Good Karma Sighting

New Age Notecards

lOve sOngs iPod pLaylist

1. All These Things by Harry Connick, Jr., from Only You

2. And I Love Her by Diana Krall from A GRP Artists' Celebration of the Beatles

3. Annie's Song by John Denver from John Denver's Greatest Hits

4. At Last by Etta James from Spring Romance

5. Face of Love by Jewel from Another Rosie Christmas

6. For You by John Denver from The Best of John Denver

7. Nobody Knows Me by Lyle Lovett from Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

8. Perhaps Love by John Denver from The Best of John Denver

9. Two of Us by Aimee Mann and Michael Penn from I Am Sam soundtrack

10. We're Still Here by Venice from Born & Raised

And my John Lennon pick:

11. Grow Old with Me from Lennon [Disc 4]

This is not complete by any means - just a random sampling. Let me hear about your favorite love songs.

What I Did Today ...

3:44 a.m.-Woke up, heart-pounding, in a panic. I do not know why. Went back to sleep.

4:45 - Woke up to radio alarm. B.J. Thomas singing "Everything Is Beautiful."

4:46 - Let dogs out. Karma took 15 minutes to decide where to poo.

5:01 - Took a shower.

5:15 - I was in front of the mirror putting on make-up when Tantra ran into the room with a screwdriver in his mouth (the tool, not the drink). He wanted to know if I needed anything screwed. I took it away from him.

5:40 - Put Tantra in his crate, Barkley in the basement and attempted to soothe Karma who was upset and whining and trying to get me to pick her up.

5:50 - Walked in to work noticing a very small poo on the sidewalk near the front door. Couldn't help but wonder about that. Who would be walking their tiny dog that early in the morning on McFarland's sidewalk and let it poo there without picking it up? Very strange.

10:10 - Made Rita go look to see if tiny poo was still on the sidewalk. It was. We speculate on it's origins. Cat? Possum? Surely no one with a dog on a leash would walk their dog to the front door and let it relieve itself. Or would they ... ?

12:28 - Returned to work from lunch. Poo was still there. Perhaps someone brought it from home and planted it there like the old flaming-poo-in-a-bag gag.

12:29 - Decided to seek counseling to determine the cause of my obsession with poo.

12:30 - Mail delivered. Got a decorated envelope with original artwork from Annushka in New Zealand and long newsy letter inside addressed to all McFarlandites. The envelope had characters and scenery from Yellow Submarine.

2:30 - Left work and avoided looking at poo on sidewalk as part of my self-imposed therapy.

3:00 - Went to Blockbuster and rented three DVDs, one of which is The Human Stain.

7:00 - Received two emails from husband in Nashville. Both emails contained references to poo.

7:01 - Decided to lay on couch and eat potato chips and watch The Human Stain.

A Knitting Story

I have an account with statcounter.com which is a free blog add-on. It keeps track of how many people come to visit my blog on a certain day and if they have been there before and if so, how many times they've been there. It also has a big graph that charts these statistics. I look at it every day and last Sunday I had more visitors than any other day since I resumed blogging. I wondered what it could be that made that day's entry so popular. It was about knitting. Could it be that my blog audience is more interested in my knitting than anything else in my life, including ...gasp... my dogs? I suppose it's possible. The trouble is, after admitting last week that I have a huge backlog of FO's to share, I can't share them because Terry took the computer where they were all stored so my knitting photos have gone on tour with the Billy Troy band. Wheeee for them, I'm sure.

In the meantime, I'm wondering if my blog audience will care about knitting blogs without pictures of the knitting itself? I can't upload any new pictures to the iMac because of incompatibility with the operating system and my camera software. So, what to do?

As it stands, I'm still knitting on the gift for a friend and don't have any pictures of it anyway since it isn't finished. It is close to being finished, though and I'm glad of that because I'm getting behind in my knitting project list for the year. Up til now, I had been averaging about five finished projects a month but I've only been working on this one project all month long. I need to get started on some dog sweaters because I'd like to get some made ahead of time so that I can have some to sell at Christmas.

The thing I am currently working on is knitted in pieces and then the pieces are sewn together. I have the little pieces stacked in my knitting basket. I was talking to Marla on the phone when I noticed Tantra had something in his mouth that looked like one of the pieces. He is a notorious thief so I jumped up to see if he did indeed have one of my pieces in his mouth. When he saw me advancing, he took off down the hall as if his hip hadn't been operated on only 18 days ago. I crashed after him, phone in hand and the current piece I was knitting trailing yarn behind me and cornered him in the front room where there is no longer a bed for him to retreat out of reach under. He was trapped! He started growling at me to let me know that he wasn't going down without a fight. The second I grabbed him, Karma swooped in to the rescue, grabbed the knitting and took off in the opposite direction while I stood there with my mouth hanging open. The little brats double-teamed me! How much more foolish can you feel than when you are outsmarted by two little dogs?

If your need for finished objects has not been satiated by this pictureless knitting blog, may I direct you to my sister's blog where she has only today posted pictures of some baby blankets that she has crocheted.

Thanks for stopping by.

Brenda's Book Club - Eragon

Did anyone ever get to go to the Land of Oz at Beech Mountain, NC? My parents took my sister and me when we were very small - I must have been four or five years old. I remember that we had to ride a chair lift to get to it which I thought was very scary. It was a neat place to visit and the link above will give you more information about it. While we were there that day, my dad bought a copy of the book which was paperback and very thick and beyond my capabilities to read at the time. I was finally able to read it after a few years and ended up reading it several times.

When we're young, we identify with strong characters who impress us. Marla was really like that. Whatever movie or television show we saw, the next day, we would be reliving it in our bedroom and Marla would always be the star. She was Laura Ingalls Wilder or Snow White or the pretty girl from Goonies. Or Dorothy. I was always the supporting character. We never, either one of us, thought to be the antagonist. It was unthinkable. Sometimes we had an antagonist in the form of our cousin, Greg, but none of us girls (Marla, me, Trina, Wendy or Pam) wanted to play that role. I remember when Katie was small - 2 or 3 years old - whenever anyone asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, her answer was always, "A witch!" The only witch Katie knew at that time was the one from The Wizard of Oz. It was always funny (and now ironic) that that was the one with whom she most identified. She dressed as a witch that year at Halloween.

I finished Wicked this week. It ended for the witch the same as the old book from Beech Mountain which I don't think will spoil anything for anyone. One interesting tidbit: Wicked's author, Gregory Maguire, invented the name for the witch from The Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum: El-pha-ba.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini



I'm not technically reading this book. I have it on audio and have been listening to it - at work and during the long and ardurous return trip from Nashville the other night. I think part of what makes this book so entertaining for me is the brilliant British accent of the narrator, Gerard Doyle. I think I have a little crush on him.

The story is about a boy, named Eragon, who gets a dragon and then goes on lots of fantastic adventures. Big deal, right? So does Pete in the aptly titled Walt Disney flick Pete's Dragon. What makes this book so great? apart from Gerard Doyle? This book was written by a 15-year-old boy! How many 15-year-old boys do you know who can do more than string a couple of monosyllabic words together about once a week when forced? Perhaps they're saving all their words for the dragon novel they're writing in their room. Not only did he write it, he did the illustration on the cover, drew the maps inside and invented the languages that are used within the narrative. The story is compelling and makes you think of Lord of the Rings a little bit and Harry Potter a little bit but mostly, it's a story to stand on it's own shelf in the Fantasy genre.

Best of all, it's Part I of a trilogy and Part II is due out in August. I love it when that happens. I don't like waiting for the next installment. I remember the summer (1994) Stephen King released The Green Mile in chapter book installments, I was always at Borders the day of the release for the next copy. And now, it is only about three weeks until Harry Potter #6 is released. I view this development with mixed emotions. I can't wait to read it but I also know that Jo Rowling has said there will only be 7 books. After 6, if I do my math correctly, there will only be ONE MORE!!! It is the same with the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I've read the first four but not the last three. I remember reading an article by Stephen King where he talked about The Stand and how fans still ask him about the characters as if they drop him a postcard from time to time. Well, don't they? Surely they would keep in contact with him if no one else! I get involved in stories and I never want them to end. It's the grown-up equivalent of pretending to be Donny and Marie Osmond when you're 7 and 9 years old.

If you want to read along with me, you can pick up Eragon at Walmart in softcover for less than $7. In the meantime, check out my links at left for more information about dragons.

Good Karma Sighting

A restaurant in Moscow.

Sad Karma

This is what I said to Terry on the way to Nashville yesterday: "Tantra is everything I hoped and wanted Karma to be, but she isn't."

Taken out of context, I guess you might think that I'm disappointed with Karma but nothing could be further from the truth. Tantra is sweet, lets me hold him like a baby and only weighs 6 pounds, thus fitting in most of my purses. Those are the things about him that I wanted and expected Karma to be that she isn't. Well, the sweet part ... she can be sweet when she wants to ...

The thing about Karma is that she is a lot of things I didn't expect but love about her, anyway. One of the things, one of the MAIN things, is that all of those euphemisms that people use about being dumb, usually describing other people, Karma is the exact opposite. You know what I'm talking about: "She's not the sharpest knife in the drawer" or "She's not the brightest bulb in the house," etc. Karma is the sharpest knife in the drawer. Dogs can have upwards of a 200-word vocabulary and the intelligence of a two-year-old human. I think Karma might be a little bit smarter than that. Here is a scenario: Barkley has a toy that Karma wants but Barkley won't give it up. So, Karma acts like she has to go outside. Terry or I get up to let her out and Barkley hops up, too, because he will never turn down that opportunity. When he is properly distracted, Karma sees her chance and grabs the toy. She didn't have to go outside at all.

These are words that Karma knows: "Do you want to go outside?" "Are you hungry?" "Do you want to go for a ride?" "Get in your bag." "Karma, wanna go back to bed?" "Karma, where's Daddy/Mommy?" "Swim, Karma, swim!" "Cows!" "Horses!" "Karma, say hi!" "Crazy Dog!" among others.

She also has a Houdini-like capability of escaping from any crate or carrier that we have. She can undo zippers and open those weird mechanical latches on pet carriers, from the inside!

There is a brightness and alertness in her eyes that I've rarely seen in the eyes of other dogs. Now that's not to say that I think Karma is smarter than every other dog that ever was or ever will be. (I suppose if we shared DNA I might be forced to make that assertion). I've met a lot of dogs and I've met a lot of smart dogs. Barkley, for example, is very smart. But he doesn't have the excitement in his eyes that Karma does. Neither does Tantra. Karma has an enthusiasm and zest for life that exceeds them. She is such an incredibly bright spirit.

When I wanted to get her, Terry said maybe we shouldn't. Maybe it wasn't the right time or maybe we couldn't afford it right then, all I could think was that if we didn't get her, someone else would have our Karma! because she already had a name in my mind and in my heart.

Maybe it's because we did a better job socializing her than the other two. Maybe because she has traveled to so many different places. Maybe because she attended her first concert at 12 weeks of age. Maybe because Terry was home for nine weeks after we got her and I have not been separated from her overnight - ever - since I got her. Maybe because we talk to her and treat her like she is a little person. Maybe all of these things.

I expect Karma to start speaking English soon and that leads me to the explanation of this blog's title. Because Terry was at home every day for over two months after we got Karma, she very much doesn't like to be left at home alone. When Terry goes out on the road and I have to go to work during the day, Karma suffers from severe separation anxiety. It begins as soon as Terry starts packing up to leave. When the suitcases and road cases come out, Karma gets upset which manifests itself in doing her business in places she shouldn't - like Terry's spot on the bed - whining, shaking and depressed behavior.

The last two times he has gone out on tour, I've driven down to Nashville with him and taken Karma and Tantra along. Last time, we dropped Terry off at a hotel. I loaded the dogs back into the car and began to drive away as Terry watched us leave. Karma went nuts barking and twisting her whole body around to keep Terry in view as long as she could. This was a new experience for her - driving away without him - and she was obviously upset and for all the world as if she was saying, "Don't forget Daddy! You're leaving Daddy!" (Yes, we call ourselves "Daddy" and "Mommy" to the dogs. Yes, we're over the top. Yes, we KNOW!) Terry was heartbroken.

Yesterday, Karma started barking before we even drove away. Terry was saying good-bye through the window and Karma was telling him exactly what she thought of the situation. She obviously didn't like it.

Terry doesn't get home until August so Karma will be used to being alone during the day by that time. That doesn't mean she won't be thrilled to see him when he does.

P.S. There may not be any pictures until Terry gets home. He took the PC and I'm blogging from the iMac and can't upload pictures or even use pictures from the internet because I'm using such an old version of Netscape. If you want to complain, email Terry at tmanfredi@yahoo.com. ;-)

Does anyone else's moon look like this tonight? 

dReams iPod pLaylist

'50s
1. All I Have to Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers

'60s
2. California Dreamin' - The Mammas and the Papas
3. Daydream Believer - The Monkees

'70s
4. Daydream Lover - Gary Grimes
5. Dream Weaver - Gary Wright
6. Dreams - Fleetwood Mac
7. Dreamboat Annie - Heart
8. Dream On - Aerosmith

'80s
9. Life in a Northern Town - Dream Academy
10. Don't Dream It's Over - Crowded House
11. These Dreams - Heart
12. Dreams - Van Halen
13. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of These) - Eurythmics

'90s
14. Runnin' Down a Dream - Tom Petty

'00s
15. Dreamer - Ozzy Osbourne

Big Band
16. This Time the Dream's on Me - Harry Connick, Jr.

Jazz
17. Dream - Brad Mehldau from the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil soundtrack (with Vince Guaraldi flavor)
18. This Time the Dream's on Me - Allison Krauss from the Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Soundtrack

New Age
19. Dream Dance from Lifescapes Sleep
20. Dreaming - BT from Faeries: A Musical Companion to the Art of Brian Froud
21. The Mystic's Dream - Loreena McKennitt
22. Dream Lover - Mae McKenna

Orchestral
23. Dream of the Witches Sabbath (from Symphony Fantastique) by Hector Berlioz

And because I like to end all of my playlists with a John Lennon:

24. #9 Dream - John Lennon

Knit a Little

Blanket folded over chair. 
I try to knit a little bit every day. If I don't, I get a lot cranky. I have responsibilities nowadays. I'm a wife, mother (3 dogs and 4 cats, as if you didn't know), employee, errand-runner, bill-payer, shopping-doer, etc. but I try to reserve a little time for myself in my spot on the couch by the lamp near my knitting "basket" (a Rubbermaid container with a hinged lid and a handle). I can't tell you what I'm working on right now because it's a gift for a friend but I'll have pictures to post as soon as the rightful owner receives it.

Still-life baby boy blanket with cat tail. 
In the meantime, because I was away from blogging so long but still knitting, I have a backlog of pictures of "FOs" (finished objects) to show you.

At the shower. 
Hot on the heels of Tonya's baby Trevor, came Kimberly's baby, Luke. I knew ahead of time that he would be a boy so I did a blanket with a blue theme. I used Bernat's Cotton Tots, the same thing I used to make the bobble blanket last summer for Beth's baby, Sophie. I love working with it. And I loved how this blanket turned out. It is knit completely in garter stitch - 56 squares - and stitched together.

From left: The first bracelet is my "Goddess" bracelet. I made it with beads and assorted charms and trinkets that fit my theme. The second bracelet I also made with blue and green beads with a moon and star theme. It says, "Terry" on one strand and "Brenda" on the other. The third bracelet is a charm bracelet that represents mine and Terry's life together. I need to add a few there. Next is Momma's charm bracelet. My favorite is the articulated owl. I call it "Hedwig," of course. Next is my Aunt Vade's charm bracelet - more about it later. And my timeline bracelet.  

Charmed, I'm Sure ...

When I was in the third grade, our family friend, Linda Barry gave me a charm bracelet for my birthday. The charm was a little enamel girl scout - I was in the Brownies. Momma had a charm bracelet also. Hers had a little train, an enameled Confederate flag, a tiny foot with an enamel tarheel and an enameled map of Tennessee, her birthplace. She had the bracelet and all it's charms before she was married. My bracelet and charm are long since gone as are all the charms from Momma's bracelet although I still have the bracelet itself.

The August/September, 1998 issue of Home Companion magazine had an article in it about charm bracelets. With it's colorful and clever photography of Mary Engelbreit's bracelet and several others, it incited in me a deep desire to build my own bracelet.

At first I couldn't find any. I drove all over the tri-county area looking for a charm, any charm to hang from my bracelet. Shortly thereafter, I discovered eBay and my collection began. At first I just bought willy-nilly anything that was appealing to me. Then I started to want to organize and have charms that actually meant something or represented a time in my life so that is what I have done over the last 7 (! My, how the time does fly !) years.

Belk Department store in the Boone Mall started carrying a nice variety of charms and while I was browsing, I decided that Momma needed a new charm bracelet, too, so I got one for her with a small, filigreed ball on it. I quickly added to her collection as well. I can't remember if we got Marla her bracelet or she got it herself but I know we helped add to her collection. She brought Momma and I charms from Ireland and charms from Texas to add to our bracelets.

I few years ago at Christmas, we gave bracelets to Trina and Pam to start their collections. Momma gave one to her sister, Betty, and Betty sent Momma a couple of charms for her bracelet. I gave one to my friend, Tracy and this year for graduation, I gave a charm bracelet to my cousin, Katie.

I believe every woman should have a charm bracelet. I now have four charm bracelets and I will tell more about each of them in future blogs. Now, however, I would like for any of you to share stories and/or pictures of your own charm bracelets or the bracelets of people you've known. If you don't have a charm bracelet or charm bracelet story, peruse my links at left and get started on the construction of your very own.

Brenda's Book Club

I'm quite sure most of the books I read aren't the same ones that Oprah reads. On the other hand, we share a deep admiration for Gary Zukav. I have read some of the books from Oprah's book club and the only one that I really loved was Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons. Even though I may not always love the books she reads, I nearly always love the discussions! Even if I don't know what they're talking about. Because, I, myself, would love to have a book club of my own where people I know read books I love! and then, I could have them over to my house where we could have food and discuss the book and laugh and cry with the same comraderie as Oprah's guests.

Well, it's a dream.

And since this blog is like inviting people into my living room without having to run the vacuum, I introduce a new blog feature: "Brenda's Book Club" or, in a less vain vein, "What I'm Reading Now."

"Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

This book is subtitled The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West and begins with the birth of same. She is born in Munchkinland, southeast of the Emerald City to a man of the unnamed God and his wife of questionable morals. Imagine their surprise when their firstborn child shows herself with green skin, not to mention a severe allergy to water. One may be bemused by these nods to literature and film but the story of Elphaba's life (whoever knew her real name?) is not funny at all, neither is Munchkinland nor the Emerald City whimsical with singing and merriment! It is fraught with political unrest, racial controversy, and more weirdness than most of us are used to. Elphaba becomes a proponent of Animal rights (as opposed to animal, with a lower-case "a") when her beloved professor, a Goat, is murdered by the head of the University. She joins an extremist protest group in the Emerald City and disappears from view of her friends and family for many years until she is recognized by a friend from school. They begin an affair and he is murdered in the end seemingly because of his association with her. Out of her mind with grief and guilt, Elphaba goes to live in what amounts to a convent and may or may not give birth to her dead lover's child. Then the story really gets interesting ...

I haven't quite finished the book yet but I am mesmerized by it in a breathless sort of familiar familial way, like: "I've known you my whole life but didn't really know you!" Of course, we all know how the story ends. By now in my reading of the novel, Dorothy has already squashed Elphaba's sister (Nessarose - lovely name for a wicked witch, eh?) with her house and run off down the yellow brick road with Nessa's sparkly, magical shoes. Elphaba is, indeed, flying along with her broom trying to stop her but not for the evil, selfish ways we all once believed.

My own sister, who refuses to let me call her the Witch of the West (well, she does live in Texas), let me borrow this book from her and also another Maguire novel entitled Lost, which seems to be about Ebeneezer Scrooge, Jack the Ripper and Charles Dickens. I can't wait to read that one.

In 2003, a production of "Wicked" opened on Broadway and another dream of mine, besides the book club one, is to get to attend a showing of "Wicked." I think my sister has the soundtrack.

Now, for the wicked in all of us, a quiz. Name the movie that goes with each quote about a witch:

1. Are you a good witch or a bad witch?

2. I'm not a witch, I'm not a witch!

3. I'm not a witch, I'm your wife!

WWJD?

! 
You've all seen the "W.W.J.D." bracelets and T-shirts that remind teens and adults alike about a good rule of thumb for living a holy life. Many, however, ask themselves these questions: Does Journey know about my battles with the enemy of my soul? Do they understand the fierce temptations that challenge me? Do they have any clue what I am going through -- the sorrow, the sadness, the depression that overflow my cup? I've been betrayed by a friend, a lover, someone very dear -- does Journey understand? I am here today to tell you that Journey DOES understand. Because, my friend, Journey has been there before.

Situation One: Gregg and Heather have a picture-perfect marriage. The two are young and wildly successful -- Heather is a bank-credit analyst, Gregg a top loafer salesman at a department store. But Heather's job requires her to work long hours, and Gregg often feels neglected. If she really loves me, he wonders, why is she away from home so much? It's the quintessential modern struggle: a two-income family, overworked, always pressed for time. You may wonder how Journey, who walked the Earth so long ago, could relate to a problem like this. But did you know that Journey faced precisely this same dilemma -- nearly twenty years ago? In Frontiers 5, 0:48,they tell the story of a musician, always on the road, and the woman he's left behind: "They say that the road ain't no place to start a family. But right down the line, it's been you and me. And lovin' a music man ain't always what it's supposed to be. Oh girl, you stand by me. I'm forever yours, faithfully." Faithfully. It's clear that Journey intends a double meaning to this term: faithfulness to the absent spouse, yes, but also faith in Journey -- and their power to heal broken relationships.

Devotional meditation: How secure is my faith in Journey? When is it strong? When does it falter?

Situation Two: Alice loves her boyfriend, Sam, deeply. They've shared long conversations, walks on the beach, romantic dinners by candlelight. But now Sam is pressuring her to have sexual relations with him, and Alice doesn't know what to do. She doesn't feel comfortable having sex before marriage, and someone has told her that Journey thinks it's wrong. At many points in the Albums, Journey speaks out
strenuously on this subject. And their message is always the same: "Any way you want it -- that's the way you need it." False prophets who tell you otherwise are leading you astray. Do not pay them heed. The most striking passage on the topic comes from
Departure 1, 0:50: "I was alone -- I never knew -- what good love could do. Then we touched, and we sang, about the lovin' things! All night, all night -- oh, every night!"

Devotional meditation: Do I love to move? Do I love to groove? Do I love the lovin' things?

Situation Three: Martin has reached the end of his rope. His happy marriage, his beautiful family, his thriving bakery -- none of it means anything to him. At night he finds himself awake, alone, wondering: if all life ends in death, then what's the point of going on with it? Journey was no stranger to existential hunger.
Escape 1, 2:02, perhaps captures this hunger best of all: "Workin' hard to get my fill -- everybody wants a thrill. Payin' anything to roll the dice, just one more time. Some will win, some will lose -- some were born to sing the blues. Oh, the movie never ends: it goes on, and on, and on, and on." In the face of such sorrow and hopelessness, does Journey go on to say that we should give up the fight? NO! Instead, we are told to not stop believing. To hold on to that feeling. May the streetlight person in each of us have the courage to listen.

Devotional meditation: Have I ever stopped believing -- in life, in love, in Journey? When weighed down by the cares of the world, have I let go of that feeling?
Have I taken a midnight train going anywhere?

Author unknown

Happy Birthday! 

12 Reasons to Wish Trina a Happy Birthday

12. She loves Journey as much as I do.

11. I have personally witnessed her dropped on her head 3 times.

10. She's 5 years younger than I am so today she turns 24.

9. Her favorite color is green.

8. She either loves or pretends to love every pink thing I knit for Jezik.

7. Her baby looks just like her.

6. My sister lives halfway across the country so Trina often stands in as my Sister Surrogate.

5. She was one of only two witnesses at my wedding and she made sure I had something borrowed, blue and new.

4. Terry knows if he's out on the road and he can't find me and is worried, he has one plan of action: call Trina!

3. She cherishes family and friends above everything else.

2. When my momma died, she and Pam were the first ones to come to my house and she stayed as long as I needed her, which was about a week.

1. She has the biggest, most generous, loving heart of anyone I know.

Happy Birthday, Trina. I love you!

Karma Sighting

Good Karma sighting. 
Don't mess with Karma. It's true. Just ask Brian Kauhfman.

Instant Karma! 

iPod pLaylist: dOgs

1. Hound Dog by Elvis Presley _ What better way to start off a musical salute to man's - ahem - and woman's best friend than a classic rock 'n' roll tune?

2. Here Rattler by Amy Michels _ This song in this incarnation (and it must be this incarnation) is only available in Creston.

3. Old Salty Dog Blues by Flatt and Scruggs _ More important, even, than "classic" is traditional and this song fits that description perfectly. Makes you wanna dance and howl!

4. Bird Dog by the Everly Brothers _ I just slipped this one in to round out the list.

5. Dixie the Tiny Dog by Peter Himmelman - Hilarious! My cousin, Carla, wrote a version entitled, "Barkley the Quite Large Dog," also hilarious.

6. I'll Take the Dog by Jean Shepard and Ray Price _ For fond memories from my childhood.

7. Stray Dogs and Alley Cats by Terry Manfredi (or Harley Allen) _ We thank Katy Taylor for turning us on to this song by Harley Allen. Being biased, I put Terry's version on my playlist.

8. Puppy Love by Donny Osmond - Another nod to my childhood with cheese and corn.

9. Dog and Butterfly by Heart - We had Karma about a week when she encountered her first butterfly in the yard.

10. Gonna Buy Me a Dog by the Monkees - More dog-inspired hilarity.

11. Who Let the Dogs Out? by the Baja Men - This one is Karma's favorite.

12. Walking the Dog by Aerosmith - Takes me back to the days of Texas Storm and Thor's.

13. Black Dog by Led Zeppelin - No dogs are actually mentioned in the recording of this song although I imagine that I can hear some heavy doggy panting in the background. Just my imagination? I don't know.

14. Hound Dog by Jeff Beck - From the "Honeymoon in Vegas" soundtrack. It's an instrumental that rocks more than the original.

15. Oh Yeah, Oh Well by Venice - Funny lyric about a dog with actual dog barking in the background.

16. Instant Karma! by John Lennon - And a nod to my dog.

Knitting for Babies

Seems like a good portion of the things I knit are for babies. I enjoy knitting the little things and searching for new, fun, sweet patterns that give me new challenges. My co-worker, Tonya, had her first baby last month. I chronicled the course of her pregnancy pictorially and, at her baby shower, presented her with a handknitted baby blanket with little puffy white dogs on it. I loved this pattern. It was from Lion Brand and the yarn was Lion Brand's Wool-Ease. The dogs were knit from Lion Brand Polar Spun.


Baby blanket for Tonya's baby. 


At the baby shower. 


Here he is: Trevor Paul about a week old. 

Tantra happy in the green grass of home. 
Here you can see his little shaved flank and the incision which is long but not as red and swollen as it was when we brought him home. 

A Long Blog Involving "Shooter's Scooter" and Other Stuff

By Thursday afternoon, Tantra was well enough to come home. Terry and I drove over to Sparta to pick him up when I got off work, infinitely happier and more animated than we were on the trip home from there on Tuesday.

The girls behind the counter lit up when we said, "We're here to pick up Tantra." Was it because they were relieved to be rid of him or because he was so special? Evidently, it was the latter. One girl said, "Oh, Tantra! I love him! He is so cute and sweet!" Another girl said, "He really has a lot personality!" and another said, "He has been barking all morning and we've been taking turns carrying him around to keep him from barking." In my opinion, that kind of care goes above and beyond what you would expect from a veterinary clinic, especially one as busy as Twin Oaks always is.

While waiting for Tantra to be brought to us, we talked to a beautiful, old Great Dane named Hercules who was only about 10-15 pounds larger than Barkley. I knew Barkley was big but when I saw him in comparison to a Great Dane, it was kind of a shock to see how big Barkley really is. Meanwhile, Terry was trying to convince Dr. Nash that he should open an office in Ashe County. Nash was very noncommital about it, though.

Finally, they brought out Tantra who, though slightly subdued, seemed very happy to see us and kept trying to get to whoever wasn't holding him for love and kisses. We kept passing him back and forth and this continued all the way home. If he was in my lap, he wanted Terry to hold him and vice versa.

His hip looks much better although his whole right rear flank is shaved and looks pitiful, especially with the two-and-a-half inch incision. He has improved a little bit every day and it is going to be a challenge to follow doctor's orders and keep him "quiet" for the next two weeks.

I got up at 4:45 a.m. yesterday so that I could have plenty of time to carefully carry Tantra out into the yard to do his business and keep him from getting trampled by Barkley which is what brought about this entire incident to begin with. I worked from 6 until 2:30 and hurried home to get ready for the concert.

Pam drove and borrowed her mom's (my aunt Nancy) new Toyota 4Runner to drive.

We really had a fun time. Toby's steel guitar player, Josh, provided our tickets which were on the right hand side: Row M for those of you who have been to the Verizon Amphitheater (formerly the Blockbuster Pavillion). In other words, really good seats. Josh came out to make sure we were there and got our seats and everything. It was the first time I had met him and was looking forward to that because Terry had been talking about him so much recently. (Josh has been touring with Billy Troy, Terry's band, while not on tour with Toby Keith).

Shooter Jennings was first but we missed him, even though we were only about 10 or 20 minutes late getting inside. Leann Womack was next and Pam leaned over in my ear and yelled, "She's a cute little woman" and indeed she was. She looked very small and un-mega-star-like up there on that big stage dressed in jeans and a black tank top with spaghetti straps. She had big Nashville hair though. I really don't follow country music. Well, that's not the whole truth of it. I really don't follow any contemporary music. If it was released after 1990, I probably don't know it unless it was immensely popular and I absorbed it via media osmosis like "She-Bang" by William Hung. So the only song of Leann Womack's that I know really well is "I Hope You Dance" which she sang and received a slightly unenthusiastic standing ovation. Pam, however, is much more hip than I and sang along to nearly every song.

This was the first show of the 2005 Throwdown Tour so, I'm sure, they have some wrinkles to iron out, although, I didn't notice anything glaring except ... when Toby Keith's show starts, a large white screen comes down to project a short film starring Toby and his talking sidekick, a brindle bulldog named what? I don't know. Bubba for this film... and a big ol' Ford pick-up. The film was a huge production with expensive and impressive special effects and included two aliens. The aliens did not speak English and the subtitles were obscured by the heads and waving arms of the few rows in front of us. The film's dialogue was pretty spotty, too, due to the screaming of the crowd. I don't know how this could be rectified except by handing out a script to be read along and that might detract from the energy of the moment. There were fireworks, explosions and confetti cannons, there was a big Ford truck embedded in an alien landscape and then, there was Toby Keith singing, well, something but it sure wasn't "She-Bang."

The highlights, for me, were the horn section who had really entertaining choreographed dance moves, Josh, because he was the reason we got to be there and, impressively enough, is the youngest member of a band that consists of quite a lot of old codgers who, nevertheless, can really rock, and the moment when the band departed the stage and Toby and a guy named, Scottie? was it?, played their accoustic guitars and sang "The Taliban Song" and "I'll Never Smoke Weed with Willie Again." Also, the reggae version of "Should've Been a Cowboy" was fun.

After the show, Josh took us backstage and we stood near the buses (there were nine) and semi's (there were seven). Josh got us all soft drinks and while he and Terry talked, Pam and I speculated about Toby Keith and which bus was his and where was Leann Womack? Pam felt sure that Leann would like us and I thought maybe she would keep us if she did and that Trina wouldn't like it if I was the cause of her sister being abducted by Leann Womack's tour. Leaned against the front of one of the buses near us was a small scooter. Pam said, "I'm going to get on it and ride off." Then she said, "I bet one of 'em came here on it." I had an instant visual of one of those I had just seen on stage zooming out in front of that long line of buses, holding up traffic for miles on I-77. Then I thought that if one rde a scooter, surely one must have pogo-sticked in and from scooter and pogo stick I went to the pocket of a kangaroo. That would have to have been Toby's fiddle player. He was a little man which would have made him fit well plus, he had long hair which would have been a neat effect in a kangaroo's pocket. Who rode the scooter, though? Was it Toby Keith's? The handle bar only looked long enough to top his shin. "I wonder whose it is?" I said to which Pam promptly replied, her eyes full of mirth, "I bet its Shooter's!"

Shooter's scooter.

We burst out laughing and she said, "They should pay me to think of this stuff."

About that time, a noise or movement or sudden light from behind caused me to look over my shoulder up and into the window of the bus behind me where I caught a glimpse of the man himself, moving about and now wearing a red baseball cap. In a few minutes he came out of the bus and stood a little away from us. I wasn't starstruck or anything by any means but you can't help but feel a little excited thrill by such a near proximity of someone as large as Toby Keith. It was with quite a bit of regret that I thought of my knitting and camera, both left at home. You know, leaving both behind really isn't following the whole philosophy behind Leann's song, "I Hope You Dance." She might not like me much after all. I sat it out and don't have a photo of Toby Keith holding my knitting for my blog.

Later on, Terry told Pam and I of an industry term: "germing" which is pronounced with a hard "g" and means people who are related to the show or production in some way (including guests of same) and try to schmooze with the artist. It might have reflected badly upon Josh if I had rushed Toby with my knitting and digital camera. Really, really NOT cool.

So, we were ten feet from Toby Keith and I didn't speak to him or take his picture or poke him with a knitting needle. By this point, I had been awake for 20 hours and separated from my little Yorkie dogs for 10 and was really getting anxious to go home.

Terry was wired - he really comes alive after midnight - and talked all the way home, poking me on the shoulder from the back seat more than once, when I was nearly asleep. Pam drove all the way, singing softly along with the radio and we made it home safely, greeted by ecstatic dogs. I finally got in bed almost 24 hours since I got up and slept a peaceful sleep.

Tantra guarding "his" bone and toys from Barkley and Karma. 

Update on Tantra

I didn't sleep well last night. All the chicks weren't in the nest and we've had multiple and assorted viruses on our computer so Terry was up most of the night trying to get them off. You can't hardly get on the internet these days, seems like, without contracting some kind of virus or worm or contagious disease. I've been working flex time at work which means I get up at 5:00 am, get to work by 6 and then I can get home by about 2:30 leaving my afternoon free.

Tantra is just out of surgery at about 4:30 this afternoon. They said the surgery went well but he wasn't out of the anesthesia yet. We probably won't get to bring him home tomorrow. Friday is when we are supposed to go see Toby Keith so I don't want to bring him home and then leave him for the night so, if there aren't any complications, we will probably bring him home on Saturday. Even Karma and Barkley are subdued today.

Meanwhile, our groomer, Michelle, is recovering from her own surgery this week and I wanted to give a shout out to her and wish her a speedy recovery.

Tantra in the sun 

Tantra Man

Tantra had an accident with his leg. His lead was wrapped around it and Barkley tripped over the lead and pulled his leg out of the socket. At first, the vets at Twin Oaks thought they could just pop it back in (ouch!) but after taking an x-ray, they realized that a little bit of the head of the femur had broken off so they're going to have to do surgery. We left our little man (six pounds now) in Sparta and hopefully, they'll be able to do the surgery tomorrow. They expect a full recovery in just a few days and we should have him home by the weekend. Even so, we're a sad household without our littlest guy.

Simon and Gracie overseeing the drilling project. 

Toby Keith

Terry and I are going to see Toby Keith this Friday night at the Verizon Theater in Charlotte. Terry's friend, Josh, is the steel guitar player for the Toby Keith band so he got tickets for us. We're taking Pam and maybe Rusty if she decides she wants to go.

I don't follow country music so I don't know much about Toby Keith but I'm excited to get to go. Don't expect pictures as Terry has already warned me not to bring my camera. He has also warned me not to bring my knitting. How did he know?

The Yarn Harlot takes her knitting to events and then has the artist hold her sock-in-progress while she takes their picture and then posts it on her blog. Can't you just see Toby Keith holding my little swath of knitting? The next time he's on the Crook and Chase Country Countdown and Lorianne asks him what is the strangest request he's ever received from a fan, who do you think he would remember?

Alas, no knitting and no cameras and soon, no clapping and no talking.

Aunt Pam and Baby Jezik. 

Jezik is over four months old and can roll over now.  

Tomato Barkley 

Guess What Happened?

"I"ve never been so humiliated in all my life." 

How would you like to run upon this in a dark alley somewhere? 

"Hmmm... I always like a little cracker with my soup." 

Terry's back is permanently ruined from bending over Barkley in the tub applying 5 gallons of tomato juice.