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!

Wilson Wants a Winner on Wordy Wednesday!

This week I have to go with a Wordy Wednesday. I can't do a GIVEAWAY without a few words! I have an extra copy of the 2017 Welsh Corgis calendar that needs a new home before it goes to waste. This is the one that features Wilson as Mr. September. I already have two copies for myself, one for the wall and one to keep sealed and safe as a memento. So my third copy that the photographer gave me needs a person of its own!

Here's a photo I took of the calendar when I spotted it in the local mall at Christmas....

Now if you are interested in winning this calendar (it has both Cardigans and Pembrokes) just leave a comment with a "W" caption for this picture below. I can think of one for it and I bet you can too! I'll give you a few days to come up with something. I'll pick my favorite caption as the winner!  (US folks only due to the postage. Sorry!)

GO!

Wilson, the WeedMan? on Wordy Wednesday

Today's post probably won't work without a bit of back-story so today must be Wordy, not Wordless.

Several years back, we were in Myrtle Beach for St. Paddy's Day and went to watch the parade held every year. One of the floats had a man throwing green drink koozies and on them was written The Weed Man. Well, I was a child of the 70's, so this set me to giggling. Back in the day, if someone mentioned the "weed man", it might have had to do with "grass" but you weren't looking for lawn services. Ahem. So I of course found it very funny that this lawn services company had chosen a double-entendre for their name.

Fast forward to today, and this company has spread to my area and these little yellow signs started popping up in people's front yards......

Ever on the lookout for Wordless Wednesday themes, you just know I couldn't pass this one up! And if you enlarge that photo, you will see that Wilson is seated in a big patch of weeds! My yard needs the services of The Weed Man!

What a Wonderful Worker Wilson is on Wordy Wednesday!

Today's Wordless Wednesday post is one that requires a bit of explanation, so really this is Wordy Wednesday this week.

If you read my blog often enough, you know that I like to compete in AKC events such as Agility and Rally with my Cardigan Welsh Corgis. As with most breeds, there is a national club that supports and promotes Cardigans. The Cardigan Welsh Corgi Club of America has an awards program for recognizing members of the breed that have demonstrated their intelligence, biddability and team work. Back in July, I had a Weekend Report where I reported on Wilson earning the very last point he needed to qualify for this award. A few days back, after the AKC updated their results data, and I submitted the forms to the club, we received our formal certificate in the mail. Wilson earned titles in Agility, Herding, and Rally Obedience to show what a versatile working dog he is! I am proud of this sweet old man!

PS Jimmy earned his back in 2012!

Wilson Was Whipple! and Wilson is Whipple! on Wordy Wednesday

Today's post is too cryptic to let it go as Wordless, so today I give you a Wordy Wednesday!

First and foremost, I'd like to give credit for today's inspiration. In last week's Wimple installment,  a comment from Chasing Dog Tales mentioned Wilson could have a new nickname, Mr. Wimple. Well it was only a very short jump to that old advertisement from the 60's and 70's (I of course remember the 70's version, not possibly the 60's version. LOL)  where Mr.Whipple was admonishing his customers to please not squeeze the Charmin. Well, guess what I discovered as I did a little homework for today's post??? In real life, Mr.Whipple was Mr.Wilson !!!! His name was Dick Wilson . How wonderful is that coincidence for my blog theme?!

Mr.Whipple...err...Mr.Wilson, exhausted from Squeezing the Charmin!

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! 

Wilson's Winner! on WORDY Wednesday

Well today is the day! I rolled the dice over at Random.org and.......

....but before I announce the winner I want to comment about this little contest. About a week ago, Elizabeth, at Chronicles of Cardigan  posted this very helpful piece about increasing traffic to your blog. She gave many good tips (Thanks Elizabeth!) but some of them definitely involved a good bit of effort. Well, I found a short-cut to getting TONS of traffic! Just put the word giveaway in your post. My blog is not what one would ever consider a high-traffic site, not even close. A new post  will garner about 25 page views over the course of a week. Last wednesday's giveaway post has had 260 hits so far! That's a tenfold increase! So if you want more readers, I highly recommend sprinkling the word giveaway liberally throughout your posts.

The other thing I found curious was that with so many hits, only 12 people decided to leave a comment. Maybe everyone gave up caffeine as their New Year's Resolution? Oh, well, it certainly improved the odds! Let me say thank you to each of you for playing my game. I really enjoyed reading your stories!

So, without further ado, the winner is......drumroll..............

AubreyLaine......Congratulations! Since you left your email address in your comment, be on the lookout for an email from me! We will work out the details from there!


Next week I will return to my less verbose Wednesday posts.....but in the mean time just let me say it again: GIVEAWAY, giveaway, giveaway, GIVEAWAY ! There! I am assured of lots more blog hits for this week ;-)

Wilson's WORDY Wednesday - 500th Post Giveaway!

Today's Wilson's (Not So) Wordless Wednesday is coinciding with my 500th! blog post. So today, instead of being wordless, I am going to take this opportunity to announce a GIVEAWAY to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

I am not going to attempt anything tricky. I will just use http://www.random.org/ to generate a random number based on the number of comments I get. But, that doesn't mean that, you, my dear commenter, will get off scot-free. In your comment please tell me a favorite memory/funny story of one/all of your dogs. It can be just a couple of sentences like "My favorite memory of Snoopy was the day he aced his CGC....",or, "Back when I had Dylan, I loved the long walks we took through the local park. Everyone always asked what kind of dog he was." This way, we all get some fun comments to read.

Now, pray tell, what is the carrot before the horse (errrr....Cardi!) that makes leaving a comment a worthwhile use of your precious time?

Whoever the lucky winner turns out to be....I will award them an eCard from Starbucks for $25! This way, the only info the winner will need to provide me is an email address, and Starbucks will send you the eCard. Even if you are not a coffee drinker, I think you should be able to find something in the Starbucks line to interest you.

I will select the winner sometime next Wednesday the 25th of January. That should give everyone a chance to leave a comment. One comment per person please, just to keep it clean and easy to pick the winner.

So, what do you say? Are you feeling lucky? Do you want to play?