The Blue Gardenia learns to sow her blossoms

Learning to sew: How a hand-picked side zipper should look!

At least, in my ever-so-humble opinion. This was done by my former dressmaker in Houston. It's a Vogue Special Design from 1947, complete
with huge handmade shoulder pads. (I have lost about 20 pounds since this dress was made back in the '90s. Hence, the less than perfect fit.) This is also an excellent illustration of pattern pieces and the pattern illustration not quite matching. The drawing showed a pencil skirt; the pattern pieces were A-line. My dressmaker pointed this  out to me before she cut the fabric, and I told her to go with the line drawing. I'm not sure that was the correct decision. But. I love the dress anyway.

Back to my original subject, the one I touted in the headline: Didn't she do a terrific job on the zipper? You can barely see her stitches. Look closely. One day . . . Of course, this is a side-lapped zipper. Mine is a centered one.

(And, yup, that's Atchison's rear end.)

Why let sleeping dogs lie? Because they are so cute. Absolutely.

Oh. Oh. Oh. He's so full of cutitude! I adore my little Atchison. Yes, he does shed. A lot. Look closely: You'll see dog hair on His Bertness's slacks. You will. Won't even have to use your magnifying glass. Still. Atchison is worth it. So very. Yes indeed.

And, yes, I have been sewing. I have. Pics to come. Later.

You asked for them. You got them: Pics of pups. At play.

You did ask for them, right? Some of you, anyway. So. Never say I don't listen. Never say I am not eager to please. Never say I don't try to be in tune to your desires. Never.

This happens several times a day. The pups wrestle.

Atchison, the Lab, looks fierce. Don't believe it. At least not where Emma is concerned. He adores her. He does.

Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. They love this game. Yes, indeedy.

And that, my friends, is my Sunday. That, and homemade mocha, and Out of the Past, my favorite movie. Robert Mitchum. Snappy dialogue. Life just doesn't get any better. Does it?

 

My canine pals: A boy without his cone

Atchison is enjoying the cone-free life. Absolutely. Thoroughly.

He's a total camera ham. He is.

And he loves the changing of the bed linens. Snuggling into the clean laundry. What fun. Just ask him.

Look at that cute puppy face. Humor me. Please.

The last is my favorite. Yes indeedy. So. Be a good reader and oooh and aaahh over the little guy. All 65 pounds of him. You'll make me so happy. You will.

My canine pals: A boy and his cone

I'm waiting. Waiting for the washing machine repairman to arrive and do his job. So. What better thing to do than share some pictures of Atchison and his cone. Isn't he the cutest? A regular cat's meow?

Don't worry. He's fine. He simply underwent that male dog rite of passage. Yes. He was neutered. I think it was tougher on His Bertness than it was for the little guy. (Yes, that is our moving and packing chaos behind Atchison.)

Meet a wild pal in our outdoor cafe. Cute? Cuddly? You decide.

This lone javelina enjoys a tomato peel near our deck. Isn't he rather cute? To cuddling, I say no. Loudly. Firmly.  By the way, he refused to eat the tomatillo. Perhaps because of the worm that jumped out of it? Of course, that is the reason I tossed it. 

I know. There are those who frown on feeding these peccaries, which normally travel in packs. But. They were here first. They were. Absolutely. And the pups do so enjoy watching them from the safety of our deck. And how.

My canine pals: She's even cute when she scratches.

And that's good. Because Emma scratches quite a bit. Fleas, you ask? No. Dry skin. It's so arid here. This is, after all, the high desert. Humidity is low. Today, for instance, it's 11%. And that is not unusual. Emma is on a strict fish oil regimen. Still, the beautiful one itches.

One blue eye. One brown. Emma the Malamute guards the deck.

Emma watches for javelina from our deck. They often wander through our backyard. Isn't she gorgeous? She is. Absolutely. And I am not a biased parent. No way.

Puppy! (Cute, of course.) And his beautiful older sibling.

Atchison and Miss Emma played on the deck today, under the pine trees. They love the cool air. They love the sunshine. So do I. 

They love each other. They do. So very much.

Are they not adorable? They are. Absolutely. Totally. I am one proud steward of our pups.

Atchison weighs — gulp! — 41½ pounds. Yes, that's 41½ pounds. And he's only four months and one week old. He's so big. He is. And need I say that he loves food? Breakfast. Dinner. Snacks. He loves them all.

He's winking at you.

My  little canine pal Atchison celebrates four months on the planet tomorrow. He's quite the handful. He is. He knows how to sit. He knows how to fetch. He knows how to shake hands. (Or should I say paws?) 

I love puppy pics. Don't you? Humor me. Say yes.