Forever is composed of nows. ~ Emily Dickinson
The weather cooperated this weekend so we hit our favorite hiking spot again. The weather canceled a couple of our walks during the week so the dogs were in the mood to run.
At one point Sadie wandered off the trail and fell behind. I figured this was the perfect time to get a great shot of her running to catch up. She had a surprise for me, though.
She brought me a dead bird. Yuck!! (She did drop it as soon as I told her to drop it.)
Luka proved that last week’s behavior was not a fluke. He ran ahead on the trail but always waited for me to catch up.
When I stopped walking he came back to get me.
This week I noticed that Sadie waited for me whenever there was a trail junction.
Luka just picked a trail and ran ahead (and was often wrong about which way we were going), but Sadie waited for me to lead the way.
Once I showed the way the dogs went ahead of me.
As always, the highlight of the day was the water.
Despite the wonky weather (fog to sun to clouds back to sun back to clouds) it was another spectacular day (can you spot Luka in this picture?).
Finally, I don’t know when the Sleeping Olympics begin but the training around here is intense.
To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first. ~ William Shakespeare
This weekend marks six months since I fell while hiking and sprained the living hell out of my ankle. I’ve spent the past six months diligently working to first heal and then strengthen my ankle. The first couple of months were rough, but I knew that if I pushed through I would be ready when the 2011 hiking season arrived.
All of the hard work was worth it.
Yesterday the dogs and I hit the trail for our first hike of the year.
A notable difference from last year: Luka is off leash on the trail.
I’ve had him for over a year now. He’s become very obedient and seems to have bonded closely to me. I had a feeling he could handle being off leash and I was right. He always came back when I called and he never got too far away from me.
Best of all: he and Sadie had a fantastic time exploring together. (I love the big smile on her face in this picture.)
They ran around so much that they needed to rest just 30 minutes into the hike.
Then they had to rest again just a short time later.
Finally, we reached our destination (where Luka jumped right in and started swimming).
Sadie swam, too.
They also played together.
Luka explored the rocks.
When it was snack time the dogs kept a close eye on my bag of carrots. (They both love carrots.)
It was a lovely day.
Finally, Milo continues training for the Sleep Olympics.
If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves. ~ Maria Edgeworth
The red sock blank is making lovely socks. They are flying off the needles. I turned the heels Saturday night.
Over the weekend Milo participated in the Sleeping Olympics.
One year ago today I spotted this at the Humane Society.
I cannot believe it’s been a year already. I’ve had so much fun getting to know Luka.
Well, most of it has been fun. That day last summer when I arrived home from work and discovered he’d shredded 15 rolls of toilet paper and 5 rolls of paper towels was definitely not fun (at least not for me).
Happy anniversary, buddy.
Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself. ~ Unknown
Once upon a time this was a knitting blog. Today I am (briefly) returning to my roots.
Many moons ago I dyed this sock blank:
I finally finished the socks on Saturday night:
I have to admit that I didn’t really like the socks when I finished them. They didn’t turn out at all how I expected. However, I wore them all day Sunday and we made peace.
I probably won’t ever love them, but I do like them. And they’re a perfect fit.
More details can be found on their Ravelry page.
On Sunday I dyed the blank for the my next pair of socks:
I cannot wait to knit these. It’s tough to see in the picture, but it’s a subtle tonal effect that I think will make gorgeous socks.
Finally, a picture of Milo. I’m not sure how this position was comfortable, but he was sound asleep.
Good things come to those who wait.
After three months I finally figured it out.
Follow the grain in your own wood. ~Howard Thurman
We’ve had arctic cold around here lately so the dogs and I haven’t gone on any adventures. We can barely go on our daily walks. All I have to post today is a mish mash of pictures.
Sadie doing what she does best (holding down the couch).
Photogenic Luka.
Mister No Name continues the cuteness.
The cats have become friends and are now hanging out together.
Finally, a new pair of socks.
Enjoy the little things in life, for one day you’ll look back and realize they were big things. ~ Kurt Vonnegut
The dogs and I hit the park yesterday. It wasn’t very cold, but there was a heck of a cold wind blowing. I kept my gloves on most of the time to make sure my fingers didn’t freeze. I only snapped a few pictures of the dogs.
Both dogs enjoyed the cold water. Sadie loves to take a big gulp of water and then let it trickle out of her mouth. This is very cute while outdoors (not so cute in the living room).
Luka was playing with a tennis ball and it drifted underneath the ice. He obsessively searched for it.
Sadie watched him for a bit.
Then she grew bored and settled in to wait.
This next picture isn’t the best quality but I love the expression on Sadie’s face.
And, a final thought for today:
Winter must be cold for those with no warm memories. ~ From the movie An Affair to Remember
The arctic temperatures moved out in time for the weekend and we took advantage of it. I had some errands to run and then we ended up at the dog park.
Being cooped up in the car for a couple of hours meant they were ready to run.
Once they burned off all that energy it was time to explore.
The stream has started to freeze.
Both dogs enjoy exploring the ice.
Sadie loves to eat snow.
Luka splashed in the freezing cold water.
Sadie preferred lying in it.
But not for long.
Exploring the woods is always enjoyable.
When Sadie took a break I was able to snap a nice portrait of her.
My portrait of Luka didn’t turn out as well as I’d hoped.
This one is better.
All of the running was exhausting. Here’s how Luka spent the evening.
The kitties continue to (literally) sniff each other out.
And I will soon have a new pair of socks.
Finish each day & be done with it. You have done what you could. Learn from it; tomorrow is a new day. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ve been knitting socks but the pictures are still in the camera. The socks I’m knitting are from one of my favorite sock blanks.
I love dyeing sock blanks. The problem is finding time to knit all the socks!
I have been snapping pictures with my phone so I’ll share those.
Sadie is a snuggler. She sleeps on the bed with me all night and most mornings I wake up to this.
We’re supposed to have a snow storm tonight, but for now there is only one patch of snow left in my yard. Luka is a fan of snow.
I spotted this last night.
It didn’t last long, but it’s a start. The new kitty is still without a name. I figure he will tell me his name at some point. Hopefully soon.
As always, Sadie has been excelling at holding down the couch.
She tried to nap on the floor earlier today but was plagued by an itchy nose.
Both dogs supervised me while I was eating lunch today.
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.
