Oh, it’s been months since we’ve had a good thunderstorm! When I woke this morning the sky was gray and I could see the approaching dark grey clouds moving in from the west. I checked the radar on Intellicast and saw the band of rain approaching. Yay! We need rain so badly! When you haven’t had rain for sooo long it is a novelty, so I grabbed my camera and went outside. My favorite time is right before the storm starts.
Look at how dry our yard is! We really need a good soaking.
It looks cozy and warm in our kitchen . . . and in my studio. Do you see Gina all dressed up in “Calico Cutie”? My dolls usually get a day or so to wear the things that I make. Then they are naked again, and waiting for the next one.
As I’m writing this post I’m listening to the cozy sounds of rumbling in the sky and watching raindrops hitting the pool. (My studio overlooks the pool and deck.)
Here are some other things that are going on around here. My husband is in the process of power washing the deck. On the recommendation of our tree trimmer we got a heavy duty power washer to clean our VERY dirty deck. Look at the difference!
Our pool is extremely old, so we don’t want to put a lot of work into the deck, but the power washing helped make the deck feel like new, well almost. My husband got quite a lot cleaned yesterday. I love it! My view from my studio is greatly improved.
Yesterday morning I spotted this chipmunk right outside my studio window. In the 8 years we have lived here this is the first chipmunk that I have ever seen on our property. I assumed that they stayed away because of all of feral cats roaming around. Isn’t he/she cute!
Sorry, for the poor photo quality. I took these through the window and cropped them. The chipmunk was pretty close to the house though; I had the wrong lens on my camera. Can you tell I love the little critters?!
On Friday I was working on a crocheted beret for the Little Darlings. It looks cute on Alice, but I think it is a little small. I will use it for either Millie or Ann Estelle/Patsy. Another day I will crochet another one for the Little Darlings, but make it a little larger.
I ended up knitting Alice a beret in the same yarn that I used for the sweater; I like it much better. I hope to have that outfit to show you soon.
The sky is already brightening, and I see a bit of blue out west. Hope you have (having) a beautiful Sunday!
Bye for now!
Cindy Rice Designs 
It is very hot here and my husband waters the garden and the flowers every day!
Your photos are beautiful!
I love the little chipmunk, he is very cute!
Congratulations to your husband, the deck is very clean!
The beret is very cute!
Have a sunny afternoon!
Hi Catherine,
No more rain for you in France? It seems like you have had so much. We didn’t get much at all; the grass is still brown and crispy. It always feels so nice when things get cleaned up, but it is never ending. Thank you for the compliment on my crocheted beret. Patsy has claimed it as her own. It looks the cutest on her, and she knows it. Hope you are enjoying the new week.
Love your through the window pics. So funny to see the weather on the computer. Glad you’re getting some rain. Can sympathize with the lack of rain.
Don’t get me started on the chipmunk. Oh well, one of my childhood pets was a chipmunk. That and Pretty Boy the parakeet. My advice, don’t get one! Guess my parents didn’t have Google to check on pet types, ha ha, but it was so cute in the cage. Only way you could get it out was with leather gloves because it bit! And made nests and covered up so you couldn’t see it at all. Fun pet. One day it escaped. Ran into our fold out guest couch. My father literally had to take the couch apart to get the thing out. Good thing he was an engineer. It went to the pound the next day. But, luckily, there was someone there to adopt it right away. I certainly did not miss it. Cute to look at though.
Hi Joy,
The rain was here and gone way too quickly. The grass still looks the same. I’m not going to complain though, love to see the sun, and the grass always recovers. You had a pet chipmunk??? Do you mean a guinea pig? Chipmunks are wild animals, no? I like the little critters . . . as long as they’re outside. All of that hiding in the furniture and chewing things up would get to me. Your Pretty Boy parakeet was cute. Parakeets are easy to take care of and fun to watch and interact with.
Not a guinea pig. A real chipmunk, just like your pic. They were available in pet stores in the 50’s. Very cute but not as pets, speaking from my experience. I have a friend who had a racoon as a pet. Wouldn’t advise that either. Another story…
Oh my goodness! That would never go over these days. Raccoons are not a critter that I ooh and ahh over. Those sneaky little masked faces; I don’t trust them at all. lol! . . . still can’t get over the fact that they sold chipmunks in the pet store.
Gostaria tanto de ter uma boneca!
Hi Rosangela,
I do not sell my dolls. They model the clothes I make. Eu não vendo minhas bonecas. Eles modelar as roupas que eu faço. Here is a link to the page on my website where you can see who sells these dolls. Aqui está um link para a página em meu site onde você pode ver quem vende estas bonecas.
http://www.cindyricedesigns.com/faq.html
I love that time right before it starts pouring and your photos captured it well.
And the views from the deck into the house – everything looks so cozy
Hi Susan,
Thank you. Our thunderstorm came and went much too quickly. We didn’t get much rain at all, but the buildup before the storm was a nice way to start the day. I’m happy you enjoyed my photos. Thanks for commenting.