A few pictures of the weekend!

Hey all-now that another weekend is nearly upon us-
here are some more pictures of Red Rooster Day Weekend
(know to the rest of you as Labor Day Weekend)

Dan and Dakota on the porch

The local parade . . . .

Waiting in line for the BBQ chicken dinner (I found out that we serve between 3500-4000 half chickens every year. Pretty good for a town of about 1250 people, huh?)

Looking out at the ball park.

(Crow River string Band playing, antique car show and bouncy slide in the background)

I'm Back (and a beautiful FO!!!)

Okay, I'm back everyone!! (if your still reading that is . . . sorry, I am a bad blogger sometimes) I hope you all had a great Labor Day Weekend! Around here Labor Day Weekend is called Red Rooster Days (our town festival) and it was much fun--(although much busy fun). Our gallery sponsors a fine art show with local artists. We set everything up, print off certificates for winners and do all that jazz. You would be amazed at how many really good artists like to live in our neck of the woods. Maybe it is the corn fields mixed with lakes and trees--who knows, but we have a lot of people around here who like to do artwork!

Anyway another fun thing that happens on Red Rooster Days is that we have a fireworks show on Sunday night. (One of my favorite events) I took my dad's digital camera along to get some pictures.

Ooooooo, ahhhhhhh



(and everyone clapped and cheered at the end)

Now, for some really exciting news the Myrtle Leaf Shawl is done! And I really like it. I don't know what you all will think, but golly, I think it is purty. We did a quick photo shoot yesterday evening. I may not be the best model ever, but I guess the photos turned out okay!

(this is my favorite photo-I used to dress up as a pioneer girl (like Laura Ingalls) all the time when I was a a little girl and I would go play by this rock-I don't know why it made me think of being a pioneer or why it felt like that was where I should go play, but I did)

Myrtle Leaf Shawl-
pattern: from Victorian Lace Today
yarn: Misti Alpaca Lace (in dark Brown)-Two and a little of a third skein. (if Barney hadn't have chewed threw my first start and some of one skein of yarn, I probably would have just used two skeins)
needles: clover bamboo size 5 circular and dpns
modifications: none, really, except for using a different yarn than called for and the random mistakes I made.
started: oh, sometime in February, but then Barney ate that first start, so I really started it around July 20
finished: August 29

One nice thing about a shawl that has pattern on both sides (rather than pattern on the right side and purl on the wrong side) is that you catch your mistakes right away. Now, that being said, it is much harder to pull out stitches and pick them back up correctly, so I tended to fix the pattern in the following row rather than ripping back unless the mistake was really easy to find.

It was so much fun to work on--now to finish that set of mittens I started on, and my socks, and my dad's vest, and, and, and . . . . .

EYEs not wanting to be open FRIDAY

Soooo sleepy . . . .been working late into the night on the Myrtle Leaf Shawl . . . fifty or so repeats to go on the border . . . need to . . . . finish . . . . the shawl.



Oh, one other thing----Remember those missing size one bamboo needles-I searched everywhere for them. One just magically appeared in my car. It couldn't have possibly been there the whole time (right?). Must be the gremlins screwing with my mind again.

Happy Monday, Everyone!

Hi!
I know that Mondays are often times not anyone's favorite day of the week, but for some reason this Monday seems especially refreshing--(maybe it is because my niece didn't wake me up at 5:30 this morning-even though she doesn't wake up until 8 at home)

Dan and I went to a great concert last night up in St Cloud. We saw Michael Martin Murphy. It was such a great night of music. Listening to him always makes me happy to live in the country and makes me feel like I should really get out and weed the garden ;o)

Of course, this morning I couldn't get out to weed because it is raining and has been all weekend. As with anything, so much rain can be bad for some people (Southern Minnesota has been getting some major flooding), but around here the rain has been a great blessing.
It brings to mind a song that we sang a few weeks ago at church

"Showers of Blessing"

There shall be showers of blessing
This is the promise of love
There shall be seasons refreshing
Sent from the Savior above

Refrain
Showers of blessing
Showers of blessing we need
Mercy drops round us are falling
But for the showers we plead

There shall be showers of blessing
Precious reviving again
Over the hills and the valleys
Sound of abundance of rain

Well, have beautiful day and I hope that you will receive some kind of shower of blessing this week.

Just checking in . . .

Hey there, I'll be back next week-my niece is here visiting from out of state and she is keeping me pretty busy.

Hope you are having a really nice week (by the way, I only have four repeats to go on the center of my myrtle leaf shawl--then on to the border!!!!!!)

Eye Camel Friday (and a Barney)

Ummm . . . here is a not-so-crisp-and-sharp-picture of Oliver the Camel with some of the newest artwork here at the gallery. (I'll have to get a better picture some other time). He is posing with a beautiful hammered copper bowl and wood sculpture.

I'm still progressing on the Myrtle Leaf Shawl. As of last count, I have 24 of 40 repeats finished, so I am over halfway done with the main center portion. I still have to add the willow border, but it is not an extremely wide border, so I don't think it will take me forever-ly long (ha, ha, ha---famous last words) I have used up one skein of the Misti Alpaca Lace (well, the cat used up a bunch of the skein while it was sitting at home and also ate away some of my first start (before you start to worry-the cat did not actually eat the yarn, but he did rip it up-okay actually there is reason to worry-I have a cat the likes to rip up yarn)

Speaking of that cat (ah, the Barney) and yarn. He has a little section of a sweater that he enjoys carrying around the house. (It was a piece of a baby sweater that I never really finished that I had made a mistake on) He treats it like it is his own little baby-carrying it around the house in his mouth, meowing at it, purring and setting it down next to him (he sometimes does this with really soft skeins of yarn as well-thus, the torn lace)

(Barney with yarn child)

BTW-have you SEEN the Cinnabar Pullover by Kate Gilbert in the latest Interweave Knits? Gorgeous, gorgeous----I must have it-(if I can ever get around to making it that is)

Keep Minnesota in Your Prayers

I am sure you have heard about everything that went on yesterday in the Twin Cities, but I just want to be another person to say "keep us in your thoughts and prayers."

I don't live down in the Twin Cities, but I usually get down there once a month and just crossed 35W bridge on Friday (as our framing supplier for the gallery is very close to that area). I also used to cross the bridge all the time while I was going to college in Roseville. I can definitely say it is used by many, many people everyday. It was just a shocking sight to see when I turned on the television last night.

My brother works at one of the hospitals in the area (doing computer tech stuff) and, thankfully, was using a different way to go home lately.

Eye Camel Friday

Hey, it's a quick Eye Camel Friday (courtesy of remembering to take pics of Oliver before the digital camera went on vacation to Washington and Idaho).

I know two special ladies who will really love this edition of Eye Camel Friday.

(wink, wink, nudge, nudge)

sooooo, here it is . . . . . . . .

Oliver


and his


very own


brand new


loom!!!!!

Now, back to working on the 90 prints that need to be shrinkwrapped before next Wednesday (and the 10 that need to be framed, and the 3 pics that I need to print and shrinkwrap by Monday afternoon while I am in the middle of all this other stuff. aaack!) Why does this always happen when the person who owns the digital camera goes on vacation?

Its Raining!!!!

Hey there all. Just wanted to let you know that it is raining here. (Which is good). We haven't had much rain for the past month. At my house we have only gotten 2/10 and inch in the last month or so. I don't know what is normal for you guys out there, but we were on the verge of a drought if we didn't get some moisture soon. That is especially hard news on the farming community I live in. Now, some of the lack of rain is already irreversible, but at least we should be able to get some benefit from it all.
Not like we would have absolutely died from the lack of rain-people have crop insurance and all that kind of stuff, but it makes life hard. We are still a community of small town corn and soybean farmers around here-no millionaire farming groups-just your everyday seed-cap wearing, beat-up truck driving folks.

Sorry no pics of anything current. The digital camera is on a visit to Idaho and Washington, so you'll just have to deal with the Norman gazing at you in amazement.

Something finished, something blue (uhh, pink)

Alrighty, do you remember this yarn?

Cherry Blossom Worsted Weight by Sundara (this colorway no longer available, but golly she has some good stuff)

Well, is has now turned into this!!!!!!!



At the time of the picture, I had not put on the buttons/closures
Can you guess which ones I used?



Plain buttons, ribbon for making bows to slid through the buttonholes, heart buttons.

This project was for my best friend from college who just had her first baby last month. I had made her a little hat, but wanted to make this sweater for someone who was having a baby this summer. And wonder of wonders, she was the only person I knew who had a baby girl. Soooo, I know the sweater was meant for her.

One more thing-remember this?

Ummmm . . . it had some issues.

When an

gets combined with a Barney



it can turn into this



Now, though, I have 11 repeats of 40 done (no picture of that yet, but one will come next week sometime) Anyway, that is how my knitting has been going.
Now, to finish putting together 10 picture frames (can you tell I have been procrastinating?)

HELLO LONG LOST FRIENDS!!! (and Eye Camel Friday!!!!!!!!!)

Hi, there everyone. It has been about two weeks since I posted anything-not because I haven't been around-not because I haven't been working on any projects-not because of anything really, but I didn't know what to say.

Since my ultrasound a couple weeks ago, I have been to the GYN and he had to do a couple more tests and I am awaiting results, but he is pretty sure I have PCOS (which isn't really the worst thing on earth, but explains a lot of things about me) Anyway, I have always suspected I was a little weird and that I may have problems when it would finally come time for me to have kids and things, so now I know that I was right and can actually go about finding out what I can do about it all. Yippee, yay! Stephanie wrote about a book that she got in one of her posts that is a very useful one for women and knowledge about themselves and all that. I decided to get it and was able to read it before I saw the GYN and was able to realize that he might not be the guy for me in the long run because he didn't give me the kind of information that this book was able to get me and blah, blah, blah . . . I'm doing much better-thanks!

Okay, now for Eye Camel Friday!!!!!!

Oliver was able to find a new friend this week and he is very excited. As noted in the last post, he wanted a friend that was a little bit of a trouble maker, but wouldn't all of a sudden decide to eat him.

Oliver and Mr. Stretch (he's the black sheep of the family . . . ha, ha, ha-uffda-I make myself laugh!) We found Mr. Stretch at JoAnn Fabrics and Oliver just had to bring him home. I am sure that they will have lots of fun in the coming years.

Now, for a couple other things. I had a birthday a couple weeks back and I got a few fun things from people(my brother and sister-in-law (really from my sister-in-law, but my brother picked out the yarn) and from an artist friend of mine).-

Starting from the top going clockwise: Hippo notion holder thingy (already holding a bunch of stuff that I tend to lose-darning needles, buttons, etc.), sock yarn that is a superwash wool and cotton blend, handmade ceramic buttons (by my friend Jena (if anyone likes these buttons or is looking to get info about about their work-I can get it for you) who, along with her husband, makes some of the most beautiful ceramic works of art I've seen(oh, sometime this coming year they are going to be showcased on the show That's Clever!)), and size 2 bamboo sock needles (5.5" long-the only needles I have are much longer and can be a bit awkward, maybe these will work better)

I also got other fun presents including a new set of pans for the kitchen that I was in great need of-(let's just say that when Dan and I got married 5 years ago-no one got us pans that would actually last more than a month. (Although, we did get 3 Pyrex glass pans with insulated carriers (actually, I think we got 4-I gave one to my mom and one to my mother-in-law and kept two for myself (our church has potlucks and I'm from Minnesota, so they are perfect for hotdish)), two waffle irons, two crockpots, and two mini choppers.), some gardening tools, pretty plants for my garden and a couple of DVDs.

Anywho-I've been doing some knitting as well and have an FO that I will show you tomorrow or Monday-it is too much to put into one post!

Have a good weekend.

So anyway, It is Eye Camel Friday (and it should be pretty fun!)

Oliver has gone looking for new friends (being as that I am not necessarily that best one available). He thought he would look for what kind of friend he would like by looking through some old family photo albums that are available for him to peruse while I am working at the gallery.

He thought that this little character would work. It's a little baby goat. Goats are pretty nice friends. I explained to him that goats are really smart. (he thought this was good because he could use a smart friend) I told him that they can be sneaky and get into all sorts of trouble (Oliver would like a friend that he could sneak around with-and he would really enjoy finding some trouble) Then I explained to him that goats like to eat pretty much anything. They are great for eating down thistles and weeds that other creatures don't like because of those teeny tiny little lips. (Oliver thought, "Hmm . . . alright-they're good eaters) I told him, "They also like flowers and trees (wood) and fence posts (wood) and gates (wood). "
(At this point Oliver started to get a little worried about making friends with a goat). I told Oliver about how one time our goats got out and decided to chew down two ornamental trees in front of the house - - which caused them to become permanently disfigured. (Oliver thought, "I don't want to be permanently disfigured. That doesn't sound like fun at all.")

Anyway, Oliver is still on the lookout for a new friend.

In other news, it's my birthday tomorrow and I am looking forward to it a lot. We are having a bonfire out in the pasture and inviting a few friends and family. (Now, to run home and get the house looking good, so I can rest tomorrow!)

I've been US-ed

I went in for the exciting ultrasound (US) this morning and I don't know anything yet. They don't let the ultrasound person tell you what they see because it might be "confuse me." (Whatever that means) And being that they didn't let me look at the screen-I have no clue what could be up. Now, I get to wait until after the 4th of July because my doctor will be on vacation until then. After all of this gets done, I will have an appointment with a GYN in mid-July. I don't know if that is the way it is around where you guys live, but that is one thing I wish could be better in rural MN. It seems like you have to wait days or more just to find out if something is wrong with you even though there are well trained people who know what they are looking at that would be able to tell you what they see on the screen. Grrrr . . . In the mean time I will pretend that I am a-ok and all that.

Anyway, on to more interesting news. I happened to meet Karen today. She blogs near me and was at the Farmer's Market in Cokato (near me, too) as I happened to be passing through yesterday. It was only a very quick meeting because I had to get to a free Yoga class (my first time going to yoga) that the choreographer for a musical that I was going to be in (more in that in a minute) teaches. He told the entire cast that while that musical was going on he would allow us to come to his classes for free. I had kind of wanted to try it out, so I went with a friend of mine. Anyway-Hi, Karen. (Oh, and she knows my husband's uncle)

Soooo . . . I was going to be in a local community theater production of Fiddle on the Roof, but now the entire production was called off. We just found out that the company that owns the rights to it isn't giving them out at all because there is a national touring company doing it right now. (Although, I have searched for it and can't find where it could be touring at all and it seems that there are other smallish theaters doing local productions around the country, hmmmm) Anyway, we shall have to see what happens with that. They are going to be having a meeting tonight to discuss all the options. (Golly, I'm a little rant-y today)

Well, that's what has been going on with me. Now, for something more nicely calming. Ahhhh . . .farm pictures

It is nice to come home to things like this when you have days that aren't as nice as you would wish. Home Sweet Home!

It's Wednesday and things could be better

Wow, what a downer title, but I feel a little sad right now. I have to go in to see the doc's tomorrow to have them do an ultrasound of me (nope, not pregnant-not in the least). So I'm a little scared of what they might find.
I went to my local doctor this morning and they ran a bunch of tests on me to make sure that I was alright and all of that came back like I was good. Of course they have to run a couple more yet that we won't get the results for until the end of this week. So far my blood is all normal and stuff like that, but yuck, I don't like having to have doctors poke me all over.
Well, now all I can do is wait and see what is up with me.
Yuck, I hope this will be done and over with soon.

I've been working in the (Garden) all the live long day

. . . . . I've been working in the Garden just to weed, weed away
Can't you hear the mosquitoes buzzing?
Rise up so early in the morn.
Don't you hear the husband calling?
"Put your bug spray on!"

Pardon the leg shots here, but I've got some little welts pestering me to no end. I suppose I should always wear shoes and socks, but golly I don't like to wear anything but sandals in the summer (well, I usually try to remain fully clothed as well ;o)

Last night I had to water the garden and the mosquitoes came out to bite me as I was spraying everything with the hose (our 2 year old pup chewed our sprinklers up last year-I just got a new one today at the hardware store in town)

This morning the mosquitoes weren't too bad, so my mom and I went up to the local berry farm (Dassel Hillside Farm on HWY 15-they always have great berries, but I think their season will be done this week because it has been warmer than normal around here) to pick berries at 7 am. We got a nice bunch of them and I'll need to clean mine when I get home.



(and in a rare Monday cameo appearance) Oliver is quite happy with them. I guess that they are his favorite. (We have quite a lot in common, I've come to find out)



Mmmmmm . . . . .Berries!!!!
(This is just a small fraction of what we got-4 ice cream pails this morning and I am hoping to get back there later this week for a couple more pails)

When I got home I decided to weed the peas out in the garden. They are staked up with some old cattle panels (thick wire mesh fence). Some of the edges of the fence are a bit sharp, so as I was getting done with weeding one row I decided it would be fun to see just how sharp they are by grazing my arm against it all.



I have a nice 3 inch or so scrap along my arm now. Ahhhh . . . the simple life!

Well, thankfully I am here at work now in air conditioned comfort. My husband is at home bailing hay. He's a good, good man. I think I'll try to get a strawberry pie made for him tonight. (I'll have some of it, too-even if I am lazy-bones compared to him!)

"The Best Things Happen When Your Dancing . . ."

Well, I have to tell you I am truly a total girl. There is a new dance studio opening up in my town in August and I can't wait. We've never had a dance studio around here-I think the closest one is half an hour away. There have been community education classes, but they are all for kids. I hope that I might be able to get into some adult classes. (I always wanted to be in dance class when I was younger, but never had the opportunity.-Okay, actually I got to be in a ballet class for 6 weeks when I was in 6th grade and it was some of the most fun I ever had.

In fact, years later, my dance teacher from that class was the choreographer for a play I was in and she remembered me. I'm not sure if I was that bad or just was one of the most excited girls in the class) We will just have to wait and see how it all goes!

It really is Eye Camel Friday!

Oliver has been a little upset of late that I haven't been able to get around to taking pictures of him out and about. He has been trying to gain a few friends that are closer to his own size that can relate to him better. He found a couple friends on some notecards and was hoping that they could be able to go out on the town with him, but, since they are made of paper and scared of blowing away in the wind, they had to stay inside.



He is hoping that I can bring him somewhere really fun soon, but his hopes aren't very high. He didn't even get to come on the camping trip last weekend like I had promised. Poor, poor Oliver. He didn't get to learn to ride a bike or go swimming. :o(



He would also like to learn how to make some pink socks. (Camels love pink) Sadly his little legs are too stiff to work sock needles. Maybe Denise or Isela could put up a little loom knitting tutorial for wooden pack animals. (I mean there must be thousands of little wooden animal keychains out there just wishing they could knit.)



Hmmm . . .I have an idea Oliver is going to make me take a run to JoAnn's for an itty-bitty loom.

Happy Tuesday, to you all!

Hello, it's Tuesday and that's kinda fun, I guess.

We went camping this weekend down at Lake Louise State Park on the Minnesota/Iowa border and had a good old time. My parents, oldest brother and niece were there, too. We did some bike riding and some swimming and sat by the campfire.

This trip was my niece's first camping trip and she had a fairly good time (she was ready to leave by breakfast on Monday, though). If she didn't have to hang out with adults the whole time it probably would have been even better. At least there was a resident kitty at the campground that she made friends with and there were also a few other elementary aged girls that were there part of the weekend.

I have a couple little strips of sunburn on my shoulders (where my tank top slipped away from my sunscreen (does that even make sense?)), but other than that it was a nice weekend for Dan and I. My mom made all the food, so I had very little work to do-just play with my niece.

More on knitting stuff later-and maybe some pic's of the weekend. I have to get them off of the camera first!

Eye ummmm . . . . not Camel . . . . Friday!?

Well, the camel is here, but there isn't a digital camera (it's gone camping). The camel will be camping tomorrow, but the digital camera already left. Anyway-this means there there is not a camel picture.

So, in lieu of a camel we will resort to some other really nice looking pictures!!!! Yippeeee!

Glacial Lakes State Park near Starbuck, MN. If you enjoy riding horse or going for pleasant hikes, this is a great place to do all that stuff. (I imagine there is a lake (being as it is called "Glacial Lakes") for swimming here, too, but we have normally come here to do horse camping) It is nice and prairie like with rolling hills and prairie grass (and pocket gophers).

Our old Aermotor Windmill. It is one of my favorite things about our home.

In knitting news:
I have finished the back of my dad's vest, two pocket linings, and have started the left front.
I did not let the missing size 1 needles deter me-I am just about about done with the gussets of the sock and should be starting the heel within a bit for my Jaywalkers.

STILL MISSING!

2 size 1 clover bomboo dpns
Last seen on this sock earlier this week.
Not seen under the couch or in the couch.
Not seen in the Tahoe.
Not seen in the gallery.
Not seen on the kitchen table (where most lost items reside).
Not seen in my hair or behind my ear.

Suspects:
The husband
The dad
Those cats
The dog?
Gremlins?
My disintegrating brain that can't remember where I could have put them (most likely)


Be not afraid, dear friends-knitting will go on with miss-matched needles, but it will go on!!!!!!!!

Why, why, why?

Okay, so my Jaywalkers were turning out to be a little big, so I ended up ripping them back entirely. Now, they fit much better (I'm already to the gussets and ready to start the heel), but I keep losing my size 1 dpns.

Why? I have no clue.

So the other day I brought the socks (sock, whatever-it will eventually be two socks when I finish the first one) into work thinking that I might be able to work on them. I wasn't able to work on them then, but I did have time when I got home. I got it out to work on it and I couldn't find the fifth dpn (they become a teensy bit hard to work on when you don't have the correct amount of dpns), so I took out an old metal size 1 dpn that I was able to find and knit with that for the evening. Then, yesterday, I did the same kind of thing. I put the sock and needles in my bag brought it to work-didn't work on it at all- and brought it home. I looked for the loose dpn when I got home and I had lost another one. No clue what happened to it at all.

I've looked around the house thinking that maybe I never put the loose dpn in my bag, but I can't find it (hmm . . . maybe the cats are messing with me and I should look under the couch). I looked in my truck under the sits, in the seats, and all that, thinking that perhaps my bag wasn't always upright and the little bugger slipped out. Not there. I looked this morning here at work next to where I always set my bag. Nothin'

It's a conspiracy I tell you. I think my husband, my dad, and the cats must be in on it. They're telling me that I need to not knit when I should be doing other things.


I mean don't these photos show that these people (and cat) are pure evil:

Dan as a child-the uncanny evilness already abounded in him. Look at those crafty, scheming little hands. He was already thinking of stealing knitting needles. (that explains why there aren't any needles at his parents place)


Sure he looks friendly enough, but he really wants me to finish his vest rather than working on socks that he'll never get to wear.

You certainly can't trust this fellow. He doesn't want me knitting-ever! He just wants his belly rubbed and would like me to make him fried chicken for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

They are the meanest bad guys ever and they must be stopped! Knitting needles beware!

Eye Camel Friday!!!!! Whoopeee! (and some other stuff)

Well, it has come again and Oliver is reeeeeal excited about this one. Okay, maybe about as excited as normal (I'm not really sure because his expression never changes from the one he had when he was originally carved out. Strange, huh?)

We went outside today as one of the many trains that pass in front of the gallery came by, so Oliver decided to sit in one of the flower boxes and watch.

Can't you just see the joy in his little camel eyes?


It's a real train hauling coal. WOW!
(By the way, did you know that down closer to the Twin Cities yesterday there was a train derailment. The train was hauling coal, too, but on a different line. I suppose that we will be having even more trains coming by for the next little while until they fix those tracks.)


The whole thing was very interesting to Oliver, but he is thankful to live outside of town where the sound of the train whistle doesn't wake him up in the middle of the night. He needs his beauty sleep. Train whistles sound nice from a mile away, but when they're just down the block they can sure be bothersome. Just ask the people who live along the tracks.

Here are a few more pictures from around the neighborhood.


Dan (in the back) and my b-i-l heading out onto Butternut Lake for a quick go around.


One of the prettiest views around. I love to walk up here and just look out onto the lake and the fields. (The local volunteer fire department also sends their weather spotters up here because you can see bad stuff coming in real easily from this point.)


This is "Scared Little Kitty." He, or she, (actually it's more likely that SLK is a she) doesn't really care for human company, but puts up with us as long as we don't get too close and keep food in the food dish.


This is Barney (you've already seen a picture or two of him, I think). He's named after Barney Fife from the Andy Griffith Show and he used to have a sister named Thelma Lou, but she didn't make it. You see, when you live on a farm, there are times when people decide to randomly drop off little kittens. This has happened to us a few times. That is how we have our two (not so) male (anymore) cats, Norman and Barney. Norman came to us about 4 years ago in the fall as a very tiny kitten. He had a sister and a brother, too (Squirt and Herman), but they also didn't make it. Barney and his sister came to us 2 years ago in the fall. I get quite annoyed with the people who drop these kittens off with us. (If I knew who they were, I would try to tell them a thing or two about how to make sure they don't have kittens on their property that they don't want) Both times this has happened the kittens have been too young to leave their mothers, so we have had to go to the vet and get milk replacer for them because they don't know how to eat regular cat food. Plus, at this age they are extremely susceptible to disease. Norman's siblings were a little weaker than him and died from either distemper or another cat ailment (they had probably already been exposed before I was able to get them their shots) and Barney's sister just couldn't figure out how to eat.

. . . But I have a real soft spot in my heart for animals (especially, kittens). I guess it comes from being the only girl in my family growing up and playing by myself most of the time. One of my favorite things to do was to go down to the barn in the summer and find the little nests of kittens in the haymow. I mean, I like dogs, horses, sheep, rabbits, gerbils, mice, and the list goes on and on, but golly-gee-whiz cats are a whole lot of fun.

Well, anyway-have a good weekend!