Mask conundrum

On August 21, 2020August 19, 2020 By CarynIn Craft

So I’m sure you have seen articles on the new study on a low cost method of testing masks by Duke University that showed neck gaiter masks may be worse than no mask at all. If not, the published scientific article is here. The conundrum (quite apart from the frustrations of language and the use of “fleece” for something that is neither warm nor fluffy), is that the neck gaiter (some twitches linguistically here too, gaiters are for ankles, but this usage shift is at least logical) is the only type of mask I can get my youngest to wear. The valve type masks have already been banned at the doctor’s offices. So what to do? While making masks for my eldest for school, I had an idea. Patch it.

Neck gaiter style mask with cotton fabric patch for nose and mouth

I had already ordered stretchy swimsuit material to make neck gaiters for my youngest, so I sewed a tube, then sewed on a rectangle of woven cotton fabric. (Don’t even get me started on the “hold it to the light” test, and all that vague verbiage.) We tested the patched neck gaiter on a trip to the doctor’s, and the fit works OK (I made the first one a little big), and it is a little trickier to get the patch in the right place, but she can still breathe, and her mouth is covered. Do I think it will be effective? I hope we don’t have to test that hypothesis. But it keeps her hands out of her mouth, and brings awareness for keeping distance. I have only seen a few people people properly wearing medical PPE: a dental hygienist and a phlebotomist. All these other people with their paper masks with gaping holes at the sides and around the nose, well, the effectiveness must be from awareness and not actual virus blocking. (Opinion only, not research backed, nor scientifically studied with proper peer review. Like all my stuff.)

Guess what?!?

On August 19, 2020August 18, 2020 By CarynIn dog, Life Hack

Another puppy post! But I managed to squeeze in another life hack/craft project.

Missy’s favorite place to nap is under feet.

I don’t know how big little miss is going to end up. She has a vet appointment soon, but I don’t want to put her in a cat carrier. I don’t want to buy a soft carrier that only holds 10 pounds if she ends up being 17. So I drew on my baby days and sling wearing. I don’t have much time to craft, so I took an old t-shirt with no side seams from the recycle box, and cut it off under the armpits to make a wide tube of fabric.

Sad little app sketch because I couldn’t reach my sketch pad with the puppy asleep on my feet

I put this on cross body, and tucked little miss in. She likes it! I’m using it periodically at home to get her used to it. It also helps when I need to do something and can’t watch her. It isn’t hands free, but it does free up one hand to do things like make tea. I tried one of my husband’s old shirts first, but that held her too low. She actually prefers the sling a little snug.

Missy in a sling made from an old t-shirt

Whelp

On August 19, 2020August 17, 2020 By CarynIn dog, Life Hack

Y’all are going to get a fair few puppy posts. Needless to say, I’m not getting much crafting done. Missy the mystery pup sleeps quite a bit, but when she is awake we have to stay wary! Even when she is sleeping we have to have one eye out for when she wakes up. Potty training is still going OK, but if her little feet hit grass or carpet after a nap she will do her business. So we’ve taken to carrying her out when she wakes.

She is also chewing everything, as puppies do. I didn’t realize how many cords are in our living room for charging various devices! To help keep the little miss from getting into trouble, I put a sheet of poster board between the chairs to keep her from the cords. (Hey, I managed to squeeze something crafty into the post!)

Poster board rolled between two chairs to keep the puppy out

Oh, puppy

On August 18, 2020August 16, 2020 By CarynIn dog

We’ve been looking for another dog for while now, both as a companion for our current dog, Griffin, and as a potential family lap dog. We are an adopt kind of family, not a buying kind. We applied for some adoptions but were not selected, visited some other adoptables that were afraid of Griffin, then stumbled upon a litter of Chihuahua (maybe) mixes at a rescue where I had previously applied. Somehow, we ended up at the top of the list and so we went to meet a puppy at the foster home. So much sweetness and cuteness in a such a little package! And the puppy was enamored with Griffin.

So this is Missy the (maybe) 2 month old, 3.6 pound puppy. Oh, puppy. It has been a long time since we’ve had a puppy, and never one this young! We’ve been puppy proofing the house, and watching carefully. When she wakes from a nap (I forgot how much puppies nap), we take her outside and she does her business! The only accident in the house was totally my fault. She whimpered at night and I thought she was lonely. Nope. Watching a 3 pound puppy play with our 50 pound dog is hilarious, and he is so careful around her.

We are crate training, and taking turns with the cuddles with the hope she will bond to the whole family rather than one person. The humans are all enamored. Griffin was much happier when he realized she was a dog (she did the play position). Sophie the cat was wary, and Izzy the cat is hiding either in the catio or the craft room. She is an 11 pound, very long calico, absolutely scared of a 3 pound puppy. Oh my.

Fancy a dust bath?

On August 17, 2020 By CarynIn Cats, Wildlife

I moved the trail camera, and apparently zeroed in on the neighborhood cat dust bath. I had 200 pictures of cats laying in the dirt. I will spare you the whole collection, and just share the cutest.