One Thousand Five Hundred Posts!

I know you all come here on Wednesdays to see if I was able to pull off another "W" themed title for Wilson. I am afraid I'll have to disappoint you today. It is something of a milestone here on the blog and I want to address that instead.

This is my 1500th post on the blog! Now I know a lot of bloggers out there are way more prolific than that, but I am still pretty proud of sticking with this little project through so many years and so many posts! June marks eight years running of A Tail of Two Cardis. I've had close to half a million pages views, coming from 116 countries around the world. I've "met" a lot of people and made friends I would never have known without this blog. All in all, a very rewarding experience, even when it is a challenge to keep it going at times.

When I hit my 500th and 1000th posts, I had little contests/giveaways to celebrate. I want to continue that tradition. My giveaways always ask a little something from my readers in the form of captions or a comment, and this one won't be any different. Wilson is taking a break so I have a photo of Jimmy from this week. When I downloaded this photo to my laptop and saw it full size, it immediately brought a painting to mind (years ago, I minored in Art History in college). The painting is very well known so this should not be too difficult of a task. I'll even give a big hint by giving my photo a name.....

Jimmy's World

So to be eligible for my prize, tell me what painting I am thinking of and who the artist is. Of course, more than one person will probably get the answer right, so I will still use random.org to pick my winner. Even a good guess will still get you in the running, so don't be afraid to leave a comment. The prize will be a $20 gift card to The White Dog Bone Company. It has both dog and cat products, even bird products, so there should be something for anyone who reads my blog. Plus, I will be able to just email you the prize so no worries about sharing your home address with me!

 Who is the artist and what is the name of the painting? GO!

I Was the Lucky Winner!

I am a bit late in posting my formal "Thank You, Mary!" for being the very lucky winner of Mary's wild horse photo giveaway . I was thrilled to be the winner and get to select one of her wonderful photos of the wild horses. I wanted to get the photo framed before doing my post so that took a bit of time, then other things popped up, so you know how that goes.....But here is the shot I chose. I absolutely loved this picture. Really I loved A LOT of them, but I had to narrow it down to one!

The room was quite sunny when I took my pictures, so the glass is reflecting a lot of that. You can still see how beautiful the photo looks! The man who owns the framing shop I took it to couldn't say enough nice things about it! He loved it as much as I do!

I have a guest bedroom with a southwestern theme, so a wild horse is just perfect in there. Here is another picture of it with an old pony saddle I have....

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mary!

This is a beautiful work of art!

I am pretty sure most of my readers already know about Mary's blog, Tales from the Backroads as well as her photography store where you can purchase her artwork, but if you don't, it is well worth your time! I guarantee you will see photos you want for yourself! Go have a peek!

We Won a New Collar!!!!

Back on October 21st, Mary of Tales From the Backroad did a review and giveaway of a handmade collar from a company called If It Barks.com . Well, I was the lucky winner! Yippee! Let me say a big THANK YOU to both Mary and the good folks at If It Barks!

I chose to get a new collar for Jimmy. I wasn't playing favorites, it was just that his collar was more worn out than Wilson's. I like the martingale style collar because both my corgis will have stubborn moments where they try to go in an opposite direction than what I intend. Before using a martingale, they had slipped out of their collars. That can be very dangerous if you are near a busy street!

While they offer a wonderful selection of pre-made collars, I decided to design my own color combo. I have a nice leash for Jimmy that I wanted to match. It is shades of purple so that is what I chose for the collar.....

The thin stripe that looks white is actually a paler purple. The light was so bright it fooled my camera.

It is a very nicely made collar with quality hardware and nice fabric. Jimmy's fur is very thick so once the collar settles in, it's hard to see. I took these pictures as soon as I put it on Jim's neck so you could see how pretty it is. Plus, it's good to know the collar is machine washable because I'm sure Jimmy will find a way to get it dirty.

You can also get leashes made to match your collar choice. In my case, the collar I chose was a great color match for the leash I already had! Nice!

This is a really well-made product , it was lots of fun to design, and I feel like I got an early Christmas gift!

Limerick Day!!!

The great and powerful OZ is once again hosting a limerick contest. I had a brief flash of imagination and came up with an entry:

Jimmy the Corgi loved jumping

The bars he leapt without bumping

He smoked through the tunnel

Like exiting a ship's funnel

To the other dogs he gave a good trumping!

Last year was Dylan's turn. You can find that entry right here.

#FuelTheCure Bloghop!

When I read about the #FuelTheCure blog hop, I wanted to be sure I put up a post that would add to the tally! The way it works, Zuke's will contribute $5 to The Dog and Cat Cancer Fund for every blogger who joins this hop. Just post a photo of your dog(s)  enjoying life. It can't get much easier than that! But, wait! That's not all! There's a chance to win some Zuke's treats as well!

Here's how the contest will work......

Prizes will be awarded to blog hop participants as follows:

• US Only: Zuke's will choose their favorite photo out of all the US links in the hop. One winner will receive 5 bags of Zuke's treats of their choice.
• UK & Canada: Zuke's and/or Oz will choose their favorite photo out of all the UK/Canada links in the hop. One Winner will receive 1 bag (or possibly 2) of Zuke's treats from Oz's personal stash. 
• Fan Favorite: the One Fan Favorite will receive 1 bag of Zuke's treats from Oz's personal stash.

When you link to the hop, in the "Name Required" field please put your name or blog name and either US, UK, CA as this will help determine your contest entry - ex. "A Tail of Two Cardis - US."

Now if you have been following the adventures of Wilson and Jimmy for any length of time, you probably know that their favorite thing in life is to swim. So here they are, LOVIN' LIFE!

Thank you to OZ the Terrier for hosting this awesome blog hop and Zuke's for fueling the cure!!

So what are you waiting for? Get hopping! Blog hopping, that is!

A Limerick Contest in the Land of Oz

Over at Oz the Terrier, we learned that today is Limerick Day. Oz has challenged us all to a limerick contest. While we all know that Oz is the absolute King of limericks, it's still fun to give it a try.

Here's my effort*:

*Based on a true story from my old, sweet boy Dylan. LOL!


This is a blog hop. Why not try your hand at a limerick and join the fun!

WOW! Won-thousand! on Wilson's Wordy Wednesday!

Here it is.....drum roll please.......blog post....

#1000 !!!!!

And as promised last week, I have a giveaway to celebrate this auspicious occasion. However, it's actually going to be more of a trade. You give me your best W*** themed caption for today's photos in the comment section and I'll have random.org select the winner. I'll post the winner next Wednesday.

*** If you aren't familiar with my Wordless Wednesday entries, I strive to entitle my posts for Wordless Wednesday with as many words starting with W as I can as it relates to the photo of Wilson I am posting that day. Look back through my blog at the last few Wednesdays and you'll see what I mean....

So here you are...putting on your thinking caps.....and Go!

You may be wondering if all this mental hard work is worth it. Well, I assure you it is! The lucky winner will receive a box of goodies.

Here's a list of the loot:

1) A brand new copy of Jackie Bouchard's second novel Rescue Me, Maybe. If somehow you haven't had a chance to read this great book, now's your chance. Jackie is a wonderful storyteller, bringing her characters to life with wit, humor, and a great understanding of the human/dog connection. I guarantee you will enjoy this book as much as her first.

2) A slightly dog-eared (but who doesn't love dog ears?!) copy of Chaser. This true story account of a brilliant border collie will amaze you with Chaser's seeming endless ability to learn new words.

3) A dog toy and some treats for your favorite pup!

Doggy crack for sure!

and now a DISCLAIMER....I am afraid this giveaway is open to US residents only. Sincere apologies to my international viewers but the last time I did a giveaway, the international postage cost way more than the prize.

and a NOTE to Jackie and her sister Terry.... if either of you win, I will be happy to substitute a different book of your choice in place of Rescue Me, Maybe. Murphy's Law is sure to monkey with this contest this close to St.Paddy's Day!