Merry Christmas From Each of US

Today the Collies decided they wanted a picture of each of them wishing you a Merry Christmas posted.. so here goes….

 

WE  wish you all a Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

Trevor forever

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lil Hallie

 

 

 

 

 

Skylight

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Branwen

 

 

 

 

 

Lad

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ellie

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ginger

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smoke

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rutherford

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mick

 

 

 

and Teddy on the far left with the girls he loved, Niamh center and Sadie!

 

 

 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

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Our Collie Ride

As you know everything here at the Meadow is for the collies. You have seen our collie indoor plumbing unit, our collie transportation unit #1, our collie entertainment unit, our collie food preparation unit.

Today we wanted to show you our Collie Transportation Unit #2.  While Collie Transportation Unit #1 fits more of us in it, we look very stylish in our Tuxedo Black Collie Transportation Unit #2.  Since it is smaller only a few of us get to go in it at a time.

We look good in it too.. we look like some wealthy show collies riding around in Collie Transportation Unit #2. The one thing we really love is the inside is black also and the darker tinted windows allows us a lot of privacy.

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We love the collie seat belts that keep us safe, the collie heating unit that keeps us warm in the winter and the collie air conditioning unit that keeps us cool in the summer.  Most of all we love the four doors that allow us to easily enter and exit, especially as we play Chinese Tag at a stop light where we get out and run around the collie transportation unit#2 and pile back in before the light turns green.  It is nice having our own collie chaffeurs… er.. mom and dad drive us around.

WE enjoy immensely the collie musical entertainment unit that keeps us with beautiful music as we travel with songs like Lassie, How much is that Collie in the Window and other  wonderful collie entertainment.  So, that is our Collie Transportation Unit #2.

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While all those things are nice what I Ginger like the most about Collie Transportation Unit #2 is the huge trunk it has.  A great place to store things, like food, treats, machine guns,  the remains of those who refuse to accept one of my deals they can’t refuse!!!  That reminds me…. Mick bring a shovel with us on our next ride…..   Now, we are off to some cat named Guido to make him a deal he cant refuse…. Muwahahahahahaha

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Love…..

In the animal world there are some disturbing things I see… so I will address them after some cool information….

Here is a collie in the 30’s at the home of Edsel Ford!  In the min-cars are Josephine Ford, known as Dodie who loved animals till the day she died donating large sums of money for their care.  Josephine Ford was the daughter of Edsel Ford who was the son of Henry Ford. Edsel was a kind man who did not like many of the antics his father pulled.  Edsel was not only President of Ford but of Lincoln and Mercury. He founded Mercury and had a big role in designing all Ford cars after the advent of the Model A which was his first Ford design.  While all that endears me to Edsel, he had a collie!!!!

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The other child is William Clay Ford who is the youngest child of Edsel and Eleanor Ford.  William Clay Ford is the only one alive of Edsel’s 5 children.  He is presently 88 years old and he owns the Detroit Lions….. too bad he can;t have success on the football field that his family has had with their cars!

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-My love for Tractors is also well known on this blog.  Here is a picture of a Ford 9N tractor and beside the back tire is Henry Ford and in the middle of the picture is Edsel.  Next to Henry Ford is Harry Ferguson.  Ferguson developed the revolutionary hydraulic three point hitch that changed the tractor world forever!  He later had Ferguson tractors after working with Ford till Henry died and then later was merger with Massey-Harris to build the Massey-Ferguson company that still thrives today!

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To further see a quick shot of their collie as a young dog go her and go to 2:33 on the film to see Eleanor playing in the snow with the kids and the collie!

 

Those who live nearby should know you can walk your dogs there and they have dog days so check out the website. 🙂

Henry Ford at Fairlane created a refuge for wild animals having many brought in from threatened areas.  One of his specialties were bird. Five Hundred bird houses were built and he loved watching them……

In 1912 and 1913 Ford threw his weight and money in to help pass the Migratory Bird act.  It still serves as protection for the Geese and Ducks and others whom you see flying south in the fall and north in the spring.

So, what is the point of this post?  Well part of it is that I like the Fords and love animals and that they had a collie.  But, the other is that saving animals, helping them and loving them is not relegated to just average folks or working folks or what have you.  It is a spectrum of people from the poorest to the richest who work for the betterment of animals.  W don’t get political here on Collies of the Meadow but in today’s world I think it is important for all of us to remember animal care is not just the realm of self-proclaimed protectors or activists who seem to pour scorn upon the wealthy.  It is for ALL of us to do.  People like the Fords could pour in money and pull favors from connections while people like you and I help where we can and take in what we can and try to care for animals around us through everyday activities that include kindness and love.

Together we all can make a difference….  I dont care if you are rich or poor….. just do what you can like build a birdhouse, feed the birds in the winter, take in a stray cat or dog, give money to no-kill shelters, even $10 helps!  Donate your time…… whatever….. it all helps.   So what about the tractor?  Well, I love them but planting corn in the part of the world I live in has helped the deer, migrating birds and squirrels as well as raccoons and others eat all winter so they dont starve like they used too.  Yes, despite protests of some there is a place of modern technology in helping to feed the animals.

For me, I love animals.  We take in all we can, feed all we can, find homes for the unhomed we know of and give them all love.  Animals from the wild seem to know we love them and many come to our home to spend their final days till they pass away such as the woodchuck who showed up one day and whom I picked up (which horrified everyone for they thought it would bite me) and wrapped in a blanket and put under the big Maple with food and water. He never ate or drank but stayed till he passed in peace.  We have had injured birds come, injured bats and squirrels and while all of them were beyond saving they all were cared for till they died feeling cared for.

One doesnt have to do great things for animals.. just be kind and loving…. for even the most wild animal has to have love….. just love them….. it will change your life.

 

 

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Ginger’s Theory

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Wow!  18 degrees here yesterday!!!   What is this the North Pole?

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North Pole? Isn’t that where Santa Claus lives?

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Wait, if there is Santa Claus…. that means its Christmas and that means….

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Collie Indoor Plumbings so we don’t have to go out in 18!!!!

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We WANT!! WE WANT!! WE WANT!! WE WANT!!!! We demand Collie Indoor Plumbing!!  18 is too cold to have to go outside!  We want collie indoor plumbing…. What? No!!!  We will  organize and strike… this is it WE WANT COLLIE INDOOR PLUMBING!!! NOW!!

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Wow! A Spontaneous Revolution!!!  Now to harness it and ride to to my world domination!!!!  Let me see…. all that reading has to help me with this….Beer Hall Putsh… nope, that was a failure plus I dont want to wear some funny little moustache… hmmm….. could try the sit-down strikes like in France… wait that was a failure.. let me see… all that reading…. ah.. yes… Lenin with Peace, Land and Bread… wait.. collies dont like bread and who wants peace?  Hmmm… oh.. Trotsky and the theory of Permanent Revolution with all power to the soviets… but lets make that .. “All Power to the Collie Councils” which of course will be run by me.. muwahahahahah!!!      Look Out Old Guy, first indoor collie plumbing then the world!!!   “ALL POWER TO THE COLLIE COUNCILS!!!!  COLLIES OF THE WORLD UNITE!!!!”

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Help Them If You Can

The Advent candles are lit, the collie indoor plumbing unit .. er.. christmas tree is lit, the stockings are hung, snow is coming and we collies are bouncing around gleefully for we know it is the season of giving and we know we are receiving!!!! hehehehehe……

However, we are too aware that there are many animals out there who do not receive and we ask you our friends to bring your animals in from the cold or at least build them a warm shelter.  Keep them fed and watered and perhaps remind your friends to do so also.

IF you see a cold lonely animal perhaps you can slip them some warm food……  feed the birds…… the $%%@#$%@#$% squirrels even… snicker….

It is the season of giving….. please we ask  that you give to all animals and people in some way.  It doesnt have to be much…. or it is the love and thought behind it that will make their lives happier……

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Together we can make a difference for others for when we give personally it means more….

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Um…. if you aint giving me the whole steak I am not interested cheapskate…. and I wont forget when I reach world domination!!! Muwahahahahaha

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Bring in your animals during the cold nights please! 🙂

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We love you all,

The Collies 🙂

 

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What Is It For?

I turned around to grab some ornaments and there was Rutherford… giving me the same silly grin Trevor used to give me. Then I saw it… the leg going up…. “No you don’t ” I told him and the grin disappeared and down went the leg. What a look of disappointment!  After all, what is that darn Collie Indoor Plumbing for?

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Its up! Its up! YAY!!!!! Lil Hallie loves the tree!

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Put some more ornaments on it Dad!  I think there are some in the other room! Muwahahahahahahaha

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Here is the song we collies sing when the Collie Indoor Plumbing goes up… “Oh Christmas Tree… How we love to pee on thee… if dad would only let us!  heheheheh

 

 

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Happiness

We hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving!  There is a lot to be thankful for….. look at Mick’s face… looks like he is pretty thankful too.   As winter creeps steadily into the Meadow we now get ready for Advent.. Dad’s favorite season of the Church year…..

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Terhune Books We Recommend for Christmas Presents

My Favorite Terhune books;

Oh my,.,,, each of them are gems.  I have come to love the sections of many books where he would write about the collies in his life in just a everyday form instead of story form.  But, here are books I think stand out above the others;

If I have to choose a favorite it would be;

The book of Sunnybank which is republished now as  Sunnybank, Home of Lad.  This is about Sunnybank and many of the collies who lived there.  Also, it covers horses, the house, the “little” people such as Jack the Frog!!  This is probably my favorite!  If you want to learn about Sunnybank and the animals, house and Collies this is the one!

The Lad Books are amongst the best;

Lad, a dog-This is where it all began and it is a classic.

The Further Adventures of Lad or republished as Dog Stories Every Child Should Know (Note-I am not sure which title it is published under now. I have a recent copy with the original title so do check it out!)

Lad Of Sunnybank- Another classic about Lad!

The funniest of them all and another favorite is;

Gray Dawn- This Blue Merle was a character!  He created havoc and mischief everywhere he went.  However, it wasnt because he was a bad dog… he just had the most unbelievable bad luck followed by the most unbelievable good luck combined with his fun loving, curious and innocent ways led him into some of the funniest situations you will ever read about!  I probably laughed out loud at this book more than any other except perhaps a joke book. While Lad is a heroic good vs. evil book, Gray Dawn is just plain fun and I hate to admit it, but a few of these antics my collies, who are descended from him, have done.  You will laugh as Terhune describes Dawn dunking him in the Lake…… but beware.  At the end of the book Gray Dawn, like all good collies passes into the afterlife and I know I sat there with tears running down my cheeks as my heart broke.  But, Dawn was the epitomy of a collie, gleefully going through life and making the most of each moment!

Here is one more book I would recommend;

The Master by Litvag-

This book is about Terhune and unlike most bios today it is not all good or all bad either making him into a saint or a demon.  It is a very balanced book about him showing his wonderfully kind nature with animals and his disdain for many humans.  You will laugh at his younger antics… wince at his battles with people, admire his fighting for animal rights, feel sad at his relationship with his daughter, see him helping people in dire needs yet see him lose his temper sometimes rightfully, sometimes just because people rubbed him he wrong way.  I liked seeing him like this for APT was only a mere human like all of us.  I found myself that I could relate to a lot of how he saw things and could see why he and I loved collies.  However, some of his ways left me scratching my head.  This is a very good book and if you want to learn more about Terhune it is a must.  Between chapters the author relates a winter trip to Sunnybank before it all was torn down….

 

Terhune was a big traveler.  He did so in the winter months and when younger.  He wrote a lot of books and on top of that he wrote prolifically for magazines, radio shows and newspapers.  He spent 8 hours a day, 5 days a week writing.  it was his job he said and he was going to work 40 hours a week at it.  When one sees a list of everything known he wrote for all publications it is amazing!   It is early for a Christmas list but some do like to start early. 🙂

 

-Terhune wrote lovingly about the collies of his life and preserved their memories.. I only hope I can do the same for my collies……

-Trevor and I… I miss you everyday ol’ Boo….. 2 and half years you have been gone…. 😦

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A Terhune Christmas

As Christmas is just a month away   I thought I would begin to post items every so often that you might find interesting for your dog loving friends or that you might like for yourselves and can give out a list to your friends for suggestions to get you when they say “I dont know what to get you!”

Below is a book list of all the books ever written by my favorite Author Albert Payson Terhune.  These make great gifts for kids, for yourself or that dog lover in your life. Not all of his books written were about collies especially his early works.  But, almost everything from Lad on were about collies.  I have 16 of his books and love each of them but some are more favorite than others.  I will cover more about them in the future.
ALBERT PAYSON TERHUNE BOOKS

Syria From the Saddle (1896)
Columbia Stories (1897)
How to Box to Win (1900) (Wrote as “Terry McGovern”)
Dr. Dale: A Story Without A Moral (1900) (with Marion Harland)
The New Mayor (1907)
Caleb Conover, Railroader (1907)
The World’s Great Events (1908)
The Fighter (1909)
The Return of Peter Grimm (1912) (he wrote as ”David Belasco”)
The Woman (1912)
Around the World in Thirty Days (1914)
Dad (1914) (written with Sinclair Lewis)
The Story of Damon and Pythias (1915)
Superwomen (1916)
[Republished as: Famous Hussies Of History (1943) ]
Dollars and Cents (1917)
The Years of the Locust (1917)
Fortune (1918)
Wonder Women In History (1918)
Lad : A Dog (1919)
Bruce (1920)
Buff: A Collie (1921)
The Man In the Dark (1921)
His Dog (1922)
Black Gold (1922)
Black Caesar’s Clan (1922)
Further Adventures of Lad (1922)
[Republished as: Dog Stories Every Child Should Know (1941) ]
The Pest (1923)
Lochinvar Luck (1923)
The Amateur Inn (1923)
Treve (1924)
The Tiger’s Claw (1924)
The Heart of a Dog (1924)
Now That I’m Fifty (1925)
The Runaway Bag (1925)
Wolf (1925)
Najib (1925)
Treasure (1926)
[Republished as: The Faith of a Collie (1949) ]
My Friend The Dog (1926)
Gray Dawn (1927)- **THIS ONE WILL MAKE YOU LAUGH!**
The Luck of the Laird (1927)
[Republished as: A Highland Collie (1950) ]
Bumps (1927)
Blundell’s Last Guest (1927)
Water! (1928)
Black Wings (1928)
The Secret of Sea-Dream House (1929)
Lad of Sunnybank (1929)
To The Best Of My Memory (1930)
Diana Thorne’s Dog Basket: A Series of Etchings (1930)
Proving Nothing (1930)
A Dog Named Chips (1931)
The Son Of God (1932)
The Dog Book (1932)
The Way of a Dog (1932)
Letters of Marque (1934)
The Book Of Sunnybank (1934)  **THIS IS EXCELLENT!!!***
[Republished as: Sunnybank: Home of Lad (1953) ]
Real Tales of Real Dogs (1935)
True Dog Stories (1936)
The Critter And Other Dogs (1936)
Unseen! (1937)
The Terhune Omnibus (1937)
[Republished in part as: The Best-Loved Dog Stories Of Albert
Payson Terhune (1954) ]
A Book of Famous Dogs (1937)
[Republished as: Famous Dog Stories Every Child Should Know
(1937) ]
Grudge Mountain (1939)
[Republished as: Dog of the High Sierras (1951) ]
Dogs (1940)
Loot! (1940)
[Republished as:Collie to The Rescue (1952) ]
Across The Line (1945) (With notes and commentary by Anice Terhune)
Wallace: Glasgow’s Immortal Fire Dog (1961)
Great Dog Stories (1994)

This is Albert Payson Terhune with Ch. Sunnybank Thane, his greatest Champion who died tragically and young.

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One of Sunnybank’s Collies jumping ….

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The Collies Recommend These-

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-Is it time for Santa yet?

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We collies thought we would put up a few Christmas suggestions.

 

For Terhune fans, any of his books. We will post a list of them soon!

For Collie Lovers we suggest from the Terhune Memorial Society anything by the person who knows more about Terhune than anyone in our opinion;

Kristina Marshall.  We have her FOREVER FRIENDS and it is a thrilling and wonderful book about all the collies that lived at Sunnybank with the bloodlines coming out of Sunnybank!  This is a must have and just type in Terhune Memorial Society on Google to get more information or type in the book with Kristina Marshall’s name. 🙂 She also has several other book and all of them are GREAT!!!!

For Automobile Lovers;

A great read about the history of Henry Ford, his family through to the early 90’s, the Ford Company and the cars a excellent book is ;

FORD, THE MEN AND THE MACHINE by Robert Lacey

For the best biography about Henry Ford we have read and can recommend volume one of the three volume set by Nevins.  Volume one covers Henry Ford, his family life, Ford Motor Company, the cars and his other activities up to 1915.  It is fascinating to see the beginnings of the Ford Company and how they did all they could do to keep it going until it finally exploded into the beginning of the huge company it is now. This book is: FORD, THE TIMES, THE MAN, THE COMPANY

For Movie Lovers we recommend;

THE QUIET MAN with John Wayne and Maureen O’ Hara

HIS GIRL FRIDAY with Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant

For the men;

Any Three Stooges Films

For the Women;

Any movie with Katharine Hepburn

Hopefully this will help……

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I Ginger think the ultimate Christmas present is printing out this picture of me lifesize and putting it on your wall………

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