The other day Henry threw his rubber chicken into his water bowl. But two nights ago, Henry threw Papa Paz into the jacuzzi. Of late, it has been Operation Get Henry Potty Trained around here. Two grown people could not be more dedicated to this effort. Ray was showing off to me how, if he stood in a certain spot, Henry would respond to his command and pee upon the puppy pad we had strategically placed outdoors. Ray swung his left leg over the gate that protects Henry from the pool, to get in place, but Henry had other ideas. The pup ran to the wee wee pad and began to pee right where he should, all by himself, in advance of the command. Yipee! He's trained! But poor Papa! With one leg on one side of the gate and one leg mid-air, he was watching Henry's triumph when, ka-plewie! Ray tumbled dead center into the jacuzzi, taking the gate and wire shelf it connects to with him. Like a dream in slow motion, water splashed and flower pots went flying. Henry ran inside, then turned and peeked out the door to look at Papa standing in the middle of the jacuzzi in the dark, dripping wet but otherwise unharmed. I picked up Henry and we both stared at Papa. "I'm okay, I'm okay," Ray muttered as he slowly hoisted himself out of the freezing water. "Mama, I think we're too old for this," he said. I just shook my head and gazed at little Henry who by this time was bouncing happily about our feet. The hour being late, and Henry having done his business, we put the pup to bed. Laughter filled the air at the Casita as we chuckled and thanked our lucky stars Ray had not been hurt, then peace and quiet settled in as we dimmed the lights and called it a night - two tired old people and a little Yorkie pup. Oh Henry!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Oh Henry! Papa Fell Into the Jacuzzi!
The other day Henry threw his rubber chicken into his water bowl. But two nights ago, Henry threw Papa Paz into the jacuzzi. Of late, it has been Operation Get Henry Potty Trained around here. Two grown people could not be more dedicated to this effort. Ray was showing off to me how, if he stood in a certain spot, Henry would respond to his command and pee upon the puppy pad we had strategically placed outdoors. Ray swung his left leg over the gate that protects Henry from the pool, to get in place, but Henry had other ideas. The pup ran to the wee wee pad and began to pee right where he should, all by himself, in advance of the command. Yipee! He's trained! But poor Papa! With one leg on one side of the gate and one leg mid-air, he was watching Henry's triumph when, ka-plewie! Ray tumbled dead center into the jacuzzi, taking the gate and wire shelf it connects to with him. Like a dream in slow motion, water splashed and flower pots went flying. Henry ran inside, then turned and peeked out the door to look at Papa standing in the middle of the jacuzzi in the dark, dripping wet but otherwise unharmed. I picked up Henry and we both stared at Papa. "I'm okay, I'm okay," Ray muttered as he slowly hoisted himself out of the freezing water. "Mama, I think we're too old for this," he said. I just shook my head and gazed at little Henry who by this time was bouncing happily about our feet. The hour being late, and Henry having done his business, we put the pup to bed. Laughter filled the air at the Casita as we chuckled and thanked our lucky stars Ray had not been hurt, then peace and quiet settled in as we dimmed the lights and called it a night - two tired old people and a little Yorkie pup. Oh Henry!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
My Garden
There's a potted planter full of scented geraniums around the side of the Casita which are blooming bountifully. I ordered these as tiny slips from Papa Geno's nursery in Nebraska, I think last season...or maybe two seasons ago. They're in just the right spot in the garden and must be feeling the love here in sunny Southern California because they are healthy and gorgeous. (Click on the pictures to see them in greater detail.) Mmmm! The 
fragrance is delightfully refreshing. My favorite is the rose geranium which I planted separate from these, in the front, in my little herb garden. A-a-choo! Papa Paz thinks these are all "stinky" but he has allergies so it's to be expected. I study herbs for their medicinal as well as culinary uses and I feel overwhelmingly fulfilled when I can gather those things I grow to cook with or make use of. There's calendula, mint, sage, rosemary, basil, thyme, lemon thyme and, of course, lavendar in my garden. Sounds like quite a plot, but it's actually very small, quite manageable and very self-sustaining during the times I get caught up with my quilting and forget to go outside. But of course, Papa Paz put a drip system in for me with a timer, so the garden waters itself...lucky me.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Oh Henry!
This morning Henry threw his rubber chicken into his water bowl. Splash! Henry's a small patootie but I think he thinks he's a very big wolf and was born to be wild. Oh Henry! Henry's potty training is about 98% complete, but he's still off about 2%. I sometimes wonder if he's protesting the taming of his wild ways. I just now caught Henry yanking at a piece of pink gingham which I'm going to use for a quilt backing. My assertive glare and the "NO" command sent him trotting cheerfully out the door. Henry has a mind of his own but we're on track with the Dog Whisperer as our guide. Our goal at the Casita is to make Henry happy and lovable. He's a lot of work, but so far so good.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Morgan's Quilt - All Done!
Morgan's quilt is done...just in time for her birthday party. It's a busy but cheerful compilation of bright prints. I wanted this to be a wash-and-wear blanket for Morgan, so I used a low loft polyester batting for the inside of the quilt, knowing it might be run through the wash many times. I stitched one big boxy "X" at each cross-section where the green prints meet to secure the quilt top to the back, and finished the edges with a matching green calico with a back-to-front binding technique, using mitered corners. Finally, I attached little tufts of hot pink yarn at the center of each green cross section to "tie" the whole quilt together. It's quite a feeling of accomplishment to take something from start to finish. Morgan loves her quilt and we are all happy on this blessed Easter Sunday and wish you the same.
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