Sleeping arrangements

Someone discarded an Asian fabric star project at Thimbles, so I picked it up. That was at least 3 months ago. 

 Yesterday I got it out, took it apart, flipped a couple of the pieces upside down, added my Sashiko scraps and replaced her inserted pieces with blue ones, stitched it with red perl cotton thread in a running stitch. I thought I would use it for the sides of a bag, but now I am thinking of something else. It will decide for itself what it wants to be. I'll wait.

The livestock and I have settled into a bedtime routine. I bring Joey indoors, and, once he figures he cannot beg me to let him out again, he settles on the bed.

Joey curled up on the bed.

Rosie (a sixteen pound "Maltese" really?) watches my every move. She won't believe it's bedtime until I turn out the light and remove the extra pillows from the bed.

Rose watches, from the back of the loveseat,  for offical bedtime.

 Little Scooter (at 9 pounds still big for a Maltese), is 14 years old. He is a little blind, a little deaf and somewhat vicious when disturbed in his sleep. He has been exiled from the bed, but curls up and sleeps in his own little bed.

Scooter in his little bed, on the floor, where he cannot bite anyone.

 Rocky (same size as Scooter and 9 months younger) is a snuggler and cannot rest until I am close to him.

Rocky watches to see when I will settle down to sleep.

He will crash when he knows I am settling down for the night, but once I am in bed he is right next to my arms. He makes it difficult for me to turn over, but we work it out.

Sweet slumber for little Rocky.

 Kitten is missing. Two nights in a row I have gone from front door to back door calling for her to come in. I finally go to bed worried about her out in the dark night all alone and wondering whether she is safe. Last night I swear I looked all over the house, and could not find her. Two mornings in a row she showed up, from somewhere within the house, ready for her breakfast.

My scarred back yard. Huge white pine is reduced to a stump.

I had some trees removed. Crit (my deceased husband) had contracted the work before he had his stroke, so I went ahead with it. Now I have a scarred backyard. I have planted no flowers this year and the yard has major drainage problems. I am putting off dealing with it until fall. I don't know if I'll ever feel like doing yard work, but at least I can use the heat as an excuse.

Faded, but still fragrant, gardenia blossoms in a birdnest.

I appreciate all of your comments and concern for my welfare. Things are going well. I have contacted all the folks I need to. Now it is just a matter of going to court, completing all the various paperwork and going to the Social Security office. Thank goodness he had an Advance Directive, Power of Attorney and Will. I recommend, if you or your spouse do not have these important documents, get them prepared NOW. Save your loved one the mental agony, on top of all the stress, of having to guess what you want done. As soon as the probate process for my husband it complete, I will do the same for my loved ones.

This weekend

I've spent most of this weekend sleeping off a three day migraine.  I am not sure what triggered it: perhaps tension, maybe salt or could it have been that chocolate bar?  I'll never know, but I did get some sewing done since my last post.

I chose some fabrics from my stash to finish the last round of the Lisa Bongean Vintage Nine project I'd started a couple of years ago.

Ta-da.  Finished stitching on the last row at Thimbles last Friday.

I think I will use this limey green and tan brushed cotton check for the backing.

Mary Ellen Von Holt from Little Quilts visited Thimbles; she had some charm packs of Curio by Moda's Basic Grey . Seriously yummy.  I bought all four charm packs, and, since I love the Vintage Nine pattern so much, I started a new one yesterday.

Never mind it has taken me three years to NOT finish the first one.

I just needed to stitch, and I already had a pack of coordinating wool bits for the flowers. It made sense to me at the time.

And I spied this pattern on a website (scroll down the page to see it); just had to have it.  Don't you know I cannot wait to start it.  Hey, what about my UFO list for guild?  Shoot!  I will have to make a list of priorities.

Little Jojo doesn't have a problem setting priorities.  He plays hard and just crashes whenever and wherever he needs to. That's what I call freedom.

Computer trouble

I am afraid I will be bumped off the internet at any time.  Perhaps it is time for a newer computer?  Apple this time?  Or maybe dump ATT DSL?  I am not sure what I am going to do.  Another thing taking up my time, and making typing difficult, is this little green-eyed grey flannel kitty we are calling Jojo. 

He is such a lovable little purr box!
We (Jojo and I) are working on the Vintage Nine Patch quiltlet I started a couple of years ago.  It is number one on my declared UFO list for 2011.

I may not have enough of the vintage fabric to make the final round because so many of the blocks I made at first were off, so I needed to practice making some.  The practice yielded this little project.

I was going to square it up by wacking off the yellow blocks until I realized that would make bias all the way around the edge of the top.  Oops! Darn, so that is why you cut the side and corner pieces out.  You gotta be on the straight of grain on the side.

I have been a little distracted trying to keep up with this little fur ball.  I think I am totally in love with him.  Sorry Kitten. 

We're gonna keep him.