Purl Side of the Moon

Run Like Hell

Oh it has been a BIG weekend here at Chez Purl Side. Purl Side is one beaming Mama right now.

Ladies and Gentleman (who knows there might be one of those out there reading my site)...

May I present to you...

The first place winner of her first Jack Russell Terrier Race ever. 

Miss "You can't catch me" Marley:

Whew hoo!  Marley had a blast and did G-R-E-A-T!  I was so proud of her.  The races were part of an annual "for fun" Jack Russell Race they hold in St. Michels every year.  It's part of their weekend fall festival.  I'm very proud of her, especially given this was even the first time she's ever even had a muzzle on her face ever, been put in "the" box, had zillions of people surrounding her and yelling at her, and also raced after a lure.  She ran against other novice racers and the crowd was so excited when she came bursting out of the box and bee-lining to the end...meanwhile all the other novices were confused, stumbling over each other and half running and half trying to get their muzzles off their faces!  Marley looked like a pro. In fact, my girlfriend said she didn't even see her fly by. All was well until she got to the end...when she got to the hay bales and was supposed go through; she didn't quite know what to do.  She stood outside of them wondering where the furry tail went and eventually just wanted her muzzle off. Finally she got coaxed to go through the hole to the other side before any of the other Jacks made it up.  She was so funny. 

Her second run in the steeplechase wasn't so good.  She once again took off like a mad woman and got over the first hurdle then out of nowhere she just stopped and started rubbing her face all over the ground trying to get her muzzle off.  Finally, she made it to the bales in second, but technically was the first in the hole because the other Jack didn't know where to go.  To note though, her muzzle was too small. She was already panting hard and I think it freaked her out not being able to pant or be able to even open her mouth the slightest bit.  Next time (yes, I said next time) we will get a better muzzle, in a proper size.  We'll also get her used to wearing one.  Either way. I'm just happy she got to race and have fun.  I wish you could see her right now. She is so passed out and exhausted.  She is just plain tuckered out.

So what else did we do?  We had a pumpkin carving party on Friday. Although we were having a bit too much fun drinking and visiting, we never got around to carving.  So instead, Jeff and I spent our Saturday night carving our pumpkins. Here they are :

Marley and Marley. Yeah, not the scariest Halloween pumpkins...Well at least one of them...The other is well known to be a terror in her own right.  And here's the devil dog admiring her likeness:

All Right Jack

Wooo hoo...Someone got a whole 6.5 hours of sleep last night!  WARNING: This is a real long post...Hey, I'm making up for lost time.  Before I start this post...A SUPER BIG THANK YOU to ya'll for your great emails and comments.  I know I've said it before, but I really can't express how super-duper cool it is to have a cheering section giving you some oomph and a smile to boot.  You guys are great!  (Joanne...you're killing me woman!  Oh so imaginative.  Now you know what I go through every time I post and have to come up with a title that is a Pink Floyd lyric and yet somewhat related to the post!)  Thank God Floyd has lots and lots of songs...with weird lyrics to help.)

So, I had planned to FINALLY make it to Knit Night at Knit Happens tonight...at least I had, until the first hour of work this morning.  My day never goes as planned.  But I'm not complaining because I had an awesome day at work today. It started out shaky, like it could turn into a bad day...I quickly fell into step and had full control all day. I finished a report for a client, got some goody-good intel on several legislative items, and had a day where every five minutes something new popped up but I was able to squash it before it even had time to have its fuse lit.   I just love it when that happens.  But best of all...at 6 PM tonight (err...last night now that I notice it's after 1AM) the Ways and Means Committee handed us a big, big legislative victory!  Yippeee!  At least it's a hurdle cleared...we still got a long way to go.  But I left work feeling great tonight!

Do any of you watch West Wing and how it portrays the chaotic inner workings of the staffers? Damn, I love that show.  Well, never, ever, doubt that that is really how wonks work...we seriously do. That is exactly what my work day is like (including the hours, eh!) But I love it and usually thrive in it. By the time I leave the office and don't have to work anymore...I'm a completely a different person. I shed off the "professional" exterior and become my second-self.  Loud. Obnoxious. Ditzy. Goofy. (Sarcastic)...It's a defense mechanism.  The only way I can survive it all. You have to let the stupid cells take over so your good brain cells can rest.  At times, it can get hard waking the good cells back up...they hit snooze sometimes...that's what coffee is for.

Ok...Enough about my boring work stuff...What did we do this weekend?  We drove out to the country with Marley in tow.  She had her own special day.  We went to the Jack Russell Terrier Club National Trials. (Go browse around on this site...it's adorable and really informative.) Let me tell you, there is nothing more hilarious than hundreds of Jack Russells in one spot together.  That and all the knowing owners that don't have to explain why they are nuts about their Jacks...nor be embarrassed...because that thing bouncing off the walls at the end of the leash...is at the end of their leash too!  We all know we are nuts having a Jack...It adds spice to life...Once you go Jack, you never go back.

So what do we do when we get our dogs together...We make them do the things they instinctually love, and are amused to death by it (Did you get that one Joanne?).  There is racing, steeplechase, agility, go to ground (the dogs have to make it through a simulated critter hole and that is in a maze...They are timed on how fast they can smell and make it to the quarry.) and all other kinds of working Jack stuff. We didn't enter Marley into anything but she had a BLAST anyway.  This was her first time witnessing the races.  She caught on quick and SO SO SO badly wanted to join in the fun of chasing after the lure.  She expressed her desire in typical Jack fashion. We had several people come up and ask us if we raced her...when we said no, their comment was always, "Well, you should."  So I'm thinking about putting her in a race this coming weekend.

So some fun pics.  I didn't take many it was chilly and rainy and I kind of had my hands full.  At one point, Marley literally broke out of her harness and ran straight after the lure on the side lines. But here's what we got.  Warning...lots are just blurs or specks...It's hard taking pics of racing Russells.

AND THEY'RE OFF:

FULL SPEED AHEAD:

ARE THOSE JACKS OR MINI SHEEPDOGS:

THE CATCH:

I CAN SO DO THAT:

A POOPED RIDE HOME:

For those who don't know how the races are run...they muzzle the Jacks and put them in little boxes where they can see out and see a lure (usually a fox tail) that is on a electronic motor that winds it back up behind some hay bales at the end of the course.  The Jacks are going nuts just waiting to catch it. The boxes full of scratching, barking, frantic Jacks are all of suddenly released open and out they come, barreling inf full force like the devil is behind them catching their tails on fire. The winner is the dog that makes it through the hole in the hay bail first. The fun part is watching them come out on the other side(see above).  They all come flying through the bales and usually six or seven catchers are there to swoop them up so they don't fight over the quarry or manage to get out of the pen in their excitement.  It is nutty trying to get hold of a hyped up Jack after a race. Think of a greased pig scene. 

Sleepy Time, and I Lie

I'm a big fat liar... I'm not back to normal.  At least for one more day.  Heard that before, right!  Well I mean it now.  It is 2:14 AM. I've been working solid through since this mornign.  The last time I went to sleep was from 4:45-7AM yesterday.  After the day from hell...I just really need to get some sleep.  I have so much to tell you guys! I (we) did something really fun this past weekend.  I'll leave you with a teaser...It involved zillions of excited little white spotted dogs known for their sense of adventure!

Just to let you know how tired (and stressed out) I am.  In between the pushing of the snooze button (during my two and a quarter hours of sleep this morning) I was having a continual dream/stream of conciousness that everytime I pushed snooze it was recording my thoughts so I had all the information I needed in my brain recorded and updated for when I was awake.  By the third snooze, I remember worrying that by repressing the button that I was erasing my previous recorded thoughts of information. 

And what were these thought being recorded that were so important? The dates, proposals and progress of the negotiations for the South African Customs Union Free Trade Agreement.  Geeze man, It's really good thing that by pressing the snooze I wasn't erasing those life-or-death pieces of information!

I'll talk with you guys tomorrow...I swear!

I will leave you with a picture of what Marley thinks about me working so much...

***Added:  Does anyone else notice that when I clip the hair on her face it makes her ears stick out more!

It's Alright We Know Where You've Been

HEY YOU ALL...Well if there is anyone there anymore!   

Wow...so much to say...like, I am alive...this isn't Marley blogging.  I am so sorry that I disappeared...my life (work) got completely out of control which I'm hopefully getting a grip on (even though I should be working on a fricken magazine article right now) and THANK YOU, THANK YOU so much for all your kind, sweet emails of hellos, we miss you and support.  I'm such a terrible butt pimple for not writing back to y'all.  Seriously, I've barely had time for anything.  Any spare moments I've had not dedicated to keeping my self alive by the necessities of eating and sleeping...have envolved sitting in a vegetative state of far off stares and drooling. It's been kind of a joke around the house now.

Ah, work...I'm sure it's hard to believe that someone can work so much that you can drop out of sight for so long.  It just happens.  I don't even know how it happened.  I took over some duties and overbooked my schedule...and of course the government and global institutions aren't helping that much!  My God...that's an understatement.  The WTO in Geneva and all the new proposals in the Doha Round. The Judicial branch and its sudden nominees/confirmations (One of which was a former work associate) The Congress...Appropriations, budget, need for Katrina relief money, oil and gas prices, foreign relations problems...oh and let's not forget the nice little indictments and investigations.  The White House...I don't think I have to explain this one.  But I'll just say that there isn't anything going on in this administration that I haven't been bitching about for the past five years. Damn, you know it's bad when Ann Coulter is even dissing on you. I'm just glad some eyes are being opened, even if it is too late. "All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them"--Galileo  (Don't worry my GOP friends, soon "The Brain" will be back from having to focus on other pressing matters and he'll clean up some of this mess with a spin plan...Then again, maybe he won't be.)

Alright enough of that; I was supposed to warn you before I do all that, eh!  Sorry, sometimes it's hard to shake off all the political bombarding when I've been surrounded by it in such concentrated amounts.

So knitting...there's not much of that been going there unfortunately for me.  You all have probably knitted 20 sweaters each by now.  I've almost finished the back of Martha and I started a sock...well three socks...with the same yarn.  I finally found a pattern for my Cherry Hill sock yarn:

This is Whitby from Nancy Bush's "Knitting on the Road."  I love her patterns but why did she make them in such ridiculous sizes.  A good amount of them would only fit a child once knitted.  And I only have a size 6 foot!  So of course there's much altering of patterns. That doesn't work well when you are brain dead. But this pattern at least shows off some of the stitch pattern and cables.

Alright, it's 1:30 and I'm heading to bed.  I'm glad to be back and thanks again for those of you who stuck in there.  I would have written last night but frankly, I vowed after finishing my big project last Friday to not open a computer once during the weekend.  Instead, I planted over a 100 bulbs and now have pansies and mums to stare at for the remaining days on the patio.  I should be back regularly after tomorrow (another deadline) and then hopefully things will back to normal. Then I'll be making my rounds to see what you all have been doing in your lives...And envious of your knit goodies!

Dogs

Dear Mommy's Readers:

Mommy has been really busy.   She's always on the computer and looking at pieces of paper.  She's not really fun that much right now.  I haven't seen her with those pointy things in her hands in quite awhile.   It's been over a week!  She's never gone that long.  I think she's losing her mind.

She keeps saying that she needs to blog, but I swear she's been working day and night.  She hasn't taken off time even on the weekend.  OK, mabe there was yesterday when we went to Uncle Brian's and Aunt Dena's house to koo over Kesler and BBQ with all our friends.  But other than that, she's been constantly busy.   She swears that she will be writing real soon.  She's been working on something REALLY big. 

I hope you are all doing well .  I miss getting to see all my blog dog and kitty friends.  And I know my Mommy misses you all too. 

I think she will pull through, but I'll let you guys know if you need to send help soon!

Wags,

Marley