Piri, pack your bags and let's go!

Yangkyu commented the other day how it made him sad looking at Piri from the backside. He is noticeably thin. His hips have gotten so boney as his shoulders, ribs and legs. 

At his healthiest, Piri was 33 pounds. With his kidney disease he has steadily lost weight. We had a vet visit yesterday to recheck his kidney values and we noticed that he lost weight again. He is now 22 pounds.

This weekend we're going away. We rented a neat little farmhouse with our friends and we are all spending a couple of days there with all the dogs. It's just a short drive away but the place looks like it's deep in the mountains, secluded and vast. Yangkyu and I are so very thankful for this opportunity to steal away with Piri and enjoy time with good company. I can't wait for Piri to find out what we're doing and for him to see his friends, Hiro and Mini. 

What are you doing over the weekend? 

I hope it's something that makes you incredibly happy and relaxed. See you on Monday. 

Hodoo, Sobe, Murray

This is Hodoo. A 2-year old toy poodle who stayed with us last week. I secretly called him Bilbo Baggins though because I think that fur of his makes him totally look like him. He came to Piri's Place all excited but as soon as his mama left he got all sad and had separation anxiety. He whimpered and waited by the front door. But by the second and third days he had come out of his shell and he played with us, he ate and slept like a champ. 

This guy is Sobe. He is a 13 year old mini poodle and he just left yesterday. He came very timid, shy and a little fearful too. He was a little anxious of Murray and growled when both Murray and Piri came close. It wasn't an aggressive growl, but more of a defensive one. Random noises startled him and made him jumpy. His steps were always slow, light and very careful. But once he figured out that I gave good massages and back scratches he asked for them any chance he got and followed me around like it was his job.

One afternoon Piri let us borrow his toy and Sobe and I spent some time out back playing fetch and tug of war. Sobe looked so happy and that made me happy, too. 

Right up until the moment his owner came to pick him up, he was asking to be petted. Thanks Sobe for being trusting and coming out of your shell with us. I hope you had a great time. 

You guys all know Murray. He's a 13 year old mix. And he's a big bear. It was his third time staying with us and the guy is still scared of the camera. Sometimes I had to hide in random places and wait until he appeared in the frame to get a picture of him. But I didn't take too much because I didn't want to stress him out. Murray is just a really chill and relaxed guy and his favorite place to rest is upstairs in Yangkyu's office on top of the futon. And he does this thing where he lies on his back and his eyes gets real big and his front paws are in begging position and he just waits for you to give him belly scratches. There is just something about bigger dogs doing this that is that much more cute and adorable. 

It's always a little sad to have our guests leave but I love seeing the reunion between dog and their humans. It's just one of the happiest sights I'll ever see. Smiles, kisses, tails wagging and a little barking, too. Such a great combination. 

Last but not least, our VIP, President, CEO, the guy who runs things around here. I'm talking about our Piri. I couldn't be more thankful for this guy having the warmest and sweetest temperament with our guests. Piri lets them play with all his toys, sleep on his bed and drink out of his water bowl without ever getting territorial. He also lets us give special attention to dogs who are a bit more scared than others, although we give the special attention right back to Piri when all the dogs have gone or during breaks - Yangkyu and I will take Piri alone upstairs or outside and share an apple or a sweet potato. Piri's Place wouldn't be Piri's Place without this sweet cocker spaniel running things around here. 

Yesterday I spent the day cleaning the house. This is my routine -- cleaning before and after all guests come and go. Vacuuming, laundry, scrubbing, dusting. It felt good. Like another job well done sort of feeling.

We're not expecting another guest until next week so we'll be enjoying some time off. We also have a special treat for Piri this weekend and can't wait for him to find out what it is. 

Here's to doing things you love. I'm thankful I get to take care of dogs and take pictures of them, too. Two of my favorite things to do. 

Lots of finishing, restarting and maintaining.

The weekend was spent finishing projects, finding joy in long lost interests and maintaining what we have always done right. 

I started a knitting project a few weeks back. A shawl for those cold mornings while I finish my coffee and for those quick runs to get the mail. I didn't work off of a pattern, rather just off of a feeling. I messed up {of course}, plowed on anyway {always regret doing this but I'm a repeat offender} and had to take the whole thing apart after going through 4 balls of yarn. It was terrible. But I bravely cast on again and after a few more bumpy rows the shawl is finally finished. Despite not really knowing what I was doing, I like the result. I knew it would curl a bit at the end and on the sides since I was using stockinette stitches, but it still is one of my favorite knits to date. 

Our s-size hooks finally came in the mail and we hung our pots and pans and freed up some space in the kitchen. Something still is feeling a little slightly off and I think it may take a couple rearrangements to finally find a look that feels right. 

I felt the urge to turn pages again and picked up a book I haven't picked up since last July {or August?}. It's called The King's Mistress by Emma Campion. I have had a thing with medieval tales and such since being introduced to it since high school and I'm always looking for a novel from that time period. I've enjoyed quite a few, but nothing has really read like an all time favorite of mine, The Mists of Avalon. That was such a great book. 

I also watched a lot of anime. I don't talk a lot about my interest in anime here but I enjoy them immensely. I watched the beautifully drawn The Tale of Princess Kaguya and rewatched a a few episodes of an old favorite, Rurouni Kenshin. I sometimes wish anime would be left as anime and not remade into live action because I think it gets awkward and cheesy. I held off watching the live action version of Rurouni Kenshin but gave it a go this weekend and it ended up being better than I expected. Phew. I always like it when something turns out better, don't you?

I also began to crochet my sunburst granny squares again. I've been in a major funk with this project, and while it felt weird to pick up a crochet hook again, it felt good finishing a few rounds. 

We cooked a whole lot and went back to making some favorite side dishes we enjoyed making since being more active in the kitchen. They are my favorite - an array of namul {or seasoned vegetable dishes}. Yangkyu and I took turns cooking and doing the dishes and the whole process just went much faster. I commented on how amazing and nimble moms were in the kitchen, and generally all over the house, and out. This reaffirmed my belief that all moms really do have some sort of superpowers. 

How did you spend your weekend? 

Did it include a joy in finishing a project started long ago? Or a reaffirmation of picking up an old goal. Perhaps doing something tried and true. 

Whichever it was, I hope it felt great. 

What's cookin good lookin?

We have nothing planned except to spend time with Piri and our Dogvacay guests. 

Sobe, the 13 year old toy poodle, arrived yesterday afternoon.

All he really asks for is to be petted.

He reaches out with his little paw when I stop for a few seconds. 

Murray, you guys all know Murray, he's the 13 year old mix who is terribly shy?

Well, he's coming in about an hour. 

So it'll be me and Yangkyu and a bunch of old guys {Piri's 15 years old} hanging out. 

Aren't you jelly that you'll be missing out on the hip party? 

Hehe. 

Have a great weekend!

Photo boards

I'm beginning a little collection of photo boards to use as backdrops. The first two boards I made were made using panel boards but they ended up curving after being put together and painted and stained on. The Dark Walnut stain also didn't turn out too well and so I just use the white board -- seen here -- every so often. 

A few days ago I picked up some sample paint and a 24 x 24 wood board to create more photo boards. I used Behr Cozumel and Behr Yellow Flash and painted them on either side. I love the color yellow but I'm not sure how I feel about this result. I love how the Cozumel turned out though. 

When we first bought our house, I noticed how much natural light it had and it got me all excited about the possible photo opportunities. But once we moved in I realized that there were also a lot of shadowy dark spots which makes taking pictures a little tricky. But I'm determined to make a little photo studio in the home just to make my photography experience a little different and more fun this year. I just ordered some seamless photo paper on Amazon and while I have a spot already picked up to mount it on, we'll have to see once it arrives. My fickle personality may change its mind {as it often does}. 

Do you have a little photo studio in some corner or nook of your house? 

What are some of your best DIY tips?