It’s really hard to watch your baby get old.  For Daisy, it started with going blind.  I think she had some vision, but what she had left didn’t even allow her to go for walks.  She would get spooked by bushes and trees.  My runner stopped running.  She would come out to the front yard, and where last summer she would run down the street looking for cat poop in the neighbours yard, this weekend she just went to the driveway, and turned around and went back in.

We were sure that she had doggy Alzheimers.  She would just pace up and down the halls, as if she was confused as to were she was.  Last night when I got home from work, she was walking into corners and just stopping there, as if she was unsure how to get out of that corner.  She even stopped greeting me at the door when I got home from work.  Last night, she came to me about 5 minutes after I walked in.  I bent down to say hello and she kissed me.  Just a little one, but she hadn’t kissed me in a long time.

I told my mom that tonight was the night.  I was sure that it was her time.  By the time John got home, she was panting weirdly, and I was really concerned that she was fading fast.  We sat down on the couch to decide what to do, and Daisy started to have a seizure.  It was so scary, poor Daisy.  Funny thing is, when it was over, she went right back to the pacing, almost toppling over.

John and I took her to the emergency vet at about 6:30, and she had another seizure in the waiting room.  Poor Daisy.  She didn’t even care that we took her in the car.  She used to shiver every time she got in the car.  She didn’t even know that we took her in the car.  When the administered the drug, I’m sure that my Daisy felt no pain.  Her breath was so labored, and it just slowly stopped.  I’m not even sure that she knew it was me holding her.  I kissed her forehead and told her I loved her.

The house is so empty.  While I know that it was her time, and it wasn’t fair to keep her around in her confused state, I really miss her.  She has been such a huge part of my life for the past 12 years.  I’m just so sad.

Good-bye Daisy Do.  You will be missed.

If you were told you could never again buy yarn, would would your last yarn purchase be?
I think it would be Cascade 220.  I really do.  It’s versatile, there are a TON of colors, and it felts so well!

If you were told you could never knit again, what would be the last thing you’d knit??
I’d make a felted bag.  I really would.  I’d think about a sweater, but I’m pretty sure it would be a purse.

In a given year, how many times do you buy yarn? And what is your favorite place to buy yarn from? A festival? A shop? Online? Dish your favorite places!!
I used to buy yarn more often, and my favorite place was Knitting Arts.  They are closed now.  I love Stitches West…  But it’s very dangerous.  Very.

Lastly, with Fall in full swing in many areas, what is the one thing you look forward to most?
I’m looking forward to the cooler weather, and wearing sweaters!

I will say, that I am remiss on this.  It happened on Friday, but things are so busy that today is the first day that I had to post…  More on my busy weekend later.

I have been spoiling the most wonderful person for Secret Pal 12.  Her name is Sherri, and she blogs at Sherriknits.com.  I’ve been having a great time spoiling her, and I’m pretty sure that she has been enjoying her boxes.  Anyway, I sent her a reveal box last week, with some things I purchased in Prague, some Rowan Denim, and some yummy chocolate truffles from our local artsy chocolate store.  It was kind of a disjointed package, but she seemed to like it just the same.

On Friday, mom and I came back from the mall, where we picked up my shoes that had broken and were being fixed, there were two boxes on the front porch.  The first box was from AllClad for my mom.  It was some gift with purchase that she got when she bought pots and pans around her birthday.

The second box was addressed to me!  At first I thought it was from the person spoiling me…  Then I looked at the return address…  Nope, it was from Sherri!

Isn’t it exciting?!?

When I opened the box, I found 4 skeins of Wisdom Yarns Poems (100% wool) in beautiful pinks and greens and yellows!  I’ve never heard of this brand, but I think it’s lovely.  It’s all pastel-ey and looks like it would felt into a beautiful fabric!

See, isn’t it pretty!

Then there were 5 skeins of Cascade 220 in a baby pink and fuchsia!  I don’t have either of these colors, and I can already see a really cute purse!

Finally at the bottom of the box was the book 220 Projects for Cascade 200!  It’s been on my wishlist FOREVER!  I even went to purchase it, and it was super pricey on eBay, so I decided not to buy it!  And here it is, in my hands!  And I have a BOATLOAD of Cascade 220!  So very, very exciting!

Sherri is one of the kindest people that I know!  I can’t believe that she sent a box, let alone a box overflowing with things that I love.  I feel so inspired to knit a new project!  I think I’d better start going to knitting meetup again so that I have time to knit!

Thank you Sherri, it was totally unexpected, and it really did make my day!  You Rawk!

There has been a cat burglar hanging around my neighbourhood for a few weeks now.  He comes in at night, through open windows, and takes small things…  Watches, wallets, you know, things that are easily taken.  Every night I go around the house and make sure that all the windows are locked, the doors are locked, and then I try to go to sleep.  I try.  Tonight I was up every hour on the hour.  Some times Sean woke me…  Some times Daisy woke me…  Then there was the dream that Perez Hilton was the cat burglar…  That woke me up too.  So here I am, blogging at 5:00 am.

Sean has decided that he doesn’t like to nap anymore.  This lack of desire to nap is making his nighttime sleeping pattern SUCK.  The two nights before this one, he was up at 11:30 pm and then again between 4:30 and 5:00 am.  Yesterday, I said to hell with this crap.  We are going to do sleep training.  I’ve read no books on sleep training.  Honestly, I’ve not read one book on parenting.  I figure that when I get confused, there will be lots of books out there that have nothing to do with what kind of kid I have that I can read and become even more confused.  So, at 9:30 am, when he just couldn’t be comforted anymore, I put him in his crib.  5 minutes later, he was asleep, and 2 hours later he woke up.  I guess I was right, he needed that nap.  Then, we had the same problem at 3:30 pm.  He just couldn’t be comforted.  So, I put him in his crib.  He played quietly for almost 20 minutes.  Then the screaming started.  I gave him 5 minutes, and then went in.  He had put his leg through the crib bars…  It hurt and he couldn’t get out.  I rocked him for 2 minutes, and off to sleep he went, again for almost 2 hours.  It is now 5:30 am and he has not been up once.  Isn’t that great!  Yeah Sean! 

Now, if only I were sleeping.

You know, it’s been a long time since I really wanted to knit something for myself.  I look at the all the knitting magazines every month thinking, “yeah, I’ll never knit that”...  This month is different.  I keep looking at the Sidelines Top thinking, that would look really nice on me.  I like everything about it.  I like the color, I like the neckline, I like the length.  Now, I’ve vowed that I can’t purchase any yarn, but I’m thinking that I could trade something on ravelry, to get this Lorna’s Laces Green Line DK.  I’ve got some Lorna’s Laces Worsted, I’ve got all kinds of things that I haven’t listed.  Maybe John could get the yarn for me as a gift…  Although with all the problems up in Ben Lomond, money is tighter than I would like.

Anywhoo, when I go back to work, I think the first thing I’m going to do is save for some yarn, and then I’m going to make this.  Seriously.  I’ll have time, maybe at lunch to knit.  Lord knows that I’m a human jungle gym, and that I couldn’t possibly knit in Sean’s presence.  Oh my god.

Oh yeah!  I posted a ton of pictures out on Flickr…  Including the Prague pictures.  Enjoy!

Susanna has requested a picture of Sean, which I am pleased to present…  He will be six months old on Friday.  We went shopping on Monday, and he was tired of shopping…  But he refused to give up shopping…

I think he is adorable, don’t you?

Now, if only I could get my camera to focus where I want it to, rather than where it wants to.