Preparing the Nest

As I wait (impatiently, I must admit) for our new puppy to be born, I've started preparing the house for our little one.  It's been over 14 years since we've had a puppy living with us so puppy-proofing is in order.  I'm also starting a new project.  I'll give you a sneak peak.  See if you can figure out what it is going to be.  Here is the fabric I picked out at the store the other day.  I must admit that I hadn't figured on the fact that I probably would want to line this project but I had fabric on hand at home that coordinated, thank goodness.

Today I ironed all of the fabric which I had pre-washed yesterday.  I was a little worried that I might not have enough fabric since I don't have a pattern for this project but since I was able to pull other fabric out of my stash, I think I'll be in good shape.

I took careful measurements and then went upstairs to my cutting board with my freshly ironed fabric and proceeded to cut out my pieces.  As with any project, but especially with one that you are doing by the seat of your pants, I measured each piece and then measured one more time before I cut each piece.  It's so easy to slip up and forget things like seam allowances.

Tonight I started on the trim.  I think it is going to work out ok.  Of course, I only have a vague idea of how I'm going to attach this trim.  I'm more of a "creative - what if...." thinker.  I'm definitely not a spatial thinker so trying to take an idea and turn it into a tangible object is a real challenge for me without a concrete pattern or instructions to follow.

Not to say that I don't have some idea of what I want the finished project to look like.  However, getting to that point is going to be an adventure.  That's why I'm stopping for tonight and heading downstairs to knit and watch a show.  I think I need my mind to be fresh to tackle the next step on this creative endeavor.

Haunted By a Wonder(ful) Dog

If you've been following my blog for awhile, you know that I frequently have mentioned Fresca the Wonder Dog.  Fresca was my "Velcro Puppy."  Fresca joined our family twelve years ago, shortly after our Shetland Sheepdog passed away.  She stuck so close to me that I often found myself tripping over her as I'd turn to go into another room.  She had appointed herself my personal bodyguard and she took her duties seriously.  To that end, she protected me from every person or car that went past our front yard as she darted from living room to guest bedroom, checking their progress through the windows as she tried to hurry them along with fierce barking.  Fresca was a dog with an attitude.  As one trainer told us, "If Fresca was human, she'd have pink hair, a nose ring, and a major attitude."  Yup!

Fresca was a bundle of energy.  She outlived four cats and one canine cousin.  But recently she was diagnosed with serious heart disease.  It was most likely congenital.  With her enlarged heart, it would press against her trachea and constrict her airway, causing her to do some horrible coughing.  Her diagnosis was made in early Spring and I became a regular at the only veterinary heart specialist in the area.  He put her on heart medication and told me that it was incurable but maybe we could slow things down.  We couldn't slow HER down, even with the coughing.

Last Thursday evening, I headed up the stairs to bed and noticed that she was doing more coughing than usual.  As I drifted off to sleep, I thought it was settling down.  It wasn't.  By morning, it was obvious that she was still struggling to breathe.  If I stroked her throat and massaged her neck, she would calm down for a bit but soon would start coughing again....those horrible, racking coughs.  It was time!  The Commander had to take her to the vet to be put to sleep.  I couldn't do it.  I was hysterical.  In fact, I cried so hard that it is only today that I don't feel like I have cracked ribs.

That first day without her, I couldn't even stand to look at any reminders.  I took all of her things and packed them up.  I could give most of them to my daughter for her dogs.  I only kept one thing.....a little stuffed cow toy that had been one of her favorites.  It's sitting in the guestroom on the dresser, looking out the window.

She's been gone for five days now but I still feel her presence everywhere.  When I drive up to the house, I glance at the windows expecting to see her peeking out at me.   If I get ready to go out on errands, I find myself whispering the usual litany under my breath , "I'll be right back.  You guard the house."

Whenever I go up or down stairs, I find myself moving to the side to make room for her.  She would always insist on streaking past me so she could beat me to the top or bottom of the steps.  When I sit in the recliner watching TV, I glance over toward the fireplace and expect to see her napping beside it. There are no more circle of dog toys left around my feet to try to entice me to stop knitting and play instead.  Today I caught myself dozing off and woke with a start, surprised that Fresca hadn't woken me by her usual whining when she'd notice that I'd fallen asleep.  I drop food as I cook and am surprised that now I have to clean the crumbs off the floor because she's not there to gobble things up.

I find myself getting up from the computer and starting to say, "It's ok...Mommy will be right back," but there is no Fresca there.  It's SO quiet.  No barking.  No clattering of nails on the flooring.  No staring at me as the clock gets close to mealtime.

I keep glancing out the kitchen window to see if she is waiting on the back step to come inside after a "potty break."  I make the bed in the mornings and have to catch myself to keep from patting the comforter to give her the signal that it's ok to jump up on the bed for her morning tummy rub.   I pulled off a clump of dog hair fluff from one of the chairs in the living room today and was reluctant to throw it in the trash.

 Last night I went around turning off the lights before heading upstairs to bed and again I found myself whispering to a ghost, "I'm going to bed now.  You have a good night."

I like to think she's up in doggy heaven chasing her cousin, Kaiser and annoying him to no end by squeezing into places that he's way too big to get into.  Or maybe she's gone slumming and located her furry feline siblings...Pug, Miss Daisy, Sgt. Streak, and Smokey.  If so, they're all probably enjoying a rambunctious game of tag right now.

Gosh, I miss her.  She may have been a handful but she was a good and faithful dog.  I'll leave you with several of my favorite blog posts of her antics.  For all of you dog lovers, enjoy! And give your furry ones an extra hug today in memory of Fresca.

Fresca the Wonder Dog Strikes Again

Mush, You Varmints, Mush!

Fresca the Wonder Dog

We had to put our beautiful Fresca, the Wonder Dog to sleep yesterday.  The pain is still too much to blog about it yet.  However, here are a few of her everyday moments captured on YouTube.

We brought my mother home from the nursing home for the day several years ago and Fresca's reaction was   exuberant, to say the least.

Fresca would usually follow me from the dining room table into the kitchen after meals, walking on her hind legs and hoping that I'd drop some food so she'd get a bite.

George was much better at getting her to balance a treat on her nose before eating it.

Killer Apple Antics

Every so often you stumble across something so funny you just have to share it.  Today is that day, my friends.  In keeping with the "scary" theme of Halloween and with a tip of the cap to someone who did a great job of musical editing, I give you......The Attack of the Killer Apples!  Enjoy.

More Than a Passing Resemblance

I was driving out of our subdivision this morning and passed a lady out walking her dogs.  She was walking two Saluki hounds.  Saluki dogs are desert dogs, thin, bony, sharp-angles, long-legged, and bred for speed.  I started to laugh as I drove past her because I was already carrying on this conversation with her in my head.

"You and your dogs are a good match,"I'd say. 

"Why do you say that?" she would ask.

"Well, because their size and shape suit you.  You would obviously look silly walking a short, squat English bulldog," I'd answer.

You see, this lady was tall and reed-thin, all jutting angles.
I was thinking about dogs and their owners as I drove on to my destination.  So many of us seem to have dogs that resemble us or our personalities, don't we?





I have Fresca, the Wonder Dog, an American Eskimo Dog.  She's neurotic, over-protective, going full-tilt one minute and then conked out the next.  Everything she does is quick and jerky, not slow and lumbering.  I tend to be that way, too.   My kids used to tell me to "Slow Down!"  They thought I walked like I was going to a fire.    Fresca is suspicious of newcomers and warms up to people on her own terms.  She's got an attitude, too.  But she is also loyal to the extreme and very content to just stay close to me, wherever I am.


 

All of my dogs have been herding dogs.  My first dog was "Tichi", a Shetland Sheepdog.  She was the same way.....loyal, protective, and neurotic.

 
There was "Waseca", my Australian Shepherd.  She was smart as a whip, protective, slightly neurotic, and my shadow.

 
"Ishtar", another Shetland Sheepdog, was so smart that one of her dog class instructors told me to just give her the class manual and let her read it for herself.  She was also very protective, my shadow, and a very loyal friend.  She was a great watchdog.  All of my dogs have been clowns in the privacy of their home but wary of strangers.  Sounds a lot like me.

I have a friend whose dog is Fresca's best friend.  My friend is little but mighty.  She reminds me of a scrappy rat terrier......someone who would think nothing of flinging herself after something and then grabbing it and shaking it until it gives up in desperation.  Her dog, Schatze, is scrappy, too.  Although Schatze is tiny, she thinks nothing of trying to take on Fresca for daily wrestling matches.  She also ALWAYS has something to say about everything, whether it is to a passerby on the street or talking back to us, if she isn't pleased with something.  Yup, she and her owner suit each other.

My nephew has a part-pitbull/Labrador mix.  When he first got Snoopy, I was really leery.  I'd heard all the horror stories about pitbull dogs.  But this dog is a big, overgrown puppy.  Oh, don't get me wrong.  I wouldn't want to come up against him in the dark if I was an intruder.  He's all muscle and focus when he's checking something out.  His owner, my nephew is a fit young man, one of Uncle Sam's warriors.  I'm sure he could do some damage if he wanted to.  But at heart, he's a goofy guy, good-natured and fun-loving, just like his dog.

There are always those dog owners and their dogs that don't fit, however.  I must admit that my son-in-law falls into that category.  Here you have a man's man......a guy who loves outdoor sports, hunting, shoots all types of guns as a hobby, lifts weights, races motorcycles, you name it.  Yet what dog did he pick?  A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel!  These aren't exactly working dogs.  They are pretty frou-frou animals.  He calls his dog "his sweet girl."  I can only think that she has taken the place of any daughter he might have, since he's not a father at the moment.  After all, we all know that men turn into tubs of melted butter when it comes to their daughters.

Are you a dog-owner?  How do you resemble your dog?

Fresca and Mini-Me

Well, the time finally arrived for us to go down to visit with Laura and Jason and meet our new grand-pup.  We also took Fresca, the Wonder Dog down to meet little Sadie Ann for the first time.  Sadie has been wanting another little friend to play with, according to Laura, and has been pestering the cat no end but to no avail.  So we thought that perhaps Fresca could give Sadie some playtime.

Poor Sadie!  About the only thing that she and Fresca have in common is the fact that they both love to eat.  Apart from that, Fresca showed NO inclination to play with this adorable little puppy.  From the moment Fresca arrived and we let her loose in their fenced backyard, she just roamed around, sniffing everything and "marking" the trees (again and again) but when Sadie finally got up the courage to come over and check Fresca out, our dog completely ignored her.

As the day progressed, Sadie got braver and started following Fresca around, occasionally sneaking a sniff here and there but when Fresca would turn around, Sadie would plop down and roll over on her side and "play dead."  Obviously this is NOT a dominant dog.  Fresca would take one look and just walk off.

Now Sadie is a real "love bug" and if you sat down, she would come racing over to get on your lap to give you kisses.  "Grandpa" found this out when he sat on the couch.  He's not much for doggy kisses so they had a little heart to heart talk.

She decided to give Grandpa a little space but she still had to try to have the upper hand, so to speak.  Well, that was a little too much for Fresca the Wonder Dog to take and so Fresca decided to claim a lap for herself as well.

I guess Fresca decided that if Sadie could try to worm her way into the Commander's heart than perhaps Fresca could lay claim to Sadie's "Daddy's" lap.

I decided that I'd better sit down so I could entice Fresca away, which worked and soon Sadie was over by her papa and attempting to imitate his stance.  How cute is that?

But Fresca had made her way over to sit on Laura's lap and that was a little too much for Miss Sadie, who decided that she'd better go investigate who was laying claim to her "Mommy."

Eventually they got tired of the lap game and Sadie fell asleep on a pillow and had to be carried off to bed while Fresca got to stay up with the grownups.

We also celebrated the Commander's birthday while we were down there.  I hadn't checked with Laura to see what they were going to be getting him.

So imagine my surprise when he opened his gift and pulled out the EXACT same gift that I had hidden in my closet to give him tomorrow on his actual birthday.  Oh, dear!  Luckily I have another present in the mail.  I can't remember though where I bought MY set and I didn't keep the receipt.  "That will larn me", as my mom says.

When I looked around and saw everyone falling asleep on the couch, I figured it was time to head on home.  We packed up Fresca and made the drive back to PA.  I guess Sadie will have to look elsewhere for a playmate.  Apparently, Fresca considers herself too grownup for such nonsense.  Dogs, you gotta love 'em.

Mush, You Varmints, Mush!

My first mistake was thinking that the window guy was coming at 1 p.m. to measure the dormer windows upstairs. I had a nagging feeling that I might have made a mistake when I put that time on the calendar last week but my hubby had caught me napping at the computer when he called to inform me of the upcoming appointment. I was still a little groggy when he told me what time the guy would be coming over but I really thought he had said 1.

That left me plenty of time to run to the bank this morning and then on to the post office. From there I decided to take a quick detour over to the grocery store to see if they had my favorite detergent. I successfully sidestepped the donut aisle, got sucked in by the cake table in the back and then made a mad dash to the cash register with a peanut butter frosted cake under one arm and the "prophetically titled" Gain detergent under the other arm.

From there it was just a short hop, skip, and a jump back to the house. My mouth was already salivating over that peanut butter frosting as I drove down our street and toward the house. Horrors! There was a strange car in the driveway and it was only 11:30 a.m. The window guy was already here and waiting.

"Sorry," I breathlessly shouted as I pushed the garage door opener on the fly as I darted out of the car. "I thought you were coming at 1."

"No, I was supposed to be here at noon so I'm actually a little early," he replied, following me into the garage.

"Look, you'll have to stay right here for just a minute while I corral the dogs," I ordered and squeezed in the side door before my canine protector could charge outside.

"Fresca," I shouted in my best command voice, "Come here. Stop that barking! Schatze, get over here."

Schatze is Fresca's best friend and we're dogsitting her while her humans are away on vacation. She's pretty harmless but she's loud. Fresca, on the other hand, is loud AND protective so I don't like to take any chances with that furball.

"Fresca, get downstairs RIGHT NOW!" She flew past me and I managed to head her off at the hallway and funnel her down the basement steps. Schatze took one look at the basement, looked at me as if to say, "Yeah, right" and flew into the living room and my husband's favorite chair, ready to stand lookout. "Divide and conquer," I thought and headed down to the basement where I did my best Dog Whisperer impression and finally manhandled Fresca into the back room and got the door shut. I could tell by the din that she wasn't too pleased but both entrances into the back room were shut so Fresca was safely out of play.

I ran back upstairs and headed over to Schatze who decided this was a new game of Tag, leaping off the chair and between my legs before I could say "Stay" and the chase was on. Little dogs are quick. "Schatze," I thundered, "Get over here. " I pointed to the guestroom door and drew myself up to my full "Mistress of My Domain" height. She looked at me with big eyes and then I swear to you, she stomped her foot and tried to dart past me. She was quick but I was quicker and I had her signed, sealed, and delivered to that bedroom before she could say "Ruff."

I dimly became aware that the phone was ringing and I wearily grabbed it on my way back to the garage door. It was my dear husband calling to tell me that the window guy was going to be there early. At least I think he was telling me that because I could barely hear him with the dogs barking. "Thanks," I snarled. "He's been out in the garage for the past 10 minutes while I've been trying to get the dogs corralled." George knows when to cut and run. "OK, bye!" was all he said.

I finally got the poor window guy into the house and up to the top floor to do the measuring. "You can take off that curtain if you need to," I told him. "It's on a pressure....." Rowwwwwwwrrrrrrrrrr! I suddenly heard a commotion that seemed to be a lot closer than the basement. "Holy cow," I blurted, "I think one of the dogs is out."

I flew out of the room, slamming the door shut on the poor guy. As I headed down the stairs, a white streak was heading up in full voice. Fresca had somehow gotten one of the basement doors open and was on her way to do battle.

"Hold it right there!" I screeched. "You are a BAD GIRL, Fresca Porterfield. Get down here this instant." She reversed direction, still barking up a storm, and flashed past me. "To heck with the basement," I thought, and grabbed her ruff and guided her into the guestroom where she joined her cohort in crime.

I was just heading up the stairs to tell the fellow that the dogs were shut up again when he peeked around the corner. "I'm all done measuring," he said. "I'll send the estimate in the mail. I'll just go back out through the garage, if that's ok?" And he beat a hasty retreat. It was probably the fastest service call I'd ever experienced.

"OK, you varmints, you can come out now," I said as I opened the guestroom door. Two furry bodies streaked past me yapping in soprano and uber-soprano. They raced to the front windows and checked to make sure the offender was gone. He was. Then they calmly walked to their beds and sat down like two little angels. Mission accomplished!