Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Elephants and bags

I've just finished my latest "Lazy Girl" bag - this one is a Candace and made large enough to hold my new Kindle Fire. Time will tell if I like it as well as the others I've made.


I received a tote bag for Christmas that I really liked the fabric and style, but it wasn't quite big enough, so I took it all apart, used the Lazy Girl pattern and made modifications to suit me. I even used the handles from the tote. I think I'm going to really like it.


The little wonder wallet and checkbook cover are made with fabric from the lining of the purse. I love the wonder wallets and that's all I use anymore. I can change wallets and still know where everything is.


Inside of the bag. Note the pocket in the back will hold my new Kindle fire, while other pockets hold other items, keeping everything organized.


I love organization - and this fits my needs nicely. I've looked for a Kindle cover and couldn't find one I liked that I was willing to pay for. Ordered one from Amazon.com but it was too small for my Kindle Fire. SOOO, made one myself. Not elegant and just kind of figured out what I wanted as I went along, but at least it matches my new purse!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Halloween crossed the Rainbow Bridge



...yesterday. It's never easy to lose a pet and to have to make the decision to let them go, but this one seemed especially difficult. She was so tied to Chuck as she had been his cat when he was alive.


Halloween was my old (17 years) barn cat.

Her mother had come to our barn and had a litter of kittens - then got out in the road and got killed. Chuck raised the kittens and over the years they all disappeared except Halloween.

She had a gazillion kittens over the years - with only a couple of survivors. One we gave to a friend and one became our house cat - Fluffy.

When Halloween was a few years old she began to venture into our fenced back yard (by coming over the gate). She would show up every day at feeding time and 'escort' Chuck to the barn. He would sit with her, pet her and talk to her.

When he got sick the feeding chore fell to me, but she wasn't nearly as impressed with me as she was with Chuck. She moved to the lean-too next to the goat barn (which was closer to the house than the big barn). Then when Chuck died she moved to the deck. When she moved to the deck (at 11 years old) it was time for a vet visit. I did not need more kittens.

She became "my" cat and was quite tame. She thought the dogs were just there for her to rub on. When Boots (the front porch kitty) arrived she even shared her deck with him occasionally. She had a nice house and a comfty bed on the deck. I brought her in a few nights when it was extremely cold, but she wasn't particularly impressed. Her domain was the deck and the back yard. She thought the chaise lounge was just there for her benefit. Occasionally she would lay on the deck rail so she'd have a better view of her world. I don't think she ventured out of the fenced back yard at all in the last 5 years.

I fed her on top of a table on the deck and she jumped up there every morning - including yesterday.

I went outside with Frosty a little after 11AM and found her laying in the monkey grass (in the rain) crying pitifully. She couldn't stand and I discovered once I got her to the vet that she couldn't see. She did respond to my voice and petting on her head, but she was basically paralyzed otherwise. I held her and said sweet nothings to her as she crossed the bridge. Now she's rubbing on Chuck's legs again, but it's surely been difficult here.