Lazy Days of Summer

Today was a lazy day. The weather was unseasonably cool for Phoenix, not even getting up to 80 degrees. My dog and I both loved it!

This morning I took Jacie to school so that the office staff could meet her. When we got home, Jacie emailed her 'Aunt Darby.'



As you can see, they are both little thieves! Although biologically unrelated, Darby and Jacie have very similar markings on their pretty little faces. Here's what Jacie wrote:

My mom took me on a field trip this morning to her school to show me off. I started out by making things difficult for her, by me wanting to drive. I even honked the horn! She then made me get out of the car so she could block off the space between the front seats. It’s OK being in the back, but I really can’t wait until I’m old enough to drive.

I walked into the front of the school and there were a few women who were “awwwwing” over me. I sat pretty and wagged my tail like a mad woman while they petted me and said what a good girl I am! Then I just laid down and looked pretty! When my mom tried to get me to leave, I stayed put. The principal said that it looked like the school may have a new mascot. That would be fun…almost 700 kids to herd! Then one of the women asked Mom if she watched Dog Whisperer. That woman was able to get me standing easily with the leash & now Mom knows how to do it. I wonder what other kinds of lessons I’ll learn this summer. I did overhear her saying that she’s going to take me to a Petsmart class. Ha! She’s got to get me to walk on the tile in there first. The one time she took me, it was so slippery in my enthusiasm that I gave up and just laid down.

It’s naptime now and I hear the cool kitchen floor calling my name.

So later, while Jacie napped, I lazed. Finally, I decided that I needed to accomplish one thing, so I embellished a towel for the kitchen.



I've got more of these fabrics and plan on doing other fun things for my kitchen. But, for today, at least I did something.

Back to Blogging...AGAIN!

It’s been almost a year…a long, yet short, year of ups and downs. I guess that’s called life.

Shortly after my previous post, our 14 year old lab/pointer mix, Macy, had a stroke. While she could still get around well in her old-girl way, she seemed depressed for a couple of weeks. Then, she seemed to snap out of it, accepting herself as she was, and life went on. I pretty much quit sewing, because she would either get agitated when I was in my small sewing room, or lay at my feet where there was no room for me to move. I humored her and gave her no reason for me to say ‘no.’ She made it past her 15th birthday in November, and I then spent my last winter break with her. On Sunday, the day before I went back to school, she climbed up in bed and enthusiastically licked me awake. Shortly after that, she had what appeared to be a seizure, which we’ve lived with for many years, so we didn’t think too much about it. After a nap, it was clear that the end was near. We kept her as comfortable as we could that day and she slept in her own bed all throughout the night. The next morning we took that one-way trip to the vet.

Here’s a picture that was taken about a week before that. She really was a smiley-girl! As the meds kicked in on that sunny Monday morning, we saw her smile for the last time.



After a couple of months, we talked about the possibility of getting another furry girl when I was home for the summer. I’d periodically look at puppy ads online, as I did one fateful Friday evening after work. The next day, May 1, we went to look at a specific girl and brought her home…



Jacie! (JC for Jan & Conrad) Good thing it rhymes with Macy, for all of the times that we’ve called her that in that past two weeks. She’s a 13 month old border collie mix. She has a LOT of wonderful qualities and she is adapting well to her new home. And adapting to new rules! She’s smart, sassy, and a perfect fit for us.

Welcome home, Jacie!