Hail, was that fun or what?

1, 2, 3, ...4!

There are 4 kittens and, as cats will, Lady Jane moved them the other day. At first we were not sure where she went but knew that she was close as she still showed up for meals - breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks!

We have now discovered she and kits are behind the garbage can under our bedroom window. The can is one we do not use and there is a stack of concrete blocks there as well as other materials forming a nice little den as long as it does not rain. Rain is predicted for late tomorrow, of course. So I made her another shelter out of a covered litter pan and placed it close to the garbage can hoping she will see fit to move into it when the rains come.

And in the continuing saga of DH and my "conditions", I tripped going UP the basement stairs yesterday and injured the large toe on my left foot, and I already have what is probably a heel spur on my right foot. So I limp on both feet right now. LOL.

VBS crafts are progressing nicely, too. We are doing Joseph in Egypt so I have been looking for alternative ways of making the crafts offered by the company as I usually do. I am making a senet game box from a baseball card storage box and quilling paper. I have a set of hieroglphyic stamps and we will order a few more sets and use those to decorate the boxes along with some metallic quilling paper as well. I am really pleased with this so far. It will make a nice sturdy treasure box for the children to keep after VBS.

I am also crocheting Egyptian headdresses, the kind with long bead fringes. I have used gold metallic crochet cotton and pony beads in various colors to make multicolored headdresses as I have not been anywhere to purchase just gold beads yet. This will not be a kids craft as it is. We will make a simpler version with the children. Probably a headband of some sort with strings of beads, either pre-strung beads or pony beads they tie on themselves.

We are also going to make the broad collars out of light weight material and metallic quilling paper cut into squares, diamonds, jewel shapes. This should be a nice craft for the kids as they will get to use scissors and glue. I plan on having plenty of hand-wipes available for both this and the senet game box.

The other nice craft I am planning is a cartouche necklace out of oven-bake clay and using the hieroglyphic stamps to stamp a version of the child's name into the clay.

I am hoping to get the rest of the VBS shopping done soon so all will be ready before the beginning of June and we can concentrate on the decorating which has so many possibilities!

New Life

Spring is almost here! The daffodils along Mom & Dad's driveway have broken thru the ground and are climbing higher. Until the recent wind many of them were wearing leaf caps. I found a small bunch of blooming volunteers in my yard in one of Sassy's favorite spots. They look like a flower that grows from bulbs so I wonder where they came from. Temperatures have moderated and the snow is mostly gone and the gutters have unfrozen. We have had some rain and now worries about the creeks and river are being voiced.

And Lady Jane, the cat who adopted us this past winter, has delivered three kittens in the winter shelter we made for her on the back porch.

She was supposed to go to the local animal shelter before this happened but I have been battling a cold or sinus or allergy problems and then last week we lost Sassy so I have not been functioning as I should.

Three more kittens! Lord, have mercy.

Thank you

I want to thank everyone for their sympathy comments about Sassy.

She was my dog for 16 years and I will miss her for a long time. I have no children of my own but do have wonderful nieces and nephews and their families that I love very much. But Sassy was my baby. She was conceived on my birthday during a birthday party that we still talk about. She and her littermates were born in my sister's bedroom closet with family watching. Four of the litter stayed in the family: my Dad's dog, Sam; Beth's dog Sugar; Nancy's dog Peaches; and my Sassafras. Only Peaches remains now.

Sassy had been losing ground for a few months and had had an episode that may have been a seizure or stroke a few days earlier in the week. Saturday morning she seemed okay, she ate, and took care of business as usual but did not want to leave my side. Then she started yelping and could not walk. We got her to the vet within an hour but she died before the vet could do anything. The vet said it was probably more strokes. Both Joe and I were with her petting her and holding her until we realized she was already gone. I miss her. I still look for her when I get up in the night or when I hear someone else's collar jingle. My baby.

"Just a Dog" is an expression of grief and a rebuttal to all those people who say "well, it was just an animal, not a person." She and all the other loved pets are more than "just" anything.

Thank you all again.

Just a Dog

Just a Dog

She was just a dog, my Sassafras,
The only one of the litter who looked like her mother, long and lean and fast.

She was just a dog, my hollow-dog,
Pat her on the side of the ribs and she sounded like a loaf of bread fresh from the oven.

She was just a dog who followed from the front,
And stood in the way and didn’t come when she was called unless food was involved.

She was just a dog, all skin and bones,
Who shivered during thunder storms and shook the bed and barked at the wind.

She was just a dog who liked to sleep between
So we called her sandwich-dog because she was the filling at night in bed.

She was just a dog, my Sassyfrassy,
Who would wait at the front door for me to come home even when Pa was home.

She was just a dog, a worry-wort like me,
Who told me when the microwave dinged or the cat was where it shouldn’t be.

She was just a dog we called jack-rabbit
Because she could jump as high as the fence, but never jumped over it.

She was just a dog who loved to ride in the car
And feel the wind in her nose and barked at everything she saw.

She was just a dog who thought she owned the world
As far as she could see or smell and had to protect her people from everyone, everywhere.

She was just a dog who got old
After sixteen years of being my faithful, loving companion no matter what.

She was just a dog who loved me.

She was just a dog.


For Sassafras, March 6, 2010

Ice Scuptures

The snow has ended temporarily at least and the sun has come out to warm our hearts and streets and sidewalks - and aid in the further creation of ice dams in the gutters that are unfortunately causing some so far minor indoor problems. But the wonderful outdoor creations are what I concentrated on on Friday. Ice sculptures by nature.

Somewhere in the above photo is a single tall weed that has been coated in ice from water dripping off the frozen gutter overhead.

The above photo and the two following are ice that has fallen from the frozen gutters and from around the window frames.

When we drive thru town on our way somewhere I am fascinated by all the icicles I see hanging from the eaves of buildings and homes and from some overhead wires. So many houses have ice dams along the roof edges. With our own troubles with ice dams right now I pray for all the people in those houses, too. Water - so essential and so troublesome.

We have a leaks/leaks in the smaller bedroom we use for an office. Everytime we leave the room we cover all electrical (computer, etc) with plastic sheeting in hopes of preventing any tragedy. So far the leaks have confined themselves to the front window (where the ice dam is) and a few small drips elsewhere. Yesterday DH and I went to the attic (he went all the way, I stayed on the folding stairs and handed him stuff). Not altogether bad. Found the leak. Found a huge wasp nest (not currently active).

Today we will have to try to do something to break thru the ice dam and let the water drain off the roof. The gutters are completely frozen. Have read some things on line and think we will try snow melter filled socks or pantyhose tossed on the edge of the roof and allowed to hang over. Supposed to melt a channel thru the ice to allow water to flow off the roof instead of damming up behind the ice. Worth a try. If we do it, I'll have to take pictures of socks and pantyhose hanging off the roof.

Snowbird