TUSAL 2018

Well it's time for TUSAL. To learn more about TUSAL go here to Daffycat's blog.
 

My ORT jar......

"The Full Moon in August is named after North America's largest fish, the lake sturgeon. Other names for this Full Moon include Grain Moon, Green Corn Moon, Fruit Moon, and Barley Moon."

This is what a Lake Sturgeon looks like. They are very weird looking and also they get very big.  

Source

See what I mean. To read more about this particular fish go here........LINK.

On another note I thought you might like to meet my Quality Control Manager:)

Take care:)

It's a hot one today................

It is about 4:00 p.m here and it is very very hot.....about .....32C/89.6F. The humidex reading says it feels like 42C/107.6F. We are getting extreme heat warnings so thank goodness for air conditioning.

Just as an FYI for my non Canadian friends.........

The humidex (short for humidity index) is an index number used by Canadian meteorologists to describe how hot the weather feels to the average person, by combining the effect of heat and humidity. The term humidex is a Canadian innovation coined in 1965.

Some of us know how to relax on a hot day. Deva is lying at the end of my sewing table getting full advantage of her pile of cat blankets and the air conditioning.  She has been out cold for about four hours....sheesh:)

Anything that is soft and looks like a possible cozy surface is hers. She's like the Princess and the Pea. Her bed keeps on getting higher. Ah well she is getting on in years. She will be 14 years old this month. Hard to believe.

Take care:

Smokey is no more.....

He was a great cat and I'm really going to miss him:(

6 months old:)

July 2004 - August 2015

TAST Status......

So far I have done 24 out of the 123 stitches on the list.....only 99 more to go!!!!!

Since Deva's stay at the vets she has decided to spend more time with me lately. I have a short set of storage drawers on wheels that I have to put beside the window. She's quite insistent about it.

She snoozes there.

She has gotten a bit chubby too.

If there is any action outside she can go behind the curtain and sit on the window sill. Very convenient:)

Take care.

Update.....

We brought Deva home yesterday as really there wasn't much sense in leaving her in the pet hospital. They did everything they could for her and she wasn't very happy there. We are giving her the medication they gave us so we'll wait and see.

Personally I see a huge improvement in her already. She's eating and drinking water which is good. Plus she gave us heck...LOL

Oh boy did she ever....sheesh.

She was so happy to be home. Now we have to keep her away from her brother Smokey for 7 to 10 days. He is not amused just in case she's getting something to eat he's not.

Talk about drama....sigh.

Take care:)

My Sick Little Cat....

My little cat Deva is in the pet hospital. She wasn't eating and was very listless so we took her in on Wednesday. So far they haven't found anything wrong with her so they think it might be viral. They are giving her antibiotics. She is also being fed by syringe because she still won't eat.

They sent this picture to us last night.......:(

She was a feral kitten so this whole experience is very stressful for her. She's not fond of people except for us and doesn't really tolerate any changes in her environment too well.

Please send her some positive thoughts because she is only little. Despite her being a total diva we love her:)

Take care:)

This and that......

Hello...yes I'm still alive:)

I bought some foam to make something and I had the leftover piece standing in a roll in my  sewing room. It didn't take long for someone to move in....

She gave me the look when I suggested that she get out:) 

I actually baked something today. This is a big thing as I never bake unless forced to for family gatherings etc.

I was looking in my kitchen cupboard for something and rediscovered an unopened 540ml can of Canadian Maple Syrup that was given to my son on a photo shoot he was doing for a course on food photography. I'm embarrassed to say how many years ago that was....maybe 2004....eeeek.

I also discovered I had 2 packages of Tenderflake mini tartets...36 tart shells in total... in my freezer. I think I bought them last Christmas.......as I said I don't bake much...sigh.  I also had a half a package of walnuts. 

I surfed around and found a few simple recipes for tarts using maple syrup. I chose this one because I had all the ingredients in house...Canadian Maple Butter Tarts....

http://www.food.com/recipe/canadian-maple-butter-tarts-271529

This recipe is for 12 regular size tarts but I used the 36 mini tarts and it worked out perfect. 

OMG!!!!! They are delicious.......yummy!!!!! I thought they'd be super sweet but they weren't...a nice creamy. texture too. Sometimes butter tarts can be too dry.

It's a beautiful sunny day here today so I'm taking my book and a cup of tea outside to enjoy it. There won't be too many left before you know what.

Take care:)

Rock.......?

For some odd reason our cat Smokey likes to hang out with the St. John's Wort bush in our garden. Usually completely under it and hidden away.

He will spend hours resting there......even when it's teeming down with rain and he's getting soaked. We have no idea why.

At first I thought he was waiting for birds at our feeder but he can't see them as he is facing towards the middle and can't possibly see a thing.  When he's not in sight and we can't find him we look there first:)

Strange cat........

Yes..... the grass is long but lovely and green now......we can't get it cut as it keeps raining which is fine as the farmers desperately need it after the drought we have had. In fact it's clouding over again and it looks like it might rain soon.

Take care:)

The Donkey Has Landed.....

.....and just in time as we are supposed to be getting an Alberta Clipper.

When he arrived I gave him a big cup of tea in my favourite mug to revive him after his long journey.

One member of the household was a bit over enthusiastic about her welcome......she gave him a good sniffing.......poor donkey got head butted a few times:)

I told her to behave herself ......:)

Donkey is now safe and sound in my sewing room away from pushy moggies:)

Take care:)

A Funny Christmas Cat.........

Neither of my cats would let me do this...LOL

You know it's getting closer to winter when.......

....the butter stays hard in the butter dish........the cats sit on the heating vents.......

..........and I get a Flu shot.......OUCH!!!!!!!

My doctor is getting on in years and of late has developed a very noticeable palsy so it was with some trepidation that I watched in horror as his hands shook getting the flu dose out of the packaging and attached the needle and approached me....... all the while his hands were shaking and I knew in my heart of hearts it was really going to hurt.......and it did:(

My aching arm.  I can't lift it up with out being reminded.......ouch.

It's a very dark and gloomy day and suits my mood perfectly. The 24 hour forecast is for 30-40 mm of rain from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon......peachy.

On a positive note.........it isn't snowing:)

Take care.

Just hanging around.....

Smokey really enjoyed the beautiful day we had today........:)

The pictures were taken by my son......he has a much better camera than I do:)

Take care.

Summertime and the living is easy......and hot.......

Hmmmm......Smokey is lying by the back screen door waiting to go out.....:) Maybe later.

Outside my sewing room window it is hazy and hot...not a breeze.......

Some cloud gathering but no rain in sight....sigh. My roses are doing well but because of the heat they aren't lasting very long. I'll enjoy them while I can.

And, maybe do some embroidery. Here's a cute freebie for you gnome lovers out there.....it comes in three sizes.........from feeling stitchy.

Take care:)

Cat Formations :)....click to enlarge

Courtesy of Stumble

It's a hot day in the city today.....

It's about 35°C outside my back door at the moment.

The air conditioning has gone on and we are all just trying to stay cool inside.

Take care:)

Moggy Monday.....

Take Care:)

This, that and the other....

Things have been pretty quiet around here. I've been messing about and tidying things up.......my ribbon drawer is a mess:(

Remember this stuff...

It's Stef Francis 5400 rayon thread that is to be used for the tail of the Damselfly I'm presently making......I finally had to do this with it because it was impossible stuff to work with.....

It is rayon that's been spun and twisted and it unravels at the ends as you look at it and it's like a snake. It wraps around itself and ends up it knots and twists.....arrrgghhh

One of the things they suggest for the Damselfly wings is that you use scrim that's been stained using steel wool and white vinegar.......Ha Ha.......tried that and the steel wool didn't rust. 

They are supposed to look like this.....

I'm trying tea bags now....:)

The weather is rainy here at the moment. I explained to Smokey and Deva that they can't go out but they refuse to believe me. Here they are waiting at the back door....

It's blurry because they kept moving their heads...drat:)

They are not allowed out unless someone goes with them as they are indoor cats. We have a large fenced back yard but Smokey has managed to get out once by climbing the roof of the garden shed. He ended up in the pool enclosure in our next door neighbour's back yard. So now he is watched and he's pretty good...... most times.

Oh....I almost forgot. I opened an Etsy.com shop......at least I hope I did.....I stressed myself out reading all the stuff and do's and don'ts. I'm not sure if I did it right or not:(

Anyway, it's called "Mainly Mice" I still have some tweaking to do re policies etc.

I also opened another blog called Mainly Mice in March because I was thinking of selling from there using PayPal. I have seen other bloggers doing that as well. And, even though the blog has virtually no activity I have 24 followers:)

So that's it for now:)

Take care.

Munday, munday.........lazy day......

Take care:)

Cats and Boxes..........and some free Softie Patterns:)

More funnies here..........Simon's Cat

And, a very silly Deva here.........

I found a site that has a few cute freebies..........The Shishi Girl.......on the right hand side of her page you'll see a list. Here is one of her designs...so cute:)

Take care:)

Off to the One of a Kind Show.....

I left Smokey in charge.......

Take care:)

p.s. If you are wondering what he is sitting among.....it's the paper from Deva's box from Monday's post. The box was full of masses of brown paper.