Do you know what nine years ago today was?

Chappy day!

Yes, it’s exactly nine years since we brought this fluffy little boy home.

He came from a breeder in western Pennsylvania, about a six/six-and-a-half hour’s drive from here. We were both agreed that it wasn’t really a feasible drive to do in one day (especially with a seven-week old puppy), so we drove out the day before, a Friday.

I had actually gone to work on Friday, with the plan for Mom and me to leave around 3:00 in the afternoon. I had such a hard time concentrating on my work, though! I couldn’t sit still for more than 10 minutes at a time, and kept pacing around the office on jittery legs, anxious to get my puppy.

Understand, I was nervous for a bunch of reasons. It was only three months since I’d lost Katy to a car and I wasn’t entirely ready for a new dog quite yet. I would have been happier if Chappy’s litter had been born a month later, to give me just that extra month to finish mourning for Katy. Three months just didn’t seem like quite enough time to say good-bye, but it was close enough that I was looking forward to the new puppy, too. Mostly, anyway. Part of me was still focused on Katy. (Which, incidentally, explains Chappy’s extreme sensitivity when her name comes up. Apparently I talked about her a LOT in his first weeks with us. I’ve explained to him many times that, well, I loved her, too, but still. He’s kind of got a little-brother complex there.)

I ended up leaving work around lunchtime because, hey, I wasn’t getting a lick of work done anyway. Mom and I threw our suitcases into the car, hopped on Rt 80, and headed west. We checked into the Best Western in Kittanning and tried to get some sleep … we were right next to the pool, so that was tricky, what with all the splashing and screaming going on on the other side of the wall. Not to mention the nerves. (And cramps. I had truly dreadful cramps that night, which I’ve decided were labor pains.)

The next morning, we met up with another mother and daughter who were also adopting one of Chappy’s litter that day, and then the four of us headed over to Randy’s. The puppy pile? Oh God, one of the cutest things I’ve ever seen.

I’ve told you about Red Ear, right? Mom and I had actually driven out to Kittanning two weeks earlier to pick out a puppy, whose ear was marked with red ink. Adoption morning, though, that puppy wanted NOTHING to do with us. He was at the bottom of the puppy pile and looked kind of tormented. I think Chappy told him horror stories about us for those two weeks so that he could have his chance with us. He had clearly set his heart on HIS being the puppy we brought home, and if Red Ear had remotely shown any interest in us, we never would have looked at the other puppies. But, Red Ear spent his time cowering in the corner and squirming whenever either of us would pick him up, so Randy said we could change our minds.

That left two puppies who really liked us. The others had been polite and friendly, but not particularly interested, but there were two who tried to win us over. Chappy and Mr. Personality. Mr. Personality threw every “cute puppy” trick in the book at us and was adorable and charming, but Chappy was smart. He paced himself so that when Mr. P conked out, he was still being winning and cute. He also focused on his Grandma and won her over first.

I was a mess, trying to make this decision. We had never had to pick out a puppy before, and with having lost Katy so recently, and Red Ear being so very much the wrong puppy for us, I was terrified that I was going to pick the wrong one. I don’t generally lose control or have hysterics or whatever, but I was so distraught trying to choose between these two puppies, at one point Mom even offered to get both of them. (When you consider we’ve never had more than one pet at a time in our house EVER, that should tell you what a wreck I was.)

Ultimately, though, Chappy’s planning and stamina paid off. He said goodbye to his four-legged parents, climbed into my lap in the car (the only time he got to ride in my lap instead of seat-buckled in the back) and promptly fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. I mean, that was quite a morning for a seven-week old puppy!

He slept soundly almost the entire drive back to New Jersey. He would blink awake when the car would go over a bump, or if a loud truck zoomed by. He woke up enough to sniff and look adorable at a couple rest stops, and when we stopped for lunch at a McDonalds. I did some of the driving, but most of it was Mom, while Chappy and I bonded.

When we got home, Dad met us in the driveway and took Chappy out of my lap. He looked particularly tiny in my tall father’s hands. We all went inside, and Chappy promptly started to explore–a big difference from Katy’s first moments in our house. (She had flown up on a plane and was still traumatized and unsure who on earth we were, and didn’t really want to do anything except cling to me.) Chappy, though, by this time was well-rested and pretty secure that we were WONDERFUL people, so he was delighted to explore. He looked like he couldn’t believe his luck, that he had toys all to himself, and his own dishes that he wouldn’t have to share with five other puppies.

Sigh.

I can’t believe it’s been nine years.

Thanks for picking us, Chappy.

(Psst. Hi, everyone, it’s Chappy. Mom doesn’t know I’m writing this. I know she thinks that I tried to scare Red Ear so that he wouldn’t want to be with them, but it’s NOT true. He was just a wimp, that’s all. He just LET the rest of us sit on top of him, he had no spunk. There’s no way he would have been the right dog for MY Mom. She needed someone with personality, and … not that other puppy. He was all show, but no real substance. I mean, he was my brother and I loved him, but still. He was way too vain for a puppy, and a show-off.

I, on the other hand, KNEW that I was the only possible puppy for Mom. I knew it the minute I saw her when she and Grandma came to visit when I was little. I was really worried that day when they didn’t pay any attention to me at all. Mom said once that was because one of us had shown some signs of hip problems when we were really little and she didn’t want to pick that puppy, so she avoided us bigger puppies on that first visit. I think that’s just silly, though. Obviously *I* was going to be perfect, but I couldn’t get her to look at me!

I did NOT tell Red Ear scary stories, but I did spend the next two weeks training, focusing my puppy cuteness until it was razor sharp to make all the people go “Awww” whenever they saw me. I knew I only had one chance, and I was determined not to miss it! And you know, I was still really little. I had a hard time concentrating on anything for more than a minute or two, so you can see how determined I was.

All my hard work paid off, though, and I got the best Mom in the whole world. But don’t tell her I said so. It’ll just go to her head. Oops. I hear her coming! Gotta go.)

Bye!

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Chappy Day // 8 Comments »

It would be a better picture, of course, if I had cleaned the mirror first, but beggars can’t be choosy.

This one’s not much better. The mirror is cleaner, but my camera focused on the actual mirror, not the reflection. So, you know, take your pick.

This little guy has been quiet today. I took him to the vet for his annual check-up yesterday and, $192 later, it turns out that he has an ear infection.

Not a bad one, mind you. In fact, the vet told me we’d caught it really early. The part that astounded her was that this is the FIRST ear infection my 9-year old spaniel has ever had. When I said so, her jaw dropped. “A spaniel?” So obviously we’ve been doing something right, huh?

Of course, now I get to be Chappy’s FAVORITE person because two times a day for the next two weeks, I get to put drops in his ear. You know, those cold, oozy things that tickle and itch all the way down the ear canal? Yeah, those. Chappy just loves those.

Now, here’s something you never thought you’d see here. I won a contest over at FiberFarm.com and the prize was six skeins (Six!) in one of three colors of yarn. I asked Susan which she thought would be best for me and she suggested “Catcher in the Rye,” which came yesterday. Except, um, I think this is really well named because it looks to me like the shade of orange deer hunters wear to make sure they’re not accidentally shot. (Trust me, it’s even brighter in person than it appears in the photo.) I like orange–you know that–but this is bright orange, and well, I don’t like it. Much as I adored using her yarn for my Salem Hooded Jacket (as seen above), and think her yarn and colors are generally awesome, and grateful as I am to have won a sweater’s worth of yarn … I’m sending it back with regrets. If I had any dyeing skills at all, I might have kept it and tried over-dyeing to tone the orange down to something a little rustier, but since I don’t, I figure it’s better for the farm to get the yarn back to sell than for it to sit in my stash unused and unappreciated. (Well, not unappreciated, because like I said, I’m super grateful, but under-appreciated as regards to color.) It’s great yarn and it deserves better. So … back it goes, with my thanks, because that seems the right thing to do.

I know. You’re really grateful that you were sitting down while you read this, aren’t you? That news would have made me fall over in shock, too.

One more thing–remember when I mentioned this adorable book a couple months ago? IT’S A BOOK by Lane Smith? Oh my God, it’s like the best picture book EVER.

Here’s a reminder:

The perfect children’s books for all us book lovers … because, as much as I love and appreciated computers and e-readers and smart phones and all that? A real, paper book is still something unique.

Now, wish me luck. Tomorrow I go to the ondontist for a root canal that my regular dentist doesn’t feel equipped to deal with, for a tooth that’s apparently infected and more urgent than the one that fractured a couple weeks ago and still has a little, temporary seal on it until it can be addressed. Which, likely, means it’s going to be pulled, along with my one and only wisdom tooth, just as soon as this OTHER trouble-making tooth is taken care of. Yikes. My mouth and my checkbook are neither of them looking forward to this. I’ve never had a tooth pulled before.

(Yes, I only have the one wisdom tooth, the other 3 just aren’t there, and we wonder if my having been 7 weeks premature might have had something to do with that. Anyway, it’s hung in there for decades, now, but it’s at a point where it needs more work than it’s worth and it’s better off just being pulled, and since it’s right next to the fractured tooth that would really need an implant to fix properly anyway … might as well do them both at the same time. Ouch. Not looking forward to that, either. And, did I mention that my checkbook is terrified? But, really, let’s not talk about it, huh? Tomorrow, though, is a root canal on a completely different tooth on the other side of my mouth. Sigh. Have I mentioned how much I hate my teeth?)

• Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting • Permalink:Tuesday // 6 Comments »

Yes, of course, 2010 is the year, but do you know what else it is?

The number of posts my Mom has written here at Chappysmom!

Two thousand ten posts, as of right now. Isn’t it nice of her to let ME write it? I hope you’re impressed. We … I mean, she started this blog in January 2005.

I’m just proud of the the posts that I’ve written. Not to blow my own horn, or anything. (Besides, that would make me bark, and that would just be silly!)

So, let’s see. Mom usually shows you a picture of her knitting.

She’s got both sleeves of her sweater done, and about 8 or 9 inches of the body. (That’s my foot, there in the corner.) She just started her second skein of yarn and said she’s glad she bought an extra in Susan’s sale last week–just to be safe. That means she has five altogether, which is good because the sweater has a hood.

Did she forget to tell you what the sweater pattern is? The Salem Hooded Jacket from New England Knits. (She really, really loves that book.)

She started plying her “Twist and Shout” yarn, too, which I find kind of boring. And drafty. So I usually sit about as far away as possible while she’s doing that.

Here, she took a couple pictures for you. (She won’t let me use the camera.) She was grumbling about how hard it is to get the yarn to wind on to the bobbin evenly with the plying head, and how she doesn’t like that she can’t get it all the way to the front, but I’m not really sure what she meant by that.

Oh! I almost forgot the best part!

In honor of her 2010th post, Mom’s giving away a PRIZE!

Her paperback copy of Mason-Dixon Knitting. She loves the book. I see her flipping through it all the time. BUT right now she actually has two copies. The one she bought when it came out, and the one that Potter Craft sent her for review when the paperback came out. She told me to tell you that, as much as she loves it, she doesn’t really need both, so she’s willing to give one up for YOU. Because the book is that good.

To win? Just leave a comment on this post with a guess about how many knitting and spinning books Mom has.

Here’s a hint.

(Comments are closed because the contest is over.)

• Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:2010 // 41 Comments »

How about that, my town has a farmer’s market now. Or, well, it’s been about a month now, but it’s still new–we never had one before.

The four of us went over this morning for the first time. It’s small, really, and not too many vendors, but they looked like they were doing pretty decent business.

It was not, though. Hot enough that Chappy even considered taking a drink from the flower-water at one of the booths. (Not that I would have let him.)

We also had one woman stop me to tell me that the heat coming off the asphalt could “burn his feet, poor thing.” Which I’m still kind of torn about. I mean, she was clearly trying to do a nice thing, and it’s possible that I could have (theoretically) been the kind of dog owner who didn’t pay attention to my dog’s needs. But, still. We’d only been there for about 10 minutes and Chappy was just panting gently. He wasn’t fidgeting in the sun and picking up his feet as if they hurt. His tongue wasn’t dragging on the ground. He was clearly happy and interested and looking around at all the new stuff and, yeah, panting a bit, but you try being out in the 90-degree hot sun covered with fur and not feel a little warm. Her intentions were obviously good, but her delivery came across as “I know best,” with no recognition that I might possibly know my dog and his needs better than she. Like, for example, how much FUR he’s got growing between the pads of his feet which protect them pretty well. Or that, yes, we had only been there a few minutes and no, I wasn’t planning on dragging him on a walk all over town. (Where, in fact, the pavement would have been just as hot.) Mom was standing right next to me and agreed that the woman’s delivery was definitely of the butting-in-because-I-can kind, rather than the “What a sweet dog, but do please be careful” kind of warning a well-meaning person might give.

And, frankly, it was the “poor thing” that got me–as if I was abusing my dog by subjecting him to cruel conditions because I am a heartless, unobservant idiot.

So, yeah, while I’m giving her intentions the benefit of the doubt, that annoyed me just a bit.

On the other hand, I DID abuse and torture Chappy today.

I gave him a haircut.

AND a bath.

On the same day.

If I had pulled out the nail grinder, I could probably have been accused of cruelty to animals.

You know, for a water dog, he really doesn’t enjoy baths very much. He doesn’t complain, exactly, but he stands there stoically, waiting for it to be over. … Actually, it’s not really the bath that he minds. It’s the being wet afterwards. He won’t stand still long enough for me to towel off anything other than the worst of the drips, and by the time we’re at that stage, I never really have the patience to force him, either. Hell, I don’t even blow-dry my own hair, and even when I did, the only way I could alleviate the boredom enough to get through it was to read while I blew-dry.

What? You think that’s weird? I’d sit on the floor with a book in my lap. Then I’d hold the blow-dryer in my right hand, lean over to the left and finger-comb my hair with my left hand while reading the book. My hair got dry, and I kept my sanity. What’s your problem? Even at the hair-dresser, I start fidgeting before my hair is halfway dry. I don’t like to dry dishes, either. Things dry on their own, you know. Unless it’s necessary, I’d rather just let them do so on their own … especially if the drying-off process means more work for me.

Which is something that Chappy and I agree on. I give him baths, towel him off enough for him not to be soaking, and then let him out of the bathroom. He often tears around the house (which we say is his way of blow-drying) and then curls up in a towel and tries to sleep off the rest of the “wet.” But if you pet him while he’s still wet, he almost looks sulky, like he’s saying, “I’m WET,” the same way a person would say, “I’m FILTHY.” Like it was something to be remedied as quickly as possible, but in the meantime, please, don’t look at me.

Anyway, he slept most of the afternoon, and I did some more spinning. It’s the end of the Tour de Fleece and I did meet my goal of spinning every single day. I got that pound of green merino spun, and most of these 8 oz of superwash merino. I finished the first bobbin on Friday and am more than halfway through with the second.

I spun a lot of that yesterday afternoon, watching “The First Olympics.” It was a mini-series back when I was in high school, shortly after we’d gotten our first VCR. (Yes, the early 1980s.) My best friend and I watched and rewatched and watched it again, over and over for several years, and every now and again I get a yen to see it again. Especially on particularly  hot weekends, don’t ask me why. So, while watching Robert Garret and Jamie Connolly doing their wondrous feets of athletics, I spun.

I spent time with this, too. My new computer–and this one’s staying. It’s a Toshiba A665 something-something and I’m ridiculously excited about the fact that it has a number key pad on the right. I’ve never had a laptop with one of those before. I’m still getting used to the keyboard, though–the keys are slippery and slick and my fingers keep wanting to slide off, which I would imagine would be particularly annoying if I wasn’t touch-typing–but is something I can adapt to. It’s much better than on the HP I had gotten last week, which had an annoying touchpad. I’m the only one in my family, mind you, who likes touch pads. In fact, I actively like them, and even at work I use a trackball rather than a traditional mouse. This one not only is more user-friendly than that HP one had been, but has those multi-gesture options, like being able to scroll by using a circular gesture, which I LOVE.

And did I mention it has a number keypad? And now my laptop and my netbook brands match, which I think is kind of sweet. One of these days I’ll take a picture of the two of them side-by-side (which makes the laptop look huge). And also hopefully, one of these days Mom will be used to HER new computer (my old HP) and will stop asking me questions about it (grin).

Oh, and did you hear the casting news for my favorite show, CHUCK? They cast his mother, who disappeared when he was a kid and apparently was/has been/is? a member of the CIA herself … a real kick-ass Mom … and the casting is? Linda Hamilton. As in, the original Sarah Connor from the Terminator. (Not to mention Catherine Chandler on Beauty and the Beast–or am I the only one who remembers that tv show?) I can’t WAIT. She’ll be in the season premiere (on September 20th) and will show up periodically through the season while Chuck searches for her … really. I can’t wait!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Now, I wonder if I could get the rest of that bobbin of yarn spun tonight… Or, no, I should really be working on my book.

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Marking // 7 Comments »

Did I tell you that Chappy had a special cupcake biscuit for his birthday? We picked it up at a fancy dog store in Chester a couple weeks ago–a biscuit baked into a cupcake paper, with yogurt icing and sprinkles. What’s not to love?

He certainly was anxious to give it a try.

He tipped it over and gave it a few good sniffs. (I helped with the paper.)

It was obviously successful, though. Especially considering he tried to eat the paper afterward.

Otherwise, I seem to be participating in the Tour de Fleece. Kind of like the Yarn Harlot, I hadn’t actually planned to, but since I’ve spun every day since it started this weekend, I figure … why not? My own little goal is to spin every day–and if I can turn all 16 oz of my pretty hard-to-photograph green Corriedale into yarn by the end? Well, that would be nice. I’d be happy with singles, even, not necessarily even plied yarn.

As of this moment, I’ve got 8 oz done. I started it a couple weeks ago, but if I had spun as much as an ounce of it before Saturday, I’d be surprised. The color, though, is much better in the picture I took when I started. (The color in this picture, frankly, is terrible. You’d think I’d have better luck doing custom-white balance with my Nikon, huh?)

• Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Pupcake Cupcake // 2 Comments »

Nine years ago today, it was just a short two months from losing Katy in a terrible clash of squealing brakes as she chased her tennis ball in front of a car. There was no way I was done with the grieving process yet.

But, some things are meant to be.

I had lost Katy on May 12th and sometime around June … knowing that I WOULD want another dog eventually … I put out feelers in the Boykin Spaniel group I was in, asking if anybody was planning a litter for sometime that Fall. I wasn’t ready for a new puppy yet, I told them, but I was trying to look forward.

One of the responses I got was from Randy. He told me that he had a litter due around Independence Day, and, out of sympathy for Katy, and knowing I would be a good Mom, offering me one of the puppies at half-price.

I was dumbfounded. What a generous thing to do! Considering the guilt I was saddled with, feeling that it was my fault Katy was gone, I was profoundly touched. But … July was only a month away. There was no way I’d be ready to bring a new furry-face into my life yet.

We’ve always been monogamous with our pets, you understand. Except for the occasional pair of goldfish, we’ve never had more than one pet at a time. We took our mourning periods seriously, too. Between Muppy and Jilly, we waited a full year. Between Jilly and Katy, there was nine months … and that was after losing Jilly to a long illness at 15. We were as prepared for her passing as we could be. It was nothing like the sudden loss of Katy.

But, I told myself, it’s not like I’d be bringing the new puppy home at the beginning of July. It would be closer to September. And she (for I thought we’d be getting another girl) would be within driving distance, unlike Katy, who had had to fly. And it seemed wrong not to take Randy up on his generous offer. So … I said yes, and started waiting with a mix of eagerness and trepidation for the puppies to arrive.

Which they did, nine years ago today. It was a Sunday, and we had the whole family visiting for the day when I got an email from Randy with baby pictures. I remember running downstairs with my laptop to show everyone, and we all gushed over them, over the idea that one of those tiny bundles of fur was going to be mine.

Except, there was only one girl, and she was spoken for. Did I want a boy?

It was like another blow. We’d never had a boy dog, how different would that be? Would he be bigger? Would his bathroom needs be different? Would he be going against the house? What would his temperment be? I asked around to lots of different forums. Other than the obvious physical differences, I wanted to know, are there any real differences between boy dogs and girl dogs?

The best answer I got back? “B*tch means b*tch for a reason.” That, allowing for individual personality–which is ultimately all that matters–boys tend to be sweeter than girls.

And, well, we were having an easier time picking out Martha’s Vineyard-related boy names than girl names.

So, I said yes to my boy.

And, except for a few rocky moments when I missed Katy despite the furry baby cuteness right in front of me, I’ve never regretted it for a moment.

Happy birthday, Chappy. You’ve done nothing but make me happy in the nine years you’ve been here. I swear we gave you the perfect name because there is so much happiness in your soul. You’ve seen us through some of the hardest times we’ve faced as a family–losing the house last year being a big one–not to mention being a very welcome distraction at 3 months old on September 11, 2001.

But even while external issues have tried to drag us down, your smiling face and wagging tail have done everything possible to help us back up. You’re the family cheerleader and never, ever let us down. Certainly, you met me at one of my lowest moments–still suffering from losing Katy–and you have been nothing but sunshine.

Thank you, Chappy. We love you, too. I wouldn’t change a thing.

Now, go check out Mom’s blog post today about her favorite grand-puppy.

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:I Wasn’t Ready // 7 Comments »

This is the face of a happy dog. Because, of course, today was his birthday party. My sister and her family came over and we all partied. We ate well, for one. We had chicken stew in the crock pot (which Chappy loves), potato salad (not one of his favorites, but everyone else loves it so he said it would be okay), homemade biscuits (people-biscuits, that is, that you slather with butter, not the crunchy doggy kind), and carrot cake for dessert. Mmm…

And presents–in this case, all biscuits, which makes Chappy VERY happy. He really doesn’t need more toys, but new biscuits? Especially homemade ones from his aunt? Oh yes. And how could he resist this adorable gift tag from his grandma?

Naturally there was cake, too. As you can see, he is IX years old. (Please note the gift bag in the background. That had a single biscuit for Chappy to open on his own. (The other biscuits, of course, were in a plastic bag which makes them non-doggy friendly.)

As a bonus, my niece was able to come today. We didn’t think she’d be able to come, but she did, so we were extra happy.

She even brought a game to play.

Oh, and my beautiful Miss BB sweater that didn’t fit me quite right (because of my darn waistline issues)? It’s found a new home. It fit my sister as if I’d made it just for her, so … I gave it to her! Doesn’t she look happy?

I got a fair amount of spinning done, too. That’s almost 4 oz there, though I didn’t spin ALL of it today.

For the rest of the day? It’s the Fourth of July, of course, so there will be fireworks (which Chappy hates) and the Boston Pops on tv (which Mom loves). I need to watch 1776 again–one of my very favorites.

I hope you all have a wonderful day!

• Tags: Chappy, Family • Permalink:Chappy’s Party // 7 Comments »

I haven’t shown you a current picture of the sweater in a while, so here’s how it looks right now. I worked the first sleeve down to past-elbow length and then paused to start sleeve number two. I figure I want to be sure they’re the same length and match and all, so … I’ll knit sleeve number two to the same length and then work the rest of them together.

Exciting, right?

We’re just coming off of a practically perfect weekend. At least, that’s what Chappy thought. I got out of work an hour early on Friday (always good), so that was a good start. We had take-out Chinese food, too, which is always a treat.

Saturday, Mom and I went out for coffee, stopped at a grocery store (where I bought the strawberries i told you about), and then spent the afternoon relaxing … which was good, because we had a surprise. My niece came to stay!

She and I had arranged it on Wednesday–that she would come Saturday night instead of staying at school into Easter morning. Just … we decided not to tell Mom and Dad, so they really were surprised! In a good way, you understand.

Sunday, of course, was Easter. We had bacon and eggs for breakfast–a rare, rare treat because we so seldom ever have bacon in the house. (Mom’s severe allergy to anything made from pork, you remember.) We five went for a walk, coming home to a house smelling of roasting turkey–Chappy’s favorite. And then the rest of the family arrived, and he was in heaven. His whole family, fresh turkey … what more could a dog ask for?

Yesterday was a bonus day, too, because I took the day off from work. So not only was Monday morning not “Mondayish” at all, but he got an extra treat … his favorite neighbors from our old house finally came to visit. He hasn’t seen them since October and he was SO happy to see them! Ecstatic, even.

So, you can see why I’ve been too busy to post, huh?

Oh, and by the way? It’s insanely warm out there for April 6th. Hot, even. We’ve got our air conditioning on … which is trying, I have to tell you, but the air blows so strongly in the upstairs rooms (since the system fan is in the attic), Dad had the landlord shut the flow up in the attic because the upstairs room were steaming hot. Except … now, they’re hot because even with the air conditioning on–or even just the fan–there’s nothing coming out of those vents. Not good because Mom and I both get cranky when we’re hot. I hate being hot. Hate it, hate it. And, in April? Way too early! All the trees outside are blooming weeks early and it’s just crazy (grumble, grumble). It’s no fair skipping right past Spring into Summer, you know?

• Tags: Chappy, Family, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Working on Sleeves // 2 Comments »

I mentioned at lunch today that it was Pi-Day (3.14 etc), and I barely had the words out of my mouth and Dad was saying, “What do you need?” So he headed to the grocery store for emergency pie making supplies. Premade pie crust and frozen fruit.

When he was checking out, the woman on the register called over to her boss, “I’m clocking out and following this guy home.” Tee!

Frozen peaches, frozen blueberries, tossed with sugar, flour and a dash of cinnamon, then dotted with butter. The entire assembly process took about 7 minutes once the groceries were in the house.

The pie with all its edges tucked in, ready to go in the oven. I never try to do the pretty, fluted crust around the edges for a few reasons. One, the premade crusts don’t reach over the edge of this, my favorite pie plate. Two, nobody here really likes eating the crust edges. So, I fold the top crust in, along the outside of the bottom crust and kind of tuck them in together, which pinches the edges closed enough. Then, when it bakes, yes, you end up with a thick crust at the back, but it’s covered in fruit juices and much more “edible” (for Dad) than the drier, crispier crust on the edges of more traditional pies.

Besides, it’s easier.

And see how pretty? The finished pie has a ring of fruit juice around the edge, but nothing burnt, nothing bubbled over.

But, the best part of celebrating Pie Day?

My favorite furry pie eater is acting like himself. Spring in his step, joy in his heart. Yay!

He didn’t get out for a walk, though. It showered on and off all day. And when I say “showered,” I mean RAINED. Hard. We even had thunder! In March! Practically unheard of. The odds of us having timed a walk so that we would NOT have gotten drenched are pretty slim, and anyway, he wasn’t giving any hints over by his leash, either.

Incidentally, I got a ton of knitting done yesterday. First on my sock at McDonalds with Risa and Kim, then on my sweater while we all watched the Toy Story movies … and even more later while watching “Catch Me If You Can” with Mom. My sweater’s just past 15″ long now from the neck.

Believe it or not, Spring is coming. Gray and wet (really, really wet) as today was, looking out back, there are hints of real, fresh green.

Hey, did you know the Juniper Moon Fiber Farm Lambcam is up and running again? And not only that, but they had their first babies of the season about two hours ago, live on camera. Two twin baby angora goats. Awww! I haven’t seen both of them on camera yet, but I have seen at least one of them crawling around.

I’ve got two videos for you.

As much as it kills me, this is practically a perfect ad and it didn’t use a single word. It’s just perfect, and you will particularly love it if you like dogs … but even if you don’t, you should watch. It’s beautiful and beautifully done.

And then, this one has been making the knit-blog rounds the last couple days, but I wouldn’t want you to miss it. It’s just a wonderful evocation of what a warm home is–using yarn.

(Don’t miss this little gem, either–the “making of” film behind that commercial.)

(I’m not the only one who loves a truly good television ad, am I?)

• Tags: Baking, Chappy • Permalink:Celebrating Pi(e) Day // 2 Comments »

Chappy’s been really quiet the last couple of days.

On Thursday, he was clingy, wanting to be with one of the three of us (preferably me). He didn’t seem sick or in pain, just … quiet and clingy.

In fact, I came home from work and he was sitting on the chair next to his Grandpa, and had been there for a while. Well, okay, everybody can have a bad, clingy kind of day once in a while. Nothing to worry about.

Then, Friday morning, he woke up and seemed okay. I made and ate my breakfast, fed him, and went upstairs to get ready to leave for work, when Mom calls up, “Deb, Chappy’s having trouble with his leg again.”

You might not remember, but a year and a half ago, I got a frantic call at work from Mom because Chappy wouldn’t put any weight on his foot, and was drooling and throwing up, shaking like he was in great pain … but by the time I got home (after calling the vet and making an emergency appointment), he seemed fine. We all shrugged it off as being some weird kind of leg cramp that must have hurt a whole lot to make him throw up like that.

But then, yesterday morning, it happened again, only this time I saw it. It was definitely a leg spasm of some kind because he wouldn’t or couldn’t put his back, right leg on the floor, as well as shaking and drooling. As soon as I came downstairs, I sat next to him and he crawled into my lap and just shook and drooled while I massaged his leg. He was doing better when I left for work (though I felt AWFUL leaving him!), but he basically just slept all day yesterday, while being pretty careful about how he lay down. For the most part, he was lying down–preferably on something soft–and then more or less not moving anything more than his head.

Now, he does often have some kind of muscle kink in his back leg. When he lies down on his left side, he always stretches out the back right leg with an extra kick to get it comfortable, but he’s eight and a half years old.  A stiff muscle or joint isn’t exactly unheard of in middle-aged dogs (and humans). And I could certainly believe that he could have turned or jumped badly and twisted that in a way that hurt.

But at the same time, there was something about the way his head was shaking that seemed odd to me, more pronounced than a “I hurt” kind of quiver. It didn’t make me feel any better when I googled “dog leg spasm” when I got to the office and the first site that comes up talks about seizures … because it almost looked like it could have been a mild kind of seizure. He was awake and aware, and able to crawl into my lap as soon as I came down, but it also seemed to take a lot out of him, considering how much he slept yesterday, and how much he wanted to be with us throughout the day. He even followed me into the bathroom at one point, which he never does, but he wanted to be near me that badly.

All in all, I’m thinking I should take him to the vet for them to check his hips and legs sometime soon, huh? Poor little guy.

He was clingy today, too, though not so much–and more alert and like himself in between naps. Which was good, because he had company! Risa and the twins, who we haven’t seen since September (when they were the only bright spot on an otherwise awful day).

I actually met them at McDonalds first. (And no, Chappy was NOT happy about my leaving and I’m told he whimpered after I left.) The kids worked off lots of energy in the play area while Risa and I sat and knitted. And then a surprise–Kim joined us! That made the knitting extra fun … and almost possible to ignore how LOUD that glassed-in play area is on a crowded, rainy Saturday. Holy cow, it was loud, and after two hours I had had it, so we came back here.

This was Risa’s first visit to the new house since, just about the time I was ready to invite her over to see it, she went and sprained her foot. So, we gave her the tour, and then made some coffee (because, naturally, we hadn’t drunk enough coffee already), ate some cake, and then we all sat and watched the Toy Story movies. They sat on the couch, and Chappy curled up next to me on our chair … though he slid down and took over a little more real estate each time I got up.

The best part was that, not only was it great to see them, but I think the visit cheered Chappy up, too. If he had still been feeling like he was yesterday, I would have called to postpone, but since he was just a little clingy this morning, it seemed worth the risk, and I think he really enjoyed seeing them. He’s tired now, of course, but it seems more like a “I spent the afternoon with Mom’s friend and the monkeys and now I’m tired” kind of tired.

Speaking of tired and quiet time … I’m kind of beat myself …

• Tags: Chappy, Friends • Permalink:Being Quiet // 5 Comments »

Some Furry eye-candy.

Brought to you by:

• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Furry // 4 Comments »

Does this look like a happy face to you?

I took him up the street to the playground today. Remember? This is the little playground around the corner from here. I wouldn’t bring him in here if there were kids in there playing, but … empty? Filled with snow? With a fence? Sounds like a place to romp to us!

We had time, too, because our office closed early today, so I got home at lunchtime and didn’t have to go back. So, I came home, put down my stuff, changed my shoes, and grabbed the leash. Chappy didn’t complain about that at all.

As of supper time, we had about 8″ of fresh snow, though it’s hard to say for sure–the ground was actually pretty warm, so most of what fell early turned into slush. Trudging through the slush to get TO the playground just beyond that retaining wall was my least favorite part of today’s walk. Snow is one thing, but slush is just annoying.

Right now, it’s getting even colder outside and the wind has picked up–all the wet, sticky snow that’s been clinging to the tree branches all day is now being flung at the windows, along with lots of little twigs (and hopefully nothing bigger). We’re due to get more snow overnight and winds through tomorrow morning and, I have to confess, I’m hoping that we get it so that they decide to close the office tomorrow. I’m assuming we’ll be open, mind you, but I’m kind of hoping for a snow day.

Here’s what the front of my sweater looks like at the moment. But … I’m still not sure about that cable. I like it, and all, but it looks too similar to the one in the middle, don’t you think? Or is that a good thing?  Are the cables too similar in size? (8 stitches, 6 stitches, 9 stitches, right in a row)

How about another look at my happy, tired dog? He had FUN, and he’s been zonked out almost ever since. I know how he feels. I could use a nap myself!

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:Happy // 4 Comments »

Hi, everyone, it’s Chappy, and I have a friend who needs your help.

Okay, I haven’t actually gotten to meet her yet, but her name is Lucia, but everyone calls her Lucy. She’s lucky enough to live with Susan and Erin and Paige at Juniper Moon Fiber Farm. (Actually, that’s another confusing thing because there used to be the Martha’s Vineyard Fiber Farm because it was on the Vineyard, and then there was the Hudson Valley Fiber Farm too (which I kind of liked because it was a shorter drive and I don’t like the car), but, anyway, now Susan and her farm is in Virginia and called Juniper Moon. I’m not entirely sure where it is, but the pictures look like fun.)

Anyway–the help part.

Last night, Lucy was hit by a car.

I know! It’s awful. My sister Katy was killed by a car, you know, which worked out kind of good for me because that’s why Mommy needed a puppy when I came along, but it was still really sad. And even sadder, Susan at the whatever-you-call-it Fiber Farm lost of her dog Biscotti to car just over a year ago, too. (I know, the idea just makes me want to howl.)

But, here’s the point.

Sick Lucy

Last time we heard, Lucy was still alive, but having trouble breathing because her lungs are bruised (which just sounds painful, and Mom says she can only imagine how much that must hurt). The vet wanted to keep her on oxygen to help for several days, but it was too expensive.

So, there are two things you can do.

1. Say a prayer for Lucy. Or send good thoughts, or good vibes, or whatever you want. But, send some positive energy her way. Like I said, I haven’t met her yet, but she is a GOOD dog and she’s only a few months old and just shouldn’t die. Puppies just aren’t supposed to die, especially when they are so cute and lovable–not to mention loved. And hard-working!

2. Help pay the vet bills. Susan said that she doesn’t want to ask, that she hates to ask, but the bills from Lucy’s rush to the vet last night–and then the transfer to the second, more-expensive vet–wiped out her bank account. Now, I don’t know pretty much anything, but I know that bank accounts are necessary for things like food and collars and biscuits and chew toys and treats. And food. So I know it’s important.

This is what Susan said:

If you’d like to make a small donation to help with Lucy’s vet bills, you can send it via Paypal to susangibbs1 AT mac DOT com. We are all so very grateful for the thoughts, prayers and kind words you are sending to Lucy and to us.

But I definitely know that sending prayers can only help, and that if you can spare even just $5 to help pay for the costs of keeping that sweet puppy alive long enough for me to meet her and play with her, that would help, too. (And yes, I realize that would mean I’d have to ride for something like six and a half hours in the car. And be near the sheep again, who hopefully aren’t as mean as the goats were last time I saw them.)

Oh, and for any other dogs out there reading this? If your Mom or Dad needs to give you an extra hug, you should probably let them. Mom didn’t think it was funny when I played the “I’ve got a toy, keep away” game when she came home at lunch. Go figure.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General • Permalink:Plea for an Injured Puppy // 6 Comments »

This is what Chappy looked like yesterday while we were waiting for my friend Dawn to come visit. I sat at our little writing desk in the front window–which give the view of a little slice of the street–and worked on my book, while Chappy sat under the desk, watching.

And watching…. and don’t think these pictures were easy to get, either! I love how he has his paws folded, patiently. And how the window sill is JUST the right height for him. Oh, and see those mirrors Mom has leaning there?

The reflection was pretty cool, too. (See him?)

And yes, Dawn did eventually arrive, and yes, we had a great visit. She approves of the new house (such a relief) and it was good to see her, as always.

Now, you’re not getting a long post because I’ve spent most of my day working on ‘year in review’ posts not only for Chappysmom, but also for Punctuality Rules and Knitting Scholar. Those kind of posts are very link-intensive and time-consuming, and doing them for three blogs?

Well, you’re just going to have to wait a little longer for a “real” post.

• Tags: Chappy, Friends • Permalink:While We Were Waiting // Add Comment »

Let’s pause for a brief moment of silence, for today, on the darkest day of the year, a light in Chappy’s world was snuffed out.

Well, not a light, exactly, so much as one of his cherished possessions.

His food dish.

Chappy has had his “Life is Good” food dish for four and a half years now. It was a birthday gift for his fourth birthday, which means he’s been polishing it clean for more than half his life now. They’ve had so many happy meals together. Over three thousand breakfasts and suppers, cooked specially for him by his Mom. Every now and again, he’d have lunch, or would find a treat hiding in the dish, waiting to be discovered.

They had good times together, Chappy and his food dish.

Sadly, a suicidal jar of applesauce leaping from the pantry this morning, took Chappy’s beloved dish with it. The tragedy was witnessed by his grandma who was shocked at the event. “It just jumped from the pantry. There was nothing I could do,” she said, the horror plain in her voice.

Chappy is mourning.

Chappy’s food dish is survived by its mate of four years, the water dish, whose eyes haven’t been dry since the accident. I suspect her faithfulness, though, as I hear she’s already shopping around for a new mate.

In lieu of flowers, Chappy asks that you put extra food in YOUR dog’s (or other pet’s) food dish tonight, in memorial of a food dish that made him so very, very happy. (Or, well, he says you could send him biscuits, but that’s what he ALWAYS says.)

Even the sunset made an extra effort to be glorious tonight.

Actually, that brings up an interesting question–someone on Ravelry pointed out that while, yes, today is the winter solstice and the shortest day of the year, the actual earliest sunset of the year happened two weeks ago, but that when her physicist father started to explain why, her eyes glazed over. So now I’m curious–doesn’t anybody know why this is? I had actually noticed that the daylight was lasting longer these last few days, but hadn’t pieced that together.

On a happier note, look what I got in the mail today:

A copy of the new Abigail Adams biography by Woody Holton. I’m really very excited about this. I saw it at the bookstore last week, but since I AM trying to save money and not buy as many books, I put it back with a wistful, “Maybe when it’s in paperback.”

Imagine my surprise when a couple days later, I won a copy at the Wonders & Marvels blog. (Note the blog post by the book’s author, about Abigails foray into “junk bonds.”) Talk about great timing! Abigail Adams has always been a hero of mine, and it’s been a while since I read a biography about her, so I’m really looking forward to this. Thanks, Wonders & Marvels!

• Tags: Chappy, General, Reading • Permalink:Moment of Silence // 10 Comments »

It seems to be THE topic on the internet today–how much snow you got in the weekend’s blizzard.

It’s kind of hard to say, actually. It was kind of windy, so it’s hard to say. I mean–this is what the archway looked like this morning–snow on one side but not the other. As you know, snow doesn’t usually fall that way.

All I can really say is that we definitely had snow.

Chappy is all wistful. This is one time when we both miss having a backyard to romp in.

He did help his Grandpa shovel off his deck, though.

Luckily, I got a picture of our deck chairs beforehand.

It’s been a fairly quiet day, really. I made some granola, and have pot roast on the stove. (The house smells yummy.)

I gave this fellow a haircut, too.

Although he was all kinds of difficult when I tried to take his picture. Look at that silly face he’s making!

This is really the best I could do. Trust me, though, he looks cute.

I had wanted to get my Christmas presents wrapped today, but didn’t quite make it. I got distracted watching “Shall We Dance” on tv. You know, the 1930s musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, with all that wonderful music from George Gerswhin? So many great numbers, especially the one on roller skates. That Fred Astaire sure was a man ahead of his time.

• Tags: Chappy, General • Permalink:Did You Get Snow? // 7 Comments »

We had the first snow of the season yesterday. About 2-3 inches, but enough for us to find out that the townhouse people DO in fact clear away the snow from not only the streets and sidewalks, but the driveways and walkways between houses. I took this picture of our street on our walk around the block earlier.

I tried, I really tried to get a picture of how this tree was shining as if every clump of snow was a diamond, but a point-and-shoot can only do so much–especially when you (1) can’t really see anything on the LCD screen and (2) you’ve got a dog more interested in sniffing and walking attached to the arm holding the camera.

We decorated the Christmas tree, too, which didn’t take nearly as long as usual (grin).

It looks pretty, though, and all our favorite ornaments are on, so we’re happy.

Though the process kind of bored Chappy.

Luckily, his grandpa came along to give him a good tummy rub.

And, of course, a good nap is always useful. (I’m biased, of course, but isn’t this an adorable picture?)

Oh, and my car had its eighth birthday on Thursday. I took this picture to commemorate the occasion. It’s hard to see, but that’s 54, 024 miles on the odometer.

How about another picture of Chappy with his Grandpa? He (Chappy) likes to weave his way behind people’s legs while they sit on the couch, and sometimes, he’ll just sit there and relax.

When he’s not busy napping, of course!

• Tags: Chappy, Family • Permalink:First snow // 6 Comments »

I took the day off from work today, obstensibly so I could relax with the house to myself for a while.

Well, I DID enjoy having the house to Chappy and me, but, um relaxing? Not so much.

However … remember the picture I showed you on Sunday? Of the downstairs that looked like progress simply wasn’t being made?

Well, after my “relaxing” day off, it looks like this:

It’s amazing what a difference just getting the floor cleared and the rug unrolled made!

I got my books organized, too. I know, it doesn’t really look like it, but they ARE. I alternated the horizontal/vertical thing to make them look a little more interesting, and kept to single-files where I could. They’re still not catalogued (Heaven knows when that will happen), and the alphabetization over in the fiction section isn’t perfect, but … they’re more organized than they were! Those 5 under-the-bed boxes, though? I have nowhere to put them. They’re filled with YA books that I grew up with and used to be under the table in our home office, but that’s not an option anymore, soooo….

Of course, the OTHER thing I really wanted/needed to do didn’t work out. I bought a wireless print server so that we could try to consolidate our printers… especially now that I’m two whole flights above them and really could use a printer that I could, you know, print from.

So, the printer we want this on is attached to Dad’s computer. Okay. He’s away at the moment, so I booted it up … he’s right. It takes a good 10-15 minutes for the thing to boot up. But, okay, I occupied myself by moving books around. Started the print server install … and around step 6, the mouse locked up. The keyboard would work, but I couldn’t use the mouse or move forward. Grr.

I didn’t really want to sit through rebooting it AGAIN, so … I tried his second computer. (The one I got him for his birthday in January that he still hasn’t completely switched over to yet.) At least it boots up quickly. I transferred the printer cable to it so I could install the printer’s driver … that bombed out. Apparently that printer is not one of the ones supported by Windows Vista. Uh-oh.

But, wait! Mom’s computer! I’ll install the printer on hers–it’s Windows XP, it should be fine. And it was. I installed the printer, and then ran through the set-up for the wireless print server, and clicked the “install on computer” button on the Linksys setup screen … and, nothing. The setup screen completely disappeared, as if I’d closed the program. Tried reloading it, clicked “Start,” clicked “Install on computer” and … poof.

So … still no wireless print server. Which means that I still don’t have a printer. And I’ve also just discovered that Dad’s slightly elderly, laser, color printer that we can’t afford to replace won’t work on his newer computer. (I wonder if it would if the wireless server was working correctly? I have no idea.)

Still … Chappy’s enjoying having the rug to lie on, and he says he enjoyed having me home, even if I didn’t sit down to relax with him at all until about 3:00.

When Mom got home from Patty’s, she almost fell over when she went downstairs, she couldn’t believe her eyes! I had left a few things for her to do–like emptying out the last couple things in this hat box (yes, it used to have a hat in it), that Chappy thoughtfully pointed out to her. She did, and then said, “I guess this is garbage then…”

Which was all Chappy needed to hear, because he immediately pounced on it. Not BEFORE, mind you, just after she said she didn’t want it anymore.

Which is good, because as soon as he caught it, he started to chew on it.

Apparently it tasted very, very good.

I’ve got the DVDs and VHS tapes by the TV organized, too. Dad was funny the other day when he saw me unpacking the tapes. “Do we still have the machines to run those?” Um, yes, Dad we DO have a VCR. Three in fact. I don’t care how wonderful those DVR things are … we don’t have one, and there’s no other way to record something on a channel different than the cable box!

I’ve even been getting some spinning done. In fact, I’ve gotten more spinning done in the last week than I have in the last few months! I finished the bobbin I’d barely started, have done one more complete one, and started a third. Granted, each bobbin only has about 2 oz on it, but still … it’s been months since I spent so much time with my spinning wheel.

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Looks Like Progress // 6 Comments »

I hope you’re impressed that, even with all this moving craziness, I’ve still gotten some knitting done. Here are the cuffs of my two sleeves. Like the body of the sweater, they start with a horizontal cable (9″ long) and then stitches are picked up along the edges for the lower ribbing, and then for the actual sleeve. I finished the lower ribbing on one of them tonight, and picked up the stitches for the second one.

Usually, of course, I do my sweater sleeves at the same time, but I’ve got enough chaos around lately, I don’t want to deal with the two skeins of yarn that continually tangle thing, so I’ll be doing these on their own. Just … why not start with both of them at the same place, right?

Speaking of chaos … here’s my room. Now, for one, I can’t quite decide what to call this. My office? My fiber room? My sitting room? So, basically, I’ve got my bedroom, where I sleep and get dressed, and “my room,” where I do everything else. I’ve finally got my computer in here–it’s been plugged in next to my bed for the last week, but this is the room where it will live, so –at least it’s here. That’s what accounts for all those unsightly electric cables under the pretty cedar chest under the window.

The pillow on the cedar chest was made by my sister as a birthday present, because the colors in the fabric reminded her of me … looking around the room, I’d say that’s a yes, wouldn’t you? I hate the pile of stuff in the corner, though. (Well, I hate piles of stuff in general.) And I’m second-thinking the table RIGHT in front of the door when you come in … except that, once you’re in the room, it works there. If/when I ever sit at that secretary desk, it will give me a nice work area … it’s just kind of an obstacle to coming into the room.

Everything is in there, and all the major stuff has a place … the first, crucial step toward organization … but there’s just such a lot of it! I absolutely hate clutter–you know this–so the fact that it is, in fact, cluttered is kind of driving me nuts.

Well, not quite yet. I’m still in the “work in progress, don’t panic” state of mind as I work on getting things put away, but … if I don’t find room for everything to BE away, well … Let’s not talk about that, shall we?

And, it won’t make you jealous if I tell you that cedar chest is full of yarn, will it?

This is one of Chappy’s favorite spots–in the hallway between my two rooms. Here, he can keep an eye on me wherever I am (including the bathroom, which is just behind him)–as well as the hallway down to his grandparents’ bedroom.

The good news is that, after his sad, pathetic, woeful morning of howling and whimpering yesterday when his Mom headed off to work, today he was quiet and more his usual self. Because, yes, when I left for work yesterday, he took it very, very badly. I called twice and each time Dad just held up the phone so I could hear the “Wooooooooooooe, Wooooooooooe” in the background. Poor thing! (Well, both of them–Chappy for being miserable and Dad for having to listen to Chappy being miserable.)

You want to know what’s really exciting?

Look! Spinning! I actually sat down in front of my spinning wheel and spun up some of this luscious Cormo. The most spinning I’ve done in weeks. Woohoo!

Anyway, we’re all working hard on settling in. We’ve actually cooked meals, and everything. I clocked my commute today–going in (going through Indian Lake to work around the traffic on Rt 46 at rush hour), it’s 3.7 miles, coming home the more direct route, it’s almost exactly 2.5. That’s about 3 miles less driving a day than I was doing two weeks ago, when my commute was almost exactly 4 miles no matter what route I took. No complaints, there! Though we need to get the remaining stuff out of the garage so we can get our cars in there. (Finding room for my wooden rocking chair is surprisingly challenging.)

I can’t take a picture of it because my camera’s in the other room and anyway, he looks so disgruntled when I take his picture–like that one above–but right now, Chappy is curled up asleep in my green and pink afghan. I know, they’re not my usual colors, but it’s the afghan my grandmother made me twenty-something years ago and which is serving as a nest for Chappy until I can find him a decent pillow for in here. (Assuming I can find the floor space for it.) He looks so cozy, and is dreaming about something … I hate to disturb him to go say goodnight to his Grandpa!

Oh, and for the record? His bathroom habits seem to be settling in. You don’t really need more detail than that, do you?

• Tags: Chappy, Family, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:I Hope You’re Impressed // 5 Comments »

I know. It looks like a swatch but, in fact, it’s the beginning of my new sweater. It starts by knitting the cabled, horizontal waistband first, and then picking up stitches for the waist and working downard, and then on the other side to work upwards toward the shoulders. Such nifty construction!

This, you’ll remember, is my Peace Fleece yarn, my first time working with it. Love the color–such a shame the sport weight doesn’t come in more of them!

Here’s something else going out in the garbage–my one and only high school Forensics trophy. (That’s Forensics as in competitive public speaking, you understand, not the icky kind with dead bodies.)

Speaking of Forensics, I was wondering the other day whatever happened to my old English teacher/Forensics coach, so I did a Google search … one that took some effort, I should tell you, but I eventually tracked her down, working at a performing arts high school in Paterson. I sent her an email asking if she was in fact the teacher I thought she was, and she was! She wrote back and we exchanged a nice couple of emails. It sounds like she’s doing really well. How cool is that? I love getting in touch with people from my past. So, hi Mrs. Neighbor!

Incidentally, my friend Cindy is doing well, post-heart-surgery. She’s home, which is huge, and seems to be doing well. Such a relief!

Unfortunately, we didn’t get the house we bid on on Saturday (sigh). Our real estate agent keeps promising us that things are going to turn around, that Mercury is in retrograde. “I know, I sound crazy, but I swear it’s true.” And the agent who was listing the house we didn’t get said he’s got a couple more “coming up” in that price range and said he’d let Gail know about them before he puts the listing up so we can get a first look, which is very nice, I think. (I mean yes, I know, that means he probably gets some commission, too, but who cares? Not me!) And there are apparently a few rentals just listed that could theoretically work, too (though so many of them won’t accept pets). So, I’m trying to keep my focus. I went back and re-read my “ad” for a new house, and still wouldn’t change a thing.

Chappy’s still confused, though. Gail came to take pictures of THIS house today, for the listing, so Mom took all sorts of things away to hide or stash in the garage (I don’t get to park in the garage anymore) to make things look extra tidy and “neutral.” I couldn’t find the soap to wash my hands at lunch!

The funny story, though? When we got our current family room furniture 9 years ago, Katy hated the ottoman. When it came, it had casters on the bottom, and the first time she jumped on it, it rolled across the room with her clinging for dear life on top. After that, she wouldn’t go near it. So we kept the ottoman to the old set also, and placed it in the living room window for someplace to watch outside.

Well, Chappy loves it, too (even if he prefers the chair with the arm to rest his chin), but this morning, Mom wanted it out of the house and started dragging it toward the garage. Only, Chappy kept jumping up on it. (“Ooh, Gram, this is a great new spot!”) Finally, Dad carried it out to go in the garbage pile. …Until Mom sat in the living room this afternoon with Chappy listlessly laying on the bare floor where the footstool had been.

Yep. It’s back in place now. I mean, we still might not have room for it in our new house (wherever that’s going to be), but there’s no reason he can’t use it NOW, right?

And, apparently, he spent most of the afternoon sitting on it, too.

I love it when Chappy wins.

• Tags: Chappy, Friends, General, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Stuff // 3 Comments »

Well, I can’t remember the last time I had a mail day like this.

A book to review for Knitting Scholar (always a good thing).

A collection of buttons. Yes, I know, I said I didn’t need any for THIS sweater, but I was going to for my next one! So, I went to Etsy and ordered some. The nice thing about ordering from this seller–rather than from one of the many button shops online–is that she sells them in lots and they are almost always cheaper than buying exactly the number I want from somewhere else.

It’s true, though, that while I was ordering, I threw in another set of silver buttons as possibilities for my current sweater. I sewed the sleeves last night, and just have the two side seams left. (Yes, I sewed the sleeves INTO the sweater on Thursday, but last night, they got their seams turning them into actual sleeves.) Obviously, I don’t have much more time for waffling about button choices.

And, oh yes … there’s an iTouch in there, too. I’ve been hoarding my amazon.com “reward certificates” from using my Visa card for months and months and applied them to a new, 32 MB, 3rd generation iTouch. Not, you understand, that there’s anything wrong with my Creative Zen MP3 player which I’ve had for years–but the Kindle App was the deciding factor. This way, I can buy some books without feeling guilty about shelf-space and (unlike the full-size Kindle, which I admit I’d still like), I can still use it for other things, like music.

Before you ask, yes, I’ve added some books to play with–mostly classics that were free or $1. Now, if only I could read Kindle books on my computer screen as well!

Of course, this means I have to convert my entire music library from the Windows Media format to MP3s. And, while iTunes does have a converter, I have discovered that it more or less throws away all the album information, making it … less than ideal, because what a chaotic mess! So, instead, I’m using a free software I found to convert to MP3 first, and then moving everything into iTunes … a delight, as I’m sure you can imagine.

Chappy didn’t sleep well last night. About quarter after four, he woke me up, panting heavily and drooling. I thought he was going to throw up, so … well, I love my dog, but don’t want vomit on my bed … I lifted him off the bed and got a blanket under his chin. But … no vomit. He just panted heavily for about twenty minutes, sitting in my lap. I don’t know WHAT that was. Was it his stomach? A muscle spasm? Sore back? He thumped his tail once when I sat down on the floor with him, and after he’d finally stopped panting and relaxed a little, he wagged it again, and gave me one, little kiss for thank you. Such a sweetie. I just wish I knew what that WAS.

And, please, cross your fingers. We put a bid in on a house today…

• Tags: Chappy, Knitting/Spinning • Permalink:Mail! // 8 Comments »

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• Tags: Chappy, Eye-Candy Friday • Permalink:Pet // 2 Comments »

Typical. I make him something nice and try to take a picture, and instead, he turns his head and sticks his tongue out…

And acts completely bored by the whole thing.

But at least the blanket cooperated.

I washed this after work and tossed it in the dryer on the “delicate” cycle. One of the reasons I picked this yarn in the first place was because it was a wool/acrylic blend that I’d be able to toss in the dryer. It dried surprisingly quickly, too!

Still … I think he likes it!

• Tags: Chappy, Finished Knitting • Permalink:Typical // 4 Comments »

So, this morning, I got up. Twice. At 6:49, Mom knocked on my door, thinking I was going to be late for work. Except, of course, this is Sunday and I don’t GO to work on Sundays. So I went back to bed, but didn’t really manage to get back to sleep … and since I was up until 1:15 finishing a book last night, I’ve been a little tired today.

Still, I didn’t let it slow me down! First, after eating breakfast (oatmeal with walnuts), I baked a cake. A Nut Cake from Nick Malgieri’s “How to Bake” (a great cookbook, by the way).

While I got that started, I finished a batch of granola. Like Susan (Have you voted for her yet? Time’s running out!), I make mine in batches these days, except that I (1) use a skillet for the nuts and stuff and my crockpot for the oatmeal part, and (2) I cook enough of the nuts, seeds, and coconut for TWO batches of granola, but then do the oatmeal part separately. As in, I cook 6 cups of oatmeal/honey/oil and mix it with HALF the nuts/seeds/coconut. The second half I save until the next time I need granola, and then I cook another batch of just the oatmeal/honey/oil and have a complete, second batch with a lot less work. This is convenient because it takes a lot less storage space for the nut/fruit combination (about 3-4 cups, total) than it does for an entire batch of granola (about 16 cups). So, I make half a batch, stash the other half of the nut-part, and then make the oatmeal part when I need it.

I did pretty early, too, so that I could then get my batch of yogurt started. I’ve been doing that in the crockpot, too. I heat the milk in a pot on the stove (much faster than the crockpot) while warming the empty crockpot–then pour the milk into the crock and turn it off, and let it cool down to about 105-109 degrees. Stir in about 1/4 cup of starter yogurt, cover with a warm towel, and let sit for 6-8 hours.

Then, we got the news that that house adamantly does not accept pets, which made Mom cry, and made Chappy feel guilty.

Luckily, we had a distraction!

A pair of wild monkeys.

Risa (whose picture I somehow managed NOT to take) had called on their way down to the NJ Sheep and Wool festival (or whatever it’s called), to ask if I wanted to join them, but I really couldn’t … but I suggested that, if on their way home they weren’t too tired and it wasn’t too late, maybe they could stop by and say hello.

They had so much FUN!

Especially once I pulled the flying squirrel toys out. (The look on Chappy’s face in this picture just cracks me up.)

The good news was that I had two Flying Squirrel toys. The bad news was that Chappy tends to focus on only one at a time, so Alex had to work a little harder for his attention.

But then, there was jumping…

Because who doesn’t love jumping?

Oh, and Risa got quite a kick out of this.

While the kids were jumping, Chappy was sitting right in front of me, looking up and smiling. “I’m having so much fun, Mom!” But every, single time I would lift my camera to take his picture, he would look away. I’d lower the camera, and he’d smile. I’d lift the camera, and he’d turn his head. We must have tried at least five to seven times! This was the best shot I got.

And, right now? He’s sound asleep … all that romping wore him out–in a good way!

Thanks so much for the laughs, Risa–we needed that!

So, we’re back to looking for something I can afford that’s nice, and big enough for the four of us. The really sad part is that the house we found yesterday was perfect–3/4 miles from work, lots of space, an incredible price, and so, so gorgeous with newly-finished floors, new kitchen appliances, everything. Gorgeous. It almost feels that finding anything else at all is going to feel like a letdown. So, please, don’t stop crossing those fingers for us! (Please.)

In the meantime …

At least we have cake. (Nut cake, with maple frosting–because, yes, it really is beige. And yummy!)

• Tags: Baking, Chappy, Friends • Permalink:Sunday // 4 Comments »

Eight years ago today, this little ball of (C)happiness drove into our lives.

(Okay, he didn’t actually drive. I took this picture at a rest stop on the 6 hour drive home–and you can see Mom in the back, ready to do the same thing!)

I can’t believe how little he used to be! And, honestly, I think he was the cutest puppy ever… but I might be biased.

Want to read more? Here’s the rest of the Anniversary Story.)

And, no, the house-hunting post is not a drill, it’s the real thing. And no, there’s no choice in the matter. And yes, we’re all kind of scared. Our realtor is supposed to be here any minute, in fact, to discuss options, so … wish us lots and lots of luck!

Now, I think I’m going to go pet the Anniversary Puppy … he always makes me smile!

• Tags: Chappy • Permalink:8 Years // 6 Comments »