As we entered the grassy area and began to pass the first booth, the gentleman running it said, "Ah....there's the greyhound lady!  I was wondering if you were going to come this year."  I told him, "Yup!  Every year!"  Pointing at Nadya, he said, "What the heck kind of dog is that?"  So I had to stop and explain all about Nadya.  All about what a Borzoi is and where she came from and what she went through.  And this goes the same way every time someone asks about her.

  As we wandered around looking at the stands and all the fun things for sale, Nadya was actually poking her long nose into peoples hands or butts and sniffing for food.  She was approaching people instead of ducking and shying away when they approached her.

  Of course we had to stop every ten feet or so and re-explain about her, but that was kind of fun too.  On the way around the second time, my daughter said, "Mom almost everyone knows what a greyhound is , but now we have to explain what a Borzoi is."

In closing, I'd like to tell you that Nadya has recently discovered the joys of jamming her frigid, extensive proboscis up under the bed linens and applying it to the temperature sensitive underparts of mommy's behind!  This is, I'm sure, just to observe the height at which mommy can reach while shreiking at 110 decibels.  (I know I can hear her snicker when she does it now.)

  I have always given my dogs nicknames.  Malachi, the dobie is affectionately known as "Mookie."  The greyhounds all have their own nicknames too.  Patches, whose racing name was "Cheyenne Hart", nd is very much the lady and just a little snooty is known around here as "Her Royal Majesty Grand High Exhaulted Emporess Patches."  Sy is "Boogey", Hawk is "Hawk-a-doodle-doo" and Woody is "Bear".  So when Nadya came, it was natural to come up with   something a little different.  She became my "Little Zoi Toy" or "Zoi-sha".  The way she bounces around the yard, she is also known as "Tigger".  Sara, my daughter, came up with "Miss Hair America."  And it fits.  The shedding NEVER stops.

  Nadya has taken to climbing down off of the bed about 3:00 AM and wandering over to the hope chest in front of the bedroom window.  She drapes her royal self across the top of the chest and watches out the window.  WHAT she watches out the window is still a mystery to me since I looked up, down, left, right and all around and still can't seem to figure it out.  Seemingly satisfied, she hops back down and comes back to finish her nightly prime mission of shoving me completely out of the bed.

  One night, while Nadya was on her evening watch, I spotted Leonor getting off of her pillow and she wandered over to the hope chest.  She plopped across the chest and stared out the window.  She glanced at Nadya and back at me.  "What the heck is she looking at?"  was the expression on her face.

  After a good look around and not finding anything particularly interesting, Leonor went back to her nighttime nest.  I swear that Nadya was grinning....ever so slightly.  I think it was like someone on the street looking up just to see how many others he can get to look too.   I love the way this dogs mind works!

"Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby."

   This week, Nadya's friend Wesley, from puppy class had a birthday party.  He turned one year old and his mom and dad brought treats for everybody. lemon-poppyseed muffins for the two legged critters and parmesan cheese twists for the puppers.  Nadya absolutely loves these things, so I had to have Wesley's mom send me the recipe.  (They didn't taste like much to me, but if my dogs like them, I'm makin' 'em!)  (Yes.  I tried them too.)  They're made with wheat flour, cornmeal and parmesan cheese.  Yummy!

  And Nadya's doing so well in puppy class that I've decided to have her tested for her CGC, (Canine Good Citizen) and her TDI, (Therapy Dogs International) in October with the rest of her class.

  I came to this decision after taking her and Woody to a flea market.  This thing is held over a three day period every year at the same time and for the last four years, I've been taking a couple of the Greyhound kids to it every day.  This time it was Woody and Nadya's turn.