Summer Fun

The trip to Wisconsin involved a lot of puppy care, but I managed to get some knitting done.

I finished Daphne Jr.’s Aran sweater while in Wisconsin. Here is Dolly modeling it. (I had to drag her away from trying on all the clothes I made for Daphne Jr., some of which she hadn't seen since before Christmas.) Daphne says Daphne Jr. misses her friend Dolly. They'll get together again for Christmas, though. That should be fun. Daphne agreed with me that, although Daphne Jr. and Dolly look a lot alike, their personalities are different.

This was our “campsite” in Wisconsin.

My "Seeing Stars" quilt went along to live with DD and DSIL in Wisconsin as an anniversary present.

We had some interesting stops on the way back. In Rock Springs, Wyoming, we saw this trailer, my favorite.

These were our neighbors. There are actually four pugs, although you can only see three. (One is behind the towel.) Why have one, when you can have a set of four?

We had a busy week after getting back, unpacking the trailer and taking it back to storage. (The whole process of parking it is rather like threading a needle with an eye smaller than the thread.)

The first sleeve of the “So-not-my-palette” cardigan is coming along. Some of this was done after our return, but most of it during the return trip.

I also got to work on it during Common Threads, which met at Margareth’s on Thursday. Here is her finished Homestead Shawl.

She’s making another one for Karan.

The pups got a bath on Monday. They had a lot of fun playing themselves dry on the warm deck. After a good brushing, I got some photos of them together. Rocky knows how to pose, but Dusty’s expressions were different in every photo. I posted a few of them on Facebook and asked people for captions, especially for this one.

I got: 

“Little Silly Face and Mr. Dignified” 

”I’m bigger than you.” 

“Now for this photo, do your best ‘I’m so regal’ pose and look off to the distance, not at the camera---…Never mind.”

“Who, me? I didn’t take the treats.” 

“I didn’t do it, Mom. The new kid did!” 

”I’m just hanging with my big brother!”

Saturday we took our first hike with Dusty. We’re working on “come” and “on trail.” He responded well to the dog whistle. Most of this trail is blocked to cars. We drove in as far as we could go, to minimize chance of Parvo infection (as most dogs do their business at the beginning of a hike, and we wanted to minimize contact for now). We washed both pups' paws (eight paws in all!) when we got back, and removed our shoes, just to be safe. Dusty should have full immunization today, (a week after his third Parvo shot) but we'll probably continue foot cleaning for a few more days, just to be sure.

Sunday we got a puppy sitter after church to look after Dusty, so we could go see Kubo and the Two Strings. Our younger son, Peter Stuart, worked on the film in visual effects, so if you go to see it (and why wouldn't you want to?), be sure to stay for the credits and look for his name. Johan, our youngest grandson, is listed as a Kubo baby, along with the other babies of crew members who were born during the filming, so watch for him, too.

I have ordered two of this boy doll for Zachary and Soren:

I’m hoping for some puppy sleeping time during the fall to make wardrobes for them both. Christmas is at our house.

DGD1 is moving back to California in a few days. She has been with us for 19 months, trying to get back on her feet. She works as a fashion photographer, something that is difficult to do successfully here in Utah. She has made two trips for photo shoots in California in the last couple of months and has plenty of work. We think she is ready to be on her own, but we're sure she will be back for Christmas or after Christmas to spend time with her "baby" cousins and other family members.

We're in the middle of the Ravellenic Games on Ravelry, but this "prize" from Tour de Fleece participation was waiting for me when we returned home.

What's on my needles: The “So-not-my-palette Cardigan” still working on the first sleeve. (I may have to rename it. The palette is growing on me.) Delectable Pathways quilt put aside for now. It’s too hot to have a quilt draped over my lap.

What's on my Featherweight: Getting ready to make boy doll clothes.

What's on my wheel: Waiting for next spinning project.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished reading The Heiress of Winterwood by Sarah Ladd. Finished reading Remember This by Shae Buggs on the Kindle app on my iPad. During the trip, we listened to Just One Damned Thing After Another by Jodi Taylor. The whole series is very entertaining, and DH can’t wait for the second book.

What's in my wine glass: Corbett Canyon Merlot. The big bottle.

What's my tip of the week: Much unwanted puppy behavior can be discouraged by keeping a metal dog dish handy and banging it when puppy jumps up, bites you or your clothes. or barks. Accompany the banging with a command: “down” or “off,” for example, or “no bites.” A rolled-up newspaper slapped against your leg or hand will work for many dogs, but our Dusty needed something more startling. Be sure you do it when your puppy is exhibiting the unwanted behavior, not after he has stopped, or you will be training the wrong thing. I would absolutely not recommend hitting a puppy or adult dog; this is only designed to get their attention and remind them of who is pack leader. Chewing the wrong thing is usually handled by using some Bitter Apple spray on the item. It makes them dislike chewing that item, even after the spray has worn off. I like to keep corrections to a minimum and allow as many lessons as possible to be learned by simple experience.

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals were harmed during the production of this blog post.