Big Boy Check-Up

Rudy had his yearly yesterday. He did the usual shaking-like-a-leaf act to begin with. Wouldn't even eat the treat the vet gave him after the blood tests and shots. (Did you know they don't do a stool sample anymore?? I get to scrape a sample together for them and return it!!) By the time it was all over, though, two techs AND the vet were oohhing and aahhing over him while he looked cute and cuddly. 

Rudy then went with me to have my car checked out. He's just getting to be such a big boy! 

Artistic Displays

Rudy is the only one who has really been "with me" on my quest to find a way to display my newly handspun yarns. And really, I think he is just sucking up. He knows where his food comes from. However, all of you will be able to take a collective sigh of relief, because I found my display. At Martha's Bloomers. In Navasota.

I know you can't see it very well, but that is my new merino/silk 3-ply there on the left right above that pink braid of wool (that I kettle dyed, btw). OK....I'm sure I've lost most of my readership with that. But I'm thrilled. And therefore, so is Rudy Patootie.

Rudy is Distraught: WHAT HAPPENED TO JULY?

After a month of new playmates, Rudy is back to just Cuddle Buns and me. He wandered from room to room this morning looking for his new playmates. They are gone. Back to Germany. They kissed him goodbye yesterday, but I just don't think he understood the gravity of the situation. They won't be coming back for awhile.

No one here to constantly squeak his toys to get his attention. 

No one locking him in a room or a closet so that he won't play with anyone else. 

No one pretending to be a dog to get him to obey. 

No playing tug from dawn 'til dusk. 

This is a picture of when Rudy first met Maddox. Maddox is the dog man. 

Hayden didn't want to be, but became one.

Rudy desperately misses them both.

Kennel Crud

This is Rudy Patootie when Cuddle Buns picked him up from the spa. If looks could kill!! He found out we were here:

Without him. 

Having fun. Without him.

Looking at fish through crystal clear water.  Without him.

There's 3 feet of water there. It really is crystal clear. Promise.

Playing in that water. Without him.

And having all kinds of other adventures. Without him.

Poor Rudy. He came home from the spa with a touch of Kennel Crud. I think he's faking it to make us feel bad. We went to Okoboji. Without him.  (We had a BLAST!  Missed you, though, Rudy!!)

For Women Only

I had to have a couple of scans yesterday. The kind that I don't mind. You just lay back and have them scan their magic technical wands over you to see if you are loosing all of your bones or to see if your thyroid has doubled in size. Very unobtrusive tests. But as I was almost snoozing on the table, thinking about the other female tests that are NOT unobtrusive (as a matter of fact, they are downright OBTRUSIVE) I got to thinking about how if women ran this whole medical fiasco (from the start....not just coming in late) we'd have a spa for this kind of thing. Between procedures you could have a massage or pedicure. Maybe make it a girlfriends overnighter and bring your knitting or scrapping or reading or whatever you wanted to do in peace.

Don't get me wrong....I'm not saying our husbands don't let us do our thing in peace. Cuddle Buns is very accommodating, as I've mentioned before. I'm just saying that only our female sisters know what we're really doing when we go in for that pap smear. Right? OK...there are  probably some male gynos out there that get it. Doubt it comes up as a serious topic in the locker room, though.

The tech asked about the possible need for biopsy during the test. I know I'd want my husband there. But I stand by the fact that the females in my life would be more support. Still need to work on this aspect.

And along that same topic, I think the procedures would be different if women developed them AND that the test results would be immediate.

So, when you are checking out hospitals to give birth, make sure you find out if they have a masseuse on call. Or a nail tech. Or maybe someone to teach a class on making embellishments using paper scraps and all of those shape makers you've been collecting. Or on knitting baby booties. Or on deep breathing techniques while your legs are in the stirrups.

Game On!

When I worked, I rarely made our bed. It is pretty safe to say that it only was made when the sheets were changed. Now that I'm home, I like the bed made every day. I like coming in to the bedroom when it is neat, and I love getting into bed at night with the sheets all smoothed out and the blankets just so.

Rudy has made up a new game to HELP me make the bed. He jumps on and off trying to catch whatever I'm pulling up or smoothing down. Guess he knows I'll give him a little belly rubbing for helping me.

Now if I could get him to put his toys back IN the basket...

Rose Colored Glasses

Those of you reading this most likely all know where I was today since my readership consists of people I see or talk to on a regular basis. And, despite the fact that you are all most likely interested in Rudy, today's post is about a new obsession I've found. (Actually, I decided tonight that I really only  have two obsessions. Scrapbooking and Fiber. The Fiber Obsession can be broken into three categories for me now: knitting, spinning, DYING. Rudy is an obsession, but different from those requiring 12 steps.)

Barbara and I met up Friday evening in Navasota. Her oldest son used to work in Navasota while at A&M and couldn't imagine why we would want to go there. Foolish children.

The WC Mercantile is there. And these lovely ladies.

That's Super Steph on the left and her mom, Petra, on the right. Super Steph owns the Mercantile. Petra taught a class on fiber dying that Barbara and I took today. (Just to set the record straight, Petra did not name her daughter Super Steph. Although it fits appropriately, and although I don't know her full name, I do know that Super Steph is what I call her because that is her Ravelry name. If you don't know what Ravelry is...you probably don't know who I am either.)

We each started with a skein of sock yarn that the girls had prepped for us. We hand painted dye onto it.

Rolled it in plastic wrap. And nuked it. (I'm sure this is how the pioneers set their dye.)

Everyone's technique was different. Everyone's yarn looked wonderful! Here's mine:

I used sapphire blue, chartreuse, and a golden color to make big stripes. I now have to purchase a whole set of different tools. Dyes. Crockpots. Vinegar by the gallon. Plastic Wrap. Rubber gloves. And then DIFFERENT dyes for my plant fibers like bamboo and milk fiber. These things, truth be told, are cheaper than the spinning wheel, fiber,  and yarn I've collected.

It was mighty nice to come home and have Rudy so excited to see me that he wet on the floor.