Keeping Pete Warm

As all of you know who read my blog, we're heading to Moab, Utah for a few days. This is not exactly a pleasure trip but rather a necessity. We've been keeping an eye on the weather and all it says is COLD! It's 20 to 30 degrees colder there and we think it's cold here at home. On top of all that, they're expecting snow/rain showers on Saturday when we're holding Josh's outdoor memorial in the old town park. All I can say is I hope they can build a big, big bonfire.

We've been talking about the clothes we need to take. I've been encouraging David to take long underwear, but he refuses to wear it. He says he'll be fine. I'm taking extra. I just don't want this situation to be any harder just because I'm cold.

Then it dawned on me - what about Pete? He needs to stay warm too. He's so used to being in the house that he will really suffer, but I don't want to leave him home either. This morning I decided to get creative and try to make something - fast!

I found this old sweatshirt that I hadn't worn for awhile.

Then I cut the sleeve off at the seam.

I measured about how long I wanted the neckline to be and cut a slit through both thicknesses of material.

I cut a slit big enough to fit Pete's leg through

I rounded the bottom corners which will be under his tummy.

I repeated with the second sleeve so now I have two. I made the neck a little longer on the second one by moving the leg holes further back. I stitched around the raw edges with my sewing machine, but you wouldn't have to do this if you didn't want to. I saved myself some money this way too. The price of these runs about $10 at Walmart. A person could do this with an old sweater too, but you would definitely want to stitch the edges.

Now I still had the sweatshirt left, so I cut the 

sleeves at a slant to the neckline and stitched it closed.

I just used a simple zigzag stitch.

I cut the neck down to match the "sweater" I had just finished.

Here the neck is sewn smaller.

Now I have a "cape" that I can put over his head and still keep the rest of him warm.

And this is how it turned out. Looks good don't it?

Trying New Things

First of all, my daughter asked me why I haven't done any blogging in quite awhile. I told her that there are so many blogs already out there that address some of the same things I do that I didn't see any reason to write about it. Well she said she enjoys reading MY blog so I promised to try harder.

So then I was thinking, what can I write about? One thing I have to say about myself - I do what I feel inspired to do. I'm not really doing a lot of gardening right now. It's cold outside and I haven't really been in the mood. When the weather starts to warm up, I get the undeniable urge to work outside in the garden. When it's cold outside, I would rather find something to do in the house. Also, when Christmas is looming, I get busy making Christmas gifts. For 2011 I worked on crocheting shawls for my daughters and my mother.

Mom with her shawl.

Candy's Tulips

They were very time consuming. This past year I was so busy canning and had many requests for home canned products that I decided to give everyone my pepper/garlic paste. I really had no desire to crochet but I created quilted appliqued wall hangings for my daughters and even kept one for myself.

So each year I do something different. Early in 2012, I crocheted a wool poncho for my son.

Little did I know that it would be the last thing I ever created for him. To start out 2013, I made a baby quilt for our friends' newborn.
 I am currently working on a quilt for my daughter that I started several years ago. So now that I've rambled on about my various projects, I decided what I need to write about.

Several people have commented on my many interests. They express admiration because I do so many different things. I am basically a curious person. I want to know how to do home crafting that was part of everyday life for people before modern conveniences made those abilities obsolete. I always say that I want to know HOW to do certain things even if I never do it more than once. One year I got onto a wine making kick. I made all kinds of fruit wines - apple, elderberry, peach, pomegranate, etc. I don't know if I'll ever make wine again, but I know how.

Maybe you would like to try something new or different but it seems really daunting or complicated. Maybe you think it would be too expensive. There can be so many excuses, hmmm, reasons why we don't try something new.

• The biggest reason so many of us don't try something new is fear; fear of failing. Well guess what, it's okay to fail. That's one way we learn. For all the successes I enjoy, I have nearly as many failures. 
• Another reason is we want things to turn out perfect. I have some perfectionist in me that I have to overcome all the time. Now granted if I focused all my energy on one thing, it may be perfect. My hat comes off to anyone who is a true artist who has found that one thing that satisfies their need to create; I'm just not one of those people. I recognize that my "home made" items will probably never be perfect, but that's okay. 
• The reason many people use is that they don't know how to do something or they don't know where to start. Well that really is an excuse. Thanks to the Internet, you can find instructions on how to do just about anything you could possibly want to try. There also lots of books available. I learned how to crochet with books; but if you can't figure it out from a book, there's likely someone willing to teach you a skill. Just ask around and find that person. If you want you could pay for lessons, but many people are more than willing to teach you what they know for free. 
• Sometimes it's taking that first step that holds us back. It's just a step. Take the first step and then the next and before you know it you'll have accomplished something new and exciting.

 So what would you like to try? Don't let anything hold you back. Go for it!

Gardening Is Busy Work

I've been so busy in the garden that I really haven't taken the time to write other than trying to keep a garden journal. I'm trying to keep track of what I've planted this year and to keep notes on how the various plants do in my garden. I am transitioning to raised beds this year. I've added compost and manure to my beds and have determined to stick with organic methods. I've incorporated companion planting to help deter pests and encourage "good bugs". Today I saw a honey-colored woodcutter bee. It was so cool. My husband has been teasing me that I have more plants than garden, which is true. But he has allowed me to use part of his half of the back yard to plant some apple trees, beans, artichokes and elderberry plants. He's also adding flowers which is a first for him. We planted several ground cover plants on the mound around our pond too. Anyway, back to the garden as I have squash to plant.

I Feel Good!

The days are getting a little warmer and longer. The sun is shining more and more. I'm planning this years garden. My chickens are starting to lay eggs again and my rabbits are having bunnies. Even though it's only February and winter is not over; I realized today, I feel good.

Come Cry With Me

Some might say, "Why cry, he was just a dog."

Oh, but he was so much more...

 About 12 years ago our daughter decided she wanted a dog. She had her reasons all thought out and she knew the right approach to get her dad on board. She wanted a dog to keep her company and keep her safe while she was walking or jogging. So that meant she needed a big dog. After much discussion, we agreed on a German Shepherd. We found a puppies in a town nearby and went to pick one out. He may not have been the pick of the litter, but he was big and appeared healthy.

She named him Ashton - I'm not sure where the name came from, but it sounded like royalty to me. I believe she spent the first night on the bathroom floor to keep him company since he was lonely for his litter mates. Ashton grew up and grew strong. He was really big for his breed, but he earned his keep as he accompanied my daughter on her walks and guarded our house.

There was only one small problem, Ashton started loosing the hair on his feet and face. It turned out he had some type of parasite that burrowed into his skin and caused such irritation that he lost his fur. We took him to the vet and were told of an unconventional remedy. There was a medication meant for swine and cattle as an injection. We were told to give him an oral dose daily and had to figure out how to deliver it. The medication was a thick liquid. The solution was to squirt the medication onto a slice of bread and spread it with peanut butter to disguise the taste. I don't know if it covered the taste, but Ashton ate his sandwich every day with enthusiasm. Eventually, his hair grew back; but according to the vet, it was only a matter of time until a flair up would happen again. There was supposedly no way of completely ridding Ashton of this parasite. Ultimately, Ashton lost the hair over his entire body. The good news was that once his entire body had lost hair, the parasites never returned to bother him again.

Ashton grew to be a great watchdog. He would often sleep during the day and patrol at night. He was well behaved and smart. We were very proud of him. He loved to play ball and even seemed to play soccer with his feet. At first we used a big basketball or soccer ball, but we realized he was wearing out his teeth so we got a smaller ball. He loved playing ball no matter what size it was.

The day came when our daughter went off to college. She would be living in a dorm so we knew Ashton was staying with us. We didn't spend as much time with him. I was at work and my husband was home dealing with major back problems. There were many times when my husband would call me at work and talk about his play time with Ashton. Ashton made him laugh and laughter is good medicine.

All of our family loved Ashton. My father-in-law would come over to see him since he had lost his own German Shepherd. We would have barbeque's in our back yard and Ashton was always well behaved around family and friends. He loved children especially and was very protective of them.

One day we realized that Ashton spent a lot of time alone and thought maybe we should get him a companion. We brought home Pete and they became best friends. Pete would run and Ashton would chase him - always. There was never a time when Pete would chase Ashton. They would stare across the pond, psyching each other out and then the race was on. The main object of their play? Keep away with the ball.

Over time, Ashton got older and slower. His hips started to give out when he ran. Pete seemed to realize to some extent and ran slower too. After doing some research on the Internet, I started giving Ashton a daily dose of condroiton and it really seemed to help. Thank God for peanut butter sandwiches.

Ashton lasted a full year beyond our expectations. He never complained or whined. He was always happy to see us and any friends who stopped by. He loved us with that simple loyalty that only a dog seems to have and he will be missed. So yeah, I'll cry for Ashton.

Leave Perfection Alone

You know why I prefer a book to a movie? When you read a book, even though the author tells you a good story, you flesh it out. Your mind takes the clues and draws a picture for you to see and an adventure for you to experience; maybe even a whole new world. When a story is made into a movie, it severely limits your creativity. Suddenly you are viewing the story from someone else's perspective.

That's why I feel that some music isn't meant to have words. I don't see anyone trying to write words to some of the greats like Brahms and Beethoven. These musical arrangements are great all by themselves. You know what makes them unique? It's because as you listen, you can draw your own pictures in you mind. You may imagine something completely different than the person sitting next to you and that's okay. It's what makes the composition your own special experience.

I was listening to music by my husband and his two friends who play a supporting role in his creations. The music is awesome in it's own right and draws dreams for me to experience. It doesn't need words!  Yet there are some people that seem to think these creations are incomplete. They think they need to add flawed words to masterpieces that can stand alone.

The other night as David was playing one of his first songs, someone kept asking me, "Do you sing? Do you know this song? Blah, blah, blah." I just wanted to say, "Would you please shut up and just listen!!!"

Still Love

After all these years of keeping my eyes closed,
I looked up from your bed
and realized you are old
and I still love you.