A Typical Day

People often ask me what a typical day is up here in the INW. While I don't really have a "typical" day, here's an idea of how life goes...

We started off today with a nice long walk. The snow is really starting to melt off, so no more slipping and sliding on ice.



Our neighbor dogs, Colt and Remy, ran out to say "Hey" to Teddy.



















Down the road a ways, we heard alarms sounding in a neighbor's house that is up for sale. No one seemed to be around and no smoke was pouring out. Bruce called the realtor and left a message to let him know. Teddy didn't understand why we were just standing around.

Um, I have things to sniff. Let's get going.

On the road again...



We walked past one of the other houses we looked at in this neighborhood before we bought our cabin. Nice enough inside, but not really our style...



On the way home, the hound in Teddy really came alive. Nose to the ground, he dragged Bruce back and forth and round and round.

When we got home, we found Sera and Shadow waiting for us.

"Our house is a very, very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard..."

"Thanks for the walk, Dad!"

Next, I headed upstairs to listen to Lecture 7 for the Hillsdale College online course I'm taking on C. S. Lewis.

 OK, lecture is over. Time for the quiz!



What? Dang it. I missed one.

























Meanwhile, Bruce was feeding wild turkeys in the backyard. He recently counted over thirty girls and a dozen boys.





Gee, I wonder why there are so many turkeys?

On to my latest sewing project - a Christmas card holder. I hope to have it done by December :-) And this means that I expect Christmas cards from all of you!



I already finished blanket stitching the letters on the "Christmas" panel...

















I apparently invented a new stitch. I showed my work to my mentor, Peggy, and she said the border isn't supposed to show on a blanket stitch. I misunderstood her instructions. However, she liked it! She said it looked really good and made the letters have a three dimensional quality.

So I present to you...the Yami stitch!

Now I'm going to start work on the letters in the "Merry" panel. Once that's done, Peggy and I will sew on the backing with the batting and then add the top. There is an end in sight...

Add in exercise, housework, yard work, driving into town to grocery shop and get the mail, or an occasional trip to Coeur d'Alene or Sandpoint, and you have an idea as to how we pass the time around here.

Oops, time to make supper. Until next time!

It's A Boy!

Two weeks ago today, as we were driving home from Coeur d'Alene, Bruce asked if I wanted to stop in at the Kootenai Humane Society to look at dogs. I said yes.

The very first dog we saw was this guy...



His name was Marco. He had been in a kill shelter in Barstow, CA, and our no-kill shelter had flown him up here when his time had run out. He had been picked up as a stray down there. He's about five years old and, as far as we can guess, a black lab/hound mix. He had been in our shelter for two weeks. He was skittish and shy, but very, very sweet. Bruce and I both fell in love at first sight. How could we not? Look at that face!

We renamed him Teddy. Teddy Bear. Theodore B. Wheeler.

He was pretty nervous when we first got him home. We had no idea how he would react to the cats.

What are these small furry creatures
with needles for toes?

He gave the cats plenty of space and respect, and after they were convinced he was no threat, the cats gave him the paws up. Sera made friends with him right away, and now accompanies him on his walks.

Teddy enjoys a massage every morning...

and every night.

He has long talks with Dad.

And the toys. The toys! So many toys!

He's learning to sit, stay, lie down and come. He's a smart boy and is catching on very fast. We have a routine, he has everything he could possibly need (and more!) and we're head over heels in love with him.

Stay tuned for more Teddy adventures!

Are you ready for some football????

Maybe She's Crazy

"Maybe she's crazy."

That's what my Dad told us when, after adopting our dog Bella, we were lamenting that she raced around the house in figure eights, barked uncontrollably at us, and tore things up while we were at work. Turns out, she was crazy! She was very smart and had loads of energy. A deadly combination for many rescue dogs. People don't have the time and energy to deal with them, so they get rejected and returned to the shelter, or abandoned in the streets.

Luckily for all of us, we found a young dog trainer who was just starting her business. Maggie Barker taught Bella a few simple commands (sit, lie down, stay, come). But more importantly, she taught us to be better dog parents. She taught us to take her for super long walks every morning before we went to work so she would sleep most of the day. She told us about Peanut Butter Kongs, which kept her busy and gave her a job to do while we were gone. Most importantly, she taught us to read Bella's moods and know that when she acted "crazy", she was just needing to burn off all of that energy she had racing through her body. Once we learned to supervise her play times and help her channel that crazy energy, we all learned how to live together.

As she got older, however, her priority was napping.

Bella knew how to relax:

No dogs on the couch! Oh, never mind...

Bella never really enjoyed riding in the car. She got car sick a lot when she was younger, and was just plain nervous about it when she got older. She much preferred staying home and protecting the house and cats. That is, when she wasn't busy relaxing.

"Where are we going? When will we go home?
Do you know how to drive this thing?"

She felt the same way about the boat. We only took her out a few times and then realized she would be much happier staying home while Cody played King of the World.

"Hold me, Daddy. I'm scared.
Can we go home now? Please?"

Yes, Bella preferred hanging out with the cats. She thought they had the right idea...



She worked all of her life on developing her opposable thumbs. In fact, we called her front paws "hands". We half expected her to go into the kitchen one day and start making us all supper.

She loved playing in the snow...

soaking up the sun...



modeling for mom...

"This is my winsome look"

and loving her Daddy!

One of Bruce's favorite Bella stories is from her younger days. Over the course of a few weeks, she chewed and ripped our sofa cushion, the carpet, a bunch of books and DVDs, and a silk plant while we were at work. With the help of Maggie, we crate trained her so we could have some peace of mind during the day. She learned quickly and became accustomed to getting into her crate with her peanut butter Kong before we headed off to work each day.

But about a year later, Bruce came home for lunch one day to walk Bella, and before returning to work, he put her back in the crate. He left the house and, as he walked to his truck, he heard a loud BANG and then something skidding across the floor. He went back into the house to find Bella on the couch and the crate door halfway across the living room floor.

Bella had rammed her hard dog head against the crate door and blasted through to freedom. It was Bella's way of telling him that she didn't need to be in the crate anymore. She would be a good girl. And she was! She never had to get into that crate again.

Bella passed away on August 15, 2015, from kidney and liver failure. She was about fifteen years old. She lived a long, full, exciting, loved life. She pretty much had us wrapped around her little toe pad. Spoiled rotten but totally deserving. She was a great dog. We miss her to this day, and often find ourselves tearing up thinking about her. But we also know she had a wonderful life with us, and she sure made our lives wonderful  in return.

Maybe she was crazy, but we were crazy in love with her!