Walkways, Visitors and Laughter

A milestone has been reached in the landscaping project at the front of the house. We now have a very attractive walkway leading to the front steps. I'm quite proud of it, and quite proud of my personal landscaper - kudos to Poppa. It was a lot of hard work, and he did an excellent job........and the project is only partly done at this point. I'll keep you apprised of the progress.

I do believe we are having visitors this coming weekend. It is hard to believe but according to a phone call I received the other evening, Muffy and Pal are coming for a visit! It will be nice to see her - it seems like a long time since she moved "up north". And now, she is coming "down south" on her week-long vacation. And just to make it even better, Munchkin is bringing his parents to visit as well! So I will have my own little family all together for at least a couple of days!

So, while I was cleaning the house in preparation for my weekend of visitors, I realized that I had omitted to show off one of my favourite birthday presents from this year. Auntie Colleen scored again. I'm not sure how well you can see these, but she created some adorable, unique business cards for me! The obvious problem is that I don't really want to give them away! Maybe I can make photocopies! Hee!

Remember Munchkin on safari? Well, he just had to tell Mama all about it. As you can see - they both had a good laugh about it all. The safari did not interfere with Munchie's desire to join the Chippendales though....here he is pumping up to get his body all buffed up for stage appearances. Hmmm.... looking good little guy! Oh yes, not to forget the big news of the day either. Mama phoned me all excited about what a wonderful day it was....I thought she had won the lottery or something. As it turned out, she was sharing an important event with Munchie - he has a tooth! Now we'll watch for little teeth marks on the furniture!

Oh yes - last but not least - here are the finished socks for Mama. I will give them to her when she comes this weekend....and if we are lucky maybe she will try them on and point her toes for us! I think they're kind of cute. I'm not sure what I'll start on next.......guess I'll go look through my yarn stash and try to decide.

Landscaping and Things

Poppa continues to work on the landscaping at the front entrance. It seems to be a lot of work, but I think it will be a definite improvement to the appearance of that area. He has spent a lot of time with a shovel and a lot of time on his hands and knees, but it is coming along nicely.

According to rumour, Munchkin decided to go on safari. He recently acquired a little Jeep suitable for exploring. Next thing we knew he had donned a pair of khaki shorts and headed off to the great Jungle of the Living Room. Daddad followed closely to try and avoid any misadventures.

Meanwhile, Auntie Colleen is still in pursuit of the perfect bee shot, which just happens to provide us with some wonderful views of her flowers. Personally, I don't understand the need to include insects (especially those that sting or bite) in the photographs, but it seems to be an issue of some importance to her. So here is another shot of a couple of specimens from her backyard - one a floral speciman, and the other from the insect family.

By the end of the day yesterday, the landscaping had changed again. Squeegie had gone out to supervise the project, and it seemed to be going much quicker with some direct supervision. I'm quite sure that Poppa was thrilled to have his little buddy out there with him.

And then there is the continuing saga of the jungle safari. It seems that Munchie heard an elephant crashing through the trees. He jumped off the jeep, pushed it over and hid behind it, while he searched rather frantically for his cell phone to call Daddad to come to the rescue. Before he had time to place the call, he recognized the sound of the elephant. It was only Ella, his little pet elephant that he has had since he was just a baby (Hee!), coming to play with him. So he peeked over the Jeep, smiled with relief and welcomed his little friend into his play world.

One last thing. Here is the first sock finished for Mama. Hopefully she approves. I have just finished the cuff for the second sock - but haven't had time yet to get a photo. Thankfully, it looks quite a lot like the first cuff though, so you can imagine it from looking at this picture. It feels nice and soft, hopefully she will find them comfy when they are completed.

Breaking News!

News Flash! After perusing the picture in the "Imagination" post - Munchkin has decided that his short list of careers is going to include an absolutely shocking one. Of course, as his grandparent I have serious reservations about this. Poppa is shocked. I haven't got the courage to even mention it to either of the great-grandmothers. I have no idea how Gramma Mayhew is going to react. Oh dear! This is very troublesome. Mama just laughed when he told her. She said she will give him dancing lessons! I don't think she took it seriously. Daddad is disapproving. Oh goodness. By now, I guess you are wondering what all the hype is about. Well.............let me introduce you to the next (and youngest) member of the famous (or infamous depending on your point of view) CHIPPENDALES!

Summer Time

Wow - it has been really hot for the last few days! It started on Sunday when Poppa and I decided to sit outside for a while and absorb some of that good vitamin D that we really hadn't had much of since Florida! Poppa absorbed way to much and came in looking like a lobster - and still looks a lot like that. On Monday he went down to look after Munchie while Mama visited the dentist. He found the sun feeling awfully hot when he took Munchie to the park. Yesterday, he was still feeling hot and turned on our air conditioning. He had been working on the landscaping at the front of the house, but decided it was just too hot to work outside. However, the landscaping out there is changing.

Last time Mama and Dadad were here with little Munchie, Mama picked some yarn from my sock yarn stash and requested another pair of socks. Since she usually turns the socks down into a cuff, I decided to try a pair of cuff socks for her. Unlike the cuffed socks I made for Auntie Colleen, I actually had a pattern this time....this is the beginning of the first one. I love feather and fan pattern..and like these, but I think if I make another pair I would make the leg section a little longer so the cuff is higher off the ankle. The variegated yarn is Paton Kroy Socks in Burnished Sierra Stripes and the solid yarn is Sock It To Me (from Elann) in Cocoa. Both are 75% superwash wool and 25% nylon.

Mama was telling me that Munchkin cried when Poppa left on Monday. Of course, this made Poppa feel quite important - but it didn't last very long. Mama distracted the little guy with some play-time and yesterday he was feeling his normal, happy little self, looking happy and dapper as usual. He put on a nice apple green shirt that matched the seat in his walker and went for a stroll.

Auntie Colleen seems to be obsessed with bees lately - I wonder if it is due on some level to the amount of time she is spending in the poppy patch? I am not really fond of bees, but here is another picture of a bee that she sent me. It is really a testament to the lure of the poppy - it is so pretty and bright! However, it is noteworthy, that she chose the poppy with the bee in it to become the object caught in the camera lens.

Dadad's Day

I thought you might like to have a glimpse into Dadad's Day - since you had a good peek at Poppa's day. It appears that the day started with a good, hearty breakfast, which Dadad enjoyed with Munchkin. I'm sure they were both feeling full and happy when they were finished.

Then it appears that they went to the park for some good times. Dadad seems to love to play in the grass, and Munchie was being nice to him on account of the special day and played in the grass with him. They crept and relaxed and had a horsie ride and both of them started to get tired. So they went back home, where Munchie read Dadad's Father's Day card to him before stopping for a nap. All in all, I think it was a good day for Dadad.

Here is the picture of the newest bear to settle in at my house. This is the one I promised you a picture of yesterday...and then forgot to put in for you. He is a cutie. I caught him having a long conversation with Squeegie the other day when Poppa was planting his shrub. They seemed to get along quite well.

Auntie Colleen sent a really strange picture yesterday. No pretty flowers. No birds, no bees...........oops - not quite true............Uncle Shaun caught this bee landing at a local produce store parking lot. I'm going to have to drive past and get a live look at this one! Squeegie loves chip truck chips...........maybe I won't tell him about this bee.

Poppa's Day

I think Poppa's Day started on Thursday when we arrived at Munchkin's house and he came dashing up the hall to greet us! He and Poppa had a good time. The little guy seems to require some chasing these days. Since he became mobile under his own steam he seems to find all the things that we would rather he didn't touch and then zone in on them. Toys are often forgotten in the zeal to explore his enlarging world. Mama relaxed for a few minutes and watched Poppa run! If you look closely - you can see she is wearing the socks from a previous blog.



On Poppa's real day, after reminding me that I had chipped in to buy his new pressure washer, he said he would like a new shrub to replace the rosebush that didn't manage to get through the winter. So, after a rather lazy day, lolling in the wonderful, warm sunshine, and then after going out for dinner with the gift card that he got from Mama, Dadad and Munchie, we went shrub shopping. He finally decided on a Rose of Sharon shrub and proudly brought it home and checked it out carefully. An appropriate hole was created, the roots were ruffled up, and the shrub was placed in the perfect spot.


Back to Thursday. After we had been there for a while, the laundry was done, and lunch had been eaten, we noticed that Munchkin was heading back up the hall in the direction he had appeared from. We thought he was going to fetch a toy or something special and didn't pay too much attention. He usually likes to hang out where Mama is, so we were sure he would reappear shortly. Well...those might be Mama's feet at the top of the picture....but that would spoil the story-line...so use your suspension of disbelief.



Back to Poppa's Day. While I was out supervising the planting of the new shrub, I decided to saunter around the property and see if I saw anything worthy of a photo-shoot. I absolutely love the lupins and decided to try getting a nice shot of them - you know - like Auntie Colleen gets of her beautiful flowers. Well..........it didn't work out as I expected, but I rather liked this shot of the area in our yard that I refer to as Poppa's Park, and the lupins are there too! Then I meandered out to the deck at the back and realized that I had not introduced you to the latest addition to my teddy bear collection. (Oops! I missed downloading this pic - it will follow shortly.) This little fellow arrived a couple of weeks ago when Mama, Dadad and Munchie came to visit me. They brought him for my birdthday and he now sits outside the patio doors and smiles at me whenever I glance out that way. Anyway - I digress - eventually the shrub was deemed to be perfectly positioned.

Back to Thursday. After a little while we all started missing Munchie and decided we had better see where he was. Here is what we found! I guess he had gotten worn out with all the extra attention and fun with Poppa and decided to take a nap! Isn't he cute?

Phones and Flowers

Here is a photo of the circle sweater with about 2/3 of an arm done. I'm so pleased with the colours and I just can't capture them well with the camera. But I'm hoping you can imagine them correctly. The centre is a deep burgundy with a very slight variation in the colour - just enough to give it some depth. The centre colour is navy blue. The outer ring is a deep bottle green - a colour I love - but then I love most greens. The outer trim and the arms are a lovely cafe au lait boucle with lots of texture which brightens up the darker colours. I'm hoping to achieve a circle that will go well with a variety of colours, to look dressy or casual enough for blue jeans.

Munchkin was just calling me this morning when Mama turned up with that camera. He lost his concentration and had to start all over again. This caused a bit of a fluff with Mama and he threatened to take her camera away unless she left him in peace for a few minutes so he could call me and have a little chat. He started by telling me that he had to use his cell phone because the land-line wasn't working. He went on to tell me that he wasn't too happy today because he had to go for another needle. According to reports he was very good and only made a bit of noise - until Mama assured him he would be fine. He weighed in at just a few ounces more than his last visit and measured up at 29 inches tall. It appears that this crawling and walking business burns up calories (along with his vigorous exercises - see last post!), but doesn't stop him from getting taller!

Oh yes! I promised I would let you in on my birthday presents. Here is a photographic tour. We went out to look for a microwave stand and found the perfect table and chairs for the tiny kitchen that Poppa made in the basement. Squeegie set up Poppa's little coffee-maker on the table and made coffee for himself and Taffy. He thought it was like a French bistro table. But, we still hadn't found the stand we were looking for. After visiting several stores in our hometown and the larger city nearby, we finally located what we were looking for. So after a long afternoon of reading poorly articulated directions, Poppa finally got it together and put the microwave in it. Quite nice and now I have more space on the counter. Oh wait! The birthday present. See that thing Squeegie is peeking into? It looks just like a large toaster oven - right? Wrong! It is a counter-top convection oven. What a marvelous invention. It is the perfect size to make a dinner for two. Of course, it can be used as a toaster, but we have a lovely little toaster in the kitchen - hiding in the bottom of the microwave stand with the electric kettle. I actually made a whole meal in there the other night. It was sooo fun and in the summer, will keep the upstairs from heating up so much - the basement stays cool!

Auntie Colleen tells me that the picture from my last post is a bridal-wreath spirea - in case none of you had guessed that! I hadn't - until she told me and I sheepishly thought - of course....I have a pink one in my flower bed, but it isn't in flower yet....just buds. This morning I got a lovely close-up shot of one of my favourite flowers. It is a beautiful purple iris just after a rainfall. Of course, this one is at Auntie Colleen's house - but I have some here too. Absolutely lovely!

Addendum

As I expected .... Auntie Colleen has sent the information which had escaped me. The flower from my last post is a primrose, Uncle Shaun did indeed capture it's delicate beauty, and it is not growing in their backyard - but rather in a spot where he was strolling with Murfee, the famous Canadian Canine Calendar Cutie!


Have you ever wondered how models stay in shape? Here is an inside scoop! This is the Canadian Male Munchkin Model doing his strenuous exercises under the close supervison of his personal trainer. He appears to be putting forth a good effort, and his trainer appears quite pleased with his progress. And his exercise outfit is absolutely the thing for Munchkins to be wearing this spring! The shirt is a bright emerald green, while the trousers sport black-and-white stripes highlighted by an elastic waist in that same bright green, complimented by a cuff at the ankles , again in the lovely emerald green shade. (Outfit compliments of Gramma.)


I think I forgot to mention that we got together with Uncle David for breakfast one day last week. The two brothers had a good time chatting over eggs and sausages. I had a good time listening. Squeegie and Taffy waited in the car.


Here is Uncle Shaun's picture of the day today. This time I have checked and the flower is not identified. So, if you don't recognize it.....let me know...and I will double-check with Auntie Colleen and give you the information. Another lovely picture. We should have given cameras to the two of them a long, long time ago! If you look carefully, you can see Auntie Colleen's emotion when she laid eyes on this photo!

A Miscellany of Things

The weather was very nice on the weekend. Warm enough that Mama and Daddad got Munchkin all dressed up in something cute so they could go out exploring the world. So - here he is - the Canadian Male Munchkin Model showing off a cute little plaid sunsuit/romper in the latest hot colours for little boys. I know - he isn't exactly in the best position to show off the outfit, but take note of the way his blue eyes are enhanced by the bright blue in the sunsuit. I think it is a very good colour for him.

Because some of you have expressed some doubts about the circle with arms - here is a picture with the first arm started so that, hopefully, you can get an idea of how it works. I wonder if I should put it up for grabs when I get it done??? I seem to get good results that way. It is going well, and if I quit typing and start knitting I should have it finished by some time next week.

Good grief! I am trying to figure out what on earth this thing is; what is going on in this picture; what will the consequences of this event turn out to be; whose hands are those? I think the little outfit looks familiar. Could that be our precious, pristine, adorable little Munchkin?

Another shot from the magic camera at Auntie Colleen and Uncle Shaun's place. I can't remember which of them took this picture. I have it in Uncle Shaun's file, so I suspect he is the culprit. I also can't remember what kind of flower this is or where the picture was taken. I will assume it is in their back yard and I'm sure Auntie Colleen will correct me if I am wrong. Regardless of my old-timers' memory - I think this is a beautiful flower and a delight to see at this time of year when we are all getting anxious for warm, sunny weather - like the weekend just past!

This appears to be another picture of Munchie at a later time of day when the consequences of earlier events became apparent. When did my darling grandson turn into this sticky mess? Why did his parents allow this to happen? Whaaat? They are telling me he loved it and that is supposed to make it all right! Whaaaaat? Oh ok - yes, he looks cute, yes, it looks like he enjoyed it, and YES! He is not at my house in that sticky mess! Now - in fairness to Mama and Daddad - Daddad took Munchie out to the balcony before they gave him the cookie. However, according to Mama, there was cookie everywhere on Munchie and everything he was close to during the cookie experience.........so YES! He is not at my house for the event! I do have a large patio at the back where he could consume a cookie and then get hosed down before he came back inside though! Hee!

Imagination

OK - use your imagination now and picture this circle with arms....yep...that's right, this is the circle sweater just prior to starting the arms. You can see the two openings where the arms will be added. I am doing them in a lovely beige boucle - the same one I used for the final few rounds of the circle - which doesn't show up too well in the picture, unfortunately. But - it will show up better when I get the arms on. I had a lot of fun making this, but before I do another one, I think I will get an even larger circular needle. I want to make another one using a lot of left over yarn from my stash - since, as you can see, I just kept knitting in the round until I ran out of that colour and then started another one - excellent way to use up some of those odd bits that I can't match any more.

We went for a visit to Munchkin's last Thursday and stayed with him while Mama and Daddad went out for dinner. Unfortunately for us, he slept the whole time they were gone! But we had a nice visit and I thought I would put this picture here for you to admire our Canadian Male Munchkin Model doing a stint for the diaper company - yes he still works for them. I imagine he will for quite some time yet as he does such a good job and looks so cute wearing their product. Mama phoned the other day - quite excited - after eight months of getting up during the night - our little Munchkin actually slept all the way through the night! Of course, Mama spent the last few hours of the night worrying about whether or not he was all right in there, so didn't actually get any extra sleep - but it bodes well for the coming weeks anyway!

Now for the pretty part of the post - here is a shot of Auntie Colleen's opium-producing portion of her garden. This is a beautiful poppy - it must be the season of poppies as you can see this one is just gorgeous. We hear so much about the drug aspect of these flowers, that we often forget how lovely they are. I remember poppies growing at the back of our farmhouse when I was a child - next to the outside cellar entrance - they looked a lot like this one!