update and FO

It's been four weeks now, and we can only conclude that (barring some miracle), the sweet Lu is gone. It's our greatest hope that someone found her, has fallen in love with her, and is giving her a soft place to sleep.

Today I uploaded pictures from my camera for the first time in weeks and found this:

This is Lu in her accustomed spot in our guest room, a few days before she went missing. I took this picture just after a good rub of her white soft belly, which is why pesky, jealous little cousin Harvey had to jump up on the bed too.

Lu's mama and I went to see The Omen the other night (not scary enough). We were reminiscing about Lu, and got to laughing about how much hair she had. I said I loved to give her belly rubs, but when I took my hand away, it was like I had a glove on. (I only recently thought of all the doghair sweaters that could've been knit, if only I'd known how to spin.) Lu's mama is doing her grieving and holding up as well as possible.

Many thanks to to Yvonne for kind comments on the last post. Yvonne's blog is a good read, and I'm sad I missed the spinner's conference (it was definitely in my neighborhood, and I can't believe I forgot about the vendors).

But I haven't been in my right mind because this has truly been the spring of crises (immediately following the dog search, there was another intense experience that is just now quieting). All this on top of a new job! But I have been knitting some, and it has helped a lot. Here's proof:

They only took me three months, but TA DAHH! Lacy Scallops Socks from a sockbug pattern. I prefer to think of them as Hell Socks, because I had to frog them so many times and had some difficulty deciphering instructions, and because I finished them on 6/6/06.

Gratuitous Harvey-and-socks shot:

My legs really aren't that pasty white, but the cellulite (eek!) is real.

I cast on for Wobby Circles Tote (I'm not signed up for the KAL, but it's the best URL to see what I'm talking about), but my gauge was off so I frogged and have no pictures to show. Now I'm swatching first (when will I learn?).

In all the sadness, lately, there have been many many wonderful moments of friendship, love, and gratitude. B and I are blessed in our friends--we live far away from our families, and we are fortunate to have a great family of friends (many of whom are coming for a summer dinner tonight, so I have to sign off soon) who offer support, a listening ear (I have been chattering like a magpie lately, trying to process all that's happened), and a quiet place to rest. Thank you to all of them!

Here's a picture that reminds me of why I love my life so much, even in its most stressful moments (note: no geese were harmed here):