Spring!

Our garden will be expanded this year-- almost doubled from last year.  Quite excited.  Nothing like fresh vegetables.   I love gardening.  I really do.  This year we started early with seeds-- bought them a few weeks ago, planted and have been waiting patiently for our plants to sprout. 

When originally discussing what we'd plant, tomatoes, lettuce, green beans and peas topped the list.  The girls wanted us to grow broccoli and cauliflower (something I've never tried growing-- there's a first time for everything, right???) as well as spinach.  We've got some squash and cucumbers planted also.

Goals for the garden:  salsa!  We plow through nearly a jar a week (sometimes more) and have decimated the stash of salsa we've canned from last year.  I also hope to do some pickling again this year.  Really enjoyed it the last time I did (and apparently my pickles turned out well).  If we have excess of other vegetables, we might can or freeze them, too. 

 Broccoli

Cauliflower

Peas

 Some more peas (I love the way they look when they sprout-- call me weird... while taking these pictures I had flashbacks of the plant biology class I took... Hooray for dicotyledons!)

 The girls wanted to grow Sunflowers... here's hoping the squirrels will leave them alone!

Poly-deficiency

I like to think that I understand dogs.  Their behaviors often follow a 'cause and effect' kind of relationship.  Cats, however, play by a different rule game alltogether and are in the realm of things I'll never fully understand (also in this realm: car mechanics, organic chemistry, and losing socks to the dryer...)

Oliver is our resident feline.  Since the canine invasion, his life has been reduced to finding dog-proof areas to hide (typically buried in closets or under blankets) and almost nightly games of 'chase the hairtie down the hallway.'  This little guy has some odd habits.  He enjoys pestering people while in the bathroom, drinking from the toilet, sitting on the scale, loves lapping up water from the shower and has an obsession with plastic. 

Oliver- caught in the act

We joke that the plastic-licker is poly-deficient and therefore requires additional intake of some form of polymers.

Why do cats do that?  Is there any science behind the feline plastic-lickers of the world?  I've not yet found any factual explanation for this behavior-- only a few hypotheses.  These include the thought that there might be a slight odor in the plastic that is simply irresistible to cats, that cats like the texture, or just an oral compulsive behavior....

...the world may never know.

House Guests

One of the joys of fostering dogs is having the opportunity to hear positive feedback from the great people that adopt the dogs I've cared for.  Usually it comes in the form of pictures, an e-mail or Christmas card... but this week, we've been blessed with the opportunity to puppy-sit. 

Sidney, Sammie, Junior and Maggie

The two Yorkies on the left are our special guests that arrived today.  Sammie has recently celebrated her one year adoption anniversary :)  She has come a long way-- from being a scrawny little pup that had some severe dental issues (that was next in line for euthanasia at a shelter) to a happy, healthy dog that is extremely loved.

If Only It Were This Simple...

For the last post, I was flipping through my folder of pictures and stumbled upon these pictures from our trip to Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry. 

Somehow I think the anatomy is a bit more complex than the diagram shows....

Wound-up Wednesday

Lately I've been trying to finish up a lot of projects before beginning new ones. Hopefully I'll get the chance to update this with new and exciting completed projects weekly, but we'll see. There's a lot that I've made this winter that I haven't taken pictures of...

 Scrap Scarves

 This is the first pattern I've bought in a long while-- Snowdrops Scarf by S-type Creative.  Saw it at a local yarn store and fell in love with the pattern.  Still have a few rows to go, but hopefully it'll be done soon.  You can't really see the pattern too well with the blue yarn, but it's definitely unique.

 First handmade yarn ever-- I made it into a small potholder  (was so anxious to get a chance to actually use the yarn I had made)

 Potholder #2 from second hand-spun yarn.

Working on granny squares for a charity blanket.  I've completed a stack of them and have found this to be a good use of all that spare yarn I've got sitting around.

My big mission for this upcoming year is to get better with varying stitches and to actually count stitches.  Yes, I know.  It's almost a sin in the knitting/crochetting world to not count stitches-- to this day my Grandma--the one 'responsible' for me being addicted to yarn crafts--doesn't understand how I've made anything decent-looking without counting.  For me, it's more centered around visual inspection and making sure it 'looks right' rather than counting.

I Did It!

YARN!  First yarn spun on the spinning wheel (the wheel makes me smile... lots of alterations from its original with a bungee strap scotch brake... kind of like 1800's meets MacGyver....)-- it's a bit of alpaca that I had received from the incredibly creative woman that taught me to use a drop spindle.  I had thanked her for the alpaca fiber and told her she really didn't need to-- to which she replied that what she was doing is similar to what a crack dealer does.... start you off with enough to get you hooked.... 

Seems like it's worked... I now am on the "oooh... can I spin that?" kick.  Prime example: we watched Amazing Race the other night.... I was told that we couldn't have a yak within city limits.  Someday I tell you... someday... 

Just in Time for Easter....

Yesterday was a day full of errands. Got a new 'orthopedic' bed for Maggie. Simply put, it's eggshell foam wrapped in a fuzzy liner... how a brand company can consider that orthopedic, the world may never know. In theory, it should feel better for her to lay on instead of the floor... but... well... neurotic dog is terrified of it and lays next to it. We've tried convincing her to get on the bed using treats with limited success.

Stuffed hedgehog #3 came home and upon introduction received a face-lift (kid you not, Junior had the little bugger fo 5 minutes and managed to rip its nose off). Stuffed animals don't need noses anyway, right?

And, the highlight of yesterday, we got the rabbits! They're both about 1 year old jersey wooly rabbits. I'm definitely in love with these two. Since they're wooler rabbits, we figured what better names than Knit (the sable buck) and Purl (the pointed white doe).

Knit (above) and Purl (below)

I have a lot to learn about lagomorphs. They've settled in and have survived their first grooming, manicures and pedicures. I'm uncertain of appropriate length for rabbit nails, but I'm sure that the talons they came with are on the long side.
From previous experiences with rabbits, these guys are extremely easy to work with. I remember the two we had when growing up-- Oreo and "Bunnicula" (for the life of me, I can't remember the actual name of the second rabbit-- only that we called it "Bunnicula"). They weren't friendly and because of that, I never really had positive rabbit experiences (c'mon, when you have to put work gloves on to even attempt to handle them, as a kid, it isn't fun). Here's hoping that Knit and Purl will lead to a 'hoppier' experience.

Spite?

I've often wondered if dogs, or any animals for that matter, can be spiteful. Maggie has finally broken her stent of "you're leaving- I'm peeing on the floor" behavior (no- nothing wrong with her... ok, I take that back... nothing medically wrong with her-- no UTI's or anything like that... just nervous energy combined with a bit of separation anxiety.... I like to think of it as 'spite', though... anthroporphism at it's finest!). We've witnessed Maggie create a circle of chew toys and bones then sit in the center of the circle-- just to stand guard over 'her' toys... (once again-- it's a dominance thing.... she reminds me of a little kid at times, though).

Though the aforementioned examples aren't true examples of 'spiteful' behavior, what happened this past Friday very well might be.

A bit of background to set the stage....

Meet Junior. Junior is a year old basset hound.

He's adorable, extremely playful and definitely not your typical lazy basset hound. The girls love to 'torture' him with playing dress up or trying to cuddle him to death-- his tolerance seems limitless. Happy-go-lucky, floppy-eared, (at times annoying) lovable puppy.

Maggie and Junior have a love/hate relationship. She's a curmudgeony old three year old that tries to discipline the pup any chance she can get. The dynamic between these two is quite amusing.

Lately, we have been keeping Maggie off of the couch for her knee isues (something that she doesn't seem to understand) yet Junior is still allowed to carry out his usual couch-hogging behaviors.

Junior's got certain toys that are his favorite-- one of which being a cheap stuffed hedgehog. Lately the hedgehog (as pictured below) has received a lot of excessive attention from Junior-- we've been trying to limit 'play time' between him and Maggie (since 'play time' usually consists of Junior gnawing on her legs)....

This hedgehog (mind you- hedgehog #2.... #1 was decapitated by one of our foster dogs) has survived a few chewing injuries with multiple stuffing-repair surgeries and up until yesterday was just missing a nose, an ear and a squeaker.

Back to my thoughts on why dogs are spiteful...

Yesterday, I set foot in the doorway to witness hedgehog massacre of 2011. The massacre occured directly in front of Junior's crate. Maggie never plays with stuffed animals and has never ventured into the realm of plush toy destruction. Perfect case of anthropormorphism-- yes, I know... there's probably a behavioral reason why she decided to shred his favorite toy while he was crated and could do nothing about it.... but honestly... the thought of things playing out in a dramatic scene in which she is taunting him and eviscerating the stuffed love of his life seems more appealing.

Soon we'll be getting stuffed hedgehog #3.....

Why I Don't Sew

Today I spent some time being creative . Got tired of having my knitting needles and crochet hooks in an old cookie tin. So I decided to make a needle pouch.

Thank heavens I'll be making my living as a veterinarian and not a seamstress. My mother would be ashamed-- my lines aren't straight and the stitching looks like a three year old did it. Oh well. My rule of thumb when it comes to sewing is: "does it hold together? then it's good enough for me."

All rolled up.

Un-rolled...

...and un-folded.

Now to go through the house and locate all my needles....

Maggie's Knees

Recently, our household has been faced with a bit of a medical challenge... and her name is Maggie. Maggie is a 3 year old boxer/lab mix. If I wanted to blog strictly about her, I know she'd give me a never-ending supply of material. I adopted Maggie from a rescue in Columbus called Pets Without Parents. The decision to bring her home was one of those "I can help this dog" feelings. She has come a long way since I first brought her home-- still not a fan of wood floors or passing through narrow spaces (or the furniture being re-arranged) but she's got lots of love, which makes up for all of her shortcomings. Seeing her behavior sometimes makes me wonder if dogs, too, can have autism... if it were able to be diagnosed, I'm certain she'd have it.

Starting about a month or so ago, we happened to notice that she was having difficulties standing up. Looked as though her back legs had fallen asleep and she was walking on pins and needles. At first, I had thought nothing of it-- for the first day or so, we figured she pinched a nerve or was playing too hard with one of the other dogs-- figured it would "work itself out," if you will.

About a week in, I contacted our veterinarian and began the "what should we do?" discussion and x-rays were taken. Mags has luxating patellas. Best case scenario- it will 'correct itself' over a short period of time. Worst case scenario- surgery. She was put on pain meds and we were told to keep her on cage rest and monitor the situation.

Easier said than done.

Flashback to when I first adopted Maggie-- I tried to crate her. The first day, she destroyed the crate liner and everything inside of the crate in an attempt to get out (and left a bloody mess from trying to dig through the metal bars of the crate). Quite impressive given that she was only in there for an hour and a half, tops. Figured that we would a) need a lot more work to get her comfortable with being in the crate or b) try some other method of confining her. We upgraded. I figured she would be okay hanging out closed off in my bedroom while I was away. Seems more harmless than a crate... she typically lays on the bed anyways, so what difference does it make if the door was closed, right? Wrong. I came home to torn up carpeting by the bedroom door and gouges in my sub-floor. Since that day, confining this dog has been avoided. So when the vet suggested cage rest, my heart sank.

It's been a week and a half since we have been given the pain meds and she's been on quasi-cage rest (in a one-story house, it's easy to make sure she doesn't jump on anything-- and if Maggie and the puppy decide to start in with playing, Maggie ends up in her crate-- supervised, of course). We have made a bit of improvement, but I'm not sure we're out of the woods yet.