Conversations With Clyde

To say that Clyde is clever and precocious is vastly under-rating him. He and Bonnie are the two most clever and precocious beings I've encountered.

This morning, after a clattering eruption on my bedside table, I had the following conversation with Clyde:

Momma: "Clyde, where are Momma's glasses?"
Clyde: "I don't know Momma."
Momma: "Clyde, are you being a bad boy?"
Clyde: "No Momma. I would never be a bad boy."
A few frustrated minutes later...after I put the cell phone back together and located my glasses....
Momma: "Clyde, why are Momma's glasses underneath the bedside table?"
Clyde: "I don't know Momma."
Momma: "Clyde...."
Clyde: "Oh. Yes. Well you see Momma this is what happened...while you were sleeping the Monster Who Takes Momma's Glasses came in to your room. I was being a good boy and I smelled the monster and ran to stop him from taking Momma's glasses."
Momma: "Clyde...."
Clyde: "No really Momma...that's what happened. So when I saw the monster taking your glasses, I jumped on him and bit him in the neck....just like I do to Sister...only I would NEVER bite Sister as hard as I bit that monster. Well, the monster hollered and dropped your glasses. Then he fell off the bedside stand and I was still biting his neck. When we hit the floor, the monster dropped your glasses and kicked them under the bedside table. I chased the monster away."
Momma: "Really?"
Clyde: "Yes Momma, really. Then when the monster was all gone, I tried to get your glasses from under the bedside stand, but I'm just a little boy and I couldn't reach them."
Momma: "And so that's how Momma's glasses got under the bedside stand?"
Clyde: "Yes Momma. Aren't I a good boy?"

I decided not to pursue how the cell phone and charger came to be on the floor...

Catching Up On The Fur And Fiber Front

My goodness how time passes! Last time I blogged it was early April and now the month is waning to a close.

A few days ago we had a couple of really pleasant weather days and on Saturday Molly and I went on an adventure with our friend Kat. We originally planned to go to a dog park in Hilsboro. Molly and I left the house at 11:00 am and headed over to Kat's. We arrived to find that she had prepared lunch and bravely invited Molly in to join us. (It was definitely too warm to leave her in the car and there was no shade to park in.)

Hesitantly I retrieved Molly from the car and we entered Kat's house. Kat lives with four or five cats..I've lost track right now. Two are older ladies and are strictly indoors. Callie had not secreted herself away as Taco had, so very quickly Molly located the old gal and a chase commenced. After retrieving Molly from kittie harrassing, I leashed her and we sat down to lunch. Much of our lunch conversation was interupted with, "sit, down" and chicken bribery. In the process of Molly's patient efforts, the trash and recycling was knocked over and spilled twice. Later she swept things off the coffee table with her tail. Kat, god bless her, took this assault in stride and remained positive the more harried I became.

After lunch we loaded up and headed out to Ardiri Winery and Vineyards for a wine tasting. I hoped for shade to park in and therefor leave Molly in the car, but no such luck there. Just as we arrived a huge contingent of BMWs arrived in some kind of rally event. Kat took Molly's leash from my startled hands and we tied Molly to the post of an arbor on the patio. We then hurried to get in line for our tasting before the BMWers arrived to slow us down.

As I learned how to taste wine, tasted wine, and bought wine, I kept a nervous eye on my Molly on the patio. She didn't make any noise and I'm quite proud of her. Numerous times she was greeted and petted by strangers. Later Kat and I sat with Molly and enjoyed our glass of wine in our complimentary glass...no, Molly didn't drink any...she's too young.

After a peaceful time in the country, fruit of the vine, conversation with Kat, we loaded up and headed to the Hondo dog park. www.hilsborodogs.org What a wonderful place! Truly a mecca for the dog park enthusiast!!

The park is safely and completely fenced in. There is a section for timid and small dogs, a larger section for larger dogs, and a third sandy section for use in the winter (to preserve the grass in the other areas). There is a water faucet. There are numerous poop bag stations and trash cans. There are benches and a fine gravel path around the circumferance of the larger enclosure. (According to www.hilsborodogs.org the length of the path is 0.17 miles.)

There is an entrance area that is fenced and between two gates.

We entered and made our way to a bench. I turned Molly loose. What a gift to see my girl run and play with others of her kind. She happened upon a small, white dog named Happy. Happy didn't take too kindly to being sniffed and turned on her. This turned him into prey for Molly and a growing pack of dogs. Eventually Happy was rescued, unhurt, the scrum broke up and we all went on with our afternoon. I was too nervous to let Molly loose after that, so she remained on her long line.

We weren't lonely on our bench. As folks and dogs made the circuit we were visited. Kat and I got as much attention as Molly. We met Alexi, Belle, and Rommel to name a few. It was a treat to talk dog with so many folks and be sniffed by so many noses and to pet so many eager faces. Before we realized what was happening, it was 4:30 pm, so we packed it in and headed home. Both Molly and I were happily exhausted.

On the fiber front:

I'm currently working on a pair of socks. I bought the yarn at the T-Spot shop in Manzanita. It's a solid green, my first solid colored pair of socks. I'd decided to knit my regular kind of socks, then I ripped it out and decided to knit a little more fancy with a different kind of leg and heel flap and then I ripped it out again and am back to making my standard kind of socks.

I'm currently working on a baby blanket for Mia Dixon, new daughter to Jeff and Michelle and sister to Kyler. I'm about done with my second skein. I bought a total of four and I don't know yet if I'll use all of them. It's an uncomplicated pattern, but it's slow going. I knit two or four rows and then put it down.

I'm currently knitting a blanket for my bed. Months ago I made multiple attempts to make a blanket for our bed. I got quite a lot done on a huge blanket, big enough to hang over the sides of a California king bed. It's a monster of a thing. However, there is no longer an our bed. That particular bed and it's compatriot no longer live here. I wrestled back and forth with continuing the Very Big Blanket for 'our' bed, continuing the Very Big Blanket for 'my' bed (turning it sideways so it would potentially fit a queen size bed), and finally have settled on ripping it out and making a Big Blanket for my queen bed. I've cut the lead yarn on the Very Big Blanket and cast on for the Big Blanket. I think this will be the biggest blanket I've made. Currently it's residing on my bed and I worked on it last night and this morning. The cats are enjoying sleeping on it and pouncing on the yarn as it unravels from one and is knitted on to the other.

That about catches things up. I'll be back.

Clyde: The Cat Who Wants To Be A Dog?

Part of my plans to face this life with out a mate is to bring Molly back into the house. She is an only dog now and I intended for her to be a house dog all along, but circumstances forced me to move her outside. That being said, things are finally all arranged to have her in the house full time or nearly so. Her crate is in my bedroom and my intention was for her to spend last night in it. This way all of us, Bonnie, Clyde, Molly, and Momma would sleep in the house and possibly sleep in the same room. There was a wrench in the monkey works: at bedtime Clyde was bedded down in the dog crate as far away from the doorway as he could possibly be. I opened the door wide and sang several rounds of The Clyde Song to no avail. He was entrenched to stay. There was no way I was going to bring Molly in and attempt to extricate Clyde from the crate with her able bodied asssistance! My constitution isn't strong enough for that. Clyde did this once before and it was an ugly scene; I speak from experience. I gave up and climbed into bed. After the lights went out, the crate door squeaked, and even though I didn't see him, I'm sure he left the crate immediately...a cat after all.

The Morning Assault

Foolish me. After the drama of the bad Momma yesterday I figured I might be given a reprieve today. Nope. The morning assault began as soon as I stirred. Certainly my stirring was later than normal and that's a relief considering it took a LONG time to fall asleep. Anyway, there they were...Clyde going walkabout on my recumbant flesh and Bonnie smoking crack up and down the other side of the bed. Then there was a death match followed by much leaping and carrying on. On my way to pee I checked their food, out of fear, and they have plenty...even these two couldn't finish off that volume overnight. Later with my coffee and my HUGE Wilbur Smith novel, the crack smoking continued and the Clyde walkabout detoured between me, the book, and the coffee at intervals. Eventually it all settle down and they curled up in the tangles of the bedding...only to be severely put out when I made my pathetic attempt to make the bed. On another note, it's probably foolish to say anything but, all knitting and yarn appears to be safe and unmolested for quite some time. There appears to be some sun peeking out a bit...I think I'll take some sticks and string out to the front porch. Ta for now.

Bad Momma

Oh Boy! Am I a bad Momma! The usual rambling pacing and milling about had some purpose this morning. Clyde was particularly diligent in his intrusions upon my body this morning. At one point, he must have jumped on my from the window sill. Later he leaped across my path from the bedside stand to the top of the dresser. Oh, bad Momma. The Bad Momma is the one who lets the food pan go empty, or nearly so. In my defense, there were crumbs both in the pan and around it. Based upon their frantic antics, however, it was approaching critical mass. I promptly (after peeing, but before coffee) filled the food pan to heaping and replenished the icky water with fresh. Ahhh they will persevere through another day.

On Multiple Fronts the Day After the Long Visit Yesterday

Yesterday was a lovely day spent with a dear, longtime friend. We've known each other since junior high and what a delight to still be getting together to gab and gossip and drink wine. On the Fur front... When my friend was in the house yesterday, Bonnie was almost absent. She threw her squinty eyed hateful looks from her perch on the lap top. Clyde was all over our guest and telling all sorts of lies about how awful Momma is. Later in the evening Bonnie made multiple brief appearances. As the evenong wore on later both Bonnie and Clyde were clearly ready for bed...and Momma wasn't showing any signs of heading in that direction. There was much pacing in the hallway and urgent looks at us. They finally gave up and perched on the arm and back of my chair grudgingly settling in for the long haul. Finally the company left and Momma went to bed! My goodness it was late. There was some jumping and leaping about on the bed and the chair before finally settling down. Even though I was tired, I still picked up my hefty 800+ page paperback and dove into the Kalihari desert of Africa. Before I knew it, it was after midnight! Needless to say, I am dragging today. It's kinda nice to not have an early alarm. On the Fiber front... I did some knitting as my friend and I traveled about in our visiting. Today I've been working on a pair of socks for a friend. I had started the socks for myself, but my friend was so complimentary about the colors that I decided to make them for her. This is a yarn that I've not worked with before. I found it in the sock yarn area at Joann's. It's Bernat Mosaic in the colorway called Psychedelic. It's thicker than sock yarn. Hopefully I'll get a full pair out of it. I'm knitting my standard sock (Getting Started Knitting Socks by Ann Budd) and using size 3 needles. The yarn is bulky enough that I've only had to cast on 40 stitches. The intended feet are size 11, so I'm thinking I'll make the foot 9 inches before starting the toe decreases. Entertainment while knitting today has involved my Molly Piglet. She's a happy assistant. Despite periodic interruptions to throw the crusty hedgehog, I've been able to get the sock knitted to the foot and I've got almost 5 inches of the foot done. Molly also carefully has licked my right calf from ankle to knee. (Silly me didn't know I needed that extra gold medal service.) Molly and I are working on her recalls in the house and breaking her concentration when she's prey focused on the kitties. She's done well with it today. The Piglet is highly motivated by food and this chicken jerky stuff must be tasty as she will come a running for it. We've also been working on sit and down. Clyde has done his part to be a distraction on the dog training front. The clunking, thunking, and shifting noises from my room indicate that both B&C are in on the dog training. They've given it up for the time being, or perhaps it's a union break, but things are quiet now. The rest of my knitting entertainment, I know...as if knitting isn't entertainment enough, is movies on Netflix. Today I've enjoyed Ladies in Lavender and Good Will Hunting. I'm currently mired down mid-way through A River Runs Through It. I've not seen this one and it's quite slow...or maybe it seems slow because I'm tired of sitting and knitting. Enough for now. Ta.

The Prodigal Blogger Returns

Hmmm...well....I'm back. It's been a long, long while. Here I am again. I seem to start a lot of things over, but in light of the options (ending permanently), starting over seems to be a pretty good choice. This blog, thus far, has been about the fur and fiber in my life. I think I'll keep it that way. In the many months since my last post, I've become a sock knitting fiend. I've certainly enjoyed knitting socks since my begining with them. Now I knit one pair right after another. Now that I think about it, it's like having books in a stack and ready to read. I have multiple skeins of sock yarn in stock and as I finish a pair, I cast on another skein. This last weekend I added to my stash by visiting a yarn shop on the beach. Specifically T-Spot in Manzanita, Oregon. The phone number is 503-368-SPOT. They can also be friended/liked on Facebook. The shop also carries teas and chocolate. I must admit that I didn't see any tea, that I recall, I did eventually see the chocolate (it is prominantly displayed beautifully and it's the pretty and special fancy chocolate sans Snickers et al), but I was focused on finding sock yarn. I chose a beautiful tonal orange from Shibuiknits and two skeins out of the discount bin (Tofutsies in a lovely solid green and Berroco Sox in a variegated salmon, peach, brown). The green Tofutsies will be my very first solid colored pair of socks. That's enough of the fiber I guess...reluctantly... On to the fur... Bonnie and Clyde are well and prosper. They still are not gainfully employed. This certainly disappointments me as the currently unemployed Momma of the household. We will get by in some fashion. Molly prospers as well. She seems to be doing just fine with out Henry. She has gathered all of the knuckle bones from the back yard far and near and settled them in a halo radiating out from the back door. Her focus is the back door. She wants in the house with every desperate and excited fiber of her Rottweiler being. I've been slowly transitioning her to life in the house. Poor, poor Molly. She wants the kitties so very much, but the kitties don't want her. Well, more on all of this later. I gotta go...off to a lunch and visit with a dear friend. Bonnie is sending her hateful looks as I finish this.