We went somewhere

A couple of weeks ago, we packed our bags...

PlyAway or bust!

... and drove through this (and later some wicked downpours).

Springtime in Indiana

Along the way, we stopped in Casey, Illinois, home of the world's largest...

Wind chime

Rocking chair

Mailbox

Wooden shoes

There was also a purple house..

...and some street art.

We spent the night in Collinsville, Illinois, and the next day, visited Cahokia Mounds.

We climbed stairs

And more stairs

From here...

... we could see St. Louis (including the arch on the left)

In Kansas City, we saw (among other things)...

Bee hives next to the employee patio at BCBS

Our hotel was build on a rock... literally.

The only sign of spring in KC

Union Station at night, from our hotel room

We also visited Lawrence KS and ate at the Ladybird Cafe.

"And this is for you"

We missed the Final Four Madness there. The next day, we left KC just in front of a winter storm and right behind this guy.

And then we came home, via Terra Haute. The end.

Dog centric

Some dog owners like to refer to themselves as "dog moms". That is not my way, but I am discovering that just like people moms, dog moms are apparently open to criticism regarding their "parenting".

I use an e-collar as a training tool. I have been trained in how to use it. I have tested it on myself; it does not shock but tingles, like a TENS unit. I don't use it as a correction for bad behavior, but as a "nudge" for each command. At a low setting, it says "listen". When there are distractions, I turn it up so that it says "HEY! LISTEN TO ME!" The higher settings are startling but not painful.

I work with my dogs everyday to promote good behavior. I use the lowest setting possible to get a positive result. When there are a lot of distractions, it sometimes takes a bit of trial and error to find the right setting, which results in the dog yelping. I try to avoid this as much as possible but it happens.

I have had Watson for about a year. In that time, I tried several methods of training, but the quickest, most effective one was the e-collar. He now is a joy to walk... unless another dog appears on the scene. He likes other dogs, but when on leash, suffers from "frustration aggression" - he snaps and growls and barks and sounds quite vicious. In group training classes, he is fine; the problem occurs when we are out and about. I am working on this issue, but it is difficult during the winter when most people are not out walking their dogs.

I have had Clio for about six months. She has an exuberant personality and lots of energy. She walks on leash relatively well, but when a person or another dog appears, she acts as though they are her new BFF. She wants to play and jump, but she is too big to be allowed to do this. In group training classes, she is fine; the problem occurs when we are out and about. She needs to learn to be around other dogs without going bananas.

There is a group here in town that has weekly "pack walks". I thought that would be a great opportunity to work with my dogs, so I took Clio to one about ten days ago. In retrospect, I should have walked her ahead of the pack, as it is easier to urge her on rather than hold her back. But we trailed the pack, and I struggled to get her to "listen" to the e-collar and stop pulling. Inevitably, the e-collar was set too high, as distractions waxed and waned, and she yelped a couple of times.

The following weekend, the pack did not walk (too cold - damn weather). But the group admin and I had a lengthy exchange on FB Messenger regarding my training methods. It did not grow heated - I tried to educate her on her misconceptions - but in the end, I felt unwelcome (even though the group promotes itself as "non-judgmental"). Apparently, there is also an application to join the group (which states e-collars are allowed on walks although the admin said they weren't), but this is not clear from their FB page. I ended the exchange by suggesting Clio was not ready for pack walks yet.

I'm not one of those laissez faire dog owners who let their dogs do whatever. Frequently when I am out with the dogs, I get complements on their behavior. They are challenging and have made great improvements in the time I have had them, but sometimes all other people see is their bad behavior. Or what they deem as MY bad behavior.

The dog trainer I use has monthly pack walks, so I will take my dogs there. I also got passes to the city dog parks, where they can run off steam. The e-collars are very useful there, as I can get the dogs' attention across a crowded field. I am also working with my dogs there, where distractions are high. Still, I'm disappointed that the weekly pack walks did not pan out.

Of course, I could still show up, but not walk with them, just be near them, while I continue to work with my dogs. Or would that be passive aggressive?

Practicing "place" at the dog park

Eat like a dog?

For a while, I was overfeeding Watson. When he began to look a bit chunky, I cut back on his food. Instead of underfeeding him to make up for overfeeding him, though, I fed him what the dog food package said he should be eating for his ideal weight. He slowly lost the extra weight.

Then I had an epiphany. What if humans did the same thing? Instead of eating 1200 calories a day to lose two pounds a week, something I just cannot maintain, what if I ate what I should to maintain my ideal weight?

Of course, the tricky part is figuring out just what that amount should be. Even though Clio and Watson weigh close to the same number of pounds (45 lbs. vs. 35 lbs), their nutritional needs differ to the point that Clio needs twice as much food as Watson.

The only way I see to do this is to figure out how much I can eat without gaining weight, then cut that back a little. Again, this remains tricky, as some days I seem to *need* more food - I'm legitimately hungry.

Another aspect of eating to trim down is to make healthy food choices. Dogs have kibble, while we have DQ. I find that the healthier my diet - fruits and vegetables, nuts and berries, beans and rice, watch the carbs, little meat but I won't forsake dairy - the less likely I am to get the munchies. This works unless I'm feeling stressed or anxious or sick.

The results? Well, I have lost a couple of pounds this past month without really trying to do anything except avoid overeating. As soon as I do overeat, though, they creep back on. Per usual.

Opinions?

Still sick

I can't remember the last time I felt this bad for this long. If I thought there was anything a doctor could do, I would go, but I think this is just a prolonged cold. Today Nora is with her cousins, so I am trying to take it easy, but there is still stuff to do, like laundry. The 'rents will be back late tonight and will pick Nora up tomorrow. Then I rest.

Meanwhile, I am spending money left and right. I decided to go ahead and get a second spinning wheel, oh, and while I was at it, a lazy kate and, hmmm, how about that used drum carder? That was just the "inside" stuff - I also ordered plants and seeds for the garden. If my plans fail, I am turning the yard back into lawn.

I finished Silence of the Grave, started the latest Bosch novel from Michael Connelly, Two Kinds of Truth.

On my last nerve

I wondered what might cause a break in this boring little diary, and the virus did it. After a night of slimy night sweats, I woke without a fever Friday. Even showered and washed my hair and dressed in something besides pj's. That exhausted me. Here it is, four days later, and I'm a bit better but not much, as I sound like I am hacking up a lung. A friend suggested Mucinex and that seems to be helping.

I'm on "grandma duty" while my daughter and husband enjoy a cruise. They are soaking up some sun in the Caribbean while the rest of us shiver and moan and suffer from cabin fever. Even the pets are turning on each other. I anticipated Nora being in school for the better part of each weekday during my stint, but it was cancelled last Friday, Monday was a holiday, and today was a two-hour delay. Fortunately, two of the other grandparents have helped out some.

Otherwise, it has been really boring around here. I finished Jar City and started Silence of the Grave. No TV except for 72 Dangerous Animals (Nora's choice). Today I knit a bit on the baby blanket, made some phone calls, and thought about cooking soup but opted for beanie wienies instead.

Sicko

From out of the blue, a virus has struck me down. I so rarely get sick beyond a case of the sniffles that I'm not sure what to make of this. The worst part is the throat pain when I cough anything up. To top it off, I had a lousy night's sleep, so besides feeling fatigued from being sick, I'm just plain tired.

• Since I am picking up my granddaughter from school on Friday, I had to reschedule my haircut to today, at 8:15. That meant setting my alarm clock. The dogs are becoming accustomed to every day bringing a new "schedule". I didn't walk them at all today, as besides being sick and tired, I worry about slipping on the icy streets.
• After the haircut, I ran a few errands, including a stop at Simply Sock Yarn Co's brick and mortar store. Now I have enough yarn to finish the baby blanket, plus some "sky blue" fingering for a new pair of socks. Some of my older pairs are wearing out.
• I tried to nap but the dogs were being bad, the robo calls have started in again (the computers must take the xmas season off), the mail carrier delivered my mail and a book from Amazon to my door, etc.
• I managed to get the dogs in for their nail trims, but decided to bag the spinning guild meeting tonight, even though there would be extruded rose bush to spin.
• My spinning wheel is not very portable, so I am contemplating getting a second one that folds. It's a sizable investment but if I am going to spin-ins and guild meetings and workshops, it would be very handy.
• Watched more Call the Midwife.

January thaw?

The bitter cold weather is done for a while, so now it will be dirty snow iced with freezing rain.

• I signed up for notifications from the local school system and received one today around 5AM, as school was delayed by two hours.
• The temps and wind speed were predicted to be even all day, so I took the dogs for a walk this morning.
• But first, I did a half hour of yin stretches. Pleasantly surprised I was not as stiff as I feared, but now my hips hurt.
• Since school was not cancelled, Feldenkrais class was not cancelled either. It was my idea to have this class in the daytime and I worried we would not have enough, but all four of us were there - me, my SO, a work friend, and my neighbor across the street. We all had different reasons for being there, but all experienced something new and interesting.
• Then off to Menard's as they are having their 11% rebate sale right now. I had a list, found almost everything on it. Unfortunately, the humidifier filter I brought home is the wrong size, necessitating a return.
• I managed to knit the required rows on the baby blanket. Only 4 more 4-row repeats to go before the final border. I could be done this week!
• More Call the Midwife.
• I listen to audio books from LibraVox.org as a sleep aid and have fallen in love with David Clarke's reading voice. I've been trying to listen to The Three Muskateers and David Copperfield, but am not enjoying the readers.

What is the world coming to?!?

I ordered navy insulated curtains from Plow and Hearth. When I opened the package today, it contained a red xmas-themed table runner. WTH? When online procurement fails, I fear the end of the world. Fingers crossed on my order from The Company Store. Nonetheless, I ordered a book from Amazon.

• Prepped Nora's bedroom for her impending 10-day stay. I'm a little anxious about being solely responsible for her for so long, but apparently I am the only grandparent, not to mention relative, who is capable of doing this even though two of the other grandparents are ten years younger.
• Knitting: usual quota on the baby blanket, plus worked on the face mask.
• Since the weather is more tolerable in the afternoon, that is when I have been walking the dogs. But it throws off my entire day.
• Reading: Sunday Journal Gazette, January 1 New Yorker. I think I am giving up on Future Home of the Living God. Started Jar City. I don't know Icelandic, but the translation seems off to me.
• Paid one bill for the association (I'm the treasurer), but it took two checks as I totally ruined one. It's 2018.
• I had left the candy canes on the Norfolk pine houseplant, figuring my granddaughter and I could eat them bit by bit. But Beau, the Feline Destroyer of all Things Nice, decided to finally mess with them. Now they are in a cupboard.
• The Meyer lemon plant is simply bursting with blossoms! What a wonderful smell, especially in winter.
• More Call the Midwife.

Red (again)

Last night I barely made it to 9:30 before abandoning efforts to stay awake, that's how tired I was. And even though I overate "supper", I skipped my usual bedtime snack of Cheerios and a banana, so I think I was not completely over the top calorie-wise. I was able to foist the kalpudding off on my daughter and her family, so that is at least out of the house.

• Laundry day. Vacuuming day. Clean my gross bathroom day. And de-cobweb the bedroom day.
• My vacuum cleaner needs to be serviced. It's making funny noises but only after I turn it off. Amusing anecdote: Once upon a time I took my vacuum cleaner to the vac shop to be serviced. The vac guy asked me when I had last had it serviced. Blank look from me. Big sigh from him. When I went to pick it up, I could not find the claim ticket. Vac guy asked me what kind of vacuum cleaner it was. Blue? Another big sigh from him. "Canister or upright?" Oh! Upright! At least I knew the answer to that one.
• The weather was more amenable today by noon, around 13 degrees and no wind to speak of. So the dogs took me on a decent walk for a change. Later this week the temps are supposed to be in the 40's, with rain. Not sure which is worse.
• While my SO was working, he managed to get in 20 minutes or so of yoga each day. After he retired (about 12 years ago), that discipline fell by the wayside except for when we attended senior yoga classes together. Now he is getting back into his old routine. I'm trying to figure out a way to do the same, maybe rotate short yoga sessions with shoulder exercises or something. I have the daily walking pretty much down, but my upper body is ridiculously weak. Not that I'm actually doing anything about it today besides thinking about it.
• Knitting: the usual baby blanket quota. I was going to purchase another skein of yarn today, but decided to put that off until next Tuesday when I'll be out-and-about for other reasons.
• Spinning: I have been resisting the temptation to purchase an antique-looking spinning wheel from Rekindle. I have no room for it plus it needs work and I don't need to get into the spinning wheel flipping business. HOWEVER, I am giving serious consideration to purchasing a traveling wheel, one that folds up and is portable. Mine does not fold up and is awkward to transport.
• Back to reading Future Home of the Living God. Not sure if I am going to finish it - it's just not grabbing me.
• Tonight my SO and I went to see an excellent, excellent production of "Red", which is about Mark Rothko near the end of his career. Almost everything I know about art I learned from or through my SO.

Still kind of tired

Lousy night's sleep after a busy, busy day with my granddaughter. Maybe she is too stimulating? Actually, being around almost anybody is too stimulating sometimes for an introvert like me.

• Warm enough to take the dogs for medium length walks this morning. It's their paws I worry about. I do have booties I can try using with them; I just anticipate failure. 
• Instead of wearing my merino/cotton long johns, I layered with leggings and a long-sleeved tee shirt. Mistake!
• My SO and I resorted to mall walking to get more steps in. I wish there were an equivalent for dog walking, some place under cover and above freezing.
• I learned something new today: people in Oregon and New Jersey don't know how to pump their own gas. I'm sure my dad was not happy when self-serve pumps came into being. In fact, I wonder if he ever did pump his own gas, as I think there were still a few places near him with outside attendants.
• No knitting, no spinning, no weaving.
• Indulged in overeating tonight: pizza, chips, Snickers bar. I blame a combination of being tired, plus fighting the overwhelming urge to hibernate.
• Finished Hardcore Twenty-Four. 

Grandma is tired

The cold winter weather continues but it reached a balmy 16 degrees this afternoon. Some snow sprinkles but nothing to get excited about. I used to fret about getting enough snow to cross country ski, but it's been so long, I've basically given up on that activity.

• Slept in a bit this morning, so I was well rested for what came next.
• My granddaughter spent most of the day here. The challenging thing is to limit her time on the Nook tablet. Fortunately, many of the games she wants to download don't fit. Also, there are other things to do, like her KiwiCo crate of the month, Biggie Beads artwork, make a "screaming balloon" (something she learned at Science Central), eat mac and cheese, drink hot chocolate with whipped cream and sprinkles (I don't spoil her much), etc.
• The Nook was a handy distraction for when I wanted to cook. For some stupid reason, I decided to make both a corned beef and cabbage soup I saw on FB AND a Swedish kalpudding from the NYTimes. Neither were impressive. Two servings of meat in one day is WAY over my limit.
• The dogs and I did squeeze in a short walk after Nora left. Better-than-nothing category.
• I also knit the daily quota on the baby blanket.
• More Hardcore Twenty-Four. As funny as it is, it is not keeping me awake. OMG, am I tired!

Brave the cold - NOT

• I got all bundled up this morning, but I just could not bring myself to venture outside. Fortunately, the dogs were still tired from yesterday.
• Beau has been a butt lately and Finn has been grumpy about not being able to go outside and roam. Chicken-or-the-egg cat fights going on periodically through the days. Even if Finn is only looking at Beau, Beau screams bloody murder.

Beau is hiding behind the toilet

• Got a little behind in knitting the baby blanket, but I'm caught up now.
• Since I was able to buy more yarn yesterday at JoAnn, I finished weaving the whatever that is on the 24" loom. Still not sure what it will be. I don't like the fringe, so I will probably hem it.
• Felt anxious about group dog training. Took Clio. She settled down pretty quickly, probably because she was tired. Only three other dogs in class, which helped. One was a cross between a Saint Barnard and a poodle - non-shedding and gorgeous! A 7-month old Great Dane was being worked separate from our class - HUGE already!
• It just occurred to me I should have asked the Saint Barnard-poodle's owner if I could have some clippings. The dog's fur had a nice curl to it. And she said it mats, so it may make good yarn.
• Took the "rug" and my woven swatches to weavers guild, for show and tell. We did paper weaving as well, to try out designs. 

Cabin fever

• Decided that I needed to get out of the house and run some errands. Not wanting to lock the dogs in their crates after no morning walks, I took them to doggy daycare. 
• But first, my SO called. He had texted me earlier about a dead car battery but his daughter stopped by and gave him a jump. Unfortunately, every time he turned off the car, it would not restart, like in the parking lot of the post office downtown. So after dropping the dogs off, I jumped him (TWICE) while following him around in search of a battery. Then he graciously took me out to lunch. He helps me so often that I am grateful to be able to return the favor. 
• Then my errands: the food co-op, Target, Fresh Thyme, home to drop off the food; library, Kroger, JoAnn, then pick up the dogs. 
• I have boarded the dogs at the doggy daycare place before. While they had fun and exercise, they seemed rather relieved not to be left overnight. And properly exhausted.

• Watched two more episodes of Call the Midwife. Started reading Hardcore Twenty-Four, the latest Janet Evanovich. The Stephanie Plum books are a quick read no matter the number of pages because there is so little printing on each page.

xmas is over

Contemplating resolutions, etc. this morning. Not to make, but just reflect on the idea in general. Everyday can be Day One of an improvement in one's life. Some improvements are a transformation but most are not.

• Took Clio on a token walk this morning, around the block. It was too cold for her feet. I didn't even bother trying with Watson.
• Finn was crabby - he kept asking to go out, but came right back in after about 30 seconds. Meanwhile, Beau was being a butt, attacking the dogs (*not* a good idea) and Finn who pinned him down for some punishing bites. 
• Put away the rest of the xmas decorations. How come, when you think they are all back in the closet, there is at least one item still lurking somewhere? It's like vacuuming pine needles - there are always some left in June. And stink bugs! Every so often, another one appears; yesterday one fell out of nowhere, into the dog's water bowl while I was filling it at the kitchen sink.
• Also ironed the xmas table linens and put them away. It's not often that I iron.
• Returned to knitting the never-ending baby blanket.
• Worked on the whatever that is on the 24" loom. It's been a weaving experiment that I think is finally coming to an end, except I ran out of yarn.
• Looked at my Blogger statistics for this blog. Today there was a huge spike in views, mostly from Russia. Hope they are amused.
• Started reading Future Home of the Living God, by Louise Erdrich. My first nit to pick is it is supposed to be a journal-like letter to the narrator's unborn child, but it reads like straight narrative with dates serving as chapter titles. I've heard both favorable and unfavorable things about this book, so I'll probably continue reading, to see for myself.
• Tried watching River, but it wasn't doing anything for me. Switched to Call the Midwife.
• While watching TV in the den, I heard a strange noise, like something cracking or crackling. I thought it was Beau but he wasn't out there. I looked and looked for whatever it was, found only a cracked outlet cover on an exterior wall. It's a mystery. In case it was due to the cold (and that room is colder than the rest of the house), I decided to up the furnace for the night. I can't wait for this cold snap to be over.
• House maintenance and repair is the one thing that will probably drive me out of my home and into a rental of some sort.