Month: September 2020

101 things to do with a box

On By CarynIn dog, games
Keen participant

I love clicker training! I did a refresher with Karen Pryor’s Getting Started: Clicker Training for Dogs book. Little Missy has added “down” and the beginnings of “come” to her repertoire (which previously consisted of “sit”). I like the idea of shaping behavior rather than struggling over perfection at the start. I also like short training sessions. There was something in the book called “101 Things to do with a Box” that I hadn’t remembered. We had to try it with little smarty pants. We separated the dogs and had yummy training treats, and clicked and gave a treat every time Missy touched the box. By the end of the first session she was climbing all the way into her box to get her click! And you could practically see her little gears whirling in her head as she tried to figure out how to make me click. We switched dogs, and Griffin is my best dog, but not as keen on the box or the treats. For him, I hid the treat under the box and he got a click for snuffling the box. All in all a fun training game!

Missy in a box

Uh, I’ll check back later

On By CarynIn Wildlife
Praying mantis on the water diverter

That is the biggest praying mantis I’ve ever seen in the wild. Rather than water my plants now and put my hand anywhere near her, maybe I’ll just come back later. Yes. Later. Good hunting.

Mask frames DIY

On By CarynIn Craft

Good ol’ hot glue. The corner stone of the insta-crafter. After failing at attempts with other materials to make a mask frame, I turned back to this tried and true basic crafting staple. It works. If you didn’t see my previous post, I’m making mask frames to give a pocket of air inside a homemade mask with the idea that it will be easier to breathe without the fabric pressed against the nose and mouth.

First I tested the adherence qualities of my all temperature hot glue by applying it to aluminum foil, masking tape, and wax paper. Once cool, the hot glue would not come off the aluminum foil, tore off strips of wax paper, but removed cleanly from the masking tape.

Testing how easy hot glue is to remove from aluminum foil, masking tape, and wax paper

To make a mold, I fit a chenille stick around my daughter’s nose and mouth, then sculpted aluminum foil around the chenille stick to form a dome. I then covered it with three layers of masking tape. With the hot glue I made small connected circles over the entire mold. I used all temperature hot glue with a low temp glue gun.

Hot glue mask frame on mold

I put the finished frame in the refrigerator for a few hours (it probably doesn’t take this long, I just got distracted and forgot about it). While it was still cool, I was able to cleanly pull the frame from the mold!

Hot glue mask released cleanly from the mold

The frame is flexible, but sturdy enough to hold its shape. When smashed or inverted, it returns to shape. It will be stable at room temperature and should be OK up to 120 degrees F (50 degrees C), although I will still wash it in cold water. It could be used now by sliding it into the pocket of a mask, but I want to investigate sewing it into a neck gaiter type mask. That post to come later!

Puppy shots

On By CarynIn Cats, dog

Poor puppy had to get her three month puppy shots (she is now 6.8 pounds, by the way), and wasn’t feeling good. She was shivering, so I bundled her up in my lap with a fuzzy blanket. Izzy the cat, who has been slowly reclaiming the house, saw the cue for nap time and joined us. I was shocked! Missy was too tired to show but mild interest before she fell asleep again. Here is the photo progression.

Missy not feeling well, Izzy claiming lap, and Griffin checking in
Missy warming up, Izzy disengaged
Missy cold again, and Izzy… what? Comforting?
Missy warming up again, and touching Izzy
Missy warm and Izzy cuddling?!? Maybe just using the puppy as a pillow.
Missy lone on the lap. She was dreaming and the wiggling annoyed Izzy enough that she left. Puppy doesn’t even know she won.

Missy ate well and by the next day was back to her rambunctious self!

Snail explosion

On By CarynIn Wildlife
After the recent rains, hundreds of snails emerged

I wondered where all the snails went. Actually, I’m still wondering where they were hiding, waiting for the rains before making a mass exodus. They were everywhere: crawling up the siding of the house (one snail made it up two stories), over the patio and the grass, and even on the dog droppings. Wha? Yup. My eldest found masses on the droppings as she was scooping. Interesting.