8 posts tagged “dogs”

So far so good.  Bacchus has not gone awol yet today.  I guess the collar did the trick.  We took it off over night and Tom put it back on when he left for work this am.  As of now, everything seems to be fine.  We have been giving the boys much more house time over the last week or so.  Ever since Bacchus had his foot stepped on.  They are very well behaved, unless it's their play time and then they are too big to be in the house.  Imagine a 160# man wrestling with a 75# boy in a very small area, add teeth and tails, and you get the idea!!  When we only had giant dogs this time was known as "Clash of the Titans" because they took up so much room and threw themselves all over the yard.  You didn't want to be too near for fear they would crash into you.  Same now, but where Buddha would take you out at the knees Bacchus will take you out at the ankles.  Too much like full contact football for me. 

Still windy here, but at least it has warmed up.  Still a lot of snow in the passes so the only way to get across the state is to fly or go the long way round down the Columbia gorge adding untold hours to a 4 or 5 hour trip.  Just imagine the flooding that's going to happen.  Already there were some roads washed out in Badger Canyon and West Richland. 

Looks like the property in Prescott might be ours sometime this year!!!  We have been waiting for this deal to go through for years.  Now it looks like it just might happen.  40 acres on the Touchet River north of Walla Walla.  We will have an access down the pig farm road (for those of you who know the property) and a right of way and easement combo that will allow for at least one residence and enough room to get equipment in and out.  It literally has been years since this has been in the works and we are very excited.  Once the sale of our property goes through with the school district we will be able to buy the other property once it is done with all the legal wrangling.  It will definitely be a trade up for us.  It really is a beautiful spot.  Not quite sure what we'll do just yet.  Lot's of possibilities for the ground and the area is growing fast.  It will be very desirable in the not so distant future. 

Hawaii is only about a 5 weeks away.  What a nice time.  Of course, the topper is that we get to Allison graduate from Western.  We are so proud of her.  I know it's scary finishing a degree and then trying to figure out what to do next.  Finishing a longterm goal is always a little scary.  But for now, I hope she enjoys her accomplishments. 

He is stopped.  For the moment.  Today was the day we installed the electric fence.  It's not a hot wire like in a pasture.  It is a wire around our yard (yes, all 1+ acre) that sends out a high frequency radio signal to a collar that delivers a small static shock.  I know, I know, I hate the idea too.  But over the last week the rascal has left the yard an average of 3 times a day.  This morning when I fed Bud and Sue he and Buddha were playing like there was no tomorrow.  I went inside for about an hour, came back outside to start stringing wire and he was gone.  After driving around the neighborhood for about 15 minutes, I even had to stop for gas, I got home to a message that he was across the street at our neighbors' house.  So with leash in hand I went and got him. 

Now that the fence is on he gets too close and a warning noise emits from the collar receiver.  If he really gets too close he gets a different noise and a shock.  Right now he whips his head around looking for the bee that has stung him.  But it seems to be doing the trick so far.  We are keeping our fingers crossed. 

In other news the Cascade passes are still closed due to avalanche danger.  I have lived here for 30 years and I can't remember the roads being closed this much.  I would love to go to the west side to visit, but right now, it's not in the cards.  But that leaves  plenty of time for. . . . .

Level 3 work book.  I started going through my sample skeins last night and matching them up to what I have to send.  Also writing notes about different yarns and fibers as well as a small bit of research.  So far I'm pretty happy with the direction things are going.  I even created my own stand alone flax distaff!!!  It is a ballister that I got at Home Depot, a metal lamp finial that is fixed on top and a round pine disk that the ballister sets into.  It's pretty cool.  I also made a portable one out of two lamp harps, a lamp finial and a telescoping rod from a cleaning implement.  I'm replacing my lazy kate and the new one will have a place to set the rod in.  So, all in all things are going as good as can be expected. 

First, let me get Bacchus news out of the way.  The hurt foot hasn't hurt his jumping ability.  Twice today.  Luckily both outcomes resulted with the rascal back home.  What to do, what to do.

Now, down to knitty gritty.  The workbook.  Let's talk count systems.  Why, oh why do we humans have to quantify every thing?  Human nature, right?  If it has to do with money. . . . .  When the girls were younger and they wanted to know why they needed math I always answered, are you going to have a job, are you going to get paid for this job?  You need math.  Even yarn needs math.  For level 3 we have to be able to explain different methods of "count".  This all has to do with weight to length and length to weight ratios of fiber and how much you can get out of a certain amount or how much does a certain length weighs.  Still with me?  Needless to say with different measurement systems around the world things get complicated when you have to start converting from one to another.  Multiplying, dividing, measuring, weighing.  It's enough to make a girl's head spin.  Oh yes, it also depends on how you spin it and what you spin.  So you can't measure a worsted spun wool the same way you'd measure silk or cotton or linen.  Well, you can, but then you have to use a whole different measuring system.  Lucky for us some smart folks wrote all the formulas down and they keep getting passed on to us dumb folk.  Since I am still a 'hobby' spinner I like to use Wraps per Inch.  That is of course until I become a 'master' and start selling my wares!!!

After a lot of work installing steel panels on the car gate we discovered that Bacchus could still climb the gate and get out.  Hmmm.  After installing another tier of panels to eliminate his being able to put his feet over the gate and thereby pull himself up and out we discovered. . . .  that he could get through a very small space between the gate and its support post.  Hardware cloth ensued.  This dog is amazing.  He will climb the gate like a marine but he won't jump into the back of the jeep.  I think drastic measures are called for.  Looks like it's time for an electric perimeter fence.  For many reasons we can not take the dog with us when ever we leave the house.  Does anyone have experience with this?  Any advice is appreciated.

Well, some new things to talk about.  Amy visited last night.  I love to have her come by.  She is a 'fiber buddy' and gets excited about some of the same stuff I do.  We have been talking about one of her school projects that she wants to knit out of silk.  She has a specific look in mind and I think we finally found it last night. 

I like to "think outside the box" when it comes to places to shop for fiber.  So I took Amy to a place that sells stuff for fly tying.  We found some great "dubbing" that I'm going to blend in with the silk bombyx brick yarn.  It will give the yarn that little bit of dazzle that she's been looking for.

We also visited my favorite local yarn store.  The owner is knitting up my newest scarf pattern in noro aurora and taking it "to market"!!!!  I'm so excited about this.  I have justed started designing my own patterns and I haven't offered any for sale.  But I have taken them to the lys to get my foot in the door.  If the owner likes it enough to knit it herself then I must be on the right track.  I am just knitting away on these patterns in random yarns and plan on selling them in the future. 

I won't be headed to Gibson's Landing this summer but to Olds, AB instead.  Level 4 of the Master Spinner's program is only being offered at the college this year, so that's where I'm headed. I'm not quite done with my level 3 workbook, but I'm close.  I can't believe how much I've improved in my spinning. 

Looks like we'll do a bunch of other traveling too.  Hawaii this spring and maybe the train to Toronto this summer!  That would be amazing.  DH has wonderful family in Toronto and we've only been able to visit once, about 10 years ago, and I would really love to do it again. 

Tomorrow is Bacchus' big day at the vet's.  Sure, he likes going there now, but after tomorrow? . . . . . .  Let's just say that he'll be coming home a little less of himself than when he went. 

Each night, before I go to bed I take out the kitchen trash to the garbage can.  I play with the dogs a little, some one on one time with them at the end of the day.  Well, tonight I couldn't help but notice there was something new added to the lawn.  Something big, something white.  Now, our outside lights don't really illuminate the front lawn all that well at night, so I wasn't quite sure what the terrible two had gotten themselves into.  Then the light dawned.  Last spring I had gone to a shearing about 50 miles from here and I bought a bag of white texel, a bag of black texel and a bag of white angora goat.  Yes sir, yes sir, three bags full.  When I had gotten the fleeces home I decided I wasn't going to work with the mohair right away so I stored it in the chest freezer in the garage.  It had been taken out at the end of August so Tom could put the salmon away that he had caught during his annual fishing trip.  It rested on the boot of my 1959 Triumph TR3A (which I restored myself, thank you very much) and wouldn't you know that the terrible two decided to take it on to the lawn and play, rip, eat it.  I can't say as I blame them, it still smelled like goat, was soft and fun to play in.  At least it didn't cost a great deal of money, but now it is gone.  Let that be a lesson.  Don't put goat on the boot of your car where the dog can get it.  Crap.

After a couple of encounters with a real live skunk, it was time for Buddha to get a tomato juice bath. 

Not a real skunk!

Through the years we have been fortunate to have had many great dogs in our lives, both as children growing up in our separate households and as a couple and a family with kids.  It is never easy to say goodbye to an animal that has been a friend, confidant and playmate to your children.  That is what I'm afraid we are facing soon.  Our dog Blue, a Great Dane and Mastiff mix, who came to us with pancake syrup on him because the family who had to give him up threw him a goodbye party, will probably be leaving us soon.  He is an old dog, over 9 years, and for a giant dog, that is geriatric.  It has been hard watching him loose weight over the last couple of months.  And for the last couple of days, he hasn't been able to keep anything down.  We discussed this with our vet this afternoon.  We will take him in for some lab tests tomorrow. 

He was only 9 months or so when our daughter Allison found him at the animal shelter.  We already had 3 big dogs, what was one more?  He was very lively compared to our sedate ladies and acted like a typical teenage boy.  But he was fun and loving and very protective. 

He still seems to be in good spirits, and that is a plus.  But he is so thin now.  And it has been hard for him to get around the last couple of years.  Even with supplements. 

Well, all we can do is hope for the best, and barring that, hopefully give him a peaceful end.  I hope that is still a while off.