HFM

The big news last week & this week is that the city is doing emergency sewer repair on our street. This is what is parked outside our house right now: It's all too much noise for Zoey to handle, so we are taking refuge in Amanda & Matt's basement during the day. Thank you Amanda & Matt! As a home office, it trumps mine, so despite the disruption, it's working out more or less ok. Meanwhile, I am waiting for the winter to end so that I can start some projects. While I wait, I am hanging up more pictures: And I am watching my indoor plants grow. The herb box in my office window is doing very well: Likewise, the jasmine transplants are thriving: As soon as it warms up just a little bit, the jasmine will go back out on the front porch, & I will go out into the back garden & start digging around again. This year, I will be adding a few new vegetables to the garden. Details to come!

Halfway through the dog class series, & Zoey is doing great! Practicing her skills outside before class. Working hard! Getting tired! Needing a break! Taking a play break with one of the trainers! Back to work! Back home after class. So tired, she didn't even make it all the way up on to the couch. Good dog!

It's only January, & it's unusually cold (40's), but I just couldn't resist getting outside to work on the garden today. A neighbor had put an old, somewhat broken adirondack chair out on a "free" pile on the sidewalk several weeks ago. I grabbed it, planning to cut it up to make posts for a fence around the  trench  garden bed I dug a couple weeks ago. This afternoon I decided that today was the day to get started. When I got out there with my saw, I noticed that it was actually very beautifully designed & had nice brass fittings, so I decided to go a different route. Instead of hacking it up, I just took it apart, & dug the sections down into the dirt at the spots where the dog is most likely to try to walk in the garden bed. I also was able to make a little gate for the sitting area in the corner to help keep her tender paws off the sharp pottery shards back there. The chair back is on the left, the seat & leg rest are on the right, & th...

Today we completed dog class #2. Here she is, dozing off on the couch afterwards, totally pooped: It was a very challenging class, but we all got through it like champs. We had wanted to take some photos of Zoey in action, but were both so focused on what we were practicing that we completely forgot. We still have 3 more weeks to get it together, though. Next week, really!

Zoey, always trying to further her education, has enrolled in a new five-week dog class series. Today she successfully completed the first session. Here she is afterwards, exhausted & with a belly full of meat & cheese:

Adrienne's famous New Year brunch: cheese & scallion scramble, sweet potato hash, bacon, warm crusty buttered bread, & black eyed peas for luck!