Corgis and Hound Dogs

Today I happened to see a show that had Corgis on it!  I felt homesick for little Deno.

This is Deno smiling two days after we brought him home from the Humane Society.  Okay, obviously Deno's not quite so little; he was fully grown and seven years old.  But we've only had him for a year and a half so he still seems like a puppy to us!

In honor of loving a dog who loves you back, today's song is "Hound Dog" sung by Elvis Presley.  This early rock and roll song was not jazz but certainly influenced by it.  The song is a classic!

Corgi Love: Deno

I love dogs.  End of story.  And I especially love Pembroke Welsh Corgis, those funny little dogs with the big attitudes and short legs.

Dogs love unconditionally, it seems.  Give them a good brushing, a few treats and they love you forever.  But there's more to it than that.

A Corgi has a mind of its own--if they think fetch is a dumb game, it's a good bet you'll be the one fetching.  They love food and figure out ways to get it from you--they're sneaky that way.  But they also are fiercely loyal to their people.

It took Deno a month or so to adjust to us, but he was loyal from the beginning.  He loved all of us and we loved him.  Sure, he had a few accidents on the rug (I think they were temper tantrums when he didn't feel we were paying enough attention to him) but accidents are fixable.

He's never chewed on anything--except the corners of books!  Talk about a weird thing to chew on.

In short, we just love our six-year-old puppy, Deno.  He's a handful sometimes, but what family member isn't at some point in life?

Here's a song from another of my favorite Dinos, Dean Martin.  It's "Sway," which I've highlighted before, but it's such a great song!  I have a live recording of me singing this with my jazz combo that will be on an upcoming jazz album.

Puppy Chow...and Puppies!

Is there anyone who can resist the combination of chocolate, peanut butter, Crispix, and powdered sugar?  I don't think I've met anyone yet who could...

Puppy chow is always a nice treat.  And when it's snowy, like it is now, it just makes me feel so...wintery!

And, of course, I not only love puppy chow, I love real puppies!  I do have a favorite breed: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Yes, those funny little fox-headed, long-bodied, tail-less sweethearts!

I've talked about Dylan and Deno, the two Chaston corgis.  Dylan was with us for almost 12 years and Deno is a new addition to the family we got in May 2012!

Deno on Christmas Day--he loves rawhide!

So today's song isn't jazz...but it is a fun little tune.  Here's "Gonna Buy Me a Dog" by The Monkees!

Corgis and Rowan Atkinson in the Olympics!

Just because I'm a musician doesn't mean I don't like sports...and when it comes to the Olympics...I'm a fanatic!

So, I'm in the middle of watching the Olympic Opening Ceremony on NBC.

I loved the Queen and her corgis. My little corgi, Deno, looks just like hers...if not a little thinner.

Deno watching the Olympics with us!

My absolute favorite "music moment" of the opening ceremonies was Rowan Atkinson "playing" the pedal point of the Chariots of Fire theme with the London Symphony Orchestra. I wish I could find it online (it's not on NBC's website). I did DVR it though, so I've already re-watched it a couple times! Seriously, though, I've never laughed so hard in my life. And the dream sequence is hilarious because who hasn't dreamed of qualifying for Olympic participation?'

Normally, I would have been put off by the parody of Chariots of Fire. I love the message of the movie and it is my older brother's absolute favorite theme song. It has a lot of meaning in our family. But Rowan Atkinson was so absolutely, knock-down funny and the parody was done with (I think) respect for the message...so I loved it!

Seriously, you have to see it for a memorable Olympic 2012 experience!