Conversations with whomever

Sunday, October 21, 2007

a picture for you

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AJ Wischmeyer, Quiltmaker

Friday, October 19, 2007

We both thank you so much for the birthday coffee and tea. We are happily drinking away, morning and evening. I apologize for the delay in sending this thank you; I was supposed to get wireless service this week and have been holding off on lots of things for that reason. It wasn't meant to be yet, though.

Larry the wireless guy came a day late, yesterday, and could only get an intermittent signal from one tower, west of Buckeye, and even though the one at Broadway and Jackrabbit got a strong steady signal, it was even slower than dial-up. And I am NOT going to pay $41 a month for slower-than-dial up service. I only pay $10 a month now for Earthlink.

Avantek will followup and let me know when they get the other tower going fast and Larry can come back and hook it up then. Bill still talks mean about it, but I think he is resigned to the fact that this is YET ANOTHER thing I am going to do whether he likes it or not.

Love, AJ

AJ Wischmeyer, Quiltmaker

October Socks

These socks are from Knitting Vintage Socks, and are the Yarrow Rib pattern. I used 60 stitches and size 1 US , 2 circular needles and knitted them both at the same time. The yarn is a merino and tencel combination which I cannot remember where I bought (the tag is long gone), and is lusciously soft and yummy. I can't wait to wear them. I knitted them at work, all except the toes, and riding in the van or waiting to leave again. So several people from there want to see me wear them too. There has been quite a bit of curiosity about just "why" anybody would want to knit or wear handmade socks, but a lot of agreement that they sure are pretty.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Bill's birthday

The package of cookies came last Wednesday, and I picked them up at the post office in Buckeye on Thursday. Yum, we are still eating them and loving every bite. Bill's favorite is always chocolate chip, but I really love the lemon ones. I get all of those, as he doesn't like lemon. Too bad, haha. THanks so much on his behalf. His own mother sends a card but doesn't even write anything, and she is the only family member he ever hears from.

I am sure your surgery will go well and happy that you will feel so much better. I know how much harder it is to try and take care of everything through pain, and so discouraging when you think there will be no end to it. I am so happy that the doctor can help you that way. Is Dad any good at all for doing anything?

I am riding in a van every Monday without panic attacks, and even rode to Tempe in the front passenger seat once last week, so eventually I will be able to come visit. Next summer for sure.

My auctioneer from Calhan will be my regular one, at his request. He said after my second time last Tuesday that "You'll be the best there ever was in another week!", so I am doing very well. Its not hard, just important to do it right the first time every time, and do it quickly, and never stop until there are no more cars. We run around 150 through our lane each Tuesday, and will continue to grow. THis auction has only been open since January, so there are no historical numbers yet.

Bill got fired on THursday, after 9.5 years at the Greater Auto Auction. It was a put-up job, as there have been severe management changes since the general manager died, and the manager over Bill's department is getting rid of everybody that ever has an original thought, and you know that Bill doesn't hide his feelings well. Anyway, they said that he refused to let a fat guy ride in his van and actually said that the guy was too fat. This is bullshit, as Bill is not stupid. He says that the fat guy(who he didn't know) approached him to go on a run, but Bill already had a full van for the run, and he told the guy that he should wait for a big van (Bill drives a small one). Nobody else was close enough to hear anything, but the fat guy went to the manager and wrote it up. Bill was asked to write it up, then they fired him, as it was his word against the other guy, and the management chose to believe the fat guy.

I am still in total shock and worry, but I shouldn't be. Bill is really quite relieved, as he hasn't been happy there since the management changes and was only staying for the health insurance for me. If he had quit, we would now be uninsured, but since he was fired, we can COBRA the health insurance for a minimum of 18 months. That will give us time to decide what to do, and now he can get his social security starting in January. He has already made too much this year to get it right away, and if he continued to make what he was making at Greater, he wouldn't have been able to get any SS checks before April. SO he is happy and relaxed and ready to stay home and chop wood for a while.

I AM NOT looking forward to having him home all the time. He won't ever leave me alone long enough for me to really get any creative work done, and bitches about anything that comes in the mail, or me being on the computer, or me quilting all the time, etc, etc.

I have an appointment for the Avantek wireless guy to install high-speed internet on Wednesday, and I am still going to do it., in spite of Bill's opposition. He won't be able to bitch about the line being busy because I'm on the computer anymore, and I will be so glad to get rid of the dial-up. More and more web pages are so resource-heavy I can't even open them at present, no matter how long I wait.

Better close and go. He went to help a friend paint a house, and will be upset if he calls and I'm on the line.. And he refuses to call my cell phone. THe reason I got it in the first place was so he could still get hold of me when I was on the computer, but NOOOOOO!

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Etsy shop!

I have been getting increasingly dissatisfied with ebay's charges and the fact that you have to pay them over again every week if the item doesn't sell right away. And they nickel-and-dime you to death with charges for this and that. So as things expire on ebay, I will be moving them over to my etsy shop, luvkukukitty.etsy.com. I am so excited; I just ordered a custom banner and avatar from a designer. I must say, this is the first time I have ever heard of an avatar. She will have to give me very good loading instructions; I can't wait.

From the Seventh Generation blog

In Vision

This interesting chart floated my way the other day from an equally intriguing website called Permatopia.

Here’s what its creators have to say about it:

Permatopia Patterns is a new way of thinking about permaculture. Historically, most permaculture guides and analyses have been focused on individual properties, often rural homesteads. Zones and sectors are key concepts in permaculture analysis, examining how to locate components of a permaculture system based on distance from the house and ecological factors. These are incredibly powerful tools for the personal level, but are far too limited in their scale for a society wide transformation to cope with Peak Oil and climate change.
This page shows how the concept of zones can be extended to the goal of "permaculture for nine billion people." Learning skills at the more local levels can help with efforts to extend to bigger levels, since effective solutions at the biggest levels depend on understanding how the solutions work at smaller levels.

The sectors concept reflects how there are many paths needed to move away from overshoot and collapse. Different people have different skills and interest, no individual or group could possibly address all of the various facets that are needed. The concept of interdependence between these issues (and levels) is one not normally promoted in our hyper-individualized society, but it is the type of path most likely to accomplish common goals.

Whether you are expanding a local community garden, installing utility scale wind power, teaching environmental education to second graders, starting up a community currency barter system, operating a bicycle shop, creating manufacturing cooperatives, campaigning for accountable elections, or any of thousands of other positive things is irrelevant - the key point is that you are doing something that is a piece of the puzzle.

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Posted on: Fri, Sep 28 2007 8:18 AM
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Thursday, September 27, 2007

Bag Style book not here yet

I ordered my book thru Amazon, and it is supposed to ship on Oct 1. Saturday, sure it is. Anyway, I ordered it and Lace Style together to get free shipping and now my thrift means it will take even longer to get here. In the meantime I will just have to drool on the pix of everybody's projects.

AJ's September Socks

I started out with Deby Lake's Aran Twist pattern, but quickly changed the cables to more twists, since I was working on them in fits and starts while riding in a van at work. I couldn't be looking at the pattern for every row. I also didn't carry the twisting down onto the foot, just left the knits and purls since the tops of my feet are sensitive and I didn't want them rubbing in my shoes.
The yarn I used was a bamboo mix from Regia, and I am unable to find the label. Sorry. I used 60 sts and size 1 needles, 2 on 2 circs.

AJ in AZ

http://luvkuku.blogspot.com/

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Guarding the kitchen

Mr. Affable, aka Sammy is 5 months old now, and bigger than Robin, although that's not saying much. He was 14 pounds at his vet visit, for his last Parvo shot. I think Robin must be done growing, as she hasn't gained weight or height since before I took her to be spayed. She is definitely a TOY Aussie, but I am sure Sammy will be well within the Mini range.
Sammy just lives to love you, or me, or anybody around, and will attach himself to any visit as a fresh source of petting. He wants to be a lap dog, and is just incorrigible about pushing Robin out of the way. He acts like a typical adolescent, and is lazy about say, going up to the clothesline or the chicken house unless he thinks food or a walk will follow. He doesn't even want to go outside in the heat until he has to potty so bad that a delay could be disastrous. He loves the crate in the house, and will sleep in there voluntarily even when I'm home. He's a very silent dog. He never makes a sound except for a minute or so of howling when one of us takes him out to the ex-pen on the front porch at night and puts him to bed. Until he stops damaging stuff on the porch when he is left out there, he is definitely not going to sleep inside.
On the other hand, Robin takes her responsibilities as the senior dog and self-appointed guard dog very seriously. She will go up the hill with me even in the heat, just going from shade to shade, because after all, she might need to protect me. She's at my heels whenever I move. She barks more than I would strictly like, and I have yet to figure out how you stop it with a positive based training method. After all, if you are supposed to ignore behaviour you don't want, how do you ever get her to shut up? And when Sammy is really bugging her, barking and growling and attacking him is the only thing that works for her. But she is not a lover like Sammy. She does love us, but doesn't really like lap sitting except on rare occasions, and will stay just out of reach under stress. I have to make her stay and then go to her if I need to get my hands on her. Its probably from having to take meds and have her eyes washed so much in her life, as she was much more of a lap sitter as a baby.

I really love them both, even though sometimes I wonder what I did wrong, to have to wade through 2 dogs and a cat to get anywhere in the house.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

More snakes

I haven't written anything about killing snakes for a while because the last 3 were so small it hardly seemed worth the trouble. Bill killed 2 of them and I one, all right around the chicken yards. I wish I was brave enough to let them live, because maybe they could make a dent on the darn ground squirrels. Every day we have to refill and tamp several places under the fence or wall to EACH chicken pen. THe chickens won't run them off, and I think the ground squirrels actually eat more chicken feed than the chickens do. ANd then at night, the mice come out and finish off what the ground squirrels and/or chickens have left.

Back to the snakes. We just can't leave them alive around this populated area because they might bite us, or the dogs(more likely) I did get Robin vaccinated against rattlesnake venom, but it only lasts 6 months, and she got huge knots on her side at the injection site. So we didn't have it done to Sammy. And I have not yet taken them to a place in Cave Creek that snake-proofs, as Sammy is too young, and besides, I spend all my extra money on Robin's allergies.

So the 3 little ones we killed were no big deal. They were so little they didn't even know how to coil up and rattle.

HOWEVER, last night we were feeding and replenishing waterers, etc. and there was a BIG rattler curled around the wading waterer in the Cornish pen. Bill was lucky to see it when he reached over to up-end it to clean it out. Big fat thing. He dispatched it with a shovel, and we put the head in the barrel but left the body there to see if the chickens would eat it. I still don't know; it was gone this AM when I let them out.

We also had a dust storm, a power outage, and a brief heavy rain last night. We managed to drop and break the chimneys from 2 different oil lamps and need to do some serious clean and repair to the burner on one of them. We had enough chimneys though, as we have wall sconces we don't use in the summer (the candles melt) and the chimneys are all interchangeable. I like oil lamp light for knitting, even if it does put out quite a bit of heat. THe power came back on in a couple of hours for a change, and we finished out the evening without further excitement.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

RE: Job

Yesterday I worked the second day, in training as a block clerk for the
sale. There are 6 auctioneers, one per lane, and each has one or two block
clerks. If there are 2, one just gets signatures on the bills of sale and
hands out receipts, the other does all the computer work and reminds the
auctioneer of things he should say about particular cars, etc. It is very
fast paced and some auctioneers are much nicer than others, of course. We
happened to have one who was not so nice, but was OK as long as you did
everything right and didn't get behind. All I did was observe the whole 4
hours, but I don't think it will be any problem. The amount of information
you have to change or add to the computer as you go along is limited, and
it looks pretty easy. And it is certainly no more stressful than the ER.
I just found out yesterday that they actually hired me to train as an
inside/outside float who can fill in for anybody in the place on sale day.
Flattering.
But I had already found out that it is pretty rare for them to hire
somebody directly like they did me. Usually they hire from the temp
agencies, for people that have already worked there several times and
showed their stuff and have experience.
The first day was fine; you just have to ride along in the van to the
various dealerships over and over again, get a vehicle, check the oil and
water, put on your dealer plate, check for gas, and start it. Hopefully by
that time the van driver has written it up and you can go. I had to put
water in my very first vehicle, I had to get gas once, and one wouldn't
start until the lot guy came and disabled the alarm. I drove away, and at
the first corner the shifter knob came off in my hand. So it was a little
tricky to drive but I did it. They gave me that one in the first place,
evidently, because most people either can't or won't drive a standard
transmission. I guess I'll get them all the time then. In all, I moved 7
vehicles in 10 hours, which Bill says is quite efficient. He's been the
van driver at another auction 10 years, after all.
It was fun, although the pay is just a pittance compared to what I have
been making at the museum. I will just have to wait until I have filled in
at several different skilled jobs and then talk to them about a raise. I
do believe I get a bonus for the block clerk above my hourly, but I don't
know yet how much it is.
Good part-time jobs are hard to find, and I think this one will be fine.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

New job tomorrow

Theoretically I started last week, at Metro Auto Auction in Phoenix. After all, I worked Tuesday, the day of the sale in the Briefcase Check-In, and I went for a couple of hours Thursday and Friday for orientation, but those don't count. The day every week that is liable to be hard, is Monday.

It will compare to Bill's Wednesdays, when you go in early and don't stop until the work is all done. That means you have picked up every single car from every dealer that wants his car to go thru the sale the next day, even if it takes until after midnight. And you start at 8 AM.

I doubt if Metro will expect an 18 hour day like Greater (Bill's work) does. I doubt if I will be willing or even able to work 18 hours, no matter what they expect. We'll see.

But the orientation and just the whole general feel of the place makes me think that perhaps Metro is a kinder, gentler place to work and I'm willing to try it. After all, nobody else has been trying to hire me. The Town of Buckeye just never bothered to answer my application, period. From what I have been able to glean, they decided not to have a part-time museum aide after all, but a full-timer. And I put on my application that I was available part time. Heaven forbid anybody should send an email or give me a call to see if I wanted to try it full-time.

The auto auction business doesn't pay much, but it is just Monday and TUesday every week and then I'm free until the next week. And Tuesdays I think my regular job will be on one of the blocks doing computer work and invoicing for the auctioneer. I should be able to handle that all right. Might even enjoy it.

I do still have an open application with the City of Tolleson for a parttime Library AIde, and I think I would take that job above all others if I had a chance, but I don't think I'll get it. They already posted the position once and turned me down, then recently posted it again. I emailed to ask to be considered again, but no answer.

I just wish I would win the lottery (but I never play) and then I could thumb my nose at them all. Bill says I don't have to work if I don't want to, but he doesn't want to give me money for the things I want to spend it on.

Organic dog food, sewing machines and fabric, quilt camp, high quality yarn, classes. Whatever could be wrong with him?

Love, AJ

AJ Wischmeyer, Quiltmaker

Friday, August 24, 2007

Sammy is growing

ANd the little devil was just as hard to handle at the vet yesterday as he was the last 2 times. He is so smart and so much fun otherwise, but once he gets on the table he turns into a bundle of writhing muscles trying to get away. It took 3 of us holding him to get a temperature reading and then when Bruce gave him the parvo shot I nearly lost him. He doesn't try to bite and doesn't yike; just puts all his considerable energy into trying to get away. Of course getting shots hurts, because there isn't a relaxed place on his body to put the needle into.
Then of course as soon as he is on the floor again he is all smiles and pet me, pet me. And no, he's not afraid of heights. He pays no attention to stuff like that at all. At home he climbs up to the backs of chairs and jumps off when playing.
Gotta go. Doctor appt in an hours

New browser

I switched to the Opera browser because Firefox has just gotten so slow and full of detail that I can't stand it. I'm sure it is mainly to do with my incredibly slow and unreliable dial-up but STILL! Anyway, I was sure that Opera would be light and fast and I would really love it.

All true. BUT! Opera won't let me log in to Blogger, period. The lines where you enter your ID just won't come up. I have turned off the popup blocker and let it set cookies, etc. Nothing. I have even emailed Opera support but received no answer. Grrrrrr!
ANd it won't let me print a Paypal shipping label either. I have to open up FIrefox or IE to do that or this, and it pisses me off. It is a free browser after all, and you get what you pay for, but I was looking for something small enough that I could avoid viruses, etc. Firefox used to be great, but I have read that it has gotten so popular that hackers write viruses just for it now.
Firefox is also very annoying with its add-ons it wants you to download and update all the time. THere doesn't seem to be any way to get rid of them once you (in a weak moment) download the first time, and I never use any of them because they always want me to do a 30 minute or more update first.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

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/

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.

Thursday, August 02, 2007

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.

Saturday, July 28, 2007

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.

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/

Thursday, July 19, 2007

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.

Thursday, July 12, 2007

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.

Monday, July 09, 2007

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.

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

Thursday, June 28, 2007

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.

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

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.

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! :)

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

Thursday, June 14, 2007

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.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

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.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

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.

Monday, May 28, 2007

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