Time to vent......

So Jeff and I bring a bottle of wine and a luscious pasta and turkey sausage saute to the Scenic Hudson River Park, in Irvington to enjoy our favorite al fresco dining experience.  It's probably the most beautiful spot on the planet (in my humble opinion) and when bringing our own picnic, is also the cheapest meal with the most exquisite view around.  We set up our chairs right at the edge of the Hudson River, pour our chardonnay and watch the fiery globe of sun set behind the Palisades at the end of this Memorial Day Sunday.  It's beautiful as always and a lovely kick off to Summer 2011 after a miserable winter and nonexistent Spring.
I facebook the sunset reflecting on the water and savor the smells of the spring air mixed with the scent of the river. Perfect evening you say?  Sure, it would be if we didn't have to dodge and weave around the green gobs of goose droppings that cover the grass and walking path to get to our chosen spot, which is another "welcoming" indication that summer has arrived.  Sure, if I didn't have to leave Lacy at home because of the incredibly inconsiderate and unfair list of rules and regulations attached to this public and partially state funded park.  Mainly, NO DOGS ALLOWED. 

Now, logically if one should deduce what is the more unacceptable and offensive occurrences; gaggles of geese taking over the beautiful surroundings as if they were paying the same exorbitant taxes as I and literally crapping all over said surroundings (see least offensive picture above.)

      Or, me an upstanding resident and small business owner in this idyllic town for 12 years, taking my little Bichon Frese to sit at the park with me, and responsibly picking up whatever little mini-tootsie roll sized doodies she may expel as she perhaps, playfully chases away said geese.  Allowing dogs in the park seems like a solution that could surely solve the pesky goose problem, instead of the ridiculous fake fox silhouettes made out of plastic with fur tails, strategically placed to stand guard around the parks perimeter. Or having park personnel blast a horn from time to time. 
All that did was allow kids to yank off the fox tails within a week and, although the horn blast startled the geese momentarily, they promptly returned minutes later. These solutions, a total waste of money, clearly didn't work, so now the town just allows the geese to take over again. Simple solution: let people walk their dogs in the park.  There are waste containers already in place and believe me, as a rule, true dog lovers will carry their own water and poop bags for their pets.  Investment = zero. Park sans geese--
priceless.
        When confronted with the absurdities of uptight, heads up the arse suburban protocol that defies logic, I have to scratch my head and ask the age old question..........how do you explain this to a Martian???   Rant over, thank you.

      Much needed three day Memorial day weekend has allowed me to think about other things besides the business....well somewhat, thus clearing my brain for the forging ahead planned for the week to follow.  The fabric is finally due to arrive today after waiting 2 weeks for what was supposed to be shipped within 48 hours of ordering.
As a result of this late shipment, my second planned rain harness fabric was sold out so it's back to the drawing board for that one. Hang tags arrived and all I need is one of those tagging guns to attach them to the garments, eliminating the need to hand string and pin each one. All necessary meetings, style decisions, finalizations and trim purchases must take place within the next few weeks so that I can be on call for the birth of my first grand child.  Excitement mounts on all fronts......and the dance continues.

Thursdays with Reily...(and Sheeba and Buzzy)

I spend a half hour with each of my shelter seniors every Thursday, and see that they've become more relaxed with me (and I with them). Buzzy appears lion like, with a mass of fur surrounding his head and face, and very little on the rest of his body. Sheeba is too, too sweet and silently nudges me to take her out first, but Reilly, my bony boy, just wants to put his head on my thigh and have me stroke him as soon as I walk into the pen. He's 14 years old and pathetically thin, with a whitened muzzle and a sweetly tender gaze.  He's had diarrhea every time I took him out for the past three weeks, so when I questioned the vet last week (the shelter has one on staff I'm happy to say), I was told that his food was changed and they would be keeping an eye on him. Well today I learned that he has a tumor on his stomach and although he's not in any pain, they will have to decide what steps to take in the next week or so.  I haven't done this long enough to get truly attached to these dogs, but I feel compelled to return daily to check on Reilly, just sit with him and let him have my lap for as long as he wants.  If he gets better, we'll go for walks again, if not I don't want him to die alone and hope the shelter will allow me to stay beside him if they have to put him down.  Sweet old boy.  Then I return home and hug my sassy Lacy as she kvetches at my inattentiveness.

NYC Pet Show May 21, 2011

So the question of the  day at the NYC Pet Show was, "how is your dog a super hero".  Easy one for me to answer....
Lacy and I are "senior" companions. For fifteen years she has enjoyed being head of our household, spoiled child of empty nesters, and all around diva wearing custom made sweaters and dining on freshly cooked chicken and rice. And I, at sixty, enjoyed  a 27 year run in the woman's apparel industry, currently forced into retirement , affording me ample time to cook that chicken and rice for her.

While we were lying in bed one night, I questioned my future. Do I REALLY want to try to find another job in an industry I no longer LOVE ? I knew the answer before Lacy's head plopped down on my lap and she looked up at me with wizened eyes.

So, together we em"barked" on a major career and lifestyle change. I started to create fashion for those I DO love, dogs...... by making my artsy free-form crochet sweaters normally reserved for Lacy alone, or my grand-dogs Scooter and Daisy Louise, into prototypes for the start up collection of Lollypups Designer Pet Wear, and to have them reproduced in China. For the first time in her life, I began to ask more of Lacy then just cuteness and kisses. She became my blank canvas, fit model, sweater tester, sales rep, mascot, muse and super model. And she obliged. She let me know how itchy the sweaters were from China, so I switched to fine baby alpaca and had them made in Peru. She let me pin and re-pin muslins on her fluffy anatomy in order to perfect the couture fabric harness patterns (and she went from size medium to size large because of all the treats I had to bribe her with). She proudly wore each sample garment on test runs to the park, and at pet industry and holiday vendor events, and never complained (but napped often). And together we basked in the compliments and the sales. But the best part is, we do it together. She wears the new designs proudly and seems to say, "dress me in couture and I'll still strut my stuff".

She's made me look at "senior" in a whole new light and not through my own disappointments and frustrations. She made me laugh at some of the silly things I tried to create and she tried to shimmy off, and she made "work" fun for me again. But mostly, she made me see that senior doesn't mean old and useless.

I volunteer at the local shelter and take the "senior" dogs walking a couple times a week. We all move a bit slowly but it's the sunshine and exercise that keeps us going, and the knowledge that somebody really cares.  I for them and they for me.

Lacy, this little white Bichon Frise with few teeth, bad hearing and wobbly knees, is the best super hero there can be in my book. Not the kind that helps catch Osama bin Laden or bank robbers, or purse snatchers. They are heroes in their own way. But Lacy is a canine senior who has made a difference to other seniors, namely me, and the new found additional loves of my life at the shelter, Reily, Sheeba and Buzzy.


You CAN teach an old dog new tricks....Love, respect and productiveness..... and Lacy and I are enjoying our "golden" years surrounded by it! Age happens to us all, only not everyone will have Lacy to ease them through it.

Happy mother's day-after

Couldn't have asked for a more beautiful and inspiring day spent with my first born, soon to be a mother herself. Sweet sentiments abounded on the bouquet of flowers delivered on Saturday and on Face book postings, solidifying the feeling that with all my self doubts, THIS is what it's all about. We took pictures by Halsey Pond and the still intact, beautiful gothic tea house with it's arched windows and massive stonework. 

Then off to brunch at an outdoor cafe which served the absolutely best chocolate bread rolls--divine! Mother/daughter conversations led to giggles galore and I savored the joy of my child's anticipation of the role of motherhood she would soon be embarking on. I bought a musical puzzle for (us)... the baby, just because.........then more pregnant pictures at the Hudson River park, with pink fluffy cherry blossoms in bloom against the backdrop of the blue sky, and palisades. 

With all warm and fuzzy feelings still coursing through my psyche, I returned home and back to the drawing board to finish some designs and I guess the good vibes eminated from my fingertips and onto the Illustrator drawings I was struggling through the day before, because :::viola:::: success!  How pretty the rain harnesses are turning out to be......the prints are darling and the silhouette is finally perfected.  Off to the sample maker this week, then more celebrating.......Erika's baby shower to prep for and cupcakes to bake!  Busy....busy.....busy.  (smile) 
And Lacy stayed home and slept all day!