Tue - March 22, 2005

A baker's dozen for a sweet wire

Celebrate the big day with wild and wire wishes.

The sweetest of wires from the coolest of climes,
Tiina the dog adds four to her nine.
A lover of walkies, a companion of cats,
Tiina from Finland has done all of that.

She's picked blueberries, and stalked the wild boar,
Lunched with Vilpertti and run out the door.

Her ears report for duty at constant attention,
Oh, that Tiina .. she has more virtues than we can mention.

As our favorite Finn turns a dramatic 13,
We wish her blueberry tarts and lots of cream.

Happy Birthday, Tiina.
--Gimlet and Nigel

Posted at 08:49 AM      

Fri - December 10, 2004

Hook, line and sinker!

Be a skeptic. Be aware. Be a terrier.

As the Bobby Vinton, King of the Polish Polka, once sang "Roses are red, my dear. Violets .... are blue."
Are you sure about that, Bobby?
It's said we have Red and Blue states. Some say Bush won re-election in 2004. Others that he won in 2000 (OK, we know they're wrong. He was selected president in 2004 by The Supremes). If he ran as an incumbent in 2004, but Gore was the one we elected in 2000, then Bush's entire incumbency and platform is a fallacy (some might say "sham"). We were without a president for four years... You know, considering the state of things, the whole RED/BLUE state of things, this argument has a lot going for it. We do seem to be a rudderless nation, caroming from crisis to crisis, collecting hits and hurts along the way.
American is, in fact, Black and Blue from years of being kicked around by Fox News, NeoCons and Greedy Corporations. That's right, the capitalists now have capital letters!
And someone else thinks he has political capital to spend in our capitol.
That's a capital offense against ... good sense.
We digress.
Do you have Gnomes in your garden? Pixies on your bedside table? Brownies in your lunchbox? Gremlins in your tax returns?
You may well have.

It's such a fantastical, and don't mistake that with fantastic, world out there. Only yesterday we trolled (trolls!) the Web and made a few discoveries:
• FDR was a failure. He kept us mired in the Great Depression.
• We're all going to love 43 in four years.
• Gore didn't win in 2000.
• Floridians don't know how to vote.
• Democrats vote on Wednesdays.
• Exit polls have never worked.
• Ohio voted for Bush.
• Bologna is good for you.
• Clinton is responsible for everything bad in America.
• America has a two-party system.
• Fox "news" is fair and balanced.
Who knew?

We're seeing red, though, and we're going to buy blue .
Kickass blue ... it's a hot color this year.
Want to see red? Read about the two brothers who own 80 percent of the voting machines in America. By the way, they're very, very ... red.
Doesn't that give you the Willies? Willies are very much like Brownies, who are very widdershins .
None of whom would have voted for 43.
We vote for an Ohio recount, and then if election fraud is found (oh, who are we kidding?) then giving the state to Kerry by default.
But we're just two little wire fox terriers and a large black cat.
Do we count at all?

Posted at 08:56 AM      

Sun - August 29, 2004

Keeping up with your joneses

Have a wire? Have an urge?
Have an inkling?

Photo courtesy of the unrivaled photographic talents of Tiina. And
yes, she's from Finland.

It's nearing the end of August, we're in the middle of Florida, and we're beginning to wonder if our windows will ever open to fresh air and breezes again.
We thought it was time for Tiina and a glimpse of her world in Finland.
More than that, we thought it might be time to clear the mildew off our imagination and imagine ourselves doing something different.
Gimlet has been ratting her head off ... and taking prisoners. She's a Divining Rod for Rats and right now, all indicators are that we have at least one more lurking in our garage.
Joe the Cat, any comments?
Gimlet is enduring some grooming and rejects all attempts to have her face, neck, tail and head trimmed.
I think I may ask for a grooming, too. It may help me cool off. I did get a new step so I can get on and off the bed by myself. Now I wonder if I should ask for mints on my pillow.
It was so wet and swampy here, and there were other things going on, that we missed three walks in the park this week ... we may have to form a union if this continues.
Gimlet threatens to go on a road trip next weekend but I know how she is about leaving her yard. We'll see what happens.
Meanwhile, it's sunny today. Hot and miserable, too. Looks as though the walk in the park will be moved to late afternoon. I'm told there will be brownie baking within the hour.
Now, that's something I can rouse myself for.
After that, I think it's back to some art projects. I saw another curb acquisition come into the garage yesterday. What an unusual chair ... 1969 boudoir style with heart-shaped back and a skirt? What the heck will be made of that?
Chad and Olivia have been around, too. Always enjoy seeing and talking with them. Chad has been sampling some of our green beans and says to be on the lookout for surprises. What does he mean, I wonder?
You can never tell.
Get up and do something, wherever you are. Even if you get up just to grab a book and sit back down. Get going!
--Nigel

Posted at 11:51 AM      

Sat - June 19, 2004

Knockin' on the door

One door closes, another opens?
Let the dogs in!

Photo courtesy the extraordinary photographic talent of Tiina, our Finnish friend.

Our friend Tiina has the look of perfect invitation ... don't you long to cross her path and threshold? We imagine she is the perfect hostess, forever doing jumps and refilling the frosty glasses of her guests with pink gin. Lots of bubbles, we bet.
Well, we're entertaining today (we'll make a good attempt at it, anyway) and we're very excited.
Very.
Our guests are uninitiated to the ways of the wire fox terrier. Perfect foils to our frenzies! We're anticipating jumping off their shins and bringing all our toys out for introduction.
To say the least.
We are donning our finery and helping out in the kitchen. Too late we realize we have never sprung for that chrome and glass drinks cart. Would it hurt to bring a little William Powell class to the joint?
Drag out the pink tray ... it will do.
We must fly ... still lots of this 'n' thats to see to ... Oh, this is going to be good! Friends are coming over!
--Gimlet and Nigel

Posted at 04:33 PM      

Thu - January 29, 2004

Table for two

Nothing is quite as sweet as a treat shared with a friend.

Who is our Finnish friend and wire Tiina chatting with: Worf or Vilpertti?
We're too busy these days. Our lives are shot with imperatives, goals, deadlines and manufactured missions. We don't take the time to settle, reflect and enjoy our lives or the world and its pleasures.
And there are pleasures.
There are delicious treats waiting to be shared with good friends. There are toys that have long been resting in their boxes and long to be played with. For Joe the Cat, there's catnip ... he seldom indulges these days.
Now, Gimlet has a true sense of play. She enjoys a lively banter with the fruit rats in the backyard. Well, they are nattering little devils.


Photo by Joe the Cat
Mary had a little lamb ... and Gimlet and Nigel found her.

We don't want to imply that you must hurry and enjoy yourself. That would be absurd. But, if you have a moment, and surely you do, consider your surroundings ... and yourself.
Walk over to Tiina's Cafe, or start a franchise in your neighborhood. You'll notice that once you cross the threshold, you'll find a friend ... and contentment.
After all, what does Starbucks know that we don't?

Posted at 09:57 PM      

Sun - January 25, 2004

A very cool wire

At last! We've landed Tiina, the wire from Finland.
She just can't take a bad picture.
Here's the first of an occasional series on our Finnish friend.

Tiina, pronounced as in Turner ...
Tiina, as in the coolest wire that we know of ...
Tiina, who lives in Vantaa, in the south of FInland.

We're pleased to have finally landed a photo opportunity with Tiina (see above).
This photogenic wire was born in March of 1992. (Yes, she is born in the Year of the Monkey, but as Tiina puts it "deep inside the furs of every wire fox terrier there is a monkey lurking, never mind the year they are born in."
How true.


That is one cool chapeau!

She is also known as Tiina the Arctic White Wolf.

Yes, we can certainly see the truth in that.
She is the only pet of Anne, and the third wire in Anne's life.
Three must be a very lucky number ...
Tiina is home-schooled, knows basic obedience, excels at soccer and swimming and ... speaks cat fluently.
This comes in handy because her good friends are the cats Vilpertti and Worf.
Her favorite foods are pizza, ice cream (we bet there's plenty of that in Tiina's neck of the woods) meat balls and carrots.
Good selection, that.

Like most wires, she does have a favorite toy ... Roo, the furry stuffed thing. Hmmm, wonder what Roo started out as ...And, of course, she does have a fondness for squeaky things when she isn't playing with her soccer ball.
Where is the soccer ball hiding under all that snow?

Tiina takes many walks, and in the most scenic of places!

We will be visiting with Tiina on occasion. Whenever we need a fix of breathtaking scenery and wish to be consumed by visions of idyllic days.
Oh, we could go on ...


We'd also like to point out that Tiina sports some nifty wire ears. They speak for themselves and do her immense credit.
Welcome, Tiina! We'll be visiting you often.

Posted at 08:26 PM