Some Firsts

Good morning, my friends. It looks like we've successfully made it to the final third of the month of April. Sheesh...that Alaska journey is creeping up on us. Recently, I read a question on one of the RVing to Alaska sites that I follow: "Do you ever get nervous when you take your new RV out for the first time?" And my thought was, well, yeah! If it's your first time out in a new RV, then you'd be crazy not to be nervous. But my answer to the question was: "We've been RVing since the late 1990's, and I still get nervous every time we head out on a trip." So, yeah, my friends. I'm starting to get nervous. 

Yesterday I spent some time reading the requirements for taking pets across the border. Crossing the border into Canada, we only need proof of rabies vaccine. Check. But then I realized we'd be crossing back into the USA when we reach Alaska, and so I checked Alaska's OSV (Official State Veterinarian) site and learned they'll also need a health certificate dated no more than 30 days from the date of entry. Oops. Well, I don't have that, obviously. So I made a note to myself to schedule a vet appointment for them mid-May. I guess we've reached the dotting-i's-and-crossing-t's part of the journey. Many folks on that site said they had all their documentation, but were never asked for it. That's been our experience as well, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.

Yesterday's weather gave us a mix of rain and sunshine. It was time to refill the bird feeders, and I noticed some of the flowers are opening for the first time. This is the first azalea we've seen. All we need is a warm day, and these bushes are going to burst into flower.

Also, this rhododendron is trying its best to open. The rhododendron bushes seem to wait their turn to bloom. This one is always first. 

Also, the lilacs are getting very close to opening. All we need is a few warm days.

And I love this cluster of mini daffodils. 

Back inside, I finished stitching the first of nine blocks for Le Jardin. These are going to be fun to stitch.

With that finished, I urgently needed to trace out my next project. This will be the "short" project on my list. It's the Spring Flowers pattern from Wandering Threads. Usually I avoid using a tone-on-tone like this for a background because it's nearly impossible to see the lines I need to trace. For this one block, I made an exception.

And it's still hard to see even after it's been traced, but it should look something like this when it's finished.

Also, I selected these floss colors from my stash.

And since I don't expect that to take more than a couple of days, I've also readied Block #10 of 12 for Grandpa's Bridges. I wanted to avoid having a stitching emergency on my hands. I'll rest easy knowing the next one is ready to go.

And then I turned my attention to Block 7 for the Merry, Merry Snowmen. This one:

Sadie was there to help, and was she ever helpful.

She was working hard to help me measure and cut.

And she was soooooooo helpful, I encouraged her to take a break. Maybe find another job.

And with a little less help from her, I created the background for this block.

That took longer than you might think, and so the only applique was the snowman peeking out from the left side. Today I'll work on getting the applique fused down, and then it will need top-stitching. This one includes both hand and machine embroidery, and I'll need to sew on some tiny buttons to finish it. I doubt it can be finished in a single day, but sometimes I surprise myself.

Okay, so there's a little sunshine this morning, but I think we'll be seeing more rain today. When I've finished my slow-stitching, I'll go for a walk on the treadmill. I've been watching Ken Burns' documentary about "The West" on my walks for the past several weeks. I'm finishing off the 6th of 7 episodes, and it makes treadmill walking bearable. I've especially enjoyed watching this one since we've been to many of the places that have been mentioned. 

Also today I need to make up a grocery list. Grocery shopping must happen tomorrow. And so with that, I'll be on my way. Have a good Monday, Everybody, and enjoy the week ahead of you.