Nearing a Finish

Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast this morning. Since I didn't get nearly enough hypodermic action with my blood draw last week, we're heading into town this morning to get our flu shots and our COVID booster. Expect us to lie low for a couple of days. The flu shot almost always makes me feel crummy for a day, and so I'll settle in with some slow stitching, assuming recovery time will be needed.

Yesterday started in rare form. Mike had two cats on his single lap. No hissing nor snarling.

My day started with me donning my gardening clothes, probably for the last time this year. The day before, I'd weeded the worst of the problem areas, including the blueberry bed and the culinary herb garden. Yesterday, I traveled all the way around the rest of the house, pulling weeds as I went. I had about three-fourths of a bucket when I called it quits. That job has been weighing on me, and so I'm glad to have it finished. It'll mean less work in the spring.

From there, I had some lunch, took a shower, iced my aching knees, and then took a nap. When I got up, I went to work finishing off the thread painting for the "Spices" quilt. Here's your peek. I'm worrying less about it now.

I knew I'd need to finish with all the values of purple thread before I'd perceive any depth to my two-dimensional project. It's looking better now that I've added the darkest of the purples. For good measure, I added a little purple Sharpie paint. When the threadwork was finished, I experimented with some hand stitching. I want to add about two dozen French knots in various places. Could I push a needle through that thick Peltex stabilizer? 

I could, but I'll need to use a thimble if I want to avoid poking holes in my fingers. I might have continued on from there, but I was getting kind of tired of looking at it. 

Mike distracted me by yelling for me to come upstairs and see Sadie's new house. The previous one was squirrel and mouse-chewed. Last week, I noticed a hole in one of the upright walls, and so we decided to replace it. She spends a lot of time in her little house. Mike built that platform to keep it off the wet deck when the rains come. It also has an on-demand heating pad inside. It's a cozy place for a kitty.

When I took that picture, I was hoping to find her inside. Instead, I found her under a quilt. The cat likes to be cozy.

Okay, so I have overnight oatmeal to finish off this morning. There should be just enough time after breakfast to get ready to go. Probably I'll miss my slow-stitching this morning. That's okay. I'll do it when we get home. And I'll probably take a nap then too. And have some lunch. I tell you...the days are like madness here. Always submitting to routine. Young people, you have a lot of excitement to look forward to in your golden years.

All right. Off I go. Oatmeal ahead. Gotta love those grains. Gotta keep the pipes clear, you know. It's just another exciting part of retirement.