May 29/17

I had hoped to post before midnight, but my fingers were slowed by the late hour and the final thread of the evening just never seemed to end. We were out late last night to watch the fireworks that marked the end of the 2017 Apple Blossom Festival, a festival to celebrate one of the main economic drivers of the Annapolis Valley. The pets let me sleep in for a short while this morning before I tackled my usual Monday stuff of laundry, Rotary, groceries, walking the dog, etc. A few stitches were put into the bib this morning while I drank coffee and watched the two remaining episodes of "Call the Midwife". The rest of the stitching was done this evening after the fella' went to bed. On that note, it is time for my head to hit the pillow, too.

Happy stitching!

May 28/17

A few stitches were put into the current bib last night while I watched some TV before going to bed. The fella' was out hanging with the boys in our neighbour's shed so I chilled and stitched with the critters sprawled around me. Not much stitching has gone on around here recently. Work and home have been challenging to say the least which wipes out any energy I have left to stitch at the end of the day.

Speaking of the critters, look what I found in our kitchen recycling bins this morning! This little one likes to lick plastics so it was not a great surprise to find her in the plastics bin. It is hard to believe that she has only been with us for two months now. Pebbles has been a wonderful addition to our home!

Happy stitching!

May 23/17

Here is a picture of my stitching companion, Strong. She is fast asleep beside me on the couch, oblivious to the world. She used to spend the majority of her time upstairs on our bed. The arrival of our new kitty caused some switching of routines and favourite spots in the house so Strong now spends her time on the couch instead. She is our miracle kitty, surviving and thriving a bout of liver failure this time last year.

CADPAT bib number 5 underway. I did a little stitching today while watching "Call the Midwife" and "Hoarders". Most of my day was spent running errands because I refuse to shop on holidays even if the stores decide to open. I also voted in the provincial election in the advance polls.

Happy stitching!

May 22/17

CADPAT bib number 4 was finished this evening after a busy day of laundry, lunch with friends visiting Canada from New Zealand (she is an old friend from university and he is her Kiwi husband), planting 98 tomato plants in our backyard and my second attempt at bike riding this summer. My tomato project went a little overboard this summer with so many seeds actually sprouting. I gave 20 plants away last week to a nearby military spouse and another 8 to a good friend today. There are still easily 100 seedlings on my kitchen table as I search for homes for them! The development of arthritis in my knees has slowed down my walking and jogging because the jarring against pavement causes pain and warmth in the joints later. Biking seems like a better exercise for the summer and perhaps I will look at swimming at the sports complex during the colder months. Perhaps....swimming is not something that I have ever enjoyed.

The rhubarb plants in our backyard are into their third season in those beds and are growing gloriously. I harvested enough for a rhubarb crisp yesterday and I harvest 4-5 stalks every day to tuck into my freezer for future use in smoothies. There is something so satisfying about growing one's own food, even if it is on such a small scale. I look forward to the day that I can grow more than a small patch by the fence.

So, that sums up how I spent a good part of my Victoria Day holiday weekend. Yes, we celebrate dear Queen Victoria. Heck! I will celebrate anyone who will give me a holiday day! Happy stitching!

May 20/17

Here is a little peek into the shoreline near where I live. The temps were hovering around 30C yesterday in the Annapolis Valley so we loaded up the dog and headed to The Shore aka the Bay of Fundy to find some cooler temperatures. Our Maggie loves to explore the beach as you can see in this photo of the cliffs.

My stitching mojo kicked in a little bit this evening while we watched "Hacksaw Ridge" after a lovely afternoon on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. This bib is almost completed now and will hopefully be done tomorrow if something else does not come up on this Canadian long weekend.

 I also flipped through the latest issue of Just CrossStitch and found a few projects of interest as well. There are some Charlescraft tote bags in my stash so they may be the next items to be stitched up with the pattern I found in the issue.

Happy stitching!

May 19/17

Well, no stitching progress worth showing as my stitching mojo has gone away this week. My dear cat Penelope passed on Tuesday morning. She had refused food and water for about 24 hours and was so weak that she could not get up off the bed where we slept together on Monday night. I spent Tuesday cleaning up the basement of her bed and other Miss P items and generally let myself grieve her passing. Wednesday was spent getting ready for the arrival on Thursday of friends of ours from Maine and then last night was spent entertaining them before they left for Halifax this morning. I hope to put in a few stitches over the weekend, but I will see how it goes. It feels so weird to not being going downstairs multiple times a day to attend to Miss P and it feels so weird to go downstairs to do the laundry without her being there to rub up against my leg to say hello.

Happy Victoria Day weekend!

May 15/17

Here is a quick update on this bib. I am stitching with great sadness tonight because the time to say goodbye to my gorgeous white cat, Penelope, is quickly drawing near. She is sixteen years old and has been in chronic kidney failure for several years. Today she has been refusing food and has barely moved except to slightly shift position every once in a while. I have set up a bed downstairs in the basement to spend the night with her as she has declined so quickly in the past 24 hours.


Here are some photos from healthier days: