Socks and lace

I find when I am tired I tend to start projects. And more projects. And more. Finishing them is a different story, but I have been doing well in that area. Eventually of course, but they get done. I just hate having too many things on the needles. Socks are a bit of an urgency right now because when I left "he who shall not be named" a year and a half ago, he decided to keep one each of 10 pairs of socks. So I have 10 singles sitting here and don't know what to do with them and I was left with 3 complete pairs. Sort of a hit below the belt, since he knew I only wear hand knit socks .  Oh, and most of my sock yarn was gone as well.

So I am building up my sock stash again, slowly but surely. I just finished the Giles wavy socks and have cast on for two pairs of plain vanilla socks. I will wear the Giles socks to see if I like the adaptations I made and may tinker with it again.

Lace is my other passion. I have yet to reknit the Faroese shawl I lost  to the sock thief. I just haven't found the right yarn calling to me but my fingers were itching to get some lace on the needles. I found some beautiful knit doilies and I decided to knit Alita first, found here. It is keeping my itching fingers busy and turning out beautifully.

Our first trip

Well, I just typed up a whole post and it disappeared on me. Teach me to save my posts while I am typing them .

 Dakota and I had a very exciting day today. We went into stores for the first time and I must say, he was very well behaved. Someone even commented that he is a well behaved dog :) We made a quick trip into the pharmacy and the Dollar Store. He followed commands well and didn't get distracted by much except people. I am finding that I have to be firm and tell people not to pet him because he is working (despite the badges he has on his vest). Then we went to the bank and he started alerting me because I was tired, and kept it up when we visited the pet store in between the treats he was getting from the owner. He was happy to have me back home and in my chair.

He is now alerting to three things - my hypoglycemia, possibly dangerous fatigue levels, and really dangerous ones when I have taken my sleep medication. For the hypoglycemia, he sits on my chest between me and my knitting and whines. He doesn't stop until about 10 minutes after I have eaten something. For fatigue, if I am up, he whines until I am seated and then lays on my end table with his head resting on me so he can monitor me. He will whine and herd me until I sit. When I take my sleep medication, he whines and barks short barks until I get into bed. It is really interesting how he can differentiate these three things so early. He is only 3 1/2 months old and I know he has a lot more in him. I am excited to see exactly what he is capable of.

I have been exhausted for the past bit and my fibromyalgia is flaring up with the weather changes. I am quickly becoming dependent on Dakota to tell me how I am. I live in such a muddled brain fog, it is often very difficult for me to gauge what I am capable of doing and for how long. Dakota is making me feel not only safer, but somehow vindicated in the way I feel. When I can't think straight, it is hard for me to explain to others how tired I am and sometimes I wondered if it truly was all in my head. Dakota is bringing the way I feel out, so other people get an idea of when I really am not well. He truly has been a blessing to me and I look forward to working with him for many years to come.

Dakota showing off his new vest

By George, I think he has got it!!

Okay, so it doesn't take much for me to get excited these days. A word to the wise - don't let it go too long between puppies. I feel like I have been through the wringer this past month and I KNOW I have a good pup! Dakota is so smart, but just couldn't seem to get the hang of potty training. I coaxed, cajoled, crate trained him, all to no avail. Now I have trained dogs for 40 years and never had one that didn't respond to praise well enough to change his/her behaviour.

Out of desperation I tried food. Well I sure found the way to Dakota's heart is through his stomach in a hurry! He has had a good week and today actually only had two accidents. He has figured out how to tell me he needs out and has been great waiting about two hours before the next pee trip.

We had our second vet visit today and Dakota couldn't wait to get into the examination room.  Forget the deworming and the shots - that man had treats!!!! It is no wonder he weighs in at 26.4 pounds at three months! The vet said not to worry. He is a good, mid of the road weight so I guess we can wait a while before we start laying off the treats. Somehow I think Dakota might have something to say about that if given the chance.

Temperament wise, he is doing well. He is learning fast and I will be starting his special task training soon. He loves to hold things in his mouth, which will work to my benefit when training him to open doors, etc. I am aiming at having him in a mobility harness around 6 months, but that one I will play by ear.

Now come on. You have to love this face!

What the heck is this white stuff???

Just taking a break after chasing the furry teddy bears. Mom calls them cats, but I know different!