I grew up the Dachshund's - there were 6 of them along the way but it's been over 30 years since the last one!!  I've been wanting to get another one for some time and this time really wanted to get one from a shelter or rescue group.  Puppies have advantages and disadvantages as so older dogs but there are so many good dogs out there needing a home - dogs nobody wants anymore for one reason or another that this time I wanted to adopt.  I filled out applications with several rescue groups indicating dogs in their databases I was interested in but none of them every got back to me.  The one reply I did get said they were too busy to get to my application.  Makes me wonder how badly they want to find homes for their dogs!  There were a couple that came through our local humane society, but neither were a good match - my one requirement is that the dog had to like or at least get along with cats since I have 4 and they were here first.  As I was checking out the www.petfinder.com web site for the umpteenth time a couple of weeks ago, I came across a new rescue group - one not far from where I live that only had one dog listed.  I emailed the lady and found out she actually had several, all rescued from a puppy mill over in Missouri, all older dogs that had been breeders all their lives  She agreed to met me and bring the one dog she had that was ready to be adopted and the rest, as they say, is history.  Meet Zoey:

She's a 5 1/2 year old minature female who's only known life as a "breeder bitch" living in a cage.  She has a very sweet personality though, despite her past, and is quickly adjusting to life outside the cage.  She loves to run!  Get her outside on a sunny day and she'll just run and run and run!  So far, the only things she's not fond of are rain, wet grass and our cats.  She isn't aggressive towards the cats, just scared of them.  Being the smart creatures they are, the cats have figured this out and are using it against her.  They'll chase her around the house, lay in wait for her to walk by and then jump her and in general just cause all kinds of ruckus.  Zoey will bark and carry on like she's being mauled, when in fact they haven't touched her - yet.  I have a feeling that's coming.  Especially with Bugby - he's not happy about this latest intruder at all.  He's going to bear close watching in the days ahead.

Other than that, she seems to be learning how to be a normal dog - housebreaking is coming along well, she's starting to learn a couple of commands (down and sit) and she follows me everywhere.  Probably to make sure she's not left alone with the cats!  I took her to the vet for a heartworm test - the only thing the rescue group had not tested her for - and to get her teeth looked at.  She's going to need some dental work.  On the way home we stopped at Petsmart so I could pick up some dog food and browse dog "stuff" in general.  Zoey came in with me and I put her in the cart so she wouldn't be underfoot.  She's never had dog treats, bones or toys before, so the ones I had already picked up for her were just laying around the house.  As we were going down the aisle with all kinds of doggie toys and treats I stopped to look at something and when I turned around Zoey had climbed up on the side of cart and was leaning over the side.  I thought she was just smelling things, but then she leaned a little further and picked up a "BoBo" off the shelf!!  You can see it in the picture above.  She got down off the side of the cart, curled up in the bottom of the cart with it and gave the biggest sigh.  I was amazed - she'd actually picked out a toy she liked!  Since then, her and BoBo the Binky are pretty inseperable.  It's the only toy she likes and will play with.  She likes you to squeek it and then toss it for her to go fetch and bring back.  So, I guess when it comes to dog toys, I'll have to take her shopping so she can pick out her own!

Giving my self a little pat on the back - after working on this for over a year, I finally completed my Coffee Master training at work.  No raise, but a little more "prestige" and the opportunity to conduct seminars and help educate customers and partners alike.  I get to wear a black apron now instead of the green ones and it has the above logo sewn on it.  I feel good about it and enjoy this new aspect to my job.

I've started a veggie garden this year, but between the rain and always having to work on the sunny days (or so it seems) I'm not making much progress.  It probably won't be as big as I'd like, but at least it's a start.  My friend Donna K recommended I read an article in the current issue of The Mother Earth News magazine about quick starting a garden, so I bought the magazine and am following that plan.  I had already put down black plastic to kill off the grass, so now I'm slowly replacing that with several layers of wet newspaper and wood mulch.  Over that I'm putting 36" rows of organic garden soil for the beds, and 24" of a thicker mulch layer for pathways.  Eventually I'd like to put a row of mulch all the way around it to help discourage the grass from growing in from the sides.

I've started a compost bin and would like to build a frame (kinda like a swingset frame) to hold upside down tomato planters that I want to make out of 5 gal. plastic buckets (like the one you see in the left hand picture).  The kits at the garden center run $20 or more, and a bucket can be had for a lot less.  All I'll need to do is cut a hole in the bottom, add the plant and the dirt and viola!  I'm wondering if cucumbers and squash can be grown that way too.  I always have so much trouble with worms and bugs destroying the plants in the past that it would be nice to find a way to foil the bugs without having to resort to pesticides.  I've got a lot of other ideas I want to try too, but may not get them all accomplished this year.

I've always known there was an inner person inside me trying to get out (besides the skinny, beautiful one).  I think I may have found her:

What's with the get-up?  The humane society where I volunteer had their annual fund raising banquet last weekend and the theme this  year was "Get a Home Little Doggie".  Since it was a western theme and I was helping out with the silent auction items and such, I decided a western get-up was in order!  I already had everything except boots and the chaps, so I rented the chaps at a local theater costume rental place and decided I really wanted my own pair of boots.  Found a nice pair of Ariat boots at the RCC Western Store at the mall (on sale!).   Love the boots!  Very comfortable compared to the ones I had when I was younger when they had to be broke in before you could wear them.  These felt good the moment I put them on!  According to the salesman, the boot companies have finally had a "V-8" moment and decided they can make boots that are comfortable from the get go and bypass all that breaking in stuff.  OK by me!  It was a lot of fun and they raised a lot of money to help run the shelter for another year.  Yee-haw!  Now if I only had a horse...

Oh, there is no prize - unless you want to award me something for going so long without updating my blog!  Has it been because there has been nothing going on in my life?  No...  Nothing to blog about?  No... Concussion leading to a 2 month coma that's kept me in the hospital?  No... Aliens abducting me and taking me on a tour of the galaxy?  No... not that either.  Just busy - that's all.  No time for the little things like blogging.  So - where to start...

How about I show you the socks I'm working on?  That would be a good place!  Over on Ravelry I joined a Sock Knitters Pentathalon back in March which has a new sock come out every 2 months for everyone to work on.  Well, here it is the end of April and I'm only half done with the first sock!  Why?  See first paragraph.  The pattern is called Jacobean by Julie Persinger and is a Gansey design using toe up construction.  I started out using a Trekking XXL yarn but the design was not showing up well, so I ripped it out and started over using Lorna's Laces in a cranberry color and I'm much happier with it.  Short row heels give me fits, so I switched the heel to a backwards flap and am much happier with that as well.  So, even though most of the group starts on the new sock on Thursday, I'll keep plugging along on these until I get them done.

Besides knitting socks, I've been channeling my inner cowgirl, working on starting a garden, volunteering at the humane society shelter, fostering a momma cat and her 3 kittens, and working.  I'll try to get some more pictures up in the next few days - especially of the kittens - they're just too cute!

What's that you say?  I haven't updated my blog lately?  It's been a month!?  Wow... guess I'd better get on it then.  Let's see...

Since finishing the felted backpack, I've been working on wash cloth's for a swap and to send to soldier's in Iraq, working on my Entrelac Jacket and having found an art knitter's group on Ravelry, volunteering to knit some things for a couple of projects.  I just finished up a pair of felted clogs, and now need to finish a 2nd pair.  All it needs is for the leather soles to be stitched on the bottom.

I also got a box of Llama fleece from my friend Meg (thank you, Meg!) - I really need to get busy and get my wheel out and start spinning again - it's been languishing far to long now!  She also sent me chocolate - yummmm...

Fostered my first kitty from the local Humane Society - she's since found her new forever home - and was such a sweetie, I was sorely tempted to adopt her myself!  Besides, her name was Margarita - what's not to love?

Endured 2 ice storms (one of which is ongoing), worked a lot of hours at the mecca of coffee, volunteered some more hours at the Humane Society, attended 2 funerals, and so on and so forth.  So - there you have it, briefly and in a nutshell.

Last time dear bloggers, I was puzzling away at what to do about a potentially disasterous boo boo I made in the felted bag.  After puzzling and puzzling, I decided that instead of sewing the felted leaves over the top, that there was a better way!  Turning the bag inside out I found I had enough ends sticking out that I had not trimmed before felting in the purple color to needle felt them over the top of the repair and disguise the darker yarn.  See what you think:

I then moved on to putting a lining in.  I like to have pockets in my bags for keys, cell phone, Chapstick and the like.  I found some fabric in my stash that I bought a loooooog time ago at the Paducah Quilt Festival thinking I was going to make a quilted vest with it.  Years have passed and looking at the pattern now, I don't really like it anymore.  So - what to do with fabric?  Make a bag lining!  I took the 2 colors that most closely matched my yarn and since they were fat quarters (about 18" wide) I had to cut them into wide strip's and piece them together so they'd go around the inside of the bag which is about 24" wide.  I then took what was left over and pieced them together for the pockets.  I reversed the colors so I could see the pockets better when looking into the bag and then stitched them down on top of the liner fabric before adding the bottom.

I got the dimensions for the bottom piece by tracing around the outside of the bag and making a pattern.  The difference between the outside dimension and the inside dimension gave me just the right amount for a seam allowance.  It fit perfectly!  So, now it's completely done and I couldn't be happier with the results!  (Insert sound of wild cheering and clapping)  Next on the list of UFO's to finish - the Sarah James Entrelac Jacket and the Mission Falls Karma Jacket (started in 2001!).  "Another one bites the dust, hey, hey, another one bites the dust - and another one's gone, and another one's gone, another one bites the dust..."

Just when you think you've got a project all done, something happens.  Case in point:  One of my long standing UFO's has been the Felted Shoulder Sling Bag by Two Old Bags.  I started it eons ago, and since I didn't want to knit yet another solid color bag, I added some bands of design as I knit.  So far, so good.  After felting the bag, I still felt like it needed SOMETHING but since I couldn't think of what, it went back in the UFO pile to "marinate" for a while longer.  Then - EUREKA!  Since I like designs from nature, I'll knit some flowers, vines and leaves and add them to the outside!  Knit, knit, knit... felt, felt, felt...  Nah - I didn't like that either.  Back in the marinade.

Then - EUREKA #2!  I'll embroider some designs!  Got as far as adding some French Knots around the top of the bag and then nothing.  The bag went back in the marinade.  Finally the brainstorm hit - why not needle felt some designs?  YES!  Poke, poke, poke, ouch - stuck my finger, poke, poke, poke... and VIOLA!  While at the Midwest Fiber and Folk Art Fair in Crystal Lake, IL this summer, I found the perfect button at the Briar Rose Fiber booth (sorry the image is a little blurry) for the flap closure and thought I was all done.  WRONG - forgot that there are I-cords used for drawstring closure under the flap, so knit, knit, knit... felt, felt, felt... DONE! Or so I thought.

I wanted to line the bag as I like a couple of pockets on the inside to put small things that like to disappear in my purses - namely keys, Chapstick, nail clippers and my cell phone, so I began planning how I was going to do this.  Had fabric in my stash to make it with - Yeah! - but when I was holding up the bag to look at it from different angles, I noticed it - the problem - the very big problem.  Apparently, when the bag was felting it skewed somewhat and now the tab that was knitted to the bottom of the bag no longer matched up with the shoulder straps coming down from the top.  It was off by a good 2-3 inches - SHRIEK!!!!  OK, OK, you can figure it out.... take a deep breath....

OK - I'm just going to snip the tab off and move it over, stitch it back down and the problem will be solved!  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....  When I carefully snipped the tab off, it left a hole - yes, you read that right - a hole.  About a quarter width in size.  See it there just above the black line???

Now, what?  Think, think, think...  OK - I know I've got to move the tab over, which I did, and stitch it back down - that's done, but I used up all the purplish yarn knitting the bag and have no more left to repair the hole!  AUGH!  Think, think, think... well - it looks like I'm going to have to use some other color to close the hole (done) and maybe use some of those earlier felted leaves I fortunetly did not throw away (thank you!) to cover it up.

What do you think?  Will it work?  Stay tuned fellow knitters for the next installment of:
MISADVENTURES IN KNITTING!!!

I'm happy to report that I have some finished objects to show you!  First up is the Garden Party Bag by Noni Bags:

I lined it with fabric I had on hand as I wanted a couple of pockets on the inside to put my cell phone in and my checkbook/calendar so I can find them easily.  Next are the Upp and Down Socks and Fingerless Mitts:

I have a couple of other things that are almost done as well, so will be posting about them soon!

Last time I promised you pictures of the goodies I received from my swap pal, Beau.  He sent me the nicest fibery goodies!  There are 2 skeins of Maizy bamboo yarn (I've already got a sock pattern picked out for them), 2 different blends of fiber and a beautiful drop spindle that he made!  Not sure what the stone is, but that's OK - it spins great!  I've done a little spinning with it since this picture was taken and I really like it.  The whole thing is very well made and I'll treasure it always!!  Thanks, Beau!  Take a look: