Tag Archive | pets

The Story of Freckle

September of 2001 was a bad month for everyone. But along with 9/11, we were dealing with the death of my husband’s grandmother and with my parents moving to Arizona. It was not a good month. But after my parents moved, I was tying up some loose ends at their house (this was 19 years ago; I think it was a garage sale but who knows) and there were two tiny orange kittens running around outside. I played with them and watched to see if anyone came to claim them, but saw no sign of it. So I did what any crazy animal lover would do, and took them home with me.

We already had two cats, so the husband wasn’t thrilled, but he went along with it. I named one Thumb, for the extra digit on one paw, and the other Freckle, for the freckle on one paw. Sadly, Thumb had some health problems and didn’t make it through the night. But Freckle thrived and settled into our family.

This was Christmas of 2001, and man alive, look at those three babies! But don’t let that cute little photo fool you — Freckle was the orneriest cat I’ve ever had, always getting into things and knocking things off tables and desks. I loved him but to be honest, he drove me nuts. A few months later, my parents came for a visit and this happened:

My dad had recently lost his previous cat, and he and Freckle bonded. I confess, I was more than happy to send Freckle back to Arizona with my parents. And Freckle lived out there for 11 years, coexisting with their dog and getting into all kinds of trouble. After Dad died in 2012, Freckle moved back here with my mom and tolerated her new cat and all the new children petting him and squeezing him.

Today I had to take Freckle to the vet for the final goodbye. He was 19 years old, wheezing all the time, down to skin and bones. Just like it often is, we knew it was the right time but it still sucked. Thanks to covid, I didn’t get to go inside, but the vet came out to the parking lot to give him the sedative so I could hold him while he fell asleep. It felt right, me being the one to take him. We got to come full circle. It’s hard to ask for much more than that.

To the Yarn Store?

Feb17

Oh, you guys are all bad influences…and I love it! So many votes to go to the yarn store, haha! Alas, I did not go to the yarn store, but it wasn’t really a conscious choice on my part. I left the restaurant after lunch with my friend, and there was a loose dog in the parking lot, just barking her fool head off. One woman was trying to catch her, so I grabbed the bag of treats I keep in my car and went to help. My friend had a grumpy baby with her so she couldn’t stay, but let me borrow the leash she keeps in her car. (Side note: I really need to get one of those for my car.) This dog, though, man, she was skittish. She loved the bits of treat I tossed to her, but didn’t want to come close enough for me to touch her at all. I called animal control, but in that city they don’t come out unless the dog is aggressive. The first woman managed to contact a volunteer rescue group, and they said they’d send someone out to help trap, and I said I’d wait until they came.

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So, this is me, sitting in the parking lot, where I stayed for at least 45 minutes, trying to coax her to come to me. Eventually she started to wander off back toward the busy street so I had to circle around and herd her back to the parking lot. We ended up in a big grassy area, and the volunteer showed up to help, armed with hot dogs. The dog loved those but still wouldn’t let either of us get a leash around her neck. After another hour, the dog got full and started walking down the street. The volunteer followed her and found out she lives about a block away from the busy intersection. The owner knew she’d gotten out of her yard, knew she had no collar on, thought she “might be chipped”, and wasn’t worried because “she always comes home.” GAH. I hate some people. I was glad she made it home safely but hate that she might not be so lucky next time. At least the volunteer is aware of it, and said if the dog got loose again, she’d report the owner to animal control. Of course, all that will happen then is the owner will get cited, but it’s a start. It sucks to feel so helpless.

After that, my pants were wet, muddy, and cold, and I had no desire to go anywhere but home. I put on clean, warm pajamas and snuggled up with my own happy, safe dogs and cast on a new project with pretty yarn from my stash.

This might look familiar: it’s Manos del Uruguay’s color Locura Fluo, which I’m going to use for a sweater. This is one skein of Alegria Grande, which I accidentally ordered instead of Alegria one time. It was the most colorful larger-weight yarn in my stash, so on my needles it went. This the Oats cowl pattern from Tin Can Knits, something really simple to let the yarn be the star of the show.

I’m still slightly tempted to go to a yarn store today, since I’m off work for Presidents’ Day, but I’m also tempted by this gorgeous and fun yarn I found on Instagram: it’s called A Bonny Lass!!! How can I not order that? I think I need to make a big, gorgeous shawl and it needs to have some kind of Celtic cable design on it even though I don’t like making cables. So, we’ll see. I might just stay home with my pajamas and dogs today, or I might venture out. Either way, it’s a pretty happy day!

Pupdate

Jan17

Duncan had his two-week checkup yesterday and it was all good news. The vet was delighted with his incision and how he’s progressing. He was given permission to have a little more walking time, just a few minutes at a time when we go outside, but it’s a start. She said we could stop using the cone but if he started licking it, we’d have to go back to using it. Well, I got all excited thinking I’d be able to sleep in my own bed.

Alas, it was not meant to be. We all noticed him trying to lick the incision several times during the evening, so I stayed downstairs with him again last night. Sure, I could put the cone on him and sleep upstairs, but I don’t want to do that to him. I can’t imagine trying to sleep wearing that huge plastic cone. But hopefully just a few more days and he’ll be more trustworthy, and tonight I’ll switch off with the husband and take a turn sleeping in a real bed again.

Grace vomited again yesterday, after her first bout two weeks ago. She’s in good spirits otherwise, still has an appetite, so I’m not sure what’s going on. I’ve reduced the food I’m giving her and I’m keeping an eye on her, so cross your fingers that it’s nothing big and just passes on its own.

There’s not much knitting going on right now. I’m working through lunches at work so I’ve got a little flexibility to be home. And since I’m not sleeping well, I’m so tired in the evenings that I don’t have a lot of creative energy. But I have a three day weekend ahead of me, so look for knitting progress soon!

Happy Friday, friends!

Take your meds, kids

Jan9

Pro tip: when you’re dealing with a stressful situation and all your routines are out of whack, it’s best not to forget to take your anti-depressants for several days. OOF yes that was me. I remembered last night, and honestly, I wasn’t doing too bad without it but jumping back in is making today a little rough. Or maybe today just isn’t a great day. I could feel my nerves on edge so I took the time to set up a new gate this morning.

Crate training has been stressful for both me and Duncan; he doesn’t want to go in it, and was starting to avoid going into the dining room because that’s where the crate is. I don’t want to have to fight with him every morning when I have to go back to work, so I’m trying Plan B. We have a small nook in our kitchen, which is where he used to sleep anyway, so I put a bed back there and gated it, and I’m hoping that will be a good crate alternative. When I’m not around, I’ll put the cone back on him and close the other kitchen gates too, as a precaution.

This way I have a safe place to put him when I need a break or want to make lunch. It really is just like having a newborn again, and how sometimes you need to just put the baby in the crib and walk away for a few minutes, knowing they’re safe.

That’s all I got, guys. I’m off to play with yarn and drink tea.

Duncan Pupdate

Jan3

Not much news, but Duncan’s surgery yesterday went great, no complications. The vet said his knee is nice and stable now, and the most important things we need to do are restrict movement and watch for infection. He comes home later today and I’ll be happy to have him home with us! It was weird to just have the two dogs last night and this morning. But Jack was very happy to have all of my attention!

Thanks for all the well wishes for Duncan, and happy Friday!

Not great news

Dec28

Duncan had his x-rays and it turns out he’s torn a ligament in his knee, the cranial cruciate ligament. He will have to have surgery next week and then there will be a minimum 8-week recovery period with limited movement. Starting immediately, he’s not supposed to go up or down stairs, jump on anything, or roughhouse with the other dogs. This is not going to be fun.

Since the backyard is down a long flight of steep stairs, we bought a ramp for the front stairs, and he has to go out on a leash to do his business. It took him a few tries to get used to the ramp, but he’s still not used to not being able to go outside whenever he wants.

He was pretty needy last night, probably thanks to some soreness after the exam, and pushed down the kitchen gate to come upstairs at 4:30 in the morning. I came down, let him out a couple of times, dozed a little, gave him some breakfast and another potty break, and when my back was turned cleaning up the poo I’d tracked in, he hopped up on the couch. And now he’s feeling a little better and is bored and restless and we’re struggling to keep him calm.

A friend who’s been through this said they put a mattress downstairs so they could lie down with the dog and sleep there overnight during the first week after surgery, so we’re going to try that. And I’m guessing I’ll need to take a few days off work for that first week or so.

The silver lining is that it’s not hip dysplasia or something long-term and debilitating that we can’t fix. But it’s going to be a long two or three months, and there’s a good chance he’ll end up rupturing the other knee at some point. Basically, I’m overwhelmed and tired. I have knitting to share but that’ll be another day. Hope your weekend is going better than mine!

All about that Fade

May23

Somehow I have turned into a monogamous knitter. It’s the weirdest thing. But it means that I’ve been working solely on my Find Your Fade shawl and as of last night, I am in section three. Here’s how it looked at the end of section two:

Weird, right? Like a thong, or a uterus, or ram horns. But I am assured that this is how it looks for everyone and it will grow up to become a normal Find Your Fade shawl. I’ve even planned out my fade sequence, thanks to the little graphic at the end of the pattern.

I had to color it twice to get the sequence I liked best, which is the one on the left that will allow me to use as much yellow as possible. But I have a confession to make: the Fade is a little…boring? I hate to say that because it’s such a popular pattern. Maybe it’s just because it’s not a color I like that much and I’m in a big garter section. Surely it’ll perk up once I get back to lace and start fading in a new color.

And in other news, Duncan has not reached the point of not chewing things up.

In his defense, this bed already had some holes from a few months ago when I tested Duncan the first time, so he might have just expanded on his earlier work. Still, he’s back to his beach towel on the floor for now.

New projects!

Feb20

It’s funny, the way grief can come back and just give you a swift kick in the ass. We’ve been having a long, cold, snowy winter, and I was joking with my husband about how living in the desert would be preferable. And bam, my mind took me back to being in Arizona with my parents after my dad retired, and he was so happy and loved it out there, and I felt the ache of missing him, sharp in a way I haven’t felt in a while. It passed, of course, but it took me by surprise. I wish he was still here, that’s all. And I wish I was in the desert right now!

But I’m not. Instead I’m home in the snowy Midwest, knitting all the time. On the last day of my 4-day weekend, I wanted to cast on something new, so I pulled out three yarns that have been calling my name to ponder, and went with the softest, fuzziest one. It’s acrylic from Joann (I bought four skeins when it was on clearance) but it’s fuchsia and fuzzy and perfect.

I chose the very simple knit COWL pattern and modified it bit, casting on more to make it a bigger, looser cowl. And I do love it, but I kind of want to use the other two skeins to make a snugger version too!

And then, because that was so fast, I went ahead and cast on with my second favorite of the three skeins, a purple Araucania Huasco Worsted. For this one I chose the Escarpment Cowl, which looks really cool. I love the idea of a shawl look with the ease of a cowl. And then I also cast on a new pair of socks, because socks. This yarn is Show Me Yarn Bootheel in the color Butterfly House, and I’m calling them the Granola Socks because I’m doing the 3×2 rib that Mildly Granola recommended.

Yesterday was a little rough because I had to adjust from knitting several hours a day to just knitting during lunch and a little at night. It wasn’t my favorite, to be honest. But hey. Gotta pay for the pups, right? Especially when they break a nail, crack another, and have to go to the vet for a bandage, nail trim, and meds. Sigh.

He slipped out of his collar in the waiting room, but thankfully he’s a lover so he just ran back to visit the girls behind the counter. He’s also up to 104 pounds, which I recognize is too high and the vet tech told me…TWICE. So he’s on a diet now which he won’t love and I don’t blame him. BUT! He rides so nicely in the car and sits patiently when I open the door to grab the leash, and he hasn’t tried to chew off his bandage at all. Not even overnight, when he was all alone! If I could combine the good traits of all three of my dogs, I’d truly have the perfect dog. Alas, apparently dogs are like people, with good and bad and you have to accept what you can’t change and love them anyway. Or try to, anyway. I’m still working on that.

If you are anywhere that has sunshine and weather above 30 degrees, please enjoy it on my behalf today!

Inked

Jan2

I closed out 2018 with a bang, by doing something I’ve been wanting to do for years: I got a tattoo on New Year’s Eve! What better time to do something that’s both scary and exciting??

I first started thinking about one after my dad died, almost seven years ago now. I wanted a small eagle on the inside of my left wrist as a memorial to him, since he loved eagles. But I never found an image that seemed perfect, or maybe it just wasn’t the right tattoo. I kept thinking of things that I will always be passionate about, and I kept coming back to my dogs. Yet it’s still related to my dad because it’s thanks to him that I’m the dog mom I am today. When he was sick, we adopted his dog. Samson was a huge, gorgeous red husky mix, and he was pretty close to the perfect dog: he didn’t bark much, was gentle with everyone he met, he was good on walks, and he never got in trouble. I loved Sam, but mostly I loved that he was a connection to Dad, especially after Dad passed.

At least that’s what I thought. But after Samson died, just a couple years after Dad, I found that I missed his company a lot. I missed seeing his face at the door when I came home. I missed his big, warm body at my feet. I missed the comfort I got from petting him. I missed having a dog. So after six months with no pets, we brought Jack home, and I fell head over heels in love with him. His exuberance made me laugh, his heavy warmth comforted me, and his soft, thick fur absorbed many tears as I went through a long period of grief and depression. He is selfless and generous and loyal and such a damn good dog, and I love that almost all dogs are the exact same way. Grace came home ten months after Jack, and Duncan arrived about a year and a half later, and here I am with three big mutts that make my life complete. And none of that would have happened without my dad, and Samson. I look at this image on my arm, and I think of my dogs. I think of Samson, and Dad, and I smile.

Why?? Why is she like this?

P.S. No, it didn’t really hurt. It was uncomfortable but not painful. The dentist is worse for me than this was. The girl went with me because she’s been the most encouraging about it. And yes, I LOVE it and have no regrets whatsoever!

P.P.S. Shelter dogs are amazing! Adopt, don’t shop!

How do you wash your socks?

Dec7

Okay, for those of you who may not know, I have dogs. Three dogs. Three large dogs that go outside and inside and outside many times a day.

Grace, Duncan, Jack

I also like to knit more than I like to clean house. Those two things mean that my socks typically have quite a bit of dog hair attached after I’ve worn them, and hand washing them in Eucalan just doesn’t feel like it’s getting them clean. So now that I’m down to my last clean pair of handknit socks, I’m asking for advice: how do you care for your socks? Do you hand wash? Machine wash on delicate? Lay flat or put in the dryer? What’s been successful for you?

On my needles this weekend is a new cowl, called the Growing Leaves cowl. I spotted the yarn in my stash recently and it immediately made me think of a work friend. I could make her a gift, I thought! Well, it’s a lace cowl in fingering weight yarn and I have other projects calling my name too, so it might not get done by Christmas. But since she has no idea it exists, I think I’m okay.

And the best news of the day?? The girl comes home tonight for winter break! That’s almost a whole month we’ll have her home! Maybe I’ll even get her to sit and knit with me one evening! I bet if I share some good yarn with her, it’ll happen, don’t you think?

Happy Friday, friends!