THE BEACH.

Finn is just about 5 months old-- which is mind boggling. But what is even odder, is that she had not ever been to the beach! Now, this wouldn't be nearly so odd if I didn't live where I do, which is about... ohhh, a half mile/6 blocks/5 minutes jogging from it! I think it's because she is so small, and I still don't feel comfortable letting her off leash in areas where a bicyclist or other dog might cause her to give chase. She knows her name, but uses "judgment" when deciding whether or not to obey its powers. We're working on it. She WILL get it. I know it.

So earlier this week my oldest friend Mel came into town from school and a recent semester studying abroad (yayy!!) and we decided to have a coffee+dog walk date. So she brough Gemma, her family's wonderful year-and-a-half old black-and-tan hound (wooooo!!!) and I brought Finn and we went to Fort Funston. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Fort Funston used to be a bunker, which we have lots of around here on the Pacific Coast, and is now a fabulous park where dogs can be taken off leash. It is full of sand dunes, ice plant, wind-blown cypres and sand stone cliffs, and you can wander down to the beach, which stretches for San Francisco south to about Pacifica, during low tide. It's divine; I love it there, and so do the dogs. Just check out the photos a google images search does (which is that link :)

And so commenced Finley's first beach day! And she had a great time-- she is soooo much better at walking on a leash than she was a month ago! It's impressive. I never have to pull her to get her moving and she happily walks along zigging and zagging and getting tangled in everyone's legs as she investigates them.

We also saw Karen and Bailey! Hi guys, if you read this! It was great to run into them-- we met briefly at the last corgi walk and Bailey is such a nice dog-- he didn't mind Finn jumping around like a cricket in his face. He is also a Giant's Fan (YES) and I enjoyed watching him play with other, big dogs! He was sooo fast and really held his own. Hope we run into you two again soon! 

Finley sitting in this amazing piece of drift wood!

Mel trying to get both of them to sit for a treat so we could take a photo-- not happening! hehe. We wanted to try to get them to sit close so the difference in their size, but similar black and tan coloring, would show! they were a great pair. And check out the coast behind her-- it was a gorgeous, pre-rain afternoon.

Finn in the wet sand-- she laid down and just hung out a bit like that! I'm convinced she is going to be a water dog.

In the water!!! Which totally surprised her! But she handled it well-- she didn't freak out, tuck her ears back and refuse to return. She scampered out but then came back! I was so proud. She splashed around me (I was in tall rainboots) in a circle and seemed to like it. I hope she does! She's kind of leaning against the tide in this, which I thought was smart. It must pull much harder on smaller, low-to-the ground creatures.

Playing :) Gemma was really nice with Finn-- she's such a good dog! Mel's family always has great dogs, though, and Gemma is no exception! I was happy to finally meet her!! <3

And of course-- my little digger.

Dig, dig dig! the whole day through!

 

Gemma and her beautiful tide reflection and Finley's barely-visible one (she doesn't have enough legginess! her reflection is almost touching her tummy. haha)

And, lastly, Gemma (who held still! yahh), who is so handsome (b/c pretty sounded too flimsy for her) and expressive-- look at her!!-- and her ears-- I LOVE her ears. Mel had a hound dog named Dixie before Gemma, and she also had luxurious ears. They're so expressive and floppy! Do your ears hang loowww...

And one of my new favorites:

Finn's First Christmas photos!

I have finally uploaded the photos of Finn's first Christmas adventure! Hurraahh! Mom, Dad, Finn and I piled into the Jeep and headed off for Aunt's house! Finn and I slept all the way up there in the back seat. Then it was all hugs and kisses and dogs playing and wonderfullness. ahhhh. I Love love Love nothing more than being with my family.

Here is Finn, playing with Cousin J, who was very excited to meet her after months of reading the blog and putting up with my Finley-obsessed emails :) It was beyond wonderful to see her, I haven't seen her in ages! She lives in Hawaii so we don't get to visit often! Love you, cousin!!! <3

Finn and Cousin Max, who is my Aunt's dog, had a good time playing together! They bounded and chased around for a while, and then played in the yard, and then Finn stole his bed for a long nap and he was a gentleman about it, but removed all his toys from the vicinity :) Later, when we opened gifts, it turned out that Max is a shredder, too!! hehe, they are so related. (Isn't he handsome? I love how his black looks auburn in some light).

Finley, on the other hand, completely passed out while we opened gifts! Totally, absolutely, zonked. She was so worn out with running around my Aunt's huge, gorgeous yard and playing with Max and smelling all the new smells and being interested in all the people! So she scooted under a blanket I was wrapped in and went to bed. zzzz...

Meanwhile, Max got his gift from his new little cousin Finn-- a BIG version of her favorite-- the bobo! His and hers. I'd never noticed before how they have that one, angry eyebrow! How funny.

Max really liked his, as we'd hoped! :) And he kindly introduced it to his other new Christmas stuffed toys-- you can see his new little bear below the bobo :)

Finley slept right through being the star of my Christmas, though. J, who knows me so well, seemed to (somehow, not sure where she got an inkling...) know that I am head over heels for my new little sidekick and made it the theme of the evening! Check it out-- amazing or what?! Yep, it's Finn playing-cards, a Fin+Me mug, a Finn snout keychain (SO CUTE!!!) and a Welsh Corgi Calender!! Aunt even gave me a dog journal :D I made a sleepy Finn pose with all the wonderful presents she inspired. (I can't get the red-eye to work, but isn't it weird how her two different eyes show up like that? It makes sense, but imagine seeing only those two mis-matched orbs out in the dark one night! eek)

Aunt, Cousin J and I were all recipients of fabulouuusss fuzzy, hairy, rainbow-y slippers from my mom!! We took a photo :)

And I mention this becauuusee...Finley LOVES hairy slippers. One of her favorites toys when she was small was a pink one I had, which for a long time was larger than her, and she'd run around with her tiny head held high, carrying it in her mouth! Here she is, loving Aunt's new slipper (with her unfortunately psycho-looking blue eye-turned red! ahhh):

And that is about it for Finn's bit of the Christmas adventure! She slept, this time on Mom, all the way home, and then conked out on my bed for the rest of the night :) It was a merry, merry one indeed!!! Can't wait for next year. <3

Helooooo from the other side of Christmas!

Which is always kind of an odd feeling, no? All these weeks preparing, shopping, decorating, hanging lights and glittery orbs and rushing off to holiday parties. We are not letting Christmas be over yet here, though! Nooo sir. Andrew, zee sailor boy, is flying in in a few days and we are celebrating Christmas and his brithday (which was the 23rd) with him when he gets here! So we get to draw it out a bit longer :) YAY! <3

Christmas was wonderful, though, and thoroughly a success. There are lots of photos of Finley up at my Aunt's, meeting big furry cousin Max and tall, blonde human Cousin J and exploring their wonderful yard and stealing Max's bed and him being a gentleman about it. We had a wonderful time. Finn and I slept almost the entire way up there, which is about 3 hours, and my mom snapped some photos of us-- I was lying down in the back seats and there wasn't a lot of extra room, so Finn climbed on top and slept on top of me!

I only have the photo of us as we're waking up (yes, apparently I slept with my sunglass on! I am just that cool), but when I upload the real camera (versus the iphone), I'll have all the others, including us in full sleeping mode. I want to see her balanced up there, I haven't yet!

Here is Finn with the promised bow, which acctually didn't happen until tonight! She was zonked out the entire time we were opening presents! But wait until you see what kind of treasures we brought home.... Suffice to say, my family really understands my Finley/Corgi obsession. :D

It's a little dark, but the bow is stuck to her bum, and she is paused mid-circular dash, trying to rip it off, which is why her little white foot is sticking out at that funny angle! hehe

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!! I have been loving all the photos of corgis surrounded by gifts and wrapping paper and ribbons! :) Happy pre-christmas reveling!! See ya'll soon with more photos!

We wish you a merry Christmas! We wish you a merry Christmas!...

Last night Finley discovered a bag of bows while Mom and I were wrapping gifts, and she decided it was not only a cool bed, but a fabulous bag of hidden crunchy things!

She curled up on top of it and her head would disappear and then re-emerge with a big shiny bow in her mouth! She'd hold it for a bit, maybe bite it once, and then throw it onto the rug and go back digging for more! hehe

She was not at ALL interested in wearing one, sadly. But I haven't given up...there is still time! I will wrangle her into a bow. No one escapes their first Christmas, or any Christmas for that matter, without wearing a big bow. :)

And on that note, we are off to a crab-cracking Christmas eve with some friends-- wish me luck! I haven't tried to crack a crab with a nut cracker in years (I always seem to get the nut cracker...hehe)! And then off to Aunt's and Cousin Max's tomorrow morning!!
We hope you all have a wonderful holiday, full of delicious things, amazing family and friends, old and fabulous music, big warm coats, twinkly holiday lights and secret moments listening for jingle bells! And Finley would like to add that she hopes you save your furry sidekick some holiday samplings...she has been standing on the fringes of the kitchen for days, salivating at all the smells and taste-testing small tidbits! 

'twas a wet and windy evening!

...and Sam had to make dinner!

True to my ever-increasing adoration of the corgi blogging community, I remembered Cj's fabulous sounding breakfast of baked tomatoes and so set off, determined to make them! Along with tzatziki and pesto + rice! Delicioussssss. She is wonderful for posting them; they are a combination of so many good things and perfect for a creative and not too time-intensive meal! I even took photos, thinking I'd post this and show her the fruits of my labor, which she so unwittingly inspired :) Thanks, fellow bay-area corgi-er!!

I walked through the store with her blog open on my iphone and got the ingredients. And, true to form, Finley got her first taste of prosciutto later, while I was making them!! Little spoiled baby. She can thank Linus. :)

Me giving Finn (who sat! yess) the prosciutto! She is learning quickly

not to snatch, but to take nicely. I do this by having the food hidden

in my hand. Such a good girl!

And now for the tomatoes! Here is the before photo:

They are scraped out and dried, with my dad's amazing pesto inside, a little freshly grated Parmesan, then an egg, and since I had pesto and cheese left over, some more of them on top! The prosciutto is around the outside, held on with toothpicks.

 Ready for its close up:

And after being taken out of the oven! mmm. I love how the cheese browned just a bit!

I think I over-cooked them a little-- I was worried the eggs weren't done so I left them in longer than the advised 10 minutes, when I think they were probably done but a little wiggly, which I think would have been better. And the prosciutto was a little too tough. Next time they'll come out earlier; I will have to figure out how to test the egg. They were good despite my over-cooking, though! A little bit of yolk, with juicy hot tomato, some pesto and cheese and mmmm. :) Perfect for a cold night inside.

Sunday photo looove

This is the weekend of holiday parties! I hope you all are having a wonderful, festive weekend, be it warm and cozy at home or out making toasts with friends.

Here is that photo of Finn's first retail adventure-- here in a Jo Anne's fabrics, in front of

the embordiery floss! My favorite spot, with Mom. Geez...she's really getting big, isn't she?!

And since I've had a Finley + Fiona theme lately, I can't resist including this photo of Fiona last Christmas in Virginia. I took a whole series, but this is one of my favorites! Hope you enjoy!

A bad night for feet

Tonight was not a good one for animal feet. Mom and I came home to my dad, in his sling, trying to pick Fiona up because she had come in the house moments before, limping! We have no idea what happened, but she is not a happy camper tonight and it's painful to think about her hurting. :(

Fiona, for those who don't know, is a lanky orange and white kitten who just turned a year old and moved back home here to Nor Cal with me from Virginia. I lived out there with A, my boyfriend, for a while after graduating from college. She is my first official pet baby :) I walked by her cage at the spca and she stuck out a leg and tried to snag me to play! I fell in love and adopted her on the spot!!

Here she is a little more than a year ago with A, shortly after we brought her home!

Look how teeny! hehe

When I moved back out here, A and I decided Fi would be happiest if she stayed with me, even though A would really miss her. I had never had a solely indoor cat and thought she'd love being able to have a yard and bugs to chase and trees to climb. Little did I know-- Fiona blossomed. She is a little tigress. She belongs in a world with a big yard (and lucky us, a quiet street).

So, after a ten hour plane journey, Fiona has become a favorite in the entire neighborhood. She comes when she's called, taught/is teaching Finn how to co-exist with cats and has become a friend with not only Finn, but the iceberg Westly herself! No other cats, save for one mean one, come into our yard these days (I fear maybe he is the one who hurt her foot). For months after Fiona arrived she and West raced around the house and yard playing together! They sleep together, eat together, etc. We are all hoping Finn contines to grow up and not throw off their bond.

Here Fiona is back in September, watching Finn play right after Finn came home.

Thus, it was quite alarming to see her little frame hobbling through the kitchen on three legs. Her front left leg is swolen at the elbow and up and down a bit, and my mom thinks she can feel a puncture mark. I asked Fi who I had to go drag in and make suffer for hurting her graceful little leg, but she was merciful and gave up no names. Such a lady ;)

Tomorrow first thing we'll take her to the vet-- I'm sure they'll shave it and give us some antibiotics. Hopefully it is not broken!! I also really hope Finn didn't accidentally do it... I've been worried about them lately b/c Finn is growing fast and doesn't know that she is getting stronger. But Fiona doesn't hesitate if Finn is too rough, and Finn's little teeth I don't think are sharp enough yet to make a puncture... but we'll see.

While we were all feeling bad for Fi, who kept trying to get comfortable, Finley cuddled up against the couch by me and my mom sat down in the rocker next to us and...you guessed it. Finn let her toes get under the rocker and when my mom leaned forward Finn gave a cry, I screamed, my mom leaped, Fiona shot off the couch and under the coffee table on three legs and Westly ran out of the house and into the yard! Ahh... it's funny now, that everyone is fine-- Finn climbed into my lap and cuddled while we felt her little toes, which are fine, and we tucked Fiona into Finn's bed (which she covets) in my bathroom (the pet boudoir) for the night. Good thing the rocker is on carpet! But all our nerves were kinda shot.

Here are Fiona Finn touching noses from tonight <3

Cuddle cuddle, tis the season!

Hope you are as warm, cozy and at peace as these two!!

Retail Adventures, Treats, and Nose Diving?

My goodness time is going quickly this holiday season! Dad just had shoulder surgery, and then a glass of water was accidentally knocked onto the keyboard, drowning it, so apologies for my lack of posts!
But now, the first post from the new, sleek keyboard! :)

Finley went on her first offical retail adventure-- during the holiday rush, no less!-- earlier this week. She came into Nordstrom Rack and Jo Anne's Fabrics with Mom and me! She did very well. At first her ears were tucked back, but I kept talking to her quietly and after a few minutes she loosened up and was curious about the hubub going on around her. It was fun! Though she is definitely getting big and heavy. I'll post the photo I took of her with Mom soon; it's not on this computer yet. Other than that, she's been having fun hanging out while I make gifts and wrap things. She is now big enough to get up on the couches herself (uh ohhh), so I'm trying to teach her that she is only allowed up there if we invite/put her there, not whenever she feels like it. I'll see how that goes...

Here she is wanting up :) 

Finn has been increasingly vocal lately-- I'm still trying to teach her to ask to go out by woofing, which she hasn't done much yet, but she woofs when she wants up or down from the bed, which is a start! I've also started using treats whenever she goes out and goes potty, which is proving quite successful! A man who drives big-rig deliveries to one of the stores my mother works at told her that's how he got his dog to understand going outside-- his dog's name is Diesel, isn't that perfect?

So last week I bought a bag of Newman's Own Training Treats (in chicken and rice) at the grocery store, and they are great! I am actually pretty impressed. We were using Pet Greens Treats (roasted chicken) before, which were also a big hit, but they are very thin little squares of "jerky" and fell apart instantly, which is no good for carrying around. Plus, I know it's silly, but I really hate the feeling of sticking my hand in a pocket full of little crumbs. Both treats have a short list of good ingredients, the first being chicken, which is what I really look for. The Newman's Own treats do have molasses, and I was trying to avoid sugar, but the animals get them in such small amounts I don't think it's an issue. What I like best about the Newman's one is that they come in little sticks with tick marks every half-inch, so it's easy to break off a little chunk for a treat and carry the stick around in a pocket without it crumbling. And even though it's probably not too important for dog treats, I do like that some of their ingreidnets are organic. Fiona the cat also loves them! She liked the other treats, too, and her seal of approval is very important to Finn and me :)

What treats do you give your dog? Soon I plan on doing some research on dog food, but I'm interested in your reward system. Do your dogs have a favorite?

I am off to bed! I'm sleeping with Mom while Dad heals and needs some quieter space to himself with a softer mattress, so Finn's been sleeping in there with me and I've been having fun using her to wake Mom up in the morning with kisses and pounces. It's so fun! Here she is a couple nights ago, peering at me before finally deciding to get to sleep:

Oh, wait, I forgot the nose diving! Before I sign off-- Finley does this thing where she touches you with her nose when she wants attention. Sometimes it's just a cold little touch on a bare ankle, or a nudge on your calf, and when you look down she is staring up at you expectently like like "Ahh yess, pay attention to me, I need x". But, there are times when she is riled up and zipping around the house or the top of the bed or wherever, and I bend down to ruffle her up and pet her and just bask in her cuteness in general, and as I am bending down she flips around and reverse dives at me! She leaps up on her hind legs and hits me in the face with her nose! It isn't mean, she always lands and looks at me like this means I should now be prepped for play, but it's very jarring! Tonight she dive bombed my left eye, and nosed my glasses into my face. Her speed is quite impressive. Thank goodness no teeth are ever involved! I told her "Noo" and she immediately calmed down and looked sulky. Is this standard corgi-probing behavior?? I have never experienced it before!!

Hello! We're freeeeezing.

Literally! The SF Bay Area gets snow...shall we say, rarely? I've lived here my whole life and I can remember a handful of times! It is always an event!! These past few days we've been having a bout of 30-40 degree days, which is COLD-- though my family in Denver gave me some perspective (5 degrees! dah!) I actually got locked out in my bathrobe the other morning and had to walk 4 blocks to find a neighbor who wasn't at work so I could call Dad and have him come by and let me in! cold cold cold but having a neighborhood full of friends is priceless!

The test saturday went fast! I am SO happy it is over, though I had serious stiff neck Sunday and Monday from leaning over a test booklet and scantron for upwards of 5 hours. Finley and I have been celebrating my newly acquired freedom by laying on the couch in blankets, making gifts and watching the TCM channel-- we watched Capra's "You Can't Take It With You" for the first time last night, on a "sit here, don't change the channel" recommendation from Dad and it was amaazinggg!

Here we are reading non-testing materials!! ahhh the bliss. :)

Christmas is roughly 2 weeks away and we can't wait! Finley recieved her first holiday card yesterday from Max, my Aunt's big, handsome black dog, and they will get to meet on Christmas!! Finley's first holiday excursion! :D I'm thinking of trying to wrangle her into a bow for the occassion. My fabulous Cousin J (hello J!! hehe) is flying in on the 23rd and gets to come stay with us and meet Finn and we get to hang out! soo soo excited.

We're also trying not to be too impatient for A's arrival. A is my also fabulous boyfriend who is currently in the navy and awaiting news of when his holiday leave can officially begin. He has not met Finn yet!! and we miss him lots. Here is with Ruca, a good friend of his's dog :)

Today Finley got her last puppy shot and I was told I need to start thinking about getting her spayed! The tech even said to keep her away from male dogs.... I couldn't believe it! She is 4 months, and seems so young! I would be horrified if she got puppied-up; it'd be like robbing her of all the gangly teenage dog phase! So I guess I'll set up an appt. for after the holidays.... It seems so soon, though! 

I'm also having problems with Finn on the potty front. Sigh. We were doing so well for a while! But she has stopped vocally asking to go out, and if you don't happen to see her walking around the side door kind of expectently, she'll go pee in front of it. Consequently she is back to going everywhere with me, and if she can't go she is back to hanging out in my bathroom with puppy pads. She doesn't like to go in there, though, so she barks at the door! I just need to somehow transfer that responce to the side door. I even hung bells... I am also giving her treats whenever she goes outside now, which I probably she have always done, and tomorrow I'm going to try to start saying "Speak" while antagonizing her with toys to the point that she'll bark in the hopes that she'll learn. She's quick! but stubborn... Any ideas out there??

 *read my mind. read my minnnnddd mommmm* If Only!!!

Here is my bed at this very moment-- think I'll fit?? hehe, I love when they make warm spots!

 Hope you all are staying warm and cozy!!

Finley, the illustration!

This is just too lovely, I have to share! Remember when we were the lucky winners of Corgi Butt's 100 Followers Giveaway? Well, here are the results, and they are so charming and perfect! Right down to Finn's cori smile, her little white neck ruff, two different colored eyes, and increasingly-orange back legs!! Kelly did an amazing job and I am so excited to start using Finn's little self in Cafe Press! And I definitely want one framed on my desk... hehe :)

drum roll pleassseeeee....

AND...

I love them so much!! Thank you Kelly! :)

I will be putting them up in the side bar here soon, too! Little Finn will be EVERYWHERE! muwahaha

al.most.done....

I understand the function of standarized tests, but yuck. I am allllmost done. I keep promising Finn+Westly and myself lots of dog walks and silly seasonal bows on their collars and all kinds of stuff for after Saturday. I am taking a break at the moment (cheating a little, I did watch So You Think You Can Dance just now... ee) but back to it in a minute here!

I find that when hurrying or trying to focus, I am either easily distracted or things happen that force me to be distracted. Two nights ago, for instance-- I was just sitting down to study and Finn was sleeping next to my chair when I reached for my hot chocolate, my fingers got tangled in the handle and around my pencil and *splaash*... doowwnnn she went. Hot chocolate everywhere. on the little handpainted side table, on the (pristine, my Mom pointed out) vintage table cloth ON the table, on the wool rug, on the dust ruffle, on the electric heater, on my white pajama pants, on the books... and of course it wasn't the diluted hot chocolate that I should have been drinking that late at night. Nooo, it was the dark ghiradelli stuff, with lots of chocolate dregs at the bottom (thinking of you, K)! I should have known better, clearly, but I was thinking about being cozy! Alas. Won't do it again.

Finn came in after being kicked out for the cleaning session and tried to get at the smell of it in the rug and all I could think was what if she somehow found a bit I didn't clean, or sucked out the chocolate water still soaking in the poor rug, ate it and got sick again! I do believe our ER trip traumatized me, and I'm not quite over supervising all intake. So we bargained-- I covered the poor rug in a beach towel and she got the cardboard tube from the paper towel roll I'd used up cleaning. It went over rather well....

On the bright side, my room now smells of dark chocolate! I got it out of just about everything except the rug... but I haven't given up, I need to find a steam cleaner that is okay for wool. And Finley was verrry pleased with shredding the cardboard :)

Thank you thank you thank you all for the wishes of good luck and confidence for Saturday,  I really appreciate it!! fingers crossed!!

p.s. ohmygosh! I just looked at the blogger post list over there on the right and I can't believe it's December! of course it is, the test is in December, but... I dunno, it came so quick!!