Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us. ~Hal Borland
What is it about getting older that makes the years fly by? I cannot believe the sun is setting on 2010.
2010 was a rather slow knitting year. Life was busy and I also had several weeks when I did not knit a stitch. I still managed to finish six pairs of socks.
My big knitting related accomplishment this year was my yarn diet. The last time I bought yarn was one year ago today. I didn’t think I’d be able to go a year without buying yarn, but I did. And, shockingly, after the first few months it wasn’t difficult. If I’m tempted by pretty yarn I just look at my stash and realize that I already own a ton of pretty yarn and don’t need more. I’m going to extend my yarn diet to 2011 and attempt to go two years without buying yarn.
Personally, my life hit rock bottom in March. That’s when I had to say a sudden goodbye to my sweet Kishka.
I miss that dog and her songs of woo every day.
Sadie lost her buddy, but other than that she had a good year in 2010.
She lost 10 more pounds (total of 28 lbs. lost) and has become a running wonder.
Sadie’s world was rocked a bit in April with the arrival of her little brother, Luka.
Sadie gets annoyed with Luka at times (he loves to play…she loves to nap…this causes conflicts), but I think she’s glad to have a partner in crime.
The summer of 2010 was the summer of adventure. For the first time since my debilitating hip/back injury I felt strong enough to hike. The dogs and I logged a lot of miles on the hiking trails.
The highlight of our hiking adventures was the discovery of a place for the dogs to swim.
I anticipate many hours spent there in the summer of 2011.
Romeo had a quiet year.
Well, it was quiet until last week. He’s accepting the (still nameless) new guy better than I anticipated.
There hasn’t been any snuggling or affection, but the hissing has stopped. I’m confident they will become friends in 2011.
My life has been such a roller coaster in recent years that I no longer try to imagine where each new year will take me. I have no idea where I’m going in 2011 but I’m looking forward to the journey.
Deal with the world the way it is, not the way you wish it was. ~ John Chambers
I have new things to blog about! (Finally.)
There is new yarn (it was a gift so my 2010 yarn diet remains intact).
I finished a pair of socks last night.
Complete details (and more pictures) are on Ravelry.
My workplace shuts down for 10 days at the end of the year so I’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out with my furry family.
I’ve found out just how much time Sadie spends sleeping on the couch.
To be fair, we are back to our regular walking/park activities (7 weeks after my ankle injury) so Sadie is getting a lot of exercise.
It’s been very mild here so Luka has to cool down when we return home from our walks.
Here he poses with his new stuffed cow.
And, I caught him sleeping with his tongue sticking out.
Finally, there is something else that’s new around here.
I would love to do a proper introduction, but the poor guy doesn’t have a name.
Ever since Parker died 3 years ago I’ve thought about getting another cat. I didn’t know how Romeo would react, though, and didn’t want to tick him off.
About 6 months ago I decided that Romeo would be okay with it and started making periodic visits to the Humane Society. Until last week, no one caught my eye. Last week this face caught my eye and (most important) he meowed at me each time I walked past him.
The new guy is around 3 years old and he was a stray. He has claws and this has been rather startling for the dogs.
Sadie approached the new cat like she approaches Romeo (slowly, with her tail wagging). However, she didn’t get the head nuzzle she was expecting. She got swatted across the face. If a dog can give a “what the hell?” look I believe that’s what she gave me when she ran to my side.
While Sadie is keeping her distance from the new guy, Luka is a slow learner. Here he is a few nights ago (moments before being swatted across the face):
The swat sent him looking for cover:
A short time later the cat went into Luka’s crate and chased him out. An hour or so later they declared a truce.
If I don’t come up with a name soon this cat is going to start answering to Orange Cat. Anyone have any cool cat names to share? I’m leaning towards a couple of names but don’t know if they fit him.
A dog owns nothing, yet is seldom dissatisfied. ~ Irish Proverb
The dogs and I returned to our favorite park this weekend. To say they were excited is an understatement.
They ran through the stream.
Luka chased Sadie up the hill.
Sadie chased Luka down the hill.
Then they circled around and Luka chased Sadie down the hill.
They ran through the woods.
Sadie explored the woods.
Luka found a tennis ball in the stream.
Something in a tree caught their attention.
Sadie kept an eye on me (I was dawdling behind).
Luka kept an eye on me, too.
There was an amazing sunset here the other night. This was the view from my front door (picture is straight out of the camera…no editing or color tweaking).
You will never find time for anything. If you want the time, you must make it. ~ Charles Buxton
:: tap tap ::
Is this thing on?
It’s been quite some time since I posted so (of course) I have a ton of pictures.
I lost my knitting mojo for several weeks, but recently found it and started knitting again. I’ve been working on two projects.
Socks:
Scarf (started last winter):
Besides knitting and dogs, one of my passions in life is classic movies. TCM (Turner Classic Movies) recently had a traveling exhibit of movie memorabilia and it stopped in a nearby city.
This Oscar was awarded to Casablanca:
This costume was worn by Rudolph Valentino in The Sheik. The detail on this costume was amazing. The colors were still vibrant. It’s hard to believe this costume was used in 1921. It looks brand new.
This costume was worn by Christopher Plummer in The Sound Of Music. My only complaint about the exhibit is that the lighting was awful. It was impossible for me to get a good photograph of this costume. In person the dark colors of this costume ware still rich and the details are striking.
This dress was worn by Vivien Leigh in Gone With The Wind. In the movie this dress was a vibrant blue/grey. It has definitely faded a bit and has some noticeable damage (stains and repaired rips/holes), but it’s gorgeous. The detail on the dress is stunning. The most surprising thing about the dress is that it’s corduroy! I had no idea.
I was driving home from work one day and spotted this:
It turned out to be a salvage yard fire.
I had never been this close to such a big fire and it was amazing to watch.
No one was injured and no occupied structures were destroyed.
It’s been a ridiculously mild fall here. We usually start getting snowstorms in October. It’s now December 12 and we haven’t had one snowstorm. It hasn’t even really snowed yet and it’s been quite warm. We even had a streak of 80 degree days in November. The dogs and I took advantage of that heatwave to hike our favorite spot.
There are not many picture from that hiking trip. This is because a couple of miles into the hike I fell and twisted the hell out of my ankle. I’ve had a lot of ankle sprains in my life (I am a bit of a klutz) but this is the worst one (by far). I couldn’t walk the dogs at all for two weeks.
It’s now five weeks after The Fall. Recovery has been steady, but slow. I’m able to walk the dogs 4-5 days a week and for 40 minutes each time. (We usually walk 7 days a week for 60-90 minutes.) I’m not able to walk on uneven surfaces (only paved roads) so we haven’t even been able to go to the dog park. I’m hoping to be back at the dog park by the end of this month and back to hiking sometime next spring.
Since my walking is limited I’ve been amusing myself by taking pictures of the dogs. Sadie is absolutely adorable when she sleeps.
Luka hasn’t been left out of the picture taking:
Luka loves sleeping in his crate even when the dog bed isn’t in it (it was being washed):
My boy is very photogenic.
Finally, if you love dogs, go here and enjoy a laugh along with Tank (although I’m not sure she’s laughing). For her sake, I hope this winter is a short one. 
