Hooray, Hooray, It's Fall!

Welcome to cozy season! Yes, I am sure there will still be some warmer days coming, but hopefully the high temperatures, humidity, and mosquitoes are gone until next summer. And that gives me the best feeling!

The past few days here have been cool and rainy, and a nor'easter is supposed to show up this weekend. So of course guess where we are planning to be - at the beach! 🤣

My niece Amanda and her husband Patrick will be able to go to Rehoboth Beach for the weekend, as we have been doing for a few years now, around this time. Even just a few months ago, it looked like they wouldn't be able to do it, but Patrick even checked with his doctors and they said he should just live his life. It will be a year since we have seen them, and we are looking forward to it so much!

Then it turns out that my sister and her husband Patrick decided to join us as well - it's been over a year since we have seen them! As I've mentioned, my brother-in-law has not been doing well at all, but last month he was enrolled in a clinical trial, and though he is not 100%, he is feeling so much better, he told my sister that he thought they should join us. That will be wonderful - just to see them both in personm and hug them.

But wait - it doesn't stop there! Two of Amanda's three sisters and their families will also be coming - I tell ya, it's gonna be a cast of thousands, LOL! I get it though - their dad is feeling well enough to be there, and they want to spend whatever time they can around him while they can. So altogether 13 of us are descending on the place, plus one dog (one of my nieces has a dog, and they rented an Air Bnb; we are staying at a place that doesn't allow dogs, so Katie is going to a pet hotel - please don't tell her Dash will be at the beach!).

So even if it is not optimal weather, we are assured of having a good time. And frankly, just getting to see both Patricks and being with them will be the best - everyone else is just icing on the cake.

I have looked at the forecast, and it looks (as of right now, days away) that it will be cloudy and extremely windy, but not necessarily rainy the whole time. But again, being with everyone will be the highlight, and we can do that rain or shine. Also, this is happening, which was on the same weekend we were there last year, and it was absolutely hilarious!

So barring unforeseen circumstances (please, unforseen circumstances, stay away!), it should be an excellent way to start the fall season. 

Are you doing anything special to welcome the new season?

Furball Friday

I recently bought something called a FreezBone for Katie. It's a sturdy silicone item where you add various treats, yogurt, broth, peanut butter, or specially purchased foods and then put it in the freezer for 2 hours. It's supposed to be an enrichment toy for dogs, and also calms them since they have to do a lot of licking to get everything in it.

I got one prepared last weekend and put it down for Katie to enjoy.

She did eventually get to try it ... but there wasn't a whole lot left after Milo the Koodle investigated.

Sigh.

I hope you get to enjoy any weekend treats without someone else getting to them first ... 

Shameless Self-Promotion and a Knitting Update

Hello everyone - I didn't mean to disappear, but apparently I did. The past couple of weeks were the kind where I was busy most of the time, but have absolutely nothing to show for it. Along with some medical appointments, which were very fortunately uneventful. But hopefully now I can get back on track with blogging, and everything else I enjoy doing.

But first, I must do my "shameless self-promotion" part of the post. You may remember that when we had Dug and then Hamlet, I participated in the Mutt Strut, which is a fundraising event for PAWS (Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society). It's a fun event, and frankly I could have participated even when we didn't have a dog, since you can "rent" a dog for a day - but I knew I would be devastated to return said dog, so just avoided it altogether, but always sent a donation. 

Anyway, this year, the Mutt Strut is taking place on Saturday, October 3. Katie and I are participating, but in a shocking development, The Tim has decided he will join us! Go figure. 

I set a fundraising goal of $800, which frankly I thought would be a reach for us, but I wanted to try and do as much as I could. Well, so many people responded so generously when I posted on Instagram and Facebook, that with those donations, some of which were matched by local places, we've already gone past our $800! I am so excited about this, and am truly grateful that people have donated anything at all (you know who you are! 💕). Now we are actually not too far away from $1000, which blows my mind. 

So if for some reason, you feel the need to part with some money by donating to a non-profit animal welfare organization that is likely not even in your town, here is the link to our fundraising page:

Team Clancy

No pressure, but any amount would be so appreciated! And to tug at your heartstrings, here are some examples of the kinds of sweethearts you would be helping. These are some friends from my volunteer gig, so they are all kitties - but PAWS helps all kinds of animals. 

Bob (2 months old)

Skeeter (3 months old)

Mesquite (2.5 months old)

Thanks for even considering helping us out. I'm sure Katie will enjoy herself, though whether or not she will walk well on the leash around all of the other pups remains to be seen. 🤣

*****

A couple of weeks ago, I *thought* I'd finally finished the body of the tee I have been knitting all summer. I had tried it on in progress a few weeks before, and realized that I would need to knit it a bit longer than the pattern said. I was glad to know that, instead of thinking I was close to finishing and then finding out I wasn't. So I continued knitting, and then added the bottom ribbing and did an Italian bind off as the pattern instructed. 

Only to try it on and have it still be too short for my liking. Ugh. So, as mentioned in a previous blog post, I unpicked the bind off so that I could knit it even longer than I had originally planned to do.

But when that was finally done and the stitches were back on the needles, I just didn't have it in me to knit that particular item any more. Even though I wasn't finished, I was done. So, I wrote the notes I needed on the pattern, regarding where I was leaving things, put it all back in the project bag, and put it away for some other time, who knows, maybe even as long as next spring! And I have to say, I didn't feel bad about it. If nothing else, I told myself that next year, I'll have very little left to do and I'll have a new tee to wear at the beginning of the season. 

So that's that project "hibernating" as they say on Ravelry.

I think I know what my big project for fall and winter will be this year, but I haven't actually done anything serious about it yet, so that's still to come.

But I did start another pair of socks.

In this photo, you can see one completed cuff, and cuff just started. Well, both are now complete, and I am nearly through the leg on one of the socks. But getting there was another story.

First time around, I started knitting a texture pattern with a color coordinated yarn. I knit almost to the heel flap before deciding I didn't like the yarn color combo, and the pattern. So, rip, rip, rip!

Second time, I used a different color coordinated yarn, and a simple waffle pattern. Again, I got nearly to the heel flap, and decided that nope, that wasn't working for me either. 

Fortunately, third time was really and truly the charm. Using the yarn from the second attempt, and doing a simple 3 x 1 rib, I was FINALLY happy with how it was all looking! Which is good, because I'm zooming along on the project, but I'm kind of annoyed with myself, for not taking the simple approach to start - I mean, until recently, 99% of the time, I was either doing just a ribbed sock or a plain sock. Truly an example of live and learn, right? 

And that, my friends, is all the news from here. I hope you are all doing well, and not tying yourselves up in knots with "dumb knitting" (which is what I feel like mine has been lately). 

Here's hoping that I'm back sooner rather than later. I really want to be! Take care in the meantime.

The End of August

Here we are on the last day of August, and at least here in Philadelphia, it's hot, humid, sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast, and frankly I'm done with it. I mean, I was done with it at the beginning of August, and we had some nice days, but I still live in the past weather-wise, where towards the end of August, really hot days were not that common. 

Also, it's Monday. I've gotten some things done, and The Tim is at work, but everyone else is quite loungey. 

Katie came home from the dog park and was exhausted.

Esme and Alfie are still enjoying this Chewy box from about 2 months ago ...

Milo the Koodle was feeling cute - which means he wants you to try to scratch his belly so he can maul you. Today I did not fall for this ruse!

*****

So here's a bit of a summer summary (as opposed to a summer summery) for you. I know there are still a few weeks of the season left, but I'm one of those people who see September 1st as the time to close out some summertime activities.

Plan 1 for the summer: 

Knit a tee and a tank.

Knit several pairs of socks.

Finish summer cross-stitch.

Actually accomplished:

Knit one pair of socks. 

Worked on summer cross-stitch once, got quite a bit done, never picked it up again.

I am still knitting a tee. I thought I was nearly finished, after knitting the neckline yesterday, and getting ready to do the sleeves. Tried it on, and in spite of what my measurements told me, it was not long enough for me. I know a lot of people look good in cropped tops. I just like to feel like when I sit down, my top will still cover my back down to my butt. So this morning I started picking out the bottom hem, which is especially fun, since it is an Italian bind off. I know you're feeling jealous right now. At least when I have the new length knit, only two short sleeves will be left to do. I originally wanted to have this finished by today, but last week I did not knit a single stitch so everything that's left won't be happening today, LOL!

Plan 2 for the summer:

Clean up the garden, and plan for planter/plants in front of house.

Call landscaping service to trim trees and bushes.

Buy some new/additional furniture for the garden.

Sit outside as much as possible.

Barbecue and/or eat outside once we have a table.

Actually accomplished:

I did clean up the garden, and was able to keep it in good shape. I found the perfect planter that I wanted, but could not afford it, and then of course nothing else appealed. I've told myself that next year, I will definitely decide on something, rather than have nothing.

I called the landscaping service, and they were booked at the time, so I said I'd follow up. Forgot all about it until last week, but I did call, and we are currently waiting for an estimate.

Bought no new or additional furniture for the garden, for the same reason I did not buy a planter; went to look to see what might be on sale last weekend, and every place was pretty wiped out. So much like with the planter, I will try again next year and try to be less finicky.

I did sit outside a lot, with Alfie at first and then with Alfie and Katie. We were fortunate to have a lot of nice days, or at least nice mornings, when we would be out there for an hour or so. Of course there were long stretches when it was unbearable to even think about being outside, but this is one thing I really felt I accomplished like I'd hoped.

We never got a table for outside, so never ate a meal out there. 

So as you can see, it was not all that I'd planned or hoped, but since I'm only responsible to myself, it's really OK. Do I wish that more had been accomplished? Sure. But it wasn't so I'm just adjusting things and moving along.

*****

You may recall that Patrick, my niece Amanda's husband, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphatic Leukemia right before last Christmas. He has been receiving intensive treatment, and at the beginning of July he had a successful bone marrow transplant. Last Friday, he was able to ring the bell to signify that it was all successful and he is now considered healthy again! All of us are so incredibly happy and relieved that he has done so well, and that he and Amanda can get back to their regular lives. I wanted to thank those of you who said they would keep good thoughts and/or say prayers for him - they made a difference! 💗 Since they live in Baltimore, he had care at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, so he was extremely fortunate to be in a place where they could provide the latest in treatment. 

Now I would like to ask you to keep my brother-in-law Patrick (Amanda's father) in your thoughts and prayers, since he is also dealing with a health journey that is very unlikely to end with a cure. But we are all hoping he can get to the point where he can enjoy whatever time is left to him. So if you would keep him and my sister in mind, that would be wonderful.

And on that happy/sad/hopeful note, I'll finish this post. I hope your August was as good as it could possibly be. I have a couple of small things to finish doing this afternoon, and then it will be time to sit down and get back to picking out that hem! 😡

I'm telling myself that it will build character ... but I've also decided that character is overrated ... 😏

See you next month!

My Life in Dogs

Today is International Dog Day. I couldn't let it pass without mentioning the dogs that have made my life better and my heart fuller.

Before I ever had a dog of my own, I would hear stories about the dog my mother grew up with, a black Chow-Chow named Pete. Like most dogs in other people's stories, he sounded perfect, smart, cuddly, and irreplaceable. You know, like all dogs ever. ❤️

And then there was Whiskey, a wire-haired fox terrier that was on the scene before I was born. I really don't remember if he was my parents' dog when they were first married, or when my sisters were kids. But apparently he had quite a personality! 

The first dog I remember is Herman, a beagle/bassett hound mix that my father found by his workplace (a common theme for a lot of our pets) when we lived in Chicago. I remember being so excited to have a dog! His favorite person was my middle sister, Mary Ellen, who thought he was OK, but wasn't as crazy about him as he was about her, LOL.

In second grade, someone my dad worked with was giving away a dog for who knows what reason, so of course my dad brought him home. (Side note: my dad was as animal crazy as I am - I get it honestly!) That was Bud (Sir Budweiser Carlton III to the AKC), a black cocker spaniel. I remember pictures of me dressed for my first communion on our front porch, posing with Bud. ❤️

Next up was Toby, a Standard Poodle/Airedale mix puppy that my mother got from a friend whose dog had puppies. Toby, God bless him, let me dress him up, teach him some tricks, hug and kiss him to within an inch of his life, and probably never had a moment left alone if I was home. 🙂 He was stolen from our back yard.

He was the last pup that was part of the family while I was still at home. I had other dogs I adored, and would take care of for friends and neighbors over the years (;ong-time readers probably remember Doughoy!), but the next dog who was part of our family was this one:

Dug the Doodle Dog! ❤️❤️❤️

Followed a few years later by Hamlet, the Retired Seeing Eye Dog ❤️❤️❤️:

It wasn't until earlier this year we adopted our Angus Podgorny ❤️❤️❤️💔:

And then most recently, the ridiculous Miss Katie Potatey❤️❤️❤️:

I will admit that my first love has always been cats - maybe because no matter what else was happening, or where we lived, we always had a cat. And we've also had birds, fish, turtles - whatever I could talk my parents or The Tim into. I am still, at my age, wishing for more animals in my life!

But dogs are different, as you know if you've had one. It's a different relationship than with other animals - just as all relationships are different with any creature. For the most part, I would say that at least the dogs I've had are willing to put up with a lot more active attention than anyone else. Heck, even The Tim wants to be left alone more often than not! 🤣

So thank you to every dog, past and present, that I've ever even come across, for letting me love you, and for giving some of it back, even if I've just been able to pet you in passing. 

And to my own dogs, past and present - I love you more than my own life and always will. ❤️. If you have a dog or other friend in your life, remember to hug them and thank them. I would bet they will love you right back.