Friday, August 22, 2014

Friday Mishmash

This was my Facebook post from Monday:
Paco's status: 4:30 am, woken up from sound sleep. Put outside to pee. Skunked. Bath at 4:40 am. Hate life.
So yes, that would be TWICE in the last 10 days that Paco got skunked.  And in case you were wondering, skunk smells like burning tires.  Also, I've bought hydrogen peroxide in bulk:
On the positive side, Paco's white fur has never looked so bright, thanks to his peroxide baths!

Sighhhh.  Really, it's our fault.  If we weren't waking up so dang early to run, the skunk and the smell would be gone by daybreak.  Moral of the story:  Running is dumb.  No, wait.  We are dumb for not learning the lesson about nocturnal roaming skunks.  Here's hoping our brains will engage before we automatically put Paco outside again tomorrow morning - front yard for him this time!

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I've mentioned that I live in a college town.  You always know when the students are back because the grocery store shelves are picked cleaner than if a school of piranhas came through, and also, you don't dare go to Target.  One of my friends made that mistake last Sunday, and posted this picture to her FB page:
The line for the checkout...you can't even SEE the checkstands!  Lordy.  I'd have abandoned cart and walked away at that point.

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I took a two night, women-only self-defense class this week, taught by a sheriff's deputy.  It was really eye-opening, informative, and empowering.  But also scary, after hearing firsthand about what terrible things can happen to you.  Julia and I drove together, and the first night after she dropped me off, I was a little freaked out walking into my dark and empty house.  Luckily, I had Paco the Wonder Dog willing to spend the night on my bed instead of in his crate.  He might have smelled a little skunky, but he sure made me feel safe:
I got your back, Mom.

On the second night of the class, the instructor put on a padded suit and we each got a chance to practice what we'd learned.  It's not about fighting, but about getting away (which does involve fighting, yes, but the gist is that you fight to get free and then run away from your attacker).  So when it was my turn, he grabbed both of my wrists and it was crazy.  He's over a foot taller than me and all I saw was the black padding...it took what seemed like forever to get away, and I was a mess afterward - heart pounding, sweaty, instant massive headache, plus I had the shakes.  But I got away!!  Now THAT was a good feeling.

We all signed waivers when the class began, and the instructor told us we'd be bruised afterward.  He wasn't kidding - here's just one of several:
Bruised for a good reason.

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Sit and Knit update:  I've been working on some Christmas gifts, which has been fun.  I much prefer to enjoy the yarn and the process rather than feel rushed to finish something, so I'm starting early and making a nice little stack of homemade goodies.  Naturally, I can't show you them because I don't want to spoil the surprise, but here's a couple of other things I've made recently:
Dishwasher sign magnet - well, it will be when the magnet arrives...

This was a request from runners Phillip and Sarah - I've never done any stranded knitting before, and I have to say, not a huge fan.  The two colors of yarn constantly twisted around each other, and that was a little much for OCD me.  I need to stitch them together once I get the magnet - I ordered a super-strong magnet because I knew it wouldn't stick to the dishwasher otherwise.  I chose Boston Marathon colors, since Phillip is hoping to qualify to run it.

Apex Ladder hat - so named because I bought the yarn in Apex, NC.  Pattern is actually called Woven Ladder.  The pink in the yarn is neon and looks pretty cool in person.

This is more of a hip, youngish hat style, so I made it for my niece Theresa.  She lives in a beach town and it gets cold and damp there - hopefully she'll get some use out of it.

Have a great weekend!

20 comments:

  1. I am a firm believer that every woman should take a self defense class. Luckily I had 4 years of that stuff incorporated while working my way up the belt ladder in Muay Thai. The difference between a stranger and that instructor will be that the stranger will be completely caught off guard that you know that. It will most likely be easier to get away from them than the instructor! So feel very good about yourself.

    I love that hat with the pops of color. And boy oh boy are you a summer blonde or what?!!

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    1. Very true, on the instructor vs. the stranger. I hope I never have to discover the difference in real life, though.

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  2. Poor Paco! And poor you for having to not just deal with it, but deal with it 4 in the morning!! Ahhh!

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    1. I think it was the early morning part that was the worst!

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  3. Did I tell you that Noah got skunked a second time? Wal Mart sells hydrogen peroxide by the quart : )

    The self-defense thing would be so good to know but it would scare me too.

    That hat is so cute--it will really look cute on Theresa.

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    1. Oh poor Noah (and you!) - I don't shop at Walmart, but if this keeps up, I may need to make a special trip for a jug of hydrogen peroxide. :(

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  4. Wow, that is some bruise and not really that different from the ones I receive when playing with my five year old nephew. For some reason his favorite activity is to run and jump on his Aunt and do all kinds of wrestling or gymnastics on my body. Fun, but OUCH! Love the hat!

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    1. Kids love to have an adult "playmate" - I bet you're his favorite! :)

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  5. Aw, poor Paco! Our cat got skunked once and we ended up using tomato juice and that got MOST of the smell - I put MOST in caps because even a couple years later, that stink just lingered a teeny tiny bit.

    Great job on the defense class - I should do that too. And, you should be a hat model! Love it!

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    1. I am EXTREMELY grateful that our cats haven't been skunked. We've never tried to bathe them, and I do not want to have to experience that...

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  6. I don't usually comment but I just have to say that your dog is the cutest and the comments you have under the pictures just makes my day.

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    1. Thank you! I have fun with the picture captions. :)

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  7. Poor Paco! Do you have a skunk family living in your yard?

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    1. They live next door, under my neighbor's shed. They've been trying to eradicate them...not successful thus far.

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  8. Ah poor Paco, seeing that FB status made me laugh out loud again, you are so funny. But for him I feel sorry: 2 baths in a week? That's horror for a dog :)

    How good that you took the self defence class, I think it's smart since you run so early in the morning. I think you can take them here but I never looked into it. I have to say I feel very safe in my town. In the 20 years I live here I have never heard that a woman was attacked on the street.

    Love the last hat, very nice colors.

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    1. LOL, you are so right on Paco's horror. He unwillingly submits to them, but the look on his face...

      Amazing that no women have been attacked on the street in your town. I think our area is fairly safe, but it happens here.

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  9. I think skunks smell like onions when it is really fresh. Yuck.

    I took a self-defense class and the one thing that stuck with me that the istructor said is that your 2 best weapons are your voice and legs. He said the moves we learned were hopefully never needed if you use the first 2.

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    1. Regarding the voice - we were told to yell not only to draw attention but also because it keeps you from holding your breath, which is something most people do when confronted with a scary situation.

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  10. Your hats are very hip with your long, blonde hair!

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