No Knitting, Only Puppy

The amount of knitting in my world is woeful right now. In the next two weeks, I have four papers to write. Ah yes, I remember this overwhelmed feeling all too well. The good news is that by MDSW, it will all be a memory. Until then, let me distract you with puppy pictures!

First, a montage illustrating a daily challenge for Sam: Trying to get as many toys as possible into his mouth. He's really swift, so getting good action shots is difficult. But he's constantly retrieving toys from one spot and moving them to his preferred spot of the moment. In this instance, he spent close to 10 minutes trying to get his stuffed man and the tennis ball both into his mouth. There were many close tries, but finally he succeeded -- for just a few seconds. When he dropped the tennis ball, he went right back at it. Hooray for simple amusements.

A morning ritual: The retrieving of the toys. Every night we put his toys on top of his kennel. And every morning, after breakfast, he goes looking for them. Last week he discovered that he could get them himself.

He's most content to just hang out at our feet and gnaw on something. Here he's got Pig, one of his favorite toys du jour. He often carries Pig around triumphantly, which is hilarious. He's teething, so he chews a lot, but we've been lucky that he hasn't chewed too much that he's not supposed to. (Except socks. JT is also being trained to not leave socks on the floor.)

He's pretty obedient so far. He knows many commands - sit, lay down, kennel, stay, come, and give - but still sometimes ignores them if he's otherwise distracted. He starts puppy school in 2 weeks, so we think that will be a big help. But when we're out walking, people always comment on how well-behaved he is. (Please don't change!) He's very good at watching and waiting to be told what to do.

And his eyes are so observant -- he just takes everything in. He loves to hang out in the yard and just watch people walk by. Usually with his brow furrowed - what on earth could cause a little puppy so much angst?

Rock Chalk

I grew up living and breathing Kansas basketball. Trips to games at Allen Field House were a regular family treat, and I remember vividly when Kansas won the men's NCAA basketball title in 1988. Mom even let my sister and I miss school to go to the parade to welcome home the team.

I wore my souvenir national championship shirt out. Here's me, in May 1988, age 11:

(yes, my hair woes started at a very early age.)

When I went to KU, I attended nearly every home game. (It helped that they were undefeated at home in the seasons I was there.)

Last night, I got to experience again the joys of seeing your team win. Every year, I pick Kansas to win in the office pool. JT asked me, why do you keep picking Kansas to win? They can't win every year. But I can't bear to not root for them every year, win or lose. And I don't think I could bear it if they won and I hadn't picked them. Last night? A total delight.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk KU!

April Already?

Hello April! I can hardly believe we're in the fourth month of 2008 already. How did that happen? I have been whirling around like a dervish, so this post will be a collection of random things.

The warmer weather has meant that my little tulips have popped up.

Even though I planted about 20, I realize that I should have planted about 100 to get the dense tulip-carpet I wanted. Oh well - these are really pretty.

There are some other plants starting to poke through the soil, but I forget what they are, so I guess I'll be surprised when they bloom.

JT has taken advantage of the warm weather and is spending a ton of time outside. Sam loves to roll around in the grass and amuse himself while JT works. And look - JT built us a new patio!

He did it by hand, with pavers and leveling sand and everything. I am so impressed--it's so much better than the clumpy grass/dirt that used to be there. Also featured: solar-powered lights that we bought more than a year ago and just hadn't installed yet. They come in handy for those 3 a.m. puppy bathroom breaks.

What little knitting I've accomplished in the past week has come while watching John Adams on HBO. Paul Giamatti is a brilliant casting choice -- our second president was a dour one, wasn't he? I feel like it's a good balance to all of the Bravo shows I've picked up as well. (Should I be concerned that Bravo has become my network of choice, at least until The Office comes back next week?) In any event, I plan to pop into Knit Happens tonight, at least for a little bit. I miss my knitters!

Anyway, I've made some pretty solid progress on Clapotis. I'm on my 4th ball (of 8), so I'm nearing the halfway mark. This is going a lot faster than I expected, which is good... if it doesn't warm up soon, I may even get some wear out of it before summer arrives. The Kersti is really nice to knit with and I'm loving the pale colors.

And, of course, there is the puppy that is running the schedule these days.

He met little Ava on Easter, and they were fast friends. At least until he licked her face, and then she wasn't so sure.

He has cute little bursts of energy throughout the day, but otherwise is a pretty chill puppy, as long as we leave a door open. He loves to plop down in a sunbeam and play with his toys.

He particularly loves his stuffed duck, which is the only toy he hasn't yet split open. (Several toys are now held together with duct tape until I can relocate my sewing needles.) And despite his little fusses from time to time, he's generally a delight.

Even if he severely cuts into my knitting time. At least he hasn't shown any interest yet in yarn...