Wordle

Lauren did a Wordle, so I decided to do another one for my blog. It is designed to make the more frequently used words bigger.  As you can see, one particular word remained bigger than the rest.   If you squint and try really hard, you will notice that quilt is are there on the left side, quilting is there somewhere in the jumble, daughter is close to the top left, and book is on the right side.  And a teeny-tiny fabric at the bottom.

Apparently, this, my quilting blog, hasn't talked about quilts or quilting much this year. To be fair though, there must be a limit to the number of posts they go back, since I couldn't talk about that big word until this year.

You'll notice that I am not using that word in this post at all, (in case I want to do that Wordle thing again later).  You will also notice that the topic of this post is that word itself and not what the word represents.

In quilting news, the backing for the Simply Squares quilt has been put together and pressed.  The batting is ready.  Time for sandwiching the quilt.  The little quilt for the quilt swap is also finished, and I am about to email the photos to Kate now.

 

[Updated February 4, 2022, if you meant to find the new game Wordle, it is here. Thanks for visiting my blog. Stay and look around for lots of fun quilt content.]

Innocent

See how sweet and innocent that dog looks? And clean? Did you notice clean?  We gave the dog a bath. This meant this was his first time upstairs.   He was afraid of going upstairs, and then wouldn't get into the bath.  He was so scared, he wouldn't eat the treats.  He had to be carried into the bathtub.  He handled the bath okay - he loves to be petted.  Then he jumped out of the tub because we weren't quick enough with the towel. I used a medicated shampoo for dry skin, so he doesn't smell good, but he is sooo very soft. Very very soft and fluffy.

And now he thinks he can come upstairs whenever he wants.  I have hardwood floors, even on the steps, and he doesn't have much traction, but he does okay.  He is always startling me when I am upstairs because I am not expecting him.

And if that wasn't enough adventure, my daughter's friend came over.  She has a dog, and Zeus just loved her.  She lets him lick her face, something we don't do. He had a great time moving from between the three of us to get petted.  Then we decided it was time to let him out.  I've let him out once before without his leash, and he handled that just fine.  I don't have a fence yet, but he is a well behaved dog and does come when called.  We let him out again without the leash, and he bolted.  I called for him, but it didn't work.

We had a panic, and I decided to take the car to follow our regular walking path.  The girls decided to walk and look for him in the alley.  I went back home, to see if the girls had found him.  They hadn't.

We decided to try again, again with me driving, and them looking on foot. The girls went out. As I was about to go to my car,  I heard a bark, and wasn't sure it was him, but I decided to call again.  Yelling out loud in the neighborhood, bothering the neighbors and drawing attention to my predicament, isn't something I like to do, but desperate circumstances called for it.  It turns out that my daughter had seen him, and was chasing him, and he ran straight to the yard, and when I called him, he went right in the house! 

Yes, we learned our lesson.  Always take him out on a leash. And get a fence ASAP!

In quilting news, I am piecing the backing for the Simply Squares quilt.  Zeus did try to get on the fabric when I set it on the floor to see where and how much fabric I had to add, but I told him to get off, and he behaved and stayed off of the fabric.

Observations about Owning a Dog

As most of you know, I got a dog early this year.  If you would have told my family members that very same day if I would ever get a dog, they would have told you, no way, that would never happen.  But it did happen, and Michele said I could talk about him all I want. So if you don't want to hear about the dog, go blame her!

So, how has my life changed since I got the dog?

1.  I have to make space for the dog's things.  I wasn't expecting that, and I still haven't found a good place to put all the stuff.  The food, the toys, the treats, the medicine, the leash.  All of these things take up space.

2.  Cleaning has changed.  I thought I would have to clean a lot more with the dog, because he would get into things and chew them if I didn't have them out of his way.  He leaves things alone, so that isn't a problem.  Although I am not a neat freak, I had this idea that "dogs are dirty." With his incision, I couldn't bathe him. So I vacuum more, and brush him a lot so he doesn't shed as much.  And I wash my hands a lot.  I am relaxing more, after a conversation with my sister-in-law, who is much more relaxed.  She said, "So what if the dog has an accident / illness. Just clean it up, just like you would clean up a baby's accident/ illness."  Zeus spit up all over the house when he had his kennel cough, so all my floors and carpets are no longer in "almost new" condition.  And he (and I) brings mud in the house, since we go out frequently.  We are cleaning the floors and mopping more. I have to clean more often (the dust bunnies are gone), but the house isn't really cleaner, especially anything higher than the dog can reach.

3.  I am learning all sorts of new things. Like how to train a dog and not misdirecting him.  I am working on adding stand to his list of commands he understands, even though he hasn't completely mastered down yet.  And also working on getting him to understand he has to keep doing that until released.  He isn't the kind of dog that will offer different things until you get what you want.  He will just stare at you if he doesn't understand or doesn't want to do what you want.  He is getting past the honeymoon stage, so he pulls on the leash more when walking, and is starting to ask for what he wants now, by whining.   I don't like the whining, so I have to figure out how to make him ask nicely.  Especially the bathroom thing. I don't know how to tell whether he has to use the bathroom, or whether he is bored and wants attention.

4.  I have to make more decisions now.  In order to train Zeus, I have to figure out what I want. Some things are easy, but others are harder.  Is it all right for him to climb on the couch?  Can he jump on people if they are okay with it and ask him to?  My daughter and nephew are giving him lessons which are inconsistent with what I am teaching, but my methods will turn him into a couch potato, and I do want him to do energetic things.

5.  Schedule. I have to keep a more consistent schedule, and can't simply sleep and wake up when I please. No more midnight genealogy surfing.   One of the dogs next door can jump his fence, and I try to go out when they are inside.  Plus Zeus expects certain things at certain times. Yes, I am also working on not maneuvering my schedule around the dog, but making the dog fit around my schedule. I've made this mistake with boyfriends, and hopefully by practicing with Zeus I will learn to do this better.

6. I have found more uses for the internet. I can type in "coughing dog" on you tube, and figure out the dog has kennel cough by watching the video of another dog with the illness. I can search for whatever my question is, and there seems to be lots of answers, which is nice, because I can choose which ones fit my personality and way of training.

7. I am spending a lot more money. Not just on the dog, but the reason I stay away from stores is because it is too easy to pick up a few other things because they are useful and inexpensive. The trip to the store for the $12 Kong (recommended by just about everyone and shown in the picture) set me back about $112. Sure I "needed" everything I got, but ouch.

8.  We have more company now.  I am hoping this isn't a temporary increase, just to meet the dog, but more permanent, play with the dog, increase.  We have to clean more for this too, but I am enjoying the dog and the company.

Review: Love at Last Sight

Love at Last Sight: Thirty Days to Grow and Deepen Your Closest Relationships by Kerry and Chris Shook reminds us that while love at first sight is important, it is really the ongoing relationships that matter. What you do with and for your loved ones on a day to day basis is more important.  In 30 chapters, this book outlines steps to take in 30 days to develop a closer relationship with the people you care about. What I loved about this book is that it isn't just about romantic relationships. You don't even have to be having a problem with the other person, you just have to want to get closer to them. You can develop a closer relationship with a parent, a child, a friend, a sibling, or anyone else that you want to get closer.

Some of the steps are common sense, but when we get frustrated in a relationship, we have a tendency to forget the tools we already have to solve some of our relationship problems. And sometimes we don't make the effort to do the things we know we should be doing. This step-by-step program makes sure we don't skip the steps we think are "too hard." And the chapters convinced me that each step was worth doing.

This is a Christian book, and there are quotes from the Bible, as well as quotes from other sources in it.

I think 30 days is fast, especially with someone you don't see everyday. Some chapters may take you more time to digest and implement, but any step you take towards getting closer to a loved one is bound to reap rewards for both you and your loved one.


I really liked this book, and would recommend it.

I received this book for free from the publisher, Waterbrook Press, in exchange for an unbiased review.

Missed It

Wasn't it just yesterday when it was 10/10/10, and I was talking about finishing a quilt on that date, so I could add that to the label? Then it was 1/10/11 which is also an interesting date, and I thought it would be good to do the finishing touches on the swap quilt on that date, but then I realized that 1/11/11 was just the next day, and maybe that would be a better finish date. I am going to take the hand quilting stitches out of the heart and find some buttons or beads to put in them.  Then I got lazy, and well, another interesting date went by without a finish. Sigh. Maybe I should prepare now for November 1 (11/1/11).  If I finish it today, I am still going to put 1/11/11 on it, in honor of the date, since I did think about finishing it yesterday! 

Isn't that such an interesting tree in the picture?  Zeus is getting over his cough, and now I am trying to work with him to get over his separation anxiety.  He whines whenever I am out of the house, even if my daughter is home.  Luckily, it snowed yesterday, so as I kept coming in and going out for short periods of time to get him used to me doing so, I could shovel.  I am sure my gas bill will show how many times I did this.  He was fine as long as he had a bone to chew, but then he started whining again.  Today. I took him for a walk to tire him out first, but he still jumps every time I move.  I need to buy a Kong toy for him to chew, but that would involve me leaving the house!

Swap Quilt finished

I am almost finished with the quilt I am making for Kate's Another Little Quilt swap.  Just have to finish quilting the other two hearts.  It is stitched using embroidery floss.  I used jelly roll strips for the borders and the binding.  I don't really know how to quilt around the stitchery, and I think adding a few stitches in the hearts will be enough on this small quilt.  If not, the recipient is free to add whatever is necessary!

Edited to add:  The design for the stitchery is from a free block of the month pattern called Sentimental Journey that was offered by Raspberry Rabbit.  It is no longer available for free, but is available for sale. Thanks to Allie for finding the link for me.

Our new dog Zeus is doing fine. He has recovered from his fleas and whip worm, and is healing from his incision, but he has developed kennel cough. Poor guy, it is one thing after another. He is doing better now, and was very energetic on our walk this afternoon. I am learning quickly where all the many, many dogs live in the neighborhood. 

I am happy that we taught him the down command and he also sits and stays now while I put the food bowl down. Since we don't know how to train (except through lots of reading), we were excited that we got our first success. He might think he has to eat his treat in the down position, but I think he is getting over that as well.

Today in the mail, I got the just released book, Civil War Sewing Circle, The: Quilts and Sewing Accessories Inspired by the Era by Kathleen Tracy. Most of the patterns are simple, and range from small and large quilts. I like how there is information about the inspiration for each quilt, instead of just patterns. I look forward to reading the history and looking at the old pictures this evening.

Zeus

 

We got a dog!  We've never had a dog before so it is very different from our normal.  Since I don't have any dog experience, and am technically still afraid of most dogs, I wanted to get an older dog that was calm and behaved.  He has brown eyes but the red eye fix on the photo correcting software didn't work.  He is around three or four years old and has already been basically trained to sit and stay and walk calmly.  He had recently been neutered, so he is getting more energetic now than he was, but not in an obnoxious way. He had fleas and worms, but a trip to the vet has brought him some relief.  He had his last doses of several different medications today, but hopefully he won't need any more.

We are also getting more company now than before, as more people come to visit him.

In quilting news, I made a stitchery and have made the quilt top for Another Little Quilt Swap, just have to finish it, and send Kate a pic!