sick...

I had a post all planned out for this week. I was going to tell you why I haven't made any progress on the telephone table then share what I did work on.

But this morning I woke up with what feels like the flu. I'll see a health care provider this afternoon but in the meantime, I'm laid out on the couch, coughing and feeling pretty yucky.

Bear with me as I strive to get better. You'll find me under the heap of blankets with a washcloth on my forehead.

See you later,
Cecilia

Love Your Pet Day

Did you know tomorrow is Love Your Pet Day? I didn't either. But yes, there's a day set aside for loving your pet...haha, as if we need to be reminded to love on them. I don't know about you, but my fur babies are spoiled. :o)

One of the ways Buddy and Herbie,  my border collies, get spoiled is taking them to their favorite places to run and play. Of course, their top spot is the farm. Here, they have a very large yard to run and play in. They jump happily out of the truck the minute we open the door and dash around the yard.

Then they are ready to go walking (or actually running) around the farm. They wait impatiently at the gate and zoom off when we tell them "ok". They're actually getting better at coming back when we call them. :o)

They come home tired but happy. They love the farm!

But what do we do when we're in the city? Well, we live near Austin, TX which happens to have lots of dog friendly areas. We take them to the park close to our house where they splash in the creek and pull us along the hike and bike trail.

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Or we take them to Lake Pflugerville. Here there's a 3 mile hiking trail around the lake where they love to explore. On warm days (which are plenty in Texas), we let them swim. We keep them on a leash so we can control how far out they swim. They love it!

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It's important for them to get exercise (just like us!). Another way I spoil them is to make sure they have the best care when I have to leave them behind. (Sorry, guys. You can't go with us to Boston!) I'm fortunate to have my sister close by. She loves on them like they're her own. But what if you don't have someone you know who's willing and able? I just discovered there's a pet sitting service in Austin and other cities that matches your local area with pet sitters. It's called Rover.com.  You get to browse through potential sitters, arrange a meet and greet, then pick the one that fits you and your pets the best. I'd definitely give them a try if I ever needed a pet sitter!

I'm glad to know they exist! You can bet I'll keep them in mind if my sister is ever unavailable to watch Buddy and Herbie for me. Peace of mind is priceless when it comes to our fur babies.

Making a Truck Seat Cover

We have an extended cab pickup truck. It's what we normally drive to the farm in. Bruce and I sit up front and Buddy and Herbie get to ride in the back seat.

Buddy

Herbie

They like having a whole seat to themselves. (Although I'm pretty sure either one of them would happily sit in my lap...all 50+ pounds of them). heh.

We had a moving blanket I attached straps to that we would cover the back seat with but when the dogs were puppies they would chew on it. Over time, it got pretty full of holes. Oh puppies! We finally had to throw it away.

Lately, we've just been throwing a sheet on the seat but that doesn't protect the seat back. The dogs have loads of fun running, swimming in the pond, and digging at the farm so they are often pretty dirty when we load them up to return to the city. (And yes, if they are really nasty, they get a bath before heading back. Often, it's just loads of sand hiding in their coats).

The back seat had thus gotten pretty grungy. I spent a day cleaning it for Bruce then decided I needed to make a new cover. Why make one? First of all, ready made ones are pretty expensive and finding the right size has been difficult. I grabbed my tape measure and notepad and measured the seat.

Then I drew out a diagram of my cuts. It's not pretty or neat but it works for me.

Next,  I headed to the fabric store hoping to find the perfect (and cheap) fabric. Sure enough in the clearance area, I found one for $7/yd. Perfect! Not fuzzy or super soft that might encourage chewing.

I only needed 2 1/2 yards but bought 3 just in case I messed up.  Following my drawing, I cut all my pieces...

Started sewing...I wasn't worried about perfection - I just wanted a pretty good fit.

And almost 4 hours later, I had a seat cover!

It wasn't difficult; just time-consuming as I had to finish all the edges to prevent raveling. Now the seat will stay cleaner and we'll have less cleanup of the truck. I'd say that's a win!

I can't wait for Bruce to see it. :o)

I hope you have a great weekend! Hopefully, you have Monday off and will get to do something fun. Until next time!

Hugs,
Cecilia