A Flower grows on YouTube

I picked up a grapevine wreath on sale at Michael's, and now there's one more project on my needles. 

Originally I had thought to add some of my crocheted hearts. I think that would have been very pretty.

But then I found a couple of videos on YouTube showing how to crochet multilayered flowers. And of course I had to try that out.

I ended up spending the afternoon making flowers. I probably could have finished the wreath as obsessed as I was. Only somebody is not house trained yet, and peed all over my yarn--which was in my lap at the time.

Surprisingly, no animals were harmed in the making of my wreath. 

Just another teenager

Do you remember this cute little guy? I haven't mentioned him in a while. Mainly because I try to ignore the fact that despite my better judgement, I actually agreed to let my son get this dog.

I will even go ahead and admit that when Rocky entered our family, I thought he was adorable. He was little and cute, and I had fun taking him out on walks and playing with him. When I sat on the couch, Rocky would curl up in my lap, giving my lots of love and slimy kisses.

No matter how cute they are, and no matter how hard you wish it wasn't so, babies always grow up.

Rocky is now the dog equivalent of a teenager. He's all long legs and clumsy enthusiasm. Naturally, he is able to do things now that he couldn't do as a puppy. He will follow simple commands, as long as he is in the mood or is sufficiently bribed with a treat. He plays ball, and will keep it going for as long as he can con you into playing with him. (I tend to think of his tennis ball as the dog version of an X-Box.) He eats each meal as if he's just been rescued from starving on the streets. And he will still try to cuddle on my lap and give me wet, slimy kisses - unless he's too busy ignoring me because the "cool" kids (PJ and Becka) are around.

So maybe he is still adorable.

One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats. (Iris Murdoch)

I have decided that I have gone completely around the bend. The nice men in white might as well come along and fit me for one of those snazzy jackets with the arms wrapped around the back. It would go really well with the little treat bag I've suddenly started wearing on my belt loop.

By the way, if you have a bag of treats snapped on your waistband, it isn't a good idea to sit in the middle of a group of puppies with your knitting bag. I wanted a picture for the Great Gold Coast KIP Hunt. (Remember, I told you about it Saturday.) One of the locations on the hunt list is "school." Originally I had figured that I would just take a picture at work. But since tonight was Puppy School, I had the brilliant idea to knit there for the Hunt. Just in case anyone else thinks that this is a good idea, let me point out a couple of things:

• Puppies like bamboo dpns better than metal dpns. They like them enough to steal them out of your purse. Apparently bamboo dpns make really nice little chew toys.
• A ball of yarn is almost as much fun as a tennis ball.
• When playing keep-away with several puppies, a ball of yarn is not a good keep-away object. The yarn tangles everyone up, and it isn't a pretty sight.
  
• Owners of puppies tend to be very excitable. Especially when a game of yarn-ball-keep-away is initiated.
• A sock project bag is easily confused with a treat bag. And that confusion is lessened only after all of the puppies have had several chances to taste the sock to be sure it isn't hiding a treat.
• It helps to have a sense of humor when puppies are nibbling on your hand-knit colorwork socks.
  

It's not enough that we do our best; sometimes we have to do what's required. (Sir Winston Churchill)

Warning - this is a bit of a rant.


Sometimes people absolutely amaze me. The apartment complex where I live provides doggy stations. They're kept stocked with plastic bags, and there is a trash for the scooped-poop. I know at least eleven stations, and there may be more. It seems like every "open" grass area has a doggy station.

So how could I possibly have stepped in dog poop this morning? I was less than four steps to the doggy station. As I was cleaning off my shoe, I noticed four more unscooped-poops in that one area. How lazy and selfish do you have to be to leave poop on the ground within reach of the doggy station?

Cities, like cats, will reveal themselves at night. Rupert Brooke)

Thursday Challenge
"Urban"

I took a cheat on today's photo meme. I can't really call where I live "urban," although it's definitely not the countryside either. I live in a large apartment complex, which seems even larger when you're out in the middle of the night walking the dog. Again.

I have done more walking the past three weeks than I did in three months pre-puppy. With both of my teenagers out of town this week, I have to walk the dog every two hours or so. (And if I don't, I'd have to clean up the mess. So we walk.) I've even gotten comfortable with walking the neighborhood late at night (and early morning).

At least I've been making lots of new friends. People who would normally turn out of their way in order to avoid eye contact, now smile and strike up conversations about the puppy who is eager to play.

Every boy should have two things: a dog, and a mother willing to let him have one.

Every boy who has a dog should also have a mother, so the dog can be fed regularly.

Meet Rocky, the newest member of our family.

Yes, I remember that I said I was never, ever going to get another dog after the disaster that we created with our last dogs. We were horrible, irresponsible pet owners and I promised that I would never again put an innocent animal in that position. I told everyone that there was no way I would ever again put myself in that position.

But I was depressed, and my son saw his chance and took it. At a time when I was feeling unloved and alone, my son offered me another chance at unconditional love. He did his homework (instead of just walking into a pet store and falling in love with the first creature to make puppy eyes at him), and found a dog that met both our needs. Then he offered financial security, both to the apartment complex AND to me, that the dog's needs would be met. He even signed us up for doggy school, so that my children and I will learn along with the dog how to behavior properly.

Rocky's been with us three weeks now, and so far things are working out pretty well. He's not the cuddly baby-creature that I had hoped for, but he's also not a hyperactive destruction machine that I was afraid of. My son took me seriously about giving away the dog (and keeping the security money for myself) if the dog messed up my house, and as a result Rocky is pretty much house-trained already.

Tuesday nights Rocky and I go to puppy school. If my son isn't working, he comes along too. But I've been having so much fun with the classes, I've pretty much taken over training the dog myself. Last week we learned the "sit" command, and already Rocky understands and responds to both the word and the hand command. Yes, I'm teaching my dog sign language. This week we're working on loose leash walking, and it turns out that Rocky is ahead of the class on that skill as well. (I can't help bragging. I've been a teacher's pet all my life.)

Rocky is scheduled for the last of his shots in three weeks. By then, we'll be ready for play dates at the dog park. I'm actually looking forward to it!