Throw-Downs

So Happy It's Thursday!  I hope you're well and safe; we're good here.

Neuro just threw down the gauntlet - a Casapinka KAL for the month of August!  Remember what happened last year, when it led to a months-long obsession with cowls?  Who knows what will happen this time!

I need four skeins of fingering weight yarn in contrasting colors.  I'm thinking a couple of stash dives ought to yield some contenders.  Stay tuned!!

In the meantime, I have all of 1B knit up (obviously ends not worked in or blocked yet):

You might notice that this pic was taken on our dining room table.  I've been working downstairs for the last couple of weeks to help Benson acclimate to our house and schedules.  I've got a whole semi-circle of yarn, computer, books, and a drink (well, coffee and water until the magical cocktail hour arrives!).

Benson continues his adjustment with us, and we're learning more about him too.  He loves ice cubes, and takes them from us as if they were treats.  He also hates when we play Banagrams after dinner.  My theory is that he just feels left out.  So I got him a new toy, which he is taking for a test run this morning:

It's hollow inside, where you stick a treat (or food), and there are these little fingers over the opening so dogs really have to work at it to get what's inside.  Our beagle, Brewster, had a Kong once - same idea - and he solved that problem by just chewing the end off.  We'll see if chew-toy technology has advanced any.

(You gotta love the paint splorp on the guitar case - a casualty from some work at our old house years ago).

Otherwise things continue to be relatively quiet.  I keep seeing a hummer on the second feeder I hung off the deck.  It's a bit further away and out of my direct line of sight here, so it's hard to tell how much action it's seeing, but whenever I go to close the blinds there's a hummer hanging out on it.  And nothing much happening on the original one.  I think they might like the new one better?  It's also slightly more sheltered, there's a tree branch very close by.  I didn't think they'd like that, but something's working over there!