22 February 2020
Isn’t it a curious expression, ‘Free time’? I wonder what the etymology is of this phrase. You know what? I’m going to check . . .
Well, this is very interesting and it explains why ‘leisure’ rhymes with ‘pleasure’, when spoken by an Englishwoman.
Oh, how Leo loves being the center of attention! With a bunch of 8 year old girls in Newton, MA.
Apparently, ‘free time’ is time available to one’s self when not working. It is something you have in your ‘leisure’, and the development of the word ‘leisure’ during the last few centuries is also associated with the development of the word ‘pleasure’; hence, their rhyming pronunciation.
So, there you have it!
I have been enjoying ‘free time’, since our litter of Oskar x Piccolo puppies departed en masse on January 16th, 2020. And what have I done with that ‘free time’? I have been to the Post Office several times, caught up on my personal laundry, packed up the aero bed and removed it from the dining room, washed the tile floors in the living and AGA rooms, washed all of the cage banks and prepared them with fresh wee wee pads, washed and sterilized all plush puppy toys, run all of the rubber toys through the dishwasher, dried chicken treats in the AGA, made sweet potato chips on the AGA, replenished the freezer inventory of rare loin lamb chops and blanched green beans, tried a couple of new recipes, given up wine for two weeks . . . I don’t know that these things sound like ‘leisure’ or ‘pleasure’, as I go back and read the list. But I can assure you that having a clean fragrance free house and empty laundry room give me great pleasure!
Oskar x Billie’s litter of three. Shot by Kate Carter. November 2018.
Earlier this month and with more of my ‘free time’, I drove down to Pomfret Center, CT to bring Questa home for a couple of weeks. Our boy turned two years of age on 8 February and needed to have his hips XRAYed and sent in for evaluation/registration by the OFA. We also need to get him collected/evaluated/frozen for the second time, as a fellow breeder wants to use him later this month and I’d like his pipes to be cleaned and see what he’s shooting, before it’s time to perform for Bronte.
Last week, with more of my ‘free time’ I drove down to the Boston area to visit the grooming operation of one of our forever gals who has a littermate of Piccolo’s and to take care of a couple of errands.
He can sire, but he can’t drive. ;>)
And last week and with more of my ‘free time’, I drove up to the Canadian border for my NEXUS interview. It has arrived and will allow me TSA Pre-Check/NEXUS expedited boarder crossings, as I prepare to bring Kristof (the Erbosedition puppy from Slovakia) into the US in April 2020 and continue my recreational jaunts over the border to Montreal, with more of my ‘free time’. ;>)
Snug as a bug in a rug. Leo! Same breeding as Campari = Oskar x Billie. DOB 6 Sept 2018.
Meanwhile, my waiting game continues. Past experience and cycles indicate that Ziva will next come into season in March, Piper in April and Piccolo, in May. We’re going to skip Koko’s upcoming cycle, as I like to give the girls a season off periodically – and we’re shooting for lots of sable coated puppies with these next breedings. Leo is at the top of the list and frozen semen from Oskar will be considered, if logistics with Leo become difficult. Questa x Ziva is something I’ve wanted for her last breeding, but I don’t know that we’ll be able to swing that. Questa x Campari will be a 2021 breeding and once Kristoff arrives from Slovakia? His sable coat color genes will replace Leo and Oskar’s in my breeding program. We’ll be able to accomplish two things with our Erbosedition boy: a genetic outcross and getting back to coat color diversity, as we had in the beginning of the Kensington breeding program.
Leo, ne Rocky. Seven months old and stunning. 10 April 2019.
I am excited for spring! It has been wonderful to have been able to take a break and get my house back in order. Lady Cheryl’s bedroom has been prepped and is ready for her next visit and the laundry hamper is empty, thanks to all of the ‘free time’ I’ve had.
We’re ready for visitors and look forward to breeding & raising our upcoming 2020 litters for the Kensington peeps who’ve been waiting so patiently. As soon as there’s news to share? Trust me, I’ll be eager to share it!
Thank you all for the trust and confidence you’ve placed in me. We very much look forward to sharing future joy with you!
