Soft, Squishy Packages

     I found a soft, squishy package on the front seat of my car last week.  Our mailman has learned that said 'soft, squishy packages' are important parcels and usually come from far away, making them too important to stuff into our mailbox...especially when it's raining!  This 'soft, squishy package' came from Dublin, Ireland and was from my new Yarn Pal, Ruth Montgomery.  It was full of wonderful things...yarn, a small stuffed bear, more yarn...just too much to mention!  And a key chair with a enameled sheep on it!  I've been having a problem with my key chain...it's getting old and the keys keep falling off!  Jeff brought in the 2 keys to the shop one day and just the other day the car keys fell off!  I quickly replaced my faulty keyring with the sheep from Dublin!
   Today I mailed a 'soft,  squishy package' to Scotland.  It held 2.1 lbs of yarn, pattern books and knitting notions in a project bag that I made and cost $35 to mail!  I was lucky enough to find most of what I sent on sale so I could keep the declared value low on the customs form.  (I know that's not how it's suppose to work but I don't know how you can send somebody a gift and declare the true value of it when you know they may have to pay a custom's fee on it.)
  When I worked in the shop last week I was just finishing the project bag and collected a lot of compliments on it so I decided to make some to sell.  I cut the number of stitches and number of rows and it turned into a cute little bag that could be used for a lunch bag or a project bag...or even a purse! And since it's knit from 100% cotton yarn, it is machine wash and dryable!  I've got 2 just about finished and should finish a 3rd before I go back this Saturday.  The bag is called a Japanese Knot Bag and is based on a design by Jean Barresi,  It's available for free on Ravelry.com. I would love to post photos of my little knot bags but my camera's memory card is full so that will have to wait until I can get a new car.  (Jeff says just delete some photos but I won't do that.  Never can tell when I'd want those pix!!)
   While I was working on the Knot bag I developed a cramp in my right hand...my index and 2nd finger twisted and it hurt like HELL!  It lasted quite awhile, too.  (I can honestly say, it was even worst than a trigger cramp, if you ever had one of them!)  Anyway, when the cramp finally subsided my hand started to swell up.  I sat there for awhile massaging it and that helped some and I went outside and grabbed the old pipe that's the handrail for the stairs.  Now, that felt good!  But I couldn't stay there...outside of the shop...all day!  I kept massaging my hand and eventually went back to knitting because although it hurt to knit, it hurt more not to knit and let the fingers/hand stiffen.  By the end of the day, when I got home, my hand was pretty stiff and sore.  The next morning it was even more sore!  Since I already had a MD appointment for Monday morning I just kept 'RICE' and knitting.  The doctor noticed that it was still swollen and ordered an X-ray.  Haven't gotten the results yet but he thinks it just a bad sprain.  Ah, getting old is such fun!

You win some...

   It's been a struggle to housetrain Zoey, our 13-month old Beagle.  From the beginning when there was a path of pee pads thru the house it was not a sure thing that she would use them.  Let's just say her aim was off.  She would have her front paws on them but the important rear end wasn't.  Or she would run over the pad and her 'deposit' would run off onto the floor.  She'd even have one front and 1 rear paw on the pad but not quite enough of the middle over the pad.  It was funny...in the beginning...for awhile...a short while...a very short while.  As the scent in our house changed to 'Mr. Clean', I think Zoey became even more confused.  If it smelled like 'Mr. Clean' it must be alright to go there, became her motto.  Since her 1st birthday on May 27th, the number of pee pads has shrunk until there are none and for the last 2 weeks, she's actually been making it to the door...some of the time.  But there have been setbacks.
   Yesterday was a very traumatic day for Zoey.  Jeff was changing the transmission belt on the Cub
Cadet in the back yard and Zoey was watching him from the parlor window.  And conveying her dismay that she was not out there helping.  Loudly.  When he got the machine back in working order, he cut the grass and Zoey ran from room to room barking and baying, following his progress around the house.  By the time he finished and came back in the house, Zoey was hysterical.  (Ever seen/heard a hysterical beagle?  Trust me, you don't want to.)  It took most of the evening and many treats for Zoey to calm down.  And many 'oops' in the parlor and my room.  (I think she was blaming me for not letting her out.)  Jeff just talked to her when I announced another 'oops' (no discipline) and even I couldn't be too angry at her  (at him, maybe).  I just cleaned it up again and again.  
   This morning around 6am,  Zoey woke me and I was shocked...there weren't any puddles or piles anywhere in the house.  Jeff had take both dogs out before he went to bed as usual and she stayed with him most of the night.  I let the dogs out...Fanny was back in about 10 minutes, Zoey stayed out about 1/2 hour...gave them some of their morning biscuits and we all went back to bed.  Around 9:30 we all got up...the aroma of coffee had finally got to Jeff...and the dogs went back out.  Still no puddles or piles in the house.  Jeff asked if I had cleaned up after Zoey this morning and I said no.  That was a quick trip for both of them because they wanted the rest of their breakfast.  Zoey just got Jeff to let her out again for another quickie and I'm pleased and surprised to say, still no puddles or piles.  Why?  Who knows.  Did the bout of hysteria trigger something deep in Zoey's brain?  ??  I'll take any and all steps forward I can get.   Will it last?  One can only hope.

Life in the Great Northeast!

   Life has been quiet here in the little house in the little woods.  Zoey, the beagle puppy (should I still call her that?  She's almost 13 months old?) is still struggling with housetraining.  She now knows to go to the door when she wants to go outside but she seems to forget why she wanted to go out and after being outside for any length of time playing with Fanny, the older dog, or trying to follow a scent across the yard...even up to an hour...when she comes in she makes a 'deposit' on the floor, usually in the parlor or in my room.  I kept using pee pads there after we stopped putting them all over the house so Jeff says she's looking for her pee pad.  He blames me...says I 'trained' her to use those areas.  She doesn't use the kitchen or TV room where there were pee pads just the parlor and my room.  I think she's associating the smell of "Mr. Clean" with the place 'to go' so I'm going to try a different cleaner and see if that helps.  I've never had a dog that took so long to catch on to the program.  I know she knows she's done something wrong coz when I catch her 'making a deposit' all I have to say is "Oh, Zoey!" and she curls her tail under and tries to slink away.  I hope it all starts making sense to her...SOON!
   While sales in the shop have generally been brisk, anything 'Baby' especially my hats and sweaters are barely selling.  The bigger size sweaters aren't selling, either.  I've been working on a couple of shawls and hope to finish them this week so I can take them down next Thursday when I work again.  Having 292 stitches on the needle is hard on my left thumb...although I'm right handed, it's the digit that moves the work along. 
   Jeff's trying to replace a  transmission belt on the Cub Cadet.  The owner's manual isn't very helpful so he's watching videos on YouTube.  I can't believe you have to take the mowing deck off to get to it!
  We've both been fighting colds this past week and if you know either of us very well, you remember how well we can cough.  Wednesday night I think we both coughed more than we slept!  Last night was a little better but it's still not a restful night.  What do they say about summer colds?  Yea, they are worse than winter ones! Add to the lousy way we feel, it's been very damp and cool...no, cold, the last few days and the furnace even came on during the night!  It doesn't make it comfortable to have a June cold in the Great Northeast.