Dog Pee, Crafts, and Memories

3:00 PM Elizabeth Seckman 25 Comments

I was having the hardest time trying to decide what to write this post about. There are so many things going on in my life, but I still couldn't decide what to share. I'd write. Then delete. Write. Delete. You get it. I did this last night over and over until I closed the laptop and went to bed. 

This morning was no better. Once again, I was staring at a blank screen. 


Then my dog took a leak on my rug. Not just any rug, mind you, but one of my grandma's braided rugs. They were her signature craft and took a whole lot of work to make. I should know; she tried to teach me how to make them. 

As with most arts and crafts projects, I was a failure. She gave me all my instructions, the fabrics, and would check in on my progress. Originally, I was going to make a huge rug for my kitchen. I braided a while and realized my kitchen rug plan was overshooting my skill set. 


I told her, instead of a large rug for my kitchen, I was going to make a small rug for my bathroom. A few more braids later, I imagined a nice braided chair cushion. 


After a week or so, she asked me about my progress.  I told her I was perfectly content making a damned coaster. I was finished. She laughed until she had tears. 


The simple truth was...these were not easy or quick to make. 

New plan, I told her. She'd do the crafting. Sweatshop style. This scene from Happy Gilmore became our craft joke. She agreed to extend arts and crafts time to avoid pulling landscape duty. 




She's gone now, but I still have the rugs and the good memories. And when my dog takes a leak on one, I also know to soak it in the tub with a bit of Borax and allow to air dry, just like Grandma taught me. 


Grandma Rose and me
I got her nose, but not her artistic ability. 


Now, for a special message from the IWSG. We're looking for a few good men. Well, that's not really accurate...we are actually looking for 1 hardworking person who likes to cook and send baked goods to other members of the admin team (I added that qualification myself, don't tell the Ninja). If you want to be part of an awesome team, please email us. Must be an active member of either the blog hop or Facebook group. 

Email - admin @ insecurewriterssupportgroup.com 

25 comments:

  1. Bad dog! No treat for you.
    Some crafty things I just leave to others.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. She gets a pass this week. She's on medication that irritates her bladder. Poor thing was mortified that she had an accident. It was her first since she was house broken.

      Delete
  2. You are adorable with your grandma. We've had a lot of pee and poop problems around here lately.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! Young dogs and old dogs...pee and poop is just part of their lives.

      Delete
  3. You're artistic in your own way! Writing is art, for sure. We've got five dogs, so yep, still deal with regular accidents!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is an art, though I'd love to be able to create beautiful things like rugs and quilts. The people who can do that don't often give themselves enough credit for being artists themselves.

      Delete
  4. We had a rug like that. It ended up in the garage for the same reason only it was the cat.

    I never could knit or sew, but I can make a mean pom-pom ball. LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Cat smells are impossible to get rid of. We had a cat who preferred to do his "business" on the laundry pile instead of a litter box. We finally relented and allowed him to be an indoor/outdoor cat. I think he was just seriously mad at me for never allowing him out of the house.

      Delete
  5. I couldn't even make a coaster. I'll leave that to others.

    Well at least it was done on something that can be washed and not a couch or bed or something. Pup must have really had to go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, she must have because she never has accidents.

      Delete
  6. Awesome crafty ideas but alas I can't make much. Sad about your dog and its health problems.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not crafty either. And don't worry about the pooch, she's on the mend. She had a staph infection in her ear from digging at it with her hind paw.

      Delete
  7. Grandma's are special :)
    Love the picture of you with your Grandma.

    All the best Jan

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Grandmas are special. I was blessed with two of the very best and I miss them both immensely.

      Delete
  8. Such a nice post, Elizabeth! I so wish I was better at arts and crafts than I am. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am the worst, but I still enjoy them. Add that to being a writer and it proves I enjoy failure and rejection. LOL

      Delete
  9. Well, at least you know how to clean the rug so it doesn't get ruined.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, now! You're right!! There is that. Patricia scores high marks for finding the upside.

      Delete
  10. Awww, you had an awesome Grandma! I'm not crafty either. But I might work on it when I retire. Then I'll have lots of time for failed projects ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I try crafts periodically- they're just fun. I think we are born creators.

      Delete
  11. My gram quilted. I prefer snuggling in the quilt she made me over actually putting in the time and tedious work to make one myself. She's gone now and I snuggle in that quilt, remembering the times she'd laugh at me for wrinkling my nose at doing it myself, then in the next sentence ask me when my next book would be done. I miss her so much. We've got the memories though. Maybe someday I'll take up the quilting, but that day is not today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aren't those handmade things the most special things in the world. The best sort of inheritance!

      I saved my kids' favorite kid clothes. My plan is to start quilting after my kids send me to a nursing home. It's always good to have future goals.

      Delete
  12. What a great picture of you and your grandma! Shame on the pup LOL. Thank goodness you know the Borax will fix the mess.
    I can't make any kind of craft. I am hopeless LOL.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not being crafty seems to be a common writer problem!

      Delete
  13. Beautiful photo of you with your grandma!

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...