Life Continued

It's been a very busy week or so - wierdly busy and social to the point I am grateful to have a night at home.  It's been fun, though, too; one highlight being going to Winterlude and giant snow-slides and dog-sledding.   However, I did also have "reading break" at work, so I got to write for a few hours a day, walk (or hobble around with) the dog.  I'm finding it hard to know where this writing is going - but again I am trying to stay true to just writing for the love of it and not worrying about it's final form.  I'm very good at this at pottery, perhaps because I have no expectations there - but it is a much more fun creative process than constantly listening to the critics in my brain.  I am even getting proficient enough in pottery now to consider getting a membership at a studio after the baby is a bit older and making comissioned dinnerware sets.  But, again, it's also just darn fun.  I do have trouble throwing these days as the combination of leaning forward and pressing into clay is very hard on the pregnant sciatic nerve.

Indie the dog is settling in well.  She does add a whole new dimension of complicatedness (i.e. getting up early enough before Kirk goes to work to walk her, etc, etc,), but she is learning very fast.  She housetrained within 3 days, and is great at commands on leash and in the house (we had a house full of people and kids today and she stayed in a down when commanded).  She is also learning recall when on a 30 foot rope, so I am pleased with that.  She can be a little stinker as she still thinks nibbling people is great sport, and ALWAYS challenges my authority around her ball at the field, and likes to nibble the faux fur on my winter boots, and sometimes has "crazy" spells where I cannot catch her).  All in all, though, I am so pleased with her.  It doesn't quite seem real after the harrowing experiences of our other dog - Indie has met and done very well with other dog friends (I cannot believe I am making play dates for my dog, but I want her socialized with good dogs first), cats (she got boxed soundly by a tiny, old and decrepit cat), kids, people.... She even tolerated a child jumping on her today, until I put a very quick end to the situation after the mother failed to.  I am a firm believer in the philosophy that just because your dog will tolerate these things doesn't mean she should have to.  She seems firmly attached to me over everyone else and will follow me around the house and stay in rooms I am in.  I don't mind having a buddy like that. 

I am also finding I actually enjoy the early morning walks if I manage to get to bed early enough the night before (we bought a TV this week "for the Olympics" - again, how the mighty mightily fall.  I went and got my hair cut this afternoon and Kirk and Anja watched the Olympics the entire time I was gone - bad!  bad!  bad!  Although Anja does want to be a speed skater when she is four - I approve of this much more than I could if it was skeleton or aerial skiing...).  In any case, I am getting sucked in by the ease of mindless entertainment, even if it is on a fuzzy screen as we don't have cable.  Tonight, by nine!

Not much else to say, except back to work this week. 10 weeks to go.  Below is a picture of Indie - how could I not take her home?