I was reminded this morning that the image I’ve left “all” my blog readers with is poor Miss Lola in her collar. How unfair! Lola recovered in about a month and thankfully did not go so stir crazy that drugs were needed. She’s now back in top form, running through the dog fields and rolling in the deep summer grass.

In other doggy news, since moving to Madison we’ve struggled to find the right dog sitting option for our special needs dog. We had been using a good kennel outside of town but it is heart breaking to take our fear stricken Lola back to a little cage and then frolic off on vacation with this sad image in our minds. No longer! A young woman from Lola’s day care has developed a crazy crush on Miss Lola and suggested we leave Lola with her. We tried it out a couple weeks ago. The woman said dog sitting Lola was “a dream come true”! When we picked Lola up at the end of a long weekend, Lola was completely integrated into this woman’s world, running with her pack of dogs. There was happiness all around. I am so happy we found such a good place to leave our dog. This is going to make vacations even better!

Miss Lola had an accident this week at the dog park while racing down a hillside at top speed. When she came to a screeching halt for no reason it wasn’t apparent at first that she’d been stabbed through her chest skin by something very sharp. When she came limping back to us we noticed the two inch tear exposing her tough muscle. I grabbed her in my arms, SB ran for the car and it was off to the emergency room for eight staples, pain killer and an Elizabethan Collar.

Now she’s on two weeks rest with absolutely no running. So far she has mostly slept but I fear next week I will not have it so easy. Lola gets a good amount of running practically everyday, just to take the edge off her energy. Without the exercise she may drive me out of the house or we both may need sedation.

In other news of the month, we are trying to buy a house in our neighborhood, right around the corner from where we live now. I know a month ago I had sworn off house buying for at least another year, but it is an obsession and when this house came on the market we couldn’t just walk on by. So, we have an accepted offer and the inspection is done. We are just starting the remediation phase of the negotiation. If all goes well, we will close in early June which is very pleasant time to move. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about it in the coming weeks.

Finally, I completed my first two cable knit projects and I learned that cabling is easy and also that working with super chunky yarn makes it all go fast. I’ll have to wait until next winter to really enjoy this set.

January skating in Chicago.

To celebrate getting another year older, I had a few friends over and tried out some new recipes.

Seven Layer Salad:

From epicurious. I had never made or even had this American “classic” (according to SB). The presentation, for a salad, was classy and it tasted even better. I used all my favorite salad items plus the peas and cheddar cheese. The salad dressing was the real knock-out success. Next time I need a naughty, delicious dressing I will make this.

Roasted Almonds with Rosemary:

From epicurious. These nuts were amazing. They had the perfect crispy coating and were so easy. I would never have thought of using egg whites as the binding agent but it worked like a charm. I will be making these again.

Medjool Dates with Cheese:

No recipe for this one. Just find good dates. I like the bulk ones from Whole Foods and good cheese, like Hook’s five year cheddar or a local chevre. Slice the dates in half lengthwise and fill with cheese. This also makes a great snack.

I love furniture. I love looking at it in person or photos. I always have to go to the furniture rooms in museums and new furniture stores in cities we visit. Recently I had an excuse to buy a couple new pieces.

After a solid six months of couch hunting we found this couch from the 1960’s at a secret, buyer’s club only, mid-century furniture warehouse here in Madison. It is in amazing condition, with original upholstery. It feels and looks brand new and best of all it is comfortable. I have been enjoying watching the Olympics from it.

This winter it became apparent that my sweater collection had far out-grown my narrow drawered mid-century teak dresser. I needed a second dresser with large drawers for bulky clothing. After a good search I came across this refurbished dresser at a local store. It holds everything with room to spare. My only complaint is that it has a lingering smell of cologne inside the drawers. It just needs some more airing out.

I’m still looking for a new tv console and a lateral file cabinet. The hunt is half the fun!