Another Dog Blog, pt 3?

Because it's been awhile, it felt like it was about time for another dog blog. So, I hope you can handle all the cuteness I'm about to throw your way.

In this edition: Things that get stuck on a Mini Schnauzer. These dogs are a magnet for all kinds of goodies.

First let me say, my dogs are some of the least pretentious purebred dogs I've ever come across. You know those dogs. Those prissy, uptight, froofy dogs, that don't socialize well with the "others" at the dog park. They sit next to (but usually under) their owner the entire time because they'd rather not get their paws dirty, or better yet, be seen socializing with those that are not as "fabulous" as they are, dahling.

Yeah. That's not my dogs at all. Mine are the kind of dogs that play in the mud immediately after having spent an hour getting groomed. I do the grooming, so this does not amuse me. They sit in the dirtiest area of the backyard and just hang out there and roll around in the leaves, twigs, who knows what. They are a real dogs dog. Not afraid to play rough. Not afraid to get dirty. They come into the dog park (or anywhere else) and act like they own the place causing all kinds of ruckus and mayhem. With them around, you will always know when a Mini Schnauzer has entered the building. Of course, this could be a part of the "small dog syndrome," but nonetheless they are my kind of dog ;) Spunky, trouble making, little firecrackers with a great sense of humor and tons of personality.

The other day, Riley went lizard hunting. Although she came back empty-handed this time (big surprise!), she did come back with something else. Spider webs. Lots and lots of spider webs. On her brows, in her ears, and of course, on her beard.

And this is what Riley is best known for - being alert! She really does sit on "go."

To be such a small dog, Riley is pure muscle. Schnauzers are pretty solid dogs *digressing* When she sees some activity outside, she goes into "let me at 'em" mode (above) ala "Scrappy Doo". Tinsley is "Scooby" - a big ole scaredy cat.

In the house, this is usually one of 2 spots where Riley can typically be found. The other is at the top of the stairs. She has to be right in the middle of the action, with a bird's eye view if possible. When she's outside, she will usually perch on top of their dog house which has a flat roof, and on the rare occasion we forget to tuck the patio chairs under the table, she'll perch on the table.

She is so alert though. She sees and hears everything. It's amazing actually. She can sit at the door for hours just waiting for a little activity outside. Usually of the ground squirrel variety. She's caught/killed 2 already. *sad* But, this is what the breed was initially bred to do - vermin control. And she does it well.

Below is what Tinsley is known for - sitting in the background being the "look-out." He's such a chicken. Usually not the first to run into a burning building (smart guy) he lets Riley do all the work, and then shows up at the end to take the credit. Typical guy hahahaaa! He's the one that will sound the alarm if he thinks something is up, and Riley will come in and handle the situation. They work well as a team, and she doesn't seem to mind having to do all the dirty work.

So back to things that get stuck on a Schnauzer...
The most common item is leaves. Specifically, maple leaves. They can usually be found on their beards a few times a week, but they also can be found on their legs and stomach :D Tinsley has the bigger beard, so he usually gets more of the goodies!

And when I'm in the lab... this is where the doggies hang out :D On a leopard pillow that I made years ago. It wasn't intended for them at all, but they just ended up adopting it. It's one of their favorites. I don't mind at all because this pillow sheds like crazy! I hate having hair all over the place.

Until next time...

Less... pt. 2

Apparently that last post included LESS BLOGGING.
There is a draft for "More..." but yeah... I'll have to revisit that at a later date!

So, uh... what to fill you in on. Not much I really care to share.
I really don't know what the intention of this whole blogging thing is. For me at least. I guess it really is just an outlet to share some of my home life with my buds. Maybe it will inspire you... maybe you will smile at some of the stuff I post... who knows. Actually, I take back the "inspire" comment. It's hard to inspire others, when you are not inspired yourself [or regularly posting]!

This year got off to a very uninspired start. Craft-wise, that is :P I'm highly inspired in other areas of life [thank god!)].
I was completely lacking motivation in the knitting/sewing/crafting, hell, ALL departments! So there was no activity going on for a couple months. A lot of "damn... I should knit something", but this thought always got trumped by more 'ctrl+t' on the internet browser and a lot more meaningless, completely useless? strings of online research [Black holes? Extinct animals? Plant physiology? Expressing a dogs anal glands? Citrus rootstock? Yeah... this is how my brain works]. So I decided to kick myself in the arse, hard, and get something going. Something for me [finally], that I could wear and [hopefully] be proud of. Something that is challenging and different from the instant gratification projects that I normally lean towards [hats, baby stuff, swatches, scarves] because I'm pretty impatient. Ok... that is a severe understatement. Whatever.

So this leads to my current project.
One which is getting 70% of my attention. I'm almost working solely on this project when I have free time, which is a total contrast to the norm - working on a handful of small things that will NEVER be completed. The other 30% goes to reading, sitting outside in the sun on the patio staring off, watching and recording [for future laughs] the dogs fight/wrestle, random Google research, and editing/organizing my external hard drives.

This will be my FIRST official sweater.
I'm working on the rib pattern at the bottom *sigh* yes, I have a LONG way to go!!! Keep on chugging... one row at a time, on the TINIEST YARN with the TINIEST NEEDLES I have ever used! Glutton for punishment? Absolutely!



Here is my ittie bittie swatch. I blocked it and all that good stuff... yeah... I don't know what the blocking was supposed to prove other than wool (with little to no agitation) can be hand-washed. Got it. I'm not THAT experienced yet to know what to look for, other than, my stitches per inch. I've never blocked before, but it's good to know that... uh, my ittie bittie swatch was nice looking after washing - no fading, etc. I will probably still be reluctant to block the actual sweater once it's done *yikes* What if it shrinks! hahahaaa After all this work! *sigh*



This is where I'm at. This sad, small piece of sweater that looks like a headband straight out of the 80's *sigh* The good news is that the front AND back of the sweater are the same, so I am able to work on them BOTH at the same time :D Oh, and the color of the yarn I'm using is closer to the swatch picture...



So there you have it, in a nutshell.
I'll try to finish up that other blog, as I suspect it was full of snark, and therefore has to be shared ;) Nah, I'll post it (after I edit)...

Carry on...

obligatory dog blog...

Eh. It's been a long time coming.

You all know I have 2 dogs.
Two rambunctious, nosey as hell, spunky, disobedient, firecracker, comedians who turned out to be the best companions I could ever have. These terrors are not for the faint at heart, let me tell you that. And if the pet you own is supposed to be a reflection of the owner's personality, well... wow is all I have to say about that. Point well taken. How does anyone handle dealing with me?! Hypothetical.

Along with this playful personality comes intelligence. I'm not talking about the intelligence that most people say their kids have [yes, that was a dig], I'm talking about intelligence outside of human context. As in, I'm not going to lay around waiting for you to keep me entertained... I'm going to FIND something to keep myself entertained with [searching for photos of when Riley decided she wanted to "read" the Sunday paper].

Miniature Schnauzers are #12 on the intelligence list. There is a difference between "Mini", "Standard" and "Giant" Schnauzer... in a way, the bigger the dog, the dumber the dog, so to speak [Is this true for people as well? hahaaa]. Number 12 puts them into the category of "working" dogs, which if given a new command, the dog will typically have it mastered within 5-15 repetitions. The dog will also respond to a command about 85% of the time on the first try. Will elaborate below...

From all the training I've put the dogs through [whether in a class, or stuff I've taught them on my own], this figure is incredibly accurate. There was a major difference between the girl [Riley] and the boy [Tinsley] however. Of course there was. The whole Mars/Venus thing clearly doesn't just apply to people ;)

Oh, sorry...
Riley (Female, Cropped Ears)



Tinsley (Male, Natural Ears)



Ok, where were we? Oh yes... Riley was very quick to pick up on all her commands [somewhere around 5 repetitions] but she has major food drive [again, very much like some people], so if she knows there is a treat at the end of it, you can get her to do just about anything [ask if I can get her to crawl into a storm drain. Kidding?]. Tinsley on the other hand could give a crap about the food aspect. He's all about the praise... the "that's a good boy!" and the rubs. It's much harder to get him to do [much of anything] tricks cause he just doesn't give a $hit hahahaaa And this is how you know he's my husbands dog ;) Typical man. He does have great ball drive though.

In terms of obedience, that whole thing about the dogs obeying a command on the first try about 85% of the time, agreed. I'm only annoyed 15% of the time when they don't listen. Only? Tinsley is a lot more obedient than Riley though, I will give him that. He's definitely more of a come on the first command kind of guy. Riley is pretty headstrong and independent. And that's how you can tell she's my dog ;)

The dogs also have a bit of an "enhanced" vocabulary. I'm totally not the crazy dog lady so re, but I do talk to them in a "non-traditional" way. Kind of how I talk casually to most people [if I like you enough to let my guard down... which is RARE]. I have my professional speak, and I have my more casual/relaxed speak. Don't act like you don't code-switch. You know what I'm talking about... wiki that if you need too ;)

Common phrases: "sit", "stay", "wait", "drop it", "shake", "roll over", "down"

A few of my "enhanced" phrases: "get/go away", "leave me alone", "boo!", "stop staring at me", "get back", "move/scoot over", "foot of the bed", "get off the bed", "don't even think about laying on my pillow", "leave it alone", "play nice", "go get her/him", "bring it back", "hurry up", "would you wait!", "get in here", "outside NOW", "high five", "cookie time"... and the list goes on, because for some reason, it's like they understand English and body language. The cool thing about these phrases is that they work well on the husband as well ;)

Toys
This is for anyone who has dogs/has a new dog/is thinking about getting a dog, and is curious about the durability of commonly seen toys at Petsmart or Petco [or any pet retail store for that matter]. I seriously feel like I've tried them all. Petsmarts profits went up for the first year we got Riley. She was tearing through toys faster than I could pick the stuffing and stuffed toy limbs off the floor! I'm much better with the toy buying now though. Riley is just as content with an empty milk carton, and that's basically FREE!

Riley is a "heavy" chewer, Tinsley is not. [See above section referencing him not giving a $hit]. If you leave Riley to her own devices, she can and will open the seam [seamlessly] on a stuffed animal with no problem, carefully remove the stuffing and take the squeaker out of it. And then she'll eat the squeaker and the stuffing, leaving no evidence behind hahahaaaa [You might want to review the section above on food drive!] Tinsley will sit back, and be the look out. He won't, however, warn her that I'm on my way back into the room with a squirt bottle :D The look on her face when that cold spray of water thumps her on her rump = priceless.

So yeah, this is their toy bin. Yes... just toys.



They also have a crate for rawhides which is on top of the bin (a must for a chewer) and another for their grooming tools. Oh, there is also a drawer in the bin for their sweaters that they NEVER wear, because, oh yeah, they HAVE FUR! A built-in sweater. What a concept.



Boy, how I digress.
So yeah... all this dog stuff is super cute.
But here's the stuff that will last. It washes and wears very well. It has survived Riley and has a story to tell and the scars to prove it.

So this is the ball drawer:



And here is the stuffed animal drawer:



Now, from all the toys (and there is much more that I didn't feel like collecting from the backyard)... these are the best in terms of use, durability, washability, etc.

For the heavy chewer... these are indestructible:

Kong Balls of all persuasions. The 'jack' shaped one is really fun :D
Oh... and I love how they have little bite-sized balls for small dogs! The ones with the squeakers are the BEST!



Anything rubber, that squeaks... are you seeing a theme here?



And an honorable mention for this section. Again, Kong seems to dominate. The problem with these balls is that the squeaker is really hard to press on, and because these toys are supposed to be "indestructible" they are hard as hell. When a dog gets bopped upside the head with this... trust me, they will be very reluctant to play fetch with this nonsense again.



For the intelligent creature, who likes to have their mind stimulated, these are fun



Very cool, because these toys, made by Plush Puppies (purchased at a local feed store), have an elastic pouch on them that allows you to place squeaker toys inside. They come with about 3 balls. You can also purchase extra bags which can be used for fetch if the pouch thing gets old :D The balls are surprisingly durable and wash well.



But again... if your dog is destructive *cough* Riley *cough* do NOT leave the trouble maker alone to their own devices.

R.I.P. Mr. Platypus and Ms. Porcupine...



Oh... and an honorable mention from this company...
This toy has a built-in rattle AND a squeaker! It's also easy for the dog to grip.



For the lazy sap... this stuff makes a great pillow.

Lamby's are the BESTest! Adorable. Washable. Squeaky :D
The little ittie bittie pink and blue one is Riley's first toy. Ok... well, not exactly this one, but one that looked exactly like this. She ate the first one.

R.I.P. mini lamby #1. Damn you dog!!!



Coleman, also makes pretty durable, stuffed toys that are fun as well. The racoon (in the photo of the stuffed animal bin) is also a Coleman toy. It is Riley's absolute FAVORITE. Probably because it looks just like her :D





For the small dog with an endless appetite, these are pretty cool:
[If people had to chase their food... can you imagine this obesity problem] hahahaaa
Sorry... just finished listening to some stuff on the obesity crisis on NPR.

The toys on top you can just drop dog food inside. The bottom two, you load small treats into the sides/middle. I usually use mini dog biscuits or liver treats (gotta make them work for it!).



And the last honorable mentions...
I'm not opposed to these... I'm opposed to purchasing them! I can just make this mess myself! It's just fleece cut up into strips and tied together. Fool me once!

The ball is much better than the tug-of-war toy... the 'tug' basically untwisted after a few plays, and didn't hold it's shape at all. 'E' for effort though ;)



So all in all, the massive picture load is why it took me so long to get back to this blog. But this turned out to not be too bad :D



Sorry if there is any weird formatting drama or typos, etc. I really can't be bothered! hahahaaa :D I did my best, I swear.

On to the next blog!

Less...

Bullshit.

Among my usual relatively "long" list of resolutions (well, long to those afraid of making a promise to themselves to be better) "less" is the one thing I am striving for most.

Less bullshit in my life.
This should go without saying, but I'll elaborate:

Less "crap" - In the house. In my life.

Less "stuff" - Collecting dust, cluttering my space, effing with my chi.

I spent sevral hours over the rainy weekend consolidating my external hard drives. I won't tell you the actual number cause I'm still seething over it. But I was sifting through file after file, deleting the unnecessary, organizing things I felt were important at them time, only to delete them because they really have no importance.

Less wasting time like it's unlimited.

Less "auto-pilot."
This regards my internet addiction. It's really, for the most part a "time-filler" when I'm home vegging out. It got to the point where it became a substitute friend in a way. It's easy to get into a routine. Come home, plug in, tune out.

I don't have the cell phone problem... you know what I'm talking about. The need to have a phone attached to a body part at all hours of the day. Think in utero like an umbilical cord. It's not a life line people! In most cases, how many of us are really that busy where we need to be available at all hours of the day? The only people I can think of right now would be doctors, police officers, and others' working hard to protect the country.

I wonder how many people can remember a time where we communicated "normally," directly to each other, face-to-face. Think long and hard because it was about +/- 10 years ago. About 10 years ago, many of us sported pagers. Response time wasn't instant. You had to run to the nearest pay phone in most cases to return a call. You know what I'm talking about! :P

Once upon time, folks used to hand write letters. People used to remember your birthday because they wrote the date down and they used to send a paper birthday card. I'm not knocking technology, I absolutely embrace it and benefit regularly from it, but I recognize when I need less of something.

Less "pretending" which equates to less "acting" on my part.

Less dealing with nonsense.

I've reached a point in my life where again, my value system has changed. It comes with age, right? Well... one would hope. I recognize I need less. I crave simplicity. This was clearly evident in 2009. I won't elaborate, but if I throw out the word "recession" I'm sure you'd get the drift. I operated on far less than I had the year before. Because I needed to? No, because I could. I just did.

On the flip side, I'm all about balance.
So if I need less of a few things, that has to mean I will need more of something else...

Oh, and less long posts.
If you are like me, you tune out after the first few lines anyway. I will master the art of being succinct. I swear!

Defining Moments...

Side Note #1:
This is definitely a Miss Hyde week...
I don't think I need to elaborate. I'll just quickly change the subject.

Side Note #2:
After being in a state of impasse for far too long, I would have to say, one of the main things that keeps me from going off the deep end are my hobbies. Crafting is the ultimate remedy to keep a wandering mind on the straight and narrow. Even if only temporarily.

Side Note #3:
The problem... well, dilemma I am having with blogging is that fact that I really don't like to talk much about myself/what I'm doing/what my plans are, etc. Call me superstitious, but honestly it's just that I'm a private person, and I really don't feel like I have anything that groundbreaking to share. I don't reveal much... I don't divulge a lot of information freely (although, don't be fooled, I have lots of information stirring around in my head), unless asked. So this is hard and invasive and totally awkward, because honestly, a blog about myself feels pretty narcissistic. Nonetheless, maybe this is a bit therapeutic for me. It allows me the chance to show/share myself with others. And I've always been a pretty good sharer.


This blog also lets me show off share my thousands handful of projects ;)




For an instant gratification project, this slouchy hat was definitely something mindless effortless for me to get into quickly. It gave me a break from the other boring and under-stimulating knitting projects that I started (and have to drag myself to finish).

Plus, I love small projects that I can work on while watching Y & R.



A squishy headband that I made out of the yumminess I got on my birthday yarn crawl. It's WAY too big, so I'm going to unravel the whole thing, start it over and make it much, much smaller.



My chunky cable sweater. Still a work in progress.
I can't bear to work on this right now. It's been 100 degrees lately, and there is no way in hell I want this heavy heap of wool on my lap! As with the project below, since I'm in no hurry to finish it, it will be done by the time it is actually cold enough outside to use it.



This granny square blanket is something that has been in hibernation for far too long. But since it is now "technically" Fall, I figured I should bring it back to life, and try to finish it off. My next blanket/afghan will HAVE to be more challenging (actually ALL of my future projects will have to be more challenging). And of course, I already have the next pattern(s) ready to go!

I'm also working on a few of other things that I haven't gotten around to taking pictures of. These include needle cases (because things are getting out of control), a couple of costumes, and a sweater that I'm going to attempt to design myself. More on that later.

Random Finds...

100% Pure Agave Nectar
This is the nectar of the gods.
I've tried many natural sugar substitutes [You're welcome Whole Foods],
but this is the one. It scores high points for its usability in coffee!

More info on Agave Nectar here and here.



Some info from the back of the label:
"Nectar has many fine qualities that make it ideal for all of your sweetening needs. Among them are its certified purity, consistent delicious mild flavor and a lengthy shelf life (won't crystallize). And, importantly, agave nectar has a low glycemic index that is beneficial for many. Plus it is easy to use as it pours and dissolves quickly, even in cold food or drinks."

So off the bat in terms of flavor, it's very similar to honey. Definitely milder. It also has the consistency of a slightly watered down honey. For those calorie counters, 1 tbsp = 60 calories. There's no question that it is better than Stevia and that horrible white sugar. And don't get me started on artificial sweeteners. Specifically the latest, controversial Sucralose. My philosophy has always remained the same... try to eat foods in their most natural form. Be leery of those that are modified. No matter what claims are being made about them. That little pearl of wisdom is free. *wink wink*

This stuff deserves a try and a spot in your pantry!
More about this product ---> here