Category Archives: Nature

Happy Friday!

I want to say “thank you” to all of you who have been following along with me this past week as each of my girls took their turn to show you their new Christmas ensembles.  This won’t be the end of them.  Hopefully, I will be able to get at least a few more completed during this soon to be hectic season.  I’m not complaining; I love the holidays, but it does get busy, doesn’t it!

Two weeks ago we had some very cold nights and I noticed that one of the feral cats that we feed had nowhere to spend the night.  He is the newest visitor—only being around a year or so.  I noticed he was crouched down in the mulch against the house, at night and into the morning, where the frost could get to him.  I never noticed him outside at night last winter.  After all, Miss Feral has a place; I thought he did too.

His having to be outside all winter without shelter worried me so much.  I looked on Amazon for cat houses and looked at YouTube videos for ideas.  I found nothing that seemed perfect for him, and easy enough for us to do.  I mentioned to my husband about how bad I felt for Morris.  My husband spent what seemed like 15 minutes looking at YouTube videos and found the perfect tutorial!  We went to Lowe’s last Friday night and bought the exact same plastic tub, insulation (ours is a tad thicker), a utility knife, and weather proof duct tape.  That’s all it took!

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I put the house out for him last Saturday afternoon.  We thought it would take awhile for him to trust it enough to go in there.  Nope, he spent the first night in there.  It’s like he was waiting for a house to call his own.  Every time I take the dog out I say “Hello Morris”.  He looks very content, and spends almost all his time in there.

I added his name to the house (with little pieces of duct tape), so the other cats know this is Morris’s house, not theirs.  Ha ha!  After all, the other cats have places to go at night.  Anyway, we were both so happy to make this little guy comfortable, and safe for the winter ahead!

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Our magnolia trees have finally given up and turned.  They still need to drop their leaves though.

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Most trees have dropped their leaves by now.  Winter will be here shortly.  I heard “rain turning to snow” in the forecast.

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The apple tree is almost bare, but this particular burning bush in the backyard is slow to turn, and drop its leaves too.

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The robins are still around.  I’m sure they’ll get out of here before it snows.  That reminds me, I need to get some bird seed for the bird feeder…

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Everyone, enjoy your Friday!

Bye for now! ❤

My Fall Colors

Hello and a happy new week to you.  It was kind of a dreary cozy weekend here in northern Illinois.  However, yesterday was dry and the sun came out a few times for about a minute each, enjoyed those brief glimpses.  Being that it wasn’t too cold, my husband and I went for a walk in one of the nearby forest preserves.  The one we visited yesterday is my favorite; I feel like I am in a fairy tale when I am here.

We don’t get a ton of fall color, even less this year, but the colors we saw yesterday were quite beautiful.  I didn’t anticipate taking photos, but I had my phone with me, so I can share some of the magic with you.

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Instead of the golden arches these are tree arches.

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Make a wish–wishbone tree trunks.

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Aspen trees, says my husband.  I thought these were birch trees.  I didn’t know aspens grew here.  Anyway, the shade of white caught my eye as it stood out from everything else.

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I didn’t realize that oak tree leaves can turn anything but brown.  Now I know they can be beautiful reds and oranges.

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I think fairies must live in this old oak tree.  I may, or may not, have caught a glimpse of one. 🙂

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Whenever I see mushrooms, I must go and check them out; I find them very intriguing.

All in all, it was a good Sunday.  I learned a couple of new things and spent some time out in nature, which is always rejuvenating.

Today, it feels like winter, but the sun was shining practically all day long.  I spent about four hours photographing doll ensembles today.  Now, I will enjoy a cup of tea while I start to edit them.

I hope you’ve had a good day!

 

 

Happy New Week Everyone!

As I’m sitting in my kitchen writing this blog post I see blue jays flying by, each with a peanut in their beak.  My husband filled the bird feeder this weekend.  I daresay they’ve practically cleaned out the peanuts . . . already.

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Look at the shadows!  We have a sunny day!  I know it’s no big deal for some of you, but it’s only the third one since January 14th; and we’ve waited 9 days to see the sun this time.  It’s amazing what the sunshine can do for your spirits!

My weekend work consisted of knitting this cardigan.  I wanted to create a marled effect, and I think it worked out rather nicely.  I held together two strands of yarn throughout; it’s a bit fiddly to make sure you are getting both strands with each stitch.  I got used to the “feel” when made properly, so when I would forget a strand I would know right away and could correct it.

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Knitwear is pretty messy right off the needles, aren’t they?  The sweater is blocking right now, and already looks neater.  I hope to get the dress sewn today.  (Ha ha!  Well, started at least.)  This ensemble will be for Gracie and Talyssa, Kaye Wiggs’s MSDs.

Yesterday my husband and I went to a dog show at the county fairgrounds.  I needed a happiness boost (after all the sunless days), and dogs do the trick for me.  When I saw the golden retrievers I got a little teary eyed though.  It’s been about 8 months since we lost our last girl, and I miss her still.

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You can see goldens are quite popular; at least where I live.  They were all over the place at this show.  A lot of professional handlers were here and each had many of them in their care.

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(Sorry, for the bad quality photos, iPhone and hand shakiness.)  My husband and I both picked number one out of this group of goldens.  They are all beautiful, but the winner had that extra something.

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After watching the golden retrievers, we spent most of our time watching these teensy tiny cuties.

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We are still new to Chihuahuas, so cannot pick out the winners as easily as we can the goldens.  The Chihuahuas are all equally perfect to me.  I’ll take them all!  Ha ha!  My guy wouldn’t be too happy with that arrangement.

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We also watched the corgis go around the ring.  We both were wondering where their tails were.  I Googled it!  The Pembroke Welsh corgis are born without tails have their tails removed a few days after birth, and the Cardigan Welsh corgis have keep them.  (Thanks for the updated information, Judi!)  We also watched the huge mastiffs and St. Bernards (who could miss these two breeds!).  Oh my goodness, those breeds are huge!  I need to be able to pick up my dog, and these days my back says the lighter the better.

Oh, one more thing, this was in my inbox from Kelly at livelaughrowe.com this morning.  I printed out the February calendar and have it in my studio.  These words are so perfect for “now” and  something I want to read every day in February. ❤  I included the link in case you’d like to print one out too.

I hope you all have a wonderful and sunny week.  Thanks for visiting.  Bye for now!