Bhu: Mai mom sez to tell you all that we did not have telephone or internet service for the past two days and she is P-I-*-*-E-D! She loves to rant and rave about how CenturyLink does not deliver what it promises but still goes ahead and takes all her green papers. She sez if we didn't have cell phones, we'd be up a creek. I say if she was more kitteh-like, she wouldn't have these purroblems! She don't lissen to me, though.
Patty: Au contraire, mon cher! I "lissen" to you all the time. Next year will be even better. Next year (which is tomorrow, btw), I am going to try to solve the mystery of why you go into the bathroom, sit in the corner facing the wall, and yowl incessantly! At the top of your lungs like you were a wolf howling at the moon! What's in there? Sabryin is convinced there is a kitteh ghost in there, or something of that nature (or UN-nature, as it was).
Bhu: It's mai sekret and I'm not gonna tell.
Patty: Yeah, well I figured. I'll find out, nevertheless. Aside from that I want to tell everyone who visits us and whom we visit that we hope their Noo Yeer is great, even though Sabryin and I are way too sick with horrible colds to breathe much less party! So we will be staying home tonight, feasting on left-overs in the fridge and sloshing down a big bottle of bubbly (sparkling cider, of course)!
So long, 2012! Hello, 2013 (and you better be good to us)! xxoo Patty
Monday, December 31, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Kissmess Greetings
This has been a wonderful weekend! I am a person who has never stopped to relax during the holidays, but this year I decided to not focus on the work for pay and concentrate more on play! Rather than going in to the office, I'm taking care of things via e-mail and the internet. So, here's what I've been working on. This is one of the blocks I found the other day . . . made by
Ann Ross, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, July 1990. I'm proud of myself for writing the names, locations, and dates on these blocks. Most of the blocks were made very well, but some had to be taken apart and sewed back together so they would be 12-1/2". Some were so far off, I had to add strips of fabric around the edges. I don't feel this ruins it; I rather like it.
This fabric is a Peter Pan print circa 1990. I'm not certain of the exact date, but it has been in my stash for a long time. There were four yards, just enough to back each block and cut 1-1/2" width strips for the sides and long rows. These projects are also great for using up bobbins and spools that have just a little bit of those odd color threads left from completed projects.
This is just one tiny corner of my sewing room. I'm embarrassed that it is so messy, but it is what it is. See that little quilt on the chair? I completed that last night. It's 19-1/2" square and I'll be putting it my etsy shop as soon as I can photograph it. Also on the chair you can see some of the remaining 70 blocks that will be made into more QAYG quilts.
Bhu don't care. He just wants to catch some rays and snooze. You can see his furs are growing; the number of horking-up incidents is also growing. Time for a visit to the groomer, I should say.
Bhu, Sabryin and I hope that you have the day off tomorrow and that you are able to play! xxoo Patty
Pee Ess: Here are the names on some of the other blocks in this quilt.
Sharon Kendall, Lincoln Park, MI 1/90
Susan Wilson, Surrey, England 11/89
Valerie Malcolm, Australia, 3/90
Myra Alder, Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia
Debbie Bloxom, Wales, 2/89
Bernice Wacholz, Greenfield, WI 3/89
Ann Ross, Port Elizabeth, South Africa, July 1990. I'm proud of myself for writing the names, locations, and dates on these blocks. Most of the blocks were made very well, but some had to be taken apart and sewed back together so they would be 12-1/2". Some were so far off, I had to add strips of fabric around the edges. I don't feel this ruins it; I rather like it.
This fabric is a Peter Pan print circa 1990. I'm not certain of the exact date, but it has been in my stash for a long time. There were four yards, just enough to back each block and cut 1-1/2" width strips for the sides and long rows. These projects are also great for using up bobbins and spools that have just a little bit of those odd color threads left from completed projects.
This is just one tiny corner of my sewing room. I'm embarrassed that it is so messy, but it is what it is. See that little quilt on the chair? I completed that last night. It's 19-1/2" square and I'll be putting it my etsy shop as soon as I can photograph it. Also on the chair you can see some of the remaining 70 blocks that will be made into more QAYG quilts.
Bhu don't care. He just wants to catch some rays and snooze. You can see his furs are growing; the number of horking-up incidents is also growing. Time for a visit to the groomer, I should say.
Bhu, Sabryin and I hope that you have the day off tomorrow and that you are able to play! xxoo Patty
Pee Ess: Here are the names on some of the other blocks in this quilt.
Sharon Kendall, Lincoln Park, MI 1/90
Susan Wilson, Surrey, England 11/89
Valerie Malcolm, Australia, 3/90
Myra Alder, Eastwood, New South Wales, Australia
Debbie Bloxom, Wales, 2/89
Bernice Wacholz, Greenfield, WI 3/89
Saturday, December 22, 2012
Day One Without the Mayan Calendar
Bhu: Hey mom, we're still here!
Patty: Or so it seems, Bhu. There's all sortsa stuff out there that we don't know about so keep your eyes and ears open and take cover if you hear a loud bang. In the meantime, we will have to take things one day at a time.
I'm going to try to write a couple of letters this week to old friends who sent holiday cards! I stopped sending cards several years ago because I was convinced that it was another one of those holiday traditions that is so ecologically unwise. But it is such a treat to hear from people who are so far away, even if it is only once a year . . . whatever it takes to get them to say Hi -- I'm cool with that. So in order to comfort my qualms about the ecological ramifications, I am going to make my own cards from stuff I already have. One of my fondest memories is of sitting at the kitchen table in my little two-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens (I had just turned 20) with my box of watercolors and Prismacolor pencils painting angels, christmas trees, holly and cardinals on paper I'd cut to greeting card size (this was, of course, pre-Hobby Lobby). I had to put the cards on the radiator to dry; I always mixed my paints too wet!
Bhu, Sabryin and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We'll be back on Chrismas Day! xxoo
Patty: Or so it seems, Bhu. There's all sortsa stuff out there that we don't know about so keep your eyes and ears open and take cover if you hear a loud bang. In the meantime, we will have to take things one day at a time.
I'm going to try to write a couple of letters this week to old friends who sent holiday cards! I stopped sending cards several years ago because I was convinced that it was another one of those holiday traditions that is so ecologically unwise. But it is such a treat to hear from people who are so far away, even if it is only once a year . . . whatever it takes to get them to say Hi -- I'm cool with that. So in order to comfort my qualms about the ecological ramifications, I am going to make my own cards from stuff I already have. One of my fondest memories is of sitting at the kitchen table in my little two-bedroom apartment in Astoria, Queens (I had just turned 20) with my box of watercolors and Prismacolor pencils painting angels, christmas trees, holly and cardinals on paper I'd cut to greeting card size (this was, of course, pre-Hobby Lobby). I had to put the cards on the radiator to dry; I always mixed my paints too wet!
Bhu, Sabryin and I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! We'll be back on Chrismas Day! xxoo
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Monday, December 10, 2012
Born This Way
Sabryin: How come you are so beautiful, Bhu?
Bhu: I was born this way.
Patty: Bhu was enjoying a sun puddle on the day after thanksgiving. His luxurious muff fur billows about his little doll face. As you can see, his body furs are growing back and now we face the difficult choice of either having them shorn or listening to him horking up every fifteen minutes! Seriously, the fur he ingests is what causes most of his digestive problems! Gluttony causes the rest. Sometimes when I am gone all day and forget to prep his food dish for the eventuality of a late return, he is waiting at the door to let me know immediately that he is out of food!! Once I start feeding him, it seems he does not want me to stop! He gobbles it up, asks for more, gobbles, more, gobble, more . . . until there just isn't any more room in his belly and he waddles off to a corner somewhere to purge. Yes, he has an eating disorder. Shame!
Anyhoo, I am not a big fan of Kissmess. I don't DECORATE, although I like a humble little tree with fabric bows and a kitty star at the top. Also, last year we put the tree lights up around the living room and keep them there all year, so in case either one of us is in a grey mood we plug them in and they cheer us up right away! I HATE shopping and I always think I have waaaay more time than I actually have to handmake things (anyone else suffer from this affliction?). In trying to develop a ritual-free lifestyle, I gave up sending cards about five years ago. Some of my friends and family are insulted by this; some understand completely and are, in fact, making a similar attempt!
Bhu: I love getting cards, by the way. Bring on the ritualistic gift-giving, too!
Patty: You're really going for purrrfection with that gluttony thing, aren't you, Bhu? Hmmm. In any case, we hope you are surviving the season, not too stressed out, and enjoying every minute. Is anyone having an End-Of-The-World party on the 21st??
xxoo
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Holiday Weekend Progress
Patty: This is my pecan pie that I made from scratch using real pecans. It tastes magical! You can see all my mismatched bowls and tableware, but the food was really top notch. Now, I personally do not like pecan pie, but it is Sabryin's favorite and this year I forced him to tell me what he wanted for Thanksgiving dinner because otherwise I was going to make cod. Sorry, but I like cod (fish of any kind, really). He's a steak and potatoes kinda guy and I'm a salmon and salad lady. But I can compromise, you know?
Well, it all started Monday when I was reading this particular biography of Steve Jobs. I wouldn't normally be interested in a bio about a tycoon, except he's wearing the glasses I want and his eyebrows grow upwards, just like mine. I thought, hmmm, maybe we have something in common and it turns out we do (but I won't tell you what). For some reason (hmmm, I wonder what), I decided I would make an APPLE pie. Now, I have not made a pie in a very, very long time, but I had the apples and I needed to use them or compost them, so . . . This was incredibly easy and, according to Sabryin and Ernie, tasted really good. So, faced with this success and the request for a pecan pie for the holiday meal, I determined to make it myself rather than buy one premade.
The 9 patch quilt top I'd been making was finished and I miraculously had enough of the background and border fabrics to create a backing for the quilt! Usually I wind up going out and buying six more yards, which is pure folly. It's not as if I didn't have millions of yards of fabric already! My problem was space. I didn't have anywhere to pin it up. In the past I always took the quilt, batting and backing to the office conference room and pinned it up on the table there. But this summer they had the table refinished, so I didn't think it would be appropriate to dig little pin holes in it again! So, I went to the public library and reserved a room! Can I say I love, love, love our public library? It's so fantastic for so many reasons. Anyway, the room was perfect, the table was great and I got the top pinned up! I did run short of pins. That has never happened before. This is a BIG top!
Bhu: Now you gotta quilt it, mom!
Patty: So I do, sweet Bhu! Hope efurrybody had a great weekend! xxoo
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Efurry day thanking
Patty here! Bhu is sleeping. He has had a hard day so far. He horked up on his favorite napping spot, so he has been wandering around from sunny spot to sunny spot. I just gave him some Appetizer; sometimes it settles his tummy.
In a minute I am going to attempt to make a pecan pie from scratch. I've got collard greens soaking in the sink and the ham hocks in the fridge. All the parts for tomorrow's feast are assembled and I have a pot of decaf coffee ready to keep me hydrated during the rigorous preparations! The photo, by the way, is of our lovely KnockOut roses blooming like crazy! You know, even though we had a devastating drought this year, all my roses did spectacularly well (I think it was the leaf mulch and I did water them every day). They all have very long stems, too. The real reason for posting today is that I wanted to "file" a recipe for homemade spray starch that I do not want to lose. This is from "Sunday Morning Quilts" by Amanda Jean Nyberg & Cheryl Arkison, a lovely book I got at the library.
HOMEMADE SPRAY STARCH
12 to 16 ozs water
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Mix the water and cornstarch until no lumps remain and pour into a spray bottle. You can add 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil, if you like. The starch will separate between uses, so you will need to shake well before each use. If you're not going to use it regularly, keep it in the fridge.
P.S. Bhu, Sabryin and I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!! xxoo
In a minute I am going to attempt to make a pecan pie from scratch. I've got collard greens soaking in the sink and the ham hocks in the fridge. All the parts for tomorrow's feast are assembled and I have a pot of decaf coffee ready to keep me hydrated during the rigorous preparations! The photo, by the way, is of our lovely KnockOut roses blooming like crazy! You know, even though we had a devastating drought this year, all my roses did spectacularly well (I think it was the leaf mulch and I did water them every day). They all have very long stems, too. The real reason for posting today is that I wanted to "file" a recipe for homemade spray starch that I do not want to lose. This is from "Sunday Morning Quilts" by Amanda Jean Nyberg & Cheryl Arkison, a lovely book I got at the library.
HOMEMADE SPRAY STARCH
12 to 16 ozs water
1-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
Mix the water and cornstarch until no lumps remain and pour into a spray bottle. You can add 2 to 3 drops of lavender essential oil, if you like. The starch will separate between uses, so you will need to shake well before each use. If you're not going to use it regularly, keep it in the fridge.
P.S. Bhu, Sabryin and I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving!! xxoo
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Flypaper and other special thoughts
We're sorry for being so absent lately. Mai mom's excuse is there has been a lot to do at work, she is trying to fit everything around Poppy's new work schedule (which means everything gets done later but not at any specific time). Mostly she's been quilting and fiddling around with the sewing machine and trying to get an etsy shop going. I am doing just fine so far this Fall and I'm glad mai mom is helping me go around and visit effurrybody to say hi!
Patty: Who can believe it is November already?! When did THAT happen? Anyway, we finally plugged in our land-line telelphone yesterday now that Mitt Romney doesn't want to talk to us anymore. His loss, right Bhu? Maybe he's afraid we'll ask him for some money. Plus, my family and friends on the Jersey Shore and in New York are suffering through some nasty stuff perpetrated by Mutha Naycha! We are hoping for the best ('cause the worst has already occurred).
As for the etsy store, I am so happy to have a banner designed by Ann of Zoolatry! It's bright and happy and I love it and I can't wait to get the store stocked with items! I plan to sell vintage and repurposed sewing items including tools, patterns, fabrics and even some handmade items like quilts, totes, and the occasional magic doll.
Veteran's Day is Monday and I know I am a bit early, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to say thanks to the people who have chosen to do this job (and especially to those who did not choose it, but did it anyway and served bravely and honorably). xxoo Patty
Patty: Who can believe it is November already?! When did THAT happen? Anyway, we finally plugged in our land-line telelphone yesterday now that Mitt Romney doesn't want to talk to us anymore. His loss, right Bhu? Maybe he's afraid we'll ask him for some money. Plus, my family and friends on the Jersey Shore and in New York are suffering through some nasty stuff perpetrated by Mutha Naycha! We are hoping for the best ('cause the worst has already occurred).
As for the etsy store, I am so happy to have a banner designed by Ann of Zoolatry! It's bright and happy and I love it and I can't wait to get the store stocked with items! I plan to sell vintage and repurposed sewing items including tools, patterns, fabrics and even some handmade items like quilts, totes, and the occasional magic doll.
Veteran's Day is Monday and I know I am a bit early, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to say thanks to the people who have chosen to do this job (and especially to those who did not choose it, but did it anyway and served bravely and honorably). xxoo Patty
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Purrrrfect storm
We are purrayin' fur the back East folks. We have good news, though. Poppy got a really nice part-time job with the City working with good people. He is still looking for full-time with benefits work. I'm assumin' he means a job where he gets Appetizers, like mine. Hey, Poppy, you should get into house security, like me! Or do what mom does and eat macaroons all day. Hey, mom, what DO you do anyway?
Patty: Well, mostly just eat macaroons as everyone knows. Specifically, the ones with the chocolate on the bottom. Although lately I've been freaking out about what to write in my bio for a high school reunion. I barely remember high school, but overall I know I did not enjoy it. The people I liked, I never forgot and have great memories of THEM, but not of the school. Besides, I don't live there, never did (they didn't have enough smart kids there so they had to bus me in from another town), nor do I intend to return in the near future. I thought "A Bio shouldn't be the same as a resume, where you just list your employers and the titles they gave you." You know I have these delusions about being an artist forced to live in a wage slave's life, so I decided to write about myself more and less about who has paid me over the years. It worked out good and made me happy. Except when I think about SCRAPING.
So, bloggers, have you experienced scraping yet? This is where something grabs your content and photos and pastes it on another url that has been monetized. Wikipedia has an interesting description, so check it out. I found out about scraping from a blogger to whom I subscribe ("Quilt Obsession" featuring Baxter, a very handsome kitteh whose poppa draws a daily cartoon of Baxter's many [fictional] adventures). I checked it out and found that PattySkypants & Bhu does exist on another url. Now, what to do about it? Why would anyone do such a thing, you ask? I am thinking it's because if you copy and paste enough blogs, you're going to get enough random hits that it will pay off. To me, it's kind of like taking the cushions off the sofa and finding coins. One sofa might not be too profitable, but if you went through thousands or millions of them, you'd make a bundle. Am I wrong?
There was something else I wanted to talk about, too, but now I forgot.
Please take care and be good. xxoo
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Fifteen!!
Patty: Can you believe this baby kitteh is now a "mature adult?" Okay, SENIOR CATIZEN! I don't even know how many human years is the equivalent of 15 kitteh years, but it must be a lot because Bhu prefers napping to partying. Part of Bhu's celebration is giving to other kittehs. Here is a photo of a nap mat I made for Morris, a working country cat. Morris works hard all night long doing barn security. It's a rough job and during the day he deserves a special place for napping.
And here is the handsome Morris himself lounging comfortably on his new nap mat!
I'm thinking now that he might have needed an extra large, but it sure looks like he is successful at his job! He's well-fed anyway! Thanks to Morris's mom, Sally, for sending this photo and for sharing so much of her garden's bounty with us this season!
And here is the handsome Morris himself lounging comfortably on his new nap mat!
I'm thinking now that he might have needed an extra large, but it sure looks like he is successful at his job! He's well-fed anyway! Thanks to Morris's mom, Sally, for sending this photo and for sharing so much of her garden's bounty with us this season!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Very sad
When a friend dies, other things just don't seem important. We're very sad about this and send comforting hugs to Ann and her family. xxoo Patty, Bhu & Sabryin
Monday, September 17, 2012
Macaroon Monday
Bhu: Well, mai mom just ate a half dozen macaroons. I watched her do it. Mom, you are gonna get porky if you keep that up.
Patty: Tell me about it. Gotta watch that.
Bhu: Poppy didn't get a new job yet, but he has been reading the comments and he is really grateful for the encouragement.
Patty: It's really pretty much a low-key thing these days to apply for jobs. You can do it in your jammies . . . it's all online! There isn't much satisfaction, though, like in the old days when you got all dressed up and went out into the day to deliver resumes and talk to people.
Look what we found lurking beneath the Bowl of Beauty peony! This thing is enormous -- about the size of a soup bowl.
Still purraying for the Zoolatry Family. xxoo
Patty: Tell me about it. Gotta watch that.
Bhu: Poppy didn't get a new job yet, but he has been reading the comments and he is really grateful for the encouragement.
Patty: It's really pretty much a low-key thing these days to apply for jobs. You can do it in your jammies . . . it's all online! There isn't much satisfaction, though, like in the old days when you got all dressed up and went out into the day to deliver resumes and talk to people.
Look what we found lurking beneath the Bowl of Beauty peony! This thing is enormous -- about the size of a soup bowl.
Still purraying for the Zoolatry Family. xxoo
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Worryin'!
Hai, effuryone! Furst, I wanna say thank you to all the furrends who have stopped by to wish us luck in our job search. My poppa is happy to have all the help he can get, he sez. Thank you so much, too, to Ann of Zoolatry. She made this very purrity graphic of me helpin' with the search.
While we were visiting Ginger Jasper today, we found out that Ann had to go to hospital and is now under the weather, too! Maggie and Zoey needs our help with all their caregivin' duties! Mai mom sez she wishes she lived closer so she could help Ann & Vic. Maggy and Zoey sure look cute in their little nurses outfits, though. Anyway, we hope effuryone will purray and send encouragement their way.
And THEN we found out poor Goma is ill! Mai mom luvs, luvs, luvs Goma from the time he was just a tiny little kitteh, so we are all worried about him, too.
Lotsa worrying around here lately. What do you do to keep from worrying? xxoo Bhu
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Vicissitudes
Mai poppy lost his job Wednesday. At first I was really happy 'cuz I figured More Pets Fur Me! But then I thought, Less Money Fur Fancee Feest! So, as with efurrything in life, there's always a little bad, a little good all mixed together. Anyway, I hope he can find another job so I don't hasta go on a diet! Plus, I am needing a new nip toy. Maybe I can help him with his resoomay today.
But some REAL good is we got rain!! YAY! The birds came out to play in the puddles but I haven't seen any rabbits yet. They sorta disappeared a couple weeks ago and mai mom has been trying not to worry about them.
Mai mom is going to start posting about her UFOs -- which are just quilting projects she never finished 'cuz she is just not smart enough to figure out what to do next or she didn't buy enuff fabric when she started or some other reason that they are sitting around collecting dust -- but she sez the 'puter is being really slow today. So, talk to you later! xxoo Bhu
But some REAL good is we got rain!! YAY! The birds came out to play in the puddles but I haven't seen any rabbits yet. They sorta disappeared a couple weeks ago and mai mom has been trying not to worry about them.
Mai mom is going to start posting about her UFOs -- which are just quilting projects she never finished 'cuz she is just not smart enough to figure out what to do next or she didn't buy enuff fabric when she started or some other reason that they are sitting around collecting dust -- but she sez the 'puter is being really slow today. So, talk to you later! xxoo Bhu
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Attack of the Teen Pods!
Another academic year starts tomorrow. We are now a town without pity, a teenage wasteland, with half of us having just graduated from high school ten weeks ago! It is not easy to be the adult in a room of kids whose babysitters just left the building! We go through this every year; it's getting a little old. It might be time to "GALLIVATE," as Sabryin calls it. Bhu, what do you think about that?
"I am willing to go with you if there is Fancy Feast and Appetizer on board. Otherwise, I stayz here."
It was a beautiful day today, more like October than August. I took advantage of the weather, deciding to haul my UFO project pile outdoors for photographs. I haven't looked at these projects for a very long time; they're overdue. The time period for these projects is from the mid-70's to the early 21st century. I'm going to present them one at a time and hope that it inspires me to finish them. So come back and see what challenges I have ahead of me!
xxoo Patty
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Fall is in the Air!
Bhu's floof is growing back and he is so soft! It's a good day to sit in the window and watch the skwurrels. The air is cooler today -- still no rain, but at least the oppressive heat is absent. On Monday the annual onslaught of 18 to 20 year olds occurs and the moving trucks will have to compete with the beer, food, UPS and FedEx delivery trucks that are always blocking the streets adjacent to campus. We do not look forward to this. In fact, I wish I lived somewhere else.
Bhu is loudly "requesting" Appetizer so I had better jump to it. Hope you are all having a good weekend. Don't furget to send hugs and purrayers to the Zoolatry ladies! xxoo Patty
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Go Team Floof!
Maggy and Bhu remind us that it's not impawtant who wins the games, it's fun getting to know each other. Thanks, Ann of Zoolatry, for this lovely graphic of the two BFFs (Beautiful Fluffy Furrends) cheering on the athletes!
xxoo Patty
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Boredom
BHU: Mai mom sez she is bored. That said, so far this morning (and it IS Sunday, the day of rest) she has trimmed the basil plants and made a pesto momma (everything except the cheese and then it goes into the freezer), gone to the grocer for garlic and sausage for our zuppa Toscana dinner, gathered branches from around the trees after the windy rain we had (YES!!!) last night, sawed some limbs and tied them up in neat little bundles for garbage day, boiled a dozen eggs to make egg salad sammiches for lunch this week and then she got online and experimented with picmonkey.com. Now she is holding her fingers that it works because, Lord knows, it has been a while since she posted!! Also, I realizes that effurybody is either pawticipating in or following the Catolympics, but I'm just not athletic. I neither likes spawts nor do I pawticipate. But I am visiting a bit just to keep up on the successes of mai furrends and hopes effuryone is having fun!
xxoo
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Right Now:
Puddles from Heaven!
Temperature dropped from 104 to 91 in just 15 minutes!
New banner from Ann of Zoolatory!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
xxoo
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
I blame the SEC
As everyone knows, we are having an epic heat wave and an as-yet-to-be-formally-announced major drought. I am offering these photos as evidence. My grove of redbuds looks like a scene from late October, not early July. They are losing their leaves! I am watering them daily, but to no avail.
Remember the gorgeous magolia blossom I showed you a few months ago? Losing all its leaves, too. There is a robin's nest in this bush and the birds are totally freaking out. I've added lots of impromptu bird baths about the yard and I think they appreciate it, but I think they are still dazed by the unrelenting heat and dryness. You can see the grass is past history! The only green we've got is the clover. I swear, it's starting to look like Midland, TX around here.
Not to mention that even the areas that I have been very careful to water don't seem to know they have moisture. I am pouring gallons and gallons on everything and it's just evaporating. And to add insult to injury, my yellow pear tomatoes are punking out.
Mostly, I'm pretending I live in Arizona. There are a lot of people who actually move there because they prefer this kind of dry hot hell. The last time we got any precipitation at all was on June 23 and we got less than 2/10th of an inch. It's been 100+ degrees every day since the 24th and it's going to continue to be 100+ through next week. There is some talk of rain Sunday. I've never experienced anything like this and I just don't know what to do. I'm hoping that people will refrain from using fireworks tonight, but I have little faith in humans. Bhu is purrfectly fine with it, though! "I gotz mai noo haircutz and it is very COOL!"
Aside from looking exceptionally sleek and cool these days, he is also horking up a lot less! He seems really much happier without all that fur! Here he is posed with some laminated fabrics that I purchased to make a bed cover. If he DOES hork up on the bed, I can just wipe it off! The fabrics in the upper right hand corner are going to be used for a couple of organizing projects for the kitchen and bath. Oh, and maybe a new pair of jammies pants for me.
As for the SEC, I blame the heat wave on them. Since MU moved from the Big Ten to the SEC, I think Mother Nature thinks we are "southern" and that this heat is perfectly normal for us. Uh, Mother Nature, we are not IN the South!
Happy 4th! Please be safe! xxoo Patty & Bhu
Remember the gorgeous magolia blossom I showed you a few months ago? Losing all its leaves, too. There is a robin's nest in this bush and the birds are totally freaking out. I've added lots of impromptu bird baths about the yard and I think they appreciate it, but I think they are still dazed by the unrelenting heat and dryness. You can see the grass is past history! The only green we've got is the clover. I swear, it's starting to look like Midland, TX around here.
Not to mention that even the areas that I have been very careful to water don't seem to know they have moisture. I am pouring gallons and gallons on everything and it's just evaporating. And to add insult to injury, my yellow pear tomatoes are punking out.
Mostly, I'm pretending I live in Arizona. There are a lot of people who actually move there because they prefer this kind of dry hot hell. The last time we got any precipitation at all was on June 23 and we got less than 2/10th of an inch. It's been 100+ degrees every day since the 24th and it's going to continue to be 100+ through next week. There is some talk of rain Sunday. I've never experienced anything like this and I just don't know what to do. I'm hoping that people will refrain from using fireworks tonight, but I have little faith in humans. Bhu is purrfectly fine with it, though! "I gotz mai noo haircutz and it is very COOL!"
Aside from looking exceptionally sleek and cool these days, he is also horking up a lot less! He seems really much happier without all that fur! Here he is posed with some laminated fabrics that I purchased to make a bed cover. If he DOES hork up on the bed, I can just wipe it off! The fabrics in the upper right hand corner are going to be used for a couple of organizing projects for the kitchen and bath. Oh, and maybe a new pair of jammies pants for me.
As for the SEC, I blame the heat wave on them. Since MU moved from the Big Ten to the SEC, I think Mother Nature thinks we are "southern" and that this heat is perfectly normal for us. Uh, Mother Nature, we are not IN the South!
Happy 4th! Please be safe! xxoo Patty & Bhu
Saturday, June 23, 2012
Who Luvs Ya Babee?
Yes, this is Bhu "Kojack" Skypants after his new grooming appointment.
All he needs is a lollipop hangin' out of his mouth!
He's really got no furz excepting the tail and a bit on his face. Sleek, huh?
I think he looks quite handsome, myself!
"Okay, mom! Just go ahead and plant a big kiss on the toppa my head right there!"
xxoo Patty
This seemed to go well and, as you can see, Bhu apparently cooperated with the new groomer. He even got a [shhhh! don't say it out loud: bath]. Ahem. I just wanted you all to know that this turned out okay for us and we are now going to try to train Bhu to "take the brush," instead of taking him to a groomer every fifteen minutes. Thanks for all your encouragement!!
P.S. Dear "anonymous": uh, yeah . . . NO!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Day After the Bad Hair Day
Thanks for the comments and questions about Bhu's Bad Hair Day! Having a bit of trouble posting today and hope this one works (two failures under my belt so far)!
Why did the groomer DO this?
We figure she no longer wants our business after thirteen years of once-a-month appointments. That shaver spot right in the middle of his upper back is sort of a Flip the Bird act, wouldn't you say?
Why didn't she just give him a lion cut?
That's where she was headed; but she didn't quite make it, eh? She gave him back to me in the carrier, so I didn't know it was "incomplete" until I got him home and took him out. I had no reason to think she would do something like this on the 156th time she groomed him.
I hope she didn't charge you for this!
Actually, she charged me $10 more than I usually pay because she used the shaver. Apparently, the charge is based on the number of minutes and the type of tools used, NOT the end product!
How does Bhu feel about it?
He doesn't seem to think it has any effect on his general attractiveness. He thinks it's "cool." Actually, Persians have this wonderful downy stuff right next to their skin and it is SOOOOO SOFT! So he is delightful to pet! He probably feels more loved now than in his "full furz" outfit.
xxoo Patty
Why did the groomer DO this?
We figure she no longer wants our business after thirteen years of once-a-month appointments. That shaver spot right in the middle of his upper back is sort of a Flip the Bird act, wouldn't you say?
Why didn't she just give him a lion cut?
That's where she was headed; but she didn't quite make it, eh? She gave him back to me in the carrier, so I didn't know it was "incomplete" until I got him home and took him out. I had no reason to think she would do something like this on the 156th time she groomed him.
I hope she didn't charge you for this!
Actually, she charged me $10 more than I usually pay because she used the shaver. Apparently, the charge is based on the number of minutes and the type of tools used, NOT the end product!
How does Bhu feel about it?
He doesn't seem to think it has any effect on his general attractiveness. He thinks it's "cool." Actually, Persians have this wonderful downy stuff right next to their skin and it is SOOOOO SOFT! So he is delightful to pet! He probably feels more loved now than in his "full furz" outfit.
xxoo Patty
Sunday, June 17, 2012
Bad Hair Day
He got scalped. After thirteen years of grooming him, Josie has finally thrown in the towel. This is how she returned him to me after his Tuesday appointment. Needless to say, we are trying to find another groomer. We are trying to train Bhu to take the brush. He hates the Furminator and won't let us get near him with a comb. To be honest, we are liking the shaved butt, but he has one leg that isn't shaved and one that is partially shaved and this deep shaver crevice in the middle and . . . oh, what a mess. It's very sad; it's almost criminal. Sigh. I guess I just didn't tip well enough. Or, whatever.
I made these aprons (his & hers) for my former assistant and her husband who are moving into a new house in Kansas. She's very cool and is going to have a great career (I hope) and do LOTS of good in the world (I'm sure)!
I'm also piecing 30's repro prints together for another apron project. Love these cheerful, colorful prints! Other than that, we finally got some rain (but not enough), the rain barrels are full again (!), and there are little tomaters on the plants (but not big enough to eat). I've been able to get some gardening projects done and I paid off my mortgage early. The town has been named one of the top 25 places to retire again, but out-of-town developers are pouring in and building dozens of 700 bed units for students; nobody's building anything for retirees. Go figure!
And here's a nostalgic peek at the preshave Bhu, when he had all his fine, glorious furz! Next Friday we try out a new groomer! FINGERS CROSSED! xxoo
P.S. We are going to have a give-away for the $49 Furminator sometime in the next couple of weeks, so keep stopping by fur that! xxoo Patty
Monday, May 28, 2012
In memory of
Sofie, daughter of Rachel, born in our bedroom closet in May 1989. TALK ABOUT A DIVA! She was IT! Alpha all the way. But she was the purrrrrfect lap cat! She would sit for hours in Sabryin's lap.
In June 2007, while being groomed at the vet, she suffered a stroke which caused her to become blind. During the summer, she became increasingly ill and confused and ceased all grooming. We set up a living quarters for her in our basement where she had a full-sized human bed, plenty of food and water, and two cat boxes. She rarely wanted pets, but I gave them to her anyway. One day she just couldn't take it anymore and yowled in such a way that I KNEW. I called the vet and made an appointment to say goodbye to her at 10 a.m. So I went to work, did what they paid me to do and at 9:30 a.m. I took some vacation time to go home and get her. On the way out of the parking garage, a car coming down the ramp didn't see me backing out and hit me. Called the police and then the vet. At this point, I'm a little bit frazzled but I finally get home and find Sofie and line the carrier with a quilt and set her into it. She is calm and she KNOWS. I am calm and then we get there and Sofie is so calm and so sweet and so pretty. On the way out I am wailing, deep heavy wails. My heart is broken.
xxoo Patty
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Sunday, May 6, 2012
May I?
BHU: Hai, effuryone! Mai mom needs some advice. She is trying to "train" me to let her brush me because I make a big fuss when she takes me to the groomer, Josie. Okay, I admitz it: I screams, yowls, bites, claws and tries to excape. Because I has this CRF thing, the vet won't give me a sedative so if I don't behave, I don't get groomed. Do you think I am gonna behave? NOOOOOOOO!
PATTY: Does anyone have any suggestions? I know Bhu is an old codger at this point (can't teach an old kitteh new tricks, as they say) and getting codgier as we speak. He has some serious mats and I just don't know how to get them off. I've been searching online, reading what I find and watching videos and it all boils down to this: success depends on some cooperation from the kitteh, and I don't seem to be able to get that.
BHU: Sorry. I no like burrush and HATE comb.
PATTY: So, please, please, please tell me how you groom your kitteh and what you use -- brand names! I will be furrever grateful!
P.S. Photo is a scene that ensued when I decided to organize my hefty collection of greeting cards. Bhu don't fit, but he don't carez! LOL xxoo
Thursday, April 19, 2012
Fandango, Please
And here's my latest dilemma. I made this quilt top using a 5" square charm pack of Kate Spain's Fandango fabric line. I decided I want to make an appliqued vine and leaves/flowers border using the brighter green, coral and yellow fabrics but my local shop doesn't have these. So I went online and have found a couple of options, including buying yardage, jelly rolls or more charm packs, but it would require an output of $20 or more. Come on! I spent $9 for the original charm pack! So I decided to go on the Quilter's Board forum and post an "In Search Of" message for scraps or pieces and have had no response. It's looking more and more like I'm not going to be able to finish this quilt the way I'd envisioned. However, if there is a quilter out there who reads this and you have what I'm talking about, leave a comment PLEASE!
xxoo
xxoo
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