfast. So, here are some messages from breakfast:

1. It helps to be prepared -- it is hard to have a perfect breakfast that involves eggs when there are no eggs.
2. Sometimes disaster strikes -- yolks break, for example. Deal with it.
3. Multi-tasking involves risk of overdone eggs. Stay focused.
4. If it isn't perfect -- so what? Keep practicing.
5. It isn't burned -- it is just well done. Perspective is everything.
6. Breakfast isn't perfect? Choose to like it anyway.
7. There is always tomorrow -- a new chance to make it even better.

So, you can see that living alone causes one to interact with eggs and provolone cheese in some interesting ways. Actually, I am doing okay here in Montana all by myself (well, with the six dogs and two cats). I will be very, very happy when Kim moves up in a few months but for now -- I am okay, even if I think too much about breakfast :)

The quick trip to Washington for the show was big fun. Both Zoey and Sydney placed second in their lovely classes, but the best part was that they both stood still for the judge! I worried Sydney would wag her tail so hard that she would elevate herself but she managed to wag and stay still -- perfect! She was adorable at her first show -- and we managed to protect her from the person who has threatened to steal her!

Zoey has had exam issues since her meltdown with the big, scary judge in November. Well, she did very well and I was thrilled with her. The judge took her muzzle, looked in her eyes, and Zoey just looked back. The judge did a very thorough exam and Zoey just ate her cookies and did not move a paw -- I was so happy with her :)

And Cooper -- wow!! Let me just say that Jennifer and Ralph are SUPER nice people, and I would happily go on dog show trips with them again. Cooper is lovely -- great temperament, happy, and what an amazing head on him! It was so fun to have him take Reserve on Saturday :)

I left Maize and Halo home with Abbie, Heidi's daughter, staying with them. It was the first time we have done this and I was nervous, as you might imagine. But Abbie left me a note saying, "Maize and I have become best friends" and telling me how Maize slept with her -- I think it worked out quite well :)

Cadi was supposed to do obedience but instead came in season and so spent the weekend safely in her jail in the van, away from all the potential suitors. I took this of Cadi this afternoon.


Here are Syd and Cadi -- Cadi's kids all sure look like her!


And here are Zoey and Syd with their sort of neatly trimmed ears.


And now I challenge you -- what can you learn from your breakfast???

Quickie

In Washington for a show -- Zoey and Syd had nice class placements but the glory for the day goes to Glitterati boy, Cooper (aka Whitby), who went Reserve Winner's Dog to a five point major at a supported entry under a breeder-judge -- and handled by his mom, Jennifer! That is a BIG DEAL and especially since he is all of 13 months old!

Ad and Versatility Explained

Daniel Sernicola, who did this great ad, has it displayed on his business site so I thought I would share it with all of you -- it is going in the February Alpenhorn (berner magazine). Click on it to make it bigger so you can see the detail...



I should explain this ad. In order for a berner to be a Versatility Dog, s/he has to complete a championship and two working titles from two different events, but one has to be draft. Only a small percentage of berners ever get to be Versatility Dogs so it is a Big Deal to have one -- I have four and they are all related. Their mom/grandma (Abra) was also a Versatility Dog.

To confuse you even more, there is an honor called "Top Producer of Versatility Dogs" -- a male needs to produce six Versatility Dogs in his offspring to get this, and a girl needs four. There are just four Top Producers of Versatility Dogs in the entire history of the breed: Abra (Maize and Halo's mom), her mom, her dad, and her maternal grandfather.

So my four girls are not only Versatility Dogs themselves, but represents generations of Versatility Dogs (Cadi and Asia are fifth generation) and the only Top Producers of Versatility Dogs in the breed are in their direct pedigree.

Since I value both breed type and working ability, producing Versatility Dogs has always been my goal -- so this ad reflects years of work and planning, and we are really proud to be able to say every one of our girls over two (the youngest age a dog can be a Versatility Dog) is a Versatility Dog :) I don't mean to sound braggy!! I am just really proud of our girls :)

My hope is that Halo can be a Top Producer of Versatility Dogs, and for that I need the help of her puppy owners. Asia already makes one, and I have no doubt Zoey will be two. There are three others out there who could do it so let's keep our paws crossed that at least two of those three get the Versatility Dog award and help Halo be historical :)

Okay -- enough about being versatile!! You can see other ads that Daniel has done on his Facebook site -- the name of his business is Best in Show Marketing and make sure you see the one of the black German Shepherd!

It is COLD and windy here today -- I think we will be skipping the dog walks! I hope you are relaxing on a tropical beach drinking something with a paper umbrella and whipped cream -- and that you also are extremely versatile :)

Goals

I think the New Year is a good time to set goals. I find goals to be especially important because otherwise I feel scattered and lack focus. There has always been too many things I want/need to do at once, and while I usually am relatively successful, I always know in my heart that I could have done better if I had fewer balls in the air.

I do not say that because I am beating myself up -- most of my multi-tasking has been both necessary and successful -- but rather as a way to introduce my theme for 2010 -- excellence. I now have the opportunity and I think -- privilege -- to truly focus on things that matter to me, and to do them even better.

I no longer need to manage ten things at once -- I have been blessed with what seems to me to be a simpler, less complicated life. It may not seem that way to anyone else, but this life in Montana is the least complicated and busy that I have experienced. And so my overall goal for 2010 is to only include things in my life that are essential (to me), and to do those things as well as I can.

Since I decided on a theme for the year, I have been reflecting on how to further de-clutter my life -- not physically, but in terms of work, relationships, activities, emotions, and so on. By taking stock and making choices about what stays and what goes, I will better support my goal of doing things very well this year.

You do not need all the boring details, I know, but I have spent a couple of weeks reflecting and although I was a few days late, I finally sat down and set the specific goals for 2010. My work goals have to do with continuing with what is going well, and to really focus on two data sets I have -- one is about 500 questionnaires from bereaved parents, and the other involves an evaluation of a pediatric palliative care program that I am working on with my good friend, Joan (Rainey and Bella's mom).

I have personal, relationship, and spiritual goals as well -- all articulated after careful thought about excellence and practicality -- a goal to fly to the moon is interesting but not very realistic :) I don't think goals should be failure set-ups, and so I tried to make mine realistic but I also see them as a journey, and so as long as one is making progress there is success. But a journey without a map can get pretty circular -- I prefer not to be dizzy and so like to have a destination in mind!

I mentioned the categories of work goals, and that I have goals in other areas; all are written down in a place that I can refer to easily. This Blog is primarily based on what we do and learn from our dogs, and so because of that, I share my specific dog goals. I have divided the year in half, and so these goals reflect what I want to accomplish between now and June 30.

Goals – First Half of 2010 (through June 30)

1. I will show Halo in utility

2. Halo will earn legs towards advanced draft titles

3. Cadi will earn the following titles: CD, OAJ, AX, AXJ, BDD

4. Cadi will earn some MACH points (even one would be great :)

5. Cadi and Asia will be entered in at least one TDX test

6. Asia will earn the following titles: CD, BNDD, and her Working Dog award.

7. Zoey will earn her CH

8. Sydney will earn her TD

I did not include obvious goals about keeping everyone healthy -- things that I already do as well as I can do not need to be a goal. Rather, it seems to me that a goal ought to provide direction and motivation for things that are not yet accomplished, but that we wish were true.

I made a checklist of the half-year dog goals, and it is on the frig. There are 15 little boxes to be checked off as I achieve a goal. In the darkness of winter (real or in our souls), it is good to look ahead with hope and optimism about what is possible.

I hope that you have set a course for yourself, and shared it with others because that apparently helps us stay on track -- thanks for letting me share with you :)

Home Alone

I need a vacation from my vacation! It was a busy time in Utah and I did not get done most of what I planned but it was still fun and productive. The best part was seeing my family and some of my friends -- especially the Dear Husband. We are now in the year that Kim will move up to Montana with me -- YEA!!!

Utah weather was not very cooperative and my departure was delayed, but I finally left on Thursday at 3:30 a.m. I did not plan to leave that early but I couldn't sleep so figured I might as well start driving. The weather was not great and Syd had diarrhea, necessitating frequent stops, but after over nine hours of driving we arrived back at our house in Montana; "we" being me, six dogs and two cats since remember that Galen is now back in Utah.

My time alone did not last long, as Jake and Cassie were just a few hours behind me. Cassie's grandpa lives close to me, and so Jake and Cassie decided to come up for a visit. I took advantage of all this and managed to convince Jake to get on the roof to try and sweep the chimney. We were unsuccessful in getting it swept but nobody fell off the roof, and that is a success all by itself! I will now be looking for a professional chimney sweep so I can use the wood stove...



Yesterday we had more visitors in a day than we have had in six months of living here. Jake and Cassie were here, of course, but we also welcomed a special guest all the way from Washington DC! Chris was here visiting family, and asked if she could come by -- she only knows us from the Blog and Berner-l so it was the first time we have met in person.

Cadi welcomed her by swallowing her nice glove -- luckily Chris noticed it was missing and we quickly deduced the culprit. Hydrogen peroxide in buttermilk and up came the glove -- completely whole. Sigh... In spite of that little misadventure, we all had a good time -- except maybe Cadi, but it serves her right -- what a dork...

Chris was missing her own berner, Poppy, and enjoyed seeing our herd...



After Chris left, we got busy cooking for our first ever Montana dinner party! Cassie's grandpa joined us and we had a wonderful evening visiting and eating.


Cassie and her grandpa are both artists, and so when we went for an early morning walk Cassie took pictures so she could draw from them; here are a few that she took...

This is the view as we walk down the driveway towards the road.


We walked along the road and it is so lovely -- in two miles we were not passed by one car!




And here is what we see as we walk back down the driveway -- that is our house with two of the Eds in the pasture that is in front of the house.


Jake and Cassie left this morning after a breakfast of pancakes, and now I am truly alone -- well, you know what I mean. I am waiting for loneliness to kick in -- or maybe a burst of productivity -- but instead I am just relaxing for the first time in weeks...very nice...

Happy New Year!!!! I guess I need to get busy on my 2010 Hopes and Wishes -- when I am done relaxing I will get right on that...

Zoey's Christmas Miracle

Zoey is The Dog Who Loved Too Much. We have been up for an hour and already there have been two episodes of this, which is manifested by loud growling from the dog that is the target of Zoey's affection. Her favorite is Asia, and so she finds her big sister and gets as close as she can and starts her snuggle routine.

Asia can growl pretty loudly and so this is kind of annoying, and I also worry about Asia letting her poor little sister have it and so I intervene. Luckily Zoey is not too particular and getting to lean on me and be petted is also a favored activity so she is easy to distract.

I know it is a little late but today Zoey got her Christmas Miracle!!!!!!! For once her big sister not only did not growl and snarl, but gave in and reciprocated the affection :) Look at Zoey's blissful expression...



Zoey is not unlike a lot of humans who love too much. You can just see it coming like a train wreck -- the one who loves thinks, "if I just do this a little more, I will be loved". And the recipient of the affections -- like Asia -- just wants some space. The harder the one tries, the faster the other runs and so the chase begins.

All of us who have dogs know well how to stop this really pointless game -- stop chasing! Trying hard to make someone care about us when the other person is clearly giving "back off" messages is counterproductive and it is disrespectful. Both people in a relationship get to decide the nature of that relationship -- relationships, by definition, should never be unilateral.

And so if you are the Zoey and find yourself trying hard to ingratiate yourself to your Chosen One, go find a more receptive leg to lean on. And if you are Asia, whose snarling and growling is just really ineffective -- remove yourself from the situation or if that is not possible, be nice about it but you might need to bite a bit.

And for goodness sakes -- don't reinforce someone you want to leave you alone!!!! Zoey hit the jackpot with this Christmas Miracle and now she will keep putting in the quarters, taking the losses while hoping for that big jackpot again... Sigh... that means lots more growling and snarling at our house...

Some of the Family!

This isn't all of us but it is a critical mass -- and we match! And we answer the question, "where will the Bowmans be for Christmas 2010?"


The back row is Kim Jr., Galen, and Tanner. The front row is Kim Sr., me, Jake, and Cassie. We took this at my brother-in-law's house, which explains why there are no dogs in it :)

I hope your day included lots of togetherness :) Am I the only one who is glad that Christmas is coming to a close???