Just Getting Started

Yesterday's sewing was a bit of an exercise in persistence. The first pieces for Clementine's Pawtrait were laid down. The template is confusing enough, made worse because I crossed out a couple of lines near the right eye.

But start, I did, and here are Clementine's eyes.

It takes a long time for the kitty to emerge, and that can be discouraging.

By day's end, she looked like this. Hard to see a cat there.

It always goes this way when I attempt one of these. Last night, I read through some old blog posts to fortify my confidence. In all cases, I started out frustrated and discouraged, and ended up with a pretty good likeness of the pet.

Sadie's pawtrait was probably the most difficult because of the many colors in her fur.

And yet, there she is. So I'll keep going, and eventually Clementine will emerge. I think today I'll work my way up through the ears. Usually adding the ears helps to bring out the kitty. Also, it's important to keep in mind that the thread painting at the end adds a lot.

At the end of the day, I relaxed in our recliner with my furry friends.

Smitty was gazing out over the landscape thinking of how delicious those squirrels would be if only he could get at them.

Sadie gazes at Smitty considering her many options for bothering him.

I spoke with Coyote Man by phone yesterday to try to pin him down on this coyote trapping process. He's a very nice man and patiently explained that this is not a quick process, and that one must be careful in the beginning not to scare the coyotes away with human scent. So he's laid down bait in the areas where the coyotes spend the most time. He'll be back in a few days to check for any activity at the bait. If the coyotes have been around, he will set traps then. He says he's been known to trap three animals in a single attempt, but that we should be prepared for a bit of a wait. I asked if this would take all summer, and he said it would not. So that was somewhat encouraging. It still sounds as if it's going to be at least a few more weeks, if not longer, until we get the all clear sign.

We heard the coyotes very close to the house in the middle of the night. This morning, I heard a lone one howling from down in our woods. Far away, I heard another howl in answer. Even farther away, I heard one more. I'm sorry to be doing this to them...but only a little.

Today I'll continue on with Clementine. I'd like to get well along because the week is going to get busier, and I'd like to have her to flimsy stage by the weekend.