sew sew silver

 Expletives flew out of my mouth, I stomped my feet in fury, then stood up and threw the offending item down… yes… I was sewing… and it wasn’t going well. Why do I torture myself doing something that obviously frustrates me so much? I say it builds moral fibre.

In the end though, I got the last of the dog tie-outs/leashes/collar done and am happy with the result. For the collar I took an old chain martingale collar and used bolt cutters to remove the chain (another adventure in frustration). It was (almost) easy to replace the chain with webbing. Unfortunately I made it too long and had to rip out some ugly sewing. In the end it fits perfectly. The bright silver looks awesome on Adia’s red fur.

I LOVE the silver webbing and may have to order another roll to make a long piece for Spike to drag around as well as some belts and bags. Sewing projects swirl in my head (ha ha ha). 

I also made 4 little lumbar support pillows out of outdoor toile fabric to have on the villetta. Some of it is shoddy workmanship but I challenge you to point that out to me! I just might take a swing at you!

We are on the cusp of a wicked heat wave! And by the time supper was done the water was just shy of 74F/24C. I didn’t stay in long but honestly it wasn’t too bad.

Since his haircut Spike has been doing great. He’s been rejuvenated and is perky and running around having fun. Oh, he’s still sleeping for most of the time but when he does get up it’s with pricked ears and bright eyes. I think he’s resigned to being carried up and down the stairs and onto the bed but he cooperates so it’s no big deal for us to help him.

Have you been following the reports about UFO’s? I’m trying not to pay attention as an alien invasion is something I don’t want to think about. I’ve seen ‘Independence Day’ way too many times to think it would be a cordial meeting.

Awesome!

“the satisfaction that comes from a job finished”

“hearing Spike run up and down the hallway”

“a few little tomatoes on the plants in the barrels!”

“the smell of the world as I walk down the laneway - sweet”

raindrops on roses

 This morning I woke up to the sound of light rain pattering on leaves. Oh, such a lovely sound when you’ve just come out of the driest May in over a century. I could almost hear the earth sigh in relief. The rain didn’t last all day and wasn’t nearly enough, but the rain guage was still celebrating the 18mm that did fall.

We were ‘up and at em’ this morning as I had the extreme pleasure of going to the dentist to have a filling redone. Carm dropped me off to do a Costco run and visit his sister - both more pleasant than my time in the chair. It wasn’t actually that bad - Dr. Racicot has the latest technology, including a way to freeze that doesn’t include that huge, horrible needle. 

I don’t get out much in the car so I’ve become accustomed to moving so fast. A trip down the 417 is nerve wracking...

We weren't home for Spike’s afternoon pee break which is when he’s had accidents in the past. I got some ‘belly band’ diapers for him but hadn’t tried them yet, so, with fingers crossed I fastened one around his belly. Would it stay on? It fit around him nicely and by some sort of miracle, it was still on him when we got home. No accident - he was pretty happy to get outside..

Heat wave is starting tomorrow so we’ll be swimming again by the weekend! Hurrah.

I did some sewing yesterday… not the dreaded cushions tho. Instead I fashioned silver nylon webbing into 2 custom leashes. I’ve got one more length left for the camper tie-out but I don't think it’s long enough - might have to order another reel!

Awesome!

“sunlight dappling through leaves will always be a pleasure for me”

“leaves dripping with raindrops”

stalled at Kirsten's

 The title of an old book that I periodically re-read has snugged a place in my mind these past few days. It’s been cool, almost cold, but the mornings: still air, birdsong, and bright sun have hollered out ‘the perfection of the morning’ ‘the perfection of the morning’ over and over again. At 6am I’m ½ asleep but the beauty wakes at least part of my brain. And then I go back to bed...

Saturday we ventured out beyond our neighborhood to pick up some rubber stall mats. These 4’x6’ sheets of rubber will make a great patio for the villetta when it’s parked at Kirsten’s - if the stench of rubber goes away. Since we were closer to Kirsten’s than home we dropped the stack off there and had a ‘distancing’ cup of tea and a scone with K’s family. It was SO WONDERFUL to see them all.

We had the dogs with us. Adia was great while Spike seemed confused and disoriented. Hopefully once we have the trailer there he’ll get a bearing. I know for sure that I won’t be letting him off his leash as he’d likely get lost.

All this after dealing with a poopmagedin before we left Saturday morning… poor Spike was stuck in his crate and had an accident… he trampled it into the blankets, squishing it between his toes. Yikes.

Sunday we assembled the new giant deck box. Seriously, this thing could easily be a spare bedroom! Initially we put it where the old one had been, but it dominated the space so we’ve tucked it in beside the house where it doesn’t loom over the whole deck.

After the construction project we had Trudie & Leo over for a laneway visit. 

Monday I puttered around, not doing much at all, mostly I just moved stuff from one location to another. I’m dragging my butt for some reason but can’t think why I’d feel this exhausted.

Adia loves these days of spending time outside. She noses around with the occasional zoom to burn off that ridgeback energy. She’s good though, mostly sticking around me. I was saying to Carm that for some things she’s a better dog than Bella and Kabira were. Bella would get into hunting mode and would be so focused on her prey that we would cease to exist, while Kabira prefered to lie on the deck (if she wasn’t hunting with Bella). Spike would be hunting too, disappearing quickly if he wasn’t tied up. It’s fun having Adia out with us - she is so full of joie de vivre that it’s hard not to feel a little bit of the same joy.

I folded the piles of fabric but also dug up some pillow filler so I haven’t given up on sewing yet!   

Carm’s tomatoes may have been wiped out.

This morning it was haircut day for Spike (I did Carm the other afternoon). Spike was very fluffy and hot all the time so it was overdue. I didn’t clue into how long his hair was until we were at Kirsten’s. The de-puffing didn’t go well, Carm had to wrestle him the whole time. But he’s done and seems more energetic already. If only he had the mental ability to connect feeling better with getting a haircut. Alas, he does not.

Everytime he shuffles around looking lost and confused my heart breaks a tiny bit more.

Awesome!

“the excitement of going somewhere”

“seeing Kirsten and family”

“looking at where we are going to park the camper for the summer!”

“Adia running around with a big grin on her face”

“realizing that mentally I feel great”

“the awesome flavour of a leaf of arugula plucked from the garden”

“it was a perfect night for supper outside”