Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Birthday Lovers: I am 52 years old today, 6-15-09!
OMG, OMG, OMG! It just seem so surreal that 52 years ago I looked like this! This picture was taken at one day old.

Look how beautiful my Mommy is!

I think the cutest thing is how she put that little point on my head! I love that. To this day I pull all of my hair up on top of my head. LOL

I also hold my left hand to my face like that when I am thinking or resting. Is that too funny? Instead of the baby bracelet (which I still have, of course) I wear the HOP support bracelet. I put it on years ago and I have never been without it.

Who knew that a little baby like me would grow up to love basset hounds so much? I just find that a blessing. A pretty little baby blessing.

I love my life. Thank you Mom and Dad. My journey through my life is like winning the best lottery ticket ever. The ticket of life! Sweet!

More loving life and basset hounds later……….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and telling on the Mayor Lovers! Well, I guess I will. Way back when, the Mayor was angry about having Emma in his life. We had a horrible transition with him and Emma.

The breeders told us that Chaps loved Emma and they were a bonded couple but that was not the case! It could have not been further from the truth. You see, Chaps never had an attachment to any human and when he got one he was frantic to keep it, aka me. He was so jealous of Emma and not one bit bonded to her. The breeders were wrong, wrong, wrong. As I look back on it, how could they have been bonded? Emma was a pup weeks old and Chaps was relegated to a pen for most of his life. He was a three year old male. He was frustrated and newly neutered.

It was a tough row to hoe as Emma can attest to. The Mayor hated her! You can see from the picture.

Click to see the stitches.

If we had known the true dynamics things might have been different. However, the breeder did not let us know. Looking back, it makes total sense.

Chaps hated Emma for months. Emma loved him from the get go!

This was not a love bite from Chaps. It was a hate bite.

We got through it. Now they are BFF!

More history later……Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and vintage pictures of Grandma, Grandpa and the kids lovers. I was looking through my massive gallery tonight and found this picture. I took it about 5 years ago of Grandma and Grandpa walking the kids. We had just brought them into our family! Grandpa had his boy and Grandma had her girl.

Look how young everyone was! Styling and profiling! LOL!

More enjoying the past later……..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Bailey Lovers! Candy is Bailey’s Mom and she bought one of these cool frames that our friend Peter donated to HOP! Here is the link so you can buy one if you want!

Basset picture frame with Resin Mom, Dad and 2 Pups!

Now, may I present residents Candy and her picture of Bailey in this cool frame! YES!

Candy – this is totally sweet and cute.

Shoppers there are only 3 left!

More getting them while they are hot lovers…….Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo fellow Basset Hound and Mac and Cheese Lovers! How many hounds can catch cheese this good!

One of my favorite dishes is Mac and Cheese so this hound really captures my appetite! LOL!

Hey Mac, save some for Chaps and Emma!

More Mac and Cheese later….Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

OK – a little sooner than later………

Now for a little singing after Cheese……

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Dog Chapel Lovers: I just cannot wait to visit this place some day. I really want to take the kids. I have some pretty fun goals that I hope to achieve within the next 2 – 3 years.

Last Sunday I featured a tiny church in Iceland. One of our residents, Lois commented about the Stephen Huneck Dog Chapel in Vermont and how much she loves it. She said she had some pictures so I asked her to send them for today’s blog about soulful places.

Very nice Lois. Great picture. Lois also sent this picture of the Chapel,

Could that sky be any bluer?

The Chapel has stain glass windows with some of Stephen’s famous art. Just breath taking.

I popped over to the Chapel’s site this morning (link above) and found out some fun and fantastic news. The Dog Chapel is featured in the July issue of Architectural Digest which is out now. Do yourself a favor. Click on this link and enjoy more pictures that will make your Sunday special.

ARCHITECTUAL DIGEST JULY ISSUE LINK TO STEPHEN HUNECK DOG CHAPEL

Just magical. I think I might pick up a copy today.

Thanks Lois for reminding me about this treasure so I could show case it again. I hear Vermont calling!

More magic later…..Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and walking five mile lovers with 22 hounds! This is so cute and fun. I wish we were a part of this group!

Oh, look at the cows at the 4 minute mark! So cute! If I ran across this group I might have had a kipnipshin fit.

The commentator on this video is the best!

More loving this group later….Cat, Chaps and Emma

P.S. Down hill all the way back!

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and new Umbrella Lovers: I know that sounds weird but it really adds a lot to a small space. Many of you who read my blog know all about the “Ladies Room”. My Dad coined the term when we set it up for Lily. She got too old to go down the back steps to the backyard potty area. Actually, my Dad designed the Ladies Room. It went from old lady potty area to young pup potty area. I cannot tell you how this spot came in handy for Emma. From puppy potty training, to a young blind hound having a safe and familiar place to do her business. I cannot tell you how often I praised this area when Emma had her back surgery. She stayed right inside the room that this leads out to the ladies room.

I just love this little area. It has saved my life!

I have a spicket with hot water for a nice clean up, summer and winter. I said it before and I will say it again. I live in a dog house. Everything is for the hounds!

So, I let Emma out to take a picture of the new umbrella and what does she do? Hey, it’s the ladies room! LOL

Chaps used to refuse to go out in the ladies room. Now he is OK with it. I think I got him used to it over the winter. That is a sliding glass door that they can step right out in all kinds of weather. OK – who am I kidding? The umbrella is for them. Hounds don’t want to get wet or snowed on!

More doing for the hounds later…….Gotta love it! Cat, Chaps and Emma

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Howllo Fellow Basset Hound and Early Morning Misty Air lovers, AKA – EMMA!

Did I ever tell you that story? How Emma was named? OMG, can you imagine me waiting to get Emma? It was excruciating. Every day moved like snails through molasses. The breeder, BoBac, had to decide which girl I was going to get so they had to run them all through the ropes of what hounds they wanted to keep and show. After all of that waiting and wringing of hands they wound up selling all of them. That part was really, really hard. I will never do that again. It was just too stressful.

Anyway, we had fun picking a name. My Mom and I wanted to call her STAR! My Dad absolutely freaked out and said that it sound like a name for a stripper. LOL! My Dad is the one who actually came up with the name Emma. He was taking a walk one morning to the park with my Mom and he heard a Mother calling for your little girl in the front yard. She kept shouting “Emma, Emma, Emma – breakfast”!

I thought that was so cute. So Emma it was. However, I wanted to link that name to the name of her Mother. Emma’s Mom’s name is FIRST LIGHT, AKA – DAWN.

So, I came up with Emma’s full name for her papers in honor of her Mom.

EARLY MORNING MISTY AIR……………I just love it. I call her that all the time. As a matter of fact, we were laying in bed this morning and the air was misting with rain. I told her that this was her kind of morning. So I snuck back to get my camera to try and capture the moment.

She is stretched out under her summer comforter. It’s so light and comfy.

I love you Mommy………

I am starting to think about breakfast now!

Emma feeling the Early Morning Misty Air……….

More stories from the baby book later……Love, Cat, Chaps and Early Morning Misty Air………

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Howllow Fellow Basset Hound and Holding Hound Hand Lovers! This is not a really good picture, but I was trying to hold hands with the Mayor. Last night we had a really rough night with storms in basset hound town. We were up at 5:20 and I was trying to calm the Mayor down by holding his paw.

Really all you can do is hold a paw! Emma was watching on. She is so good and has no fear.

More holding hands at 5:20am later………Love, Cat, Chaps and Emma

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