Almost time for my once a year post ...

It seems like that's about how frequently I can manage to blog, so we'll go with it.

A few weeks after my last post, I lost the love of my life, Miss Chelsea. She died on 8/5/2009, and it was one of the saddest days I've lived through. Her loss left a gaping wound in my heart that has finally started to slowly heal. I now only cry over her death once or twice a week instead of one or twice a day.

Chelsea came back to me one morning a few days after she died. For her entire life, from puppyhood on, every time she walked past me she would poke my leg with her nose. Every time, without fail. Diego has never done this, not once, not ever. The Friday morning after she died, I was getting ready for work and standing in the bathroom putting on my makeup. Diego walked past me and poked my leg with his nose. I had to go sit down. He had never done it before, and he has not done it since. I know it was her coming back for a minute to let me know she's ok, and I was thankful.

The Chihuahua brothers are vastly entertaining, though, and Skippyjon tries hard to love me in the same way Chelsea did. She and Skip used to have long conversations a few weeks before she died - he'd sit directly in front of her and would bark up at her face. She'd look down at him and would bark back. This would continue for ten-minute intervals, several times a week. I think she was telling him that she knew she was leaving and that he had to help take are of me. He is my snugglebug, and he makes a valiant effort. Diego continues to be the explorer - curious and interested in the people of this world. Well, except for those skateboarders who insist on riding the sidewalk right outside my front door. Those guys terrify him.

I might try to start posting more frequently. I still haven't decided which direction to head in blogging-wise. I'm doing a lot of papercrafting, but not enough to post something new every day. I'm still dyeing sock yarn, so maybe I'll post about that. And maybe someday I'll actually start gardening again!

Apparently there's no time limit ...

... for not posting anything! Now that I've written my password in a place where I can actually find it when I forget again, maybe I'll start posting on a regular basis.

To catch everyone up - I now have two Chihuahuas, brothers but not litter mates. They're as different as night and day, including their coloring: one is white and sable, the other is black and white. Diego is curious and outgoing and loves everyone; Skippyjon is a little more reserved and likes to observe before he joins the fun. Chelsea has learned to accept the boys, and she spends her time watching their antics.

It's late now, so I'm heading off to bed and I'll write more later. Now that I'm back in, I have to figure out a direction for this blog. Do I turn it into a crafting blog and write about what I'm making? Do I turn it into a blog about the dogs? Hmmm, decisions ...

And just like that, I'm back in.

For months and months (obviously) I have not been able to remember how to access this blog. Couldn't remember my sign in, couldn't remember my password, and couldn't find information on how to get back on.

And then magically this morning, it all came together. I searched the Help area, put in the right search terms and found the solution. Ta-da! And here I am again.

To catch everyone up -- Diego's baby brother Skippyjon is now living with us. Same parents, different litter. He's an aggressive little bugger and starts fights with Diego on a daily basis, but we're working on that. He is serving his purpose is a most excellent way -- he and Diego are best buds when they aren't fighting, and they totally leave Chelsea alone. She's much happier and more relaxed now, which makes me happy. I really didn't want her last years to be spent hiding behind the chair or under the bed so that she could avoid Diego.

I changed jobs almost a month ago. I'm now working as publications director for another yarn company. And I LOVE MY JOB!!! After a year of not really liking what I was doing at the previous yarn company but settling for it because I couldn't figure out what to do, actually liking my job again is refreshing and welcome. I'm crazy busy with it, and that's ok. I feel like I've been there for a long time instead of a few weeks. The whole thing totally fell into my lap out of the clear blue sky, and I'm incredibly blessed with a good salary and a great position.

What else, what else ... oh! I'm getting a new car today! Well, not a new car, but a new-to-me car. The Transition Car died two weeks ago. I've had a rental for a week, and found a 2003 PT Cruiser with decent milage in pretty good shape. It comes home today, and I can't wait. It's a limited version, with a sun roof and heated leather seats. The inside is in great shape, as is the outside. The dealer fixed a few little problems for me (that could have been big problems had I not had a prepurchase inspection done when I looked at it), so I'm happy. I still will need shocks, new wipers and new tires, but all of them can wait a bit and I can do one thing at a time until they're all done. I feel safe enough with it to drive to visit family over Christmas -- about 600 miles each way -- and it will be nice to not have to pay for a rental like I usually do when I drive home.

On the knitting needles: six socks, all on double-points, and one more sock to be cast on [soon] to try out the new square double points I just bought. I want to see if all the hype is true. It wasn't [at least for me] for knitting two socks at once on two circulars. I still have the same two socks on the same two circular needles that have been there for a year. I should finish them ... Also on the needles, my version of the Noro Silk Garden 1/1 rib striped scarf. I'm using Sonnet from Wisdom Yarns, which I'm pretty sure is very similar to Silk Garden. The colorways I'm using are prototypes, so they aren't available anywhere. The scarf is gorgeous and will be a gift to a friend who has been helping me out with occasional rides while I've been car-less. I finished up socks for my brother and sister-in-law, who are on their way here as I write this to spend Thanksgiving weekend with me. We'll have a wonderful dinner tomorrow, do some work, and then have some play time at Gem Mountain over the weekend. I can't wait to see them!

I think that's all the big stuff. Now that I know my sign-in stuff, I'll be posting often again. I missed writing here!

In other news, Diego reaches 2 pounds today.

Back to our regularly scheduled garden news tomorrow, I promise. I really do have baby tomato plants!

Diego, the Explorer

One of the few times he sat still today. That tail is moving though!

Whoa -- what's this under here? Can I eat it? (Once he was under the chair, he sat up -- he didn't have to crawl under on his belly.)

Hi Mom! Hi Mom! Hi Mom! Hi Mom! (each Hi accompanied by a jump)

I know he's around here somewhere -- I need to hide!

[Note: Sorry for the blurry photos -- neither of them would stand still. Diego is so excited to just be, and Chelsea is trying very hard to stay out of his way. Perpetual motion these days!]

I'd really forgotten what having a new puppy was like. Chelsea was a puppy 13 years ago, and she was so very, very good. Diego is a totally different story -- he's a little terror! Must be the Chihuahua blood ... And he isn't really a terror. He's very much the fearless explorer. He wanders all over the apartment, and he discovers new things at every turn. This morning I caught him chewing on all of the following: a bead, a little clump of Chelsea's fur that she pulled out while scratching, a tiny piece of rubber that must have bounced off the table when I mounted stamps the other day, the label sheet to a set of stamps that I've been looking for (who knows where he found that), a piece of pine straw that must have come in on Chelsea's fur, an ancient treat that was under a living room chair (he fits under there quite well, almost without crouching down), a strand of yarn from the skein hanging off the back of my desk chair (that I didn't think he could reach), a corner of the blanket covering the back of his play crate, the potty pads in the bathroom, a piece of dog litter from the box he doesn't use, a strand of carpet fiber, the corner of Chelsea's steps, my socks (my fault for leaving them out). And when he was very quiet and I couldn't find him, I called him, only to find him right at my feet chewing on the strap of the clog I was wearing. He had quite a busy day, and now he's sleeping soundly at my feet under my desk, right where Doodlebug used to sleep and where Chelsea had been sleeping. She's cowering under the dining room chair in the corner.

Chelsea absolutely hates him. He's tiny and very quick, and he absolutely adores her. Whenever he catches sight of her (which isn't often because she stays very far away from him), he gets all quivery and waggy-tailed and darts toward her. She immediately jumps up on whatever surface is closest, which has made for some interesting moves this week. She ended up on my desk chair yesterday, and then fell off of it when it swiveled. She's been limping a little today and hesitant to jump, so now she's started barking her head off whenever Diego gets close. She truly doesn't like him, which surprises me a little, and disappoints me, too. I really wanted him to be fun for her as well as fun for me. Maybe one of these days she'll at least tolerate him and will forgive me for bringing him home. She hasn't slept with me since last Friday. She won't kiss me. She doesn't look at me if she can help it. And the only time I can pet her is when he's securely locked in his sleeping crate and far away from her. I knew he would rock her world, I just didn't realize he would devastate it.

Anyway, here are his vitals -- he was 10 weeks and a day old when he went to our vet for the first time. He had his first vaccination on Tuesday, and he weighs 1.8 pounds. Our vet was very impressed with his lines and thinks he could be a champion show dog. I'm not interested in showing him; nor am I interested in breeding him. He'll be neutered at the first available opportunity, although the vet wants to wait until all of his adult teeth are in so that he can pull any remaining puppy teeth if necessary. He doesn't want to have him under anesthesia any more than necessary because of his size. He'll top out at about 5 pounds when he's fully grown. He was also dewormed again, and I have a tiny heartworm pill to give him on the 10th of this month, provided he weighs 2 pounds by then. I can check his weight on my kitchen scale. We visited some of the apartment office staff yesterday, and he was exhausted by our outing. We've been staying inside because of his lack of immunity. I can't put him down outside until he has two more parvo/distemper shots. Because we live in an apartment complex that allows pets, there are quite a few dogs here and the vet is concerned that he'll pick up something from feces or vomit on the ground. There's plenty of both, even though we're supposed to clean up after out pets. I know, TMI.

I love him so much already. He's so very sweet, and so very mischievous, and so very comical -- everything I wanted in a puppy!

Mixed Emotions

Well, tomorrow is the big day. Diego is finally old enough to come home. Yay! He'll be ten weeks old on Monday, and his breeder says his mom's milk has dried up and he's eating solid food now. He weighs a whopping one pound (plus a few ounces). I'm a bit nervous about bringing home something so tiny. I had guinea pigs bigger than he is! And Chelsea, at 16 pounds, will look like a hulking giant next to him.

And I'm also sad. I tore Doodlebug's huge crate apart tonight to disinfect it and wash the blankets. I left it up after he died so that Chelsea had his scent to remember him by. I did pull out his bed and put it the chair where she sometimes sleeps. Hopefully she'll use it occasionally and think of him.

I shopped today for food, doggy litter, teeny tiny toys, a very little collar and a very small crate. Deigo will sleep there, and I'll put it inside Doodlebug's crate so that he has a secure corner for snoozing when I'm not home. Doodlebug's crate will serve as Diego's home for as long as he needs it. I won't let him have the run of my bedroom until he's reliably housetrained. Chelsea has potty pads in my bathroom, and Diego will have a litter box there, as well as the small one in his crate. He isn't vaccinated at all, and probably won't start getting shots until he gets a little larger, so he won't be able to go outside at all for quite some time.

Besides shopping at PetSmart, I stopped at the holistic pet boutique across the street from where I work. I was talking to the owner about getting Diego neutered relatively soon, and she was all over me about waiting until he was an adult. What's up with that? We have an appointment with my vet on Tuesday, and his word will be the final say. I'm all for early neutering/spaying, and can't see that it has hurt any of my dogs in any way. This woman was very annoying, and if she wasn't the only place in town to buy the food I want to feed him, then I would not go back. She totally poo-poo'ed the idea of training him to a litter box, and said she hadn't heard of it ever working. Of course she wanted me to buy the potty pads she sells there.

Anyway, there you have it. Excited, sad, anxious, annoyed. And tired! Night-night!

Vote for Chelsea!

No, she isn't running for president, although she would be fair and just and a proponent of animal rights everywhere. Hurricane Katrina would have been handled much differently had she been in charge. I'm just sayin' ...

I've entered this photo in a contest at Bissell. The weekly prize is a new Pet Eraser Vacuum and a chance to win the grand prize of $10,000 donated to the pet cause of our choice (along with Chelsea's photo on new product packaging). My current vacuum cleaner is over 10 years old, and on it's last leg (wheel?) -- although I'm very proud of the fact that the two times it has broken in the last year, I've been able to fix it myself!

Please vote this week, and only vote once. Duplicate votes will be disqualified. And if you'd send all your friends there to vote, too, we'd appreciate it! Here's the link:

http://www.bissell.com/products_by_lifestyle/pet_products/mvp_pet_photo_contest/vote_on_photos/voting_period_10/page_id/47126/default.aspx?imageurl=http:%2f%2fimages.bissell.com%2fimages%2fincludecontent%2fmvp%2fperiod10%2f5542.jpg&ref=mvp%20period%2010%20-%20my%20pet&pet=5542