Dog Days of Summer

Last Thursday was Doggie Night in downtown Danville. I don't have any pictures since it was just Ayla and myself unfortunately. Molly's Pup-purr-ee hosted the event and Ayla and I had a lot of fun, as well as a great opportunity to work on our socialization. The parking lot of the store was closed off with a bunch of booths set up, including our trainer's booth. Ayla and I stopped by to say hi and then checked out the store which was full of adorable pet supplies, beds, collars and leashes, toys, treats, and clothing. At the store we were given a bag and a sheet of paper with a list of 15 or so stores to visit for a scavenger hunt/doggie trick-or-treating. The goal was to visit each store on the list, get their sticker (and some doggie treats as gifts while you were there, hence the bag to carry it all) and return the list to Molly's to be entered in a drawing for something from one of the stores. It was hot, we walked a lot, and there were lots of people and dogs. Ayla was a trooper and we hit each store, from shoe stores to fancy jewelry stores to clothing and home goods stores. It was a lot of fun and Ayla let quite a few people pet her, some even enthusiastically. My Chicken Little is really coming far in her training! We came home with a bag full of dog treats and a new hot pink tennis ball that matched Ayla's collar. Next year hopefully Chris will be able to come with us with Mac. The little guy would be really in his element.

Friday was too hot to hike to the ol' swimmin' hole, so I took the pups to Hap McGee Ranch Park in Danville to play. Here's a couple shots:

Mr. Handsome

A really gross tennis ball, just the way Ayla likes them

Here's a recipe I tried out the other day. It started in Women's Health Magazine and has made the rounds of the food blogs I read. I made it with Molly's idea of adding avocado, since almost everything is better with avocado I say.

Quinoa with Black Beans and Sweet Potatoes

1 c. quinoa

1 to 2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 sweet potato, peeled and diced
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp. dried red chile flakes
2 c. water
salt to taste
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
juice of 2 limes
1/4 c. chopped cilantro
1 avocado, chopped

Rinse quinoa. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium skillet . Add sweet potato, scallion, and chile and saute until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add quinoa; toast for 2 minutes. Add water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low, and cover. Simmer until quinoa and sweet potato are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. If liquid remains unabsorbed in the pan, raise heat to high and cook for 2 minutes until it boils off. Stir in black beans and lime juice and cilantro. Top with avocado and serve warm or chilled.

This was very tasty, and great cold the next day for lunch.

Finally, here's a new project I've started knitting. Its the Traveling Roses Lace Scarf and I'm making it with Muse, a nice lace weight yarn in olive that's shot through with a silver thread so it will be a little sparkly. This is my first real lace project, made on little tiny size 2 needles. I had started on even smaller size 1s, but they were bamboo and held onto the yarn too much making it difficult to work with. The size 2s are are metal Plymouth Speedways and are much easier, smoother, and faster to knit with. This picture isn't a good representation of the color (bad lighting), but the first pattern repeat is done, only 12 more to go and then blocking to make the lace bloom. This will be a gift for a special someone...

Traveling Roses Lace Scarf