Tag Archives: Luna

A furry new paddling companion

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At home, in the boat

At home, in the boat

I padded this past weekend with a couple extra days since it was my birthday and all, and we took off to the woods on a fairly last minute camping trip. Our friend Mike, who lives in San Diego, was going to be in town and as one of our elite camping/paddling pals, suggested we squeeze in a trip. I’d been craving a dose of pure nature for some time, and Chris and I had a bigger goal of finally introducing our young four-legged friend to the camping ropes. Almost three years old and Luna had yet to spend a night out in the woods.

Heavy head

Heavy head

The lack of a beater canoe during Luna’s first summer as a pup, the wedding last summer, and the trip to Norway this summer had really limited the time we’d been able to spend teaching her how to ride in a canoe. Last summer after we picked up a cheap fibreglass 14 footer from my pal Alice, we took Luna out on the lake at our cottage a few times, maybe three, and she did pretty well, but she dumped us the last trip out and we hadn’t really gotten back in the boat with her since (that was quite an experience by the way — we laughed hysterically about it, and thankfully were only a few metres from shore).

Once we decided on the birthday weekend trip, we set ourselves to work at getting Luna out as often as we could while we were at the cottage. Labour Day weekend we had her out four times, and she was pretty great. It helped that we loaded the boat down with a huge dry bag filled with random heavy stuff from the cabin, which added some stability to the very tippy boat, but it was still feeling pretty unstable when she shifted her weight around at all.

Eastern Red-Backed Salamander

I believe this wee guy is an Eastern Red-Backed Salamander — the first salamander I’ve ever seen in the wild. He was so small!

With Mike joining us and making us a threesome, we had to get a second canoe for our adventure, so we picked up his 18.5 footer from his Dad’s house on the way up to the staging ground (our cottage). And, since there were only three of us, we opted that Mike would solo it in our 14 footer while we took the dog in his boat.

I was a bit of an anxiety car crash planning this trip — we had a super busy week leading up to it, it’d been two years since our last trip and we had barely touched our packing until the morning we left. Adding an 85 lb dog who had never camped to the mix made things that much more intense. Oh and don’t even get me started on the !!FRIGID!! weather that was predicted for our first night.

The God Shot

The God Shot, as Mike calls it — we woke up in sub-zero temps completely engulfed in fog

We had barely pushed off from the put in and Chris and I were beside ourselves with the difference the extra 4.5 feet makes in the stability of the canoe. Luna could have danced a jig and I doubt we would have noticed much. With our gear in the boat, the craft barely registered her weight shifts. We’ve since decided that we really need to invest in a bigger boat.

I’ve never seen a dog take to something like this as naturally as Luna has. She climbs in the boat on command, she lays down and gets comfy immediately. She rests her head on the gunwales and just hangs out. She waits until I get out of the boat and says it’s okay for her to get out. She’s such a pro!

Hennessey Hammock

Hennessey Hammock

Challenge #2 was going to be sleeping arrangements. We had always envisioned we would teach Luna to sleep under our hammocks (yes, we use special hammocks when we camp, we don’t like sleeping on the ground and while we usually bring a tent, it’s a back up plan only for situations like horrid weather or damaged gear.

I fretted most of the evening as the sun went down on our first night. Weather reports were calling for temps of 4-5°C. But the radio on the way to the lake system was calling for as low as -2°C! Not only was I worried about how warm Luna would be, I was worried about how much I was going to freeze my own tooshie off.

We gave the sleeping under the hammock technique a try, but it became apparent pretty fast that my puppy was cold and didn’t know where the hell to go. Mike, who was sleeping in the tent, piped up that she could come sleep with him if we wanted (said the guy who professed that “dogs make him nervous” only a few hours earlier).

So we moved Luna in with Mike and we all proceeded to try to sleep through the utter cold (must remember to invest in a winter sleeping bag, and bring hammock winterization gear next time). Mike worried about Luna all night — not really sure how to warm her up, trying to drape his own legs/sleeping bag over her to help warm her up. They both survived just fine although Mike was probably the worse for wear, having not really slept. The next night was significantly warmer, but I did have to capitulate to spending that night on the ground with Luna in the tent. No need to let Mike suffer another night next to a beast that makes him nervous! He got to give my hammock a try instead. So I was the one who didn’t sleep much over the weekend, but that’s okay. Thermarest or not, sleeping on the ground is not my thing.

Birthday Cake

Chris steeped? boiled? me a birthday mousse cake!

Our theory was that Luna would be able to sleep outside under our hammocks in the summer for sure, but then we realized that she would be eaten alive by mosquitos, who seem supremely attracted to black dogs. So we have to come up with some kind of “pup tent” solution. She’s crate trained, so if we can find a small tent that she could stand up in, we could probably make that work for a future expedition.

Other than the frigid night, Luna was a rock star. She doesn’t wander off, so having her off leash is no problem. She’s a trooper on the portages, she wears her life jacket (even though she likely doesn’t really need to, being the champion swimmer that she is, we felt it was important to teach her to wear one regardless) and she would even happily climb over dry bags and backpacks to get from one end of a canoe into her spot at the other end on a difficult put-in. How to make her mama proud!

Fire!

Fire!

Now we weren’t tested with dump-worthy experiences like loons popping up next to the boat, or close up wildlife encounters such as deer or moose in the camp (although we did witness a couple deer swim across the lake our first morning, and come again for a drink on the next morning). Hopefully we’ll never have to deal with that kind of thing, but they probably will happen at some point. I’m just really happy we stayed dry and upright on this first trip!

Loon

Those loons. Such a tease.

Drool

If ever you doubted that she has some Saint Bernard in the mix… bare witness to the drool.

If anyone has any tips on large dog tent solutions, I’m all ears. We already have a collapsable fabric crate we use for travelling, but it’s not lightweight or compact enough for canoeing and portaging, and I doubt it would keep insects out anyway. Something for us to research for next year I guess!

Deer come for a drink

Deer come for a drink

I should add that I found a couple really great resources for teaching a dog how to get used to canoeing, that I’d like to recommend:

T minus 8

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Our wedding is right around the corner!! I can hardly believe it! We’re all ready to go; have just been doing some last few things as the countdown begins in earnest. There really isn’t anything major left to do but start carting loads of things up to the cottage, which we intend to do this weekend. I have lots to post about all the fun things we’ve been preparing for the big day, but I want to save it all up to surprise our guests.

In the meantime, how about some cute?!

Bone?

Bone?

Every day, every morning, every time we walk in the door, this is how she greets us. She wiggles her little bum and her nubby tail and goes and grabs the nearest bone or Kong toy she can find, and then makes circles around us. She started doing it around 7 or 8 months and has been doing it ever since. She also greats all our guests this way. Such a happy dog!

Sick puppy and some knitting FAIL (and success)

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After an epic holiday party on Saturday night at the home of Ecoholic with great friends, great food and great tunes, Chris and I expected to get down to business on Sunday and get this attic insulated already. All the weather reports suggested the conditions would be precipitation-free, but we woke up, hungover, to discover that it was snowing. Steadily. All day. So that was FAIL #1.

FAIL #2: In my attempt to trim Luna’s toenails, I inadvertently got one of them too short (damn black toes!) and she bled like a stuck pig, off and on all day. We tried sealing it up with Crazy Glue (a trick every good survivalist ought to have in his/her back pocket) but she just chewed it off. I finally ran out to get some styptic powder, which helped, but the trick was to keep her from licking at it. You see, she freezes in a kind of panic attack if you put a buster collar on her (one of those cone-head things) so that isn’t really an option. We wrapped it up, we doused it in bitter apple. It was a day-long affair trying to manage her bleeding toe. And I think it caused Monday’s EPIC FAIL (more on this shortly).

Christmas Luna, sporting one of her many new bandannas

Christmas Luna, sporting one of her many new bandannas

FAIL #3: My second batch of French macarons this holiday weren’t exactly an epic fail, but they were yet again missing the proper ‘foot’ and just not the right texture at all. This was after following David Lebovitz’s recipe, in which he chronicled his seven attempts to get them right. They are tasty, yes, and I guess that counts for something. I don’t know if I’ll get another batch going in time for the holidays, even though I swore I would master those suckers this year, and likely I ought to give my poor pancreas a break before I end up in a sugar coma.

Gingerbreads -- success!

Gingerbreads -- success!

FAIL #4: Sock with Pints On fails to fit boyfriend as planned — also nearly fails to fit me. After I finished the sock up to about halfway along the foot section, I decided to ask Chris to try it on, so I could see how much length I needed to give his foot. I haven’t knit socks in ages, but I’ve put in my sock time and I am no novice. What I haven’t done before is colourwork socks, socks with multiple strands of colour carried along to create a design. For the uninitiated, it takes some practice to get the hang of carrying your yarn along at such a tension as to avoid puckering of the fabric and to ensure the fabric has the stretch it needs. Stretch being an important factor for socks. Well. I could barely get this sock over my own heel, let alone Chris’s. I’ve blocked it, but I need the boy to bring his feet home from work so we can see where we stand.

Sock with Pints On

Sock with Pints On

This was perhaps the most stunning fail of Sunday, and the one that really was the last straw for me. For weeks I’d just accepted that Chris’s Christmas present was going to be late, but then I got started and things were going swimmingly, much faster than I’d hoped. I saw light at the end of the tunnel — I had a whole week to get a second sock done! Plenty of time! But alas. This sock is likely not made for walking (…in…by Chris). So perhaps I’ll be the proud new owners of Socks with Pints On.

I do have a plan of attack to start over. I have what appears to be plenty of yarn. I will try, try again, but I plan to expand the pint chart, and I plan to just do the pints on the sock cuff — not the foot. This will mean that the heel, gusset, instep and toes will have lots of stretch because I won’t be carrying along extra colours that could cause more fail. This is my plan, once Chris brings those clunkers home so I can test the lonely singleton sock and see if the blocking made any difference.

I thought perhaps our fail streak had come to an end but alas, we were due for an explosion of fail last night. Luna had experienced some runny poops Monday morning but this isn’t entirely unusual for her. We opted to crate her for the day in case she got that toe bleeding again, at least so the blood could be contained to one place in the house. Chris got home early, felt sorry for the pup and let her out while he dealt with his own bodily needs before taking her out. Those 5 minutes proved to be fatal. An explosion of canine diarrhea like we’ve never seen before found it’s way into nearly every part of the house. I was out enjoying a beer with a friend when I finally noticed the frantic texts. Poor Chris was running multiple batches of laundry on the sanitary setting, had bathed Luna twice, washed the floors three times and cleaned the rug as best he could, all before I got home, but the house still wreaked of poo. FAIL #5.

While he ran out for a meeting I continued to clean the house, the rug at the front door, the towels, re-washed the floor and tried in vein to make the place smell better, simmering some cinnamon sticks on the stove. I was still shampooing the carpet by about midnight. Luna had several messes in her crate despite our getting up in the wee hours to take her out. This morning things were getting much worse and so a trip to the vet ensued. So far as we know it’s purely a stress reaction; we suspect the bleeding toe nightmare might be the cause (so I guess that makes it my fault). Results of a poop sample are pending. She’s had a shot and some pills and some super high-fibre food that should help but as of 3:30 this afternoon she is still needing frequent trips outside to take care of business. Poor girl. She’s all locked up in her crate until we can be sure there won’t be any accidents. Happy start to my holidays!

All this to say that if things really do come in threes like they say, we’re all stocked up, thanks.

But it hasn’t all been fail. I also ended up with quite a nice beret and matching scarf set for my Grama for Christmas. That’s something.

Beret and scarf for Grama

Beret and scarf for Grama

The beret is from More Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson, and the pattern is super easy and quite quick. I never thought I was a fan of berets but after trying this on, I just might have to make one for me. The scarf is a free pattern from Ravelry called Openwork Eyelet Scarf by Jennifer Pace. It was also super easy and the texture is lovely.

Let’s hope it only goes up from here.

Celebrating Autumn

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We had a lovely long weekend at Redstone, near Haliburton, although sadly, we closed up shop for the season. Luna had a blast helping keep an eye on the squirrels.

That tail is just the cutest.

That tail is just the cutest.

For perhaps the first stretch this fall we had warm, sunny days. Such a treat.

The bane of her existence.

The bane of her existence.

Waiting at the gate

Waiting at the gate

Contrasty

Contrasty

Luna is 10 months old now and she is so fabulous off leash at the cottage. We’ve been using a remote training collar for her off leash activities and let me tell you, what a fabulous invention. She has also earned to right to play fetch off leash at the park down the street from us, which is technically not off-leash, but she is so focused on the ball that she has earned my trust. At the cottage, she hardly gets more than 50 yards away before she comes running right back. What a rock star.

Eager beaver

Eager beaver

You’ve probably noticed I’ve done a little house keeping and given the blog a face lift. I was tired of the old template and needed a fresh start. I hope to keep beefing things up and doing a little more to enhance things, but this is a good start. Now I’m off to nurse this sore throat that seems to be plaguing me today.

Luna Tuna really is a fish

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So our Luna Tuna (as we like to call her) is growing up super fast. Hard to believe that we’ve only had her for about 7 months, and that she’s already so grown-up looking. I used to carry her our for piddles at 3 a.m. when she was only 15 lbs! Now she’s pushing 85 lbs!

Luna the expert swimmer

Luna the expert swimmer

Luna the expert swimmer

Frisbee Fetch

At about 6 months old we had her at the cottage and decided it was time for her to learn to swim. Since her genetics are most certainly Lab dominated, we figured this would be pretty straight forward stuff. And it was. But it’s still fun to watch video of her getting her webbed feet wet for the first time.

Luna learns to swim from Sarah Mulholland on Vimeo.

Luna’s swimming improves from Sarah Mulholland on Vimeo.

Now we can hardly keep her out of the water of course. She can swim really far out to get her Frisbee, and she’s getting better at picking a ball up out of the water but that is much, much harder. We’ve tried teaching her to jump off the dock at the Coby Cottage and she did it once or twice before deciding she isn’t a fan of sinking under the water completely. I don’t think she likes getting earfuls of water.

Special thanks to her buddy Lola for helping show her the ropes!

Puppy love

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Luna Tuna at 8 months

Cute? Who me? Aw shucks.

Luna Tuna at 8 months

The innocence is a sham. Don't believe those eyes for a second.

We pined for her while we were away. She missed us for about a day and then got over it, ’cause Grama had the treats and filled her bowl! I’m sure she’s well over 80 lbs now. AT 8 MONTHS OLD. I really can’t fathom the idea of her continuing to grow, but it’s a real possibility! And her personality is just so incredibly super awesome. I can’t express how much I missed the loving eyes and happy smile of a devoted canine in the year between Zeus and Luna. And I know I wasn’t sure in the beginning because she was a holy biting terror that tested our patience and resolve to the max. But over the last four months she has transformed into an incredibly friendly dog who loves every single person she meets, and gets along with every single dog she encounters. She is perhaps one of the most well-adjusted pooches out there, and I’m not just being a proud mama.

Zeus, rest his fuzzy soul, was amazing in his own very special way, but I could never just let him go hang out at a dog park (he was a rather insecure fella and always seemed to have to assert himself around others), and I always had to keep a close eye on him in his early years with strangers. Most people assume every Saint Bernard is just like what they see in the movies — super friendly all the time — when he was actually quite protective and somewhat judgmental of strangers on the street. Luna on the other hand, she just loves everyone. This can be problematic at times (80 lbs of wiggly happy puppy dragging you to visit the neighbours, even when they aren’t standing at their doors, takes some patience), but it really makes me happy that she oozes goodwill towards all. Because she is a big black dog with a stumpy tail, and that can be intimidating-looking. But when that butt is wiggling out of control you can’t help but laugh at the cuteness.

Rested and rejuvenated

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Sunset at the cottage

Luna & Chris enjoying the remnants of a day at the cottage

So I’ve been MIA from the blogosphere yet again but for good reason. Firstly, I’ve been migrating to a new laptop which hast taken some time to get my Aperture library moved (and to learn Aperture 3, which has been completely overhauled from version 2), getting other software installed and bookmarks and address books ported over.

Also, well, I escaped from the city for most of the last 10 days. First I spent a fabulous weekend riding in the York Regional Forest (Newmarket area) with the good folks from the Ontario Trail Riders Association and Chesley Saddle Club. We had perfect weather, albeit a bit dry and dusty. Thanks to my buddy Leanne for once again loaning me a nag (King, her palomino and often my borrowed hayburner, is my hero — I can only dream of owning such a fabulous mount myself some day).

Then Chris and I packed up Luna, picked up a canoe we bought from Alice and Chris, and booted it up to Coboconk (Coby) to spend the week up there. It was a big week for Luna — she learned how to swim (being a Lab she pretty much took to the water like a fish), had her first boat ride, AND her first canoe ride. Chris and I had life jackets on tight expecting we might have to bail, but she did so great — a total pro. Didn’t even hesitate to jump in from the dock. She needs to learn to keep still and not wander around but the tipping didn’t seem to concern her at all. Unfortunately I think she’s already too big to go on any big backcountry tours (unless it was for a weekend in Killarny), as she doesn’t leave much room for luggage. But if she doesn’t get too much bigger she could still go along on toots around the lake at the cottage.

Sunset at the cottage

Seriously. Can you get any better than this?

Sunset at the cottage

Or this?

I had packed up my quilting project expecting this would be the perfect opportunity for finishing it off, but I ran into a snag when I got to the part that involved the actual quilting. My thread was breaking after quilting only about a half a yard at a time, and the nearest fabric/quilt store was more than an hour away. I did a little research and it appears that a.) I need to use a different needle specifically for quilting and b.) use thread specified for quilting. Who knew? Not me.

Anyway so there it is. Also, I need to finesse my free-motion technique. That is so much harder than it looks. Today I ran out and got some new thread and needles, and I hope to try this out again soon.

Finished Baby Quilt Top

My finished quilt top

My other keep-me-busy project while lounging with a beer was SpillyJane Knit’s Carrot & Beet Mittens, or as I like to call them, my Garden Nerd mittens. Not exactly seasonal in the sense that they’re mitts, but seasonal in that they feature carrots and beets!

Carrot & Beet Mittens

Sort of seasonal, sort of not

Speaking of gardening, since we came back to the city yesterday so we could attend the C’est What Spring Beer Festival, I spent today catching up on my planting. My raised beds got their tomatoes, peppers, chiles, a few more beets and some beans and peas today.

I was terribly negligent in transplanting my seedlings this spring — essentially they just stayed in their little paper pots until today. I even dispensed with hardening off. Hopefully the guys I planted out today handle the adjustment to full sun okay. I’ve just been too busy this year I think.

Of course I had way more seedlings than I have space for so I’ll be finding new homes for those. Those guys have been repotted into bigger digs to help them keep up with the season. I’m sure I won’t have any problem finding takers.

Finally I killed my back and knees weeding the back section of our backyard today. It was such a mess of overgrown violets and other weeds that had grown so big you couldn’t see the perennials I put back there last year. The only thing that didn’t survive the winter was the lupins. I’m planning to divide some hostas and bleeding hearts from another section of my garden to help fill things out back there. I’m determined to make that section look good, if it kills me. Hopefully I can get some mulch back there to help me keep up with things.

Anyway, some video of Luna swimming to come when I get it edited.