Spring sweet pea fence

 Strutting around the garden playing dirt.  I called her a garden fairy.

 Showing off the blue fingernails she got last night - she was very good and it was her reward.


The sweet pea fence I put up while she was at Grandma's.  She came in the house and asked me where all the food was that I had made - I told her I wasn't planting yet, just putting up the fence.

Cat snuggles from Mouse cat, our older Manx cat who is usually far too dignified for these things.

Another moment of indignity having fun rolling in the dirt.

Dreams, Patterns and Scraps

I know it's weird, and the last thing I should be thinking of right now - with Bazooka coming in a month - but sometimes I still feel like I failed Salamander and Willowpede. Sometimes I still dream that they are 'talking' to me in their way, just slight moments that actually stir me from sleep... and I know that sounds weird... Usually I just think it's one of our girls here, Mouse or Pogo, transferring into older memories.

I dreamt last night that I found Sally huddled in a very cold cupboard, she jumped out and was purring and happy to see me. She was lemurish, with her bright eyes and curling tail. As I was sitting with her, Willow came up (with her very distinctive thick furry neck) and also got into my lap. I looked at them both and rubbed them between their ears and down their necks and the dream slipped away. It was two a.m. when I woke up - and both Mouse and Pogo were outside hunting - so it wasn't them messing with my dreams. I know Sally and Willow are okay because a search that came into my site 'Sally says life is so hard' linked up with another picture's text on Flickr - not mine - which showed them in April, safe and sound. :( Dreams are just dreams :(

In the Workshop
I'm working on making my toy patterns more suitable for the sewing machine. A few months ago I was contacted for a book inclusion and even though that lady hasn't talked to me since then it is still a very good idea. We might even see about just making our own little 'booklet' with the local printing place - of about 8 to 10 patterns with instructions.

a bit of writing I was thinking up the other day...

Scraps

---

My mom used to collect scraps of everything she thought was useful. There was the bag of fabric scraps, for quilts that never got made (until I started sewing). There was the bag of 'left socks' that never got matched up. There was the box of paper and ribbon scraps, for making cards. There was a huge box of pennies, that got cashed in once a year. There were meat and grease scraps for making weekly stew and gravies.. (which did get used). Leftovers from the fridge were thrown together into hotdishes every couple of days. I was always taught to keep the scraps just in case they make up to something.

My mom said it was the 'Dutch in us' (not sure where she got that from) - the kind of attitude where you lick the bowl and spoon after mixing a cake. Often her scrap-saving ways would pay off, but just as often there would be mass-cleaning days, which were very stressful, where Mom wanted to 'get rid of everything.' I get some of that from her too - and it's a good explanation of why I clean when I'm stressed.

I haven't been doing as much of that since I've been with Mark, cleaning while stressed that is - I do clean, just not in that hurried 'I'm worried about everything - everything must be clean to make it better' sort of way. I always hated that habit, even AS I was doing it. For a while there, knitting was that kind of habit as well. I would churn out a dishcloth every day - or more, and it was a way of defocusing on what was upsetting me and making the stress into something productive. I don't knit as much as I used to either - but I do sew. Sewing isn't quite the same - it is like drawing, productive and ever-changing, keeping my focus on the project - not letting my hands go over the same repetitions over and over while my mind goes blank.

Not to say I'm giving up knitting - but yes, it has taken a back seat to my sewing simply because of this natural tendency.

Yesterday I took a good hard look at my fabric scraps. I'm always moving so quickly from project to project - it's hard to realize how fast they accumulate. They pile up in corners, and in bags - and soon you're wondering 'What in the world am I going to do with this?' I've made a few of the bassinet quilts out of scraps from the stuffed animals - and started throwing all the smallest pieces away. I guess I'm not so very frugal as my mom - but my workspace looks a lot cleaner!

Monsters and Mice play with the Sewing Machine

My monster for the 'Mouse or Monster' swap on Swapbot.
Thanks for everyone who asked after Spot - he is doing just fine, not acting any different than his usual BOUNCE-y self. He comes in the house, does a few laps in the air conditioning then wants back outside to chase around some more.

OH! And.. I'm not the only pregnant female around here. One of the Great Dane girls, Dee-Dee, is going to have puppies next month. Wow - that should be quite a time!

Actually, we're pretty surprised by it. We weren't even sure she could become pregnant. She's two years old and last year she didn't 'take.'

We found out she has 'abnormal' anatomy, all of her female parts and a bit that was trying to develop into male, but didn't finish. Since it isn't readily visible, we didn't even know she was any different than her sister Blaze. We don't think her abnormality will get in the way of the puppies being delivered. A lady from Cornell University actually was studying this, and wanted to see her last year, but we couldn't make the trip.

I took yesterday to relax, and played a bit more with the sewing machine. I made a few more burp cloths and then, out of the last bit of the fabric remnant, made a little whatsit toy.


Mouse or Bear?

Mousebear taking his place in Bazooka's caddy.
Early this morning around 3 am the sky was so clear here, I took a little walk up our driveway to see the stars. The Milky Way was bright and detailed. I could also see the Pleiades, and caught one shooting star out of the meteor shower.

I have a Python program to go altercate with... hope it will cooperate ;)

We're Off - be back Sunday night!

Mouse claims this never happened.. but we have photographic evidence.
We're off to the Hamvention in Dayton, Ohio!
Mark's parents will check in on the animals while we're gone.
Have a great weekend everyone!

Mouse and her Puppy

Mouse has a puppy... her name is Puck. Since she is so much smaller than the other dogs here, Mouse seems to have adopted her. They go in and out the front door together, play in the woods and attack each other in 'chase' all over the house. Of course, Mouse only plays chase with the puppy when she thinks she isn't being observed.. cat dignity and all...



Way back in September, Mouse already watched over this strange, large and unmannered kitten she has acquired. You can see it on her face here -- "Hrmph. What a task this is!"



We're done playing in the yard, time to come in now!


Puck got smacked back soon after this sequence...

What's going on around these parts: A lot of camera work! That is all part of more sewing for the shop, and listing things on Ebay, and fixing of computer equipment. I am working on my mom's birthday present (which includes knit dishcloths), and sent something out in the mail for my nephew's belated birthday.

The weather has been up and down - very warm one day and bright sunlight with cold wind the next. I'm also learning to drive the stick-shift truck - very different, but so far the transmission is still in one piece! So the days are full and varied, with lots of little pieces getting done on things here and there. My dream bag has five rows left to do before I start to plan what the back will look like.. or maybe I shouldn't plan it at all?


Daffodils in the garden here


Sunset at the lake

Starring Mouse and some Nameless Smoking Bones

Starring Mouse, the diluted tortoiseshell Manx
Willowpede and Sallymander's older sister

An outside-inside cat has very dirty paws...
dirty, but still cute.

Nose and Whiskers



This skeleton hangs near the doorway of the house here -- he's plastic, don't worry ;o) However, he doesn't have a name -- nothing has 'stuck' yet, as he has very little personality. He has gained a coat and pipe recently though, so maybe he's planning to make a break for it?

In other news : Still working on the weaving, although yesterday wasn't very productive for it. I had a headache most of the day - got quite bad about 9 pm, then let up at 3 this morning. Feeling better now, much better. Working on putting some auctions up on Ebay and have a small Python program that should be worked on later.