Some Dogs Like Snow

It's wonderful to see all these dogs enjoying a big snowfall. My girls are not so much into it. Mitzi loves it up to about 4 inches, but past that she objects to the snow up against her little stomach. Roxy has no interest on being cold and wet anymore. We clear a space in the yard for them so they can run out for "business" and come right back in. Cold weather will be back early next week  with snow coming in midweek. I have two conflicting hopes about this weather: I want very little snow because the dogs hate it and I don't care for driving in it. AND I want gobs of snow so that we will get to play with the new slowblower.

Today I took the girls to Happy Tails to get their nails cut. I don't mind bathing the girls and I have been known to do some grooming, but I do not do nails. It was NOT fun for all, but they put up with it.  Because Mitzi is still struggling with car sickness I try to both make the trips short and to include a special treat that makes her want to go in the car again. Today we took advantage of the continuing good weather to get in a walk in the woods after their manicures. Walking soothes Mitzi's anxiety and gives them something to think about for the rest of  the day. When we have gone for an interesting walk Roxy is less inclined to get into mischief. As they say: "A tired dog is a good dog".


I met a friend for lunch and hit a thrift store on the way home. Scores: a lime green pot just the right size to round up the dog items I keep on the kitchen counter (salmon oil for their coats, Mitzi's doggie Prozac, Rescue Remedy for stormy days, ear drops). I also found a really nice pashmina style scarf in a brown & gold paisley for $3.00. Shana has taken to wearing scarves to dress up her work looks so our scarves have been getting a lot of action around here. I don't dress up for work these days but for social occasions I like having pretty accessories. The thrifts around here are pretty decent, although like thrift stores everywhere it does not do to have too specific an idea about what you would like to find. I was really looking at books today but did not see anything that caught my eye on the book shelves. I always look at kitchen equipment to see if there are any nice green or cobalt blue items and I check out any teapots on offer.



Knitting this week has been a mixed exercise. At the moment I have a laceweight shawl, a pair of socks, a pair of colorwork mitts and a sweater on the needles. Startitis has set in. The sweater is moving along, with reservations. My problems have nothing to do with the fact that it is my first sweater; they have more to do with my wandering mind, a chart that I can't quite make friends with, and a selvage stitch that is not mentioned on the chart or in the written instructions. The last time I got off course and instead of stopping right away I knit three more rows of over 200 stitches each. Finally I came to my senses and tinked it all back. One stitch at a time because there are a bunch of twisted stitches in there that I did not want to mess up. The moral of the story is if it doesn't look right STOP. This is a hard lesson for me to learn.