Mylo and Me

How can it possibly be 20 days since my last post!? I had no intention of letting the blog slide that far in-the-rears, but you know that road to hell...

Mylo before grooming...

Mylo after grooming

Although you may not see much change in Mylo's look before and after, there was a huge change in the amount of fur on his body. The groomer cut it to about 1/2 all over, and then, cleaned up his face but left his ears and topknot. A week later his head is a mess, a cute puppy mess and he is just TOO cute for words. Everyone (else) says so! He's has very long legs, weights 16 lbs! I do not know where my puppy went, except he left his brain in the very big dog. A dog who is losing his baby teeth and getting new (two front) teeth. My puppy is over 4 months old! My brain is always focused on him.

I wish he would focus more on me as that part of the training eludes him. We are working hard to learn all the things a puppy brain should know and do. Focusing his attention on me is something he doesn't like to do. He'd rather be sniffing the ground, chasing moths in the grass, or looking for neighborhood dogs so he can bark, but every day I can see something new sink in and he is getting better (and so am I) at all.the.things. Learning is exhausting for us both. 

 

I ended my Bingo run with 4 full bingos. I could have gone for two more but neither the 'Graphic novel' nor the 'Banned in a country outside the US' felt enticing enough to seek out. All the other books I'd read just fell into place. All in all, I read 19 books. I think that's a good summer of reading.  There are many new books I'm dying to read, some I am waiting for publication, others I've got on my virtual bedside table, but all have been put to the side because I have fallen in love with Middlemarch by George Eliot. What an incredibly detailed portrait of the people who lived in the 1830s on the English countryside. I have become completely entranced by their story and I can't stop reading (reading and listening both). The audio is 35 hours and the book is over 700 pages. I love it.  

I've made 4 large roasting pans full of Vicki's Roasted Tomato Sauce using our own tomatoes, onions, garlic, basil, and thymegano. I always toss in several peppers (hot and mild), a zucchini and/or eggplant. Whatever comes from the garden that day goes into the pot. All winter long I use it for pasta sauce, soup, or a sauce to go over veggies. If I ate pizza it would make a good pizza sauce, too. From each large pot I get about 5 quart freezer bags of sauce. This sauce is the only reason I want to have a thriving garden. I'll be making my fifth batch today. 

There has been knitting, but it is mostly boring stockinette, in a soft periwinkle color. Soon it will be a finished sweater. But, what shows better on the blog is the beautiful sweet embroidery I just completed from Cozy Blue. It is about 6" across and wil make a cute decorative hanging for my front door. It was so much fun to stitch, to retrain my brain to work with fabric and embroidery floss, and to get my eyes to see the tiny little stitches. Stitching wasn't as easy as it once was, but I enjoyed the process and think I'll pull out my AC T-shirt and get back to stitching and beading. I'll keep my eyes open for another small project that speaks to my heart, as I enjoy this Cozy Blue kit. 

Cute big Mylo trying to figure out what that noise is I've been making with my mouth. One must be fresh and creative when trying to get a puppy brain to look at you. I swear. 

Wednesday's are for Unraveling

Around here, the puppy takes precedence, but there has been the occasional knitting and/or stitching going on. If the grocery shopping is done, the laundry is in progress (or finished), no other chores or errands have reared their heads, AND Mylo is sleeping, I'll pull out my embroidery or knitting and take a few stitches. I must be aware each time I'm interrupted and, at the drop of a hat, put it away. Puppies are wily and they will find your weak spot. 

The stitching has a lot of threads dangling from a color card and a very tiny needle is always attached to the fabric either by a thread or in the cloth. If puppy awakens, or I have reason to walk away, EVERY item must be tucked away and the carry bag put in a puppy-safe spot. One MUST think through their escape plan. If not, a puppy could end up at the emergency vet with a needle stuck in an unwanted spot or, at the very least, there could be a ruined piece of embroidery. I have learned this with my puppies of the past. Mylo is NOT an angel.

I bought this kit from Cozyblue on Etsy. The hoop, linen with a printed design, all threads, and instructions were included. (The design is also available as a PDF download in lieu of a kit.) Instruction is minimal so it might be helpful to know a little something about embroidery, but all stitches are standard to any embroidery book. I've had fun reliving my days with sharp needle in hand, but my eyesight is not as good as it once was and I admit to struggling. If I caved and used a magnifier there would be no problem. (I have also been knitting but, at this point, it's a boring sea of blue stockinette.)

Reading has been going well. Walking puppies, knitting, stitching, doing laundry, shopping, cooking, gardening, they are all made for audio books and I am taking full advantage. I will have at least four Bingos and possibly more before the summer is over. I didn't have to work at finding books for the subjects of each square. The books I wanted to read just seemed to fit into the squares I had. It was a very lucky summer of reading, as I've only read a couple of duds, although, they were still worth the time. 

Once the Man Booker longlist came out, it filled my TBR and I have been on a reading binge. Many of the authors were known to me because I'd read their previous works. If you've given up on reading Man Booker listed titles, due to unreadable tomes, this is the list for you (and me!). I have already read a number of books and found them worthy (and readable) choices.  

I'm coming undone with Kat and Friends! 

Month of Mylo

How crazy is it that Mylo's been with us for only 50 days, only a little over a month and a half!? He's 15 weeks as of yesterday but he seems big enough to be full grown. He has gained nearly 5 lbs since his second vet visit when he weighed in at 9.6 lbs. I hope, hope, hope he is nearly full grown, although it may be wishful thinking. 

Mylo been through (and graduated from) 6 weeks of puppy training and next week he'll start another class (of 6 weeks). He's learned many of the basics, but now we'll be going into intensive training on each subject. I think I've got my work cut out for me! I know he's smart, as I can teach him a new trick in 15 minutes, but it's sustaining the behavior that takes the long haul. He is alway all about being distracted. He does not want to be in one place (or position for long). But, he can sit, stay, lay down, stand, play dead, roll over, walk on a loose leash (no pulling) and now he can jump through my arms when I hold them into a ring!  We now need to do all of the above outdoors where distractions are rife and puppy attention is short. The next year will be about sustaining attention while working with a puppy brain. 

Mylo does not like having his picture taken, nor does he like it when I'm on my phone (which isn't often). It's quite a feat to get him to look at the camera (or me) and, yes, he is a moody sort and knows his own mind. He's happy to do what you want him to do, but only if you have a "high value" treat. I KNOW! He IS the new boss in town. Mylo collects pinecones and small sticks while he's on his walks and, if it's not too far, he'll carry them home. If he doesn't find a stick or pinecone, he'll carry (part of) his leash home.

I could tell stories and facts about Mylo all day long! He's funny, cute, sweet, naughty, and happy. We're in love and while there are times we're not sure how we'll manage some of the challenges, we do not regret having a new dog, in fact, we know this is one of the best decisions we've ever made.

I added a few things to the collage that show our world is bigger than just Myl0 focused (a little), such as the new pair of socks I knit, a picture of how well the Christmas cactus is growing (look at all the tiny new leaves!), the little piece of embroidery I'm stitching (more about it later), the roma tomatoes we have growing in our garden, and the smokey skies we're dealing with, plus the big fat blueberries I add to my oatmeal every morning.

Happy Mylo Monday the 5th, everyone!