It's been a busy week for me and Piper. On Thursday the Luticks and Jessie visited and we had a wonderful day walking around the Yale campus and lingering over a delicious lunch. Piper and I hitched a ride back to NJ with the Luticks and spent the weekend with my parents. Edward joined us late Saturday night and we headed back to CT on Sunday night.

Today Piper had her first visit with the vet and it went very well. She got two shots and didn't even flinch and will return in a few months to get spayed. She showed off sit, paw, and down commands and was adored by everyone in the office. Dr. Rife is a collie lover herself (her first dog was a rough blue-merle collie) and said Piper is a super little pup, but of course we already knew that.

Lunch with the Luticks and Jessie

Amanda and Amy entertained Piper for most of the ride home.

We were sitting in traffic and I asked Jessie to snap a picture of this sign. Edward's middle name is Somerville. Kind of funny, right?

Piper does NOT like the Wii. She jumps up and barks at the tv when Edward plays, especially when he plays tennis and bowling.

My parents took me and Edward out to dinner on Sunday night and I had the most fabulous meal. Check it out: filet mignon smothered in gorgonzola cheese, crab cake, garlic mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and this was after eating bread and a large Caesar salad. Needless to say I was eating leftovers for days. Yummy!

Recent Projects

The tension was shot on my old sewing machine (which my parents got me when I was 14) so in June I treated myself to a new machine. Now that I have lots of time on my hands and a Joann's Fabric store right up the road I have tried out some new patterns. Here is a sampling of what I have done. I've made a few other things but haven't yet taken pictures of my creations.

Retro apron for Jessie
(I don't know why this picture is so small)

Valances for the family room

Valances for the dining room

Valances for the kitchen

I actually made these a few years ago for my apartment in Virginia but they work just great here in CT.

Where's Piper?

Do you see her?

There she is!

She eventually adjusted to a slightly more comfortable position. (Edward had been setting up the Wii which is why it's such a mess.)


Friday night Edward got home from work at 6:30pm, about 2.5 hours earlier than usual. It was such a treat to have him home for an entire evening. Saturday was a gorgeous day and we took Piper with us on some errands and to a nearby dog park to burn off some energy. I took a short video on my camera so I'll see if I can upload it. (Unsuccessful at uploading video, will try again later.)

Some new friends at a local dog park.

On our way to Home Depot

Just like being back in Allenwood!
Edward's honking did nothing to speed up these slow-moving geese.

Run, run, run!

Progress for Piper

Piper and I had a rather successful walk around the block. She only stopped four times, and once was to sniff a little baby in a stroller. Way to go, Piper!

A brief stop to take in the sights.

Off we go again!

Edward has already taught Piper to sit on command. What a smart girl!

She loves those weights!

Puppy aside, I thought I'd share a picture of my favorite summer sandwich - sweet Italian sausage patty, fresh mozzarella, tomato, and basil (home grown!), on crusty Italian bread. My mom started making these a summer or two ago and they are delicious!

Sanity preserved, at least for now

Today has gone much better than yesterday. Piper slept until 6:45am and then Edward took her out and played with her. Unfortunately he brought her in a bit too soon because she went #2 inside (fortunately on a hard wood floor - easy to pick up, flush, and then swiffer). After another lame walk down the street and some more playing, I put Piper in her crate for an hour and half nap. Previously I had been letting her nap outside the crate, but I couldn't really relax knowing she could wake up and start chewing. I do feel a bit guilty about crating her, but she is a baby and needs her sleep, I need my sanity, and it's not like I'm crating her all day, just a couple times a day for an hour or so. After her morning walk we ventured out (drove) to the dog park just a few blocks away (hopefully some day we'll be able to walk there). We met some friendly neighbors (both human and canine) and Piper got to burn off some energy. Eventually all the other dogs left and it was just me and Piper. I sat on a bench and read my book (Stolen Innocence - my second book on women escaping the FLDS/Warren Jeff - very interesting) while Piper explored. Now we are back home again and she is in her crate napping after only a minute or two of whining. After a couple of trying days I am encouraged that having a puppy doesn't have to be as awful as the last few days indicated it would be. Let's hope I can keep this optimism!

A big thanks to Aunt Rosemarie and Sarah for the advice and encouragement on raising a puppy!

Puppy Woes

Monday was a LONG day. Piper is used to waking up at 5:30 am. I am not. My days of sleeping in are certainly over. She was up early raring to go. I spent the day cleaning up accidents in the house, picking up poop in the yard (she went three times in one day!), dragging Piper on her leash (we walked about 30 feet in a half hour), yelling at her for chewing, and just trying to remember that this phase will pass, and hopefully quickly.

Edward works about 11 hours a day, so when he finally got home late in the evening, all was calm and he couldn't understand how our sweet sleeping puppy could be such a terror.

I'm glad my weights are serving some function.

This was Piper's own doing and I thought it was adorable until I realized she had gnawed out large chunks of basket. She needs constant supervision!

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. I am tired!

I had to lock Piper in her crate in order to write this post, but now it's time for another walk/drag!

More adorable Piper pictures

Piper spent the first ten weeks of life in the countryside of western NJ. We drove a windy gravel road to get to her breeder's home.

Only an hour from the Jersey Shore and the landscape totally changed.

This is an alpaca farm next to the breeder's property. Over 400 alpaca roaming around!

Not the plushest pillow around.

Scout and Piper are great friends already, except for when Piper steals Scout's bones.

Poor Scout needs attention!

Back to those comfy bricks



Piper and Remy

Piper was excellent on the car ride back to CT. She slept almost the entire time. She woke up here as we were going over the Tappan Zee bridge. It was a bumpy stretch of road.

Piper passed out as soon as we got back to New Haven. What a tired little pup!