The hazards of city people and hippy knitting

We're back from our morning walk. Just after Omar went to work Celeste became incredibly unbearable and obnoxious, so we went out to stretch our legs for about an hour. These walks do her (and probably me, too) so much good. She burns off so much of that boundless puppy energy that makes her chew things up, scream and bark, roar around our little flat, and just basically be a little monster. The drawback to walking here in the city is that people try to call her to them, and she is so willing to go! She loves people, and I'm glad that she does, but people will call to her from the window of a moving city bus, from their cars as they squeal around a corner, from across a busy intersection, and they toss out a bit of food...a piece of sandwich or cookie - WHAT ARE THEY THINKING? Yes, of course Celeste is in that cute, happy, love everyone stage, but if she were off her leash, she'd be mashed into the pavement by now. If I have anything to say about it, my girl will never leave the house off her leash. There are just too many people out there that seem willing to risk HER life for their own gratification. Just another reason for me to be glad when she grows up and out of the puppy stage. No one tries to call an adult dog to their car window. Huskies look too much like wolves to most people (which is good) and adult dogs always come with a big mouthful of teeth. Okay, I'm done with that rant. Celeste is doomed to the spend her life on the leash, but she will at least be alive and well, and getting plenty of exercise. Omar thinks that later we can teach her to run with a bicycle on the bike path, so she can really stretch her legs. I hope we can figure that out. By that time Celeste should be a leash pro!

Celeste is also becoming quite the talker. She talks in kind of a half-howl, with yips and yodels. I love it, but every time we hear her talking, we can't help but laugh - she sounds like Donald Duck. It's her baby voice and I know it will change, but for now, it's hilarious. She's so vocal! She has some little idea about everything and enthusiastically takes part in every conversation.

I seem to be caught in a vicious cycle of drop stitch. I apparently haven't gotten enough of it yet, because my pink DROPSTITCH pullover has morphed into a long hippie vest with a front tie (for the moment). I have the back and one front side finished, and am into the second front. It goes so fast, and I love it, but hmmm...one can't live in drop stitch everything. I need to find something else that fascinates me for my next project, but I usually find myself knitting with the same stitch until I've either mastered everything that can be done with it, or I make myself sick of it.

I should have enough of this pink yarn left over to make a hat...a floppy hat, to really finish the hippy look? Ha! Maybe so...we'll see. I don't know if I can get that bohemian here without embarrassing Omar. I could make the hat anyway, put some knitted flowers and leaves on it, and sell it in November when I go back home for a couple of weeks. I also have some yarn in a beautiful shade of red...maybe I need to cater a little to the red hat ladies of Northern Colorado? What about a bright red hat with pink flowers and green leaves, if I have enough leftovers from whatever I make with my new olive green yarn? Or a hot pink hat with bright red flowers and green foliage? I also have some lighter red, more like the inside of a Roma tomato that hasn't reached the peak of ripeness...you know what I'm talking about, that kind of pinky-red with a little white through it color. Ponchos are big here, too...but not MY style of long, flowing and warm poncho. They like the little shoulder things here, and nothing seems to go below the elbow. I prefer a capelet for that...just a differentce in style, I suppose, but a poncho for me should be long and warm.