Tag Archive | dogs

Samson: A Special Dog

Many moons ago (in 2001) my parents moved from Missouri, where I live, to Arizona. A couple of years after they moved there, they found a dog running around and managed to catch him. They were able to contact the owner and somehow it was agreed that my parents would keep him. He was a big, beautiful brown-red husky mix that looked rather wolf-like, and he and my dad became best buddies. My mom loved the dog too, but she’s more of a cat person, and plus the dog was just…Dad’s dog. His name was Samson.The vet estimated he was around 2 or 3, and he was extremely well-behaved. My dad did a training class with him but didn’t need to work hard. Samson somehow knew what Dad wanted him to do and then did it. His one fault was that he loved to run, and would escape in a flash given the opportunity. I’ve since learned that’s very common with huskies. It made for a few traumatic experiences, but somehow Dad and Samson always got reunited.Several years later, in 2011, Dad was diagnosed with lung cancer. He went through several months of chemo and radiation and we were all optimistic for a while. But by early 2012, it was clear that he wasn’t going to get better. It took all his energy to get through each day, and he had nothing left for Samson. My mom was the same: she wanted and needed to focus on Dad, and she loved Samson enough that she wanted him to have a happy home and get some loving attention again. I didn’t want a dog really, but neither of my siblings could take him, and I couldn’t bear the thought of Dad’s dog going to strangers. And I think there was a tiny part of me that wanted the dog as a part of Dad. I knew I’d be losing him soon and at least I could hang on to Samson.

He traveled well on the two-day road trip back to Missouri, curled up in his bed in the back of the minivan. He wasn’t eager to leave Dad, but wasn’t opposed either. The worst part was when he got home and Samson wouldn’t eat. I tried dry food and moist food. I tried people food I knew he liked. He just didn’t want to eat. He never had a huge appetite, but it worried me. After two long days, he finally started eating again, and seemed to start settling in to the family.I think he was happy with us. He loved the back yard where he could run around freely. He loved the big tree with all the squirrels. He loved the patches of dirt where he could dig big nests to lie in. Within a few months, he was acting much younger. He’d play outside, running after a ball or playing tug with a toy. When we went on walks, he’d get so excited, jumping and bouncing like I’d never seen before, and he pulled on the leash like he never had with Dad. I know part of it was that I wasn’t truly his person, his boss, but I think part of it was that he knew he could let loose now. He was careful and sedate with Dad because he sensed the fragility in Dad, especially toward the end. Instinctively, he knew we could handle more from him. The kids adored him, and he loved them too. He was so patient with them, letting them do whatever they wanted to him. I sent happy updates to my parents so they’d know Samson was doing well, and I like to think it brought my dad a little bit of peace. And when Dad died in April of 2012, I was grateful to have Samson there to hug. I couldn’t take care of Dad, but I could take care of his dog.One of my favorite things was to watch Samson in the snow. Being from Arizona, he wasn’t familiar with snow, and the first time we got a big snowfall he didn’t even want to go outside. We lured him out on his leash and within moments he was bounding around the yard joyfully. It was wonderful to see. He was in his element and he was beautiful.Last year we got a big snow, and my daughter took him out for a long walk on Christmas Eve. He loved it, but the next day he seemed extremely tired. He slept a lot, moved slowly and with discomfort, and just seemed…not right. We chalked it up to him being an older dog, almost 11, and worn out and sore from the extra exertion. Within a day or so, he’d mostly recovered, though he still seemed to tire easily.

On the 30th, I let Samson outside and left to run a few errands. He often spent most of the day outside, happily curled up in his nest watching the squirrels, so when I got home and he wasn’t inside, I wasn’t too worried. But when I went outside and called him and got no response, I started to wonder. I called him again, going out further in the yard, and didn’t see him or hear him. I knew he liked the narrow alley between the garage and the fence so I walked back there and found him curled up. He looked up at me when I called his name again and slowly, carefully stood up. I coaxed him out to the yard, scared at how slowly he was walking. It was clearly a lot of effort for him, and I couldn’t figure out why the front of his paws kept getting folded up. I got him inside and called for my husband. We watched as Samson stood there, glassy-eyed and swaying, and agreed he needed to go to the vet. Stupidly, I said I could do it alone.

I got Sam to the car and struggled a bit to help him step inside. He was a big dog, probably at least 75 pounds, so I couldn’t carry him. By the time we got to the vet, he was lying on the seat and had no interest in getting out. I still don’t know how I got him out, but I did, and we made it inside. I signed in and sat down to wait, petting Samson and hoping against hope that he’d be all right. I kept thinking, “But this is my Dad’s dog. He has to be okay. This is my Dad’s dog.”

The vet called us back a few minutes later, but Samson was lying on the floor and nothing I did or said could coax him to stand. I looked at the vet, helpless, and she asked, “Is he sedated?” I shook my head and burst into tears. She came forward to help him stand, and suddenly one of my brother’s friends was there helping. Jake was there with his family and their dogs, and he had his wife hold their dogs so he could help me get Samson into the exam room. I’d always liked Jake and somehow it was comforting to have a familiar face there. He offered to stay with me, but I said I’d be okay, even though obviously I wasn’t.

The exam was quick. The vet noticed his paws immediately and said it was a sign of a stroke, that normally animals know exactly what their paws are doing at all times. He had a heart murmur, was anemic and had poor circulation. She took some fluid from his abdomen, and the blood that came out indicated cancer. By then, Samson was struggling to breathe. She offered surgery as an option, but we both knew it wasn’t the right thing to do.

I called Alex and sat on the floor with Samson while I waited for him to come up with the kids. We all sat around Sam, petting him and telling him we loved him, and then it was time. And even though I knew it was the right thing to do, I hated doing it.

The next day I got rid of every sign of him. It hurt too much to see the bowls, the leash, the food. I donated some of it and gave some of it to my brother for his animals. I couldn’t imagine ever wanting another dog. I hadn’t wanted a dog in the first place, I’d wanted Samson, and I’d lost him too soon. It was horrible. It was like losing my dad all over again, and I was lost in the grief yet again. I missed Samson terribly, so much more than I thought I would. I’d gotten so used to his easy company, his big body leaning against my legs. I regretted all the times I told him to get off the couch, and all the days I didn’t take him for walks. I wished I’d bought him more toys, more pig ears, more rawhides. I wondered if I loved him enough, and concluded that surely I hadn’t. But that’s always how it goes, isn’t it? You never know how much you love someone until they’re gone.

Within four months, I was ready for another dog. I knew we wouldn’t find one as good as Samson. He was smart, sensitive, playful, gentle, intuitive, loving. Samson was everything good and nothing bad, and there are so few dogs out there truly like that. But there are a lot of dogs out there that come awfully close, and I needed that special brand of puppy love again. By the end of June this year, we’d found our new baby, Captain Jack. He’s not perfect, but he’s close, and he’s getting better with every bit of love and training we give him. Jack is my dog in a way that Samson never was. I am his person, and I love that feeling. Thanks to Sam, I know the special joy that comes from loving a dog, and I imagine I’ll be a dog person forever now.

I’m so grateful that I was able to take care of Samson until he could join Dad. I think of them often, picturing them together in the great big dog park in the sky. I’m grateful that this year, I get to ring in a new year loving a dog instead of grieving a dog. When the clock turns midnight, I’ll kiss my husband…and then hug my puppy. And I’ll send a little mental hug out to Samson too, to thank him for being part of our family.

I’m not a Dog Person

Dec29

I was never a Dog Person. We had tons of pets when I was growing up, but I always preferred the cats to the dogs. Cats were soft and fluffy, cuddly and cute. Dogs were big and messy, noisy and smelly. When my husband and I got married and rented our first house, I was so happy to bring my cats from home to live with us. After that last year of college, they moved with us to an apartment, then to our family home. I liked cats. I was a cat person.

But I tried to be a dog person. After we bought our house, my parents gave us their dog. They were moving and didn’t have a fenced yard, which we did. So we got a big white husky-type mix named Quincy. He was sweet, if stupid, but he had a habit of pooping inside, and he loved to escape. We tolerated it. But then our first baby was born, and suddenly I had a dog following me around as I tried to take care of this fussy, colicky, screaming child. My patience was limited. I couldn’t deal with both, and I confess we gave the dog back to my parents after they’d fenced their yard. Life was simpler with just the cats.

Then my favorite cat died, poor Sasha. I was pregnant with my second child at the time, and the hormones got the best of me. We quickly adopted another Himalayan who we named George. Several months later, we found out our firstborn is allergic to cats. We helped George find a good new home, but the other cat, Beeper, was old. He was my cat. Katie’s allergies weren’t severe enough to warrant rehoming him immediately, so we decided to make it work, and we just wouldn’t get any more cats once Beeper was gone. He made it to 17 years old, poor thing, before his body started giving out in all sorts of ways. I hated to say goodbye but had to do it.

We were pet-free. Somehow we never even considered getting a dog, even though nobody was allergic. We weren’t dog people. Since we couldn’t be cat people, we’d be pet-free people. And in some ways, it was really nice. The house stayed cleaner and smelled better. We could have leather couches without worrying about claws. We didn’t have to clean litter boxes. We had a bit of extra money. We could travel without care. Yes, I could do this just fine!

Then my dad, who was living in Arizona, got sick. After a few months, it became clear that he wouldn’t be able to keep taking care of his dog. Samson was a huge red husky mix around nine years old. He was docile, gentle, and friendly. I liked him. I didn’t love him, but I liked him. Enough that I didn’t want to see him go to strangers. Maybe more importantly, I loved my dad enough that I wanted to take care of his beloved dog. So Samson came home with us.We had Samson for almost two years. Tomorrow it will be a year since we lost him, and tomorrow I’ll tell you his story. That’s what I started to do today, but this post is already too long. I guess the point today is that Samson turned me into a Dog Person. After we lost him, I really thought we would go back to being pet-free people. I donated or gave away all the dog supplies immediately. Samson was special and irreplaceable, and the only reason we had him was to to please my dad. Why would we ever get another animal?

But the house seemed so quiet and empty. I would come home and look in the kitchen door expecting to see a furry smile. I got up in the morning and the kitchen was colder without a soft dog to welcome me. The squirrels ran around our yard happily without a big brown dog chasing them. The snow fell and I couldn’t watch him frolic in it. I didn’t like it.

I lasted four months. It probably only took so long because I had to convince my husband he was ready for another dog. The kids were always ready, of course. So we scoured the animal shelters until we found our dog. We’ve had some struggles and some issues, but they’re worth it. Now I’ve got a sweet dog who snuggles on the couch with me, who plays with my son, who goes on walks with my daughter and on runs with my husband. He fills different needs for all of us, except one: that need to share unconditional love. And there’s no animal better at that than dogs.Yes, I’m a Dog Person now. Thanks, Samson, and thanks, Daddy.

I’ve said it before and will keep saying it: if you’re wanting a new furry friend, please be sure to visit your local animals shelter(s). There are so many wonderful animals needing homes!

Nope, that didn’t happen

Dec4

Well. That hat I was going to make yesterday? Ha. I was dreaming or something. Despite ~~getting distracted by internet and Grey’s Anatomy~~ my best efforts, I only got about halfway done. So no picture for you today, sorry. Instead I will give you a picture of my charming puppy. And the cheese knife he chewed up this morning. And the Christmas tree he was pondering.

Good thing puppies are cute, eh?

I have errands to run and miles to go before I knit, but I have faith the hat will be complete by tomorrow.

Small Business Saturday

Nov29

ACK! I have so much to share that I don’t know where to start! I think I’ll start with something that’s near and dear to me, and that’s Small Business Saturday. As an artist myself (cough cough, that’s hard to say sometimes), I am committed to helping other artists, crafters, and small businesses thrive. There is so much value in handwork, so much love and detail and care that goes into something made by one person. And I can’t help but admit that I like the idea of owing something one of a kind, or at least something not mass-produced. Sure, I shop at chain stores too, but I like to shop small when I can.

With that in mind, I decided to start a little sale today on my Facebook bonny knits page. I’m offering 20% off all my current inventory! Plus I just received my Square card reader to accept credit card payments; maybe it will make it a little easier for someone else to shop small!

We supported small businesses yesterday by spending Black Friday in Weston, Missouri. I love their little downtown area with all the antique and gift shops. The first place we stopped might have been our favorite. It was called Art for a Dog, and the sign advertised tees, hats and gifts for dog and cat lovers. We had to ring the bell to get in, and while we waited, two dogs on an upstairs deck greeted us. Marie came down and let us in, telling us a little bit about her business.

Marie Mason is the owner of Bella Company, and she started with a few simple line drawings of dogs and later started doing full color art. Her small shop had lots of paintings and tees and sketches, and there was so much life and personality in each animal. At least one of their four dogs is a rescue, and they support animal rescue organizations in several ways. It was just so obvious how much she loves animals, and I really wanted to support her passion and commitment. Plus her stuff was darn cute! I limited myself to one thing: a nifty green canvas bag with a great yellow dog picture on the front. It’ll make a fabulous project bag. She also does custom portraits, which is pretty tempting! You can find her on Facebook too. It reminded me of my puppy, Captain Jack.Ok, what else? Well, there was a new store there called Florilegium that sells arts & crafts supplies. It was a beautiful store, full but not stuffed, well-designed and a treat for the eye. You could tell they’d put a of thought and effort into their layout and displays. They had tons of gorgeous ribbons and buttons and stuff. I don’t know what else honestly, because they had yarn, so I was distracted. Again, I was good and limited myself to just one thing: this so-lovely skein of Kathmandu silk.While we were walking around, I was modeling my favorite new Junie Balloonie flower, the Santa. If you remember, a while back I posted about trading some handknit items for some flowers, and I received them last week. They are Fabulous! She specializes in custom orders and works with your ideas and colors. You can find her on Facebook or Etsy. These are mine:Santa was actually my idea (she says casually) but Amie Longstaff, the artist/designer/owner, brought it to life brilliantly. I adore this flower.Band Mom flower is one of a series she does, and it can say whatever you want. She’s got them for military moms/spouses/daughters, sports, firemen, police…everything. I ordered mine in my daughter’s school colors. It’ll be great for when I go to the games and watch her play in Marching Band and Pep Band!Frozen flower, for a niece.Monster High flower, for another niece.

They all have a barrette clip, a pin so you can wear it as a brooch, and a small chain loop for it to hang on a purse. I usually put my flowers on my purse, but yesterday Santa was clipped to my cowl. And I think it brought me good luck too, because I got to see Father Christmas himself!And last but not least, I recently ordered a few gorgeous, unique pieces of jewelry from Kind Spirit Jewelry. I can’t find the pictures I took of them, but I got a beautiful spoon ring, some big silver swirly earrings, a necklace with a gorgeous cobalt blue glass pendant… She’s in the process of shutting down her website so there are some FANTASTIC deals to be had. Seriously. Good prices. You can find her on Facebook too.

I’m think I’ll call that a wrap. I’ve got a story to tell you about my antique-mall find, but that requires it’s own post. Until then, support an artist or two and Shop Small today!

Captain Jack Update: Pictures of a Puppy

Sep4

I’m in a bit of a funk this morning, so I’m going to look at cute puppy pictures and share some with you. Captain Jack is 7 months old now. He’s gained around 10 pounds since we got him from the shelter two months ago, which makes him about 52 pounds. He’s muscular and strong, with these broad shoulders and a thick neck, but he’s also got the sweetest face and disposition.

Balancing on boards from deck demolition

He loves to play in his pool, but since our yard is in a state of upheaval right now (deck demolition prior to patio construction. We are in mud pit phase) I haven’t been filling it lately. He doesn’t care. He’ll play with it empty too.

“You can’t see me!”

“BOO!”

And when it rains, he has his own pool!

Like most dogs, he loves his walks, but it took a while to build up his stamina. For a long time, he’d plop down in some shady grass and just look at me. We thought he’d end up being like Ferdinand the bull.

“Yeah, I’m happy here.”

Now he can go and go and go, and I come home from walks sweaty and tired and he’s like, OK! LET’S PLAY BALL NOW! But he can sleep with the best of them too, and he ends up in the funniest positions.

Recently we discovered he has allergies, and he ended up with an ear infection that broke one of his ears. No, it wasn’t really broken, but it was floppy and flat.Oops, there’s my foot. Sorry about that. Anyway, the puppy was still cute but I like him better with matching ears. We got him started on allergy meds and ear drops, and the ear stayed floppy. I was afraid it was permanent. Then one morning I got up and bam! Perky-eared puppy! And we’re all still glad that even as he’s growing, he hasn’t lost our favorite pose: the full sprawl. He’s smart enough to learn quickly and wants to please us enough to obey our commands. We’ve had two training classes and he’s learned a lot already. The only thing keeping him from being the perfect dog is that he goes nuts when people come over. It doesn’t matter if he’s met them before or not. He gets all protective and barks and barks and barks. That part sucks, and I’m hoping we can get him through it so we can have people over more easily. He’s just darn cute and lovable, and brings a lot of joy to our house.

*Sighh* I feel better now. I’m going to take my puppy for a walk and enjoy the morning.

A Dog in Need

Jul17

I know I blog about knitting and yarn and crochet and all that, but I am a mother first. I have two human children and one furry doggy child, and if any one of them needed help, I would do anything I could to make that happen. I am not alone in feeling that way, and I wanted to take a moment to put a call out there for someone who could use a helping hand, Rory at Kind Spirit Jewelry. This is what she said this morning:

I am really bad at asking for favors but I’m giving it my best shot here. I do quite a bit with helping and donating to animal shelters/welfare groups. I am finding myself on the receiving end this time. My dog has torn his ACL and needs surgery soon. I need to raise around $1000 to fund his operation. His lower leg bone is pushing internally against his leg and causing some internal bleeding and swelling. He can not walk at all using that leg. He is over 100 pounds so you can imagine the difficulty he has getting around and the difficulty I have carrying him up and down stairs. All jewelry sales will be going towards this fund. Any support is greatly appreciated, be it either thru sales or thru forwarding the links to my site and fb page in an effort to boost sales. Thank you for considering my cause. Blessings ~Rory
www.kindspiritjewelry.com
http://www.facebook.com/kindspiritjewelry

Through the magic of Facebook, I found Rory through a high school acquaintance. She makes all her pieces by hand, using leather and wire and beads and metal–anything that inspires her. She does a lot of custom orders. Her jewelry is beautiful, and for a long time I just admired her pictures.

But I also noticed something as I read her posts: her spirit is just as beautiful as her jewelry. She puts so much kindness out into the world each and every day. Her custom jewelry is made with love. She does a lot of cancer awareness pieces, and donates many of them to charity auctions. She is an animal lover, and creates special pieces to donate for those causes too.

My dad passed away a little over two years ago, and a few months back, I found a silver tie tack that belonged to him, and I immediately thought of Rory. I had a vision in my head of what I wanted this tie tack to become, and she worked with me to make my vision come to life. I love what she sent back to me.

After that, I had an idea for my daughter’s birthday. Katie had recently become obsessed with the show Doctor Who, so I messaged Rory again to get some ideas flowing. We went back and forth, sharing thoughts, and my daughter had a gorgeous, unique piece to open on her birthday.

I don’t do this kind of thing often but if anyone deserves a kindness, it is Rory. She’s not asking for donations, and neither am I. I’m just asking you to please take a moment to check out her website and her jewelry. Think about doing some birthday shopping, or early Christmas shopping. You could get something really special and do some good at the same time.

Find Rory at kindspiritjewelry.com and on Facebook at facebook.com/kindspiritjewelry

Life Tastes Good…and so does Cardboard

May22

Today has been a quiet day. I’ve been knitting all morning, starting a new teddy bear. Max has been sleepy, as he usually is after his 3-4 hours of morning craziness. I’ve had a friendly, mellow buddy next to me.

Then lunchtime came along. Max joined me in the kitchen, waiting for me to drop something. I thought he’d be disappointed when all I did was set aside the empty soda box, waiting to go out to the recycling. Nope. I should have known he’d think I put it there just for him. He retrieved it and carried it over to his towel.

It was an interesting shape. It had some give when he bit it. I’m sure it smelled like his second favorite food (paper).

I’m sure he was thinking, “Mom? Are you sure this is really okay?”

“You’re safe, Mom. Nothing in there.” He snuffed and nibbled, chewed and tugged. This went on for quite a while. Then he started rolling around, tossing the box from side to side.

I let him go on until he got a big chunk off and started eating it, then I had to take it away. Poor guy. At least he got a few minutes of fun.

The Great Spring Shedding Event

May4

I am not a new dog owner. I grew up with dogs, and I’ve had two dogs in my adult life. But now I have Max and he is unlike any of those dogs in so many ways. I knew dogs shed, some more than others. I know that huskies blow their coats twice a year, resulting in lots of big fur balls everywhere. But nothing prepared me for Max’s spring shed. About a week ago he started sprouting white tufts all over his body, then a day or so later they started falling. Or we’d pet him and be covered in fur. I did brush him, but given that A, he’s a puppy and B, everything is food to him, he kept trying to play and bite the brush. So I’d get a few minutes in each time, and it just didn’t really even make a dent. It kept escalating, and I started sweeping every other day to try to keep up. Still, there was fur all over my floors. Fur all over my clothes. Fur in my cereal and fur in my peanut butter jar. Seriously. Fur everywhere. And Max looked terrible because his coat was so uneven.

It got overwhelming on Friday. I was just so tired of feeling fur in my mouth and being covered in fur by 9 a.m. I was afraid it would take forever for him to blow his coat and I would never be able to brush him enough to make it help. But a good night’s sleep helped and I decided Saturday was the day. With some help from the hubby and some treats, I brushed and brushed Max. Then I brushed him some more. I fought with him over the dog fur because of course my weirdo dog likes to eat his own hair and I think maybe he shouldn’t do that. I had lunch and then I brushed some more, and he was looking really good. I could see a huge difference. I waited until he was worn out and sprawled out, resting, and I pulled out the handy little Furminator and brushed again. And now he looks so very handsome. He looks like he’s lost five pounds, his fur is sleek and silky, and I don’t have any more huge fur bunnies bounding around my floors. I was so happy with him that we went outside for a little photo shoot!

My puppy training is progressing

Apr22

This was supposed to be a yarn blog where I talk about my adventures with knitting and crochet, but somehow I’ve gotten off that track. Now it seems to be a life blog, and maybe that’s okay too. In any case, I thought I’d share an update on my crazy dog, Max, since I’ve shared so many of his misadventures.

It’s good news today: Max is doing really well. Or maybe we’re doing really well in learning from him what he needs/wants/likes/eats. After the book-eating fiasco, he gets shut in the kitchen while we’re gone. He has plenty of toys and usually a peanut butter-stuffed ball. He has not scratched or chewed at doors or chairs at all, so thank goodness for that. It’s not perfect; we know that if we’re gone too long, we’ll come home to a smelly puppy present. But that’s not his fault, and he’s getting so much better at going outside when he has the opportunity.

We know that if we leave the bathroom door open, he’ll play with (AKA eat most of) the roll of toilet paper. I’m shopping for a baby gate today. He still destroys toys more quickly than I’d like (watch for my Kickstarter campaign to fund his toy habit, haha) but that’s what they’re for. If he’s chewing those, he’s not chewing bad things.

And he’s so smart: he’s very consistent with the Sit command, and stays so nicely when we’re putting on his harness and leash. He’s at maybe 75% with the Leave It command; it really depends on what he’s found. Some things are more tempting than a treat. We’ve taught him to Shake since we brought him home. Now we have to focus on Come, since that’s the most frustrating thing we’re dealing with. He loves to be outside at night, which I found surprising given his limited vision. But when we let him out before bed, he doesn’t want to come in, and it turns into a battle of wills. I always win, of course, but I want to make it a shorter battle. I’m more optimistic now than I was a few days ago. Puppies sure make life interesting!

Oh, I could just cry

Apr14

My first clue was the yarn label I saw on the floor as I unlocked the back door. A small, intact yarn label…that was in the middle of a ball of yarn when I left the house this morning. As I came inside, I saw a long dark trail along the dining room floor, and I gasped. It was yarn. A long tangled mess of purple yarn. Behind it was a pile of pink yarn. These were neat and tidy balls when I left. After an hour in the house with a bored dog? Not so much.

Near these travesties was another: my cute new YarnPop Gadgety bag was on the floor, intact but muddy and damp.

I was trembling with fear by this point because I knew what was coming. I knew what this yarn had been attached to. I had started a spring shawl for myself yesterday with these gorgeous colors, and I was loving how it was turning out. See, I’ll show you. Before:

Here’s the after:

Sighhhhhh. I know, I know. It could have been so much worse. If I had been gone any longer, the shawl would probably have been gone too. And I wasn’t too far into it, so I wasn’t losing too much time. As it was, I frogged it all very carefully. The yarn is beautiful Simply Sweet Whipped Cream, a blend of wool, mohair and silk. The mohair, which gives it that fuzzy halo, loves to tangle if you pull too quickly. So I worked slowly, making sure to keep my breathing even and steady. And when I was done, I realized I wasn’t really missing much yarn, though it looked my pink yarn ball had babies.

So now I get to start all over with my shawl, as soon as my Gadgety bag is dry. The silver lining is that I can switch to a bigger needle size, which I think will make a better shawl anyway. I’ve also learned that absolutely nothing is safe around this dog. Nothing. I’d cry…but he’s eaten all the tissues.

p.s. for those who are wondering, no, I did not yell at, or punish, the dog since he didn’t know better. It was my mistake to leave it within reach. He got to stay in the kitchen with the door closed while I removed all the evidence.