The Cone

I bet you’ve seen them on other people’s dogs.  I have.  And I always had to laugh to myself that it would be so humiliating to have one’s dog run around looking like a satellite dish, for all the world to see.  Well I’m not laughing now.  Poor Kona.  She has been through a lot this week-and having to wear “the cone of shame” has made her suffering complete.
Luckily for her, she didn’t know what was in store for her last Wednesday-when she went to the vet to get “fixed.”  What an ironic term, for she was more broken when she came home.  I had been dreading this event from the first day we got her.  Last week, I was a nervous wreck anticipating the event, and to make matters worse, Willow had been desperately ill and had needed to go to the vet herself.  With that crisis past, I could focus all my anxiety on Kona-and the fate awaiting her.
Everything went well on Wednesday, and she came through her surgery with flying colors-but she immediately started to chew on her poor tummy-so the cone was put on.   At first she couldn’t raise her head, and looked like some strange cross between dog and funnel-the cone pressed to the floor as though she was listening for seismic activity.  And doorways gave her trouble too-she would try to navigate through them either a little too far to the left or right and crash into them.  Willow, who is one of those “still waters run deep” types quickly learned to stay close like a shark-because when Kona would try to eat a biscuit, or play with her rawhide bone--and  invariably let go of it--the cone would act as a sort of conveyor slide delivering the treat right into Willow’s waiting jaws.
Hopefully Kona won’t have to wear the cone for  much longer, but in the event that it’s still on when Halloween rolls around, I’ve been trying to come up with some clever Halloween costume ideas.  If you have any suggestions-please let me know. (And for all of you dear ones to whom I owe emails, convos, phone calls…I’ll start catching up soon!)

The Dog Days of Summer

Last Sunday a local church in town held a “blessing of the animals” service, and I was thinking of all the ways that animals bless us. They really touch every aspect of our existence, and my favorite example is the many ways that pets enrich our lives.

Here in Ellensburg several local businesses have resident pets-parrots and parakeets, cats, a guinea pig, and of course DOGS! I enjoy visiting a store where a friendly canine greets me and then rolls over for a belly rub. One of my favorite antique stores has Gabe-a giant yellow lab. Gabe is in charge of welcoming customers when they come in, and he even dresses for his job by wearing a necktie to work. His owner told me that before Christmas one year she put a different Christmas tie on Gabe every day. The day after Christmas, she didn’t put a tie on him--so he got one on his own and brought it to her—he liked his professional look, and has worn a tie every day since!

The local barber shop also has a dog-a very cute and very tiny Yorkshire Terrier named Bandit-who likes to sit on customers' laps. On one occasion, when my friend Paula took her son in for a haircut, Bandit showed why he is so aptly named. Paula put her purse on a chair while she got her son settled, and she happened to see Bandit nosing around in it-- and then streak across the floor with her hairbrush in his mouth! I’m not sure if she got it back-or if she even wanted it back after that!

Our own household is home to a parakeet, a guinea pig, and as of last Sunday-the day of the blessing of the animals-two dogs now instead of one. In addition to Willow- our beloved dog of 13 years-we now have Kona. She is a sweet little 8 week old Border Collie and Australian Sheppard mix who is sure to liven things up. It is fun to rediscover the joys of being around a puppy-housebreaking, sharp puppy teeth and all!

As a final thought, I pray for many blessings on the men and women who are helping with animal rescue efforts in the wake of the BP oil spill disaster. I know these precious creatures would surely say “Thank You!” if they could.

My Favorite Things

Last week I was tagged by wonderful Suzie over at Itch to Stitch http://itch2stitchdotcom.blogspot.com/ to make a list of 10 of my favorite things. Here are the things I've chosen:


My daughter Amy is without a doubt one of my favorites, and something that represents how much I love being with her is that I still read to her almost every day. Currently we are enjoying “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott.

I love Hawaii, and I’ve loved every single visit I’ve been blessed to take there. For me it truly is a special place, and each time I come home I feel like I leave another piece of my heart behind. One of the things that captivates me most are the palm trees-I could watch them sway all day long. There are also some really nice people in Hawaii too and I am touched by the spirit of Aloha they have shown.

No list of mine could be complete without chocolate. As far as I’m concerned it should be one of the basic food groups, and to paraphrase Will Rogers, “I never met a piece of chocolate I didn’t like.”

Be it ever so humble, there is no place like my sewing room, and it is one of my favorite things as well as one of my favorite places to be. It is still a work in progress, and I still hate the wall paper, but it is my little haven.

Another favorite of mine is my garden. I love working in it and I’m very proud of how it is coming along. When we bought this house, the back yard was a mess—it had been used as a parking lot by the former inhabitants, and all that survived was an old apple tree and a few blades of grass. Putting the garden in has been a labor of love and I fuss over my plants as though they were my babies.

I love a good second hand store. I always have, and I probably always will. When I’m asked what I’m looking for I reply “I don’t know yet, but I will when I see it!”
I get some of my best barkcloth at second hand stores, which leads me to the next favorite thing on my list…

Barkcloth! I could paraphrase Will Rogers once again, and substitute the word barkcloth instead. I pretty much do love it all and I’m especially in awe the of the barkcloth designers of the 30’s, 40’s and 50’s—they were masters in their combinations of colors and they came up with some pretty amazing designs too. I only hope I can keep finding this wonderful fabric while I can still afford it!

Since I do a lot of sewing, I love a good sewing machine, and my favorites are vintage models. I currently own three beauties-Singers from the years 1946, 1950, and 1961. They sew wonderfully, they are a pleasure to use, and they are practically indestructible. Still on my wish list to add to my favorites is a machine from before WWII.


I love our dog Willow and I love to pet her ears. They are so soft! The longer we have her the more precious she becomes. She wasn’t an easy dog to have when we first got her and I must admit I often regretted taking her in. But 13 or so years later she is the best dog I know and wouldn’t trade her for any other.

And my 10th favorite thing? So many choices could go here… a good cup of coffee, watching old movies, snowflakes…but for now I think I will leave it blank, and just be thankful for the favorite things I have. I also dedicate this spot to the people of Haiti, in hopes that they too can have their own list of favorite things again someday… things I have and try not to take for granted, like knowing where my loved ones are, and a roof over my head…everything else is just icing on the cake (#11, perhaps?)