One of the things we're learning about adopting an older dog is you really don't know what their life experiences have been. Training is spotty at best and non-existent at worst. There has been little or no consistency in their lives and it takes awhile to learn their habits and visual clues as to their needs. What we do know about Frankie is still what we thought right from our first meeting with her. She is an even tempered but exuberant dog who is excellent with the kids but wants nothing more than to escape the confines of whatever box she finds herself in, whether it is the house or the fairly big backyard she has to run around in. Really, really interested in where that door leads to and how she can open it up.We are working on escape-proofing the backyard with extra fencing and railroad ties holding it down, reinforcing all the corners that have even the smallest space for her to squeeze through. But what is harder to control are the doors and the constant comings and goings of the kids and how hell-bent she is to get out. We are getting pretty good at thwarting her by creating an "airlock" with the garage doors by making sure to shut the mudroom door before opening the overhead door.
But this past Tuesday, when Amy came to pick up the kids, Frankie escaped through the garage. Before we knew it, she was across Campbell Blvd and then across North French Road and running merrily down to Getzville, right at the height of rush hour.
DH, Nathan and Amy ran after her and somehow Amy was able to corner her and grab her collar and drag her home (all in high heels)!
To pay us back f
or the insult of keeping her from her adventure she proceeded to chew up my brand spanking new Noble Cowl that was completed but awaiting blocking, peed on the rug and ripped up my knitting project book, all within the time it took to get the kids loaded in the car and wave goodbye! (The book in the picture is a hard cover that I had just purchased, she only chewed up the pages I hadn't read yet)
or the insult of keeping her from her adventure she proceeded to chew up my brand spanking new Noble Cowl that was completed but awaiting blocking, peed on the rug and ripped up my knitting project book, all within the time it took to get the kids loaded in the car and wave goodbye! (The book in the picture is a hard cover that I had just purchased, she only chewed up the pages I hadn't read yet)And of course she chewed up the start of the cowl, so I will have to rip the whole thing back. I do have most of a full ball of yarn so I will be able to complete it, but it is going to the back of the list.
Fortunately, she didn't choose the argyle vest to show her displeasure. I finished the front and am working on the back and I have one and a half blocks to go on Nathan's afghan.
The project list I started is a real eye opener. I have 40 projects that I have yarn for! My problem is that it isn't stopping me from buying more. I ordered the new ball winder from KnitPicks
(only $19.99 and it is really a nice one) and I had to have the order total $50.00 to get free shipping, didn't I? So that added 3 new projects, a clapotis for Jen, a sweater for Angel for her birthday, and could I resist a ball of kettle dyed yarn for a pair of socks? Of course not! I had also picked up the last two balls of yarn for the dinosaur afghans for the kids and I couldn't go to "Have Ewe Any Wool" without getting something else new so I picked up yarn for the elephant sweater for Jordyn. I did resist the sock yarn (even though I touched almost every ball of yarn there). Both the sweaters are Nicky Epstein designs. I really love the little extras she adds to her designs that make them so special.
(only $19.99 and it is really a nice one) and I had to have the order total $50.00 to get free shipping, didn't I? So that added 3 new projects, a clapotis for Jen, a sweater for Angel for her birthday, and could I resist a ball of kettle dyed yarn for a pair of socks? Of course not! I had also picked up the last two balls of yarn for the dinosaur afghans for the kids and I couldn't go to "Have Ewe Any Wool" without getting something else new so I picked up yarn for the elephant sweater for Jordyn. I did resist the sock yarn (even though I touched almost every ball of yarn there). Both the sweaters are Nicky Epstein designs. I really love the little extras she adds to her designs that make them so special. But I think I need an intervention! I also got the list of new classes for the yarn shop and two of them appeal to me, and Kelley is going to be starting a knitalong on KnitPicks on Monday that she has hinted is a steeked cardigan, oh boy. Oh, and did I mention there is a new sock book out by Cookie A that they may also have a knitalong for (already in my cart) and all the sock books are 40% off?
The start of warm weather (well 50's in Buffalo is take off your winter undies and go outside and play weather) has started the "It must be time to garden" bell going off in my head. I emptied out the compost pile and added this wonderful stuff to the vegetable patch. I can now start saving all our compostables. I haven't done this for a year, because I wanted the old compost to really decompose and start fresh this year.
That was the sum total of my gardening this weekend because it is raining today and there will be snow showers tomorrow. But you know it is coming!
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