A Keeper.....Mar. 25, 2006

Every now and then a puppy will come along that causes a breeder to get excited..........this little girl is just that puppy.  Time will tell if she will hold it together as she grows, but for now, this little girl is my keeper, in this bunch of babies. 

We call her Bibbity, but I will have to start thinking of a real name for her.   Her Mum is named  Ballymena Winter's Wind, so I am going to play off of the Wind part of her name.  Interestingly enough, Zephyr is a wind....who knew?  I am leaning towards Ballymena Wind in the Willow, but I would love to hear your suggestions too ;-).

My days are pretty full with caring for the puppies, dogs and kids right now.  Every morning, this is what I wake up to.  Eager little faces waiting for their breakfast........

It is amazing how fast they go from blind, deaf, helpless little babies to happy, bouncy puppies, who eat their meals with such gusto.

Today the puppies will get their first taste of the outdoor world.  My summer pups are in the yard so much younger than this, but with the cold temps we have had and the very wet ground, these guys have not had that opportunity yet.  I will spend some time knitting as they have new discoveries.

Knitting
Speaking of knitting.....remember that Shapely Shawl I was working on last week?  Well here it is.  I don't know what it is with my concentration these days.  This lace pattern is about as easy as they come, so why can't I get the row count right??  As I was tinking it back for the umpteenth time last night, I decided it would be easier to just rip it back to the beginning.

I'll give it one more try......before I work on this.......

The beads that I ordered to go with Judy's yummy Spring Green yarn came yesterday.  I am really looking forward to working with this yarn/bead combination.  Judy did say that it took 2 hours per skein to string the beads, so I figured that in between working on the Shapely Shawl, I could prepare these skeins. Hopefully training on the easy lace shawl will help my counting concentration again, and get my brain in shape for the Dancing Leaves shawl.

Spring
Isn't it wonderful how one day you are out in the yard and you hear..........noises, wonderful noises.  The birds are back!!  Every morning before I even have my coffee, I clean up the dog yard.  This week, I heard those glorious noises.  I haven't seen a robin yet, but  I know it will be any day now.  I do miss the birds when they leave us in the fall.  So happy that some of them are back!

With daylight savings almost upon us, my thoughts are turning towards the outdoors.  We will be very busy over the next few months, putting in a new dog yard, which will be a huge undertaking, as they are getting a covered patio for the winter and their yard is tripling in size.

I will also be putting in a new garden!!  I used to garden and I loved it, but somehow, life got a bit too busy and I let that fall to the wayside.  After reading Norma and Liz's garden tales, it made me realize how much I miss it.  How fun it is to look over the seed books again with renewed interest!

Comments

[Karen]

Love the yarn on the cabbage dish! I have several of the dishes that I wheedled from my mother. Now my daughter, who is 20, is already asking me when she can have them. I love dishes and I really love yarn!

[vanessa]

oh, that face is too cute! love the name :-)

[Trish]

I don't know your puppy personalities-do you have a Whirlwind yet? Love the green yarn and beads.

[Michelle]

This is the best springtime post. Everything about it makes me smile and inspires me. Your pups have so much personality, and it absolutely shines through in the pictures. :)

*Hugs* Always. :)

[Lynne]

Oh my Gosh! I have that same green cabbage bowl! I am so looking forward to my gardens, too. Everyday I see a new little something just popping through to say happy spring!

[Alison]

She's a beauty! I think it's a beautiful name.

I've spun and plied 2 of 4 ounces of my Black Cherry. It's wonderful and I'll have more than enough to make what I want. I hope to finish up one more project this week, so I won't feel guilty about casting on for my first handspun project!

[Anne]

Must be something about spring that makes one want to knit with Judy yarn. I just started a shawl with the purple colorway I bought from her last fall! I love the two ones you have as well!

[lisa Co. Springs]

what darling babies....I wouldn't get anything done if they were in my house. I like the 'wind in the willow' themed name, you would call her "Willow" I presume?

[kathy b]

Who's peeking out the streets of the city?
Smilin at everybody she meets,
who's to capture the moment?
Everyone knows its WINDY.

And windy has stormy eyes
and windy has wings to fly
above the clouds...

Remember this song? So upbeat.

So how about Above the Clouds: call name Windy. Do you like it?

[Kim]

Ooh, your puppy is so cute. I can feel that soft coat and smell the puppy breath in that photo. So sweet!

[Tracy]

I think there are lots you could choose from, Prairie Wind, Whistle down the Wind, Gone with the Wind but I think Wind in the Willows sounds pretty perfect to me.

[Tracy]

I think there are lots you could choose from, Prairie Wind, Whistle down the Wind, Gone with the Wind but I think Wind in the Willows sounds pretty perfect to me.

[jean]

I love the name Bippity. Could it be a nickname? Could you explain more about the naming process and why it starts with a B and why it has to do with the wind? Is Bliss' full name Bliss?

[Leslie]

How fast the puppies are growing! I'll be interested in seeing the beaded yarn results!

[Jean]

I don't know how the heck you can choose just one, but she is a pretty girl.

[Maureen]

Kim...you are killing me with these puppy pictures. I have been on the fence about getting another dog(Brandy has been gone 3 years now). I am madly in love with the tri boys.

[Laurie]

The puppies are getting cuter and cuter.

What size beads did you order for the Judy yarn?

The garden will be restorative and fun. Even the work is fun (mostly).

[Beth]

If those were more like a flyball dog, I'd be begging for the 2 tri pups in the corner of that first photo. Adorable!

[margene]

I got some of Judy's 100% silk. Her yarn is so lovely. I'm looking for a pattern to start. The puppie is such a doll. Bibbity suits her. Ballymena Bibbity Zephyr? LOL

[Donna S.]

Bippity is gorgeous. Wish I could hold them??

[Summer]

Kim,

I love to read your blog it's so fun. Your new puppies are so adorable. Wish I could give them all kisses and hugs. Love the little girl you are keeping she is a doll!!! Hope Spring's daughter Kali is doing good. Give her a big hug from her Daddy!

[Mary Beth]

So cute! Does she know she's special?

[Erin]

those puppies just keep getting cuter and CUTER! I kinda like the name Bippity too, it's cute (and she's cute!), but I like the other names too. Sorry to hear you had to frog the entire shawl, but now you can start fresh and there won't be any "leftover baggage" attached to it!

[Norma]

Oh, she is just such a sweetie. When she gets an official name, will you still call her Bibbity anyway? Because I love that. Oh, you're going to enjoy the gardening so much. I've already started buying seeds and such. Will have to blog about it soon.

[Ann]

Don't you love Judy's yarn?! I can't wait to see it done up with the beads. Perfect. And I like Zephyr too...although I always think of a zephyr as a soft kind of haunting wind...she's too cute maybe for that.

[Carole]

The pup is just adorable but I can't even imagine how you can decide which one to keep! Lovely beads and yarn, too.

[Kathy]

What a cutie pie! How about naming her Zephyr? I'm having trouble concentrating on my knits these days too -- maybe its Spring fever!