I do hand stands for you...

I had a darn good "eyewash" (as my Mom used to call it) crying this morning when I saw this video and was madly cheering the little guy on right from the beginning.... but, also was thrilled to see that some young people are still so caring and silly about animals ... just like me. This is only an excerpt of a story I wrote a few years ago about MY little guys...and kind of long..but I had to post the whole part about the climbing.... ....

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Our wheelbarrow was leaning up against the fence between our yard and Wally’s yard. The handles were pointing upwards…resting on the boards of the fence; the wheel was at the bottom but it was not touching the ground. She was trying to coach them on how to climb up onto the wheelbarrow, then further up to the handles of it and so to the fence. It looked like it could take more than a day or two... She was an experienced old lady squirrel but they were just little beginners. They didn’t quite have things figured out yet, and besides,….maybe they had no strength or maybe they didn’t know how to use their tiny claws properly yet. I don’t know for sure what it was but they would just slide right off the metal parts so they kept jumping on the wheel because it was the only thing they could cling to. When it went around they would have to run but then it would go faster and even faster until they would practically “fly” off! …...... I even put a 2X4 piece of wood out there; leaned up against the fence. I was hoping they could use that to climb up...but, no luck..…. After only a few days Greg was threatening to roust them out of their little place behind the shed. He said he didn’t want a big messy nest in there….it could be dangerous for fires if it got really dry or if somebody was careless with a cigarette or something. Well, I had not seen any mess yet…they just seemed to be kind of “camping out” in those big black plastic pipes. We don’t smoke…and I sure was hoping nobody else would be silly enough to toss matches or lit cigarettes out of their cars as they drove past in the alleyway….….. so why bother the babies?...you don't use the shed anyway Greg…. I do. ...and I feed them peanuts and move very slowly so they don't get too worried about me. I would only go in there to get the lawnmower or some shovels or rakes and they would scurry into their pipes and hide until I went away again.

All of a sudden, one day, I noticed the others were gone....this poor little “bean” was the only one left behind….so, that became his first nickname I guess. I called him “Bean” or “Little Bean” most of the time. Well, he WAS pretty tiny. His brothers and sisters must have learned to climb but this guy was slower or smaller or something. Oh, I didn’t like the look of things now…. what could be wrong with this little tyke? Mooch had finally done it….coaxed the rest of them up the wheelbarrow handles. Now they could run along the top of the fence to the nearest spruce tree. They would know what it was like to be real squirrels and not ground squirrels. For this little guy though… there were tough times ahead. The wheelbarrow handles were way out of his reach and even the 2X4 seemed too smooth. So many times he tried to climb up either the wheelbarrow or the board… with his mother encouraging him from the top of the fence. He even jumped up onto it but just couldn’t seem to grip it. He would cling mightily for awhile and almost seem to move upward a bit… then as he got tired….he slowly slid upside down right under it and eventually would just slide down all the way to the ground. After several attempts he would usually have to give up and go into his pipe for a rest. I thought Mooch would soon desert him and not come back. I began to put some peanuts right beside the shed for him but he couldn’t figure out how to get them out of the shell. So, then I cracked the shells for him too….and put out just the nuts. He took foorrreevveerrr to eat just one peanut! He was so cute but he must have been very lonely all by himself out there. Once in awhile he would still come out into the warm sun and lie on the dirt in the garden after eating a peanut…all that chewing probably tired him right out. …But he was pretty nervous all alone and who could blame him? He was just a tiny baby. Then, two days later, his mom did come to visit him and play for awhile. They ran all over the backyard together and had a great time; then she ate all his peanuts! Later she went up the wheelbarrow and he tried several times to do the same...that darn wheel! It almost killed him! I couldn’t stand it anymore so I went out and stuck one of my mitts in it to stop it from going around. That worked, at least so far as to help him climb up further...but when he got to the end of the handle there was still quite a jump to the top of the fence. He really tried hard but bounced right off the boards of the fence, not clinging at all, and down he fell...he landed hard on the metal part of the barrow. Bink! Boing!! I even heard it through the window! Ouch!! I almost cried...the poor little guy. He tried and tried, but couldn't do it still...all I could hope was that he would get stronger and soon be able to do it too… just like the others. I didn't know how long his mother would keep trying for him. A few days in a row I didn't see her and by then I thought she must have given up. Maybe he was on his own now...he was still just a little baby.. I didn't know if he would survive with nobody to “show him the ropes” and, of course, he didn't know he was supposed to be "up" not down on the ground. Darn it, why did she have them on the ground anyway?

I would watch him every day through my bedroom window to see how he was doing...every night I wished on a star that he soon would get up a tree or onto the shed roof so he would be safe and I could quit worrying about him.

When I told my sister Vikki about the little “bean”…she said I should give him little bits of apple, so I did….. I also put out some dried cranberries with his shelled peanuts. It was like a little vegetarian feast out there in front of our garden shed. Then we wondered what he would drink…Greg suggested some milk, as he was just a baby. I put some out in a glass coaster because I thought it was the only thing that wouldn’t tip over and drown him and it was shallow enough that he could drink easily out of it. It worked for a few days because the milk did disappear, although I only actually saw him drink out of it once….could have been the cats in the neighbourood helping themselves to “freebies”. When it began to remain in the shallow dish for a day or two at a time I decided maybe he didn’t like milk anymore or perhaps it just wasn’t what squirrels needed. I began to put water in it instead and I think he did drink most of it…of course the magpies helped….. but I changed it every day anyway so that he had fresh water just in case he needed a little sip of something.

I don’t even know when it was that he began to climb up the wheelbarrow….but one day I saw a little squirrel fall off the fence into a bush in Wally’s yard and decided that it must be “my” little guy. I was excited. Okay, so he didn’t have it quite perfected yet, but it meant he could finally climb! I hadn’t seen him around the shed much lately and there were other black squirrels running in and out of our yard now so I wasn’t sure which one he was anymore. Then I did notice a certain little squirrel that spent more time on the ground than the rest….he seemed to walk more than he jumped and was just a bit different somehow. As a matter of fact his fur was thick and glossy and he looked very healthy. I decided then and there…. that was him….that was MY orphan squirrel!...

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Such a cute pair ...

...looks like they're holding hands.














Trying to "think positive", because this is all I can find of spring at my house. These are my daffodils..... sigh...............you should take a gander at Susan's over on the 29 Black Street property. Of course, she has had a few +30 C at the opposite end of the country. Just you wait Susan B. ... in June I'm gonna show off my dafs and yours will be all gone...pzzfffft.....so there!

By then, she will, no doubt, have moved on to other beautiful shrubs and flowers in her "tropical" jungle ... having long since waved the early bloomers a fond farewell. *pout*

Don't worry, I'm just having a bit of pen..... ..whoops...I mean daffodil envy... .

hey...look !! I found some Mayday buds! should have some leaves in a few weeks.... that'll be good..... I guess........











I'm off back in time.... to check my posts...and see when I had some flowers last year.... seeya......


no panic.... looks like spring is late and this happens every year... lol... I better get used to it.

Spring is May.....

Tagged......

I've been tagged by Carolyn of Draffin Bears. Normally, I don't like to go through the "doing" of tags.... but, decided this one would be perfect for the time of year. Of course, we had snow again today..but, normally we begin golfing any week now. Last week it was +21C one day... but, now the bottom fell out...so perhaps next week guys?

The rules for this tag are:

1 Go to your documents/ pictures
2 Go to your 5th file
3 Go to your 5th picture
4 Blog about it
5 Tag 5 people.


Soooo... let me tell you about my boyfriends in this picture....

I golf with 3 "old guys" ... and I do mean old. They even refer to themselves as that, or as old farts... and they are quite a bit older than I am, but they let me play with them. I met Howard years ago when I was doing massage therapy and he came to my clinic. The others are friends of his.. and now...very special friends of mine also.
They tell the other old guys at the course that I'm their token "blonde chick".... or that I am the "eyes" of the group (even if they have had laser surgery and see better than I do !) ...or they say I have to be there to crawl under the trees to get their balls because they can't bend over anymore... (which is often true because they do spend a lot of time in the trees). We play a small 9 hole course every Wednesday morning about 10:00. It is great fun and let me tell you, I don't dare wimp out because they all show up, rain or shine...we've even had snowflakes on some rotten fall days. They give me a bad time if I try to find an excuse not to go. One time after a really horrible rainy day.. (when I didn't go.. just "knowing" they wouldn't be silly enough to be there...hahahha)...they all went to the thrift store and bought me some cute little purple and pink gumboots... wrapped them in wild paper and presented them to me the following Wednesday. They made a big deal of it and obviously everybody but me knew what was up... my cheeks were pretty pink by the time I had unwrapped them and noticed the big crowd of onlookers..... *blush*..... Brother.... what a crew!

Chuck on the left and Angus on the right...the third guy is sitting over to the left in his golf cart...that would be Howard.. even if you can't see him in this shot. Howard is 90 this late summer.... Chuck is 81 and Angus is 86. Two of them have had heart attacks ...one has a few every winter...but, we play on each spring when Howard calls me to say he has a tee time booked. He is very "with it"... and even goes through the computer call-in service...hahha...what a guy. You have to be up at 6:00 a.m. and already hanging on the line to get a time doing that. He called me two weeks ago to tell me to get my clubs out and scrub the dirt off.











Reservoir beside the 1st hole on a perfect golfing day last summer.

We hack our way around the course... laughing and poking fun at each other.... kibitzing and haranguing..... as they like to say. After our game we add 'em up and rehash our game.. whine and complain about it over coffee. We take turns being the big spender and buying every fourth week or so..or if Howard accidentally "forgets" it is his turn.. ( cuz he is notoriously cheap... Angus, his buddy, buys two weeks in a row). We yak about any subject that happens to pop up. What a fun morning it is... I always leave feeling like I have energy to burn. They are so positive... enjoy every moment of life... yes, we talk about health problems too sometimes...but, honestly, even with some serious things going on.... they still love to just get on with the business of living every day to it's fullest.











Angus, me, Howard..... two summers ago....


At this point I am supposed to tag 5 others whose blogs I enjoy visiting...but, I so hate to do that part... choosing or not choosing is too tough. I enjoy all the blogs I visit. So ... I'm changing things. Maybe you'd all like to play along... maybe nobody wants to...that's okay too. If you want to, please take the rules to your house...er .. blog. If not, no biggy.....

photo a week...

Look at the size of this thing!! It is a giant moth of some kind.

Especially for Carla and Sandy..in our photo a week group.

I saw it on the 'net a few days ago and knew I had to post it for you girls... because you love bugs and things.... I have no idea what kind it is or where I even found it.... ...just brought it home to show you....

the sun is shining....

I'm off to the beach! ....











....look, I have shells...... and, interesting pebbles.... even some stripey ones....
I pick them up if I notice them in my gravel around the yard. See, if you look at them in the camera lens, (in the plant pots).... you might think
they are on a beach somewhere... sort of........ mightn't you?











This pebble was painted by a Vancouver Island artist.... Haida tribal artwork.. I love little hummingbirds....












hey! get out of here...you guys weren't invited !! We're having a beach party here..

.. jingle bells....jingle bells......

look, Mom...new snow..... yipee?

no?....











okay then, lets make the best of it....how 'bout some Christmas baking? Remember when I was busy making those great tasting Eggnog loaves? Well, this seems the perfect time to unwrap one. On the weekend we had our cute little summer birdie plates out there on the patio set.... with cheese and crackers...a bottle of light white...and...sun...but, today.... well, sitting outside is not an option.......
Just a quick nip out for a photo.... windy, cool and only -7 C..... brrrr......






















for supper last night, I was thinking....what can I make that is golden... something tropical.... hmmmmm...
I crushed some Stoned Wheat Thins; mixed them with long flake cocoanut;sprinkled in cinnamon, nutmeg and a bit of turmeric.....coated two Tilapia filets with plain yogurt and dredged them in the crumbs. Slid them into the pan where a tiny bit of oil and butter were bubbling. A good scraping of freshly ground peppercorns on top...and.... not many minutes later...we had flakey, golden fish waiting for a quick little sauce. Gently sauteed onions in the same pan...a splosh of Louie Latour to deglaze ....seeing as that was what we were toasting the day with.... toss in a spoonful of apricot jam... stir and bubble for another minute... et voila !..... supper fit for the most discerning palate..... oh, and it was yummy indeed.











Poor Mr. BV can't taste anything... the antibiotics and steroids have killed his taste buds...once again.... he has a major sinus infection and bronchitis....has been coughing horribly for weeks .... poor guy. Hopefully this kicks in soon...his ribs are pretty painful now.... he holds an arm tightly against them every time he coughs. Well, at least he finally went to the doctor. One can only suggest it so many times til one is accused of being the dreaded "nag"... and besides...trying to force somebody to do something is impossible. Does leading the horse to water spring to mind?

didn't make it til Thursday...

there is a robin sitting on the power line.... occasionally flapping snowflakes off his wings...and cursing at the situation. I think it sounds like "what the h- e- __ double hockey sticks?" .... well, that's pretty mild....I'm saying "wtf"!
A brisk north wind is blowing... all the birds are probably thinking they should double back to south of the border. Either the wind blew harder than they expected..or ...well, who knows what..but, the cold and snow arrived sooner than it was supposed to. It got dull about an hour ago, the temperature has plummeted...no way we are getting the +21 C forecast for today...sigh..... it is only a miserable +2 at the moment.... darn it. My fingers are even cold and I'm in the house. Better get on the treadmill....that'll warm things up.

In lieu of sunny days.... how 'bout a craaazy bead? See? ...it changes colour when I move it around...oh, you can't see me moving it....... sorry.....

photo of the week....

Spring has sprung..
The grass is riz..
I wonder where the flowers iz..

Here I iz..
Pick I up..
For I are a buttercup......











just kidding.... I'z only butter coloured... but that's okay...

rays of buttery sunshine in the house as well as outside...but....the big problem is that there won't be any flowers blooming for ages. I got the back yard all tidied and the grass scratched up with my "aerator". A lawnmower blade with a big nail at either end.... it does a great job of kicking up old dry grass..oh, and plenty of dust. I'll have to blow my nose regularly for a week to get that out... where was my dental assistant mask? Tsk, tsk... then, I mowed over it again with the regular blade and bag on .... oooooh...nice and tidy. This morning, there is a bit of new green showing already...... the front yard will have to wait a few weeks, as there is still some snow on the north side of the big tree...and the ground is pretty frozen. There is a forecast for snow flurries Thursday. It's very early. Back yard gets sun all day right now... today will be +21C, but will drop 20 degrees in a few days.....

This is pretty funny. I collected a huge bundle of twigs...some as thick as a man's thumb.... and piled them neatly near the garbage bags. I was going to tie them up today...but, they are all gone with the exception of a few little bits...!! What the? .... who would take a pile of twigs? We have decided it must be a big bird. Occasionally a huge horned owl sits for hours on the power pole out back. Probably looking for lunch. Maybe him...or her.. (or would that be "he.. or she"?) I suppose magpies or crows might build nests with lumber that size. Anyway.... no twigs left to tie up; one thing less for the garbage guys on Tuesday. Oh, and speaking of garbage...my blue bin is full already. I'm sure once this initial emptying takes place, we won't have to put it out for weeks or even a couple of months. I had piles of cardboard and milk cartons ready to take to the big recycling bins on my next grocery trip...so just cleaned those out...then, cleared out the newspapers and advertising flyers..and then got a bee in my bonnet baseball cap, opened the big doors and cleaned the garage during the week...and voila...full! sheesh.....

Now the table saw is set up so that we can begin our usual fair weather renovation projects. First thing will be to shorten a pocket door and get it hung on my craft room. Cut a hole in the arborite and plumb my laundry room sink.... then, cutting and painting baseboards ... then....hahah... oh brother, it never ends. But,...this year it WILL end. It has been long enough. I have spoken... and if speaking doesn't cut it...I have friends who will. .. cut it that is. Cut wood, put on tiles, get my sink installed, etc...

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Remember the little hand made flower container Mr. BV brought back from Palm Springs? I found the perfect blooms for it... a couple of "faux" flowers. I like faux better than fake...it sounds more ...erm...classy ...hahhaha... more haute couture if you will. Of course they are still just fake, but they look pretty real to me.











a couple of pretty gerberas with the stems cut way down... sit in there perfectly....

thank you ladies!

and cheers!! With Elmo's help, I salute you.

Within minutes of asking, I had my answer. Man, I wasted a lot of time looking and hopping around; searching and coming up empty-handed ... ...til I finally thought about just saying it out loud. Of course, I was a bit embarrassed that I couldn't remember who it was that made the beautiful doll, or where I had actually seen her... ...but, hey! if you can't figure it out by yourself...or are stumped...why not just ask? ... It saves time, energy and frustration.














So, that's my "make life easier tip" for today.... Clever Tip # 336... yes, I am keeping a list. Hahahha...no, I'm not. But, honestly, I better remember this one. When in doubt...or when searching for something you can't find.... ask. In fact, ask a blogger..or several bloggers. Blog buddies often travel to and from the same blogs .... or have looked up the same information you are seeking. Because they have the same interests. I tried it last year when searching for an origami pattern... it worked within minutes also ... so why I didn't immediately think to do it this time, I can't say. And I ain't sayin' I forgot that too.... nope ... refuse to admit it.












Duh....????? self portrait...















Guess what this is?

Wrong!!

It is a cash cow for the city. Oh, alright, it is a Blue Bin...a new gimmick to try to encourage recycling..but also to collect extra loot from each of us for something unnecessary. The city delivered one to us all yesterday.. not every area has the service yet...but, in a city of a million.... that is quite a collection. But, then I guess they have to pay a bit extra for pick up... or is it the same poor guys who already pick up all the other trash? Tuesday... I'll find out.
But, now, we have to find another spot in the yard to keep another unsightly bin.... ... and have to pay monthly charges for it to boot. We can't opt out of the charges. Sigh..... I already recycle and how hard has it been to take it with me to the big bins at the parking lot of the grocery store? ... not very..... as a matter of fact I prefer moving it off-site.... and don't want a big ugly blue bin hanging about.... I like my mini garbage can. Maybe I'll just hide it in the shed. Oh..., but, then, where will I put the lawn mower.... hmmm..... bigger shed? .....

The city projects that these things will double the amount of "stuff" that is now being recycled. I look forward to any information regarding actual figures and complications encountered when they put out information regarding the success of the venture. I wish them luck, but, ... it could be amusing to say the least. I'll be out there on Tuesday checking out the action too... first pickup day... to see if the poor guys have to jump out and move each and every one... away from poles, power lines, fences etc...because nobody reads the fine print... It could be a loooooong, first day for the pick up guys.. Maybe I'll bake some biscotti or muffins.... they always laugh and jump right out of the trucks for treats.... . I'll get first hand info on the new efforts to "go greener".....

help....

Somebody in my circle of doll making acquaintances and buddies...

I came to your blog....saw a beautiful medieval maiden dressed in greens..... the view from the back was of her lovely, soft, wavy, rich brown hair....with tiny flowers intertwined in it as I recall. I loved the hair....you wrote to me and told me where to get some. I filed the information ...somewhere...............

can you once again come to my rescue? I have hopped about on various blogs this morning trying to retrace some steps...but, so far am unable to remember whose great doll it was.... my cheeks are a vivid shade of pink....

I wish everybody had Flickr .... it is easy to check out past works without having to scroll through weeks...even months of posts...... sigh......................................
although, having said that, I am not great at updating my Flickr site often enough...











Today I want to try to figure out size, body shape etc...for a new doll.....but, would also like to order some new material for hair for future dolls....

money laundering...

..... in the truest sense of the word.

The sun has been shining....the temperatures are amazing ...skies blue... feels like summer. This is just too early for this, but we'll take it and happily!

There is brown dry grass in the back and side yard that face south and west.. where there was two feet of snow just days ago ... there is still snow on the front lawn. The gardens everywhere on each side of the yard are a terrible, brown, dry, dead mess. Hard to believe they will be beautiful, green and filled with colourful blooms in a ...well, I almost said few weeks...but actually it will still be more like a few months. I'll be at least mid May before a few brave daffodils show their sunny faces. .. perhaps a violet or two will peek out of a crevice in the paving stones......or a sprig of phlox sports a bright fuschia bloom. Sometimes I am a bit envious of those living in warmer climes at this time of year...but, not too much..because there are other advantages. Fewer noxious vermin and creepy crawlies... they die off in the freezing cold. I'm really happy we will never have termites or have to spray for more than the occasional wasp nest.

so, where was I ?? oh, yes..... on with my story about money...

and my pics for photo of the week... begun by Linda....

The day was so beautiful that we opened the garden shed and managed to move out the patio furniture, climbed over the mower, pots, ladders, bags of mulch, stuff, hoses, and, finally, managed to reach some rakes hanging from the back wall ...

I raked for about an hour and was dragging wet dirty leaves and paper and plastic baggies out from under a big juniper when I saw a bit of shiny stuff... thought at first it was just more candy wrappings blown under it during the winter. But no...it was a $5 dollar bill. I shouted to Mr. BV that I was getting paid for my stint out in the yard. He looked at me..confused...til I held up my loot. It was so dirty it was almost unrecognizable as legal tender. If I had not been wearing gloves I wouldn't have touched it.














Threw it in a bucket of soapy water and scrubbed it up... hey..good as new. Almost. I'll pawn it off at the grocery store tomorrow....

Hoppy Easter!!

Bunnies.... from days gone by.... I still have this one. Little Pinky ... my keeper. Normally she lives in the curio with some of the bears, but this is her day. She gets around too let me tell you... she has been everywhere in the last two days..... I began to think she was somehow multiplying all by her onesie....
She wanted to check out the new "etagere" as it is called by the store that carries them... hahaha....oooh, la la... yeh, okay, but it is still just glass and chrome shelving. This is my "easter egg" this year...
It fits perfectly behind the tub in the white, chrome and glass bathroom...the German Spa look....














...here are a few eggs for you. Just realized I have been collecting them........

these two are from St. Petersburg Russia...




























this is an interesting one I found on ebay..by a well known artist..but, it has something not quite right with it. I don't know if it is moisture..but, it if is ... it is sealed inside and there is no hope of taking off the base to get it out (although I have not taken it to a professional so I can't say that for sure)...but, I like it anyway...














my Easter bouquet...











feel free to take the carrot my dear...I guess I'll just have to be satisfied with this old chocolate egg....darn it... ...

the unveil...

First, let me say thank you to all my blog buddies for your kind thoughts and condolences regarding Vikki's beautiful Tiffany. She was a very special little girl....Vikki will be at loose ends for some time coming to grips with it... as she mentioned also in the comments of last day's post..











It was a week when not much was accomplished...but... I did finally complete my little silver haired doll.... as yet un-named... although I am leaning towards Peri......











She began like this.... and progressed...

her face is paperclay over cloth... inspired by Bonnie Lee Fontaine's latest dolls on her blog..
After adding more paperclay and getting the features I finally was trying for, I sanded and and smoothed...then painted with acrylic paints.... and added some watercolour pencil work to add extra depth to the eyes...

























I fiddled around with sleeves...but, just couldn't come up with anything I liked. At a suggestion from Richy, my bear making friend... I pieced together a lining fabric and a skirt material...... which is what he suggested next time for a circle skirt if I don't want to be plagued with how to hem it. I made a long rectangular tube...turned it and..voila... sleeves became a shrug instead.















Her blouse is strips of ribbon...















..her little belt is three layers of fabric... the light blue twisted and also has a thin black thread wrapped around at each twist opening lies on a layer of deep burgundy tulle, which is on top of a strip of the same gauze ribbon that is in her hair and from which the little flower is made. I tried all sorts of colours alone and nothing looked right...so just kept experimenting.... it makes a great break at the middle and adds a lot of visual interest.. well, I think it does anyway. Much better than a single colour or a flat piece of fabric.














her shoes, if you remember are made from Apoxy Sculpt ... sculpted directly onto cloth feet. I checked out glam flats from Jimmy Choo and others...and hey... these rival the haute couture guys... as a matter of fact I like the finishing at the edges better on mine...hahaha... ooooh...I am cheeky. That is a length of thin yarn glued onto the edge of the shoes. My jewels are square sequins glued on in an overlaping circle...with a bit of fluffy matching yarn in the center. Maybe next time I won't bother giving my shoes quite the deep creases... make them look fresh out of the box.

a sad day.....

Tiffany.... a very special girl. I loved her from very close up when I visited...and from very far away the rest of the time.














This is a pic of her from last summer when I visited my sister and got to play with all of the cats and the horses. Much as I suppose I should not admit to having a favourite... she was mine. She would sit beside me for hours..just enjoying the company... getting sleepy looking and finally her head would droop to her paws and she would doze for a bit.. but, somehow, still vigilant, and always ready to follow and check out what you were up to if you moved or went somewhere else. Her whites were sooo snow white and her coat always luxurious and fastidiously cleaned... sometimes she cleaned her soft tummy so well that she had it totally bare in a few spots... we never did know why she did that. We chalked it up to nerves although she seemed so calm it was still strange to think it could be that. Maybe it was just a bit of OCD.... and she was like my sister... overzealous with cleaning....

Sadly, two days ago she finally succumbed to a mysterious illness.... nobody could find anything at all to indicate what it was despite x-rays and continuing blood work... She had not much interest in eating for the past few months and was losing a lot of weight... but my sister made every effort to entice her with every imaginable food many times a day. She was able to coax her to lick a bit on this and that.....and Tiffany did her very best to comply even if she seemed a bit confused that anybody would offer her so many food choices. She would look at her as if to say...okay Mom..I'll give it a try. She was still bright, alert and tried to play the "light" game with mirror reflected light ..or to jump up on to the picky post and bat around the little furry mouse... but did get quite tired and slept a lot in a special bed made for her in a quiet room. Her coat was still as luxurious as possible... which seemed a bit unusual if she was not healthy. It was all just weird.
We have all been down the road before. Finally forced to make gut wrenching decisions... and as Vikki said, "despite my best song and dance efforts"... Tiffer finally just told her it was time when she stopped eating and drinking anything at all. Her sweet vet and an assistant went to the house, gave Tiffany a sedative and then helped her to go gently to sleep for the last time. That's exactly how it went. It was completely peaceful and for that I am so grateful to those ladies. How I wish we could make the passing of humans as easy as that. It would be a blessing.
I cried for them both when I read the e-mail and then just cried myself to sleep... probably a little bit for me too, because I was not there to offer any help or any consolation. And, now.... a special little friend is gone.

She loved to hang out where you were.... looked at you with love in her heart....gave the best and gentlest little head bonkies and smeary soft kisses... ... had learned to play "tunes" on some miniature chimes for extra treats or just for the joy of hearing you say what a clever girl she was.... and then she would do it again and again for you. She had a soft and gentle purr-song when she sat on your chest and padded and picked at you like she was ever so gently plucking an expensive and beautiful harp....



























Tiffany was also a specialist in 24 hour a day caregiving. Seven years ago my sister fell and seriously injured her head. During months of lying nauseous and/or almost comatose on the couch.... just waiting to try to feel well enough to stand without vomiting or passing out.... Tiffany waited too.... she was a very special little nurse and totally instrumental in the final outcome of a long and frustrating journey back to the land of the living .....

How we'll miss your beautiful face....

still putzing on her....

....at my usual slow and deliberate pace...
she is proud of her legs and takes any opportunity to show them off.

I made her top from strips of a beatuful ribbon that has water coloured flowers on it...lots of fiddling... but, I love that ribbon and this was a perfect chance to use some of it. I've had it years....

Then, found some pretty fabric that went so well with the ribbon...but, it is ...well, let me just say I was describing it to my sister and called it ...creepy.... hahhaha.... when I had meant to say crepe-y....but, then I laughed and said it must be a Freudian slip...or skirt...ahahha...and we were off on a laughing tangent....we're a couple of nuts, but happy in the knowledge. Our Mom used to say all the time...if you aren't worth a laugh, you aren't worth much at all. So, some days we feel pretty darn rich...... lol....

So, for the hem of a skirt that is slippery, slide-y ... and frays like nobody's business.... what to do. I keep mentioning that I don't really know much about sewing...and I don't...but, every so often, I do something that is kinda cool and actually took a while on the machine.... long enough to put me in spasm today... my back hurts! Of course, I really put everything into it when I sew... I have to.

I cut some long, half inch wide slivers of sparkly tulle. Laid them over the bottom of her circle skirt so that 1/4 of an inch was visible on either side.... pinned them carefully so they didn't pucker or bunch... then stitched a nice line of straight stitching all around the skirt. Then,... laid a piece of blue nubbly yarn over the line of stitching...and carefully stitched it on....it gave the bottom of the skirt a bit of visual interest and turned out much better than if I had attempted to hem that stuff. She keeps showing me both sides of the skirt...pretending she is Marilyn in a breeze.... I think she likes it too....














My flowers are still perfect after almost two full weeks... who knew that type of flower lasted so long when the petals look so dainty and fragile... Alstromeria ..I think...

the bag on her head is to help keep her hair out of the way of glue and stitching...

Onward to sleeves and shoe trim.... but, for now... bread to bake. I ran out... ackkk! And, I refuse to eat store bought anymore...now that I know how to bake my own. I love my own bread!

It's a beautiful sunny, bright, blue sky day... even if they are calling for more snow flakes later. Who cares...it is mild; the windows are open...the birdies are singing at the top of their little lungs...a perfect day in my mind.