Cute little Pointers

I love the look on Fred's face in this picture! Sometimes he can look like such an innocent little sweetpea! Ha, right!!

How cool is the statue of the Pointer? Of course we had to pose in front of it with our own pointers.

This photo was taken last March, and it is my sincere hope that it looks like that around here THIS March...as in.....little snow, and you can actually see the ground.

Snowy day

Just another snowy day in the north country. Today i had the BEST intentions, i was going to study all day long, log onto my school account and take my mid-term. But, my neighbor called, and wanted company as she ran her errands around town, so i HAD to be a good neighbor and go with her. hey, being a good neighbor is one of the priorities in my life. We are under a Winter Storm Warning. Now, i am not going to downplay the significance of a good dumping on of snow. 6-8 inches is a LOT of snow. But really? this is lake effect country. 6-8 inches of good, cold powder falling at a reasonable rate is nothing to stay inside and whine about. Lake effect, falling at an insane rate, and causing a white out is something to stay home, curl up in the fetal position and suck your thumb about. Believe me, been there, done that. Monday night in fact. And there was not so much thumb sucking going on, as there was wine drinking going on, but whatever. you get the idea.



Today i am posting a picture from last years visit by our dear friends Gaylen, JB, and Krystle. We had such a great time with them, and seriously, there are no better folks to vacation with, and we cannot wait to vacation with them again. JB is a riot, and never fails to crack me up with his wry and dry sense of humor, and uncanny knack for finding the funny in the obscure. Gaylen, well, i cannot say enough good things about Gaylen. I adore her to no end. She has the brightest, sunniest voice, is ALWAYS is a cheerful mood, even if she is NOT in a cheerful mood! Krstyle, well, she really IS a ray of sunshine, and a joy to be around. We love them all, and cannot wait to see them all again!

Me So Happy

I know that this may not look like much, and most people would question the fact that THIS makes me very very happy...but let me put it into perspective for you. That snow bank has been knocked down, and pushed back about 8 feet...that means it is no longer threatening to keep me housebound for the remainder of winter. And speaking of winter, that little friggin groundhog, you know the one i speak of, the INSANELY cute Punxatawney Phil? Well, Phil...you better just plan RIGHT now on NOT seeing your shadow next week or i am going to FLIP OUT, but i digress.

Anywhoot, yesterday i was heading out to the grocery store with my neighbor, and as we were pulling out of her driveway, a backhoe pulled up into mine. I almost cryed. It was my plowguy, coming to finally move the snowbank. I have been trying to get him to move that mofo back since December! Several times it has blocked the second garage door. With The Husband coming home next week, that is just not acceptable. He is GOING to want to drive his truck! I tried to move that bank myself, but with nothing but a shovel, that was like trying move Mount Everest.

Today, the plan is to do some homework. Really. I mean it this time. Fringe is on tonite. Does anyone watch Fringe? Love it. I like it when they bounce across the nation from place to place, and they make the place name script a part of the scene. yeah, simple minds are EASILY charmed and entertained.

Knittin' a hat

I do not have a hat. I usually just wear ear bands, and I did buy myself a ninjaclava for the super extreme days, but i recently realized just how silly it was that I was a knitter without a hat of my own. I have made PLENTY, but i never seem to make them for myself. As this is the year of the stash for many of us, i decided it was time to look into my own stash. I have this yarn, and it is my FAVORITE yarn. I seem to say that about all the yarns i really love, but i REALLY love this yarn. It is Cascade Pastaza, and i cannot remember the colorway right now...but it is brown with some silver/gray mixed in for good measure. I have made a hat for my mom with this yarn, and even felted a bag with it. I do not recommend it for felted projects. It emerged from the felting process looking like a poor, unfortunate, deflated victim of roadkill. It sure does knit into a lovely hat though!

I am knitting this on 9's, and using my very vanilla hat pattern. Cast on 78 stitches, work in garter for approximately one to two inches, and then switch to stockinette. Approximately one inch up from beginning of stockinette line, i throw in a garter stitch, to give it a little shape. Work for 6(?) inches or so (i need to refer to my notes here!), and begin decreasing, switch to dpn's, and cast off. yep, pretty vanilla...but hey, i love vanilla!

So, friday nights episode of BSG was kind of a letdown. I really cannot stand Gaeta this days, or Zarek for that matter. And how gross are Six and Tigh together? eww. And would someone please council Apollo, and let him know that the suit and that hair do NOT look good on him? I almost prefer fat Apollo to politician Apollo. Am i right, or am i right? Or am i right? And how about that zinger with Poor Chief Tyrol? Hotdog, of all people? Poor Chief....he has always been one of my favorite characters.

Lost premiered last week, and can i just say that i LOVE Ben?! He is just THE most entertaining person to watch on that show...well, him and Miles, one of the newbies. Miles did not have any good snarky comments last week that i could remember, but i have to say that during the hiatus i had forgotten about him, and was delighted when he made an appearance last week, as he completely cracks me up.

I am not writing about the weather today. It is snowy. Really snowy...more snowy than most people could envision, with an arse-load more predicted.

And for todays Dogs on Thursday post...

...we have A Handsome Dude and his Two Dogs!
This is one of my favorite pics, from our Tour of the West vacation, a year and a half ago. This was a random stop, somewhere southwest of The Tetons, in Wyoming. I would have to look on the map to figure out where exactly this was, but it was listed as a "scenic drive" on the Wyoming map. It was AMAZING. We saw wild horses, and random cattle grazing on the rangeland. The cattle were so funny, just trucking along the little two lane road, having a grand ole time. Wild and free. ish. Henry thought they were pretty neat. Fred...well, not so much.
The rocks were pretty amazing here, sandstone cliffs, if memory serves me correctly. Look at how happy Henry looks? That dog was BORN to travel. He has traveled more than most people. He has been to at least nine European countries, and well over 30 US states, and Canada. He LOVES LOVES LOVES to "Go With". He is European, too. Henry was born in the Netherlands, and lived the first year of his life in Germany. He is very cultured, but not a snob about it. ;o)

It's snowing again.....

....and i cannot bear to post another photo of snow, so i am reaching into the photo folder, and here is a lovely photo that The Husband took of the dogs in the summer of '07, during out Glacier Nat'l Park vacation.

Today, we are under a Lake Effect Snow Warning. And let me tell you, you do NOT want to be out driving in lake effect. it is NO joke. I decided it was time to get the snow tires balanced (they are vibrating, and just NOISY, and i think they need a little tinkering), so i headed out to Sears. I foolishly believed the weather report that the snow was going to taper off a bit, and it seemed to be tapering a bit, so off i went. I slid UP the on ramp to the interstate, and knew right then that i would be getting off at the next exit, turning around and heading home. I was floating along, and then traffic was stopped, due to a semi break-down. As i was stopped, i happened to glance in my rear-view mirror as a semi was coming up behind me, jackknifing. yikes. He finally got control, and pulled off to the shoulder. Probably to change out of his soiled clothing. I finally made it to the next exit, and got off the interstate to go home. Wow...i slid and slid all the way home. This is WITH snow tires, front wheel drive, and a Winter Driving Mode in my car. There was just sooo much snow. Other than that....the car drove great...and of course it did not vibrate a single time.

So...lesson learned. No more driving in the lake effect for me. No way. I have plenty of hobbies and chores and school work to do at home on days like this!

Oh, the weather report had said we were going to get another couple of inches of snow. We have EASILY gotten another 6-8 inches today. That maze i made in the snow for the dogs? It is all filled in. All i can do is laugh about it! And cry, a little!!! This is why we have wine, folks!!

Tonite i will be watching my new FAVORITE TV show, The Big Bang Theory. I am not sure why i have not watched this show before, but it is hilarious. I read about it all the time in Pop Candy's blog, and love how she refers to Sheldon as a "Southern Gentlenerd". He is adorable, and the actor is a comic genious.

Like i REALLY needed another show to watch.

Snow....lots of snow.....

SOOO worth the frakkin' wait

First off, kudos to myself for accurately guessing who the final 5th cylon was. I threw this person out as a guess last season, and woowhoo for me, i was correct! I remember thinking "how ironic will it be is he/she turns out to be the 5th cylon.
So now i am just wondering, WHAT THE FRAK IS STARBUCK ANYWAYS???
This show has a very Carl Sagan-esque feel to it, with the nuked civilizations. I remember Sagan stating that he did think there was intelligent life out there, but feared that civilizations would self-destruct once they increased their technology. Or something like that. Anyone who used to watch Cosmos (ahem, husband) knows what i am trying to say here.

We got some snow last night, and it is still snowing this morning. Anyone who thinks "awww, you are so lucky! i love snow!" has never dealt with waking up to over a foot of snow that has fallen in less than 12 hours, and is still falling. It would not be such an ordeal if this were the first time it had happened this season. I am running out of space to put the snow. My plow guy is going to have to get a backhoe to move my snow bank. At least it is feather light and powdery. Will be fun to go out and snowshoe at some point, and as soon as a snowmobiler puts down some tracks for me, it will be nice to get out and ski!

I am so Frakkin Excited!!!!

Woooowhooooo.....tonites the night!
The final episodes of Battlestar Galactica begin airing tonite!!!
The Husband suggested that i tivo it, and wait for him to come home on leave before i watch it. Um, no. I love you babe.....but, that ain't gonna happen!!

Homework

Today i am attempting to do my homework. I say "attempting" because i am having a very hard time getting excited about my latest course, which is Rangeland Ecology and Managment. I thought the class sounded SO interesting, but so far the reading has been pretty dense, and dull. We have a big assignment due in a couple of weeks, and we need to classify all of the Rangelands in the US, and list their characteristics, and where they are located. Hopefully the research process will be a little interesting. I will learn quite a lot, that is a given.

Can anyone guess what type of rangeland this is in my photo?

The pic was taken a few years ago, in Rainbow Basin, outside of Fort Irwin, CA. That is my dad, and his dog Maddie, who has since passed :o(, and of course Fred and Henry.

If it weren't around ZERO out, we would be doing this:

Or i should say that Fred and Henry would be doing this! The photo perfectly captures their favorite outdoor activity....digging for things. They could be digging for grass, critters, or critter doo. They love it all. Henry actually has a fabulous imagination, and pounces on ANYTHING, looking for critters.

It is beyond cold outside though, so the dogs have been going out in short intervals. Yesterday the sun came out for a bit, so they were out for about ten minutes. Looks like we are due a little more sun today, so we will try and enjoy it while we can.

Other than shoveling snow, i will be inside either doing homework (reading about Rangeland Management), or working on The Husbands' Aran Knit Pullover from Men In Knits. I am still on the sleeves, and i REALLY need to hustle to get this puppy completed in time for the man to wear it in a couple of weeks.

Happy Birthday Frederick!

Today Frederick turns 6!! I cannot believe it has been 6 years already since i got him. I went to South Carolina to pick him up, back when we were stationed at Fort Bragg, and The Husband was deployed to Iraq. My dear friends, Michelle and Connie, came along for the ride, as did Henry. Henry was the least enthused of the bunch! He has grown to love Fred though, and he has the tolerance of a saint!

I still keep in touch with the other puppy owners, we did the dog show circuits with each other until i moved away to California...oh how cute...as i am typing up this post, i just got an E-card from Fred's breeder! She is a wonderful friend still, and to this day, i can turn to her for advice with Fred. In fact, i just emailed her two days ago for advice on dealing with the doo eating. Anyways, the group shot above is the Santorini bunch. Fred's breeders' kennel name is Santorini Vizslas. From left to right we have Fred, Koios, Bella and Forrest. Small group, but they make up for it in personality. That shot is from the Asheville, NC shows back in '04.

Fred has been a challenge, but he has been SO worth it. He is full of personality, and i just love him to bits. He is a great little hunter, tons of drive and he is ALL ABOUT fur, feather and fin! If you have never seen a dog point fish, you have never seen Fred hang out at the beach. It is almost impossible to tire Fred out, he loves to go on long runs with The Husband, and probably puts in twice as many miles. All in all, he is just a great dog!

And today's winter activity is....

snowshoeing!! My parents surprised the heck out of me this year with a new pair of snowshoes for Christmas. What a great surprise, i felt like a kid again on Christmas morning! They knew that i was buying The Husband a pair, and they did not want me to get left behind. They lugged these things across country on The Great Train Ordeal of 2008. Bless them!!

The other photo is one taken two or three mornings ago. It was super cold, but so beautiful! There was frost on all the trees, and a trace of fresh snow.

The is Fred in the background, you can barely see Henry on the extreme right side of the photo. Fred is doing his new thing...digging around for frozen poo. This is his new winter time activity, and it just delights the heck out of me to no end. Ugh. I am not sure what to do about it, i cannot seem to call him off of it. The idea of E-collars is being tossed around, and i am waiting on word back from his breeder to get her two cents. Now, normally dogs will do this becuase of some kind of deficiency in their diet. Anyone who knows me, and knows about the dogs diet KNOW that this is NO WAY the issue with Fred. He is just disgusting. Good thing he is cute. Tomorrow is his birthday.

Gaylen said that i need to include a photo

with every blog entry. Well, after awhile, i am sure everyone will tire of snow pics. So, here is one from the stash. This is from a trip two years ago to Yosemite. Fred was fascinated with the view...or maybe the critters running around? Henry...he is just happy to be there! Of all the National Parks, Yosemite is probably the most dog-friendly. Dogs are only allowed on the paved areas, and luckily most of the areas are paved! We had a wonderful time, and it was so amazing. There are no words for Yosemite. It is something that you need to see for yourself. Preferably in the early spring or fall months, when the place is not sick with tourists. We went in October, and it was perfect.

Not much on the agenda today. Bill paying, which is always fun, and maybe a little quality time with my sewing machine. I have some amazing Amy Butler stuff that is really wanting to be made into SOMETHING. I am just not sure what. I have made a few swing bags, so i am swing bagged-out for the time being. i think maybe a few pillow cases? Maybe an apron? I bought a really cool apron pattern the last time i was in my fabric store...which, i hate to say it, but that was last summer. My checking account is happy to hear that though. As is The Husband, i am sure.

I will try and get in some skiing time, and possibly snow-shoe time...and inevitably, snow shovelling time. In three weeks, The Husband gets to take over......WOOOOOWHOOOOOOO!!!!

Just some random handsome dudes....

Actually, they aren't that random. One of them is my better half, and the other four are dear friends. See the book the one in the middle is holding? That is HIM on the cover!! That photo was taken during the very beginning of the war, and he is in his full battle rattle...a VERY cool shot, and we were all SO proud that the writer, Karl Zinsmeister, put Sean on the cover.

I was just browsing through my photos today, trying to decide what to write about, and came across this photo. I figured everyone (all three of my readers) would like a little eye candy...with the exception maybe of ONE of my readers, and he is in the photo. At the very least though, the photo will make him smile!

Sun Bunnies on Thursday

I have two little sun bunnies. Fred is only a sun-bunny in the winter time though. In the summer, he is a shade-seeker. Henry though, is a TRUE sun bunny. When we lived in the desert, he would lay out on our cement slab off of the patio, and soak up the rays. He cannot get enough of it.

Cooking for the husband

I cooked this a little bit ago, and then again for my parents on Christmas Eve. I cannot wait to try it out on the husband. Super thick Chops (dare i call them Iowa Chops???) with spaetzle and sauerkraut. I have made spaetzle from scratch with the family recipe, but i actually KILLED my KitchenAid the last time i made it. My poor Grandmother was probably spinning in her grave, because not only was the recipe HER family recipe, but SHE bought me the KitchenAid! Ugh, it was a shameful moment for several reasons. Number one, i used the WRONG attachment. The dough hook would have been the correct one. Number two, Grandma always did it by hand. The KitchenAid has since been sent to a repair shop, but it has never been the same. I think it is holding a grudge?

Anyways, the nice thing about being able to shop at the commissary (aside from the low prices!)is that they usually have very good international food sections, and get a TON of German grocery items that you really cannot find easily outside of Germany. I found some really great spaetzle, so i just use that now. Sorry, Grandma. I also found a great jarred Sauerkraut. I do not think Grandma would fault me for not making my kraut from scratch. I add lots of goodness to it, though...apples, brown sugar, bay leaves, paprika, beer.

My poor parents really needed a GOOD dinner after their train ordeal. We were going to have chili on Christmas Eve, but i thought this would warm them up a little bit better. They were not disappointed.

The Le Creuset pot was a great find. I have an obsession with Le Creuset, and have amassed a nice little collection, thanks to the VERY generous Husband. Last year we were in a Williams-Sonoma, and found this on a discount rack, for the shock-and-awe price of $80!! I think they were mistakenly put there? I should have bought all three of them they had, but i exclaimed so loudly that another lady dashed over, and grabbed one up, called her friend and grabbed one up for her, too. I clutched mine to my chest and moved away from her before she could rip it out of my hands.

I have made a couple of things....

...in the last couple of days.

First up is the Swing Bag from Amy Butler. The bag was made with Surf and Sand by Michele D'Amore on the inside, and the outside is Chocolate Lollipops. I bought this fabric, and tons more, while shopping with my mom this past summer, at my "local" yarn and fabric shop. I say "local", because i do not really consider a shop that is 60 miles away to be local. Sadly, it is the closest thing, other than JoAnns! I do a LOT of online shopping!

So, with that said, up next we have the scarf. This is from the Scarves to Throws pattern collection at Jimmy Beans Wool, my favorite online yarn shop. My scarf is Month 6 (every month of this past year, JBW put out a new pattern), but i am using a different colored yarn than the one used in the pattern. Mine is Tuscany. I absolutely love the Lorna's Laces Shepherd Worsted. If i had to pick only ONE yarn that i could use for the rest of my life, hands down this yarn would be the one. I love the colorways, i love the softness, i absolutely love EVERYTHING about this yarn. I am also kind of a sucker for a named colorway. I detest colorways that are strictly identified by a number!

Next up, i am in dire need of some new cotton fabric pajama bottoms. My two favorite pairs have split in the tushie. In the winter time (really, any time) i change into my jammies early, usually as soon as dinner has been eaten and cleaned up. So...that means that my jammies see a lot of couch time, which means that the tushies get worn out rather fast! I bought a ton of Amy Butler fabric last summer, in the hopes that they would be made into purses or skirts. Well, one of the problems of buying online is trying to guage colorways and tone. I like the eyelash fabric from the Belle line, but not enough to wear it around town. They will make perfect pajama bottoms though. So, if anyone knows of a great pattern for capri (or full-length, i can just chop off the leg wherever i want, right?) pajama bottoms, please do enlighten me.

Presents!

My dear friend, The Princess, sent me a box of goodies! She sent me some yarny goodness, some toys and treats for the pups, and my FAVE coffee, Starbucks Yukon Blend. The poopy-pants at Starbucks have made the poor decision to DISCONTINUE Yukon Blend. I cannot figure it out. There is a bear on the logo, and the taste is OUT of this world. I guess they just want to sell things that STINK!

So, after these two bags are gone, i think i will be switching to Seattle's Best Coffee. I LOVE their Henry's Blend...and not just because of the name. Ok, well MAYBE it is partly because of the name.

Back to the box of goodies though...The Princess included a green stretchy Froggie in the box, and Fred has FLIPPED for this frog. This delights me to no end, as Fred is not really all that into toys. He prefers his toys to be alive, and rodenty. It is so cute to see him running through the house with this frog, shaking it. So what if he is pretending that it is the bunny from under the pool deck?

More pics!

First off, a pic of the flooding for The Husband:

The whole lower part of the field was flooded, and then down by the highway, the river was about one foot from the roadway. Down by Holmans, his corn field that sits across the street from his farm was totally flooded, as the river went over the banks down there, too. High-temp thaws in the middle of winter are not usually welcome things...especially with the amount of snow that we had!

Here are some Fred pics. Keeping a close eye on the Prime Rib, which is slightly (and i use that term loosely) protected from his jaws by tin foil.

And then a pic of my Fred-cat.

Christmas

Fred REALLY loves to help open presents. ANY presents. They do not even have to be for him. On Christmas Eve, he was snagging presents from under the tree, and bringing them downstairs to open, or just carry around. He has a special love of tubes, and chapsticks. He scored doubly this year, as he was able to snag a tube of hand lotion that was wrapped WITH a chapstick. He managed to puncture the lotion, and enjoyed a little snack before i snatched it away from him. Here he is opening a present that was not for him. You really need to watch him...i turned around and there he was, ripping presents open before anyone noticed.

Here is Fred and Henry, looking out the window. Waiting for Santa to come back and bring more toys? Henry got a Kong and jingle ball, and Fred got some wrapped toys from their toy box. I know....kind of cheap of me, but whatever. For Fred, the GIFT is the wrapping paper!!

After all the present opening, you can tell the dogs were worn out, as evidenced by the fact that they are SHARING SPACE!

We had a bit of snow....

This pic is from about 2-3 weeks ago.

About a week later it COMPLETELY melted and we had some flooding!

Nana and Papa showed up, after their pleasurable cross-country train trip turned into a nightmare. They finally rolled into town on Christmas Eve, and they were EXHAUSTED. Henry was a little excited, and REALLY wanted Papa to wake up and play with him!

Fred? Well, Fred was Fred.