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. 

July 4th Unraveled - Just Another Day

You may have noticed this picture in my June collage amidst all the Mylo pictures. This is Cyd, a new needlepoint student who finished her first needlepoint piece (a small crow) and had it finished by the shop into an ornament. The look on her face when the shop owner handed her the finished piece was just priceless. I enjoy teaching people so enthused with the process, the project, and the social interaction of a class. Cyd's delight makes my heart happy. 

There has been considerable knitting and reading going on and I am nearly finished with my socks! This is quite an achievement after  six months of work! After missing my goal of a pair every two months, I had hoped for a finished pair the end of June. I'm only off by a few days, but should finish today, July 4th! I am listening to "The Cross" by Sigrid Undset, the third book in the Kristin Lavransdattor series. Over the last few months I have enjoyed this trilogy and hate to see it end. This book will give me my first Bingo! I lucked out with the books I wanted to read and found 5 places in a row which comprised the Bingo. There wasn't a bad book in the lot. In fact, all the books I've read for Book Bingo have been topnotch. 

Mylo and I will spend the day alone, but in the evening Smith and I will be playing and distracting Mylo from the exuberant number of fireworks in our neighborhood. He isn't too bothered by most of the noise, but the occasional loud boomers disturb us all! Pretty as they are, fireworks are not good for dogs. 

Speaking of Mylo...can you stand the cute!!?

Unraveled with a Bit of Mylo

Teaching (as in dog training), learning (as in dog training), reading (dog training books as well as, my own choice of books), knitting (mine, all mine!), trying to keep up with my old life and my new....it's easy to become unraveled. Don't take your eye off that dog! Yesterday Mylo was doing something behind the couch and I went to investigate. When I returned to the front side of the couch he had moved, like a flash of light, carrying my sock all the way across the room. He was just deciding where to chomp down, and SO delighted with himself. I laughed out loud, but moved like a flash of light to rescue my beautiful second sock. 

A Bingo looks likely in the next couple of weeks and I also have the chance of a second one. I have been listening none stop to books as I can do that while playing with puppy, walking puppy, and watching puppy sleep. Here are a few of my thought on a couple of the books I read. 

Less by Andrew Sean Greer, is this years Pulitzer Prize winner. I believe it is one of the first comedies given the prize, and it is certainly great fun. Less travels the world trying to assuage a broken heart. He travels to exotic locations, always the worst of luck, but learning lessons along they way. While you know the story is in modern times I felt like I was watching an old movie with farcical moments and jun comedic sketches. 4 Stars

Educated by Tara Westover was for my Outside Your Comfort Zone square. I highly recommend this book about a Tara's growing up in a family with a father who may have been mentally ill and who thinks education is a plot against them (as is every other government institution) and who uses his children to run the family business at cost of their safety, health, and education. Tara is able to get herself into BYU (by hook and by crook) against her father's will and educate herself. It is quite a story of a families sway and how Tara broke away to become a Cambridge scholar. 5 Stars!

I am currently reading Warlight by Michael Ondaatje and have the next book in line, The Cross by Sigrid Undset, the third book in the Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy. I have have thoroughly enjoyed rereading this trilogy over the last year, as the first time I read them was in the 80s.  I believe that will give me my first Bingo. I pulled a card (by refreshing the page over and over) with subjects I knew I could live with. I don't read books to fill Bingo squares, I read books I want to read and fit them into the squares. Happily my first Bingo came without much work or finagling. 

Mylo has had a busy social schedule. Yesterday he met Daisy, my long time friend Camille's Havanese one year old. They had a fun playdate running, running, running through the back yard and wearing themselves out to the point Camille and I were able to get away for lunch. Mylo slept the rest of the day!

Today he meets my needlepoint class, tomorrow we have puppy training, and Friday we top the week off with a trip to the groomer. I'm not ready to give up the puppy curls so he will just get a trim and spiff up. My handsome boy grows so quickly!

I'm Unraveling along with Kat and the Gang. What's everyone else up to? What's the last book you read and are you playing along with Summer Book Bingo? 

Unraveled By Stripes

For the past year I've had a bit of a thing with stripes. This is my fourth (and final, for now) stripy pair of socks. In started this year long odyssey because I was inspired by Carole's colorful stripy socks, as well as, aided by her pattern Picot Edged Socks. Knitterly Things Vesper Sock yarn is also a big draw, as it create perfectly spaced stripes. I'm taken with the latest offering "Boardwalk Games" but think I need a break from my current run of stripes only sock knitting.

I'm far from a Bingo, but I have finished two books and started two more. Moonshine is a book I recommend to NO ONE! It was too vulgar and strange and I could only make it half way through. It's my Bingo and half way (in my book), with a tale this bad, is a win! I finished Midwinter, but found it a little too spare, even lackluster, but Melrose did a good job of framing the differing avenues grief can take. I'd rate it a 3 1/2. At least I know my next book is a great one!

I've started to reread LaRose, which is Roz Reads choice for June. I am just as brokenhearted the sec0nd time through and enchanted once again by Erdrich's prose and story telling acumen. This is a must read, imo.  I'm also starting another book I've wanted to read for months, The Essex Serpent. I'll keep you posted! A few of the books titles I had written on my card have changed and I expect a few more will over time. This card is a WIP and one that will be tweaked and bent over the course of the summer.

So, what's the last book your read and are you playing along with Summer Bingo?

Hello Friends

Truly, I was shocked to see my last post was on March 7th.  The intent, at that time, was to stick around and continue to post when I could, but life–I guess that's it–just got in the way.

I am totally incapable of capturing a digital version of my card.

To get back into the swing of things I'm planning to join in the fun of summer knitting and reading. Thank you to Mary for stepping up to keep Book Bingo alive! She's created new Bingo cards, adding some great genres, as well as, hosting the link on her side bar. I pulled a card, hit refresh until I got a card I was excited about and I'm thinking through possibilities. Reading away the summer–from Memorial Day to Labor Day–does not sound like a bad idea! I've a few ideas and I'm exploring a few more. Suggestion from friends are very welcome!

Bad pictures abound!

My next plan of action is to join Kat's Summer Knit-Along for the sole purpose of finishing the two projects I have had on the needles forever! AND, perhaps starting something new (hopefully, a sweater).  My knitting mojo has been back and forth, strong and weak, certainly not at full steam, plus I've been distracted by reading and stitching an Alabama Chanin t-shirt.

I thought I'd stop in and say hello, tell you I'm planning to come back (if anyone is around to read) and catch you up with what's in my future (and past). That's the plan! I've missed you all!

I'm looking forward to more Unraveled Wednesday posts!