Rita's Ramblings: a basically house-bound woman in Fargo, North Dakota blogging for friends, family, and anybody who finds it interesting. I talk about art or craft projects, my grandson (Ian), the weather, movies, books, health, and whatever happens to be going on in my life. Welcome!
I forgot to post my favorite photo of Ian when he was opening presents...contemplating the one duck going up and the other duck going down. :)
I had to let you know the good news about the injured goose!
Calls had been made to various places to no avail. BUT--someone who lives here has relatives on a farm. They came, captured the goose, brought him to the vet (who said the wing should slowly heal and he should probably be able to fly south for the winter), and they brought him to their farm. He is loving it there and eating well. :) So he has a home if he never wants to leave, but should be able to later on if he wants to. I was soooo happy to hear that. He's safe! Has a permanent home if he needs it. Whoohoo!!
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We have had some light rains and drizzles and even brief heavier rains occasionally.
Yet the grass is turning brown. Really need some soaking rain. I water the flowers almost every day and they are still thriving.
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Annie is so happy her spinner toy is here and plays with it at least a little while every day.
She is doing okay. Some days she is out more. Some days she sleeps more. (True rest requires the safety of being under the bed.) Since I picked her up and put her on the chair she trusts me less--LOL! I think she just didn't know what I was up to and it was something new, you know. She must not have liked it because since then I haven't been able to get close to being in a position to pick her up...or brush her, even.
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But she's out quite often and almost sleeps in her bed near me at night while I watch TV. (She's caught on to the fact I can't get out of the chair quickly and the chair makes noise so she always has warning time to get away--ROFL!) She does love to have me wear her out with string toys, though. Annie seems much more comfortable after a few weeks. She loves her CatTV. We are getting along well. :)
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I have slowly been using the baby steps method to get some sewing done. Took me all week to finish these first five liners for myself to try--various sizes, colors, and fabrics. All set for Leah to add the snaps on Tuesday. (She has stronger grip for the fastener than I do.)
Looking forward to a Craft Night as we haven't had one since June. :) I have missed them! I have been spoiled seeing Leah once or twice a week there for a while. That was going to change soon, regardless. But it will be nice to see her another time or two before the approaching McBaby arrival will put an end to craft nights for a while.
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Next on the assembly-line are eight purple liners for Leah. (Those are the tops and bottoms lined up for the next step.)
I am thrilled with having more space to move around in the studio now.
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Anyways, the guy is driving past on the rider mower. 80 degrees--sun filtered through thin clouds. Annie's napping under the bed. I am still on very low gear, but push myself past the daily tasks to take an extra baby step or two every day on the sewing project. Those small steps do add up. :)
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Hope you are having a beautiful day.
Life is good. :) :)
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"Today is only a small manageable segment of time in which our difficulties need not overwhelm us."
Thought I'd show you how the flower planters are doing.
This one front planter is the sparsest. Lost a few plants on this one because it got the brunt of the wind in the storms, I think.
But they're all looking good I think.
I had problems getting my pics off the cell phone, as you know, and lost all my past pictures off of OneDrive. I did it somehow. Deleted them from cyberspace. Probably right clicked by accident because I am always doing that on Mr. Rusty.
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So, I have a few older pics. This was back when I was working on the color swatches for the bullet paper.
Not that long ago...making rectangles.
One day we had a good 25-30 geese come through. Most of them were over on the lawn of the other apartments across the way, but a few of them passed by on our side. (This will be important in a bit.)
I finished all my testing of pens, pencils, crayons, and markers.
The Leuchtturm paper did better than I expected!
I trimmed them top and bottom a bit so that they fit nicely in the back pouch and so that I can transfer them from bullet to bullet.
This is the new A5 size turquoise bullet I started in July.
I am loving my new weekly spread!!
For those of you who weren't around a few years ago...this is the red leather fauxdori (half-page size) I made.
The leather was pretty thin (bought on Amazon). So thin I had to use an iron-on interfacing to try to stiffen it up a bit. I made my own inserts for it--writing paper and drawing paper. Haven't used it much, to be honest.
Also made this smaller fauxdori--which I use all the time.
This one is Field Note/Word notebook size and I use this one for financial stuff. Budgeting, wish lists, etc.
I actually bought this one--which is also kept next to my chair.
Same small size for 5.5 X 3.5 notebooks. I use this one to keep track of books and TV shows and movies. (Hey--I can't always remember which season I am on--LOL!)
My daily journals I have shown you not long ago...but I was taking pictures and thought I'd tell you about my morning routine.
The five year "Some Lines A Day" journal is the first quick entry in the morning. I draw in the weather I see out the window and keep track of the weather predictions (put in the day before) and the current temp. Might be interesting to compare five years from now.
The next thing is my writing journal. Blank Nanami Paper "The Standard" A5 size 480 thin Tomoe River paper pages. Love this notebook!!
I use a writing guide and it is fountain pen friendly. Started January first this year and I am about a third of the way through. I rotate my fountain pens and use a different color ink every day. Some days I barely write (sadly, I do have those quite often) and other days I write a page or two.
Love-love-love my Standard!! Got the faux leather cover ($16) and just love that, too. So soft!
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When I am done with the writing journal it is time for the Bullet--where I review what I did the day before and plans for the day. Finally--time to hit Mr. Rusty to check email, read blogs, and watch a few youtube videos. That's my morning routine seven days a week.
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Of course--that's once I get to the table. Before that my routine has changed a bit this summer. First I head outside to check the flowers and water if they need it. I change the bird water dish every day. Then an old familiar routine is back--scooping the litter box, adding dry food to the dish, and getting fresh water for Annie. Getting my red thermos of coffee is last before I hit the books--LOL!
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Miss Annie is getting more comfortable. She is out more now during the day. Even catches a few rays now and then.
The enticement for being out during the day has not been my company. It's been the birds on CatTV.
And recently there's been a really big bird.
He's been around here since about Wednesday last week. I have seen other residents feeding him something or other. When he sees me come out on the patio to water he comes waddling up to see if I have anything to feed him. One day I had old tortilla wraps that I cut into small squares and threw out there. He ate some of them, but I think the grackles got the most of them--LOL! **** I spent one day searching through the yellow pages and online...but we don't have any wildlife rehab people up here. Closest ones are down by Minneapolis or possibly St Cloud (they specialize--years ago I drove a baby red squirrel down to Mpls). Anyways, I made up a list of places to ask for help. I plan to bring it down to the office to Pam (our new activity lady) to see if she would call around and deal with it. (I know Nazar wouldn't.) Find out if anyone has called around or if I should try. But I have to catch Pam when she's here. **** Meanwhile...back at the ranch. I've been in a real fibro flare for a couple weeks now. I hate to admit to myself when these flares take over. I optimistically wake up every day expecting to have less pain and more energy. :( But when the days turn into weeks...well, there's no use fighting it. It's just an internal battle, after all, that frustrates me...and I lose anyways. Waste of emotional energy, right? So I just get through the usual stuff one has to do each day...and if I do manage anything extra it has been very little. ****
I did use the botanical line drawing book to draw and color a few flowers and leaves on writing tablets I use for letters.
One day I cleaned 10 fountain pens. Went to fill them and discovered that I can't fill my new TWSBI ECO with a sample vial. It doesn't come apart--so you have to fill it with the plunger--and that didn't work with a little sample vial. Not for me anyways. I learned I will have to use a bottle--a full enough bottle--to dip the nib in and suck up the ink. I am used to using a syringe. Clean and neat. **** This was only one of my turquoise stained hands AFTER I had scrubbed and scrubbed.
That is why I fill with syringes--LOL! And I will only own the one TWSBI ECO. ;) **** Once--a couple nights ago--I picked up Annie and brought her up on the chair with me--and she didn't jump off right away!!
She stayed for several minutes!! Not that she was "comfortable". Look at those ears--LOL!
Yes, I wear wild socks--LOL! **** So, there is hope that she might eventually sit with me on the chair sometimes. I will probably have to pick her up and put her there--but she might stay longer after more time goes by. She doesn't run under the bed when I stand up...well, not usually. She jumps up and runs to a different part of the room or stands in the hallway till she sees what I am up to. But that is progress, right? **** Annie leaps up when I stand up...scared of dangerous me...but she isn't afraid of the injured goose?? And he's huge!
He comes by a few times a day for water. This is Annie's favorite spot to wait and watch for birds.
She moved around..was staring so intently.
I got up to see what riveted her attention (notice Annie immediately ran away).
Our goose friend was parked by my planter--LOL! He rested there for quite a while.
I've seen him stand up and flap his wings so he can lift it up...but it still drags terribly.
I'll let you know what I find out.
Meanwhile, maybe I should google what to feed Canadian geese...and if they can survive up here all winter? Wish I wasn't feeling like such a noodle. **** Oh, I almost forgot! (Fibro fog) I will leave you with a video I finally got off my cellphone!! Really entertainment for mama, daddy, and grandma--but you're welcome to join us. :) **** Note: See that toy on the table? Said three years and up--what a crock! Ian was getting a little tired by the time they left, but he seemed to enjoy the day. We visited, had a meal, and Ian opened presents before they left. He loves water toys. **** Have a peaceful week. :) :) **** "It is enough to be grateful for the next breath." Br. David Steindl-Rast
Yes, got the pictures working again for OneDrive, but lost all my previous pics. Dagan even contacted OneDrive and the pictures are gone if they're not in my trash folder on my laptop. So, we are starting again...with a motley jackrabbit and Miss Annie. She didn't come out from under the bed for about 24 hours...not even any evidence she was out during the night while I slept. But once she did I think Annie was glad that she recognized me...and she loves the patio door.
I already knew Annie will roll around on the floor, nervously licking, if you sweet talk her. But if I would have made a move to get up out of my chair she would have been under the bed before my feet hit the floor. Annie has a love-hate relationship with human attention. ;) It's a trust issue.
She still darts away--but occasionally will stay in the room or the hallway till she finds out what I'm up to. I don't see much of her most days. She was used to hiding all day till Ian went to bed so she usually comes out in the evenings. After two weeks she has started to come out sometimes for a little visit in the morning and/or in the afternoons. (Mostly due to her discovery of CatTV.) But if I am up and down or moving around much--poof!--she's gone. I can pet her a little, so she does remember me from visits and cat-sitting at McFamily's. She is a gentle soul. A scared little gentle soul. ****
It took quite a few days before I found an acceptable spot for her favorite cat bed from home.
Closer to me than I would have thought--LOL! Right across from my chair but near the hallway so she can dart off under the bed whenever life gets too scary. **** Well, this month I got a few books that I plan to use to help me with decorating and fancying up my bullet journal (which I haven't started to do yet). For headers--Swash Letter Alphabets (not the greatest, but there are a few I can use). Draw 500 Fabulous Flowers (okay--because it came first I started to use it on writing tablets to a couple "guinea pig" pen pals--LOL!).
Botanical Line Drawing!
I know this book is going to be my favorite because it has step-by-step drawings for people like myself who aren't imaginative or overly talented but can follow simple directions. ;) I am looking forward to playing from this book! **** Last week I got one of those out-of-the-blue-as-waking-up-GA-things to switch the tables in the studio. (You people who know me well know what those are.) I didn't think it would work and was feeling so tired...but nag-nag-nag...so I finally got out a yardstick (to prove him wrong) and it looked like it would fit to switch them--duh!
So, I took an afternoon to switch the tables--and I LOVE IT!!!
I have a more spacious art table under the window with the black table there...
...and so much more room to walk around the smaller table (former art table--now sewing machine/catch-all table replacement). There was never enough room for Leah and I to work in here together in the first place. Just plain not a big enough room. So the center table was only used for the sewing machine...and, as I confessed, a catch all when the sewing machine is put away.
I can hardly wait for Leah to see how much more room there is in here--just to stand and do die cutting on the Vagabond!
Thanks, GA! :) **** Then I tried out the new arrangement sewing diaper liners for Ian. Got those done so that they could take them with on their vacation (left today for a McGregor reunion of sorts--Dagan's brothers and their families visiting). **** I haven't seen Leah this month because she got sick--Ian, too--and then they were getting ready to leave and packing. Probably won't have a craft night again till end of July. Dagan came by to pick up the diaper liners and to help me with OneDrive. He brought over Annie's favorite toys--a string toy and this ball spinner thing she loves. That was the happiest I have seen her since she moved here. :) She's played with it every day since. **** BUT--CatTV...
...now that is something new and exciting!
I guess I am going to be feeding the birds some this summer after all--LOL! Just because I get such a kick out of Annie watching the birds.
And...since there have been a couple/few thirteen striped ground squirrels coming all summer to stop and drink water on their way to gather stray bird seed from the people who have bird feeders out anyways...
...my feeding them a little won't make me solely responsible if they are trapped and killed, you know?
You may notice that it was so hot out that the ground squirrel was lying flat on its belly to eat the bread crumbs and oatmeal I put out. Annie remained frozen...and I never noticed that the tip of her right ear is missing. Frostbite or attack when she was a street cat in her youth??
Well, I guess I need to buy some more bird seed--LOL! I need some of the no mess or no waste seed so I don't have any shells underfoot in the summertime. ****
Anyways, I am back--with photos!! It's a gorgeous, cooler (67 F), clouded over day where I've been able to have the place opened up all day long--ahhh! Annie has loved it and been out a couple times during the day today to spend time at the patio door. :) :) **** Have a wonderful rest of the week!! **** "As the Sun shines upon my heart, so may my heart shine upon others!" The Upanishads
