Purl Side of the Moon

To a Madcap Galloping Chase

Well, the car didn't escape unscathed...the driver side mirror got ripped off. Arg. But I'm happy that there was no other damage.

I'm really pressed for time, so I'm just going to post some pictures that I'm in love with.  Tuesday night we went to Marley's lure-coursing practice. We brought Banjo along to meet all the other dogs and get some socialization in.  While all the other dogs ran the lure course, he sat on the sidelines intently watching them.  **Soak it in Banjo, soak it all in!**

Well, we finally decided that maybe we should give him a go at it...

He did a full round around the course!  You should have saw his face when everyone was clapping and cheering for him.  He's a natural!

And of course, I'm in puppy love...

Delicate Sound of Thunder

My car is under half a tree.  We just had a huge storm blow through.   It doesn't look like there was any damage, but we are going to have to work at getting the rest of the branch down before we can move it.  We also had a pretty good sized branch rip off from our maple tree in the backyard.  There were reported winds of 63 mph and the downpour instantly flooded all the streets and yards.  What was I doing during this storm?...Trying to get a puppy to "go potty outside" in the middle of it.  Instead, he found it more fun to run through the mud puddles and get soaking wet. Neither one of us stayed dry...But he sure as heck was having more fun than me!

Speaking of wet puppies, Liz and her husband Kirk came down for a bbq on Sunday.  We had a great time and ate good food and drank tasty beverages all day.  All the dogs played...and some stayed spoiled laying on the couch in the AC...ehem, Max!  Some dogs dealt with the heat in a different way...creating their own pool:

This is our beer tub,  it has now become Banjo's ghetto pool. 

Nothing like having a wet and muddy puppy give you some loving.  Liz got her fair share of it.  In fact, Banjo proved he is definitely a male...what a boob man he is...Aunt Liz's shelf is just right!

And my, we get so tuckered out that we go crawl into our crate to get some peaceful rest:

Marley thinks that just proves how dumb boy puppies are...Don't you know that crates are only for when Mom & Dad leave!  The couch is a much better place to sleep!

The rest of the weekend was a good one...Despite me hurting my back.  I woke up on Saturday not being able to move.  I think I just slept wrong, but I'm still not able to sit and move comfortable. From my mid-back to mid-neck is super stiff and sore to the point that I have move around like an old woman and with my entire upper body as one unit.   All day Sat. I couldn't do anything but sit in pain on the couch.  By that evening, I managed to be able to walk enough to go boating with friends to watch the fireworks for the Alexandria Riverfront Festival.  It was an absolutely beautiful and fun night.  Sunday my back was feeling a little better and I was getting around with less pain...but I guess I was fooling myself and I over did it a bit..I blame the booze.  This morning, I was in just as much pain than I was on Saturday.  It didn't make for a fun day at work.  I can't believe that I can manage to injure my back so severely, just by sleeping!  But leave it to me to do so!

Money...Get a Good Job With More Pay and You're O.K.

It's kind of hectic here...We've been having out of town guest all week. Jeff's best friend just left to go back to CA and now our friend is up visiting from FL through the weekend.  So....We've been doing a lot more hanging out, socializing and acting like it is the weekend throughout the work week.  It's been fun...but I'm wicked exhausted!

The dogs of course have enjoyed all the extra company and fun. Liz even came down with Max to meet Banjo. It all went well and they had a very good time. Banjo is happy that he has a dog to run with. It's amazing how quickly he can tire out. 

We've been hanging out at the marina a couple nights this week.  The dogs always love that because the can spend all their time jumping in the river, swimming and chasing balls the whole time.  I so wish I had remembered to bring my camera! Marley taught Kona (My friend Allen's dog) how to swim...So she's now a full fledge water dog. (Pretty funny that you have to teach a lab mix how to swim). Marley has become quite the swimming champ this summer so far and is swimming out wanting to go for rides on other peoples kayaks now.  Banjo had also showed that he is fearless...in his first time seeing the river...he jumped on in with full gusto and started swimming all over the place. No splashing around or hesitation at all.  I was quite surprised. I don't think we will have any problem converting him to a kayak dog!

Well, there's been other big news...something I've been hoping for, and working hard to get...after a very ridiculously long  and drawn out process (that's what I get for working for one of the largest multi-national law firms!) I officially got notification that I got a super-duper, humungo, much needed and deserved raise!!!!!! Let's just say it's the kind of raise that would be like a major career move amount.  I've never had to ask for a raise like this, and I was super scared and nervous going through all the chains of command and negotiating it all...But in the end, I got the full amount that I wanted and all the terms that I asked for...So YEA me!!!!!

Note: Do you know how fricken long I've been waiting to use that Pink Floyd lyric for a title of one of my posts!!!! (For those of you who haven't figured this out...or might not know much PF music...Every single one of my titles for posts are lyrics from a Pink Floyd (or PF related...Syd Barrett, David Gilmour, Roger Waters) song.  This all started out as an experiment...I never truly thought I would be able to keep coming up with PF lyric based titles that are related to my posts in some fashion. But it has been over a year now and I haven't come close to running out of them...Amazing!)

I'm at work right now, so I don't have many pictures...but here's a couple from the first weekend Banjo arrived. It was Kesler's first birthday party!  Where the hell did that year go????  Anyway, Banjo had such a big day meeting all the new friends, the kids, new dogs and romping in the kiddie pool...I think we wore him out...

Have a great weekend you guys!!!!

A Brother's Way

Just to give you guys a clue as to how completely space-cased I am right now...Puppies can make fur grow on your brain...I was FINALLY going to go through all my junk mail this weekend...I was sorting through everything on the table and about to throw a huge newspaper-type pamphlet in the garbage can...Thank goodness I dropped it before it went in the bag...Out of the folds of paper plopped out a envelope.  I could tell it was a card.  I turn it over and immediately recognized it was a from one of my favorite bloggers.  Deb and Chappy sent us the sweetest card congratulating us on our new addition to the family!  I'm so sorry I didn't see it earlier Deb! 

Deb had actually sent it at the end of May so that it would perfectly arrive on Banjo's "due" date!  And it probably did get here then...But I didn't find it until this weekend.  Deb is pretty good on timing; When I was pacing and twiddling my thumbs in the cargo area waiting area for Banjo to arrive, I checked my email on my Treo to try and take my mind off the waiting.  Deb had written me an email telling me that in any minute, my new puppy would be arriving. Included in the email, was a lovely poem that she had written back when she was sitting in my same situation and was anticipating the arrival of Chappy.  I can't tell you how special that was and put even a bigger smile on my face!  Thank you so much Deb (and Chappy) for your friendship, special thoughts and going out of the way to make us feel so special!  I am SO sorry that I didn't get back to you sooner about all that! 

Remember how I said the kids are getting along...Well things are getting even better and they have started "playing" together now.  It is so cute ! But even cuter...My two babies sleeping together!

Could it get any more snugalicious???  I guess it is even sweeter to me because if you knew Marley, she really is not cuddly with other dogs at all (except for Max!). (She usually ignores other dogs--She's mostly a people person.) But it seems like she's pretty happy with our choice of a brother for her;  what a major sigh of relief. This was really one of my biggest worries about getting another dog...I really wanted her to be pals with him.  It's really turning out better than I ever expected.

Banjo is doing super well. In his first week he learned how to sit, back up, sit up, lay down and how to stay in his kennel without barking or whining.  Within a few days he was sleeping throughout the night without having to "go potty outside." He even likes to randomly go and sleep in his kennel when it is left open.  Speaking of potty training, that is going well and he's learning to ring the bells on the doors to let us know when he has to go outside.  He also has learned to walk on his leash and the all important meaning of "off"--to take his mouth off all the tantalizing objects that fit so well in his alligator jaws.  Now, if we could just get him to stop barking at Marley to try and get her to play with him!  We are not talking about little yips!  They are ear piercing barks that makes me and Marley want to stuff a sock in his mouth! 

So, I managed to get a close up of his eyes, but not quite as close as I had hoped. As you can see, he has two different colored eyes.  His right eye is green, but his left eye is green with some light blue marbling and other variations of color. I had really hoped for blue eyes or two different eyes (odd eyes).  The breeder had told me that his eyes would be green (which in itself is cool).  To my surprise, when he arrived, I realized that he did have an odd marbled eye.  It might be subtle...but it's odd!

There was some normalcy reinstated in my world this weekend.  I had a great day visiting the my fellow Irregulars at Knit Happens on Saturday...and I actually started knitting something.  I couldn't resist when I saw Maeve's beautiful Eleanora socks.  What a great pattern Mim has provided us!

OK...I can't resist, while sitting here typing, the sleeping continues...

When I Was a Child I Had a Fever

Whew, I forgot what it's like keeping up with a puppy....But it's aaaallllllll worth it!  Oh, my goodness...There really is too much cuteness going on in my house lately!  I'm in love and I just can't get enough!  I swear, every time I look at Banjo, I just want to hug, kiss and squeeze him...and of course, all after I take his picture. Are you guys prepared for puppy pics for awhile?  I so wish digital cameras were more cheaply available when Marley was a puppy.

Well, we have had a bit of bad luck about the puppy in one aspect. A few days before he flew here, he got a booster bordetella (kennel cough) nasal spray inoculation, which is a live virus.  Usually, there are no side effects, but occasionally it can actually cause kennel cough.  Well our little boy started coughing by Friday morning.  Luckily we had a vet appointment planned for that day.  So he was started on a very low dose, safe antibiotic so that a secondary pneumonia condition doesn't start.  Things were going well, except I noticed on Monday morning that he was starting to get a bit of a snotty nose.  If you recall, this happened to Kona as a very young pup, and within days she was fighting for her life.  So let's say that little bit of snot sent me into a tizzy. 

By that afternoon, he was back at the vet for another check up.  His temp was normal, and he wasn't really snotting anymore but his nose was a bit wet and running clear, and his lungs sounded normal.   We went ahead and got x-rays just to be safe.  All is well, nothing there.  So he will stay on the low dose of antibiotics and we'll wait couple more days to see if the snot comes back. So far, so good...no signs and he hasn't increased his coughing at all.  He really doesn't even cough all that much to begin with.  And believe me, he IS NOT acting like he is sick at all.  But unfortunately, he really hasn't been able to go and mingle with dog friends because it is contagious.  (Since Kona and Marley had already been fully exposed to him... we've let them remain together)  So far, we haven't had any other doggie victims.

Things are going great other than that. He's getting along really well with Marley.  Here is a shot of them on "Marley's chair." 

Yeah, Marley is turning her nose up, showing what she really thinks about him being up there to pose with her.

Banjo absolutely loves water...especially water coming out of a hose...

Is that even a real dog???? I think this deserves a close up!

Is that not the most hilarious picture you have ever seen! My little wild man!

But he can looks so cute too...

Oh there is so much to tell...and he has already learned so many commands and good things (a soft mouth is not one of them!  Those darned scissored milk teeth hurt!)  But it is late and puppies wake early...so I will tell you tomorrow because I'm about to go do this:

Wish You Were Here

Oh you guys are wonderful! I'll post more about the whole thing...but what you have been waiting for...Banjo has arrived...and he was well worth the wait.  He is one of the most well-adjusted puppies I've met.  (Get back to me on that in a few days! :)  I'll write about it all in a separate post, but here's what you really came to see...Ladies and Gentleman...Purl Side's family proudly presents...Timberline Boogyin' Banjo.

Marley and Banjo so far are getting along perfect. She has submissed to him and hasn't snapped at him at all.  She even let him lick her belly and face.

Exploring in the yard.

A bath and nap time!

I Don't Need No Drugs to Calm Me

"The Eve" has finally come... It is called "St. Puppy Eve" in my house...Oh, Oh, Oh...I just looked at the clock! It is technically after midnight now that I'm typing this...Today...Today at 11AM I will be receiving a fluffy, red-spotted puppy that looked like a hamster when I first chose him at 2 weeks old. My world will be changed forever...

OK...I really don't have much patience to post too much tonight...My mind is just absolutely distracted...Getting through this day has been unbearable. But I got all work stuff done, I have the next two days off...so I have an extra long weekend to get him settled in and Marley assured that she hasn't been dropped in status.

So I'll finally post something fiber related...This managed to jump in the car with me when I went to Liz's spinning guild get-together (Which was a blast!)

Yep...I'm going big time. This is my new Pat Green Carder. It was specially designed to Deb Menz's specifications. So it is made to make beautiful blends in colors.  You know I wasn't going to hand card all those new fleeces!!!!  So I HAD to get this!  No, borrowing Liz's just would not do! :)

This is from my CVM fleece that Liz split with me. The sheep was named "Chocolate."  Chocolate has a luscious fleece all by itself...but I think it looks even better in these fluffy batts!

OK...My brain cells aren't working any further...Must go dream of puppy fur. That's if I can manage to get asleep!

Thanks for all your emails and posts of excitement for me.  Yes, I'm a nut...but it's awesome to have friends that know just how excited I am...and share in on it. I promise to email ya back soon...Just been super busy preparing for the little guy and making sure all my work was done so that I could actually take off time from work!

AND OF COURSE I WILL BE POSTING ALL ABOUT IT...IMMEDIATELY.  I don't think some of you (you know who you are!) would forgive me if I didn't!  So I'll probably have hundreds of pictures in the first hour, so I will be sure to post a few of them by the afternoon.