Dog "Show" more than I expected

After caring for my mom during her terminal illness in 2010-2011, I am getting back to showing dogs, basenjis in particular. After gleefully promising to show a friend's basenji 3 days at the York dog shows, it occurred to me that I hadn't worn my skirts in almost a year. And apparently the hallway is not only full of hell, but also donuts, chocolate and ice cream. What to do when all my clothes were too tight? After a week of dieting, I was beyond proud of myself that I could get back into a skirt that was practically new.

Showing was a bit of a disaster the first day as the male dog I was showing got distracted by girls in season. So distracted, in fact, apparently he thought I was hiding one in my hair because he kept trying to climb up to find her! I felt like Bruce Willis at the end of Die Hard when I got out of the ring. When the judge turns to you and says, "I just feel sorry for you!" you know you're not looking your best--or going to win.

Cleaning up in the bathroom afterward, I decided to change clothes in a stall which is always a challenge. Of course, the zipper of my skirt broke, and I got STUCK in it. Apparently I wasn't really able to fit into the skirt after all! I hopped out of the stall with a pair of jeans as far up my legs as I could get them, calling for my friend to help me. Thankfully she is a very practical friend who had a sewing kit in her bag, so--to the great delight of all in the ladies room--she cut my me out of my skirt in front of the sinks.

Now I say she is practical, but she isn't always sensible. She actually suggested I sew the skirt back up and it would be fine. "Does she really know me?" I asked myself. "Me--the person she has never even seen sew back on a button?" I dropped the skirt in the trash while she and I were
laughing so badly it didn't matter that the whole reason I had for taking it off was to save it from being dirtied by puppies later in the day.

You probably know the old saying, "Whenever God closes one door, he always opens another, even though sometimes it's Hell in the hallway!" This blog is about how I am getting through the hellish hallways in my life with a little help from my dogs and a sense of humor. I hope you enjoy my journey.