Knitting Goodness…

My name is Sarah, and I am a book-aholic. There, I said it. See, I just can’t resist buying interesting looking books – especially when they’re about crafty things, like knitting. The other night I found a book called “The Knitting Goddess”. I can’t believe I’ve never seen it before – it’s been out for three years, and I’m someone who generally pores through the entire craft section of Borders and Barnes and Noble on a regular basis.

There are stories about knitting, as well as some interesting-looking patterns. There’s also a website for the book, although it doesn’t appear to have been updated anytime recently. So far, I’ve only read the first two chapters; however, if the book continues the way it started, I would recommend it. It appears to be fairly beginner-knitter-friendly, too.

Optimism

Yes, I know, I live in Rochester. So…the fact that the calendar says it’s going to be spring on Friday shouldn’t mean a thing. Let’s face it, spring here usually comes at least a month late.

But for the past several days, we’ve had sunshine, and above-freezing temperatures often straying into the 50’s. I just can’t help but think that we really might end up with spring happening right on time.

I’m itching to go out and garden – at least long enough to get rid of the dead leaves we never managed to rake last fall. We tried to take the doggies for a walk in the lovely warm sunshine, but Murphy obviously has no clue how to walk on a leash and tried very hard to choke himself – we ended up turning back. Ah, well. Obedience classes start in two weeks – thank goodness!

Escape Artist

Maybe we should have named the puppy Houdini? Murphy jumps over baby gates. He doesn’t climb them, or even need a running start. He just puts his front paws over the gate and pushes off with his back legs…and lands on the other side. He has also figured out how to open the swing-type gates. Now the careful system of baby gates we had all set up to keep Molly out of places like my craft room is useless! Taller gates would probably work, but then I won’t be able to get over them…

…and to think, we were planning on innocently fencing in our backyard this spring. Now I wonder if a 4-foot fence would keep him in – especially if he were faced with the temptation of a C.A.T.

Sarcasm Alert

I know, I know, yesterday’s news…but did everyone see this? It makes me really wonder about our politicians, and why they have time to do really silly things like this. Just one thing…am I now required to call my “French” horn a “Freedom” horn? (Not that it’s even really French in the first place…)

Forgetful

Do you ever feel like you’ve forgotten something important that you were supposed to do? I feel like that right now…

Hopefully it wasn’t anything too important!

Spring Cleaning

After spending much of the winter too busy to keep up with general house-related stuff, I’m finally getting around to thorougly cleaning. Except…as long as I’m doing it, I’m doing it right this time – getting rid of stuff I don’t use, changing stuff I don’t like… Which, of course, takes ten times longer and makes a bigger mess before it’s done.

Consequently, no knitting, blogging, or pretty much anything else has happened this weekend.

I’m nowhere near done yet, but I’m tired, and nothing conspires to make you sleepy quite as much as a sleeping puppy. Is it time for bed yet? :)

(Proof that Molly is starting to accept Murphy. At least as a pillow.)

Drumroll, please…

The verdict is in. Thanks everyone for your votes here and on ljc’s blog! We had pretty much made up our minds already, but the popular vote just confirmed it…

Murphy O. Reilly it is.

(What does the “O” stand for? Why, Bailey, of course! :D)

Here’s an interesting coincidence: Murphy is Gaelic for “Warrior of the Sea”…and Molly is Latin for “Star of the Sea”. So we have a couple of sea monsters living with us. That explains Molly’s love of the pool – we’ll have to see how Murphy likes it this summer!

Puppy Love

I look into this puppy’s eyes, and can’t understand how anyone could have abandoned him. He must have lived in a house for the first part of his young life – he is mostly housebroken, and is in much too good condition to have been on the streets for very long. The people who found him tried for three weeks to find his owner before dropping him off at the shelter.

It makes me so sad to think about someone just leaving a puppy by the side of the road – not even having the guts to bring him to a shelter. It makes me sad to think about the uncertainty and instability his life has been. It makes me sad…until I realize that if he hadn’t been abandoned, I wouldn’t have this wonderful, sweet puppy in my life.

What’s in a Name?

We’re having a naming crisis… Bailey is a cute name – it’s not that we don’t like it. It just hasn’t seemed to “stick” yet. We can’t remember to call him that, and it’s not as though he responds to it, anyway. Plus, it sounds very close to “Molly”, which might be adding some confusion. So, we’re thinking of changing his name.

Now the question is, does this dog look more like a “Bailey”, or a “Murphy”?

Bailey Reilly?
Murphy O. Reilly?

We need to make a decision soon – or he’ll never respond to anything except “puppy”, “buddy” or “dog”.

Help!