Good bye ambivalence

Went to obedience class last night and said good-bye to our ambivalence with the sport. Despite the impressive number of offensive humans we've met in the sport, we have met some nice people and some nice and accomplished people. Mostly though, the whole point is "What have you accomplished with your dog?" and "Are you AND your dog having fun?" So future encounters with jerky humans will be met with polite dismissal and an immediate onset of amnesia. Well....if it's a judge, onset of amnesia will occur after I write down their name to avoid them in the future.

We had a great time in class last night. Rowdy was SO excited to be back - walked in to the class area with his butt wiggling like a hula dancer, looking all around to see who was there, and making excited noises. We learned a doodle to help with Fronts. We worked on heeling. We learned a few training techniques to help them learn to remain focused even when very excited, and to make showing more fun for the dog. Toys, food and the clicker were involved - Rowdy's Holy Trinity.

The Happy Cow Creamery

Click on the pictures above to make them bigger.

Today we went out to Anderson, and enjoyed a Greek meal at an Anderson diner. How fun is that? The diner owner is Greek, a naturalized US citizen, and we enjoyed a delicious lunch. Then we went to the hospital, where Mike did a little work while I knitted and then we shot a little basketball before heading home. All this is a roundabout way of explaining how we decided to take a turn and see if we could find the Happy Cow Creamery (www.happycowcreamery.com). Without any problems at all, we found it and arrived 10 min before their store closed. What a nice place! It turns out it's probably closer to our house than downtown Greenville, making it our new grocery store for most dairy items. They also trade with a ranch that offers antibiotic-free, hormone-free black Angus beef, and an egg farm that offers drug- and hormone-free, truly free-ranged chicken eggs. So they are able to sell these in their store as well - giving us a local supplier of beef, and a second supplier of eggs. We need to find a local chicken supplier now. Today they had sold out of the home-grown blackberries, so we will go back next week and look forward to some blackberry sorbet. We bought some grits grown on the South Carolina plantation that has been operating continuously since the Revolution - recall I got some rice from there at the Farmer's Market, and we also bought some locally made strawberry bread to eat with Happy Cow cream cheese, and some Happy Cow 3-yr cheddar. They won a national award in 2002 for sustainable agriculture practices. Their farm is amazing - it doesn't stink; the cows look as clean as can be (do they wash them every day?). I'm certainly no judge of cattle, but when my dogs look as good as these cows, I'm very pleased. The cows' eyes were clear, soft, alert, and relaxed; their hides were remarkably clean with bright colors. I didn't see a sore or skin injury anywhere on them. We're planning a trip back next Saturday and will give ourselves plenty of time there.

Here's the finished socks! The patterned stitch didn't show up too well, but they are knit from the cuff-down, in Regia sock yarn on US 2 needles. The pattern stitch is from Charlene Schurch's first book, Simply Sensation Socks. I'll have to try again to photograph the stitch pattern.

I spent the week swatching different stitch patterns for the next pair - made from a yarn that is a blend of wool and silk fibers. Finally found a combination that looks good and have started work. These are knitted toe-up; I'm about halfway up the first foot. Stay tuned - they're knitting up quickly as the pattern is simple and easy to read on the needles.

Yawnnnnn

As I was still recovering on Monday, we skipped obedience class but did keep our appointment for a 3-mos checkup on Rowdy with the rehab vet. Dr Maria was very pleased, and made some recommendations to help relieve some tension she found in his shoulder muscles - probably an old injury. He got a chiropractic adjustment - only his second since he was pre-op - and some serious massage. So now Rowdy gets MORE massage therapy - you know he's lovin' that!

I seem to have escaped the bad cold that took Mike down briefly. But today I'm a little short on sleep thanks to Rowdy. Rowdy does not always remember his priorities when it comes to certain doggy chores. We have a number of pre-emptive strategies to re-direct Mr Distractable back to the A section of the To Do list. Last night during our 9:30 pm outing, he was simply too busy with the bazillion distractions in an empty, dark backyard to remember his A-level priorities. But at 3:30 am this morning, he decided these matters were urgent and notified me accordingly. I gotta tell you, after I get up and get my wits about me sufficient to dare to step out onto the staircase, there's not a lot of point left in returning to bed at 4 am only to get up at 5:30 am.

So I got some knitting done. Those blue socks? Oh they're finished now and awaiting the photography. I started another pair - and re-started it three times using both toe-up and cuff-down construction until I found a pattern and design that spoke to me. They're now underway and looking pretty good.

I sent in an entry for a dog show in the Greenville cluster later this month - sent it in yesterday, via the internet, less than 30 min before closing of entries. What a shock - we're not in the "A" class anymore, and there's an AKC Rally title after my dog's name! Holy cow. We're not in the Rally nursery anymore. I guess it really IS time to start training for the higher levels, and quit fooling around with it. Whad'dya know? I guess my teachers actually know what they're talking about and we're actually going to be competing in some shows this year in both Rally and Obedience.

This month, we're only entered on Sunday in Novice (we already have the Novice title but can continue to show in the "B" class until we want to move up and try the Open level). On Friday I'm a spectator (and a shopper); on Saturday I'm a volunteer (and a shopper with Mike); and on Sunday we're exhibiting with help from Mike. It is hugely helpful when Mike comes along as our Coach. And equipment manager. And I guess I need to do more than browse the show calendars for the fall and winter.

Did you see "Guns, Germs and Steel" last night on PBS? Mike has read the book and convinced me that I would love it. From watching the first part of the show series, I'd say so.

The Fourth of July was a sort of bust around here. Mike abruptly came down with a bad cold, spent most of the day in bed, rallied for dinner and is fine now. But I'm now fighting it off - and fortunately had the rest of the week off work. Hopefully, my armamentarium of immunity-boosters will do the trick. Rowdy thinks fireworks and/or thunder are pretty much the same thing, and can only be ominous signs of doom. He doesn't get really upset, like Monty used to, but he moves to Mike's lap where he worries and watches to see if one of us is finally going to realize that danger is near. He finally opted for an early bedtime, as you can see. Sometimes just throwing in the towel and bringing an early end to a day is the best idea.

We were lucky to make it this far before the summer weather pattern set in. It's 83 degrees with 60% humidity at 11:30 am. I realize that in Florida, this is considered mild, but here it's hot and humid. The mornings on the deck are wonderful, as are the evenings. Fireflies are still glowing in the evenings.

Inspired by the Summer of Socks project, I'm knitting socks. I knit one in a new stitch pattern and re-learned the importance of swatching in gauge before starting off:

Very cool pattern in the self-striping yarn - just a tad too small to really work for me. After a washing or two, this thing is going to feel like an ace bandage on my foot. No thanks. I ripped it out and started over with a tried-and-true pattern. As I'm knitting it, I'm meditating on the importance of swatching in pattern, and tweaking the stitch pattern to create the desired size. Stay tuned for more sock-knitting - fighting off the cold is forcing me to stay still more than I like, so I'm almost done with the pair.

It's not all dogs, all the time

We do have some other activities going on....

We read. This is Mike's current book. The author has an astounding ability to explain astrophysics in a way that leaves you wondering, "Gee, why didn't I major in that? Why isn't this part of the regular elementary school curriculum?" He's an occasional guest on "Lou Dobbs Tonight" whenever Lou wants to talk space with an undeniable expert with outstanding conversational skills. You want to invite Tyson (or Lou Dobbs) over for dinner.

I'm reading:



The best feature of this book is the first section. It is a compilation of boilerplate recipes for vegetables in standard dishes - like stir-fries, gratins, quiches, roasted vegetable combinations, pizzas, and so forth. There's about 10 different basic recipes, and good instructions on the nuances of the variations. You can pretty much determine if a particular vegetable will work, and how to use it, from this section. The rest of the book is an excellent summary of the most common (and delicious) vegetables that come into season spring through fall. Apparently the author eats out during the winter.

It's a big blogging world

Monday's dog training class got cancelled due to some severe thunderstorms and resulting wind damage around our training center. The building is concrete block, and sort of like a fortress except for one big window - obedience is mostly an INSIDE sport but the agility nuts are out there in the weather. Downed trees and power lines really made it a bad idea to try to drive to class, so I was sorta glad to get the call from Kim just before we left home. Good way to get some chores done! Naturally, in the Mauldin micro-climate at our house, the storms were just a nice steady rain.

Rowdy is running out of food, and slowly losing weight. Apparently his metabolism has kicked itself back up to his pre-injury level, and he's really burning the calories now. We weigh both dogs weekly - this has GOT to be the best way ever to control a dog's weight. We catch weight trends, either up or down, early and can really keep their weights stable. So I cooked dog food (translation: pulled some pre-cooked grain out of the freezer and opened some cans) to tide us over till the weekend, and am making sure he's getting plenty of training treats. Last night at Advanced Rally class, he ate a chicken breast, plus kibble treats. This was in addition to breakfast, LUNCH and dinner!

This week was the beginning of the Summer of Socks - an internet knitting event. Actually, I had hoped to join in, and since participation required you to have a blog - well, here we are. But I missed the deadline so I'm just an onlooker now. Holy cow. I've been reading these bazillion blogs by knitters who are knitting socks this summer. Internet knitting has exploded since I was last involved in it, and I thought it was huge then. As soon as I learn how, I'll put up a button linking you to the Summer of Socks 2007. It is AMAZING.

A cool thing I picked up reading all these other knitters' blogs:

63%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?

Mingle² - Online Dating

Rally class was fun last night - our teacher set up a course that had some very tricky turns and manuevering. Rowdy can't do all the Advanced exercises yet, so we did dumbed-down variations as we came to them. Twisting through the turns and walking a path that steered us around and beside signs was a lot like running through obstacle discrimination challenges on an agility course. Except - the challenge is to the handler, and not the dog! We did some nice Figure 8s. Rowdy is really starting to get the hang of these. A Rally course is sort of like a long, perverted Figure 8, with interruptions along the way. You are constantly twisting and turning you way around a course and the dog must truly understand heel position and be able to anticipate your moves in order to *remain* in heel position.

Spa Sunday

This is how we spend many summer Sundays. Tillie cannot jump up onto the grooming table by herself, but - as you can see from the middle photograph - Rowdy easily jumps up onto it. Anyone thinking about agility training for her dog might want to consider the unintended consequences. (And how 'bout that recovery from knee surgery? Special note to rehab vet: he's jumping and running like an Aussie puppy - had to increase his caloric intake to keep him UP to his atheletic goal weight! ) We have no pictures of the washing, because it takes two people to manage two Aussies when they are both in a participatory mood and the project involves cool water on a hot day. When I groom alone, one dog stays in the house until the other one is done. Today Mike helped, which meant we were able to do almost all the Full Grooming Routine - from thoroughly brushing out all that undercoat, dremeling claws, trimming feet fur, leaving the oatmeal shampoo on for a 10 minute treatment, and blow-drying - for both dogs in about 40 minutes. It also means we both got pretty wet. Aussies are very easy to groom, if you don't consider all the shenanigans that go on.

Tillie loves to be groomed on the deck, where everyone can see her, and well, that's what divas do best. Because her eyes can't tolerate a flash at all, it's great to get some nice pictures of her using bright natural light. Rowdy just thinks anything involving water and his people is wonderful. As you can see, he plays to the camera.

Farmer's Market

Mother and I went to the big Farmer's Market on Saturday. This one is the official Farmer's Market that is open year-round and has a nice facility. I'm sure it's small by big-city standards, but it was a nice size for us. Every parking place was taken; we parked next door. We found more local or regionally grown foods and bought some very interesting things - rice grown from a South Carolina rice plantation that began growing rice in the 1700s, stone-ground grits from a mill in Piedmont. We came home with quite a bit of produce, and are looking forward to dinner tonight. Actually - we're looking forward to dessert: homemade strawberry ice cream! Then we'll use up the remaining strawberries by making strawberry sorbet which is fat-free.

Mike and I decided to put the bread machine to good use and try some whole-wheat pizza dough - probably next weekend.

The knitted lace stole is completed, and awaiting blocking. A new pair of socks is on the needles. This uses self-striping yarn, and the stitch pattern pulls the fabric into waves. This is using yarn I bought at the going-out-of-business sale recently.