Coal

 Dear, sweet Kitty Coal. My companion for 16 years. "King of the Cats" since your friend Sammy left us 10 years ago.

Rest in peace.

April 22, 2004 - October 6, 2020

Glad.....

....that I've been able to finish some long-dormant works in progress. Not my usual Primitive/country themes. Or even my gymnasts. Two very "color-complex" designs. The citrus fruits date from 2003.

This seahorse was started in 2007!

Glad to be getting back into drawing and painting. I seem to have a thing for birds.

Very glad my old boy Kitty Coal is still with me. My guess is that he is about 16 years old. Getting a bit skinnier and slower, but he has a good appetite and is surrounded with love and attention.

Glad this beautiful family of Romanian cats have found forever homes. Magda is the most loving, generous and selfless champion of feral and abandoned cats. Please consider a donation to her cause via PayPal.

 Glad the noisy neighbors are taking THIS act on the road.

Glad I'm not a high-maintenance girl. I'm out of conditioner and things are getting...well...a little out of control. Going to "Casino de Wal-Mart" tomorrow. It's always a roll of the dice as to what I'll get in my online order/curbside pick-up.

Apparently "Virus Lockdown" has made the other 90% of the population into bakers, gardeners and crafters too! No luck finding yeast, flour, garden seeds or decent fabrics or threads online. I've even heard that sewing machines are sold out. 

Regular grocery items are pretty much a crap-shoot too. Luckily my brother has been the "outside guy" for me and my dad. Joe fairs a bit better in Ohio, where the lower population density makes it easier to find items.....and also less dangerous health-wise.

It's so pleasant here as compared to Facebook. Had to delete or been deleted by a few friends due to their hoax theory/new world order/zombie apocalypse propaganda. Some were really into it......others just used it as an excuse to be rude.

Glad all the birds are returning to my feeders. The Mocking birds and Grosbeaks are back too!

Basically, I'm just glad I can be GLAD for a change.

Missing....

.....the usual craziness of Life.

As The World Slows Down

Fear, sickness, sadness, anxiety, greed, hoarding, profiteering, rumor-mongering.  It's all out there now. But so is:

QUIET
SOLITUDE
NATURE
REFLECTION
GENEROSITY
KINDNESS

I'm not sure what to make of it all. I know there is only so much of the TV, social media news I can handle. Like many others, I have no job...which for me equals zero interaction with anyone (except my dad).
I get outside for fresh air, but these are fearful steps. Not so much fear for my own health, but for my father. It's impossible to use any sort of delivery service, as all are booked up for weeks. The pick-up option at every grocery store within a 50 mile radius is also fully booked.
Of course I am perfectly capable of going into CVS or ShopRite. If it was just ME that would be fine. I worry for what I will bring home to my dad.
What distracts me? What keeps me "normal"?

The local scenery(as viewed from the car)

Paterson Falls

Edgemont Park

 My wonderful cats.

...and lots of knitting, to the point of boredom. I need to jump back into cross-stitching or working with felt. I find it difficult to keep my attention focused on any particular project for very long.

Stay safe my friends.

Stay strong💖💖

Nothing But Net

My father controls the television 99% of the time. This time of year it's all about college basketball and little else. My ordered list of least hated tv sports:

1. Professional Baseball

2. College Basketball

3.College Football

4. Professional Football

and my least favorite by far

5. Professional Basketball

I'm sure the list could be more exspansive......if he actually watched anything else.

The local team, Rutgers is doing well. Kinda like that big kid from Iowa, Garza. Not gonna quote any stats here. That would be going a bit too far.

I busy myself while the tv is on with various knit and crochet projects. For some reason cross-stitch has fallen off my radar.

Mel with my latest giant cactus crochet. I am obsessed with crochet/knit succulent plants. I found a bunch of patterns on Pinterest and purchased some patterns on Etsy. Planet June has some amazing stuff.

My knitting skills continue to improve. This is my Shadow Cables Sweater. A lovely new yarn from Lion Brand called Basic Stitch Anti-Pill, in Steel Blue(teal). The floral fabric will be a coordinating skirt.

This little guy was created for my sister-in-law for Christmas. For those who live under a rock, like me, he's Baby Yoda.

Another sweater finish from the Summer. Displayed on the balcony of The Flagship Resort in Atlantic City. The Vanilla Bean Sweater

Today is finally Thursday. I look forward to Thursdays more the Fridays, as Thursday is knitting group day at the local library. A chance to chat with people my own age (although I'm the youngest of the group!!!) and share ideas and laugh. Anything other than gymnastics. 

I'm in the midst of a 14-day-straight run of no days off from the gym. It's Championship season. All work, no play and a big competition on Sunday. Travel.....in New Jersey....on crowded highways....

But all about that next post.

Under A New Roof

The roof project has been completed for several months, but just digging this post up from the "drafts" file to finally publish it.

 My best guess is the previous roof was put on in the 1950's! What a collection of miss-matched wood piece and rusted metal. They had to make do with what they could afford or find as scrap. And the heaps of straw/nests/carcasses and droppings found underneath it all!! YIKES!

But Joe did a marvelous job of leveling out the grade.....

with a bit of help from Ollie and Sparky

.

The finished product became the subject of my first painting in over 20 years. It is displayed as the blog title photo above.

While I continue to live under my father's roof, I know this shiny new green roof waits for my next visit.

So, This New Year's Thing........

My least favorite holiday EVER. Because:
1 It's association with copious amounts of drinking.
2. Anything after 10p.m. I find completely exhausting
3. Resolutions and unrealistic expectations
and
4. Those incredibly depressing "look back at the year" lists of all the death and destruction rendered upon this Earth.

Not a very perky 'Welcome to 2020' post is it!?  I don't even like the look of those numbers all run together. Now, 1920, there's something I could relate to. I am lucky enough to be spending New Year's day at my beloved house in Ohio, with my beloved Joe. We lost our sweet cat Mocha on 17 December so the house is just not the same. Sparky, Ollie and Ellen and still with us here. Ollie and Ellen have moved inside completely. Just can't seem to get Sparky to come inside though.

Mocha April 2003-17 December 2019

Busying my mind (and hands) with the usual knitting and stitching. If you notice the new header picture, I've also returned to my drawing and painting. Joe has taken up drawing too! On our 9 hour ride here from New Jersey last week I had the profound moment of listening to Tchaikovsky on Spotify while Joe was sketching in the passenger seat. About as close to a Victorian romantic moment as I'll ever get!

So no resolutions for me. Getting back to blogging (and away from Facebook) is about a committal as I'll get in that department. I'm fat and old and most like will continue on that path!!