wordinista

Aaaaaaaand the car is back at the dealership. Apparently they're now going to be looking for any number of other things that could be causing a misfire (like loose or corroded wires and whatnot).

I also discovered another skein of yarn that's meant to be included in the scarf, so I'm guessing I'm not quite done yet. Soon, though!

Agility class resumed last night -- Vickie taught the entire class, and it was great to have her back. Her hair is slowly growing back, and she was worried that going without a hat would make the rest of us uncomfortable; halfway through the class, she finally understood that none of us were uncomfortable, and she took off the hat (it was too hot to wear a hat anyway).

Randomly, I did discover a new level of social awkwardness: when the cancer survivor just starting to grow her hair back compliments you on your new haircut, and the words "It was just too long!" fly out of your mouth before you can stop them. *facepalm*

Darwin did very well, despite the fact that he hadn't set foot on the course in two months. I need to pick up some supplies to finish off my weave poles so I can work with him a bit more on them. He also pretty much forgot everything he'd ever learned about the teeter-totter, so I'm going to have to take him down to the course a few times this week and work with him on that. (He's a bit freaked out by the noise it makes when one end slams down on the ground. It's a totally natural reaction, but one I'm going to have to work with him to overcome.)

It was great working with him off-leash -- I got some wonderful compliments from my teacher and other people in the class about how great his recall is ("recall" is how well a dog listens and obeys when you give the "come" command), and how closely he follows my nonverbal cues. He actually follows my nonverbal cues a little TOO closely, since if my direction is off by just a little, Darwin will... do exactly what I'm "telling" him to do, which isn't exactly what I'm trying to tell him to do. So I have to be hyper-aware of my posture, and which way my body (especially my shoulders, apparently -- Darwin follows my shoulders) is facing. The consensus was that I could probably run a course with Darwin and not use any verbal commands at all -- he follows me that closely.

I almost skipped the class last night, because I had such a rotten day, but I've got to say -- going made me remember why I signed up to do this in the first place. It's the coolest thing ever to be working as a team WITH my dog. I was filthy, sweaty, and exhausted when I got home -- to say nothing of the many mosquito bites I had -- but I was also very content and happy. It's such an awesome class, with a great teacher (WHO'S BACK, YAY), and fantastic people with wonderful dogs, with great temperaments. It was just what I needed yesterday.

And how could I not love something that makes my dog look just this happy?