caninus

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 a soon to be Princess & her dogs aboard ship headed to Monaco

More than a few of you mistakenly thought the last post called Requiem:Sophie's Choice was about my dog.  No, this is The Sophie I've written about a number of times. She will be missed by her friends (me) & family.

 Sophie

 stories about Sophie here

 My Zetta, (alive & well), wishes not to go by the way of urban legend-she is making her own.

 Zetta

stories about Zetta here

Then- there is My Beloved, in fact- some of my first posts, Dog Gone, are about Moses,(deceased).

 Moses

stories about Moses here

Finally there is Argos, Sophie's adopted brother, written about initially- when he was skin & bone-literally.

& about Argos here

 this photograph is indeed of Argos-mistakenly identified as Sophie in the last post. We all make mistakes-but luckily there are few when it comes to our dogs.

Sophie & her mistress

 (photograph by Missy McLamb)

then, there are other dogs in my life-but that's another story...

but for the moment-this blog-officially Gone to the Dogs.

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Requiem: Sophie's choice

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She loved Sophie.Sophie adored her.
She found a kindred spirit. Sophie found her soul mate.
She would question. Sophie never asked.
She would speak. Sophie remained silent.

Some dogs choose their own masters. Masters choose their dogs.With Sophie- there could be no other master. I like to say the dogs that are rescued have been temporarily misplaced- & as owner of Moses, there will be other dogs-but never again Moses. The same can be said of Sophie.
Sophie is her dog- my dearest of friends, Now that Sophie has found her- her world seems complete. This is Sophie's choice.
 & so it continued-day in & out-until last month when She discovered Sophie had cancer-and it was killing her.
Sophie was dignified to the end.She was not.
Sophie traveled swiftly. She is left behind, bereft.


 
Our dogs have infinite capacity to love us. It is remarkable. What they know of Us surpasses our understanding of them. If it were up to them they would live alongside Us forever.

Sophie was one of my dearest dog friends, & other stories about Sophie and her brother ARGOS, and family here
(photograph by Missy McLamb)


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reading in RED

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it's RED today, and the delightful HANDEYE, Woman in Red, by Julia West.

last December, Madeline Weinrib recommended the HANDEYE magazine for gifting. fortunately I have a dear friend that subscribed for me and it is a great gift.

 (photograph courtesy of Madeline Weinrib)

Read the RED, Read Madeline's picks for holiday gift giving here- some of the best ideas Still.

 Sophie's Choice (courtesy of Missy McLamb photographers)

and read about my dear friend, Sophie's mom, here. 
I am doing some Christmas decorating for a client today.


(1st image from Vogue.com, detail of Valentino, Spring 2012)

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every dog deserves its day

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the photograph of a beloved family. my dearest family of friends- every last one including the 2 beasts of a dog.  told by my father for many years- "you do love dog flesh"- & I do. I can think of no substitute for the companionship of the dog.
Husband?
No, she has one.
Children?
No, she has two-
and now 2 dogs-Argos and Sophie- Pulsing Weimaraners.
Doubtless any of these family members feel the same about these 2.
Ah! the stories they could  tell. The stories she tells are quite something, so certainly their rival versions would curl your ears. Argos- the year old gumby can sit you down and wrap himself around you in a modestly proportioned club chair. You are surprisingly comfortable- Argos is akin to an alpaca blanket. He is quite settled. Surely you can guess- Argos is the sprawled one-center stage. Sophie, ever the lady, in the forefront-observing, admiring her charges. Sophie knows all.
Whether you prefer the galumphing sort, the temerarious, gregarious or the raucous sort, often the dearest held are the oddest proportions of these. My own "pet" breed right now is something of them all, making each day a "treat."

What's the build up for? The most charming, delightful and soulful film I have seen in some time.

Dean Spanley

 It might just be the perfect film.

Peter O'Toole. Sam Neill, Jeremy Northam, Brian Brown.

streaming on Netflix, and on youtube as well. If you have seen it-let me know, If not. Do- and let someone else on on this little masterpiece- every deserves its day.
& if you have an English dog-you may already know it- if unknown to you Sir-no thanks is needed.

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more Argos: the Odyessy Part III

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after almost 8 weeks Argos thrives.
It seems he is growing up,not out. It is inevitable. His adopted family is an active one. Walkers, Runners, two boys-all sports all the time and Argos is keeping up. His canine sister SOPHIE is long suffering-
Can't you tell?

Sophie, l. Argos, r.

The fact that a Lady of Sophie's breeding shares HER bed is telling. She must LOVE Argos. It would be hard not to-
My remark to her master- " She looks a bit put out."  Never to let a man get the best of her though-

Argos in Blue, Sophie in Pink

"The dog... is the God of frolic."

 Henry Ward Beecher

 

 

 It is right that Sophie establish her throne Now-

Argos will be mighty and strong, and bigger, 

Much bigger.

 

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a little more Argos: the Odyessy Part II

(Fabric by Kelly Wearstler for F.Schumacher-Imperial Trellis)

HAPPY DOG- priceless

the Odyssey: young Argos Part I

the Greek story of ARGOS, Odysseus' faithful dog, is the essence of the unerring-unquestioning relationship between  master and dog. Faithful ARGOS-after twenty years of waiting for his master to return- immediately recognizes Odysseus as he arrives home dressed as a beggar. ARGOS cannot get up- but only wags his tail and drops his ears in honour and recognition of his master. Now so old and sorely neglected- as Odysseus passes he sheds a tear at the long years he and ARGOS have been apart-both remembering their glory days. ARGOS at last- seeing his master returned- Dies.

 excerpted from Homer's Odyssey: 
As they were talking, a dog that had been lying asleep raised his head and pricked up his ears. This was Argos, whom Odysseus had bred before setting out for Troy, but he had never had any enjoyment from him. In the old days he used to be taken out by the young men when they went hunting wild goats, or deer, or hares, but now that his master was gone he was lying neglected on the heaps of mule and cow dung that lay in front of the stable doors till the men should come and draw it away to manure the great close; and he was full of fleas. As soon as he saw Odysseus standing there, he dropped his ears and wagged his tail, but he could not get close up to his master. When Odysseus saw the dog on the other side of the yard, dashed a tear from his eyes without Eumaeus seeing it, and said:

"Eumaeus, what a noble hound that is over yonder on the manure heap: his build is splendid; is he as fine a fellow as he looks, or is he only one of those dogs that come begging about a table, and are kept merely for show?"

"This hound," answered Eumaeus, "belonged to him who has died in a far country. If he were what he was when Odysseus left for Troy, he would soon show you what he could do. There was not a wild beast in the forest that could get away from him when he was once on its tracks. But now he has fallen on evil times, for his master is dead and gone, and the women take no care of him. Servants never do their work when their master's hand is no longer over them, for Zeus takes half the goodness out of a man when he makes a slave of him."

So saying he entered the well-built mansion, and made straight for the riotous pretenders in the hall. But Argos passed into the darkness of death, now that he had seen his master once more after twenty years.

ARGOS

Our story is of the young ARGOS... just 15 weeks old- sadly neglected by his master, ARGOS has struggled to survive with his two brothers-one did not have Argos' strength and died. ARGOS, treated for parvo and quarantined, was an urgent case that had to be placed in foster care immediately.  Rather than finding a foster family-though that was their intention- ARGOS has found a new home-complete with MASTER, FAMILY, DOG. SOPHIE- her story here- is ARGOS' sister- she is grumbling accordingly -but She, as ARGOS will soon discover, is perfectly placed with her family. Sophie was a rescue dog too. Deep within her memory- she knows and accepts.

the Master of these two weimaraners told me "ARGOS came with the name Gomer- which of course will not suit a weimaraner, much less MY dog! -Anyway, you know it's from The Odyssey - Odysseus' faithful dog who awaited his return, mistreated while he was away, a true survivor and loyal companion... "

Young ARGOS has a new life- much eating and growing to do-
& a feast of Unlimited love from two young boys.


...more Chronicles of ARGOS' odyssey- as he grows!

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Sophie's Choice, et al

more Sophie:

Sophie's Mom's Choice: from the Times Online- Forward thinking: New Best Friends- Wise Dog Cushion,"Homeware 2009: Interior Must Haves"

the bed that Sophie is not sleeping on

Sophie and Master (courtesy of Missy McLamb photographers)

on the subject of WALLPAPER:

The perfect rooms for papering are rooms with quirky angles & sloped ceilings. These rooms are featured in the latest Elle Decor issue June 2008 Summer Chic! Issue. In the home of Veronica and Jamie Beard, Veronica's aunt and cousin did the decorating- (Chiqui and Nena Woolworth); all three dedicated to the Palm Beach style.

China Seas Wallpaper, reverse of- fabric on the headboard

photograph by Simon Upton

Guest Room Quadrille Paper

photograph by Simon Upton

Wallpaper is making a comeback- that is- IF it was ever abandoned. My young clients still love it in bathrooms and powder rooms and I do too.

My thought has always been- Nothing is better that great paper-Nothing worse than bad paper. It seems a simple concept- Papers can enhance any room really. Best bets are the bath and bedroom, though scenics are stunning in a dining room or foyer. Small foyers and entryways can be perfect places for larger patterns- making an impact and setting up the personality of the home.

Perhaps one reason for the decline in paper is the open planning in houses today. Where do you stop a paper where the Kitchen, Family Room, Breakfast Room are one roaming space? Answer- You don't, So the effects of Paper can be overwhelming in this case. Its not for everyone or every room- Another reason for its demise. its OVERKILL. A house full of wallpaper can be suffocating-even the best of the best- Going from room to room without recitatives is jarring.

Be on the lookout for additional posts and wallpapers I have selected for my clients. There are some wonderful papers you can peruse online- Cole and Son, Mulberry, and G P J Baker.
Osborne and Little and Quardrille.

interesting posts about paper by little augury: (click here) PB in the WH , & here Pardon Me, but Are you wearing my wallpaper?
and by A Bloomsbury Life (click here)

and loving FROMENTAL, more about them on another post.


Ikat Patchwork-FADING AWAY: an Ebay purchase 2007, that just went out in today's sun for a good fade before using it this summer. Most likely heading to my bedroom. Christmas of 2007 - I used yards of an Ikat fabric to make a bow for my front door wreath- it looked perfect and in about 2 weeks of Southern December sunshine it had faded- and nicely so.

Hurry sunshine. Right now the patchwork is quite bright, hopefully FADING will photograph well.

Sophie's Choice

Some dogs choose their own masters. Masters choose their dogs.With Sophie- there could be no other master. I like to say the dogs that are rescued have been temporarily misplaced- as owner of Moses, there will be other dogs-but never again Moses. The same can be said of Sophie.

Sophie is her dog- my dearest of friends, Now that Sophie has found her- her world seems complete.

This is Sophie's choice.

Sophie and her master at home
(photograph by Missy McLamb)

Sophie and Shades of Gray

from Sophie's point of view

black patent slip cover on bench, YSL style

the master's mix

view of Sophie's pad

Kuba(cloth), Fortuny(curtains), Aesthetic(movement)
(click Kuba(cloth) above to read more)

the master carried her grandmother's Fortuny curtains along

Sophie's Bone Collection

looking through to the office

Office Mix
French(settee), Urban Electric( shagreen lamp), MOP(table)

Music Room
Elliott Puckette composition

Mother of Pearl and Kuba Cloth


Dining Room

Choice of China

small japanned buffet (by Sanford Peele), smocked curtains

Sophie's Den

Tablescape Mastery

Sophie on standby( waiting in far right corner)

... and waiting.