Dear Father Mack,

I hope you will permit this perhaps overly familiar form of address, for although you don't know me, I certainly feel as though I know you! I very much appreciate your articles for Dressage Daily, and happily followed your ramblings through Aachen.

Today I read your "thesis" on our canine companions, and I felt compelled to write, simply to agree wholeheartedly!

I have shared my life and home with six Pembroke Welsh Corgis, over the years, and find them a most enchanting type of dog. My current faithful companion, a sable female named "Temperance", known as "Tempi" (which fulfills the dressage requirement of a great name as well meeting my personal criteria for naming dogs after things which I do not have), made her public debut at Devon five years ago, as a four month old puppy. Your article brought back happy memories of Tempi's first few days with me.

Actually, it is my observation that we tend to enjoy the writings and musing of people with whom we agree and share interests, and that is certainly the case with me. Although I am not particularly a fan of Belgian beer, I am Canadian, and it seems that beer is a national pastime for many of us, myself included. We have many fine brands here, and many micro breweries which produce some very good ales and lagers. Cooking with beer is also an interest, and I have a great recipe for mussels steamed in Stella Artois, if you are interested. Last evening (just by chance), I stewed pork tenderloin in John Labatt Porter, adapted from a recipe in the Nero Wolfe (fictional detective by American Rex Stout, also a great beer aficionado) Cookbook.

Lastly, of course, I am a dressage enthusiast, which almost goes without saying. I ride and compete out of my own stable here in Canada.

So, if you ever head north, feel free to drop me a line, and perhaps we could raise a jar or two.

Regards, and please keep up the great stories!

Liz Steacie

PS: I also thought the Umberto Eco book one of the best, and the movie wasn't bad either.