Murfee and the gang were all on the couch with me watching the Olympics when he heard the words ”Dog days of summer” and he sat right up, ears at attention, eyes big and round…you know the look! I mistakenly asked him what was on his mind, what caught his attention. He walked over the other kids on the couch (literally), sat in my lap, and said that he had just heard the word “dog” and thought the concept was a great one, and would I be so kind as to get him a dog to play with and boss around. I gave him one of those “You’ve GOT to be kidding me, right?” looks, and I explained to him that HE WAS a dog, to which he replied “I am NOT! I am an Irish Setter, and I’d like a dog please.” Oh, boy. The quick answer in my head was “No, because I said so”. I always hated that answer when I got it, so I tried diplomacy and responsibilities.

“Murf, if you had a dog, it would be your responsibility to feed it and clean up after it”, and he quickly agreed to do so. I asked him what he had in mind and he said he’d delegate that to the person who fed and cleaned up after him: after all, what was one more??? When asked just Who that person would be, he looked me square in the eyes and said “Well, YOU, of course” like I was the dumbest person alive. What else did I have to do? It’s not like it’s a hard job or anything. And if I REALLY loved him, I’d say yes. So that argument was going nowhere for either of us.  

I explained the heat situation outside, and how it’s hard for a puppy to run fast and long in this heat, and he admitted that even he had slowed down a bit this summer. He still had the speed, but he had lost some of his endurance, and as we watched the long distance runners and the sprinters on TV, he was feeling more like the sprinters, only without all the jewelry and the fancy colorful shoes. But he could jump high, stick out his tongue, and shake his booty just as he was seeing the TV sprinters do…..he still had it! And would pass it along to Puppy protégé gladly, if only given the chance. Oh, crud…what do I say now and where do we go from here?????

Like any good mom, I chickened out from the final, firm “No”, and told him I’d think about it, take it under advisement, get back with him later, and get him and the rest of the crew a few Milk Bones to chew on while I ruminated on the request, all the while, coming up with more reasons why he had a bad idea, especially during these dog days of summer which left my brain in a daze. And since his attention span is extremely short, just like his hearing is extremely selective, I’m hoping he’ll run around outside for a bit and forget all about getting a dog, or realize that Irish Setters, unlike dogs, are born free, to run and jump, and let the breeze waft through their beautiful feathers, answering to no one in particular with few responsibilities except to enjoy Life. Hmmmmm…..maybe I can come back as an Irish Setter?!?!?!

SEW SMART is scheduled for this Saturday, and we are not going to have a formal class-type session. Instead, we are going to open the classroom and showroom to anyone who wants more information on the B 990 or the B 790 Pro machines. Ask questions, sit and sew with us, take advantage of this learning opportunity. Lynn will be free for you during the morning hours, and should you want a private appointment with us, we can set that up also. At this time, we still have some great gift opportunities for you when you purchase the B 990. To date, we have had people take advantage of the electric sewing lift table for the machine (value of over $5700), a special gift bundle valued at over $4000) and/or we can entertain other offers for you that you might prefer. Come in and let’s talk…about the new machine and what it offers, what we can offer you, how we can become your “best sewing buddy”!!!

For our special fabric category of the week, when you give us the code, let’s do blenders and basics, at 20% off. The code will be BLENDERS20, and good both in shop and online (www.sunvalleyquilts.com). Good time to stash build, I think! We just got in the new Tula Pink Tabby Road fabrics, and their going fast, like Murfee running through the backyard, and they’ll be gone in a flash! I already tried to re-order 3 bolts, but to no avail, since they are not being re-printed I was told. Hope to see you soon, during these dog days of summer…..

Barbara and your best sewing buddies at SVQ

Sun Valley Quilts / 9857 W. Bell Rd. / Sun City, Arizona 85351 / 623-972-2091

To Visit our Web Site www.sunvalleyquilts.com

To Visit our Class Schedule www.sunvalleyquilts.com/classes.htm