Busy Days

The past two days have been busy from start to finish.  Usually I have some time to spend doing embroidery in the morning.  The last two days, I've had time to drink my coffee, pet my little buddy, and then I'm off.

Little Smitty is turning into the sweetest little kitty.  He is all the best parts of a cat:  playful, smart, talkative, and lovable.  I think he's going to be a good companion when he is old enough to follow me around in the yard.  For now, we're pretty protective of him.

Gracie tolerates him as long as he doesn't touch a single strand of fur on her body.  And if he glances in her direction, she grrrrrrrs to remind him.  She will stay in the same room with him however, and even consents to eating her kitty treats with him beside her.

When we're outside, he likes to hide under the bushes.  He's easy enough to find because he's fascinated by Gracie, and she's grrrrring at him all the time.  We just need to listen for her, and we'll find him close by.

Yesterday I spent the whole day straightening things up after our weekend away.  The house was clean when we left for Klamath Falls, but I found myself needing to put back what the cat hath put asunder.  By the time that was all done, it was time to make dinner.  

Today's schedule was a little less hectic.  I had my monthly pedicure, but then I went to the grocery store and commenced to add over 60 items to my cart, which of course had to be put away when I got home.  I think both things took about the same amount of time.  But the best part of the morning was picking up my Daisies & Dots quilt from the quilter.  I'm very happy with how this turned out.

I asked her to put a daisy and swirl pantograph on it, and I think it looks just right.  Here's a little closer image of the design.

And here's how it looks on the back.

I'm going to use that same bright red from the front for the binding.  Once it's bound, I'm planning to send this one off to my cousin.  She had two surgeries on her ankle in May...two, because the first one failed.  Poor thing.  She is 63 (I think).  She was a skier who had a good chance of going to the Olympics when she was a teenager, but broke her ankle skiing when she was 18.  Her ankle has plagued her throughout her life.  I think this quilt will help brighten her day, and so that is where it will go.  Don't you love being able to give a gift of a quilt to someone special?  I sure do.

The binding will have to wait a bit, however.  We're leaving again this weekend to go out to a summer party at our friends' house who live out toward the Oregon coast.  They have some acreage and so we pull our trailer out there once per year and camp for a couple of nights.  Lots of people show up for this annual event, and it is a lot of fun.  

I usually cook for a smaller group on Friday.  This year, I'm making Mexican fare.  Then everyone shows up Saturday, and we all chip in with a dish for the potluck.  Most people camp out in their cars or tents for the night, and then we say good-bye Sunday morning.  We've been going out there every summer for 5-6 years, and I look forward to it.  It's also a photographer's paradise, and so I'll be showing you lots of pictures of their place.  And just to whet your appetite, here's one from a couple of years ago:

Our friend Jan is quite a gardener, and so there are lots of flowers.  Their acreage is on the Nehalem River and so there is lots of wild stuff to photograph too.  You'll see when I get back.

This will be Smitty's first trailer trip.  He and Gracie will ride out there in the trailer.  I think Smitty might be up for trying the catio too.  We had it when we went last year, but George and Gracie were both suspicious about it and wouldn't try going inside.  I have a feeling Smitty won't be so timid.  It is essentially a kennel that hangs on the side of the trailer over an open window.  That way, kitty can go outside and still be safe.  This is one I found online, and it has a little screen that goes over the outside so that bugs can't fly in the open window.  Pretty cool, huh?

So that's about it from the Three Cats Ranch.  It's getting close to dinner time, and I still want to tell you about the quilt shop I visited in Klamath Falls.  That will be another post.  Tomorrow I sew since it will probably be my only chance until next week some time.  How's your week going so far?