greenclogs

good morning sunshine

Whoops! I didn't mean to disappear for that long. We had some grandparents here during fall break and it has been a busy few days. But busy doing not much of anything. I love those days more than any other kind. 

I know you're tired of listening to me whine about fall showing up, and I think my whining is almost over. It may be 90 degrees out in the afternoon, but our mornings are glorious. I get up, sit outside, knit, listen to the birds sing. It makes the afternoon heat so much more tolerable. And as you can see, I've been making sweater progress while the kids played with their grandparents. And there's a projected high temp of 82 this weekend - hooray! We'll be back to 90 next week, but that I can handle. Sweater days, they are on their way. 

And I can't wait to be wearing this one. I have about 6 inches of the body left to knit before I move on to the sleeves. 

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sit here on the patio and knit my sweater, drink my coffee and enjoy the early morning air before the kids get up and want pie for breakfast. Oh, and throw the tennis ball for Charlie over and over again. Because could you resist this face?

I sure can't. 

p.s. there are a few new things in the shop, if you're interested. thanks!

opening day

Yesterday marked the beginning of swimming season chez Jackson. While Jeff steamed a mess o' mussels for my birthday dinner, the kids decided (okay, were convinced by me) that the pool was warm enough for a try. It's really not, but they're so happy to be in there that they just don't care.

Today, they came home from school, ran to their rooms, and ran right back out to the pool. True to their characters, Gunnar carefully inched his way into the brisk water while Annika headed for the deep end and dove right in. Jeff joined them with a quick dive, a "BRRR!!!" and a quick swim back to the steps. The pool is not quite ready for us old folks. I am so grateful that we can add the pool back into the fun repertoire for a few months - it provides a much needed diversion for all of us.

Charlie was quite fascinated by the pool activity, and thankfully did not join them in the pool. Instead he let me take cute pictures of him. He's getting so big so quickly!

Back to baby sweater knitting - I'm about 3/4 done with it so I should have something to show on Friday. Then, I think the sewing machine is calling. Patchwork? A dress for Annika? Hmm....

introducing Charlie

Sorry I've been sort of flaky this week. I've been really unmotivated and mostly wandering around the house picking up stuff. You know how those little plastic toys - the Lego, the Playmobil - seem to infiltrate every part of your home? No? Well, they do in our home. We were picking them all up and putting them in their places this week because we undertook a journey today to pick up a new friend.

Meet Charlie. He's a golden retriever/Australian shepherd mix that we adopted from a Humane Society in the NE part of Arizona. Today the kids and I drove up to Flagstaff and met his foster mommy there to pick him up. He's a little over 3 months old - he was born on Christmas. Consider this my little plug to adopt your pets from a shelter - there are so many abandoned dogs that need your love.

Here are a few more looks at our new little buddy.

His eyes are marbled brown and light blue, so sometimes they look a little funny in photos. However, he sees just fine! He's very sweet and is settling in. Luna is slowly warming up to him as long as he stays away from the food bowl. She's letting him know who is boss. We got him because she has been really lonely since Jake died. I think Charlie will make her life much happier once she decides to let him. He's already bringing a lot of much needed joy.

moments of the day

Morning - proofing 300 photographs. Marveling that teenagers and preschoolers are both so much fun and then realizing that I already knew that from my own kids. But boy are these kids fun. Listen to the quiet and marvel at how productive I can be when no one is in my space. Realize that this is my life now and have a happy moment.

Noon - Gunnar wakes up finally, for the second time. He was up at 5 with a horrid cough and a returned fever, was fed medicine and water and slept another 7 hours. He had a setback from yesterday, but is hopefully on the mend. He'll stay home tomorrow and rest through the 3 day weekend.

Afternoon - pick up Annika and break her 5 year old heart with a postponed playdate (2nd time this week) because her friend can't keep food down. Soften the blow with a Frosty from Wendy's. Realize that you have not taken photos of any knitting projects lately and run outside with one before the light is all gone. This is a blog prize in progress.

Watch the dogs who have followed me outside because they follow me everywhere while Luna takes her crazy wild dog circuit around the yard, through the bushes, and back to the yard.

Watch dogs play like they hate each other.

Luna tames Jake momentarily with her feminine wiles.

We go back inside, all tuckered out from the fun.

Dinner - baked potatoes with broccoli, cheese and bacon. Yum. Listen to Annika talk about the board game she is making up and try to keep up with its Byzantine rules and steps.

Evening - finally go to Knit Night after missing 3 weeks due to life getting in the way. Knit on pretty blog prize handwarmer and catch up with friends. Remember that going to Knit Night regularly makes me really happy because I love these women. Make mental note to go as often as possible, especially now that I will need more adult interaction.

Come home, reflect on the day. Convince Gunnar to go to bed even though he's only been up for 9 hours. Go to bed myself and ready myself for a new day tomorrow.

the love of a good dog

Since I have no pretty project or stash photos to show today (dishcloth #2? in progress. Eternal blanket of love? Still on that red block). I'm going to distract you with my Jakey.

We adopted Jake 4 years ago when he was 6 years old. He had been raised in a home daycare in Portland, OR (we lived in Seattle at the time) and his family had to move somewhere that didn't allow dogs. They gave him to one of the daycare families, but the dad insisted that dogs live outside. Jake, being a "hang with the peeps" kind of a guy, was Very Unhappy so they put him up for adoption. Looking for the perfect dog who would let Annika sit on his head, I spied him when looking for a companion dog for our lovely, but troublemaking, Luna.

Luna was a mere pup when we brought big Jake home - a little wild thing. She needed the calming influence of a mature man to bring her zest for life and desire to destroy the garden to a manageable level. Jake quickly tamed her desire to eat shoes, to beat up the peonies, to wreak havoc wherever she went. She, in exchange, taught him to bark at any and every threat to the homestead, to trust and love us as his family, and to sleep on my bed. They became quite the pair. Luna unlocked the casement windows, Jake pushed them out, and they both jumped to their freedom. Well, Luna did. Jake was caught while high centered in the window. Have I mentioned that he's a big boy? Together they protected the house against the threat of the neighbor's Dalmatian who dared to bark at them from their own front yard, and broke the 80 year old leaded glass window in the process. Together they do everything. They even love the cats.

Jake is 10 years old now and getting slower by the day. He forgets that he's old and does this.

He even moves so fast that he blurs the shot. And then he limps and groans for days. He loves the desert heat, which has added years to his life and immeasurable contentment. We treasure every day we have with our Jake. Love ya, big guy. I don't know what we'd do without you. And no, Dad. You still can't have him.