Monday, September 29, 2008

Another great weekend and the boys are back!!

Well......I can't believe it. We did it again. We had a show in Arcadia this weekend. And.......I know the number 33 isn't as impressive at 40 or 52, but......we brought home 33 finals for 5 cats. We had a total of 50 possible finals and we brought home 33. Not too shabby. This is almost getting embarassing. I kind of feel bad about bragging so much.

But.....that is the purpose of The Daily Meow. To brag about the accomplishments of the Kokopellie cats and to write about whatever I wish to write about. And since it is hard enough to come up with new and interesting ideas for a daily Daily Meow......bragging it is.

We had the Fab Four with again this weekend, Frosty, Polar, Nicholas and PJ. For kicks and giggles we brought along Alexandra, Nicky's sister. Kokopellies Alexandra brought home some finals of her own, including a 2nd allbreed final from Elektra Hammond. I can't remember the exact breakdown of finals. I know Polar finaled in 8 out of 10. Frosty, I believe finaled in 8 out of 10 as well. I'll have to check the book and find out for sure.

The other great part about this weekend was that I got my boys back!! They have spent the last two weeks with their dad. It's part of the custody arrangement. He gets them for a week or two occasionally. :-) I was met with purrs and chirps and little meows. When I got back to the hotel room Saturday night after dinner all they wanted to do was cuddle. They didn't even want to play. Way too sweet. They certainly knew how to melt my heart.

So now we're on to Lodi this coming weekend. I'm hoping that it will be as fun and exciting as the last three weekends. I know it will be busy. Just as Jon took the Fab Four up to Reno by himself I am taking the Fab Four up to Lodi by myself. I may have to tap on the kindness of others. I'm actually hoping that I will because this will mean that we are getting a ton of finals!! :-) Keep your fingers and toes and paws crossed.

meow for now,
melissa

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Reno show....we did it again

Well.......Jon came back from the Reno show very tired. The boys came back from the show very tired. The reason??? 40 finals!! That's why they're so tired. The Fab Four remained fabulous for the second show in a row.

The Reno show was an 18 ring show. PJ finaled 8 for 18, Nicky finaled 9 for 18, Polar finaled 9 for 18 and Frosty finaled 14 for 18. So for those keeping score, that's Siberians 23, Bobtails 17. If you remember from the Tucson show, the Bobtails won they point fest. Of course, they did have Sorbet batting clean up for them......:-) Will Arcadia be the tie breaker? Stay tuned to see if it's the Slobs or Bobs who come out on top at the Arcadia show.

Jon tallied Frosty's points for the weekend. Give or take in either direction I believe Frosty came close to 2600 points for the weekend. Not too shabby.

I know I who a huge debt to those who helped Jon show the cats. Handling/showing 4 cats isn't a big deal. As Jon pointed out, the big deal comes when they start finaling. Well.....it was a big deal!! There were several exhibitors who went out of their way to help Jon get the cats to the rings. We/I are truly grateful for your assistance. There is a special place in heaven for those who help others.

We have another show this weekend in Arcadia. Slobs vs the Bobs. The Slobs will have little Alexandra batting clean up for them. Should be fun. Stay tuned for more reports. I finally get my boys back on Saturday. I've been missing them something awful.

meow for now,
melissa

Friday, September 19, 2008

Missing......

The house is too quiet. It's full of cats but it's spirit is missing. In case you haven't figured it out.....Polar and PJ are with their Dad this weekend. He took them to Reno. He has them for the next two weeks until the Arcadia show and then I get my boys back. It's kind of funny, if you didn't know I was talking about cats you would probably think this was some kind of custody arrangement.

The whole energy level in the house is different. They're not loud cats. They just have a presence about them that's hard to miss. Since PJ went to stay with his Dad, Pony and Smudgie (who really does need a home) have just blossomed. Pony went back to the Pony before PJ. She follows me all over. She comes over and taps me when she wants attention. It's too cute. I keep reminding her that he's coming back......Of course, PJ's stay may be shorter than originally thought. He's only 6 months old and is starting to realize what boy kitties do. He actually realized that at 4 1/2 months old. Now he's starting to realize that he can enjoy it as well. At my house it hasn't really been a problem so far. All the girls are neutered. At Jon's house......it's a different story. The girls there are much more interesting. Only problem is that they're either his half sister, his mother, too young or the wrong breed. Poor little PJ hasn't been given free roaming privileges. :-(

He probably heard us talking about maybe having him sire a litter or two and see what he produces. Knowing PJ he wants to get started right away. Little horn dog. Just like Snowy.

So anyhow.....Jon and the fab four are up in Reno this weekend. They're trying to repeat last weekend's performance in Tucson. Keep your fingers, toes and paws crossed.

I'll try to update this weekend if Jon calls with great news.....

meow for now,
melissa

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Didn't have to wait too long....

Well.....I didn't have to wait too long to see the show report for the Tucson show. Jeane just posted it.

As I was hoping for......Kokopellies Polar Frost was 2nd Best Kitten in show. Kokopellies Czar Nicholas was 3rd Best Kitten in show. Cooncreole Zhivago was 2nd Best Cat in show. Kokopellies Polar Express was 2nd Bets Alter in show. Woohoo!!!! Not too shabby.

Once again, an incredibly unforgettable weekend. We'll still be talking about this come April.

meow for now,
melissa

52=9188

Just back from Tucson. Well....actually yesterday afternoon, but I was too tired to post. Too tired in a good way. We came, we saw, we conquered Tucson. We brought 5 cats to Tucson. We came home with 52 finals and 9188 points.

It was an unbelievable weekend. Everything seemed to go right. Jon and I are still flying high.

The break down of finals is:
Kokopellies Polar Frost, PJ, got 13 finals.
Kokopellies Czar Nicholas, Nicky, got 12 finals.
Cooncreole Zhivago, Frosty, got 12 finals.
Kokopellies Polar Express, Polar, got 11 finals.
Kokopellies Sorbet got 4 finals.

Poor little Sorbet couldn't compete with the big boys this weekend. Although we got some wonderful feedback from the judges about her. She championed in her first big girl show. Way to go Sorbie.

Jon and I were running crazy all day. Barely anytime to sit and relax. But it was a good crazy. It was one of those shows that you dream of your whole show career. One of the better parts of the weekend came not from the finals but from the judges. We (Jon) received so much positive feedback on his breeding program. To hear several judges tell him that the American Bobtails that he puts in the ring epitomize the standard just confirms all the hard work that he has put into the breed. It has been a long lonely road for him in the Bobtail community. He has accomplished so much within the breed on his own. Not an easy task.

And now....we (Jon) have the added joy of the Siberians as well. We had two judges tell us such wonderful things about Nicky. One judge told me that they don't normally like Siberians, but that Nicky was an exceptional kitten and that he was going places. Another judge said that the thing she liked most about Nicky was that when she looked into the cage, she knew he was a Siberian. Jon spends an incredible amount of money and time in his breeding stock. It was such recognition for him this weekend to have everything that he has been working towards rewarded so well.

This may be one of those shows of a lifetime. With a little help from above, perhaps there will be more in the future. Time and some good grooming will tell.

Until then we will just keep working as hard as we can to come up with the best cats that we can and see what happens. I can't wait to see the show report!!

This weekend of course has Jon all inspired. He is off to Reno on Thursday for the show, then Arcadia, then Lodi, then Arcadia, then Albuquerque, then Arcadia, then Tucson, then Arcadia, then.........:-) We're having the time of our lives right now.

The only down side to this is I am without my boys. Jon kept Polar and PJ to take them to Reno this weekend. He will have them for 2 weeks. Until Arcadia. That's when I get my boys back. The house is already too quiet. There is a spirit missing. But.....the one thing I want more than anything is an IW (international win) for Polar. He came very close the first season I showed him. Last season, he came close, but not that close. He was also missing 4 shows from the season before. All we can do is try, try, try. They are finally recognizing the top 25 for international wins this season in all categories. I would still love #20, but will be very happy with #25.

Soooo........52 finals equals 9188 points. PJ got 2147, Nicky got 2173, Sorbet got 658, Frosty got 2218 and Polar got 1992 pionts. Unbelievable!!! I'm not quite sure when the high from this weekend will end. Hopefully never.

meow for now,
melissa

Friday, September 12, 2008

Another day, another show

Well.......it seems like I just finish writing about one show when we're off to do another. We're off to Tucson tonight with five cats in tow. Appearing in Tucson this weekend will be Cooncreole Zhivago, Kokopellies Czar Nicholas, Kokopellies Polar Express, Kokopellies Sorbet and Kokopellies Polar Frost. Yes......I am going to sleep well on Sunday. :-)

It should be a fun weekend. We have one of the best crops of show cats that we've had in a long time. The problem is we have too many to show and not enough funds to show all the ones that should be shown. I know. Poor us. We'll just have to rotate some cats. Nicky's sister, Alexandra should be coming to the shows as well. Look for her at some future Arcadia shows.

Things have been really crazy as of late. The Annual seems to be the kick off for the season. Now we're going to be running hot and heavy for the rest of the year. We have two goals this season. Get Frosty a regional win so he gets his Lifetime Achievement Award and get Polar into the top 25 so he gets his International win and his Lifetime Achievement Award. Everything else will be icing on the cake.

I'll have to post more Bobtail stories soon. With the addition of PJ and Smudgie into the house, the Bobtail games have gotten even more exciting. And then there was all the fun while I was babysitting some of Jon's girls at my house. Pierre was in love!!

Miss Smudgie needs a home. She is the sister to Painted Pony. She is black and white and has the short tail. She is beyond affectionate. Maybe too affectionate. She has the most incredible gold eyes and a look that just says love me forever. So......Smudgie needs a forever home. She would make a great companion and even a decent show cat. She has a great head and muzzle and good tail length. I thought a great registered name for her would be Peppermint Patty.

Anyhow meowers......if anyone knows someone who could use a very affectionate lap cat, I have one for sale. She's already spayed. Just needs a forever lap.

meow for now,
melissa

Thursday, September 4, 2008

The Annual

Well.....we're back from the Annual in Arlington, Texas. A great time was had by all. Those Texans really know how to throw a party and make you feel welcome. The weekend started off on Saturday morning when the local Councilwoman swore us in as honorary Texans. The swearing in came complete with a vocabulary lesson. Too fun.

Probably the most exciting thing that happened, happened to Jon. Our flights on Friday left within 5 minutes of each other. His arrived and hour later......My flight and I'm assuming his, were within about 1/2 hour of Dallas. Our pilot came on and said that due to weather in Dallas, we were put in a 30 minute holding pattern. Jon's apparently was as well. However........his pilot had some even more interesting news. Their plane didn't have enough fuel to circle. They were going to have to divert to Lubbock to refuel. Refuel????? His flight was from Burbank to Dallas and they barely put enough fuel on board for that? Way too scary. But.....Jon, Nicky and Frosty all arrived safe and sound. Polar and I greeted them at baggage claim.

Yep......just Polar and I. PJ's eye just wasn't fully recovered enough for me to make the trip. Of course it looked absolutely perfect when I got home on Monday. Go figure.

As previously reported, we knew we were going to be facing some very stiff competition. And we did. But.....the boys managed to get some finals and hold their own. Polar got 3 finals, two allbreed and one specialty. His allbreed finals were a 3rd out of 77, an 8th out of 75 and his specialty final was a 7th out of 28. Not too shabby. Frosty got three finals as well, including a 3rd best cat in an allbreed ring with a 90 count. Woohoo!! Not to be left out, little Czar Nicholas got a 10th in a specialty final out of 48 kittens. We're very proud.

We got to meet all sorts of people from all over the world. That's what I love about the Annuals. They truly are international events. We got to see some amazing cats, meet some newer breeds, make new friends and see old ones. It was a great time.

Now it's time to focus on Tucson. It's coming up next weekend already. The same weekend as the Humane Society's dinner. But.....I decided to go to Tucson this time. Just can't do the dinner.

I'll meow more later. Just wanted to update everyone on how the Annual went.

meow for now,
melissa