Purl Side of the Moon

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.

In the Lazy Water Meadow

Oh what a great weekend! Perfect and so much fun! Perfect weather...Nothing but grilled food every day/night...drinks...fiber...and new toys!  Jeff and I got two new kayaks a couple of weeks ago.  Jeff got the "lava" color...

And I got Key Lime...

I researched a zillion kayaks so we could get just the right one...Especially ones that make it easy for puppies (two more days folks!) and dogs!

As you can see, the bow is slightly concave and easy for Marley to stand on.  I put a wet chamois cloth on there so she has better traction and doesn't slip around.  She does really well on the yak!  Of course, she's had a fair amount of experience on the water already.  We have a lot of friends who own sail boats and power boats...so she's been on boats since she was a pup.  For the most part, she stands up looking over the bow scouting the water or sitting facing me.  She gets lots of waves, oohs and awws, and smiles from other kayakers and boats.  And as you can see...she practices safety and has her own life vest.  We've ordered a new Ruff Wear one  for her that will fit her better and not be so bulky as the one she's wearing right now. Dog PFD's sure have come a long way!

We are really lucky to have a ton of places to boat and yak that are just a few minutes from our house. (Alexandria is right on the Potomac River.)  All with very scenic views or wildlife. These pictures are taken at Belle Haven which is our local marina.  During these we were in a close by inlet surrounded by herons, beaver, osprey and ducks.  In this inlet the water is calm and we have a swimming hole that you can moor up in the middle of and float around, eat some lunch, swim and of course...sip on cool "beverages" of choice.  (Note the cooler in the back of my yak!)

Saturday we all went a few hours with my girlfriend Ava and her daughter for our yak's first test drive. Then Monday, Jeff, Marley and I went out for the afternoon. We kayaked across the river to the MD side and then had a nice picnic lunch with some swimming and relaxing.  When our car rack arrives we'll be doing regular traveling trips to yak at the beach and other great waterways here in our area.  Plus it will be cool to get off work in the summer heat and go for a quick row out on the river before sunset. Best yet, what a fun additional activity to add to our camping trips! Let's just say, we are going to be using these babies quite a bit! And heh, maybe I'll lose a few pounds too!

Sunday Liz came over and we played with fiber. Actually we washed one of her fleeces in my washer and played with another toy...spun a bit...but somehow the drinking and BBQing ended up sort of taking over more than the fiber.  My awesome neighbors had done up ribs, fish and chicken on the grill with all the fixings on the side.  I had made up a few dishes.  Then my neighbor made up this incredible red concoction that will kill flies by just pouring it, but tastes just like kool-ade.  Needless to say, we didn't get too much done, but as always, I had a great time with Liz and Max.

Liz gave me my birthday present early...A beautiful dark variegated sheep skin.  I had been wanting one for the animals to have for a bed.  Though this picture is blurry, you get the idea of how much Marley loves her new sheepie:

She was cold from the AC, so she buried her nose in it. Marley and I say thank you Aunt Liz! This is what she looks like tonight while I'm typing this!

Spoiled Rotten!

Keep Your Hands Off of My "Stash"

Sorry I haven't posted earlier...Something was wrong with Typepad the past couple of days and when and it seems to be working now.

OK...Fiber...Don't talk about anything...show us the fiber!

So as all of you probably read over on Liz's site, the gist of it.  We went bonkers.  Anne, Liz and I had a girls sleep over on Friday and got to the festival early.  My mission...Hit Spinner's Hill. And that we did. I swear in the moments it took for us to run up to main barn and find SH's new location...I ran into half my "Irregulars" crowd.  While my name was being yelled across the yards of beautifully displayed fluffy colored fiber, my head would pop up with a "Hey,  hugs...is that three balls of roving in my hands...sorry I'm really hugging you but I can't seem to pry my hands of this fiber...Ya know, if I put it down someone will snatch it." Of course, my mind is secretly thinking it is a ploy that all the "Irregulars" teamed up and planted themselves there to distract me while the rest of them snatched it all.  I spent a REALLY good chunk of the paycheck at SH, we then picked up 6 of Liz's fleeces from her "sheep dealer" Myrtle...three of which have been shared with me!  Thanks Liz!

After that, I made it to the fold to get the last three (of non-solid colorways)...Yes the last three of 800 skeins of Socks that Rock...which were sold out by 9:30!  That is just nuts, 800 skeins in an hour and half!  Nuts!  Of course the only way I even got to those three was by Erika fighting her way through all the people and quickly just grabbing anything left on hooks and passing them to me! Thanks Erika!

Then we made our first trip of the car...err...with a cart that was lent to us...

Trunk full...lets go back and get some more!

I played it casual the rest of our time there.  I had to be back home early so I made a very brief appearance at the blogger's meetup and got to catch up with a lot of my friends that I haven't seen in awhile.  I have to post this great picture of dear Wendy celebrating her book tour in style!  This was a "Spring Tour" shirt that Phyl made up for her!  Oh how I've missed all you "Irregulars"!

Then I had to scoot so I can get a fiber-fix before leaving the fest...

I picked up a few more things...a basket, an adorable stuffed sheep and two more fleeces, a new diz set!

So here's some pics of stash from SH...I got all of the following:

Two pounds of this beautiful wool silk blended brown and copper mix of fiber:

And some in green too!

And these balls of roving:

MMMM...that last one is merino!

And here's some of the other goodies:

I'll have to show the fleeces in another post...I've started washing a few...and I might have picked up a new "BIG" toy this past weekend!

Banjo update...5 more days people!!!!!!  My new, handsome, copper and red, fluffy boy will be here on June 1st!!!! I'll be sure to share the moment with you guys!!!!!  I'm really having a hard time maintaining. All I'm thinking is fur.  I can't concentrate on anything else...Come on June!

Oh...and how funny is it that I have totally missed mentioning my first blogoversary!  It was May 11th! Oh...I don't know...maybe the fur has encased my brains and not letting me send signals to the rest of the body! 

In the Flesh

I know, I know...Ya'll want to see fiber!  Well, I've got plenty...believe me!  I loaded up at MSWF!  But bear with me for one more post.  I really would like the sun to present itself, so I can take some good pics of all of it...  And I will be repeating mostly what Liz has already showed.  I didn't really take that many pics a the festival.

So, I know that most of you put up with my Pink Floyd thing...but come on...indulge me one more post and I promise, the next post will include fiber.

So we made it to NY...and of coure, I had a blast going to the David Gilmour concert.  I met up with a lot of fellow bloggers from the www.DavidGilmour.com site.  Way cool.  Here's a shot of a bunch of us in front of Radio City Music Hall.

And some us having beers before the concert... (Oh, yeah...there was much during and after too!)

And like a secret agent...I managed to sneek my camera past the security and camera check.  Here are some shots from our seats that were in the first row in the first mezzanine.

And much cooler (and closer) shots that some DG blogger friends sent.  By the way, I have tons of pictures that I took and other have sent me Do you know how hard it is to just pic a few?

Ticket to see David Gilmour in NY.. $300, Hotel in NY City...$945, Picture of David Gilmour outside of RCMH at the concert...PRICELESS!

Especially when Crosby & Nash show up!

To top my evening off...I had the best gift to take to me to NY.  Michelle from Unravelled sent me the coolest (and cute) prezzies and unique postcard messages.  (I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to put this up on the blog Michelle!!!!!)   

Marley even got a gift...Here she is opening it.

And what was in that big wrapped present up there?  THE COOLEST GIFT EVER!!! A pair of these...

Pink Floyd-Dark Side of the Moon pajama pants! Or should I call them Purl Side of the Moon PJs?  And yes, I got to wear them in NY!!!!!  In fact I wear them ALL the time!  Love, love, love my DSoM PJ's!  THANKS AGAIN MICHELLE, You're the bestest!!!!!

Coming Back to Life

By now you all have probably stopped checking to see if I have FINALLY posted, but if there are a few of you out there...HELLLLLLO!!!  Can you believe it??? You are looking at something other than that damned hat!

I can give you all the low down of what the hell is going on in my world that has kept me from blogging and stopping by your guys blogs...but you've heard it all before.  WORK.  Big thank you's and hugs to all of you that have emailed and sent e-cards...and I do so apologize for not emailing back promptly...some not at all. I haven't been checking my home email that much and at this point can't even catch up with it all.

So, coming back to the blog has also been harder given that so much has been going on in my world and now there is so much to share that, I feel quite overwhelmed with all I got to tell you guys!  There's been the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival, work, David Gilmour, work,  NY, work, some of the coolest pajamas EVER from one of the coolest ladies ever, work, fun fiber days with Liz, work, Dog training, work, trip to NJ to see Deb and Chappy, flyball, work, lure coursing with Marley, work, big purchases, work, fleece washing, work, Mom's new puppy, work, horseback riding, work, BBQ's, work, and the biggest news ever, work....All these things, and they all should be told...but time is not on my side, sooooo...I will get to each and every one of them slowly with each post as to make sure ya'll are caught up. That way, I"ll stay sane doing little bits instead of telling you little bits all at once...That way I can give each one the attention they deserve!  Also note...that knitting isn't really in that list above, but I finally finished that damned hat!

So, what should I start with first...well there is one that is the most important of all.  Super important...like life changing important.  Jeff and I are going to be a mommy and daddy (again)...

IT'S A BOY!

Nope not the two-legged type (Sorry Mom) !  Meet Banjo.  Banjo is almost 5 weeks old in this picture. He is a red merle Miniature Australian Shepherd.  At the end of May, he will be flying all the way from Missouri to join our family.  Can you believe it!  A new brother for Marley!  It is killing me to wait. I picked him out when he was two weeks old.  Each and everyday since, I have been painstakingly waiting for this fuzzball to arrive.  Marley and Piper...errr...they might not be as anxious. It will be tough having their crowns knocked off of their cute furry queenie heads.

Speaking of furballs, my Mom too has a new puppy...Funny eh, it's also a Mini Aussie!

Meet Mickey Mack (with his sister Mishka)...

Now it wasn't planned to get the same breed of dogs. In fact, Mom's dog was kind of a surprise.  My step-sister bought it for her and my Dad.  I had already had my eyes on a Mini Aussie, but while I was working the husband, trying to convince him we NEEDED another dog, Mom beat me to the punch. They aren't from the same breeder, but at least they will be baby buddies together.  They can both bond and share horror tales of what puppy life is like living with Jack Russell Terriers in their big dog houses.

Of course, Ms. Marley isn't so sure she wants to give up her prized spot as the one-and-only dog on the blog!  So she wants to get as many pics in that she can get.  Here she is having a blast at one of her lure coursing outings.  Our flyball team gets together at a large field weekly to let the dogs go nuts.  Of course, Marley is a pro at it...err...a fricken manic is probably a better description for her love of it.

What Have We Done

Sorry to disappear from the Earth...Once again things got a little busy in my life. 

I've been knitting...and er...some reknitting.  I've been working on my Norwegian hat.  Last time we met I had to tink back some.  Then I got to a pretty good point like about this much:

What you don't see on the other side is a mistake that went undetected forever, so it went back to this:

Yeah, I could have left the mistake, but it was driving me mad.  So this weekend I finally finished the Norwegian hat:

But guess what...Nope no mistakes... But the damn thing swallows my head. Don't ask me why I kept on knitting when I knew it was getting too big.  I guess I was in denial.  I've seen them on people and usually there is a bit extra on top...but I've never liked a lot of extra on top, and my opinion hasn't changed now that I tried it on.  Also what is a little bit of extra on others is a whole lot of extra on my pea sized head!

So just revert back to the first picture for how the hat will look after this post. Actually, it won't be that bad. I just have to rip back and redo the decreases. I just have to figure how far back I need to rip to make it fit right.

So I had a filled weekend.  I camped out for tickets to our annual Jimmy Buffett concert.  We had a blast and turned it into a raging tailgate party. I got my tickets!!!!  Kona and Marley had fun camping out for tickets too.  I became the human dog bed while sleeping in the truck that night.  We were all cozy...(This is from my view underneath the dogs.)

Speaking of tickets...Just three more weeks and I'll be in NY to see David Gilmour!!!  Whew hoo!

Give Birth to a Smile

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID GILMOUR!!!

Today is the 60th birthday of the greatest guitarist on the planet.  Woo hoo!  Tomorrow will also mark the release (FINALLY!) of the U.S. version of his new album "On an Island."  Yes, I will immediately be obtaining a copy and listening to it non-stop.  Actually, I've already heard it through many sources that have been provided through the internet and as it has been debuted on London, Canadian and US radio stations. It's fabulous! Tomorrow David Gilmour will be doing a special performance at the Mermaid Theatre which can be partially watched live from BBC2...Just in case you too wanted to see it.  Also...for any of you Floyd/Gilmour fans, Sirus radio's channel "The Vault" has dedicated this weeks schedule to 24-7 David Gilmour and Pink Floyd tunes.  I am a lucky subscriber already, but I think I would get Sirus just for that.  I will be able to tune in from my computer at work...and if you want to check that out...Sirus lets you have a three day free pass to do so from any computer.  It should be a great week at work...as long as I don't have too many meetings or interuptions!   Needless to say, Purl Side is one happy Pink Floyd fan right now.

I was so busy this week, I didn't catch up on nearly as much as I wished.  But I did start at new project:

After seeing this shitty photo (sorry, flash washout), I realized that I made a mistake and need to rip out a couple of rows. CHICKEN FARTS!  Anyway, this is the Bea Ellis Norwegian hat  Ufserud.  And I've decided to join Yummy Yarns Norwegian Knits.  Yes, I'm already knitting Torino...but I'm having way too much fun with color and just love how this hat looks on MJ!  Go take a look!  My Ufserud is in a forest green and a beige color.  Plus, this is a great carry along project.  (Don't  even mention those unfinished Jaywalkers right now!!! LA LA LA LA LA...I CAN'T  HEAR YOU!!!!)

So this weekend was the 25th Anniversary of Alexandria's (VA) St. Patricks Day Parade here in Old Town.  If you aren't from this area...Let me just tell you, the parade is a BIG deal here. As you may gather from my previous talks on Alexandria, it is a historic town that is just a few miles from Mt. Vernon.  OT has a rich heritage of Irish and Scots as prominent citizens, and that is no different now...and we are mighty prideful of it!   After all, what's a better to do on a Saturday than stand in line for hours waiting for Murphy's and the other two Irish pubs on King Street (our main street) to open their doors at 10AM so we can all get Guinessed up for the parade! I actually didn't partake in this ritual this year...I'm getting too old and grumpy to be polite in the over-packed bars as the 50th person spills beer down my back.

Here are some parade pics for ya:

And my favorite...

The Sweet Smell

So Liz surprised me this past weekend with yet another wonderful wooly treat.  If you didn't already know, Liz has become quite an expert and quite obsessed with obtaining incredible sheep fleeces. She has her favorites already and loves purchasing all kinds to check out.  Well in her endeavor to get sheep fleeces that have been blessed with the hands of wooly gods last year, she has found some very special sheep that she has reserved for their wool this year.

Meet Molly.  Well at least meet her fleece:

Molly is a Shetland sheep and this is her "hoggett" fleece.  Meaning it is her first sheared fleece of the year.  This shearing is prized by most spinners.  And some spinners just love to say the word "hoggett"! 

Well as generous as Liz is, she offered to split the entire fleece with me so I too could share in the joy of Molly's greasy, silvery, fluffy, luxurious, (smelly) hoggett fleece this year.  Again, I know it is a strategic move on Liz's part.  She's really evil and enjoys luring us spinners in and getting us hooked on yet another aspect of our addiction.  I don't think she has to work any further on me...I'm already looking at buying a drum carder and eyeing other fleeces from farms she suggests!

Here's a bit of a close up.

I know these aren't the best pictures, but I really don't want to pull the smelly thing out of the bag again until there is some washing going on and the animals are tucked away. Marley already showed great admiration of Molly's pungent perfume and I can see her fighting with me to roll and rub all over her if I dared spread her out on the floor again!  I'm hoping the smell doesn't knock me over when I get around to cleaning the thing. Yuck!

Oh...BTW...I've got something else cool that I keep forgetting to blog about.  Guess what I finally purchased:

Considering my ability to perform any kind of math and design skill is about equal to that of a jellyfish, I finally shelled out the cashola for some electronic help.  I'm hoping that it will assist me with designing some (SIMPLE) new sweaters out of my homespun yarn.  Maybe the first one will be a Molly sweater!