Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Hank Woes

Can a dog attempt to off himself? Is life with us so bad? Here's how it went.

Hank stays in the kitchen or outside, because he's just too crazy to let run around the house. We've been trying to acclimate him to the rest of the house, but it's slow going. He looses all sanity and runs amok. He's never alone in the kitchen very long, because, I spend most of my time in there.

About an hour ago, I was trying to get things ready for #1's soccer practice, so I was moving around the house looking for shin guards, soccer shorts, etc. I was in and out of the kitchen, and on one pass, I heard a hissing sound. I started looking around trying to find the source, and lo and behold, one of the knobs on the range had been turned. The spark that starts the burner hadn't been ignited, so the gas was just streaming out.

I quickly turned the knob to off, got Hank out of there and started the vent fan. I found a floor fan and pointed it out the door to ventilate the kitchen. Right now, I can't smell gas any longer and I've taken the knobs off the stove. I was completely freaked out. Thank God I didn't have a candle burning in the house. Not that I usually do, but sometime I get a wild hair.

What am I going to do with this lug of a dog? He's smart and funny, but he's out of his mind. I think he really wants to be an outside dog, with kitchen sleeping privileges, but I had imagined he'd be one of the family, watching TV at night with us, sleeping by the fireplace in the winter. Oh, well. I guess he's still a puppy and eventually he'll chill out, but for now, he's driving me to drink! (Not that I need a reason...I'm going out with the girls tonight for some knitting and wine._

Wish me luck with this incorrigible pup!

Monday, September 15, 2008

Fallish

Hello everyone! I have been a poor blogger indeed! But things have cooled off here in the muggy South, and I'm feeling like a little knitting. I started the February Lady Sweater, by Pamela Wynne using Cascade Venezia in a light blueish gray color. I completely love this yarn, and so far the pattern is going well. I haven't gotten past the yoke yet, and this is my first top down raglan, so we'll see. It's pretty easy going right now, mindless garter stitch, with increases every other row.


I did get some sewing done this summer. I made an apron, a dress, and 2 bags. Right now I only have a picture of one of the bags. It's a Simplicity pattern, and it was a lot of work for little pay off. It has a zipper and pockets around the bottom. It's kind of formless, and I think if I made it again, I'd purchase straps instead of sewing them. They are a little insubstantial.


Hank is getting big and sassy. Yesterday he graduated from his puppy training at Petsmart. He wouldn't wear the mortar board for a class picture, but he learned an awful lot. He can sit, stay, lay down, leave it, roll over, wait, shake, and he's getting better at loose leash walking. Now if he could only learn not to jump on and nip at the boys, we'd be all set. I've found if he has 2 very brisk walks a day, he's much less likely to jump all over people. Here he is right after our walk/run this morning. If we can trust the birthdate on the papers from the shelter, then yesterday he turned 5 months.


Last night around 1:30, I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep, so I started channel surfing. I came across The Spirit of the Beehive, a critically acclaimed Spanish movie from 1973. I was mesmerized by the 7 year old lead, Ana Torrent. Her performance was amazing and the movie was very good. It's subtitled, but even if you don't speak Spanish, or like to read subtitles, it's visually stunning. If any of you have seen it, I'd love to hear your response.

We're all back in school. #1 is doing great in all his subjects. He has quite the vocabulary and is a delightful conversationalist. #2 is doing great in his subjects as well, but he is rather shy and doesn't like to speak up in class. He has determined that he wants to be an artist when he grows up. He is visually talented and I try to encourage his creativity. My classes are going well. I'm enjoying teaching drawing. It's been several semesters since I've taught it, and I am trying to come up with new assignments and techniques. All in all, things are going well.

I hope everyone is doing well. I'm going to try to be more consistent with my posting and commenting. Trying to get back into the groove!