November 1st

All Saints Day.  In case you didn't know that, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints_Day  -- but y'all probably know that already!

It was a very quiet All Hallows Eve yesterday.  No trick or treaters - not allowed in my apartment building - and no fireworks in my neighbourhood.  Miss Boots approved of the peace!

Finally heard the dreaded "S word" (snow) in our local weather forecast ... possibly middle of next week.  Knew it was going to happen soon, but I'm really enjoying the autumn leaves and hate to see that end!

One of my most favourite fall activities ...
Scuffing through fallen leaves!

 Here's another favourite thing ...

... spotting cute little lemon yellow cars!
(I don't drive anymore, but I could have
been persuaded to drive one of these!)

 This one NOT one of my favourite things ...

... spotting these window washers going up UP UP
the side of a downtown building ... made me quite
QUEAZY!

Can you tell I don't have anything terribly new or exciting to blog about this week????

Socks and Shoes

Yup.  My feet are in 'em.

Hear that faint voice?
That's my muffled toes trying to yell "No!  No!  Not 8 months of foot wear again!"

 As much as I dislike colder weather necessitating socks and shoes, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the autumn colours!  I swear I could die this winter and go out with a smile on my face thinking "it was the most beautiful autumn ever"!

That's my morning bus ... waiting for me!
LOVE the colours behind the bus shelter!

Just look at the amazing colours running down the centre of the avenue!  Same kind of tree, but each one unique!

And the size of the wild rose hips!  Wow!

It's been very foggy the past 10 days or so.
This was a fairly clear day - some days it's been like pea soup, you could barely see beyond your own nose!

The last rose(s) of summer?
Even these roses are spectacular in colour!

 On an entirely different topic, I thought I lost Miss Boots this past week!  Let me tell you, I was just HEART SICK!  I just plain do NOT want to imagine life without Miss Boots!

This is our balcony railing.
Those are the frozen remains of a late Morning Glory vine on the right.

This is our balcony railing ... and the balcony railing belonging to the apartment next door to us. 
That stucco wall between the two railings is 10 inches thick.
That's like ... um ... 25 centimeters in Metricspeak?

 You need to remember that our apartment is 3 floors up ... as in a LONG WAYS DOWN should you happen to fall!

You also need to remember that Miss Boots is an indoor kitty who has regular "manicures" to keep her claws short and my furniture in one piece.

Miss Boots and I were both out on the balcony about 8:30 pm, enjoying a last cup of tea and surveying "The Queendom" to make sure all was peaceful for the night, when my phone rang.  It happened THIS fast ... 3 steps inside to pick up the phone and I heard a frantic scrambling ... turned my head and NO CAT!

I grabbed my flashlight and peered over the balcony railing ... expecting to see a broken kitty lying on the ground ... but NO CAT!  So I ran downstairs (in my jammies and flip flops), around to the back of the building, thinking she was so scared that she just RAN in whatever direction she landed, and thinking about the pair of fox and the bear that frequents the green belt behind our building that would enjoy a quick snack of domestic kitty!

I spent an entire hour (in my jammies and flip flops) peering into every bush, every clump of grass, calling and calling ... and NO CAT!  Finally, with frozen toes and tears, I headed back in.  The hopeful part of me thought MAYBE she didn't fall, that she was still on our balcony, maybe hiding under the BBQ, so I shone the flashlight up the side of the building ... AND HEARD A VERY PLAINTIVE LITTLE meow.  It took a while, but I finally caught the reflection of her big green eyes in the balcony next door ... so I raced back upstairs, out onto our balcony, and CLIMBED ONTO OUR BALCONY RAILING.  No, I wasn't THINKING ... I was on adrenaline "must rescue kitty" mode!  I know, I know!  No lectures please!

She was crouched back against the wall, and NO amount of calling or cajoling was convincing her to come anywhere near the balcony railing!  Naturally, or maybe fortunately, the neighbours were not home ... and being Canadian Thanksgiving, might not be home for several more hours.  I didn't know if she was hurt, but I knew I couldn't leave her there.  Eventually, I managed to swing one of my dining room chairs over onto the neighbouring balcony and then coaxed her up onto the chair.  Once on the chair I could reach around that 10 inch stucco wall to grab her and bring her back.  Then I had one heck of a time retrieving my chair!  It was about that point that I realized I was hanging off my balcony railing (in my jammies and flip flops) 3 floors above the ground!  And I'm scared of heights!

"Not going out there.  Nope.  Not EVER again!"

 A week has gone by, and Miss Boots is still rather uninterested in the balcony.  She wasn't seriously injured ... just one scraped paw pad, probably from trying to catch a grip on the stucco.  No hu-moms were injured either.  Phew!

Since Miss Boots became an EVEN MORE INDOOR cat this past week, she decided the best place to be was in the hu-mom's lap.  And what can be better than a hu-mom's lap?  Why, a hu-mom's lap underneath some cozy knitting!  With her ... ahem ... "assistance", we finished this 72 inch long kid mohair and silk shawl.  It's hanging over a curtain rod in this picture ... I spritzed it generously to block it and bring up the fuzzy halo of the mohair.  I've already given it away, but I think I want one for myself now.

Have a great week y'all!  Enjoy the autumn colours ... and keep your cats safe!

Falling Leaves

Have I mentioned this is one of my FAVOURITE LYSes these days???  If not, let me mention so now!  They have an ever-growing selection of goodies for yarnaholics like me (yes, I confess this openly!) and are just plain fun to visit.  And visit I did yesterday afternoon.

Check them out on Facebook ...

 You see, these fun and very wise people give their customers these wonderful cards ...

Two 'smooches' towards my next big project already!

 I've been knitting socks all summer and fall, collecting 'smooches' bit by bit, and finally decided to use my 20% off for enough Galway Heather wool to do a cozy cardigan for myself.  (Sorry, no pix of the wool ... camera battery sputtered out ... next time!)  The Galway is a lovely stormy turquoisy blue.  Not as dark or grey as these clouds ... more like a clear but broody lake at the beginning of winter.

Ah!  The colours!  The golds and greens!
My FAVOURITE time of year!

 This has been a SPLENDID October!  A nice gradual slide into freezing temperatures accompanied by a GLORIOUS display of autumn colours.

This pix is looking from my 3rd floor balcony ...
geraniums still blooming bravely a week ago  ...
cottonwoods turning to gold in the distance.

 After a few nights of minus 5 degrees there isn't quite so much colour to admire.  Leaves are dropping fast.

One single marigold on my balcony ...
poor brave little thing just won't quit!
Looks like Rhonda the Flamingo is saying
"time to fly south, you foolish little flower!"

As always, I've truly enjoyed my little balcony garden ... especially the fresh herbs ... all summer and fall, but it's officially finished now.

Lemon Balm can't survive minus 0 temperatures.

While I look forward to cooler temperatures (can't imagine any more how I ever survived Okanagan Valley summers!), Miss Boots is NOT a fan of the chill ...

Hey!  What's that mysterious lump under that afghan?

Miss Boots:  "Do you mind?  It's warm and cozy under here!"

Every fall, I admire the autumn colours and wish for some creative way to capture their glory and preserve it to enjoy during other seasons.  I can't paint, so that's out.  I've tried quilting with little pieces of autumn colours ... but truth be told, I'm not that big of a fan of tiny fabric pieces, especially when it comes to matching corners perfectly!  I've thought about knitting, but have never been able to come up with a suitable design to do all the amazing shades of autumn justice.

Until yesterday.

Did I mention that my latest favourite LYS is above a book store???  How convenient (for bookaholics like me)!!!  Even better, said book store has a delightful little coffee shop!  Naturally, after spending my 20% off upstairs, I HAD TO stop downstairs for a gander at the books and a refreshing soy chai.    

I found (and of course bought) this book.
Yes, I have a rather large knitting library ...
and yes, it keeps growing!
Yarnaholic/bookaholic, remember?

I happened to flip the book open to a random page, and this is what I saw ...

Fair Isle knitting designs BASED ON AUTUMN LEAVES!!!

This really is a great book.  Not only is the author a Shetland Islands "local" with "inside" understanding of Fair Isle knitting ... she has included all kinds of fabulous technical information, including tackling those frightening steeks.  I'm really looking forward to exploring me some Fair Isle knitting ... but alas! It will have to wait for my next completed 20% off card.  I still have a few pair of socks to knit, and, of course, my Galway wool cardigan.  I also have an Aromatherapy course to finish over the next two months, and that includes a research paper and final exam.

This working for a living seriously gets in the way of all the fun things I'd rather be doing!

Miss Boots:  "Seriously, hu-mom!  This studying and stuff
sure gets in the way of all the fun things I'd rather be doing!"

Cheers, y'all!

Weekends

LAST WEEKEND I was out and about.

First thing Saturday morning, I dropped in for my favourite radio station's open house.
Radio hosts NEVER look like you imagine them!

The open house was REALLY a jam-packed place ... lots of people!  I enjoyed chatting with the hosts and various other acquaintances, but eventually gave up on fighting my way through the crowd to the free coffee and goodies.
Fortunately, Tim's was right next door.
Have you tried their new Sun-dried Tomato and Asiago Cheese Bagels?  I highly recommend them!

Then it was off to the Civic Centre ... a short walk from Tim's.
Nice walk.
Leaves falling ... cool autumn air ...

Last Saturday was the annual Mennonite Fall Fair ... a "must not miss" event!

Jam-packed with people in there too!
There were crafts and baking and books and fresh produce and perogies for sale ...

I treated myself to these two pairs of earrings from the "Ten Thousand Villages" shop there.
The ones on the left are teeny tiny embroidery and beads, made in Vietnam.
The ones on the right were made in Kenya from scraps of aluminum pop (soda) cans.

I also bought this ... it's a little pillow with a pocket for a remote.
But the fabric made me remember how often I lose scissors, crochet hooks, etc ... so I will probably use it for that purpose.
Besides, I don't own anything that uses a remote!

I bought this cute little wood ornament ... cuz it's a pig with wings.
Haven't you ever said "Yeah, WHEN PIGS FLY!" ???

Miss Boots:  "A flying WHAT?  Let me see that!"

I exhibited amazing restraint in the used books department and only came home with these two.
"Christy" is a classic.  I think I read that 30 years ago.  I read it again (quick) last Sunday, and enjoyed it just as much as I did 30 years ago.
Interesting how you "get" something different out of a book when you read it at a different time and place in your life, isn't it?
I started reading "One Hundred Years of Solitude" a long time ago too, but lost the book (I think I left it on a bus) and never finished it.  FINALLY, I shall be able to find out what happens!

Speaking of books, if you haven't read "Room" by Emma Donoghue, RUN DO NOT WALK TO GET THIS BOOK IMMEDIATELY!
It's an amazing story told through a five year old's eyes.  The five year old was born to a young woman held captive in a garden shed for seven years.
This book will make you laugh and cry, and then want to read it again!

I wonder what THIS WEEKEND will bring???

HAPPY (Canadian) TURKEY DAY!

September 30th 2011

Did y'all miss me?  Didja?  Didja REALLY???  Well, I'm back!  September is like the beginning of a New Year to me, and I needed to take some time to take stock, re-evaluate, et cetera.  I did that.  And now I'm done doing that.  So I'm blogging again.

I miss being a student.  Well, that's a PARTIAL lie as I am currently an Aromatherapy student.  I'm just not currently an "academic" student as in working on my Master's degree.  To make me feel better about the arrival of September without an "academic" return to studenthood, I made myself a new lunch bag.


I had this GREAT "school days" fabric, but decided it was a little TOO "school days" for a lunch bag to take to work.




So I used an assortment of "pinks" and "coffee prints".  The exterior of the bag consists of fabric strips attached to a solid layer of fabric plus batting in a "quilt as you go" technique.




Once all the exterior strips are attached, you sew the exterior of the bag together.




Then you make a separate lining.  More pink fabric ... with a "coffee" theme.




Then you sew the lining into the innards of the bag and the flap.  Yes, I followed the instructions.  (I don't usually.)




Finally, you add velcro closures.




And ... TA DA! ... Here's the finished lunch bag!  Oh, the big bright pink button on the closure flap was my idea, not in the pattern instructions.  (But I did follow the instructions up to that point!)

  There are some things I would do differently were I to tackle making another lunch bag like this.  First, I don't see the need for the separate lining.  The inner layer of fabric is already nicely quilted.  Perhaps just a lining on the "flap" part.  Second, the carrying strap/handle is currently positioned in a way that puts all of the weight on the "flap" part.  I have visions of the velcro letting go and my lunch scattering all over the place ... not to mention my favourite little glass casserole dish getting broken!  I would move the carrying strap/handle back further on the body of the bag.  Finally ... and kind of related to the lining issue ... I would create internal "pockets" for cutlery.

So what did I pack for lunch the first day I used my new lunch bag?

Homemade buns and a can of tuna.

An onion and a carrot. 

And a fresh peach.
It wasn't a particularly good peach.
I used to live in the Okanagan, so "I know from peaches already!"

 While I had "pinks" sorted out in my sewing corner, I FINALLY got around to making a cushion cover for my rocking chair.  (The cushion had been living in an old pillow case with the end folded under.)


I used the same "quilt as you go" method as I used on my lunch bag.  Notice the cat print and the word "finicky" at the centre.  I couldn't help myself!
Yes, that is "approximately" a log cabin pattern ... but the strips are uneven.  I kind of like things that are slightly off-centre!  I'm like that one little owl hanging upside down at the end of the branch while all the other "good" little owls are lined up right side up!




Looks quite nice on my wood rocking chair, if I do say so myself.



And Mizz Bootz gave it her serious consideration and ultimately her purr of approval!


 Are the fall colours as GLORIOUS in your part of the world as they are here right now?  I wish I could just bottle all those beautiful shades of yellow and gold and save them up to look at over the long winter ahead!  I'll be back soon ...