Above: Wendy Burden in her Portland, Ore., home with her dog, Spit. The bust is by William Ordway Partridge, her great-grandfather.
Spit is my newest and dearest and bestest friend. Spit is a border terrier. His mom, Wendy, just wrote an amazing book, Dead End Gene Pool, which comes out on Thursday. Wendy is a Vanderbilt descendent and the book is all about wealth and life and syphilis and dysfunction. It's creating a HUGE buzz. You have to read the New York Times article about it. Here's a link:
At Home With Wendy Burden - A Vanderbilt Descendant Laughs Off Dysfunction - NYTimes.com
Well when I saw Spit there lounging on her mommy's lap I just had to reach out. I'm a starfucker (doggy style) you know. Wendy promises to contribute something for the blog after the craziness of the book launch dies down a bit. I don't know if it ever will really
Anyway, in the meantime Wendy sent me a little doggy teaser just to shut me up!
Suddie, Here's a pic of my other (late) Border, Harry. I am totally jonesing for a new puppy, even though I still have Spit--but she's almost 14. More later!
Wendy
Harry sure was handsome!
Above: Spit and Wendy in their front yard with the lions from Florham, her great-grandmother's childhood home in New Jersey.As you will read in Dead End Gene Pool, Wendy's younger brother, Edward, came to believe he was the reincarnation of their father, who died before he was born. He also has created a Facebook profile for his dead mother Leslie Tobey. Leslie/Edward and I had a nice chat:
Leslie Tobey: Yawn.
Suddie Lancaster-Taylor: Leslie. Why won't you friend me? Yawn right back at u!Leslie Tobey: Look, sweetie...I "friended" a guy from Pakistan...he looked good...he started sending me bad poetry. Need I say more?Suddie Lancaster-Taylor: Leslie baby, give it one more try. I promise no poetry. Maybe a little sniffing in inappropriate places.Leslie Tobey: You do look a lot like Inky...Suddie Lancaster-Taylor: Inky? r u going to be my friend or what. i can be your only one. man's best friend and all...Leslie Tobey: As I told my kids, neediness does not make one popular...Suddie Lancaster-Taylor: Maybe I'm Inky Reincarnate.Leslie Tobey: Ok...my "Darling" daughter, sent me a link to your hats. I relent...you seem interesting.Suddie Lancaster-Taylor: I knew you would. I am a persistent bitch.Wendy gave me the scoop:
"Inky was the cockapoo we had when we moved to England as kids She was from a shelter, so she could actually have been a Tibetan, except she was remarkably stupid. I had an English Bull terrier for 15 years that was the smartest dog ever---but a LOT of work. She loved a good scrap, with anything. Dogs, cats, mounted policemen, vacuum cleaners."
I sent Wendy a pic of my new knit cap from Aunt Joyce and she replied:"OMG!!!! That is the funniest---!!! And I don't go for clothing on dogs, but if I did you KNOW Spit would be sporting one for Easter. My brother has 2 sheared Shitzus---he might need one. In black maybe."
I told Wendy that Leslie/Edward friended me on Facebook. "I think it may be because I told him I might be Inky Reincarnate," I ventured.
Wendy replied, "It might be because I sent him the hat picture from your site!"
That knit cap is a godsend Aunt Joyce!
Then Leslie/Edward sent me a message and a pic:
This is Inky...with Ed and Wendy, in Richmond
I DO think I may be Inky Reincarnate. Only with a slightly better doo.
