Approved!

So, around the first of the new year, we'll be raising one of these in our home:



This is going to open up a new world for us, and I can't wait to be part of the guide dog puppy raising community!

Thanksgiving, Keri and Multnomah Falls

Why might I have a picture of Multnomah Falls on Thanksgiving Day/Keri's birthday? I've been waiting to talk about this all week!

Keri has been infatuated with water falls since learning photography, especially Multnomah Falls. Today, on their way to Ryan's family in Spokane, Ryan stopped at Multnomah Falls for a "pit stop." He then suggested that he and Keri climb to the bridge. Once there he proposed to her and she said yes. She was quite excited when she called me around 8:45 this morning. So, there will be a wedding in our family and I'm quite pleased.

We went to eat at Lolo in Portland on Sunday evening since Keri and Ryan would not be with us today. Ryan showed us the ring when Keri stepped away from the table for a few minutes. She had been anticipating a new camera for her birthday, which we all found amusing. I can confirm that she's not upset that she didn't get a camera. It's been hard not to blog about this all week, but now I can tell everyone. Oh - Lolo's is a great place to eat. Tapas are my new favorite food.

Night Before Thanksgiving

It's a blustery, cold evening and I'm waiting for the kettle to boil so I can have some decaf Earl Gray tea. That's right - decaf. Ordinarily on an evening before a holiday, I'd be drinking caffeinated tea, but alas, I work tomorrow. This is the fate of those who send in holiday requests by Outlook timed delivery. Never, never will I do that again!

Fortunately, I have a coworker who traded shifts with me, so I'll be able to join my family for dinner, and I won't be doing much cooking. Keri's birthday is tomorrow, but she's going to be eating with Ryan's family and won't be joining us. It will be me, Lyn, Kevin and Tim. I'm thankful to have any family member to dinner these days - I know the time is coming when the days we're all together at the same time are few and far between.

Last week's puppy outing was very interesting. We went to the Washington State School for the Blind and were exposed to Braille. We used a machine to type out Braille and had printouts of the Braille alphabet and short-hand notes. It's a code and I'm sure I could have figured it out eventually. We were interpreting The Night Before Christmas. I also saw a computer program that is used to transcribe print into Braille - a much easier process. Lyn used to work at WSSFTB in his college days and was reminiscing about people who had been there when he lived in the dorms. Puppy home visit is Saturday and I'm on pins and needles!

So, it's holiday time again and knitting pictures will not be forthcoming. I am reading though. I gave up on The Echo Maker, one of the worst books I've read in a long time. I'm now reading The Zookeeper's Wife, about the family that owned the Warsaw Zoo during WWII. I love resistance stories and this one is no exception. I would have to warn that there are accounts of animal cruelty in this book, but it's a good story nonetheless.

On the recommendation of Leslie at Mini-Aussie Rescue and Support, I'm also reading Canine Body Language: A Photographic Guide Interpreting the Native Language of the Domestic Dog by Brenda Aloff. This is a fascinating book and I keep studying Aidan to see if he blinks at me and to see if he is using negotiating postures or appropriate sniffing techniques. You have to see this book to understand what I mean.

When I picked up the Brenda Aloff book at the library, I also found Working Dogs: True Stories of Dogs and Their Handlers by Kirsten Mehus-Roe. I read the chapter on Assistance Dogs and longed for my first guide dog puppy. I read the chapter on working dogs and longed for an Australian shepherd.

Water has boiled and my tea has steeped a long time. I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving. I'm going to try to, despite the daily warnings we've gotten at work all week on the dangers of eating too much. So, eat in moderation, don't have a 2nd piece of pie or 2 slices of different pies - it's the people you're with that count, not the food. Ha!

International Scarf Exchange 7

Sign ups have begun! Check it out here.

The time frame is doable and I love this swap. It's one of the ones I've decided to do whenever it occurs.

Guide Dog Puppy Club

I went back to puppy club tonight and met 2 brand new puppies - they had just arrived a week ago. I was impressed with how easy they were to handle. The puppies are handled from the time they are 3 weeks old, but these were the calmest puppies I have seen to date. They were yellow Labs and I think they're going to be great guide dogs.

I also turned in applications to raise puppies and to be a puppy sitter. I've been to 3 meetings, will go to a graduation on Saturday, and will have a home visit next week. We'll also be attending an outing next week and then we'll have to puppy sit 2 puppies who are in different puppy stages. I'm a little nervous about the home visit because the visitor brings a dog to see how our pets will react. I'm worried about Aidan and how he'll respond to another dog in the house after his experience with Charlie. He was wagging his tail when he sniffed my hands after class tonight, so I hope that's a good sign.

I'm having lunch with Keri tomorrow for the first time in 2 months and I'm looking forward to that. I finished The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and loved it. The Echo Maker (book I'm reading now) is okay, but it doesn't grab me like Edgar Sawtelle did. I didn't want the book to end. I'm almost finished with a pair of socks, but they are a Christmas present for my mother so I can't show them yet. My goal for the weekend is to finish them.

Lyn's Halloween Pumpkin and message

VOTE!

Saying goodbye to Charlie

I hate to post this, but we released Charlie to an Australian shepherd rescue yesterday. Theo had stopped coming inside, was disappearing for days at a time, the other 2 cats were hiding upstairs and never coming down, and Aidan was just a shadow of himself and was becoming fearful. I learned that if Charlie ever killed a cat or bit someone, he would not be adoptable and I was terrified of something like that happening. Rather than trying multiple techniques that weren't reliably working for us, I begged and pleaded for Lyn to let the breed rescue take him so he could have a chance for a better fit than us and so we could salvage our relationship with our other animals. Rescue was able to take him within minutes of my request and I'm relieved, albeit sad too as Charlie was a gorgeous dog, loyal, smart and friendly and had a lot of potential. I struggle with a feeling of failure, but am trying to look on our releasing him as an act of love. Sometimes adoption just doesn't work. Thank heavens for rescue groups. There's nothing like adopting from people who understand the breed of dog they're placing. We may continue to work with the group for a placement for us, but we're waiting for awhile as it's going to take some time for humans and animals to recover from this last experience.

I'm busy checking out new swap buddies at Ravelry - three swaps in all. Two are organized swaps, one is an informal with a woman from Finland. I love the idea of just swapping with individual people and may pursue this some more in the future. I'm afraid swaps are just a part of my life now. I really enjoy getting to know people this way. One of my swappees is from Vancouver and we're already making plans to have coffee. My third swappee is a medical student in Richmond. I promise I will not complain about doctor dictations! The theme of that swap is relaxation, and boy does she need to find some time to relax, probably the idea is a source of amusement for medical students.