AJ's August Socks

These anklets are my first pair for the limited edition Tofutsies Sock Club, Wild Kats. I didn't think the lace pattern would show up with this yarn, so used the cool ribbing all the way down. I started with sz000 HiyaHiya circs, 2 on 2, and switched to sz0 when I started the heel flap. This yarn is quite thin, and the fabric feels just fine with the tiny needles. But oh, it takes so long to knit anything with them. I have since ordered some sz00 HiyaHiya needles from the Knitting Zone, since that is the only place I have ever been able to find the size. That is the only place I have seen the sz000 also.

AJ in AZ
http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

Posted by AJ in AZ at 2:04 PM 0 comments

I'm baaaack.

I can't believe it has been so long since I posted. I seem to post the most when nothing is happening and least when it is. Duh, wonder why that is.
Anyway, since I was last here I have had a major birthday, signed up to take BOTH dogs to obedience classes in Phoenix on Monday nights starting September 17, listed most of my yarn stash for sale on ebay, and come to to the realization that I am going to be unemployed at the end of this month.
Oh so very rude and uncaring Town of Buckeye has not acknowledged in any way, shape, or form that I was a longtime and valued member of the Buckeye Museum team and that I did as they asked and filled out an application to become the same when the Town took over the Museum. This is in spite of lobbying by both the curator and museum board members to have me hired. Oh well, if it wasn't for my credit card payments I could get by on teaching classes at Cotton Fields Quilt & Knit.
Good part-time jobs are hard to come by. This is going to take some thought. I suspect I will just have to set my jaw and go get a part-time job that I would never consider before having this great museum job for so long. It doesn't help that my fibromyalgia won't really allow being on my feet for 8 hours, so that leaves out any kind of retail sales.
I'll try to stay in touch.

Robin is spayed.

And a poor sad little thing she is too.  TO hear her tell it, she was tortured for hours and hours and barely survived it.  ANyway, she is taking full advantage of the whole sympathy thing and lording it over Sammy something awful.  Pretty quick I will stop preventing him from trying to play with her and she'll have to either play or discipline him herself.

She did have all her parts, unlike her litter sister.  She weighs 12 pounds  at 8 months and Sammy weighs 11.1 pounds at 4 monhs.  He also go his rabies shot and another parvo yesterday when I dropped her off.

Poor Sammy gets carsick every time he goes in the car, so he now has to ride in the crate.  I would much rather wash out the crate than have to launder the car quilt every time I take him anywhere.

 

 

 

 

AJ

ajwisch@joimail.com

http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

 

 

Sammy the incorrigible

Dear Kathy,

 

I'm sorry I haven't updated you for so long.  Thanks so much for Sammy.  Bill is in love with him.  As much as he likes Robin, she IS a little lady and Sammy is much more rough and tough.  He is fearless, too, never cautious as Robin is about new situations.  They are night and day, and both so much fun I can't imagine how I lived without dogs for so long.

We haven't had any company yet to take pix of the 4 of us, so I may have to have Bill take ones of me with both dogs and I'll take them of him with both.

Sammy is growing so fast too.  He'll be 16 weeks next Wed, and will be getting his rabies shot and another parvo.  He's almost as tall as Robin, although that isn't saying much.  She is still only 13 inches, and weighed 12.2 lbs at the last vet visit.  SHe had been up to 13 lbs, but eats even less in the heat and runs it off in the morning and evening.

Robin is going to be spayed on August 1, but I don't think I'll have the new x-rays done.  SHe is completely sound now, and her eyes are all well too.  So hopefully the spay will be HER last vet bill for awhile.

 

 

AJ

 

 

 

 

July socks

Friday, July 27, 2007

July socks

Here are my socks for July. I have a Tofutsies pair on the needles, but it doesn't look like they will be finished in time. The socks here are all Cascade 220, and are for Children in Common. I try to keep a pair of these going all the time, and I work on them when watching a DVD and my other projects are at a point to require paying better attention.

AJW in AZ
http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

Robin's vet bills

Dear Mom,

In answer to your question about Robin's vet bills: Not long after we got her, she started acting real lame, although she didn't favor any one corner and didn't yike.  SHe just limped. I talked to the vet about it everytime I took her for puppy shots, and we finally had to xray both shoulders and do blood work to rule out Valley Fever and West Nile Virus.  That cost a lot, and showed that her shoulder blades were roughened but not yet dysplastic.  Recommendation to limit activites and recheck when getting her spayed.  I turned down medication because I didn't want her to overdo and injure herself from not having it hurt. So we didn't go for any more walks, and I usually left her in the yard when I ran up and down to the chicken compound or the trash barrels or the recycle bins.  She didn't like that, but I told her not to jump the fence, so she didn't.  It was a small problem because she early on decided not to pee or poop in the yard unless urgency demanded it.

Then her eyes swelled up and developed pimples on both upper and lower eyelids that would finally pop and weep, then start over.  It didn't seem to itch or hurt, but she could hardly see for the swelling sometimes.  So off we had to go to a dog ophthalmologist, and boy is THAT pricey.  It is called meibomitis, and is a staph infection triggered by an allergy to something.  Her actual vision and eyeballs are perfect.  THis is actually a skin problem.  SO I've been giving her prednisone and antibiotic eyedrops for a  couple of months, along with 2 followup visits.  Yesterday she got a clean bill of eye health, but now I have to ease her off the prednisone for the next couple of months. That I KNOW how to do.

And we are trying to eliminate all the allergens we CAN control, like corn, wheat, soy, beef (most common dog allergens).  Airborne ones we are already fighting because Bill has allergies.  I wash all the scatter rugs once a week and mop constantly, and use only natural products.

 

Oh, and don't forget the seizures.  She's had 4 in her life, 2 when she was real little, and I pretty much decided she had gotten a whiff of ant killer and switched to dish soap and vinegar in water per the organic gardening book.  SHe also had 2 more when her eyes first swelling up, and we were at a total loss as to what caused them.  THe first one I thought she had been poisoned and put salt down the poor thing and made her vomit and vomit.  They didn't last long and she never lost consciousness.  We never did figure out what caused it for sure, but the 4th one I have since decided were caused by the wet Swiffer Sweeper cloths I was using on the floor.  I have since read about other small dogs having convulsions from smelling those.

 

Here's the best thing though.  SHe is no longer lame at all and hasn't been for months.  She runs and runs just like any other Aussie with no problems.  She doesn't really jump, and that is fine with me.  That way I can leave her in the yard or wherever, and be sure she'll be there when I come back, so far anyway.  I'm having her spayed the 1st of August.  I was going to wait until her growth plates closed, but the breeder called and said that Robin's only littermate had gone in for a spay and she turned out to have ON uterus or ovaries and only one kidney, although quite healthy otherwise.  Also the eye vet says that the meibomitis often never returns once the dog is spayed, although it doesn't work 100 % of the time. Keeping our fingers crossed. 

 

Sammy is a typical little boy, destructive and rowdy and loud, but a real lover.  He never gets tired of loving on you and will keep licking and snuggling until you send him away.  Bill really loves him, and wayy tolerant of his behaviour(obviously he doesn't have to witness most of it).  We have always thought that Robin's behaviour is just too perfect to be real, and Sammy makes you realize just HOW perfect Robin is.  He'll be fine; he's intelligent, healthy, and way more athletic than Robin, but SHE is my dog and will remain so.  I'll have to obedience train Sammy, but I have to wait until I generate some income.  Right now about all I can afford to do is stay home.

 

 

AJ

 

 

Wonderful dogs

And as long as I'm at it; here's Robin at 7 months and Sammy at 13 weeks.

Closeups of Quilt for sale

I promised to post pix of various blocks for an eBay possible-bidder, so here goes.

a 2-dog family

This is rather a surprise to me, as we, or anyway, I wasn't planning to get another dog until Robin was at least 2 years old.  I even said no in the first place, and DH had to talk me into it.  He did that by taking much more ownership responsibility for Sammy than he ever has for Robin.

Here's the story.

Robin's breeder called and left a call back message early last week, but I didn't get back to her until Thursday because my new cheaper cell phone doesn't work until I get closer to town, and I never left home until Thursday when I taught a class at Cotton Fields. whew!  Well, when we finally connected, she asked me if I wanted another puppy, since Robin has had so many vet bills and there is no end in sight.  I was very leery, because I thought that meant she wanted to take Robin back, and I'm NOT EVER giving her up.

That wasn't it. Kathy(breeder) had 2 3 month old black tri male pups for pet homes, with great temperaments and good conformation, although not conformation quality, but highly athletic and suitable for any kind of performance dog.  She told me all about them and offered me my pick of them, but I needed to come get the pup ASAP.

I waited until DH got home and told him about it, but said I didn't really think so.  I wasn't willing to take on another whirling dervish when the first one is only 7 months old and still a handful most of the time.

Like I said, he talked me into it.  I drove to Winkelman and picked out Sammy last Friday.  Lance was there, who takes care of the dogs when she is away, as Kathy was gone to Texas.  Actually, I've seen Lance more times than I have seen Kathy, as he was the only one there when Pat and I picked up her puppy.

Sammy was already named, and he comes to it, so we let him keep it.  He's a cutie, and VERY active, and not shy in the slightest.  Submissive to us, but stands right up to Robin.  That's good, because she is feeling great lately, and would harass him constantly if he didn't make it clear that "I AM TAKING A NAP NOW!" He's athletic too; goes right up on the chairs, although not quite up to the beds yet.  He has great fun going back and forth from one of us to the other and giving kisses and getting pets, then back to the other, etc. 

Just what I needed, another one peeing on the floor whenever you turn your back, but oh well.  Brick mops easily, and it does force me to keep on mopping.

 

 

AJ

 

 

the bees, the bees

There are bees everywhere here, covering all the lily pads and edges of the pond, the bird bath, all the chicken waterers, the wildlife water tank, buckets we keep for chicken waterer replenishment, and the 2 large waterers dedicated especially to the bees. In this heat, they are totally focused on taking water back to the hive to fan the queen and brood cells to keep them alive. We people and dogs walk thru clouds of bees anywhere near the waterers but are never stung. Actually, I've never BEEN stung by our bees except by accident, as when I pick up the hose with a bee on it, or put my hand down on one when I am grooming the pond plants. They really only sting when they are protecting the hive, and we don't even know where that is.

We originally got the small box-starter-hive (I can't remember what it is called) and put it down on the second bank of the wash under a tree. When their numbers were too many for it, some left and colonized elsewhere. I wanted to buy the hives and all and harvest honey, but DH didn't. He just wanted them for natural pollination. So, by this time there have been several generations of them, and they are, I guess you could say, feral bees.

I sure don't see any evidence of a big die-off, but their hives are obviously not full of chemicals put there by the beekeeper to control mites, and they are not forced to drink irrigation tailwater full of agricultural(boy is that a misnomer) chemicals. And I HAVE heard that the die-off is confined to commercial beekeepers that DO use chemicals, and beekeepers who manage their bees as organically as possible have had no problems. Wonder why the media doesn't report more of that!

AJ in AZ

On killing chickens

If anything, its gotten harder to kill the chickens we are going to eat. It was always hard, but after 18 months of doing it, its even harder.
Maybe its because we are currently killing a couple of young Buff Catalana roos a week, and they are SUCH sweet chickens. They act wild, and they are subject to quick panics, but if you catch one, they settle right down in your arms. THey don't scream or try to peck you or anything that the others will do, even fairly tame ones. Its weird, because the Buffs didn't get much handling as babies, either. For the first time, we kept the brooder box up in the coop instead of on the front porch, so they didn't get picked up and petted a dozen times a day. They just seem to be nice, nice chickens.
Its almost easier to kill the ones that flap and scream and carry on, because you want to get it over with.
Either way, I don't think you should eat meat unless you are willing to kill it yourself. DH and I do it together. I hold and pet them and he quickly snips off their head with pruning shears. Quick and clean.

And yet another

Well, ONE of them was knitted this month. I started this pair from Nancy Bush's Vintage Sock knitting book; its the Fancy Silk Sock, and I knitted the first sock months ago in my vintage sock KAL. Then finally this month I felt confident enough about lace knitting socks to knit the second one. Notice the second one is noticeably bigger than the first. I used sz 0 US bamboo dpns for both, and I tried and tried to knit tighter as I saw the sock getting larger than the other. Didn't work, though, and I didn't have any smaller needles.
Now, I do. I bought 2 sets of sz 000 circs, one from Addi and one(for a third of the money) Hiya hiya from the Knitting Zone. There doesn't seem to be any such thing as a 00 US needle.
And the size difference in these two socks also reinforces my policy of knitting 2 socks on 2 circs since I learned how to do it. The socks turn out exactly alike. I just juse both ends of the same ball of yarn until it is gone, as that makes it so much easier to periodically let hang and turn to untangle.

Catching up

We had no power yesterday from about 8 AM until around 7 PM.  Evidently a lot of Goodyear and most of Buckeye didn't have it either, and it was caused, according to the radio, by vandals cutting the guy wires to a major transmission pole and toppling it.  Too bad it didn't land on them.  It got awfully bloody hot in THIS house; I can just imagine how hot it must have been in trailers and stick-built houses.  The night before had been somewhat cool, so I closed up the house as soon as the power went off and closed all the curtains and settled down to move as little as could be.  I could read or knit by the light of the skylights, but couldn't sew.  I need a back-up treadle machine, I guess.

The only real bad thing was that as soon as the water in the well pressure tank was used up, there was no running water.  Sure, I had rain water in the containers out back, and I had drinking water in the dispenser, but I had to carry buckets up the hill to replenish the chickens' waterers, and I couldn't run the mister or sprayer like I usually do when it gets really hot in mid-afternoon.  Luckily though, we didn't lose any chickens to the heat.   I wish I could convince dear hubby to either put a hand pump or a windmill and stock tank on our second well down the hill.  It would help SO much when the power's off, and would really help the wildlife (the windmill) the rest of the time.  But he's so cheap, and things that I want to do are not nearly as important as the things he wants to do, even when he doesn't want to do anything.

Bill killed 2 rattlesnakes in 2 days over the weekend.  He came home after dark on Friday night ( I was out) and walked right over one curled up in front of the back gate.  The yard lights weren't on, because he usually gets home quite early on Fridays so I hadn't turned it on before I left.  He hung it in a tree to show me, but it was gone by 5 AM when the dog woke me to go out (and I didn't get home til 12:30)

Then the next day, we were rearranging chickens(some in this pen, some over here, remove rooster here, put another one in there), and found one under the dog crate shelter in the open coop.  We thought at first that he had bitten one of the roos on the foot, because it swelled up and the roo could barely walk within 2 minutes of killing the snake, and they had all been piled up in the corner where the snake was when it started rattling. I didn't want to kill the chicken if he could recover, as he is one of the best looking of the yound Catalana roosters so I put him in a cage by himself for a couple of days.  He wasn't happy, but recovered well and I let him go back to the rooster pen last night.  It was a short enough time that they recognized him and he doesn't have to prove himself all over.  He is actually one of the top-ranking roos with the chickens as well as with me.

 

 

AJ

 

June socks

These are from More Sensational Knitted Socks, and I knitted them on a jeep trip last weekend.

FW: [Conversations with whomever] New comment on Robin's eyeupdate.

I accidentally erased all the comments, so wanted to make sure this posted.  Thanks Chelsea, for the suggestions.  My electricity was off all day yesterday, so I didn't see any of it until just now.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Chelsea

To: ajwisch@joimail.com

Sent: 6/19/2007 5:56:10 AM

Subject: [Conversations with whomever] New comment on Robin's eyeupdate.

Chelsea has left a new comment on your post "Robin's eye update":

Hi - I don't know if your sweet canine still has a meibomian gland infection, but I do have another trick if she still has it or if she gets it again. It sounds very simple, but it does work very well for humans. The trick is to get her to sit still (if she's a treats performer, this is good) and to hold a warm compress (a warm, damp wash cloth) for about ten minutes at a time (it can be a couple of minutes, re-warm the washcloth with new water, re-apply, etc. - you'll find a routine that works for you two). Anyway, make sure that the water is pretty clean. If you don't have decent tap water, then boil some on the stove, let it cool to be comfortable on your own skin, then use. I have worked as an ophthalmic assistant for twelve years (am now a student to change professions) and have almost as much training as an optometrist - disclaimer in case you are skeptical. ;) Anyway - I'm hoping that it's all gone for now. But just in case...

Have a great day! Oh! And I found you over at the SAMKAL3 (I also participate). Bye again! :)

Publish this comment.

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Posted by Chelsea to Conversations with whomever at 5:56 AM

Robin's eyes update

Just wanted to let everyone know that, after only a week of treatment, it is impossible to tell that Robin's eyes have ever been swollen.  She still tears more than I would like, but she has done that all her life.  And she feels much better now too. She's back to her old bouncy self with an ATTITUDE!  Its time to go find another obedience class for her.  She wants to go so bad that she will lie down by the car and refuse to go back to the house if she thinks I am going to leave without her.

 

AJ

 

 

 

 

 

Pat's puppy update, again

Tuesday is living at our house while we look for a good home for her. She is turning out to be just too much Heeler for Pat, and she is too much Heeler for us too. She bullies Robin something awful, so I make her stay on the porch most of the day while RObin stays inside with me. Its better anyway, because Tuesday has NO manners.
She will pee and poop outside when you take her out, but then pee all over the place inside too, no matter how often you take her out. She doesn't even seem to know she is peeing, or at least just doesn't care. She's not scared, either. Half Heeler, remember? She'll start peeing just walking along. I try to be understanding, but start making her stay outside about the third time I have to mop the floor in the morning.
SHe also blunders all over, barks at the cat, jumps up on the counters and furniture and steals all RObin's stuff and guards it, chomping Robin if she tries to pick up her own toy. Robin is a wuss, OK, but she's my wuss and I resent the other dog bullying her.
DH thinks he may have found a good home, with a woman he works with. She already has 3 dogs, and likes the hard Heeler personality. Bill will deliver her on Saturday, and then find out on Monday at the vet (parvo booster) if we have to take her back again.
We're going on a jeep trip Sunday so at least we have that time free.

Robin's eye update

Yesterday I took Robin to a canine opthalmologist. My god, that is expensive! But anyway, I found out that she doesn't have the inward eyelashes, but a skin inflammation called "Meibomitis". Her eyeballs and vision are perfect, but the pores in her eyelids are clogged and that's why they are swollen. The pressure builds up, then comes to head just like a pimple, bursts, and repeats. It is a staph infection and has some kind of trigger that causes it to recur and become chronic if the trigger can't be eliminated.
So, we have eye wash, antibiotic eye ointment, prednisone, and antibiotic pills. ANd another appointment in 2 weeks. I will work on eliminating even more possible allergens from her diet and environment, but I doubt if that will work. I mean, we already try not to buy anything with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives on general principle. The vet said I may have to take her to a canine dermatologist for skin testing, as this is a dermatological problem.
She (the vet) also says that she has known many dogs with recurring meibomitis to never have another attack after being spayed. So, if we don't find the trigger within 6 months, hopefully spaying RObin will take care of it. I want to let her growth plates close before I spay her so she will be proportional, but if we can't get a handle on this eye problem, we'll do it sooner.

Last of May socks

I am attempting to post this last pair of CIC socks to the SAM 3 KAL but so far having no luck. I knitted them as Magic 32s, 2 socks on 2 circulars, sz5US, and Cascade 220. This is my very favorite wool worsted and I confess to having enough of it in single skeins to keep me busy for quite a long time.

Health problems for Robin

Poor little Robin has swollen eyelids to the point that the eyelid pimples up at different points and pops, then drains.  The blue eye is much the worst, but it is happening to both of them.  SOme folks on the MiniAussie list have suggested that she might have eyelashes growing inward.  This seems different to me, because of the pimpling, but I will cover it with the vet this week.

Now here's the worst.  Remember those 2 seizures she had as a little pup?  At the time we decided they must have been caused by getting whiffs of ant killer before it had dried, and I now only kill bugs with dish soap and vinegar.  And I stopped worrying.

She is now 24 weeks old, and has had a seizure on each of the last 2 evenings.  The first one happened up by the chicken compound, and we thought she had been poisoned somehow because it came on so fast.  One minute she was playing, then all of a sudden her foreleg drew up tight against her body and she fell over.  I grabbed her up and ran down to the house and put salt down her to induce vomiting.  Poor little thing barfed for an hour but then seemed to be fine.

In retrospect, I shouldn't have induced vomiting, because last night she had one while sitting in DH's chair.  FIrst her eyes get wide and scared, then her foreleg draws up (the other one this time) and she fell over in the chair.  I stroked and talked to her while it lasted, 60 seconds or so.  Within 5 minutes she was acting perfectly normal.

THe books say that if a dog has epilepsy, seizures can be triggered by most anything, but that the seizures follow the same pattern and duration.  All of these have done that.  She is also in heat.  I haven't had her spayed yet because I have been reading that it is better to wait until her growth plates close, especially if there is a suspicion of hip or elbow problems.  So I was planning to have it done at 14 monhs, but may do it before that, say at 8-9 months, depending on other things.

One good thing.  She is completely recovered from the lameness she had been exhibiting a couple of months ago.  She is still reluctant to jump down from things, but doesn't exhibit any pain when she does.

Help, I have never owned a dog with so many problems.  Is it because she is so small, or what?  I have also read that small dogs that don't eat well are subject to hypoglycemic attacks which look similar to epileptic seizures, and at first I thought that might have been the trouble night before last, because she hadn't eaten all day, but yesterday she ate off and on all day. so that couldn't have been it.

THis is so scary.  Have you ever run into anything like it?

 

 

AJ Wischmeyer, Quiltmaker

ajwisch@joimail.com

http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

 

 

more May socks

Here are 2 more pair of Magic 28s for CIC and for the SAM3 KAL.
I am working on a pair of Magic 32s that I hope to finish by the
end of the month.

Sz5 US, 2 socks on 2 circs, Cascade 220

Pat's puppy update

Well, yesterday's note has turned out to be wrong.  Pat just couldn't go through with it; she feels that life with Tuesday, no matter how much trouble she is having is preferable to life without Tuesday, even for a few days per week.  I have to sympathize.  I would hate to not have Robin around all the time; she has wrapped herself around my heart.

DH is going to spend more time trying to teach Pat how to teach her dog.  Its hard because she can't make sense of what she reads.  She was of below-average IQ even before developing bipolar disorder and ADHD.  So she has promised to watch the VHS about Puppy Training that arrived with Tuesday, and I will look for others to get for her.

There's no doubt how much she loves the dog.  DH is just afraid that it may be too much dog for her.  THe half Queensland seems to be dominating right now and the nice quiet gentle mini aussie would have been better.  Oh well, maybe that side will surface as she matures.

 

AJ

 

 

Pat's puppy Tuesday

I have hesitated to give progress reports on Tuesday because there wasn't any progress (by my lights) to report. 

Tuesday is a very nice little dog, and DH says that she will do anything for HIM when he visits, but that Pat just isn't able to train her, or even take care of a puppy full-time.  I know it doesn't seem like much to take care of and train a puppy, especially when you don't have anything else to do, but she isn't coping with it.  All Pat has done, for all she says she's trying, is teach Tuesday that you never have to be any place you don't want to be right then, you'll get attention if you make enough noise, and you might as well pee anywhere you happen to be because nobody can tell when you are getting ready to go.

So Tuesday is going to come live with us part of the week and just spend Saturdaythru Monday with Pat.  Evidently Pat never gets to sleep because Tuesday either barks nonstop or won't leave her alone if loose.  I think we can take care of that  pretty quick.  Crate and exercise pen are ready.

Also, she isn't getting near enough exercise and that will be solved immediately too.

Robin's nose shouldn't be too out of joint as she will still go to work with me and Tuesday will have to stay home alone. (4 hours 2 days a week, big deal)

 

 

AJ

CIC-Magic 28-SAM3 KAL

Here's a pair of CIC socks I just finished, using the Magic 28 pattern, sz5US 2 socks on 2 circs,
Yarn Treehouse Wool Print, 100 % wool. It is actually a heavy worsted or chunky gauge, so I
think I will go up a needle size if I make the whole sock out of it again. It has so many good
colors in the variegation that I am planning to save the rest of it for trims and stretching other
scraps.
This is my first pair for the SAM3 KAL, and I hope to have another pair by the end of the month.
I have also made a pair of Horcrux socks for the SixSox KAL in April and a pair of Little Child"s
Socks for the Vintage Sock KAL this month, but I don't suppose the SAM3 will accept them, as
I finished them last week before I knitted these.

Little Child's Sock

Well, here are my May Vintage SOck KAL socks, the Little Child's SOck from the book.
I used Regia Cotton in (obviously) red, sz0US needles, 2 on 2 circs, and still had to cut the
stitch count from 72 to 64. I also didn't make them near as tall as the pattern called for.
I seem to be prefering my sock tops shorter and shorter, probably because of the increasing
heat. I better get to work and just knit some footies.

Predator loss

I know this is retribution for being smug about no predator losses, but we lost a mother hen, a Dark Cornish, to the neighbor(1/2 mile away)'s dog yesterday morning between 6:30 when my DH lets them out of the coop into the yard, and 7:30 when I went up to feed them.
There were feathers everywhere, and at first I couldn't figure out where she had gone, as the fencing had fallen back down over the hole.  I went out of the yard and walked the perimeter and found the tracks, then identified the hole.  I was just sick.  The 6 baby chicks are all right; they and the mama were the only ones in that coop and yard.  The youngest ones are 3 weeks old, and this IS central Arizona, so they are feathered enough to be OK. 
I have been seeing poop from a strange dog near the coops, and somebody got into our trash the last time we butchered, so should have been prepared for this to happen.
I phoned the neighbor and left a message asking if his dogs had been out at that time, since they had tried to get into a coop about a year ago and failed. He showed up at the house almost immediately, very apologetic.  His dog had actually taken the carcass home with her to chew on at her leisure, I guess.
He offered to pay for the chicken, but I refused.  If this happens again, and I have to shoot the dog, I don't want him thinking we had a deal to trade dead chickens for money. He assured me it will never happen again, but did tell me that she had killed all his daughter's chickens at their other place; they have only lived here about 4 years. She's an Aussie, and I love the breed, but a wrong Aussie can be very, very wrong and too smart to be thwarted in something they really love.
When my DH got home last night late, I told him and he was all for going over to the neighbor's house and thrashing him, but I was able to deflect him, thank goodness.  I really hate being enemies with the neighbors, and if it never happens again, I want to avoid that route. 
DH really prizes his Dark Cornish, and she was one of 3 out of 4 Dark Cornish to go broody AND do a good job of it.
Forgive me for this rant, but I needed to get it off my chest.

 

 

 

Buff Catalanas

I ordered 25 Buff Catalana chicks from Ideal back in March, and lost 4
the first few days. So, of the remaining 21, I seem to have 13 girls
and 8 boys, one of which is definitely NOT a Buff Catalana. We will
eat him first, as he is of no recognizable breed. I plan to keep 2
cocks, so I have left those 2 with the pullets and separated the other
6 to a grower pen.
Of the 8, 2 have bright blue earlobes, and 2 or 3 of the pullets do
too. Has anyone else seen this in Catalanas?
Like Jesse's Buckeyes, there is a lot of size and feather variation,
but I will keep choosing and choosing to try and improve the next
generation. One cock was/is always the first to try anything and the
biggest from the very beginning. Regrettably, he is also the lightest
colored, with the shortest tail of all the boys. I am hoping his tail
will catch up.
I'll probably switch my keepers a dozen times before it is time to eat
the others, but it is fun.
I phased out my Fayoumis, as the eggs were just too tiny, and the hens
too aggressive. Wali, my roo, is now living the good life with a
mixed flock of heavy layers with my DH's boss. I have only a
BR/Fayoumi pullet, pure black, and an Ameraucana/Fayoumi pullet, dark
grey, who saved her own life by starting to lay green eggs.
My DH is in love with Dark and White-Laced Red Cornish, and of his Dk
hens, 3 have set, 2 successfully, with 4 and 2 chicks respectively and
of 2 WLR, one set, with one chick hatched. All the chicks are WLR. The
Dark cock turned out to be infertile (we also tested him on other
breed hens) and made excellent chicken and dumplings. That is surely
the reason for the poor hatch rate too. THey all started with 7 or 8
eggs, and one poor DK didn't hatch a single one. She has gone broody
again, and I will get her a few feed store chicks then end of this
week. Poor thing, wants to be a mama so bad.

 

 

Pat's puppy

Yesterday I drove Pat to Winkelman to pick up her 9-week-old 1/2 Miniature Aussie, 1/2 Queensland Heeler puppy. I had asked Kathy (at Boldheart) to donate a puppy from the accidental litter to Pat and she had nicely agreed. She picked out the smallest and sweetest little blue merle girl for Pat and is selling the rest of the litter from her daughter's house in Tucson.
The puppy, which Pat promptly named Tuesday, is healthy and well-socialized, and her shots are up to date, tail docked and dewclaws removed. Just a few of the reasons its better to get even an accidental puppy from a breeder rather than somebody trying to make a few bucks from their backyard dogs.
It was the first time I have spent any amount of time with Pat and without Bill, and it went OK. But she did talk nonstop and I had to come straight home and spend some quiet time when we got back to Avondale and I dropped her and Tuesday off.
Robin went along, of course, and she was very good, also of course. However, she refused to go to the bathroom anywhere, no matter what, and held even her pee until we got home. The poor thing was so full of pee that she dripped a little when everybody was making over her at Cotton Fields, but still wouldn't settle down and go. I should have taken her to the dog park and stayed there with her until she HAD to go, but I didn't. I didn't want to see or talk to anybody for any reason for a while, and drove straight home. Poor little doggie; she must have peeed 3 times in the first 5 minutes after we got home. 4 1/2 months old. I sure do love her.

Rattlesnakes!

A few minutes ago, I killed my SECOND rattlesnake of the new season, although it was the first one actually on our property. THe first one I killed was on the road about 1/2 mile from the house on Monday. Coincidentally I was on my way to the vet with Robin, and it scared me enough to have Dr Bolen give her the first rattlesnake vaccine, with a second to follow in 4 weeks. Then, he says, in this climate, she should have them every six months because we can encounter rattlers just about year round in this climate. So I was feeling better about snakes, because after all, she IS growing.

She was 9 lbs, 9 ozs. on that day's weigh in.

The snake this morning was coiled up under a dog crate that we had left to air near a tree. I picked it up and walked away with it, and it was just luck I saw the snake. He didn't make a sound, or move. I ran to get the shovel, and then I couldn't find him when I came back. I looked and looked, and I was afraid he had crawled under the straw strewn around the tree. I practically had hysterics calling Robin away from the tree, but she figured out there was something wrong with me, and came right away. 4 mos old.

I finally found the snake, right where he had been, and chopped him up in little pieces right there, all the while yelling NO! at Robin as she jumped around wanting to attack the shovel.

I do tend to , some say, overreact to rattlers, but the memory of spending the night crying with Etta Mae after she was bitten has never left me. And she was 5 mos old and probably 25 lbs.

Now I am doubly determined to have her snakeproofed as well as get the booster vaccination. I found a place in Cave Creek that seems good, but they won't do it until the dog is 5 months old. If I had waited for that, she could have been bitten and died.

My main problem is my active imagination. I can always imagine so many more bad outcomes than good ones.

Depressed

Well, not really by clinical standards, but I did ask the MD to increase my Zoloft dosage, and he did. My cholesterol is 248 and I do have to start taking drugs for that, I have had absolutely no results from trying to lose weight, and DH had a horrible fit on Sunday. Its amazing how many things I always do wrong according to him, and did you know that it is controlling to suggest which egg he should eat for breakfast. I didn't either. As near as I can figure, I should never ever say anything on any subject AND when he asks me a question, I better know in advance what answer he wants or there will be another tirade about stupid people and nobody understands English, etc.
It wouldn't be so bad if he ever apologized or at least said he didn't mean some of the awful things he says, but that has happened maybe twice in 27 years, and NOT recently.
On the bright side, we have 3 hens setting, the new baby Buff Catalanas are growing, and Robin is a constant joy. She keeps me going.

DH and dog

Anyone who knew us in a previous life would NOT believe this picture. Dog on couch!

Edgar(1 year) and Robin(3 mos.)

I have finally gotten around to taking some pictures of Robin and the chickens by leaving the camera in my fanny pack and wearing it whenever I go outside with Robin. A necessary step, since she is no dummy and knows perfectly well where the clicker and treats are. The little devil goes her merry way if I don't have the bribes and behaves like a Companion Dog Excellent if I DO have them.
I originally hated the idea of abandoning all the dog training ideas I've had for the past 40 years and using treats and clickers to train, EVEN though my reading and talking to others have convinced me that its a better method. It just didn't seem right to me to bribe the dog. The book that finally convinced me is called Katz on Dogs, by Jon Katz. His explanations of how dogs minds work made more sense to me than anything has before. And I must admit that I haven't kept up at all with the dog fancy when we were dogless. So many new ideas have come and gone, but this one really works. It took 2 tries and Robin knows Sit. 2, not 10 or 15. Come is still iffy, depending on what else she is doing, but she will improve. She's just a kid, after all.
We had Robin help put the chickens away yesterday for the first time since both of us were home to prevent any damage to chickens or dog. She DEFINITELY has herding instinct, and went right out around them to try and bring them to us. Sloppy, but it was evident what she was doing. To me, anyway. So DH stood beside the door we wanted the chickens to go through and I danced around to keep Edgar from jumping on Robin. She didn't really try to catch a chicken; she just wanted them to MOVE. It was fun, and took just a few seconds to get them into the coop, and boy, was she proud of herself. Not something to try when DH isn't home, as Edgar needs somebody to guard him until the dog gets bigger and more sure of herself. Fun!

Miss Robin behaved herself very well at our first puppy class at Petsmart this morning. It is a class of 5, with 3 BIG puppies, Robin, and one little MinPin.
Robin is well-socialized to people and eagerly greets everybody of any age to get petted. But she is very unsure of herself around other dogs. SHe doesn't squat and pee or anything like that, but she doesn't want anything to do with them, even the MinPin.
The instructor assures me she will be 100 % better next week, just with another week maturity. I hope so. Her temperament is just so perfect in all other ways that I can live with it if she doesn't do well with other dogs, but I would prefer her to be good with them. So she can play with Pat's puppy if no other.

See what I mean?

Robin at Home

I bet I've taken more pictures in the 5 days since Robin came home to live than I had in the previous several years. I am still a lousy photographer but at least now I can crop, straighten, lighten, darken, sharpen, etc. Only occasionally do I keep one as is. Maybe eventually I will get better. After all, I have the ideal photo subject.

Get away from me!

Kuku kitty is fairly irritated about Robin. She spends all her time on chairs and dressers, beds, anywhere the puppy can't sneak up on her. It was really funny when the puppy fell asleep on the floor, and the cat sneaked up to sniff her. Robin woke up and Kuku jumped straight up 6 feet in the air. I laughed and laughed. SHe has been so embarrassed since then that she just sits around and growls.
Robin would love to chase Kuku, but Kuku won't run.

I'm old; Robin is young.

Isn't she adorable? I will post others showing her at attention, but Dh couldn't seem to take a picture with BOTH of us looking halfway decent. A red merle miniature aussie who may yet be a toy instead, Robin is 10 weeks old tomorrow and quite tiny. She really is an aussie though. She would adore to herd the chickens and the cat, but that's another story.

My OWN puppy

I got this photo of my new puppy from the Boldheart website. Kathy has been calling her Cherish, but I lean toward Zorra. My DH says neither fits (what does he know?) but that she will name herself within a day or so. He might be correct about that part, or at least which of the names will suit her more.
I am driving to Winkelman on Friday to pick her up. SHe was born 12/11/2006 so is past any spooky period and ready to come home. Kathy thinks she will mature as a small mini, rather than a toy, but DH was the one insisting on a toy anyway, and he is OK with her. THe litter I was waiting for didn't have a red female in it, so I was very glad that Kathy decided to sell this little girl rather than keep her as planned.

Knit from your Stash 2007

http://wendyknits.net/images/stash2007.gif

 

 

 

Knit From Your Stash 2007

http://wendyknits.net/stash2007.htm

 

 

 

Puppy update

The litter my puppy will be in is due in another week, and I am so impatient I am like a little kid that needs to visit the bathroom. I don't think I wrote that I drove down to Winkelman to meet the breeder and her dogs a couple of weeks ago. I really enjoyed all of it, the drive (except for crossing Phoenix), the area, the dogs, and Kathy. We really hit it off, and I gave her a little lap quilt before I left. She gave me a painting. Mutual admiration society.
And the dogs were truly wonderful. Real old style Aussies in smaller packages, smart and gorgeous. The minis are just about the size of good Aussies in the 60s and 70s, before the show breeders got hold of them and started breeding them bigger and bigger. Now the AKC Aussie is a big dog, and the minis are in the hands of those who appreciate them.
And the Toys!!! I am going to have so much fun. They are small enough to lap sit and big enough to work ducks, and sheep.
Kathy works cattle with the minis but not the toys. One good kick would break most of their bones.
I can't say enough good about them. I took photos, but my camera timer was set and I didn't know it. so all the photos were taken well after I pressed the button. Duhhh.

Cell phone update

Well, I have started to use it sporadically and did even succeed in calling myself from home. The big problem was that I don't get a good signal in my studio at home and I am so green I didn't know what the symbols meant. When I turned on the phone at work so I could get my co-worker to help me with it (and she is 76!), it went right to telling me how to set up my Voice Mail.
I have even managed to program a few numbers. But I tried driving, only in my driveway, and couldn't divide my attention enough to feel like I could drive safely. AND it was only my driveway. I suspect most everybody else is the same way, only they somehow have the ability to ignore that fact. Its kinda like driving at night. I am sure nobody else can see very well either, only they manage to ignore it and just trust to their God, I guess. I only have myself to trust, and she has proven untrustworthy at times, so I slow down some and really pay attention. I can't IMAGINE trying to talk on the phone, in the dark, and drive.

First cell phone

Well, I finally bought a cell phone.  I did it because I was pissed.  I went to look at a building for sale last week, and was supposed to then call DH before he left his work so he could go see it too.  I had several other places to go, so I thought I could easily find a phone.  Yeah, sure.  I never noticed before that there aren't phone booths everywhere any more.  In fact, I couldn't find one period.  And stores and such won't let you use their phones either.  Got to keep an open line for business, you know.  So I finally went to the big store that shall remain nameless and bought a prepaid phone.  I couldn't activate it right then, so I browbeat the little girl who sold it to me into letting me use her phone to call DH.

Since I am about as far from a techie as you can get, it took me a couple of hours to get it activated with the website.  I still couldnt figure out how to make a call, but took it along to Quilting in the Desert. 

I was going to be later getting home than I had planned, so I had somebody show me how to make a call (Duh, punch in the number and press send) and I was able to call DH and tell him not to wait up.  Thought I was so smart.  I have made a couple of calls since then.  But now I need to know how to receive a call and have had no luck using the instruction book or the website either.  They seem to  assume a certain level of familiarity with this stuff and skip the very basic.  I finally had to email the company and am now waiting to hear from them.  I have called the cell from my home phone and get a message that my call is being forwarded to a mailbox.  I don't WANT it to be forwarded; I WANT it to ring, or vibrate, or whatever, and it won't.  And I have no idea how to access that mailbox either.  Anyway, I hope somebody nice will answer my email and give me some answers.

 

 

AJ Wischmeyer, Quiltmaker

ajwisch@joimail.com

http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

 

 

Browbeat, continued

Reading over the previous post made me think maybe I was too emphatic, and maybe its not really that bad. I was going to post the next day and say so, but I had to go to work.  When I walked out the door, DH was holding the broom and saying that it was getting way too rustic in here for him.  I thought that he was going to sweep, as he was going to be home all day while I worked.  Yeah, sure.

So the next day, Sunday, I said I was going to vacuum while he was outside doing some stuff, and he had a FIT.  The tirade about how he tries to spend Sundays with me ( generally asleep on the couch) and that I could easily do all the housework and laundry on the 3 or 4 days that he goes to work if only I didn't spend all my time stupidly in the studio (frequently trying to machine quilt for customers or work on the computer for my museum job).  Yada, yada, yada.  The fact that I make most of my small income working IN MY STUDIO and that I never ask him for money because of it, and that HE PREVENTS ME from working in there when he is home mean nothing to him.  The only thing important to him is that I be available, in the same room or outside with him, and paying attention to him instead of even doing something else side by side. 

Uh oh, I'm getting carried away again.

I have to go to the doctor tomorrow and tell him I haven't taken any meds yet. 

 

AJ in AZ

 

 

 

Being browbeat

  I'm getting more and more bothered lately by the browbeating ways of my DH.  Or, am I overly sensitive and just a total wuss and tone of voice doesn't mean anything, as he states?  I don't know.  If the latter, then I just don't know the difference.  We HAVE been married for 27 years, so why is it bothering me more than usual now?  But the litany of injustices I feel continues to grow and I'm getting pretty depressed about it. 

  For instance, my chicken hobby was a LOT more fun before he got interested in it and decided that, as usual, everything should be done HIS way.  Now 3 out of my 4 chicken coops contain his breed of chickens, and he is agitating to get rid of more of MY chickens because, he says, I have too many in the coop (nesting house) that remains. He won't buy any chicken feed, but has decided to keep some roosters wayyyyy past optimum butchering time because he wants to have backups.  He complains bitterly if any of his chickens ever run low on the expensive natural feed I buy, but will only do any feeding himself out of his hand.  There's a lot more, but you get the idea.

  And there is the matter of my high cholesterol.  When I came home from the doctor with a month's supply of samples to take and lower it quickly (The doctor was so concerned when he got my lab results that he called me to come in right away and get the samples), he had a terrible fit that I was going to be adding yet another drug to the ones that control my fibromyalgia and anxiety.  I tried to stand up to him, but in the end, I agreed to wait for a month before taking the drug, and in the meantime, give up ice cream and regular cheeses, animal fats, etc.  He wants me to get another lab test then.  I DREAD telling the doctor I haven't started the meds yet when he was so concerned about me.  But its easier to upset the doctor than it is to stand up to DH.

  Sometimes I cry for no particular reason.

  Sounds like depression, doesn't it?

  I can just see me telling him I'm depressed.  He sometimes tries to pretend that he is understanding about such things, but under any kind of stress it comes out that he thinks depression is the own fault of the depressed person, and anybody with any intelligence at all will just decide not to be depressed and they won't be any more.  Therefore, if I'm depressed I must not be a. intelligent, b.have no will power, c. take your pick of any other character fault you can think of.

  I should be going to knit with my friends this afternoon, but he is so mean and nasty about me going to town EVERY DAY (not true) that I said I'd stay home today.  I do have to work again tomorrow, so I really didin't have a leg to stand on this time.  But this happens nearly every week.  Sometimes I can stand up to him, but mostly I can't.

  There are so many things I'm not supposed to do when he is home, like quilting, laundry, housework, anything on the computer, that I tend to spend marathons in the studio alternately quilting and working on the computer when he is gone.  But it really makes him mad to come home and find me in the studio, and heaven forbid he should try to call me and have me be on the internet.  He won't leave a message and is real mean about it when he comes home.  And I never know WHEN he is going to come home.  His work house vary a lot, and he frequently goes to Pat's afterward anyway, but I am supposed to be sitting quietly in a chair in a clean house with all laundry already done and put away anytime he arrives.  Needless to say, this is my most frequent failure in his eyes.  I don't keep up with housework very well because I head straight for the studio when he leaves and don't come out until a few minutes before I THINK he might come home.  And of course I often guess wrong and then have to sit there seething because I want to go on sewing or else I'm in trouble because he caught me in the studio.

  I guess you should take all of this with a grain of salt.  I can cope with all of it pretty well most of the time; I am just extra depressed about it right now.

 

 

 

 

 

Puppy update

We sent a deposit to Boldheart Miniature Aussies for a pup from the Rose and Shiloh litter due February 7. DH fell in love with the pictures of Rose; he says she looks like the old Flintridge dogs that went in the the Australian Shepherd. I think he's right; those dogs were small too, and the AKC Aussies being bred today are huge and don't look too much like even the dogs we had in the 1980's. Rose is a small mini, and so is Shiloh, and Shiloh throws toys. Mine will be a toy per DH, and he is getting the pup for me, so a toy she will be.
We didn't get Mia, cute as she is, for the very reason I was afraid of. She was just too spooky and we also thought she was mainly socialized to the pack and would never bond as well to us as a pup that was removed from the pack at the proper time. TinyTrax pups were very nice, and I think the breeder does a good job with the little ones' critical periods and all, but she doesn't seem to do any training at all after that. SHe even had to lure the pack outside with treats rather than just telling them to go out. IMO, her dogs have potential that will never be realized. ANd there was no way to tell whether herding instinct was still present in her dogs since they have never been taught to do anything.
Boldheart Aussies are working herding dogs. You can train a herding dog to do anything you want to do with him, because he wants a job and wants to take direction from you. I can't wait.
I wish it wasn't so far away. The date I mean; I chose the breeder partially on the fact that she is in AZ and her dogs are raised in more or less the same climate I live in. I will go visit once before the pups come. DH says he doesn't want to go with; I just don't understand that.

My history with Aussies

--- In TASCA@yahoogroups.com, RuffHouseAussies@... wrote:

> I would like to learn more about your experience with the size
change in the standard Aussie after AKC got involved. Many, many years
ago my first Aussie was about the size of a large mini. Patches was a
great girl and I too later fell in love with the Toy Aussies.
>

We bought a retired ASCA Ch. bitch (Sassy) with the intent of putting
working titles on her, as her full brother was really sweeping all the
herding trials around, even beating some Border Collies. She was 17 "
but was 3 years old. We did well with her; the first litter was to
our herding titled male and the puppies had beautiful movement and did
very well in puppy classes. There were 2 eventual conformation
champions from the litter, both bitches and both larger than Sassy.
One was sold as a pet (bite was a little off) and we kept a small male
for working stock. Even though he continued to have great
conformation and movement, he was only 17" at 2 years old and we gave
up showing him in conformation after leaving the puppy classes. He
had never even placed again, but he was a fantastic working dog. We
sold him after getting his started titles.
The second litter for Sassy was to a larger Nat Ch. male, and the pups
were correspondingly larger. THere were 3 eventual ch.s, I think, 2
males (very large) and 1 large bitch. THe heads were beginning to
resemble the Bernese Mtn Dog a friend owned. The only reason we bred
Sassy to this male was that DH took him in for herding training and
titling, and the price was the stud fee.
Third litter was accidental. My large male pup from the previous
litter and stepson's jr handling bitch. SHe was a litter sister to
Sassy but much bigger. SInce Cosby was only a year old, we did not
register the litter and sold as pets to be neutered. We have always
felt that only OFA and CERF animals shall be bred, and we had to walk
the walk as well as talk the talk.
Overall, we much preferred the smaller dogs, but as time went on, the
judges that ASCAZ hired for the shows were Working Group AKC judges,
and they almost invariably went for the bigger, blocky head dogs, so
that is what people bred for. THe smaller ones still did much better
as working trial dogs, and the breed began to split. Understand, I'm
talking about here in AZ, and within our direct knowledge while being
active in the state club. And it was even before AKC recognition.
Eventually we decided there was no point in sticking with a breed that
was going to be split, like so many of the Sporting Group, between
conformation dogs and working dogs. So we sold Sassy back to her
first owner, and sold the others as working stockdogs since all our
dogs received herding training. And that was that until now.

AJ in AZ

 

 

 

 

 

Another photo

Isn't she beautiful? 

16 mos old Toy Aussie

This is Mia. We are going to see her too when we go to see TinyTrax' new litter. The owner says she hangs back and is on the bottom of the pecking order, so I don't know if she will be coming home with us or not. For obedience and herding you need a more assertive dog, and if she isn't that, I depend on DH to prevent me from saying YES to her. I have already fallen in love, but I only get ONE dog, so it has to be the right one. This picture is of her at 5 mos, and she is 16 mos now. 

Toy Australian Shepherds

Wow, DH is finally going to let me have a dog!!!!  I was making serious Mastiff noises and was going to research the breed and get one whether he liked it or not.  There was an AKC show just  5 miles away (as the crow flies) and I talked him into going with me.  He wanted to see the herding trials; I wanted to see the Mastiffs. We went, I saw the Mastiffs, he saw a TOY AUSTRALIAN SHEPHERD being led around by a barrel racer who was attending an event on the same property.  He was absolutely beautiful, and has traditional Aussie temperament (standoffish but not frightened with strangers) and old style conformation and head in a toy sized body.  A red merle male, 7 mos old.  And his owner owns both parents and is going to breed them again next spring. 

DH said, if you want a dog, get one like that and I can teach it to put the chickens away.  He didn't have to say it twice.

So I have been researching since then, and we are going to go see a litter and a grown bitch that needs to be spayed next SUnday.  I will try to update

 

AJ in AZ

Swift and Ball WInder

THe antique wooden swift I bought off eBay came yesterday and I have just taken a few minutes away from cooking Thanksgiving dinner to try it out with the alpaca I bought for CIC sweaters.  With a few fits and starts (learning curve), I mastered both it and the ball winder and have wound 3 skeins into balls in the last few minutes  Woo-hoo!  I love it.  I wish I could have paid cash, but I'm glad I bought them.  More time for knitting, and the swift is very decorative too.  Maybe someday a wooden ball winder too.  I dislike plastic of all kinds more and more, and think the world would be a whole lot better off if most of it, especially packaging was simply eliminated.

 

Open wireless

ANd I can plug in my computer in the Vibe, too! Maybe sometimes these modern conveniences are a good thing.

Gentle Giants Rescue

I have been trying to look at this website, to see many different giant breeds and just SEE them, but the site is so huge, even the home page, that I can't even download the whole first page with my dial-up. It even kicks me off the web and I have to start all over again. So I guess I'm never going to be able to look at this site unless I take my laptop to Barnes & Noble or the Millstone Cafe and plan to stay there a while. Or heaven forbid, wait until next summer at Quilt Camp. Wait, if NAU has wireless all over the campus, I wonder if the MCCCD does. I will take my laptop to the CSA pickup tomorrow and see if it can pick up an open wireless system.

Mid-term elections

It was really great working the elections this time, even though as always, it was totally exhausting. THings really went very smoothly, and the turnout was wonderful. And the results were mostly very good too, even here in AZ. I CANNOT understand why Jon Kyl was re-elected, but most of the other people and propositions I voted for passed or failed or whatever. ANd countrywide too, Maybe, hopefully, finally, people have woken up about this gang in the administration and will start trying to undo some of the damage inflicted over the last 6 years. If its not too late for the earth and for our standing in the world.

Visiting friends

My friend TK and her daughter came to visit for a few hours last week, in the area from New Jersey. It was great to see her; wish I could see her more. Her daughter is a very nice little girl. Of course, she would be. Both Fred and TK are nice and intelligent, and they were mature enough to know what they were doing when they decided to have a child. It was funny, though. The little girl wouldn't look DH in the eye. I introduced them when TK was out of the room, and she immediately started fading away. SHe averted her eyes and backed away, and disappeared. We didn't see her again until we went outside to show them around.
I guess he's still got it. Or something. He always used to make women of all ages nervous for some reason, but he is 61 now. Oh well.

A dog to love me

I want a dog so bad, and I think I want a Mastiff. I haven't really known any personally, but I am going to try and rectify that this next weekend. THe Mastiff judging on Saturday is at 8:30, so I can go and watch for a little bit before I have to go to work. And I have joined 2 Mastiff email lists to try and learn more about them.
DH doesn't want me to have a dog. Its not that he doesn't want me to be happy; its that he is afraid his precious foxes won't come around the house anymore if there is a dog living here. I don't think that would happen unless I got some foolish dog that went flying out to chase everything in sight every time the door opened. A Mastiff wouldn't do that, I'm sure.
I guess they do snore though. This process of getting him used to the idea and then actually bringing a dog here to live may take a while. I wish Pat would hurry up and get a dog. He has a harder time refusing me a dog if she has one.

Baby chickens

My little brown hen has hatched 5 of the 6 eggs she was setting. That is so weird; that a white egg hen who is supposed to be a Fayoumi but isn't, would be the one hen in the flock that was firm about wanting to raise a family this year. I bet there isn't another white egg breed except Fayoumis that will set, and she is at best half. Anyway, 2 of the babies are half Ameraucana and half Fayoumi, 2 are half Barred Rock and half Fayoumi, and one is a purebred Fayoumi. THe other Fayoumi egg didn't hatch. So far I'm not sure which are the Amer/Fay and which is the Fayoumi, but the BR/Fay are black. That's easy.
DH thinks I'm really strange because I am more interested in cross breeding and seeing how my crosses turn out than I am in purebreds. He loves his purebred Cornish, (although he does have 3 different colors of the breed) and will fool around with them for hours. Good, that is supposed to keep him from pushing me to do this and that with MY chickens that HE thinks I ought to do. It doesn't really, but at least he isn't quite so insistent.
ANyway, Brownie is being a great mother. Its neat how she shows them what they should eat, and takes them around to explore, etc. I guess I could spend hours watching them too, if I had the time.

Tired

I have been so tired lately. I hope it is just because I am trying to do too much, and not a sign that illness is creeping up on me again. I am going to the doctor (the MD) next week and will have blood work, so will find out something I'm sure. I am also trying to ease my way off the SSRI I take. I have been taking it too long, and I do think its interfering with my adrenal output. And that of course would contribute to my tiredness. THe chiropractor gave me an adrenal support supplement, and I am taking it, but it doesn't make sense to me to take something else to counteract a side effect of another something. We'll see; I could just be having trouble adjusting to working 2 or 3 days a week at the Museum as well as trying to do everything else I normally do.

Warm Hearts, Warm Babies

I sent off a box of 34 handknit baby sweaters to them late last week. I took photos in groups of 3 as I packed them up, so I can copy the photos to my postcards and put them in Christmas cards to show people what I have donated in their names. I really love taking care of Christmas that way; everybody has too much stuff already, and if they want something, they buy it. So giving gifts is just a way of adding clutter to everybody's overfull life already. ANyway, that's the way it is in the world I know. I'm sure there are families that wait all year to get something they really NEED for a gift, but we're not in that world. Bill does try to give Pat something she really needs for Christmas, but a better quality something that will last her for a while. And that's OK.

More rattlesnakes and Earthlink DSL

Since I wrote last, we have killed 2 more rattlesnakes, both when DH was here. THe first was just inside the front gate at dusk, and was quite large. DH shot him with the .410 gauge. The other one was just the other night, when we were making our trek out the driveway and up to the BLM road, again just as dusk. This one was smaller, but was headed for the chicken yard. He had his head removed with a shovel. THey shouldn't be out this late in the year, but the weather has been too hot and neither the snakes nor the ground squirrels have gone to hibernate yet.
I found a special deal to get Earthlink DSL for $12.95 a month for the first 6 months. ANd yes, it was too good to be true. They sent me the modem, and Qwest activated the DSL on the line, but I was never able to get on the internet using it. I spent over 5 hours on the telephone with Indian Earthlink reps, 2 different ones, on Friday. Both had me do all kinds of stuff to make it work, and ended by referring me to senior techs. THe senior techs never answered, not even after an hour.
The second rep had me remove all traces of my dial-up connections, so I even had to re-install the Total Access software and start over. I lost all my archived email, again. I need to figure out some way to have email automatically backed up on the external hard drive so I'll quit losing all these things that I thought needed saving.
So anyway, this AM I couldn't even get the DSL light to come on the modem, so I phoned Earthlink and cancelled the whole thing. If the DSL can't even stay connected, there's no reason to wast my time trying to log on to my Earthlink. Grrrrrrr! I guess I'll have to wait until Wireless gets affordable enough for me.

For my students

If you can't get these thru your email, here they are. You should be able to print screen, or copy and paste to WordPad to get a paper copy.

These blocks are from Judy Martin's Knockout Blocks and Sampler Quilts, drawn in Electric Quilt 5 Easy Draw, then scanned to email as attachments. You have a copy of the book to find out how many blocks of each kind you need.

JudyMartinStars-EveningStar

  

JudyMartinStars-FlyingGeese

  

JudyMartinStars-Americana

  

JudyMartinStars-Potomac Pride