July Fry

Well, we are truly into the month of July here in the Ozarks.  It is hot and humid.  The temps got almost to 100 degrees with humidity levels in the mid-70's.  The air was soupy and the heat sucked the air out of your lungs within a couple of minutes of being outside.  I really don't do well in the heat. Thank goodness I have the studio to hibernate in when it gets this bad.

Mr. Wonderful has chickens - one rooster and 22 layers.  Several of them are broody right now. That means they have laid eggs and are sitting on them in preparation to hatching.  In the past, John has removed the eggs when the hen leaves the nest to get water or eat.  He recently started leaving one or two to see what would happen . Of course, we know what happens when you leave the eggs in the nest for the hen to sit.  21 days after they are laid, they hatch into baby chicks.  We lost 2 a couple of weeks ago - not sure what predator got to them immediately after they hatched.  We lost 2 yesterday morning.  John went to do his chicken chores in the afternoon and there was a baby chick - probably less than an hour old.  He quickly got it out of the nest, and placed it in the brooder with a heat lamp and water.  He  'beaked' it right away - that means he put its little beak into the water to encourage it to drink - and beaked it again last night when he went to close up the chicken coop for the night. As of this morning, the little chick is still surviving.  

It has very few feathers so it needs the heat lamp to keep it warm. One would think in the heat we are having that would be enough but it's not.  Hoping my amazing Chicken Whisperer can keep this little guy healthy.  

Cross Stitch Camp continues through July and into August.  For July, the challenge was to stitch something that would be turned into something other than to be framed.  I stitched an autumn design that will become a strawberry.

I really like these little designs.  They stitch up fast on 14 count fabric and look so cute in my dough bowl.  August's challenge is to stitch something new to me - a designer, a floss, a shape.  I think I will go with a designer.  Tiny Modernist has several cute charts and I have some in my stash.  Now to decide which to stitch. 

This cross stitch project was such a joy to stitch.  It is from a Ukrainian designer - I can't remember which one right now - and shows some of the beautiful landscapes of Missouri.  I worked on it off-and-on for several weeks and finally finished it last weekend.  I've downloaded one for Utah and have it all kitted up to start soon.  I think I will stitch one for each state I've lived in - California, Arizona, Utah, Missouri, Rhode Island, and Maine.  While I haven't actually lived in Utah or Maine, I've spent a lot of time in each state and they hold a special place in my heart so they get to be stitched.  I also have charts for almost every country I've visited - I'm only missing the Philippines.  I have enough plans with charts to last me a very long time.

Have a wonderful rest of the week. Thanks for stopping by. 

Sad Week

This past week is finally over and done with.   While it started out a normal week, by Tuesday it sucked big time!  There were dentist appointments and errand-running and grocery shopping and working in the studio.  There was gardening by John.  And there was saying goodbye.  Our handsome, grouchy cat, Gilligan, crossed the Rainbow Bridge on Tuesday.  He hadn't been eating much for the last few days so we took him in to the vet.  They ran tests and found him to be in stage 4 kidney failure - end stage.  The kindest thing to do was to let him go. And that's what we did.  It was a very peaceful passing and we are so glad we were able to be with him till the end. 

Gilligan had just turned 16 earlier in the month.  He was always a grouchy old man.  Never made friends with the other animals in the house - he tolerated them but they were never buddies.  For that very reason, I think that's why Skipper and the dogs really didn't register that he was gone...Life goes on and as long as they got fed and treats, nothing changed.  RIP sweet Gilligan. Thank you for the million purrs and head bumps and cheek pats!

I saw this recently. It makes me smile and also makes me feel better about the condition of the studio.

My creative friends will certainly agree with the above!

This week includes 3 appointments for physical therapy on my spine and a day of machine embroidery at Shawn's Sewing Center.  All of those make me happy!

Thanks for stopping by.  

Another week gone and plenty stitching got done.  I spent several days using the embroidery machine to complete 55 mug rugs I'm donating to a womens' retreat in Branson.  I will be participating in the retreat,  not as an organizer but as a retreatant.  When we lived in California, our church's Womens' Ministry sponsored a retreat at one of the misisons every year.  I so miss those retreats.  It was 2 1/2 days of no phones, no family, just women ministering to women, encouraging each other and enjoying peace and quiet relection time.  Fran mentioned that her church in Branson is doing a retreat at the end of July and I jumped at registering right away.  My heart said I should 'donate' something and I came up with mug rugs.  They have room for 35 retreatants and' there are 15 ladies on the Team...adding a couple of mug rugs "just in case" and I came up with 55.  I have 7 more to do and they are done! 

My lower back has been bothering me for several months. Sometimes I go to get up off my chair and my left hip and groin area has a stabbing pain and I have to carefully straighten up. It mostly happens when I've been sitting a lot during the day.  I thought it might be arthritis in the hip or - heaven forbid - requite a hip replacement.  My doctor recommended physical therapy.  I started therapy this past week.  Evidently, my left sacro-iliac joint is tipped backwards and that causes my left leg to be shorter than my right leg by about 1/2 inch.  We are working on strenghthening my leg muscles so that once the SI joint is put back in place (they gave me a maneuver to do to move it back in place when it occurs), the muscles will hold it in place instead of allowing it to fall out of joint after a while.  I am so delighted to know that a hip replacement is NOT in my immediate future.  

Evidently, summer has now made its way to the Ozarks.  The temperatures are in the high 90's and the humidity has climbed into the 80's. That combo makes for a very sticky day outside!  Mr. Wonderful is out in the barn, cleaning out the chicken roost area....I do NOT envy him!  Frankly, the change in the weather was long overdue for the area so I am not complaining.  

Well, not a lot going on this week so there isn't a lot to tell you.  Thank you for stopping by.  

June is Bustin' Out All Over

 Let's try this again, shall we?  I remember when I posted every single week and I surely do miss it.  So I think I will try to begin posting each Sunday from now on.  

This past spring has been, not surprisingly, rather calm and uneventful.  The weather in the Ozarks was wet and rainy and cold.  But the farmers need the rain to bring on the hay for the animals.  I promised John a long time ago that I wouldn't complain about rain ever again. So far, I've kept that promise.

John's chickens continue to grow and produce eggs over the spring.  About April, they began to slack off on egg production.  Upon checking with the feed store folks, it turns out that chickens go thru a molting season to rid themselves of their winter feathers and prepare for summer from April to June.  Where John was getting upwards of 24 eggs each day, the chickens only produced around 9-11 eggs each day for the last 2 months.  Hopefully, they will begin producing more soon.  We are able to sell every egg they produce.  I keep records of the egg sales for tax purposes and can see how Grandma could use egg money to run the household!  Eggs bring in quite a bit of extra change!!!

My nephew and his family made a trip out to Kansas City at the end of March and ventured down to us for part of the day.  It was lovely to see them.  Those children are growing up to be amazing humans!  Smart and funny and inquisitive!  They spent part of the afternoon up in the hay loft of our barn with Uncle John...then fed the chickens and gave the cows treats.  We are so blessed to have them visit!

I've been cross stitching a lot!  More cross stitching than quilting.  But lots of artsy stuff happening!

Loch Ness Monster, Spring Strawberry, and Queen Bee.  All of these are smalls - about 3 inches square.  

I am participating in Summer Cross Stitch Camp this year.  For June, our camp project is to be to stitch a holiday design. I am going to do Happy 4th of July by Maryna Riznychenko. She's a designer out of the Ukraine.  I really like her designs. 

Hoping I can get the entire design stitched by the end of June.  Will check back in later in the month to post progress.

In May I was able to travel out to Utah to see our son and his family for the first time in 3 years.  Oh, what a joyful trip that was.  All 5 of the grandchildren are becoming amazing humans!  E and her husband came up to visit while I was there and I got to meet him.  What a nice young man she chose!  C performed in an end-of-year concert at school. 

She's turning into a beauty - inside and out!  She will be a senior in high school next year and will be part of the Madrigal Choir - an elite choir only for seniors.  She will also sing with a couple more choirs and is going to school to become a Med. Tech as well as working as a lifeguard at the local pools.  This young lady is going it all! So proud of her.

W reminds me so much of his dad.  He's funny, and smart, and handsome.  And he's amazing around old people (took really good care of his grandma without being told!)

And then there are C and H.  The two youngest of the Knotwells West family.  H is really an artist!  He amazes me with his talent.  His birthday was while I was visiting and we gave him a huge set of alcohol markers.....his pictures gobsmacked me.  He told me he wanted to draw hands and faces and watched a lot of videos and practiced until he got it right and I can tell you he nailed it!    C is the youngest and she is a dancer.  She had a competition right after I got there and another recital just before I left.  That young lady had her grandmother in tears at her performance!  She seems to prefer lyrical and jazz dance to other forms. And she is GOOD!

What would pictures of my Utah family be without my treasure?  

John and Jill are such a wonderful pair.  They make us so proud!

Clean up time after dinner! Everyone pitches in.

Oliver is their dog. He's a Labradoodle.  They've had him for about 5 years now.  He and I started a routine while I was there.  As soon as I went upstair to start my day. he would come up to me and stand near my knees, waiting for a good rubdown. Once that was done, off he'd go to do whatever dogs do.  But he always came up for a good morning rub!  I don't know what he did when I left to come home.

About halfway thru my visit, I began to feel kinda crumby.  Since Salt Lake City sits much higher in elevation than we do here in the Ozarks, it isn't unusual for me to get a bit of sinus distress....or a cold or allergies.  What I was feeling was just as usual for about halfway in any visit so I didn't think anything of it.  When we came home from C's choir concert, John suggested I take a Covid test, just in case.  Guess what!  Yep, Covid positive!  I spent the rest of my visit wearing a mask and I wore one on the trip home and several days after I got home.  I finally tested negative this past Wednesday!  I was so fortunate to have an incredibly mild case.  I never lost my sense of smell or taste.  Never had any really breathing issues.  Just a bit of drainage down my throat and no sore throat at all. No fever, one small headache that was dispatched with aspirin.  No body aches.  Really very fortunate!  

I am back to normal - whatever normal passes for around here.  John is working on replacing some tiles in Mom's bathroom where her new walk-in tub was installed.  We are expecting rain and storms tonight and rain for several days in the next week.  

Thanks for stopping by and sticking with me all these months. I will try to be a better blogger.  

Middle February

 Happy Middle of February.  I know it's been a while since I last blogged and I won't even try to excuse it.  

The weather here in southwest Missouri has been miserable for the last several weeks.  Sometime in around April or May I will probably look back and say it's been a typical winter here and sigh and get on with it!  But living in it daily is a bit wearing.  It's been wicked cold - some days getting all the way UP to 20 degrees.  It has snowed - already met our annual total of 17", not all on one day though. It has rained - a ton!  It has sleeted and iced a bit.  I am DONE with winter!  I see Spring lingering around the 20th of March and I can't wait to welcome her.

I've been doing a bit of knitting - mostly just keeping my fingers warmed up so I am ready for Sock Madness.  I've have signed up for this annual mad knitting competition again this year.  This is SM16 and my 15th time competing.  I don't know yet how many knitters from around the world are doing it this year but it will end up being in the 1800 range, I'm sure.  Will get an update after the 1st of March when it officially starts. Can't wait to see the Qualifying pattern.

I've also been machine embroidering.  I finished a couple of table squares or runners.  Not all of the work was done by me buy I finished them.   The first one is a St. Patrick's table square the was machine embroidered.  I added the binding around the edge and it is done!

Next we have a machine embroidered wall hanging of the beautiful poem Footprints in the Sand. It was embroidered by someone else and abandoned - actually the lady passed away and it was amongst the boxes of supplies that her husband gave away....I helped the ladies sort everything and decided to rescue it from the trash.  I added the binding to it and will give it to a dear friend who will appreciate not only the workmanship but the sentiment.

And finally we have a Gingerbread Village wall hanging that I machine embroidered as part of a challenge in December from a company in Australia that I love.  Sweet Pea Machine Embroidery puts out some exquisite designs.  I used all my own fabrics - including the faux suede for the houses.

It measures about 28 inches square and was so fun to make.  Only 9 different squares plus a border with a flange.  

I've also been working on several cross stitch projects - and actually finished some of them. 

A Dr. Who Biscornu - not good for anything much except as a pincushion - but fun to make.

Angel is growing like a weed.  She's so smart and so sweet and so soft!  But we have learned that anything that touches the floor she considers her very own property.  John couldn't find the remote for the TV and spent quite a bit of time looking for it....finally found it in the dog run.

Needless to say, we ordered a new one.  Thank goodness she didn't get to the battery.  She would have been one sick puppy!

Well, I will finish this for today. Will try to get another post out soon.

Thank you for stopping by!

New Year, New Start

Happy New Year!  I have decided (decreed) that 2022 is going to be a wonderful, amazing year.  I recently read somewhere that in order to have a good day, one must decide to have a good day when one first gets out of bed.  So I decided that 2022 will be a wonderful year!  That should set the mood for the entire year, right?

New Year's Day started out pretty good - well, except for the snow and the bitter cold.  But we all woke up, having gone to be early the night before with no hangovers or lack of sleep from staying up till midnight.  We were all healthy. The electricity stayed on all day. We had food to eat and things to occupy our time (sewing and knitting and other crafty stuff).  It was a good start to a new year.  The next day was my birthday and Mr. Wonderful cooked me a scruptious dinner and I heard from our Utah family (they even sang to me when they called - I just love that group!).  I was able to stitch a little and even finish a project.   Again, a good start.

Yesterday, Mom and I met up with Fran for lunch to celebrate not only my birthday, but Fran's birthday on the 3rd and Mom's birthday today.  A lovely tradition with friends and loved ones.  

We lost our Rosie (white-faced, red cow) in November...she got some kind of disease and died very shortly after. We were going to breed her and Belle early this year since the calves are going to be a year old in March.  We had an opportunity to have a young bull come visit Belle for the next 3 months and took it.  

Not a great photo but that is #16.  He is an angus bull, about 15 months old.  Belle is his first 'girlfriend'.  Belle is a bit taller and a bit wider than he is but I'm sure he will figure out what he needs to do and get the job done!  After 3 months, he will go home and Belle can continue 'cooking' what we hope will be a calf in about 9 months.  We took the 2 calves over to our neighbor's property for the duration of the courting season cause one of the calves is a female and we don't want her bred this soon...want to wait another year before that happens.  Will keep you all informed of the progress.

Mr. Wonderful retired in mid-December and it's been fabulous having him home. He has so many plans for the 'farm' and the house and now he has the time to get those plans completed.  If the weather would only cooperate, that is.  

Today we have snow again...somewhere between 1 and 3 inches by the time it quits, they say.  I've got a space heater going here in the studio and plan on doing some work on a sewing project or maybe a machine embroidery one.  So many things to choose!  

Hoping you all are safe, and warm, and enjoying the beginning of 2022 - it going to be a fabulous year!  I decided!!!

Thanks for stopping by.

Holiday Season 2021

I will not even address how long it's been since I last posted....No excuse, not even gonna try to justify it!

We are getting ready for our annual family Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow.  John has readied the spatchcocked turkey, the clove-studded ham and the cranberry relish that his family looks forward to each year.  I've made the pumpkin pie and the mince pie, gotten the whipped topping out of the freezer to thaw, and am ready to mix up the dressing which will go into the over tomorrow.  I've had the robot vaccuum the house, mom dusted on Sunday, and I suspect we could be ready if the family arrived earlier than tomorrow!  Wish everyone a most Happy Thanksgiving.

Friday we will go down to Branson, to my best friend Fran's house, and celebrate the holiday with them. And Saturday is our annual Knotwell Girls Cookie Baking Day.  I need to get a batch of Grandma's Sugar Cookie Dough made up so I'm not rushed on Saturday.  We have this down to a well-oiled machine after so many years!  One of us rolls the dough out, one uses all the cookie cutters to cut the shapes, one shakes the sprinkles on, then I put the tray into the oven and take it out when they are done, one puts the cooled cookies into everyone's cookie tin.  And we begin all over again.... This will be the first time since Covid struck that we will be able to do Cookie Day and we've since lost 2 of the sisters so it will be bittersweet, to be sure. 

We started the holiday season off a couple of weeks ago.  John, Mom and I drove down to Branson to go to the Trail of Lights - a drive-thru Christmas light show.  You tune your car radio to a specific station and drive thru the parklike setting. 

What a great way to begin the holidays.

2 weeks ago, we added another member to our Fur Family.  Angel is a 6 month old English Cream Golden Retriever.  Her original family was unable to keep her due to some family issues and we were chosen to be her new family.  

Isn't she lovely?  She is already crate trained - making it easier to go to bed at night and keep the pups from being able to play into the night while we are trying to sleep! She's mostly house trained.  She had never seen a doggy door but it took her less than 24 hours to learn how to go outside all by herself!  She's scheduled to become a lady at the end of next week.  And her first groomer appointment is this Tuesday.  She's so sweet...and she is going to be so much bigger than Shiloh - when I compare their feet, his look like ballerina feet compared to her lumberjack feet!  They get along great - as you can tell here.

Also last week, mom and my best friend and I went down to Branson to see a Christmas show put on by a family called the Bretts.They've been entertaining in Branson for over 20 years.  What a lovely show they put on.  And it was neat to get to share it with my two best girlfriends! 

Thank you for stopping by.  Wishing you all a most Happy Thanksgiving (if you celebrate that holiday) and a Joyous and Blessed Christmas (just in case I don't get around to blogging beforehand).