Hi everyone!! This is for our Secret Corgi Santa-- we have not forgotten you! :) The day after Christmas Finn and I suffered a bit of a setback-- I got the flu and right as I got really sick, and wanted to watch Netflix in bed and finish my graduate school applications, my hard drive completely failed and I lost everything. It was bad. I just got the computer back, and am almost flu-free, so photos are coming! fear not.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We wish you a very merry Christmas!!!! 

We hope you all are warm, cozy, happy and safe this holiday! And a special thanks to our Secret Santa, we got both of your packages and they are tucked under the tree, can't wait to open them!

And to our friends over at Not a Leaf, Aparna and Gryff, we know you opened your gifts early so we are allowed to reveal ourselves, hope you love them!!

p.s. best hat ever, right?

bellyup!

love is corgi shaped

Since last we spoke...

Since last we spoke, corgi comrades, I have been going going going, and I never got to wish you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING! I hope you all were warm and cozy, surrounded by that you love the most. Finn, my family and I all headed up to my Aunt's house and had a great time.

I looked through my phone for some cute photos, and I realized that while I haven't been getting much sleep lately, Finn has, and she is still the cutest sleeper I know! So here are all my most recent photos of sleeping Finn, with a few from the rest of my life scattered in: (oops, newest at the bottom, sorry!)

Mom and Finn, watching Bones together :)

I'm my best friend's Maid of Honor! Vintage glassware inspirate:

Snooooore. Finn snores! Do your corgis? I like to tuck her in at night :)

I stripped, sanded and painted a great old vintage dresser with my Dad and boyfriend! I LOVE the three tiny drawers at the top. Didn't it come out cute??

Andrew and Finn...Do you think she likes him?? Look at that belly!

Up close. "Yessssss?"

It's been oddly foggy lately in San Francisco! Sunlight in the morning, burning it out of the inner sunset, looking through Golden Gate Park

 I'm studying these days again. Finn commiserates:

Thanksgiving! Peel de potatoes

Our first Thanksgiving out of the Navy!! YAY!

Happy fall faces! Love this one :D

Look, Mom! No paws!!

why, hello there... 

Love: the story of a 130 year old tortoise and a baby hippo

Have you all heard this story? It's been reported on NPR and international news agencies, but today is the first I've ever heard of it-- It's the story of a baby hippo named Owen that was rescued from the Indian Ocean in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, and bonded with Mzee, a 130 year old huge tortoise at a sanctuary in Africa! It is wonderful. You'll love it! Here is link to the story, which is a little document from NPR that was made for the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. Here is the intro and a few photos from that story:

December 26th, 2004 started off as a normal, quiet day.  My son Joshua and I were out for a morning walk along the beach in front of my home when suddenly the sea began to race in.  Within minutes the ocean became threatening.  The tide had risen well beyond the high water mark.  At that instant it became apparent the Tsunami that had started nearly 4,000 miles away far across the Indian Ocean would impact us as well.  In less than 12 hours the Tsunami had finally reached the coast of Africa from its point of origin in Banda Aceh.   

We ran from the beach back to my house where my sister and her children were waiting for us.  They were all crying having just seen on television the haunting images of the devastating Indian Ocean Tsunami. Although we escaped the waves, a one year old hippopotamus 80 kilometers away was not as lucky.  

Just before Christmas the unseasonably heavy rains near Malindi town washed a family of hippopotamuses down the Sabaki River and out to sea. The residents of the town tried in vain to urge the family back up the estuary.  When the Tsunami hit Malindi, the sea turned angry, the sky clouded over and for a moment the hippos disappeared and were forgotten as all efforts went to rescuing the stranded fishermen. The next day only one hippo could be seen. It was the baby and he was stranded on the reef. Hundreds of people came to watch the efforts to rescue the hippo. It took ropes, boats, nets and cars – though the hippo was tired he was still fast and slippery.  It took a brave rugby tackle to finally
capture him, and the cheering of the crowd could be heard over a kilometer away. 

Lafarge Eco Systems agreed to provide a home for the baby hippo and I rushed to Malindi to collect him. Tangled in fishing ropes, angry and tired, the hippo did not seem to appreciate our rescue at all. As we left for Mombasa, the crowd unanimously agreed to name him ‘Owen’ in honor of the volunteer who tackled him to the ground. Exhausted, confused and extremely frightened, Owen immediately ran to the safety of a giant tortoise when we released him in Haller Park.  Mzee, our 130 year old tortoise, just happened to be nearby and he was very surprised by Owen’s odd behavior cowering behind him as a baby hippo does to its mother. 

Mzee quickly came to terms with his new friend and even returned signs of affection.  The unusual relationship between this baby hippo and the ancient tortoise amazed people the
world over and has featured in most countries on television and in news papers.  

Owen and Mzee continue to spend their days together in the pond, feeding and patrolling. Owen nudges Mzee to come for walks, and Mzee sometimes even follows Owen. Hundreds of people have witnessed this incredible spectacle first hand at Haller Park which is open every day to the public.  Owen will eventually be moved to a bigger pond in Haller Park were he can socialize with other hippos.  

Dr. Paula Kahumbu
Chief Environmentalist, Haller Park
Mombasa, Kenya

Happy Halloween!!!

Finn and I took some Halloween-themed photos with a friend of mine, and the result was a lot of fun, and a lot of treats for Finn! Here are some of the best ones:

Here she was making her piglet noises while trying to find treat crumbs that I had dropped by accident:

 

 Happy Halloween!!!

oxoxo Sam and Finley

Corgi Clothes

Are you dressing your corgi up for Halloween this year? If so, please share!! I won't be home on Halloween, so Finn is escaping un-costumed this year... which is too bad for me, but she won't miss it at all. So I want to vicariously enjoy the fun of goofy outfits and tubular shaped dogs in antennae. Finn and I did take some silly Halloween-y photos that I will post this weekend, though! Let's just say horn-rimmed classes look good on her :)

Which brings me to dog clothes-- do you use them? I always toy with getting Finn a sweater or something for the winter. She isn't so into clothes though.

Here she is in her Paws for a Cause t-shirt last summer at a fundraiser. Thrilled, no?

Also, notice the slightly shredded end of the wrapping paper tube in the foreground... heh. The Shredder at work!

Do you have a favorite dog bed?

I am in the market for a new bed for Finn! Do you have any advice? What have you tried?

She really likes to sleep on the couch, but we are getting new ones, and it's not a great habit anyway. All the ones I have found in stores seem very meager when you actually put weight on them... a small amount of weight goes straight to through the fluff to the floor. I wish I could find a square of memory foam!

Does your Corgi sleep with you on your bed? What do they like to sleep on during the day? I feel for the little joints on a floor or rug and want to give her some nice cushion! Especially since Autumn is here.

I am apparently soft enough, though, which is very nice :)