Heroes

Every once in a while I encounter what I consider to be a real hero.  They do not always appear where we expect them.  They do not always appear the way we expect them.  Today it is with sorrow that I announce the passing of one of those rare heroes.  Auntie Colleen's beloved wonder-dog Murphy went peacefully yesterday.  I know she and Uncle Shaun will miss him - a lot!

Abandoned Things

I am going to start this entry in my blog with a quote from an e-mail that I received from Auntie Muffy.  It goes like this:

"What a lovely Garter Snake you have!  I'm surprised Dad hasn't 'eliminated' it already.  If he has not, keep an eye out for a snakeskin. The cloudy blue eye in your picture would indicate that your snake is ready to shed his skin. If you see him again he should look much darker and shinier in his new skin."

Interesting. 

You know how Uncle Shaun always finds those abandoned beverage cups, all neat and tidy and awaiting his camera?  You know - like this:

Imagine someone stacking these cups up precariously - and just perfectly - so they would not fall over, but would sit there nicely until Uncle Shaun came along.  When we go for our stroll to the donut shop each morning, Poppa and I are always on the lookout for a nice posed cup for my camera to catch.  Well, the other morning, we finally found one, carefully perched on some weeds.

Oh OK - so it's not perfect - so it's not right side up - so what!  It's the best I have been able to come up with and I thought it looked cute there - and I like the texture of the weeds in the shot.  Hee!

I took another picture of Curtis' new blankie which is much more reasonably sized for a little guy.  I tried several angles to get the colours properly, as well as the texture with cables and seed-stitch diamonds.  I pored over all the pictures and I think this one is closest and clearest.

It is difficult to get a good picture because of the mottled colourway, but it actually looks much better in reality than it does in the photos.  It is longer than this now and more pictures will follow.  I think when it is done I will try taking pictures outside in natural light and see if I can get a better shot for you.

Another item of interest that we saw when we were returning from the donut shop:

We've lived in our current home for 17  years.  In all that time, we can't recall the long grass at the sides of the highway being trimmed.  But, as most of you are aware, the planned route of the important people heading to Huntsville, Ont. for the G-8 summit is up this highway.  And these tractors mowing the long grass and weeds along the highway are apparently part of the effort to make Canada beautiful for these influential visitors.  There were actually three of these large tractors with mowers behind them industriously working on this project.

Speaking of tractors and heavy equipment brings to mind our little Munchie.  Remember as an infant when he was always trying to decide what to do when he grew up?  Well, he took a break from all of that to work on motor skills and more recently oral skills.  He is starting to talk more all the time and his ability to ask for a cookie is amazing!  Anyway, he recently started thinking once again of what he might like to do in the far future.  While he and Mommee were out for a walk on the weekend he decided to try out a fork-lift truck that was sitting idly along their route.  He seemed to enjoy it.

On another note - did I tell you that Kev-Inn and Poppa planted four tomato plants in big pots out by the patio?  They did - and those four little plants have grown very well.

Looking good hey?  Poppa came dashing into the house the other day requesting that I get my camera and come out to the tomato patch (I use that term loosely).  This is what they had found:

See the little tomatoes?  The boys were sure excited about those small, green orbs.

Now, back to Auntie Muffy's comment at the beginning of this entry in the blog.  I asked her if she wanted me to save that snakeskin if we found it and here is her response:

"Oh, I doubt you will actually find it - he could leave it just about anywhere out there - I don't know how big a territory those snakes have, although with his vision impaired at the moment he's probably not going far - he just has his tongue to guide him."

Well Auntie Muffy, this photo is just for you.

I didn't pick it up and it has disappeared since we took the picture - so I hope she didn't want it!  We found it several yards from where we got the picture of Slither in the first place.  Poppa has spotted Slither since then - it appears that he/she/it is living in or near the culvert under the driveway - and he/she/it is shinier and darker in colour now - still yuck!

I have started another piece of pink lace.  It is the same pattern as one of the earliest pieces of lace I knitted for Auntie Colleen when I started the Lace Project down in Florida (Diamond Edging from KnitWiki).

As usual, it will be much prettier when it is starched and pressed.  While getting this shot and admiring the delicacy of the lace and the colour, I found myself thinking about Auntie Colleen's Picture of the Day that I received this morning.

Beautiful!

Critters and Other Things

We bought some new things.  Can you guess?   Here is Poppa putting the new items into the truck.....

Yes - we all bought new bikes!  The boys got black bikes and I got a pretty blue and white one!  They are 21-speed bikes, but I haven't learned yet how to change all those gears.  I'm working on it though.  Funny - Poppa and Kev-Inn seemed to know intuitively....but not me......it must be a guy thing, right?  Once we got home Poppa fine-tuned them and put on the parcel carriers so Squeegie and Taffy could go for a ride with us. 

Another day, while on our morning walk to the donut shop, we found a few interesting things.  My rose bushes are doing very well.....

Someone had put this item out for large-item garbage pickup.  With little Curtis in mind I stopped and snaffled it.  It is lovely and clean and operating well.   Poppa will fine tune it and do some more minor cleaning and it will work just fine!

Now we have a stroller for each of the little boys.  Of course, Munchie soon won't want to be in a stroller, but probably sometimes he'll get a little tired and take a ride.  And....we also found this speciman.  This photo is especially for Auntie Colleen and Uncle Shaun.  Neither of them will believe that I am tolerating this thing at my place........mind you, if I knew how, I would probably eliminate it immediately!

Ewwwwwwwwww!  I thought Uncle Shaun's slug was bad......then I find this thing in my own front yard!  Eeek!  Thank goodness for zoom lens, I didn't have to get very close!

On a much nicer topic........here is a better picture of the latest lace.  This pattern is called Mlle R de B Scollop (no - I didn't spell that wrong, that's how it is spelled on the pattern) and I found it at knitty.com

At this point,  I think it appropriate to post a photo of a critter that I actually like....

Yes, a much better critter than the previous one.  Photo compliments of Uncle Shaun.

A Truck

Remember that great big present that Granny and Gramps left at our house for Munchie?  Well, last Saturday we decided to take it down to him, since Mommee and Daddee seemed to be very busy and didn't have time to come to our house.  So we drove away from the house - which forced Poppa to take a day off from his work around the house, which I thought was well-deserved since he has it looking beautiful!

We stopped for breakfast along the way, and in due time arrived at Munchie's house with the big parcel.  It didn't take too long (with a little help from Poppa) and the big box was all unwrapped - Munchie took a little tour around it to make sure all the paper was off, while Poppa went to the kitchen to get something sharp to cut the tape of the seams and find out what was inside.

Oh - how exciting that box was.  Munchie loves trucks and this one was BIG!

And it has a ladder!  And there are blocks inside it, with little spaces on the side to put more blocks, and it went round and round the living room and kitchen, and it was hard to decide what to do next with it, so it often stopped in the middle of the room so a block could be moved, or the ladder adjusted - and I got lots of pictures, but a lot of them are blurry since I couldn't get Munchie to stay still long enough to get a nice clear shot!  And then, just to make it even better, it came with a huge bag with even more blocks inside!

Poppa and Munchie got together and started a project with all the blocks....

Then the phone rang - it was for Daddee.  Oh Dear!  Daddee was on call and had to leave unexpectedly.  Shortly, with a smile and a wave he headed out the door.

In an effort to distract Munchie, Poppa offered him a chance to sit inside the big box that the truck had arrived in.  This seemed to take his mind off the reality of Daddee leaving and soon he was settled in, reading Squeegie a story.

Soon the story was done, and next thing I noticed was Poppa helping Munchie put his shoes on.  Now what's up?

Apparently the living room just wasn't big enough for that fire truck, and it was necessary to take it down the hall in order to enjoy it to the max.  So off they went.

While they were off pushing the big truck down the hall, Mommee, Curtis, Squeegie and Taffy relaxed and took in a little TV.

And, presently, Poppa and Munchie came back from their excursion with the big truck.  Munchie took a quick peek to see what was on TV.

He decided that he was more interested in what Poppa was doing.  And this is what they did together!

Once the construction project was completed, we took the bears and headed back home.  We had an enjoyable visit and we hope Munchie enjoyed it too.

Meanwhile I have finished that piece of lace I was working on and added it to the growing collection of pieces needing to be starched and pressed.

And, then, of course, I started a new piece.

Hee!  I just had to use the new camera to get a close-up, close-up picture!

Blankets

Here is the blanket I originally made for Curtis.  Let me explain.  This is a 3/4 size bed which means it is 48" x 72".

Now that is waaaay too big for a little tiny baby, so obviously Curtis will need a smaller blanket for when he is new.  Ergo, Poppa and I checked out yarn when we were out shopping, and Poppa liked this yarn for a small, normal-sized baby blanket for little Curtis.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, here is a close-up of the large blanket, just to show off the detail.

I especially like the little truck!  Hee!

I went outside with the new camera and discovered that the roses are blooming...

I know - it looks Photo-Shopped, but I don't have that program and didn't do anything to this picture.   Also, the peonies are starting to open.....

Now that is beautiful!  Oh yes, and the orange lilies are getting ready to bloom.....

and Poppa is still looking rather handsome......

.... the End.

Another Birthday Present!

On the weekend Poppa, Kevin and I went out to do a bit of shopping.  We ended up at Future Shop, and Poppa bought me the most wonderful, blogful birthday present!  Here it is:

Of course, I could have gotten a better, clearer picture if I had been able to use it, but I had to take the picture with the old camera, so it isn't as clear as it could be!  I'll still carry the little camera with me everywhere, but take this one on walks and trips!  How fun!  And - I should be able to get much better pics of the lace and other hand knits too!  (Not to mention pics of Munchie!)  Thank you soooo much Poppa!

And for Mommee, here is a picture of the huge parcel sitting in the "toy room" awaiting Munchie's arrival.  It was left here by Granny and Gramps last weekend, and Poppa is terribly curious!

And, ummmm, I finished the blanket for Curtis - and I started another one.  More to follow on that.

Picture of the Day???  Oh my goodness!   I received this picture the other day.  You will know for sure that Uncle Shaun and Auntie Colleen are true photograph hounds as well as devoted nature lovers when you see the picture he took and the blurb she wrote.  Here we go.....

"When Shaun and Murphy were out walking in Grant's Woods, they came across an old tree trunk. On top were a regimented line-up of slugs. He got a nice close shot.

Now open your minds. I had no idea how gorgeous they really are. Such varied textures and who knew they had so many different distinct areas. I'd looked closely enough before to know they had antennas (anntenni?) but I thought two. I never imagined four. We named this guy Sammy. He looked like he should be in a Dr. Doolittle movie."

All I could think of to say was "YUCK".

Lace, Blanket, Office

One day last week we found ourselves heading down the road again, in the direction of Munchie's house.

The daycare provider had an appointment in the afternoon, so we headed down to babysit for the afternoon.  The day was hotter than hot, and the first thing we did was turn on the air conditioner at Munchie's house.  Poppa and Munchie sat around and watched TV together for a while.

But, after a while they both got bored with that, so we headed out.

Gosh, Munchie looks so much bigger sitting in the stroller now!  Anyway, as you can see, we soon found ourselves at the mall up the street - where the air conditioning was working well, and it was cool and comfortable.  The three of us decided to go and get a few thing at Blob-blobs (Loblaws - Hee), and once we were there Munchie wanted to get out of the stroller and help Poppa do the shopping.

We found what we were looking for and headed home again.  It wasn't long before Mommee came home from work....

...and soon after that, Daddee arrived home too, and he set to work to make supper for us all (and I just want to say, it was absolutely YUMMY!)

A couple of days later, I looked out the front window and found Poppa doing - WHAT? - what on earth is he doing now?

I looked around the yard and noticed that the lupins were putting on a beautiful show.

Then I noticed that there were some men in the driveway - preparing it to get some new coating to prolong life and improve appearance.

Next time I looked out, Poppa was checking to ensure they had done a good job..

....and that little oval shape he had been working on looked like this.

Another day, another time.  I went looking for Poppa and Kev-Inn to call them in for supper.  I couldn't find Poppa any place, but found Kev-Inn out near the hot tub.  What on earth is happening now?

Then Poppa showed up with a box and a gizmo.  They pounded that long rod into the ground and hung up - oh, that's what it is - a bug trap, so they don't get eaten by mosquitoes when they are in the hot tub - good idea!

Another day, I stopped in at the office (where I retired from).  I had heard that the re-decorating was finished and everyone was established in their newly rejuvenated area, all set to work in the improved environment.  So, of course, I had to stop in to have a look.  I must say, it was impressive.  There was so much more space and everything was bright and clean.  I didn't really get a good picture of the overall area, but Poppa took a picture of us all together.

It was nice to have a little visit, but I didn't stay too long since Poppa had errands to run, and the folks all had to get back to work.

Early this week, Granny Maureen and Gramps took Poppa and me out for lunch in recognition of my birthday.  That was a treat, the food was good, the company was great and it seems like visits with them are few and far between lately.  I didn't get any pictures - I'll try harder next time.  I did get a couple of nice shots of them on my new cell phone, but I haven't got the required adapter to download them to the computer yet..........I'll work on that too!  I did get a picture of the adorable card they gave me though......

Isn't it adorable?  See the bear?  Hee!  I also got a picture of the beautiful flowers that arrived at the front door with a card that said they were from Mommee, Daddee and Munchie.

Aren't they gorgeous?  Thank you kids!

Knitting?  Oh yes, of course.  Here is one of those sections of Curtis' blanket, up close - and a tad blurry, but I think you'll get the idea.  I have started putting them all together.  The blanket is much larger than I anticipated - I think it will be a crib sized blanket when it is finished.

It currently looks like this............with some of the pieces attached.

And, of course, I am still making lace for Auntie Colleen.  I finished a 24-inch piece of the rosebud lace, and moved on.  I have now started a pattern called Point Lace - though I'm not sure that is a very descriptive name, since the points are not the main feature in my mind when I look at it.  What do you think would be a better name???

Of course, the points will show up more once the piece is starched and pressed, but I still don't believe they will be the main feature.  I had intentions of doing a pink piece, then a green piece, then a red piece ... and so on, but I just can't get myself away from this pretty pink thread......hopefully Auntie Colleen will let me know if she wants a length of any particular colour, since I can do any piece any time!

I think that brings everything up-to-date as of now...........thanks for reading!