Briar Glen Farms

Home from France

2011-11-27T07:18:00.000-08:00

Got home from France the day before yesterday and have to report that I had an absolutely fabulous time.
Paris - smog, smog, smog. Drivers are insane, but had a blast throwing myself wholeheartedly into the fray when I missed a turn and had to go back. The French do not observe green lights or red lights. They just go and consequently you have chaos which can be likened to a video game of who squeezes who out of the line at an intersection. I had to bone up quickly on my obscene gestures and foul language to compete properly. Great fun and very liberating!!!
On to Orleans where the Southern European Regional Awards were being held. Imagine....900 cats competing in both TICA and Traditional judging (which is another story). The line ups were incredible and the French were lined up for miles to check in, shivering in the cold. Fortunately for me, coming from Canada, it felt just fine even in short sleeves. Their passion for their cats is phenomenal. Post check in you then line up again to have a vet go over your cat and check its papers and microchip numbers. Quite an experience!! The people are fabulous. Warm, friendly and welcoming. I had two kittens with me, Bree and Showgirl. Bree was already sold to a party down in the South of France who could not get to the airport, so poor me, had to drive to the South of France to deliver Bree after the show. A tough job, but someone had to do it. There was a Ragdoll Specialty in the Traditional Division and both Bree and Showgirl got good finals and I was left with the dilema of how to pack all the awards to fly back home.
The awards banquet was fabulous and the TICA best cat, a Ruddy Abysinnian was there along with his cheering section. All in all a wonderful experience with wonderful people and judges. On the advice of one of the Ragdoll breeders, went to Amboise to see the castle where the King of France installed Leonardo Da Vinci for a few years before he died. Did a cute hotel right inside town with the narrow streets and walking a spell to get to your parking, but all part of the experience.
On to Nice to deliver Bree. Being a country girl, did not really enjoy the Cannes/Nice scene too much with things like numerous signs showing you to watch your handbag at all costs all the ime or!!! Took a couple of pictures of obscenely large yachts and headed to Marie Sur Mer in the Camargue. Now that's my kind of place. Small town on the Mediterranean complete with horses, horses, horses and wild black bulls. Wonderful Bed and Breakfast 150 meters from the sea and 3 minutes in to the town center for 50 euros a night. Complete kitchen, sitting area, washing machine and wonderful comfy bed in the loft. 2 days there and off to the Pyrenees for 3 days at Laytoure Bed and Breakfast. A 17th century restored farm home in the country. Couldn't ask for more. All the heritage atmosphere with a completely modern bathroom and kitchen. 50 euros a night with a great breakfast. Had to decide if I was going to do two days there and make a run up the freeways at the usual 150 KMs an hour to visit Metz where I had lived for 4 years as a kid, or ..... stay in the 17 century farm home. No contest, laid back and relaxed. Did a few sojourns to Carcasonne and the surrounding towns taking pictures of "cows". Blonde D'Aquitaines, Simmentals, Limousins, Gascons and some Friesians. Saw caverns etc. but really enjoyed the country scenes. Back up to Paris after having some fabulous meals, "lots" of Regional wines and try to find the bloody airport which would not compute on the GPS I had. (I need a 6 year old with me to run these machines). I was not alone, however as there were lines of cars parked outside the terminal 1 asking the same question I had. Where do you park the rental cars???? I got lucky in that I was leaving from terminal 1 and previous to that had no idea from any of my tickets or car documents, which bloody terminal (1, 2, 3, 4 or 5) I was leaving from but had stopped for my inquiries at terminal 1 first. Parked the car and was glad I had it over night as it was a quiet place to sleep. My sojourns in to the airport at night (trying to get my biological clock back to our time) showed poor passengers trying to get comfortable on chairs while the sounds of jack hammers went off all night long. Good little car!!! Home again and happy to see Corky and will check up on all the kids. Love to see the cats and dogs and farm. We are very lucky to live in Canada, as everywhere I went, they all want to come to Canada. That's all folks.

Off to France

2011-11-06T21:04:00.001-08:00

I will be heading to France for two shows in November, so wanted to let our kitten buyers know that their kittens are all doing great and for new prospective kitten and puppy owners, we have a lovely litter that will be ready at the end of November and also have a gorgeous male and female Pyrenees puppy that will be ready, also at the end of November. I am not sure (being computer illiterate and not owning a laptop, whether I will be able to access emails while over there, so if I don't get back to you right away, I certainly will as soon as I can access a computer.
I lived in France for 4 years as a child, so am looking forward to visiting some old stomping grounds and seeing some new ones and meeting some new people and trying some new cuisine. I have always been turned off by the fish served with the head on in France, but have plans to try it this time (maybe). No problem with the duck as I love duck. I remember that each little town has its own boulangerie with fabulous French bread and croissants, so I can live on that if I have to. When I was there before you could not drink the water. I am not sure if it is ok to drink now. If not, I will suffer with French wine!!! (hope the water is not fit to drink). So, bonjour for now and I will let everyone know how shows go in France!!!

To Calgary We Go

2011-10-23T14:00:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I've had a chance to post on the blog as lots has happened. We have been to the North West Regional Awards show and banquet and came home with lots of nice trophies and prizes. Both Yukon and Burgundy did themselves proud. We did a demonstration at the Nanaimo fair where they gave us a cute little red barn to set up as a cat show to promote our Garden City Show and show off the Ragdolls, Abys and Somalis with my friend Susan. It was very well received and my daughter Tina spent some time with us before heading back to Calgary with Zach and Ty.
We had our Grandson Jaden with us for a month over the Summer, his brother Colby for 2 weeks and Tina's two boys, Zach and Ty for a month in August. We all had a blast and it was very busy but fun Summer making fires, putting up tents and we all attended whatever shows were on the agenda. They sure kept Corky entertained while he convalesced from his broken ankle.
Life happens too, and my Mum was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer, so I have been busy getting her to appointments and she will have her surgery on Nov. 2nd. In the meantime Corky and I and apparently Jaden (last minute addition) will be going to Calgary for a week to do a show. We will stop for two days at our 10 acre property in Trout Lake just outside of Nakusp, for a break. Corky can give Jaden some pointers on Rugby as the 3 boys are in Rugby. Zach and Ty are going great guns in Junior A hockey with shutouts and goals all over the place. We hope we can catch a game while in Alberta.
When we get back and once Mum's surgery is done, I am heading to France for two shows. Yeah!!! I lived there for 4 years as a kid, so am looking forward to spending two weeks there. Corky had the option of going too, but decided to save his airmiles to go to New Zealand, so don't feel badly for him. We're getting ready to leave tomorrow morning, so I will sign this off and get my butt in gear. Take care folks!!!

Lots and lots

2011-07-23T21:54:00.000-07:00

Whew, a really busy past few days. Corky was helping my Grandson build a wooden toy gun on the deck he is installing and boys being boys, they got so wrapped up in the fun project that Corky backed up right "off the deck". That's right, over the edge and 10 feet down. He flapped his arms, but failed to take flight and jumped to avoid the heat pump below and landed on his feet (post Rugby manouever I suppose) but unfortunately things are not as flexible as they were and my Grandson Jaden who was with him heard the "crack" when Grandpa hit the ground. It was very fortunate that Jaden(10) had just finished a St. John's Ambulance Course the previous week as he knew just what to do. He found help "me" and raced back to ensure that Grandpa laid still. I immediately called 911 and Jaden came back and said "he's ok" and I cancelled the 911 call, but did find that my darling was sure not walking when he got up. Jaden was very disgusted with Grandpa when he would not follow the rules and lay still, but tried to walk. Corky was bloody lucky that Jaden was there, as it would have been a very tough trip, crawling up the hill with a broken ankle while Grandma was busy on other parts of the farm. So, Jaden was the hero of the day. We hustled Corky off to the hospital where the usual hospital story unfolded with waits in the waiting room, coming back two days later for surgery at 11 am and finally getting in at 11 PM. We stayed with him and Jaden had a blast exploring the hospital and shmoozing with the nurses and orderlies and generally deciding that he rather liked the hospital scene. We got home at 2 am and managed to get back in at 8 am to pick Corky back up. So, all is well and we are glad that it was only his ankle which will heal in about 5 months. Needless to say things will be rather slower here as I pick up his end of the operation as well as my own. Not sure if we will make the Regional or not. Yukon, Burgundy and a couple of our other felines are in line for awards, but will have to see how things go.
Apart from that kittens, cats, dogs, sheep are all doing fine. We were going to the All Canada Classic Sheep show and sale in Saskatchewan, but cancelled that rather abruptly with the turn of events. Not sure if we will get too many sheep shows done, but again, will see. So, please forgive me if I am late getting back to you and especially Revenue Canada etc., might have to wait a bit to hear back from me while I keep things rolling along here.
Good news is that Tina, my oldest and her two sweethearts, Zach and Ty, whom most of the cat fancy have met, are coming out tomorrow. Tina will be here briefly as she has a pile of work in her two businesses to keep up with, but we get to have Zach and Ty for a week or two which we will all enjoy profusely. Lots of time at the beach and hanging around the chickens, chicks, cats, kittens, dogs and sheep and horses. Love those little guys. Have to squeeze as much time with them right now before they head in to the lovely teen years, when likely everyone will pass on their moods and opinions for a spell. Right now they are all just delightful. Sherean and her family are also planning to come out at the end of the Summer. Fortunately Grandpa will be laid up enough that he won't be able to get away from them too quickly. They all love to spend time with Grandpa. So, things could be much worse. Take care everyone.

Garden City Show, June 25 and 26

2011-06-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't had time to do my blog, not because there was nothing to say, but because there was so much going on. My friend Susan and I did a booth at the Victoria Pet Expo a week and a half ago and I can modestly say that our booth was by far the most popular. I'll bet the kittens on display had nothing to do with it!!! What a contrast our cage with Ragdoll kittens and Susan's with pretty much the opposite with Abysinnian kittens and a Somali. We were promoting our upcoming show on June 25 and 26th. Corky and I are the Show Managers again for the 10th year and it does take a lot of time and effort to pull off successfully. Can't say I will be sorry when it is over again for another 6 months. Be sure and stop by. I will likely be very busy, so don't think I am being snobbish if I don't have a lot of time to talk. Under the serene exterior of the show, there are always hosts of little forest fires going on all over the hall. We have 12 Vendors and a full hall of cats and kittens with International Judges. It will be the first time for the Georgia Peach, Kim Tomlin to do our show. We plan on showing her a good time. We will be doing a buffet and tour of the Butchart Gardens on Sat. night. We have done it before and I never tire of the magical evening. I always think that I would likely rather go my room and put my feet up with a good glass of wine, but as soon as we go through the gates at the Gardens, my spirits lift and everything becomes very serene.
We missed the first two shows of the season as my only brother Big Bob had a stroke and is not doing that well, so I want to spend more time with him this year.
Happily Yukon got his International Win, which in the International Cat Show circles is a really neat achievement. Only 50 cats out of the thousands showing get an International win. Burgunday, Bonzai and Yukon also have a bunch of Regional wins and awards coming at the Regional banquet and show in August, so things in the cat end of things are going well. We've met a lot of neat people lately looking for kittens. You get to meet some of the nicest people in what we do. Grand kids are all doing well and 3 of them will be cleaning cages at the show this weekend. We would not be able to do the show without the help of my kids and Grand kids. Donnie will be putting up signs on Friday night and Serena will be helping all weekend where ever help is needed.
We are also getting fencing around our 10 acre parcel in Skutz Falls in Lake Cowichan, so besides working with the farm stock and cat and dog stuff we are pretty busy. Look forward to meeting and greeting all our friends in the next few months. Wish us luck with the show.

Back home again "for now"

2011-05-09T21:39:00.001-07:00

Back home from the trip to the Calgary show where Yukon and Ambrose and Acacia did very well. Best in Shows for Yukon, Ambrose and Acacia which was pretty good for Acacia's first show. Hard for the girls to show against the big boys like Ambrose. The best part of the trip was getting to hang with Jassenia, my one and only Grand daughter (have 6 Grand sons) at the show and the hotel. Got to visit with Sherean and the family (Rownan and Rueben as well as Jassenia. Corky, being the great guy he is, drove home with the kittens while I spent some time seeing Tina, Zach and Ty in Lethbridge. Got to see Zach and Ty playing their Junior triple A hockey and then see Tina working with her 2 new Performance mares, Fancy and Seven. Got to get Zach and Ty together with Jassenia and Rowan for a visit in Calgary and then did the Zoo with Zach and Ty. All in all, a really good time. Had a fabulous meal with Sherean and family.
I left from Calgary in the early hours to fly to the show in Conneticut which was the last 3 day show of the Season. Yukon made quite an impression on the East Coast Breeders who were all really nice and it was great to put faces to names. Yukon was the 2nd Best Cat in the Show and he once again managed several Best in Shows which put him in to the International Winners Circle. He didn't miss having to show against Burgundy, but I was not going to fly with 2 cats under the seat for 10 or more hours.
Home again with lots to catch up on and preparing for our June Show in Sidney and deciding if we can get away for the Tukwila Titlist show.
LET'S HEAR IT FOR THE CANUCKS!!!! YEAHHHHHH!

On the Road Again

2011-04-13T09:46:00.000-07:00

Corky and Marilyn are on our way to Calgary for a show where we will get to meet all our cat show friends, many of whom have not seen Corky for awhile. We also get to visit with 4 of my Grandchildren and their families which is a real bonus. Jassenia the oldest of 7 Grandchildren and the only girl will be stewarding at the Calgary show and hanging with Grandma and Grandpa at the hotel.
Corky will be driving home from Calgary, but Marilyn will be visiting with the family and then heading to a show in Conneticut on April 28th and coming back on May 4th. I will be checking emails while on the road, so please send us an email to stay in touch. I tried downloading pictures of kittens that will be available from the end of April, but not sure if I will be able to activate the thing as it doesn't seem to be working on my home computer. It is called a Passport or something and has my files on it according to the fellow from the computer repair, but typically, I can't seem to make it work. Maybe it needs a drive in the truck first to be ready to open its' secrets. If, for some reason it does not work, we have some lovely blue and seal bicolor male and female kittens coming up as well as some cute as a button blue and seal mitted males and females. Kitten pictures on the site accurately reflect the type of kittens available as they will be brothers/sisters or cousins to the ones on the web site. As everyone knows, we guarantee our kittens for 3 years and they come from DNA negative HCM and PKD mums and dads.
We will have more news when we get home and I will post while I am on the road if there is anything really exciting to pass on. Take care everyone, Marilyn and Corky

After CF of BC show

2011-03-14T11:20:00.001-07:00

Back home from the CF of BC show in Vancouver. 3 days and 18 Rings. Once again, the show went well for our cats with some good placings, Best and Second Bests in very tough competition.
Everyone was very sad about the recent events in Christchurch and in Japan. We had a Japanese judge at the show which brought things home. We had a minute of silence for all the victims of these tragic events.
I am very happy to have Corky home and he had many stories about happenings in NZ. Children texting their homes from under the rubble, a gentleman who left for town but has not come back yet. So many heart wrenching events which will be multiplied in Japan. Our hearts go out to everyone affected.
I had my Grandson Colby with me, helping with the show, and my friend and neighbour Susan Marshall was the show manager with her foot in a cast and in a wheelchair. She had her 2 daughters Tiffany and Kristina also helping with the show.
We are planning our Garden City Show on June 25 and 26th and would welcome any one who would like to volunteer and participate. We are hoping to revive our magical evening with a buffet meal and tour at Butchart Gardens on Saturday night after the show. We have a lot to be thankful for. Take care everyone. Marilyn www.ragdollkittens.ca

Before the Storm

2011-03-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

They are predicting a big wind storm tomoorrow, so thought I would get a note off before we lose our power and go off line.
We had a great show at Ferndale with Best In Shows and both boys did well.
Corky is in New Zealand (Christchurch) where he is visiting family for two weeks. His family is pretty much ok although some inlaws did have their houses collapse. I am sure Corky will be a great help while he is there.
Our Garden City Club members seem to be having some interesting times. Susan Marshall had a big butcher knife flip up and slice the tendons on the top of her foot. She apparently is doing ok.
With the past snow storm while heading in to the Collision garage to pick up our 1 Ton truck that had suffered a rat attack, a big branch came through the back window of our little car and I got some bumps and bruises but all is well.
I'm off to take care of the farm stuff before it gets dark, so if we lose our power, people will have some idea of what is going on around here. Wish all the best for everyone with our challenging weather. Beats an earthquake, though. Take care everyone.

After Portland and before Ferndale

2011-02-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Marilyn is back from the Portland show that highlighted a huge number of entries. SGC Ragalong Burgundy was lucky enough to snag a BEST CAT in heavy competition along with a 2nd Best and several other finals. RW SGC Ragalong Yukon Gold also took his share of finals home. It is tough bringing your own competition, but both cats are just too good to leave at home. It was unfortunate that after such a great show, the Portland show crew suffered a bad accident on their way home when a drunk driver literally ran into the back and right on inside their show trailer which contained all the club's show supplies. Thank goodness there were no injuries.
Marilyn is getting ready to go to a show in Ferndale Washington at their new location on Feb. 11th.
Corky is headed to New Zealand for 2 weeks on the 24th of February, so Marilyn will be super busy for those 2 weeks.
All the family is doing well. Grand kids are all coming along well and Zach and Ty in Alberta are burning up the hockey rinks. My daughter Serena's kids, Jaden, Colby and Dusty are busy with Rugby, much to Grandpa's delight. Jaden will accompany Marilyn to the Ferndale show. We always have fun together.
My poor daughter Sherean and her family are currently under tons of snow in Strathmore, Alberta. The kids won't be able to move around too much.
So, no complaints from this end and I hope everyone is having a great year so far.

Christmas is a comin' and we are not ready!!!!!

2010-12-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

By now, most years we would have our Christmas cards done and out, "some" baking done and a tree up. So far this year, what with shows in Calgary, Kelowna, Vancouver and then managing our show on Nov. 27 and 28th followed closely by a show in Tukwilla, I have not done "anything" yet!!!! The show in Tukwilla went well with Burgundy taking many finals up to and including a Best In Show. Yukon grabbed a couple and our new kitten protoge Ragalong Sir Ivanhoe also got a few. It's tough bringing your own competition to a show with Yukon and Burgundy, but they are both so nice, I can't leave one behind.
Because things have been so hectic, I wanted to use this time and space to wish all our wonderful Ragalong Kitten Owners and Graymar Great Pyrenee Puppy owners a wonderful Christmas wish and a Happy New Year's and let you all know that just because I have not got to the card thing yet, we are thinking about you all and appreciate, greatly, all the wonderful pictures and updates. Just got a warm and fuzzy email from Powell River with 2 wonderful warm fuzzies cuddled up together that warmed my heart.
We are going to the Chemainus Dinner Theater with my daughter and her family tomorrow night and staying over til Friday, so that just might be our Christmas fling. We are having Christmas dinner at Serena's so I may never get a tree up or baking done. Thank God for Kelly Hayton who brought absolutely fabulous baking to the Tukwilla show. Christmas cupcakes complete with red and green butterflies. I bought a bunch, so might have to settle for those for my Christmas offerings. Thank you Kelly for your wonderful creations!!!!
My oldest daughter Tina has bought herself a house for Christmas, so they are going to have a wonderful time breaking in their new home. We want to take a flight in the New Year to go and see Zach and Ty playing their hockey. They are burning up the ice apparently. Sherean, our middle daughter and her family Rueben, Jassenia and Rownan are busy getting their home ready to sell so they can buy a farm in the Golden area. She has created a Garden of Eden out of dry prairie turf. Anyone who gets their place will love what Sherean and Rueben have created.
Corky has been busy holding the fort while I have been getting our boys out to the shows. For Christmas he is getting a trip to New Zealand at the end of February to see his family for a couple of weeks.
All the warm fuzzies are well and Daisy has a wonderful litter of nine fat, fluffy Pyrenees puppies and everyone knows, "nothing" is cuter than a Pyrenees pup, so we get to play with them every day.
Just in case I don't get time to get back before Christmas, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone.

The Show's Over

2010-11-28T21:59:00.000-08:00

We just finished our Christmas Edition of the Garden City Cat Show and it went really well. Ragalong Burgundy got his Supreme Championship with 3 Best Cat In Show Awards!!! Ragalong Yukon Gold who is already a Supreme, got his share of finals along with 2 Best Cat in Show awards, so Corky and I are very pleased. We had a great show with lots of wonderful spectators and a great raffle and spectators Choice award. Everyone went home happy. We pride ourselves on having a really fun, laid back show and everyone has a good time. Our Judges always love Victoria, so all in all it was a good weekend. The only thing is, I don't know yet, who won the Grey Cup!!!! Sure hope it was the West. So, we will spend a day getting caught up and then back to the usual farm routine. As usual, our Grand sons did Stewarding at the show and my daughter Serena and hubby Donnie put up and took down our signs. Thank God for a great family.

Garden City Cat Club show, Nov. 27 and 28

2010-11-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

Everyone is poised and ready for our November show at the Mary Winspear Center in Sidney. Corky and I are show managers, so will be very busy this weekend making sure that everything goes as planned. A daunting task, given our recent snow storm. We are told that things are warming up just in time for our exhibitors to hit the highways and planes tomorrow for the show. Vicky Shields and Adrianna Kajon, our judges from Albuquerque arrived yesterday and are snugly ensconsed in the Sidney Waterfront Hotel, getting much needed rest before Saturday's opening. Pam Barrett will be flying in from Portland tomorrow and our wonderful judge Yvonne Patrick who was brought low by a flu bug is being ably represented by Lynn Judge who stepped in at the last minute. Elaine Weitz is driving in from seattle and will be doing a mini clerking seminar Friday at 4:00. I think we have things in hand thanks to our devoted club members who work so hard to bring the public a class event. So, let's see how the cats do and we will provide updates after the show. Hope to see everyone there to enjoy the free cake and Starbuck's coffee, fabulous vendors and wonderful cats on exhibit being judged by highly respected international judges.

Bad news, good news,

2010-11-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

We're just back from the Richmond show and it was, for me a rather interesting and enlightening show. I think just about all of my blogs have been very positive and reflect the way we like to look at life. Thank the Good Lord, we have never had to start with a "bad news" segment. It was obvious to many people at the show that there was "something" going on and I was asked by several people, just what "it" was. So, for those who want to follow up on the drama, here it is. I had presold a lovely blue mitted female kitten to a lady in Vancouver. We had communicated for quite some time and agreed that she could pick her kitten up after the Litter Match, that the kitten was entered in to on Sat. afternoon.
I guess a lot of people are aware of the "other" drama that occured with the Cat Fanciers of BC Club where two members were recently expelled from the Club. One was Becky Player of Izzadorable Ragdolls, for disruptive and basically, in my opinion, nasty behaviour. Prior to the recent expulsions I had asked the CF of BC show manager for a reference on a party who had asked to join our Garden City Club. The Show Manager stated that though she had had trouble with this party at her shows, the party in question worked hard and she thought Garden City should give her a chance. (which we did) and which also elevated the CF of BC show manager in my eyes for being able to put her differences aside and give someone a fair chance.
The situation, however had caused a lot of pain for many people, some seniors who had worked for decades in the Club and the whole thing was really getting out of hand. I am not a CF of BC club member, and basically, it was none of my business, but I felt moved to try and get everyone, including the CF of BC Club members to just take a step back, take a deep breath and let things settle down a bit. At a show in Tukwilla, I approached the members who were causing the problems and gave them all a hug and asked what the problems were. In my opinion, it seemed that the new members really had no idea how one of the oldest and most respected Clubs in TICA got that way from the hard work of its pioneers. Yes, changes were always required and welcomed, but they needed to be done with time and respect for the older founding members. If they were not able to do the changes they wanted slowly and in a timely, respectful manner, then they should start their own Club and could do what ever they wanted and I would be one of the first to enter their show. Becky listed off a group of complaints which any Show Manager has heard dozens of times over. While we may look like we are standing around doing nothing, there are forest fires all over the hall being put out, while we are smiling pleasantly and looking like everything is going wonderfully. So, I advised Becky that they might want to reconsider their course and just let things cool off a bit. Unfortunately, everyone kept headlong into their course and resulted in the aformentioned expulsions, finally. Very sad and very unescessary for everyone.
So.......where does this leave me????? Back to the dear lady who was so excited and enthusiastic about meeting her kitten at the show and being able to come back and pick it up following the Kitten Match. Our kittens did very well in the kitten match, they had been previously spayed, microchipped and still had their ID collars on for the match. Our nice lady did not come back and I did not think much about it, but at the end of the show decided to call her to ask when she was coming in. She then, in tears, launched into the following scenario. She had had a good time at the show on Friday, watched the judging, looked at all the cats and the vendors and was happily looking forward to getting her kitten the next day, when, as she left the show hall, a lady came up behind her and said, "you should not buy a kitten from Marilyn. They are all diseased, live in cages and are not socialized", and then walked off leaving our poor lady very distraught and torn about what to do. We all agreed, that she should have come back in right then and asked the questions, but was so upset that she left the hall and was going to forfit her deposit and did not want to support a "bad" cattery. I spoke at length with her and convinced her that she needed to come back the next day and firstly identify the party and also talk to our Regional Director Ellen Crockett, the Can Am show manager and nearly the rest of the show hall about our reputation etc. She chose to drive the 45 minutes back to the show hotel where I met her. I had told several people of the incident and thank goodness for good friends who, though I told them not to upset their evening plans, came back to my room and sat with the lady for over an hour and counselled her and calmed her fears. Even an innocent by stander who had heard me talking in the hall way, turned around and said that she had sent two people to my place to buy kittens and both of them had come back and bought two more. This party works in the veterinary field and was very indignant (thank you for that, I needed it about then). The 3 other parties who counselled the lady also had cats of mine and vouched for them and me 100% and also explained about how no one did the testing on their cats that we have done. We work with 3 lines and before the DNA test was developed we kept whole litters of kittens until they were 9 months old, so we could ultrasound them and select the ones we wanted to keep for breeders.
Now what was left, was to identify this "party" who had stalked the lady out of the show hall. We were able to identify the party as Becky Player who also had told the lady that we had rows of trailers and rows of cages. First as to cages, we had won the "Kitten Play Pen" in the raffle held for the Long Family. I had never heard of a kitten play pen, but it did sound cute and was touted by many to be an absolute necessity when training kittens to use the litter boxes etc. Imagine my surprise when Corky put it together and it was a "cage". 3 feet by 3 feet by about 18 inches high and on wheels. I told Corky that we could not use that here. Our kitten room consists of "portable" expandable panels that go from floor to ceiling that allow Mum to use the verticle space up to the ceiling while allowing the kittens to explore and learn how to move, safely around in the horizontal space. Our Regional Director indicated that the "play pen" worked well for this kitten transition phase and I suppose it might, but our set up allows us to have tall cat trees for mum to climb on while babies are learning the ropes. We do not, nor will we ever use cages. Expandable pens that have tall cat trees and a lounge chairs do not qualify in my book as a "cage"
As for the "rows of trailers". We run AGFOR (Agroforestry Supply and Services) C0mpany which, until the Govt. ran out of funds, did biological brushing and weeding on BC clearcuts using 9000 sheep on 9 contracts all over BC. For our portable corral system and sorting races we use sets of aluminum Prattley Yards (anyone coming to our home would recognize some of them on our gates and try to figure out how the heck to open them) that come from New Zealand at a cost of $60,000 each set. Our head shepherds come from New Zealand and train Canadians how to safely and effectively move 1500 sheep over a BC clearcut and effectively eat the competing vegetation from around the new planted seedlings, releasing them from the danger of snow press and letting in sunlight and providing fertilizer at the same time. Our shepherds which included both Corky and I, have 24 foot RV trailers with a double bed in front for the head shepherd and two bunks in the back for the two assistant trainees. Each trailer has a generator and heat, kitchens and each shepherd is given a king sized wool quilt before the season as I wanted to be sure they did not get cold. The sheep are leased for $15 each from Alberta farmers and each sheep is Federally inspected and ear tagged so it can not transfer any disease to native wild life. The sheep gain 20 pounds over the Summer while on the blocks, the farmer can use his home fields for hay and the sheep come home and are bred and have their lambs and the cycle starts again the next Spring. Each Shepherd has a team of 3 working dogs, one heading dog and two New Zealand Huntaways. Each contract would have 5 working Pyrenees to guard the sheep. In 10 years of contracting we never had 1 predator interaction which would result in the sheep having to leave, not the predator. When the Huntaways were not required, we donated them to the Canadian Guide Dog Service, where they proved very good at that task. The Pyrenees went home to the farm where the sheep stayed over Winter and when we did not require Pyrenees for forestry work, we decided to show them and we received many American and Canadian Championships. So, this long story, explains our rows of crew trailers, Prattley Yard trailers, stock trailers, our 30 foot Garden City cat show trailer and assorted flat decks. So, whoever was spying for Becky did not get all their facts straight, hence the caution, that Karma will always catch up with you when you are being spiteful and nasty.
Our Regional Director, the Can Am show manager and many other judges and concerned parties all advised this poor lady that they had never dealt with a sick cat from our cattery. Everyone knows that no one can escape all incidents or illnesses, but we have been truly fortunate in all our years of breeding to have only a small handful of problems that were dealt with as professionally and quickly as we could. So, the bad news here is that the poor woman's happy day was turned in to a nightmare, as was mine. The worst news is that with all the repercussions of Becky's nasty behaviour, she does not seem to have learned anything. We have all done dumb things, me more than most, but as long as we are learning from it and moving forward, then it is not wasted. Continuing on, just being mean and spiteful is a very destructive course and no one wins, including affected Clubs.
The Good News is that we echo Dana's comments that the Can Am show was a delight, the show was well run, the hotel was fabulous and you can't beat most of the kind, caring people in the show hall. Our cats got lots of finals by well respected judges and my Grand Kids Jaden (10) and Dusty (6) who got to "finally" come to a cat show with Grandma, had a ball as did I except for the above pettiness. Please Lord, let this be the last "bad news" blog for a long long time.

Post Calgary Show

2010-11-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Back from the Southern Alberta Cat Fanciers Show and both SGC Ragalong Yukon Gold and QGC Ragalong Burgundy did very well. Yukon got 4 Best in Show and Burgundy received 2 Best In Show, so we are very pleased. Burgundy just needs one more Best in Show to get his Supreme. On a more important note, I got to hang out with my Grandchildren both in Calgary and then we all headed to Lethbridge to do the Trick or Treat. One house was so well done, it literally scared the bejezuz out of me. Had the owner grabbing the kids legs from behind a cell and included chain saws etc. Some people sure do go all out for the kids. It was great. So back in Sooke, tired, but happy.
Daisy is being a wonderful mum to her litter of Pyrs and it looks like Tara is thinking of maybe being a Mum again.
Getting ready for our show at the end of Nov. We have tons of super vendors, fabulous raffle table and of course wonderful exhibitors with cats and world reknown and respected TICA judges. Make sure you head to the Mary Winspear Center on Nov. 27 and 28th for our great cake Purrrrrrrade, Starbucks coffee and a wonderful Christmas theme to get you in the mood for the holidays. Purrrrrrfect time to pick up gifts for everyone. Marilyn

Notes from on the road

2010-10-18T16:26:00.000-07:00

October has been a busy month with shows in Kelowna, where we did great with our SGC Ragalong Yukon Gold and Ragalong Burgundy came out of the kitten classes for his first adult show where he got his Championship, followed by the show at Tukwilla, where he became a Double Grand Champion with numerous finals and 2 Best In Shows. Yukon also hauled in his share of the finals. We get a week at home and then off to Calgary for a show and "best" of all, I get to see the Grand kids and will head down to Lethbridge to be with them for Halloween and a skating evening at the local rink.
We are awaiting Daisy's litter of puppies due next weekend. Lots of happy prospective puppy owners wil be pleased. Have had lots of lovely pictures and updates from kitten buyers and we are "always" happy to receive those and thank everyone for keeping us posted.
We will be getting ready again, for our Garden City Cat Club show here in lovely Sidney By the Sea at the end of November. Corky and I will be busy again as show managers, putting on the show that does so much for the local Food Bank and Rescue groups. We will look forward to seeing our "Friends" there.
Corky and I had a blast showing our Dorset sheep at the Saanich Fair and the Cowichan Fair where we had many Championship placings. The family and Grand kids helped out with the Get of Sire and Breeder's Flock classes. We are busy planning for the next All Canada Sheep Classic. We have been in touch with many of our friends in the Dorset fraternity and look forward to meeting new friends in Prince Edward Island who share our tastes in Dorset Breeding stock.
With Christmas fast approaching we want to wish everyone best of luck and want to thank you again, for sharing your pet pictures and stories with us.

Going in to Winter

2010-09-24T19:17:00.000-07:00

We've got the sheep, dogs and horses all tucked in for Winter. Of course we don't have to worry about the cats, as all of our cats are raised indoors in heated suites. No outdoor cages for our girls and guys. Likewise our Traditional, only, bloodlines where no outcrossing has been done to other breeds to get non traditional colors.
Back from Tukwilla where Burgundy, our kitten did very well and getting ready for the new Kelowna show in October. We had a lot of discussion at the show regarding the TICA Annual which is to be held in Seattle in 2013. LOTS of planning to do. I will be hitting everyone up to buy the fabulous T shirts being sold for fund raising. Had a blast with my Grandson Jaden and Colby is gearing up for the next Tukwilla show on Oct. 16. The hunt is on for the "perfect" household pet kitten for them to show.
We are preparing for our Nov. 27 and 28 show in Victoria and welcome anyone who wants to volunteer to help at the show. We can always use more hands. Where else can you get cake and Starbucks coffee for the price of admission ($5.00) and get to see our fabulous international judges, cats and our absolutely cute "Litter Match" contest where the babies get to shine.

Events in progress

2010-09-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy time since our last show in June. We have been showing our Registered Dorsets at the Saanich Fair and on to the Cowichan Fair this weekend. My daughter Tina judged the Saanich Fair which was really nice as we got to see her and the kids while she was here. Seemed everyone was happy with her placings, so she achieved the impossible!!!
We have a show in Seattle next weekend and 4 shows in October from the new Kelowna show to Seattle, to Albuquerque, NM, and on to Calgary at the end of Oct. so I will be able to see the kids while I am there. It will be tough to reach me by phone, but I will check my emails regularly, so that will be the best form of communication.
We have some really lovely blue mitted kittens ready any time now and some new litters coming up for our Fall production.
Our next show in Victoria will be on Nov. 27 and 28 at the Mary Winspear, again, with a great judging line up. Seems that a lot of the judges we have had have all been voted Judges of the Year for TICA. Christie Unangst, Alberto Leal and now Aline Noel Garel (all judges of the year) have judged several times at our show.
Our show cats SGC Ragalong Yukon Gold and our new kitten Ragalong Burgundy are blazing their way through the show halls. Marilyn

The Show is Over

2010-07-09T08:32:00.000-07:00

Our June show went really well with lots of wonderful cats and lots of spectators who enjoyed the judging, the free cake and Starbucks coffee and probably most of all the "baby parade". The litter mate contest where individual litters of kittens are judged against one another. We will start working on our November 27 and 28 "Christmas" show. An unfortunate tragedy for one of our exhibitors. Jeff and Shirley Byington had a fire last week that killed all but 1 of their 9 pet cats. A passing police officer saved Milo who is undergoing treatment for smoke inhallation and burns to his paws. We are collecting via Paypal to help them get back on their feet.
Garden City will also be taking $10 donations to the Club to enable us to keep sponsoring the Rescue Cat associations and our Food Bank donations. Donations can be make for either Jeff or the Club to gardencity@islandnet.com. Off to the airport.

Great seeing our kitten buyers

2010-06-30T12:05:00.000-07:00

We just finished our 12th Garden City Cat show and as Corky and I are the managers, we don't get a lot of time to visit with people. It was just great to meet and greet (briefly) all those people who have gotten kittens from us and were kind enough to bring pictures for us to see. It is always so much appreciated to be able to see how everyone, two legged and four legged are getting along. Thanks again for sharing!!!! Marilyn and Corky

Garden City Cat Show this weekend

2010-06-22T15:31:00.002-07:00

Hi everyone, Corky and I will be busy managing our big International Cat show in Sidney at the Mary Winspear Center this weekend. We will be busy with it until Monday, after which we will be available to talk and send information. You are all welcome to attend what is our 12th International cat show with tons of breeds, vendors and of course our "famous" free cake and Starbuck's coffee for all our exhibitors. We look forward to seeing you all there. Marilyn

Garden City

2010-06-22T15:31:00.001-07:00

Briar Glen news

2010-05-27T11:47:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, just wanted to let everyone know how things are going here, down on the farm. People are asking, so thought I had better figure out this Blog thing again and have at er. We had good news on the show scene with our Ragalong Yukon Gold who got his Supreme in a few shows. Ragalong Bronc Buster also did well in the show scene again this year and is now retired to our living room where he happily plays with Micetro, Valiant, Butch Cassidy and assorted kittens. We are just taking a breather and will be out there again starting in Chehalis and on to our own show in Sidney on June 26 and 27th. We will look forward to meeting and greeting our friends there. Kittens have been healthy and happy and if the kittens are happy, I'm happy. Corky and I are doing great and catching up on things around the farm. We did a fall lambing so have had lambs going here and there on a regular basis. All the kids and grand kids are well. The Grand kids HHP Sir Meowser who came from an Alberta farm was pronounced Best of the Best HHP so looks like I have to buy them ties and white shirts to go to the Regional and collect their awards. I bring one of the kids with me to each show and we both have a blast. Anyway, we wish everyone well and will keep people posted on a more regular basis (I promise) Marilyn www.ragdollkittens.ca

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL

2009-12-22T21:40:00.001-08:00

It has been busy here at Briar Glen with puppies, Fall lambs and now January lambs coming up. Good news is that the puppies are thriving as are the kittens. Fall lambs are growing like weeds and Corky is gearing up for Jan. 1st lambing start (again). It was too busy to get cards out as Marilyn has been dealing with a Revenue Canada audit, which is going ok, but so much paperwork to deal with and has not left any spare time for the nice things in life like contacting all our friends, new and old with Christmas greetings, so I am using this forum for those who check in from time to time. We had a good show in Puyallup and my Grandson Colby got 16 "First Bests" with his HHP kitten. Our kitten Ragalong Yukon Gold also has been burning up the show halls. Corky and I are going to try and get to Revelstoke in our "Classic" (old) van for Christmas day and a few more days to meet with our #2 daughter Sherean and family. Maybe get to use the skis (cross country, as I sure don't ski anything else) and snow shoes. Our so called "good" truck is laid up with a crank case problem and we are trying to get a part for it. So, it will be an adventure, and lord knows we love an adventure. So, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone and look forward to keeping in touch in the New Year. Marilyn and Corky and all the warm fuzzies at Briar Glen.

2009-10-22T17:56:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody, our first ever Fall show went well. We collected heaps of food for the Sidney Food Bank and gave out tons of cake and Starbucks coffee to our spectators and exhibitors. Everyone had a good time.
I am off to Calgary for a show from Oct. 23 to Oct. 29th. I will be checking my emails periodically so if you have anything urgent, send and email and I will try and get back to you. Wishing everyone a happy Halloween. Marilyn www.ragdollkittens.ca

SHOW TIME AGAIN

2009-08-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Here we are again, getting ready to do our Fall Show. Our show will be Oct. 2 and 3rd, 2009 at the Mary Winspear Center in Sidney. We will have a booth at the Saanich Fair with a "mini cat show" theme. Examples of cat breeds, cat teasers and some nice book marks to pass out that have our upcoming shows listed and a 2010 calendar on the back with our shows marked on it. We welcome any and all of our customers and friends to see us at the booth and to attend the show. We will be having our Famous Cake Purrrrrrade for exhibitors and spectators alike. We can always use volunteers to help with our Food Bank Collections.
On another note we have a nice litter coming up soon for adoptions. Look forward to hearing from new and past friends.

Calgary bound

2009-07-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

Our show was a great success and we managed to get tons of food for the Sidney Food Bank and funds for the Mustard Seed. All the exhibitors seemed happy with their show results and tours around the fabulous Sidney area. Our cake parade was enjoyed by spectators and exhibitors alike. THANKS to Starbucks in Sidney for donating our coffee for 2 days and THANKS also to Sidney Thrifty's for sponsoring one of our cakes.
Corky and Marilyn are Calgary bound for 10 days so will keep in touch via email when we get a chance. Yee Haw!!! Marilyn www.ragdollkittens.ca

Garden City Jazz Party

2009-06-23T18:42:00.000-07:00

We will be putting on our 7th Annual Garden City Jazz Party on Sat. and Sunday, June 28 and 29 at the Mary Winspear Center in Sidney. We have the TICA Judge of the Year and also Alberto Leal from Brazil as well as our host of local International judges. Tons of cats, tons of breeds and tons of vendors. We will also have a cake parade both days for spectators and exhibitors alike. We manage the show, so will be "very busy" both days and are showing 6 cats as well. We are doing a food drive for the Mustard Seed and Food Bank, so if you are coming, bring some non perishable food items. Come by and check out our booth.
I will be in Calgary for a few days next week as well, taking care of business. Hope to see you guys at the show.

Cat Genes Tests

2009-05-14T21:40:00.000-07:00

We have received some of our tests back from the Cat Genes Lab in Texas. Good news so far, all the HCM tests correspond with the UC Davis results and all are negative for kidney issues and all are A blood type. Marilyn

Longview, Washington

2009-05-14T19:25:00.001-07:00

May 15, 2009, true to form, I have only just worked out how to access this blog again. Computers!!!!!! Anyway, Corky and I are off to a show in Longview Washington for the Victoria Day weekend. We will be back on Monday. We have some really nice kittens coming up and I will be getting pictures done when I get home next week. We will have our Grandson Jaden with us this time. We have set up a booth at the Luxton Rodeo for this weekend which promotes our Garden City Cat Club show c0ming up next month on June 27 and 28 in Sidney. We will be working with the Food Bank and taking donations at the door of the show. Contributors can get $2.00 of their adult admission if they bring stuff for the food bank. The Portland show managed to get 13/45 gallon drums of food for their food bank. We are throwing out a challenge to Victorians to meet or beat the Portland contributions.
On a health note, we have had two kitten owners over the past year turn up with kittens diagnosed with Crptococcus. One was up Island and the other was over in Vancouver. So, people, might be a good idea to check out any suspicious symptoms. The Cryptococcus fungus is located for the most part on the middle of the Island, around the Cathedral Grove area. It has been known to cause problems with pets that roam outside. If any one is having any issues, you might want to mention this to the vet, so they can do appropriate tests. Another good reason to ensure that your cats remain indoors, especially if you are in the affected area. It has not been associated with the Victoria area. Talk when we get back from Longview. Marilyn

CALGARY SHOW

2009-04-16T12:26:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, looks like I have been dragged kicking and screaming into the internet age. Didn't know what a blog was until last month. Anyway, let's see if this thing helps everyone know what is going on at Briar Glen Farms.
A number of very happy people have already taken delivery of their kittens and we are delivering some on our way to a show in Calgary on April 18 and 19. So, we will be away from Thurs. evg. to Thursday April 23. We want to see our kids in Calgary while there and stop at Trout Lake on the way home. My daughter and her family will be looking after the critters while we are gone.
We have some new kittens for those who missed the early litters. Just email us and I will get back to people with pictures and descriptions when we get home. All are by our Supreme Grand Champions and of course all guaranteed for 3 years for health. We are currently waiting results from Cat Genes in Texas on a new group of replacement kittens. It is the first time we have used them. Have used UC Davis in the past. Take care everyone and enjoy your new babies. Marilyn www.ragdollkittens.ca

Welcome

2009-04-16T09:08:00.000-07:00

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