Random thoughts...

color makes me happy.
this is one drawer from my 3 drawer plastic stash storage system (whoo, say that 3x fast). when i was purging last week, i realized i finally did exactly what i set out to do early into my knitting - only purchase yarn that makes me happy. that means, buy the colors i really love (and that doesn't include "safe" colors), even if i don't think i'll wear them, buy quality not quantity, buy luxury when i can because hey, we all need to treat ourselves every once in a while and last, but certainly not least, never apologize or feel guilty for having a passion and a wonderful stash.

the only thing missing from this group is my collection of chartreuse/golden rod yellows/golds. i do love me some jewel tones. and although i do wear quite the bit of black and charcoal gray (i am a "creative"... i'd rather put that energy into my work rather than figuring out what to wear! isn't that what folks say?) i don't want to be surrounded by drab colors. my craft bookshelf is painted a bright kelley green (you can see a bit of it in the background) and my fiber stash is equally as bright and happy. loves it!!!

weekly wrap-up/finished object(s) current projects
on the needles
still working on my shawl... unfortunately nothing to share yet :(

on the spinning wheel
still working on the singles for my husbands socks.
i have about .6 oz left from the 2nd bobbin, and one more ounce and some change to go, then ply time!

odds & ends
what i love this week
real simple magazine. actually, i love this magazine daily. it's my go to for quick and healthy 30-minute and less recipes, in addition to home decorating inspiration and home/life organization tips. it's a really great magazine and what i really enjoy is the breadth of topics covered. as i mentioned above there is the home stuff, but there is also women's empowerment articles, health/diet/exercise, beauty, finances, meditation, relationships, really a great magazine that you can sink your teeth into. i've subscribed to it since it's inception, and it's never gotten dull.

ok, so my point with bringing the magazine up... when it comes to eating, i try to steer clear of anything in packages (save for pasta noodles, bread, dairy... you get the point) for the most part. anything that i can make myself, i typically do. and yes it's commendable i guess, but it's also a lot of work and frankly, exhausting. so in comes real simple... i can flip the auto-pilot switch on and just follow very clean, simple and healthy recipes that are easy to add personalized touches to. one of the quick recipes i made this week was the chopped chicken salad:

the chopped chicken salad was "real simple" made with mayonnaise (or a substitute if you like), celery, scallions (i used shallots), lemon zest and lemon juice (i used 3x the amount, yum!), and seasoned to taste. seriously, real simple, but it would not have been on my radar at all. the recipe had the chicken salad served over watercress, but i served mine over spinach :D who the hell has watercress hanging around anyway?! i rounded my meal off with a little more protein (if not, i would be starving 20 minutes after eating!), warmed pita w/ a little butter (yum! i love bread), some grapes, a little knitting (back left), and some soda. damn... all that healthy ish really does make me crave a little naughty! and who can resist an ice cold squirt!?

anyway, so yeah... check out the magazine if you haven't already. you will thank me because it is wonderful and additionally, beautifully laid out. and don't let them have an article on paint.... lawd, have mercy! hahaaaa i find real simple to be a very positive, uplifting and inspirational magazine. just the kind of easy reading one should read, right? we are inundated with so much garbage on a daily basis... it's hard to filter it all out. and besides, who wants to read about heavy, depressing, energy-draining junk? we all have enough going on in our own personal lives! i always feel that what you put out into the world (or blogosphere) should be light, fun, informative if possible, and most of all positive and fun! a little bit of escapism. and like the old saying... if you don't have anything nice to say, then shut the front door!

i forgot to mention (as i digressed)... on the same page with the above recipe, there were actually 10 quick boneless chicken dishes. no thinking! there are also more elaborate recipes in the magazine (read that as usually more than 30 minutes), but there is already 1 martha stewart, and dammit, i'm just trying to eat!

another thing i am loving this week now that it's cooled off a little is the small bit of activity in the pseudo-garden. i know i fell off on this one, but i promise, things are still growing and doing their thing in the backyard. my yield so far has been 2 tomatoes (one of which was enjoyed by one of the local critters), 3 really nice-sized anaheim chilis and 6 lovely green bell peppers (one of which was enjoyed by a daring insect). the latter of the 2 were chopped up for a 4th of july barbeque and grilled with a little olive oil and lots of lemon, spices and shrimp. very delish.

 itty bitty chili! so cute :)

baby bells. there are a ton of these on my six plants, so here's to a nice-sized crop!

i'm having the most success with the bell peppers and the chilis, no surprise here. they are the kind of plants that as long as you put them in full sun for most of the day and give them a drink of water, they are usually alright. they love the heat. and california, heat we have! i love hearty, bullet-proof plants.

another tomato even managed to show up. yup, only one. i'm watching this one like a hawk because low and behold, just on the other side of the plant was this...

yeah, sure... some kind of fancy butterfly perhaps. yeah, not even. it's the infamous tomato hornworm. gnarly looking, right? and in typical caterpillar fashion, they wreak all kinds of havoc on plants, specifically tomatoes and peppers. notice how there are zero leaves where this little bugger is. remedy: the hubster snipped off this piece of the plant and moved the perp to a distant shrub. he more than likely got picked up by one of the resident birds. hope it enjoyed its time while it lasted. anyway... such is gardening.

and now onto a new segment i'd like to call: "dose of dog" (you already knew this was coming!).

so, this week, we had a sick pup in the house - mr. tinsley enjoyed a playing around with a plastic juice bottle a little too much, and more than likely ate a little bit of plastic while doing so. unlike riley, he doesn't seem to understand that the non-traditional toys aren't supposed to be eaten! they just get kicked around. so he spent the rest of the evening throwing up, and then continued throwing up throughout the wee hours of the morning and into the next day. he was not a happy camper.

first thing in the morning, i took him to the vet to make sure everything was ok with him. he really is a big ole sissy so he does have the tendency to overexaggerate and make things worse than they really are, but i still wanted to be doubly sure that he didn't consume something potentially damaging. and yes, i am a worry wort when it comes to the dogs. the dogs are both 4 and thankfully, i've gotten much better about this. can you imagine me 3 years ago when they were really getting into everything?! ugh. the vet at banfield (the vet office located in many petsmart facilities) proposed the most expensive thing possible of course, an x-ray, to the tune of $300. *sigh* damn.

i won't go off on a tirade here, although i really, really want to, but in so many words, i asked the assistant why they always propose the most expensive treatment first?! they don't really try to troubleshoot, but they jump straight into pathology mode. and that is expensive! tinsley is in perfect health (and the vet would've known this had he just pulled his past charts!), so i ended up just having him stay at the vets for observation (more than 6 hrs) for peace of mind... add $70 to the bill.

the vet called me later on in the afternoon to tell me tinsley was doing fine, resting comfortably and had no additional vomiting, but he still wanted to administer an anti-nausea injection. you already know my response... "um... if he's not throwing up anymore, why are you going to charge more money to inject him with something to prevent nausea/vomiting?" in my head, what i wanted to hear... the honest response should have been, "because it's another $30 that i can charge you!" but after a ridiculously long pause (guess i caught him off guard) he said, "preventative measure"... fair enough. ok, fine. add another $30 to the tab. the vet then tried to sell me on taking home a few cans of prescription food because with all the vomiting, tinsley's system needed something bland, gentle and easy to digest, to which i responded, yeah... i can make that at home. it's called white rice and boiled chicken. the vet really wanted me to choke him out, right? lol

in the meantime, riley and i hung out at home. we missed our mr. tinsley like crazy though. he really knows how to fill the empty spaces of the house with his silly grunts, warning growls to potential intruders and loud yawns. luckily, he came home around 6pm and got lots of love and rubs and hugs. he knew he was missed, and i could tell someone was loving up on him at the vets because he came back all smiley. the vet sent him home with medication, i guess it was some type of antibiotic... whatever it was, read that as another $15-20 added to the bill (bastards!), and my husband let the vet know we'd be making his food at home, so subtract $15. i guess when the d.h. asked the vet what ingredients were in the prescription food, the vet was completely stumped (again). when hubster looked at the ingredient list, it was totally indecipherable. so all in all we spent $100 for peace of mind, and saved $300. the things we do for our pets, right? mr. tinsley has been resting comfortably ever since and really enjoying eating rice and boiled chicken. they eat a really high quality diet anyway, but he loves himself some rice :D

but seriously... i don't have kids, my furries are my children, and i just can't resist these faces...

i just love them to bits-and-pieces and want them to be happy, loved more than they can handle and well taken care of because they bring me so much joy. and that has no price tag.

enjoy your weekend!
until next time...

progress!

weekly wrap-up/finished object(s) current projects
on/off the needles
believe it or not, there is one for each category!

off the needles is my "portland" hat. it's not blocked, but it's finished - ends weaved in and everything. i'm looking for a mannequin head to block this hat out properly; open up the lace pattern. until then, we wait.

and this is what it looks like on. the fit came out perfectly. just the perfect amount of tightness around the brim and again, once it's blocked and the lace pattern is opened up, i think the top will be a bit more slouchy like i like it :) i'm happy with the yarn - madelinetosh worsted in "sequoia" - and the easy, breezy pattern!

here is my new project: my first shawl!

i am using the free "springtime bandit" pattern by kate gagnon osborn. the skill level marked on the pattern is medium (2 out of 4 difficulty rating), and initially i wasn't sure i was ready for chart reading, but after hours of fumbling and false starts (talk about a learning curve!), i think i am well on my way to my first shawl.

the lovely yarn i am using is madelinetosh merino light in the colorway "candlewick." this yarn does happen to be singles which i typically avoid at all costs, but the color sucked me in and i am weak for saturated jewel tones. it's knitting up just fine, albeit, a little fuzzy as you would expect from a single ply yarn. i've managed to finally get through the first repeat of the "body chart"... *sigh*  and i should have about 5-6 more to go, based on the recommendation of other fellow ravelry knitters who have used this same yarn.

since i have declared myself a born again monogamous knitter, i should be able to make decent progress on this shawl, so i expect to have something lovely to share with you all next week! :)

odds & ends
in this edition of the schnauzer life, let me introduce these photos as "let sleeping dogs lie..."

little miss riley getting her snooze on

mr. tinsley, really showing us all the proper way to relax. with one ear up!

what i love this week
i'm a little late to the game, but i have fallen in love with this new to me podcast, the spindoctor podcast. this podcast is for handspinners, and it's filled with reviews on spinning tools, equipment, techniques, fiber, all the above. i'm finding it very interesting, informative, and all together really enjoyable to listen to. from my understanding the podcaster, thecraftyrabbit, started off as a new spinner.

what i really like is that she is not claiming to be an expert, but she is allowing her audience to follow her through her spinning journey, as well as taking the time to do her own personal research (reading, testing products, taking classes) to boost her knowledge and skill set, all the while freely sharing her impressions with her listeners. the podcast is really well done and it is right on time for me as i am at the point where i am ready to take my spinning to the next level.

anyway, it's a very easy, breezy podcast chock-full of great information for handspinners. so if this is your thing, go check it out and support it! oh, and be sure to check out all the lovely pictures on her blog!

until next time folks!
love and light :)

little updates...

i've been a little busy the past few weeks (try not to be so surprised!) so all that has cut into my crafting time. of course this made me crankier than normal... yeah, maybe that doesn't say much! hahahaaa anyway, the one item i was really focused on getting finished before the month is out is below. and yes, i made it before the deadline! 

weekly wrap-up/finished object(s) current projects:
on/off the needles
a finished project! yay. it's been a while.

knitted doughnuts on double point needles. a quick, easygoing project that i could do in front of the tv or at my knitting group. i will admit, it was starting to drain me (most people only make 1 or 2... i made 7), as do most projects that take more than a month to complete, but once enough doughnuts were finished, i was happy with the results. adorable! the dark chocolate ones were my favorite, and i remember that each time i picked up the dark brown yarn, i had a craving for a chocolate cake doughnuts. funny how that works, right? :)

so now, i'm back to working on wip's that i put on a time out to finish doughnuts. that still sounds so funny :0)

these projects include getting started on one of two sweaters i swatched for a couple weeks back and my lovely chartreuse socks! and as i searched past posts to see if i actually shared images of the new swatches, i realized i didn't. totally space cadet. so i'll share now :) this is my brain on "busy" folks, any questions? i think my intention was to do a post on this... but you know the old saying about intentions... "the road to hell is paved with good intentions"... wait, that doesn't really work. actually i think the saying i'm looking for is regarding "best laid plans." ok, whatever.

idlewood sweater by cecily glowik macdonald of winged knits

the "lauren" sweater by ann weaver

my gauge was SUPER off on both swatches (even after washing) and a knitting buddy taught me how to adjust the pattern to fit me and the gauge i preferred. i'm really excited to see how this all works out. and yes... i remember i still haven't finished the last sweater i was working on. i remember quite well. but you know what "they" say about variety... it's the spice of life! and i need some spice in my life! hahahaa :D and i get bored easily. i need a few projects going to keep me interested.

on/off the spinning wheel
i finished spinning the fat cat knits falkland in "abigail."

you remember this falkland right? the braid with amazing colors that was spinning up all muddy? well if not, here is a photo of the before and after to refresh that poor memory of yours. in the photo below, you can actually already see that pieces looked muddy to begin with. it's all good. it came out lovely anyway :)

before

after

i'm in couch mode (as in, totally not getting up from the couch right now) so you'll just have to trust me when i say that there are 2 finished bobbins of singles. so now it's time to get to plying. first to ply (and very well rested) is the sweetgeorgia fiber club silk/bfl.

i could use that coffee right about now!

odds & ends
over the past few weeks, the hubby and i have been working hard in the backyard, cleaning, organizing, weeding, planting, pruning, all the above, and because the weather has been so nice lately (clear skies, light, cool breeze, warm temperatures around 80F), we are finally able to enjoy the fruits of our labor. here are a few snapshots of things going on back there.

 

apparently we aren't the only ones enjoying the fruits of our labor *side eye*

no damage done yet, but the rabbit has already been put on notice by riley!

*sigh* i have the craziest dogs ever! and they are so nosey. loves it!

later on a small tree was planted here in this hole.

speaking of crazy dogs... miss riley has allergies. i don't think i mentioned this before, so i'm mentioning it now.

she's been through several home remedies and lifestyle changes (probably all the same remedies that many people with dogs affected by allergies has tried), and a few medications (including otc antihistamines and benadryl), yet nothing has really worked and the one medication that she was using that worked well, as in instantly - temaril-p - is not considered safe for long time use. now she is on a new medication, and although it's not as effective as temaril-p (a steriod), it is a safe alternative that can be used for long time allergy management. it's either this, or we move to a new house. i'm still voting for the latter ;)

the only annoying thing i'm finding so far with the cyclosporine (aside from the fact that she does still itch, although it has been reduced significantly) is the way it is administered - through a syringe. the link i shared shows it in pill form, so i'm not sure why she has liquid form. maybe it's easier to administer, or maybe it's because of her weight? anyway... like the bottle shows, the meds must be given prior to eating or drinking water (one hour before) and 2 hours after eating. it's taken me a few days to remember all this, but i've finally gotten the hang of it, and riley is no longer eating her breakfast at late lunch hours :)

nonetheless, she is not amused.

my initial concern with this new medication was the issue of vomiting and/or diarrhea that many people who have used it on their dogs complained about. the general consensus was that the vomiting was absolutely worth it if it gave their pets a more comfortable life, and i feel the same way. honestly, it wouldn't be the first time she's thrown something up, and i'm sure it wouldn't be the last, because this little dog eats EVERYTHING. i just want her to be more comfortable and return to doing the things that she once enjoyed. the interesting thing is that riley has not had any issues with vomiting *phew* yay! i guess eating all that random stuff and having a cast iron stomach paid off!

after about an after she's taken her meds, she's able to do stuff like this again...

 hunt wabbitslizards that sneak into the garage around this time of the year!

and even more beneficial - cleaning up cobwebs!

so all in all, cyclosporin has allowed riley to regain her happy life back in many ways. as i mentioned earlier, it has not alleviated all itching - in fact, she still scratches, licks, and is still generally itchy all day, it's just not as magnified, and she is able to enjoy her usual activities like terrorizing all the critters in the backyard, play fetch, eat empty planting containers, play frisbee and chew on rawhides. she also still continues to have restless nights where she wakes me up at 3am because i'm assuming her meds are fully out of her system at that point and she's beginning to become uncomfortable again. it is what it is. i'm happy she's happier.

until next time!
enjoy your week :)

Eye Candy...

 A little something to tie you over till the next post...

Last week was a total wash for me... I had no energy at all to do a thing. When this happens, all I can do is listen to my body when it tells me that it wants to spend the entire day horizontal on the couch. Maybe it was the weather (of course it was the weather), or maybe it was because I overworked myself the previous week. Who knows. No worries... sometimes you just have to rest.

I managed to muster up enough energy to groom the dogs last week (I really need to bite the bullet on a proper grooming table), and the sun managed to peak it's face out long enough this weekend for a few photo ops: the dogs enjoying their new hair cuts and stash enhancement for a new project.

Here are the lovelies, looking all stately and whatnot

The unthinkable happened while I was clipping Mr. Tinsley's nails (doggie on the left)... I cut into the quick/kwik of his nail, the inner part of the nail which contains bled vessels and nerve endings, not once, but thrice! Yowza. He's a trooper; didn't make much noise, just jumped up and shot me the stank eye, which kept me from cutting into the quick of another nail for a total of 4x (boy was I on a roll). 

Let this be a lesson to you. Do not trust every tutorial you find online regarding dog grooming! One image I looked at the previous week showed what a properly trimmed nail should look like, and what it would look like as you were trimming when you got close to the quick. Yeah... his nails looked nothing like that! Here's the thing... my dogs have thick, black nails, which makes it nearly impossible to see the quick on each nail. Ok, maybe not impossible, just really, really difficult, and requires a ton of patience (which clearly I do have lots of with the dogs, at least). This equates to total anxiety for me and the dogs on a monthly basis. So 1/16th of a snip here and there is my approach. Tinsley's nails are lllooonnnggg, because clearly he's never had his nails properly trimmed back far enough, and he is a bit of a priss, meaning he is mostly an indoor dog, so he doesn't get his nails filed down from being outside on the pavement the way Riley does (dog on the right). She very seldom gets her nails trimmed, although I check them regularly to make sure they are healthy-looking. The are both equally high maintenance in their own way though... I'll save the "Riley and her damn allergy" stories for another time!

Anyway, I've been grooming my dogs since they were puppies (3 yrs) and usually I'll let the professionals pluck ear hair, trim nails, express anal glands... you know all the dirty work that you'd rather have your dog associate with someone else? Ha! But I like to keep everything in-house (get it?) so recently, I've taken it upon myself to do it all. And by all, I mean all, including expressing anal glands. [Side Bar: Anal gland expressing = $25 for something that is relatively a piece of cake with the right tools. Riley needs hers expressed about 1x a month, Tinsley, maybe 1-2x a year, so you can see how quickly that would add up].

So now the pressure is off regarding the daunting "don't cut the quick" nail trimming task, because honestly, a lot of hype goes into trimming a dog's nails. It makes one almost terrified to do it because it sounds like, inevitably, blood shed will ensue The key is clipping the nails in tiny little pieces, bit-by-bit. Don't go trim happy, hacking off an inch... that would result in unnecessary trauma and bloodshed. The bleeding wasn't bad (remember, tiny pieces) just a little red was seen on the tip of the 3 nails (ew!) which quickly subsided after plugging the wound up with the stypic powder. Apparently this magic powder does work wonders to stop any bleeding as well as acts as a mild pain reliever. This was my first time having to use it. Never cut your dogs nails without this nearby. Oh, also try to avoid using the "guillotine" style nail trimmers. They tend to be a lot harder on the dogs nail, a lot more pressure is required to use them, visibility of the nail gets obstructed, and they can do more damage than good if you don't know what you're doing. So, Mr. furball survived the first casualty and let me finish the job. Also keep the most yummy smelling and tasty treats on-hand to distract from blunders. Dogs are easy ;) Tinsley is a total trooper. He actually sleeps when I trim his nails, go figure. All in all, a successful grooming day, which gets to be repeated again in 3 weeks. Ugh! hahahaaa

On the other front, Mawata, also referred to as silk hankies (100% pure silk), seems to be all the rage right now in the knitting world thanks to fellow knitter the Yarn Harlot, who shared her recent project using lovely hand-painted silk hankies, that left most of us crushing hard and scouring the internet for places to purchase hankies! Luckily, I didn't have to go far. A knitting buddy (aka queen enabler Denise) brought all the Yarn Harlot/Mawata goodness to the group's attention, mentioning she was interested in making a purchase, and of course... you already know. Lately, I've been on a silk kick. Spinning it has proven to be nothing but wonderful, and I'm a sucker for vibrant, rich, saturated colors, and color like that doesn't get any better than it does on silk!

Ok, let me show you the goods. Drooling is absolutely acceptable.

These hankies are from Outback Fibers. They come in 10 gram packs of about 16-18 layers of hankies. You can see the layers on the above pictures. Now if you are wondering what happens next, don't worry... I've done a little research and have asked many questions already, because I was having a hard time wrapping my head around what you do with it after you stop drooling over the colors. So pretty, right? Here is a youtube video showing how to prep it for knitting - you knit it right off the hankie, no spinning required. *love* The sidekick in the video is hilarious :D There is also a new group on Ravelry for support and inspiration. My mawata wants to be something really simple and pretty. Something that will show off the beautiful colors, but something that will be used to keep my poor fingers (or toes) warm and toasty. Still searching for the "perfect" project.

The colorway I have is "Kimberly Blue"... how appropriate right? [Side bar: My name is Kimberly, if you don't know]. The colors remind me of a Macaw (minus the yellow) - vibrant, tropical, full of  life and... colorful! These colors take me away to a warm, tropical paradise. *sigh* Can't wait til Spring. The timing on this purchase was perfect; I was freezing my [fill in the blank with all the above body parts] off in my cold house, digits totally numb making it uncomfortable to get anything done (yes, I'm a sissy and cold-sensitive), and silk is the perfect solution. Silk is warm and insulating in cold weather, very cool and absorbent in warm weather, light, shiny and holds color very well. Having a "Textiles 101" flashback.

Other than that, I'm wrapping up a few projects (check the side bar... I'm almost done with a few). Missed my end of February deadline, but that's ok. My resolutions are still coming along nicely, so that makes me proud. I was out of commission last week and taking that time to rest up, but this week... well, lets just say it's going to be relatively sunny. So you know what that means... productivity will go shoot the roof. Hopefully ;)

Here are a couple sneak peeks into my projects for March...

Will be turning this into a 3-ply sock yarn (hopefully)

Will be turning 2 bobbins of this into fingerless gloves (hopefully)

Until then!

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...

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!