Puppy Love...

This is Mikki. Our family adopted Mikki in 1992, and she was THE cutest puppy I had ever seen. She was part of our family for 16 years. She loved to ride in the car and play outside. She used to enjoy leaping off any item of furniture into my daughter's arms, and she would do that over and over as long as my daughter's arms held up to the strain! Mikki was the perfect little fun member of our family until last summer when she passed away at age 16. We still miss her. Just the past few months we have finally felt like seeking out another little four legged family member, and this weekend we found.....

Jess! We adopted Jess from a shelter, after finding her on a pet finder website. She had been dumped (hard to imagine that, isn't it?) and needed a forever family. Since no one is quite sure of her breed or age, we are left to guessing. We think she is part Pomeranian and part terrier (possibly Jack Russell). After researching mixed breeds online, we found a picture of a "Jack-aranian," and she looked exactly like the pictures. Her age is estimated at 11 - 12 weeks. We got her Saturday, and she is the sweetest little thing...literally! She only weighs 7 lbs. and is smaller than most of the cats! Olivia and Allison just loved her and cried when they finally had to go home Saturday night. They didn't want to leave her.

She is a bundle of energy, so "grandpa" and "grandma" are feeling their age as we struggle to keep up with this tiny bolt of lightening! She is getting along pretty well with the cats (a few hisses here and barks there) and is now attempting to learn "potty" manners...yikes. This could take a while! Anyway. We are having fun and will maybe lose a pound or two (one can only hope!) Jess looks a lot like a very miniature white-tailed deer, as you can see from the pictures, and yes, we did consider the name "Bambi!"

My rug hooking may be in serious jeopardy for the new few months!

Just Words!

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down. You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred. You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence. You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

I received the above statements in an email from a friend today. The email (forwarded from someone else to her) attributed the quote to Abraham Lincoln. Always attempting to be as accurate as is possible, I looked it up! It was actually not stated by Abraham Lincoln, but by a Presbyterian minister in the 1940's. At any rate, see the absolute wisdom in the words of these statements. Truth is truth....

The eagle picture above is one that I have had in my computer files for a while. I have no idea where I found it or who should be credited, so I apologize if this is your work. I LOVE this picture. I think that the bald eagle is the most regal looking creature in the skies, and I love it that it is our national symbol.

God Bless America.

Isn't Nature Wonderful?

A few posts back I mentioned that our backyard garden pond is FULL of tadpoles. I thought maybe I would try to get a picture of some of them. It's hard to take pictures in the pond because of reflection, but we managed to get a pretty good shot. The entire pond is like this...covered with the little wriggling creatures. I also mentioned that some of them were starting to get their legs...

Some of them now HAVE their legs - all four of them. Here is a baby frog sunning himself...herself on a rock by the pond. He is the size of your pinkie fingernail! If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you can see him better. Cute!

Here is one of our newest varieties of cone flower, "Big Sky Sunset". I love how unusual it is. It is not fully open yet, but you can see the pink underside and orange inside the petals. If you look very closely (enlarge) you can see that we actually captured a bee gathering pollen. The bee is not our usual looking honey bee, so we'll have to investigate to see if we can find out what kind it is. He is green and has stripes! I don't think I've seen this type here before, so it's a little backyard mystery.

I've been working on my cat rug today, so hopefully after I get a little more hooked, I will post a progress picture. Hope you are having a great day. It is HOT (94 degrees and very humid) today, so going outside is like stepping into a steam bath.

AAARRRGGGHHHH!!

Computer problems are the pitts! For about a week now I keep getting error messages when I try to look at other blogs. IE pops up the error message that Internet Explorer is unable to open site. It then gives me possible solutions - none of which work! Also, when I try to post a comment on a blog that I do get to look at, I can't post it. The word verification feature (the wavy word pops up and you type it in exactly as you see it) won't load, which makes it literally impossible for me to post a comment!! I'm so frustrated! Anyone have any ideas? Thanks, in advance.

Christmas in June?

I've decided to begin a second new project today. This is my original design, and when finished will be a "winter" pillow. It is nearly 90 degrees and very humid here today, thus the dreams of snow and snowmen. I can handle cold weather much more easily than hot/humid, which is not good during summer when you live in the many extremes of Illinois weather. I have hooked this particular design in a 5" x 7" mini rug in the past, so I know I will love it as a larger pillow. This will measure approximately 12" x 15" when completed. I think I am going to make some patterns available on the selling blog this week - some of you have emailed kindly asking if I will have available patterns, so please check in to see within the next few days.

I'm including another picture of flowers from my backyard. This is a piece of vintage fence that I found locally in an antique shop a few years ago. My husband attached some metal stakes to the back so that it will stand upright (even in our strong winds). It makes a great backdrop for these perennials. The rusty metal sculpture is my garden bee (non-stinging!) Hope you have a great weekend.

One of Those Days!!

Today was "one of those" days when there is no specific plan or agenda, but you manage to get a few things accomplished anyway. The picnic table got a much needed coat of paint, as well as did two garage doors! We finally got all the wire cages that my husband made put around the tomato plants, and I also did some much needed weeding of the peas. Our garden is looking pretty right now with all the rain we've had this spring. The cucumbers and zucchini are doing great. The lettuce, spinach, and radishes need some thinning, so that will probably be done in the next few days. Our garden is much later this year than in previous years, so we'll see how everything turns out. I can't wait for the first tomatoes!!! The Lily above is one of several we planted last year. They really are beautiful this spring, and the color is so breathtaking. We also now have our first flower (pink) for the year on the waterlily in the garden pond.

I was doing some work on the computer the other day and Zeb was in the house. He came into my studio and made himself comfortable (unfortunately for the teddy bears who normally reside in this basket. You can see one in the back raising a paw for help!) Zeb just plopped right down on top of all of them and had a little cat nap. The bears were all made about 8 to 10 years ago by my daughter, Rachel.

I know that I promised to limit my political comments, but I just have to say a few things about "Obamacare". Did you all see the news pictures of the size of that proposal!!!??? There is absolutely NO WAY that anyone in Congress will be able to read, much less scrutinize everything in that bill. It had to have been a foot thick at least! What-are-they-thinking? This is the one massive change that President Obama is proposing that sends a chill through my veins! All the things that have been railroaded through in the last several months (can it ONLY have been 5 months?!) will pale in comparison to the disaster that this health care plan will be. If you have a great privately run plan now (or even a mediocre one), enjoy it while you can because once Obamacare is enacted, one by one all other health plans will disappear. What employer will continue to provide his share of your expensive health care benefits, when there is a governmental alternative? Don't believe for a minute that there will be healthy competition between your private health care provider and the bloated federal government plan! In the end, there will be only one provider and it will be controlled by the likes of Ted Kennedy, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank and Harry Reid. Just contemplating that crew in charge gives me a migraine. This plan must be stopped before we are forever trapped in the quicksand of expense, ineptitude, corruption, and waste that is the hallmark of Federal government oversight. The Congress will attempt to pass this bill (possibly even over the mass protests of American citizens) without deliberate, thoughtful, thorough, honest debate and consideration. These are the same people who passed the Stimulus bill without ever having read it! The Republicans tried to stop the rush to vote long enough to allow members time to study it, but Mr. Obama wouldn't hear of it. The Stimulus was "far too important" to delay passage. You will note, however, that after the rush to pass it, less than 10% has actually been put into the system to start "stimulating!" The urgency was fabricated to encourage passage before scrutiny could shed light on its questionable content! Even worse, there has been so little oversight over money spent, that even Joe Biden was announcing that "of course we knew that there would be waste!" What would be the worst that would happen if the health care overhaul were to be put off to allow exhaustive examination? Why can't the government just provide a low cost alternative for those who do not already have health care insurance, or even better, just subsidize (like food stamps only fraud-proof) those who can't afford it so that they have the option to shop for health care that fits their needs? It could be such a simple and less expensive solution. I honestly don't know where Mr. Obama plans to get the funds to pay for this massive over-reach of government, but you can just bet that your tax bill and mine will soon be going waaaaay up!

Finally! I'm Beginning a New Rug.

First of all I want to reassure those of you who happened to have read yesterday's post that I have not gone off the deep end! Upon re-reading the post, I sounded angry to myself, and truthfully, I was not. I am a "news junkie" and the rapid changes in the way the government has begun intruding into the private sector, combined with the possibility of governmental control of health care was overwhelming to me yesterday, thus my "ardent" reaction! I'll try to keep my politics to myself...(smile)! The wools in the picture above are some that I have chosen to hook the new rug. Some are hand dyed, some are over dyed and some are as found. I think the background will be a dark color, but I probably won't decide for sure until the main element is hooked.

This center picture is some white wool that I tray-dyed. I put the wet wool into a 13 X 9 granite ware pan and poured hot liquid dye over it. I used Cushings tan, dark brown and old gold. It turned out pretty much as I wanted it to (maybe a tad darker), so now we'll see if it looks as I pictured in my mind in the finished rug! Dyeing wool is both challenging and rewarding.

Here is the design! I drew this on linen (instead of on dot transfer fabric), so I have a few crossed out areas (my bad!). It may still change here or there before I complete it, but this is the basic idea. Hopefully I will be able to show the progress in pictures over the next couple of months.

Hope you are having a great week!

Beauty and A Breach Of Promise!

FIRST, the beauty!! My daughter and I found these miniature toad stools in our front flower bed this morning. They are sooooo tiny! When I saw them, I immediately thought of a fairy garden! There were several groups of them and they would have been a perfect setting for Tinkerbell!

One of my favorite shrubs on our property is the Diablo Nine Bark. I LOVE this plant!! I should say these plants, because we have three of them around our yard. As you can see from the above picture and the one below, it actually looks like two plants in one! The Diablo has both reddish leaves and green leaves, and its flowers last for several weeks or more. The great thing is that not only does it have two colors of leaves, it gets two colors of flowers, as well! Oddly enough, it develops white blossoms and pink blossoms. After a while, all the blossoms begin to appear a darker red as they develop seed pods! It really is unusual.

Here you can see both types of leaves and flowers on the same plant at the same time! Cool!

My sister gave me seeds for a plant that she and her husband grew at their home near Knoxville TN last year. She loved it so much that she shared it. I planted them late this Spring (thanks to our unusually rainy weather). The plant is called an Egyptian Bean Plant, and I researched it online, and found that it is also called the Hyacinth Bean Plant! The white flowers are supposed to be very fragrant and beautiful. The seeds have germinated and the little plants have grown to about 4" tall in about a week! I will post pictures when it flowers.

SECONDLY, I would like to vent about Mr. Obama's breach of promise to every voter who supported his bid for President of the United States. If politics is not your cup of tea, I apologize. I do hope you will read this though, because I feel that every American has a duty to investigate what his elected officials believe and ultimately DO while in office.

When he took his oath of office nearly five months ago, he swore to defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Who knew then that he would set about to systematically DESTROY it! I don't say this lightly. Many people were so excited that he won the election and his popularity has been astonishing, especially when you consider how far he has taken us down the path to Socialism. I cannot understand why more people are not up in arms at what is happening to our country! The main stream media won't report negatives about Mr. Obama and many people seem to separate the man from his actions. If you ask people if they think that it is good for the government to borrow TRILLIONS of dollars, or to PRINT trillions of dollars, they shout a definite NO!! If you ask even those who voted for the man if they think that the government takeover of privately owned businesses and the forced breaking of legal contracts is the right thing to do, they say, "NO!" I have yet to meet anyone who thinks that the government is on the right track with all the stimulus payouts and the raising of taxes on one select group of people to pay for all this runaway spending . This is absolute chaos in our government. I am so frustrated that no one in the government seems to be listening to the people. The tea parties SHOULD have been a big wake up call to the administration that people are upset about the lack of common sense fiscal restraint in Congress. The politicians explained it away as nothing...no big deal. It was a big deal! "We the People" were speaking, and the arrogant leadership didn't think it was important to listen to the little people.

One by one our freedoms are being taken away. Our free market capitalism is being destroyed and our business owners replaced with incompetent government bureaucrats who have no experience with those entities that they have stolen from the investors and rightful owners!

The press is so enamored with President Obama, that they report that he is above us all, floating above the earth like a god...

This is so frustrating for those of us who believe that the Constitution is our rightful model and guide, not the flowery speeches of an ambitious politician who is setting about to change our America into what he believes it should be.

The takeover of the auto dealerships has been the most frightening episode of private property theft by our own government that I have ever seen. Those poor people who owned dealerships, profitable dealerships, are now being forced to immediately sell their inventory at a loss and to turn over their customer base to other dealers! What right has Barack Obama to take property from one business and give it to another? This really is unprecedented and merciless.

I'm sorry to go on and on, but this whole situation is so unbelievable. Major changes are being made (outside the limitations of the Constitution), and no amount of warning by anyone seems to stop any of it. It almost seems deliberate!!! Please contact your representatives in Washington. It is so very important.

I'm getting down off my soapbox now, but please join me in prayer daily for our country!

New Needle Felted Pillow

Just a little project that I finished today. The pillow is sewn from hand dyed wool and is needle felted with wool roving. I like the way the shading in the wool highlights the design. This particular piece of wool is from Lancaster. They no longer (as far as I know) sell hand dyed wool, which is very sad because they produced some of the most beautiful colors I have ever seen. This color was called Shaker Green, if I remember correctly. My very first hooked rug, the Willow Log Cabin, was one of their designs. I think they are now having their designs manufactured in China. The quality of the imported rugs is not great, but they are better than some imported hooked rugs that I have seen.

Today was picture perfect here. It was sunny and low 80's, but, as usual, was a little windy! My son was in a triathlon this morning, so we went to watch him (and about 600 others) torture themselves by swimming, biking and running non-stop for about 2 hours!! I admire the efforts put forth, but I can think of much easier ways to have fun! I also spent some time in the garden this afternoon trying to stay ahead of grass and weeds. Our garden is so late this year because of rain and late cold weather. In our area, the field corn is usually waist-high or higher by now, but it is just now peeking out of the soil! This spring has been challenging for farmers here in the Midwest, for sure!

I still have not settled on wool colors for my next rug. Too much going on. Our 3 grandchildren were here for about 5 hours yesterday afternoon and evening, so we had lots of fun. Olivia and Allison rode with Grandpa in the go-cart for about an hour. Kale is teething, we think, so he was a little cranky and wanted to be held (I gladly helped out there!). Olivia and her Aunt Rachel were scooping up tadpoles out of the backyard pond and watching them wriggle in their hands. They put them back in, of course. This is the same Olivia who used to scream when she saw a "bud" (aka bug...) anywhere! She asked her mother a few weeks ago if she wanted a worm. Ashley replied that she didn't think she wanted a worm just now and casually asked where Olivia would get a worm if she changed her mind. "In my pocket." was the answer. Yes, she did have earthworms in her jacket pocket! Anyway, back to the tadpoles...our pond is just FULL of tadpoles. Some of them are just starting to get their back legs, so they look kinda funny. Yesterday was a great day.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend and have a great week!