Elodie dress

Sister and I are going to Chicago in September!  And I'm just starting my sewing for the trip, the Elodie dress in rayon crepe.  I'm making the short sleeved version (the longer sleeves are just too much for me!) and midi lengeth.  The fabric I bought at Nancy's Sewing Basket before it closed.  It was a bolt end so on a whim I bought all they had, just over 4 yards, and now I'm glad I did!

Farewell to Charlie 2006 - 2018

He was a grand cat.

I can do that too!

Sasha has to shimmy up, but she does get there!

No fair!

Piper can leap from the railing to the arch, and Sasha can't.  It's just not fair.

Today is the first anniversary of the passing away of Jack the Cat

I miss him very much.

Jack the Cat

Jack the Monster

Happy Easter!

Loot from the Puyallup Sewing Expo

I bought a couple of patterns, but mostly I bought stuff for designing on fabric.  I need to replace my very old Blue Fish t shirts, but I certainly can't afford to buy them anymore, so I'm going to make some of my own.

I did buy an anorak pattern and hardware to make it up.  I've been looking for one for a long time, and think this one will be perfect.

The highlight of the show, for me, was Louise Cutting's style show (and my apologies to her partner whose name I do not know).  Beautiful styles, clever use of fabrics, and lots of Louise green, which I love.

And one last treat -- a pretty necklace of paper beads.

A neighborhood scandal and a trip to the ocean

I have finally spotted the putative father of Vaermina's ill-begotten kittens, François LeFlaneur!  The shameless seducer!

And last week we went to Ocean Shores with Pam and Hal.  Perfect weather, perfect friends, perfect food!

Visitors!

Vaermina brought her kittens to visit us today!  Pip and Pocket came up on the porch, but Namira was too shy.

Here's Vaermina in the flower pot, Pip on the deck, and Pocket under the grill.

Pip

Vaermina and Pocket

Pip and Pocket  Sis says these two are a gang, and look like troublemakers.  I agree!

Merry Christmas!

The Australopithecenes' family is growing, and with the arrival of Düssel the Neanderthal, they now have fire!

Presents!

Today Sis and I had lunch at Goldberg's and exchanged handmade, non-Christmas presents.  Sis made me this lovely scarf!

And I made her this cross stitch for next Halloween.  (Design by Laura Rimolo (Little Stitcher.))

The start of Christmas

Losing the cats is sad, but it means I can get out all the things we haven't used in years because the cats would spoil them.  Or dress up in their clothes.  So Muffy and Hoppy have finally emerged from the closet.

What we saw at the zoo yesterday

The fox and my friend Pam

A pool full of feathers from molting penguins.  The penguins looked really ratty.

A dead bear.  Actually, this is Denali, the more laid back of the 23 year old grizzly twins, enjoying a nap and a soak in the pool.

A dead goat.  Or Albert enjoying a snooze. 

Shadows in the forest -- beware of the tiger!

Little David's leaf -- finally big enough

Too much sadness.

Friend Steve has just lost Dreamer, his third cat in less than 6 months.  It's just not fair.  Steve, we will have to get together soon for a kitty wake.

Dreamer (left) with Charlie, the last cat.

Summer

Minkie would have loved this.

Farewell to Buster

We've lost another one.  Today was Steve's cat Buster's last day.  At least Steve still has Charlie and Dreamer.

Charlie comforting Buster last night.

Here's Buster (on the left) with sister Hetty.

And Buster (at the head of the food line) with the other boys.

Whimsy in the garden

Pam has a rabbit in her garden!

Ducklings!

No bees this year, but a mama duck brought her ducklings through our yard to Valentina's garden, and then all the way back through our yard to Claire's yard.  If you click on the picture, you can see them up close.

Goodbye to Jack the Cat

'A young man in the dark am I

But a wild old man in the light

That can make a cat laugh, or

Can touch by mother wit

Things hid in their marrow bones

From time long passed away,

Hid from all those warty lads

That by their bodies lay.

                                                          Day-break and a candle end.

William Butler Yeats