RIP Beloved Friend

We unexpectedly lost our beloved protector and hubby's best friend. We are all in shock. When the boys were younger and hubby and I were both gone, they would let her in the house with them and they would feel safe and secure. She was such a special member of our family and we are so glad we had this winter with her and let her spend it in the house with us. It is so hard to believe she isn't here with us anymore. Just as unexpectedly we have already added a new member. A coworker of hubby's was at the animal shelter and they had just had a German Shepherd, 4 mo old puppy surrendered to them. The boys and I went to pick her up and bring her home to see if she would be a good fit for us. I think she has helped the boys tremendously with the hole that Cinder's passing left. Hubby is another matter. He is not sure he is ready for a puppy and just wants his dog back. It has been a hard couple of days. Today he spent time with Enza and I think he will feel better about her soon. He just needs a little more time.
Then she did this, just like Cinder used to at the time the boys usually come home from school. It was a little freaky. I wasn't looking to get another puppy right away, but she needed a good home and the boys already feel like she belongs here. Her paws and legs are huge, so she may end up being quite big. She is only 4 months old and already this big. The other 2 dogs are not thrilled, but seem to tolerate her so they will be fine in time. Say a prayer to help heal our hearts.
I will save my recent refashions for the next post.

Dog update

Maggie is still limping along, only it's the left leg that is giving her trouble now. ( For those of you, I ran over her on Friday the 13th) I noticed yesterday that she has some lumps on her right hip, but they don't seem to bother her when I press on them. I don't know how much longer I'll let her keep struggling. She just has so many issues and I don't think it's fair to make her suffer. We have had a few nice spring days and she has enjoyed those by laying outside in the sun.
On to knitting updates. The socks are still a UFO. The reason for that is I started a BSJ finally. Two girls I work with are due to have babies this spring so I figured it was the perfect time. So far it is going well. Yesterday was very productive on the refashioning front. I recently cleaned out the closet and took out a few t-shirts that had shrunk in length. Perfect for making some new underwear. I also cut the elastic off of some underwear that had just been sitting in the drawer because they just didn't fit right. Voila! 4 new pair of underwear that fit me great and are so comfy soft. The t-shirts I used had some lycra in them so they are perfect for this application. I used an existing pair that I liked and traced a pattern from them. It has worked well and I now have 6 pair I love and a couple others (my first attempts) that are wearable. I will post pictures soon, I promise. I just didn't have time to download the pictures this morning. The boys have solo band contest this morning and then I'm off to work.

Friday the 13th

Wow! Time really flies. I don't even know where it has gone. I thought the day (for a Friday the 13th) was going pretty well, until this evening. I went to pull my car in the garage and I ran over one of our dogs. I think she's o.k. but I feel sooooo BAD. She already has enough problems. she's old and the others started picking on her so bad we had to bring her in the house. Her back right leg is pretty sore, but looks normal. She is stiff and has a hard time moving as it is and now I have to help her get up on her legs and then she can start moving. Morning is going to be rough I'm afraid. We had a couple of really cold days after freezing rain and moments of blizzard like weather but things are finally warming up. Our garden seeds arrived in the mail the other day and I need to start planning the garden. I am so ready for spring and everyone had better help with this garden. A nearby town is having a freezing and canning seminar at the community center and I happen to have the evening off. That means we need to purchase a much needed freezer. Maybe with our stimulus money. Won't get started on that. I really want to get the boys to eat better and I haven't been a very good example. I love vegetables, but I didn't make the kids eat them after they started on table food. I'll just keep offering them and when they are fresh from the garden, even better.

I have been knitting, but no FO's. Working on socks with a Chevron pattern, trying a knitting loom and making a rectangular shawl, and a difficult to describe shawl/sweater based on one a coworker was wearing. I'll leave you with a kitty shot. They love each other. The black one is named Tux, because he has a patch of white under his chin and on his belly. He sticks to himself and doesn't seem to require much from us. The orange one is Cosmo and he got sent back to the barn this week. He was spraying and I could never catch him at it but we knew it was him. Now Tux is around and wants to lay by us more. I think is enjoying not being tackled by Cosmo everyday. He is blind in one eye and I don't know if he will be as good a mouser as Cosmo. We'll see. Have a good rest of the day.