Happy Valentine's Day

Happiness is having someone to snuggle with,

even if it is your brudder.

Love, Gracie

The view from the Cat Door

Yup, 16 degrees - that's what the little widget on my computer said this morning. What it didn't say was that there were NE winds of about 30 mph blowing out of the Frasier River Canyon up in Canada.

Make that about 2 degrees. Brrrrrr!

With my bad knee, I move so slowly that I'd freeze to death between the back door and the car. I decided it was a good day to stay at home.



So I spent most of the day at the computer working on "work" stuff - "Logmein" is a wonderful program.

I got two of my quarterly reports done!

And spent a lot of time monitoring the cats coming and going - mostly worrying about them when they would go out and wishing they'd get back in the house.

Hmm - doesn't really look too bad out there -



Look the wind has died down -








.




"18 degrees - schmeighteen degrees - that's what I've got a fur coat for", says Gracie on her way out to check up on The Shepherd when he went out to feed the sheep!















George finally succumbed to his favorite snoozing spot after deciding that "Schmeighteen" degrees really was too cold to spend much time out there...













Even Bella spent most of the day inside. But with a careful watchful eye on bird TV.











And Gracie - after a few short trips in and out, spend most of the day on "the big bed" -

"Come join me Mummy" -

No, sorry sweetie, I have to get back to work. You have a nice nap now.

It's Caturday!

Hello everybodies and everykitties!



Gracie here and "It's Caturday!!"














My Caturday report today is that Mummy spent half of her Christmas green papers that she got from her sisters on sheep furs - old colored sheep furs.

And I thought maybe she might spend some of it on ME!







She said that this is 8 ounces of "Mountain Colors hand painted Targhee roving and the color is called "Wilderness"

Mummy likes to spin Targhee sheeps furs - she says it is fluffy and soft. She made a baby sweater out of this kind of yarn a couple of years ago and it turned out really pretty.






This is called "Louet Northern Lights Handpainted Pencil Roving". It came in an 8oz bag and the color is called Fire Moss. Mummy has never spun any pencil roving and thought it looked like it might be kind of fun. She also thought she was getting a bag of sheeps furs that was all kinds of blues called Ocean Waves, but this is what showed up. I think it is pretty anyhow.







And this is whole bag is full of sheeps fur string -


I also think it looks like it might be kind of fun to play with - what do you think?







This whole frenzy of green paper spending was started by this little doohickey called a "yarn yardage counter" - Mummy has been wanting one because she says as a hand spinner she wants to be sure she has enough yarn for her projects. It will also make it more accurate when she wants to sell some of her spun sheeps furs to other people.

It was her present from The Shepherd for Christmas - but she had to find it on the internets because The Shepherd looked ALL over the city and he couldn't find one. So she went to a web site that she had gotten stuff from before called Paradise Fibers . She got very excited because it turns out they were having a sale AND if you spent over $75 you got free shipping.

Well, Mummy thought it would a very good time to buy some new sheeps furs, especially since it was going on The Shepherd's credit card and not hers - he, he, he - (but she did give him the green papers from her sister to cover the charges)

It's not very big - that is a teaspoon lying next to it.


Anyways, it was cold and rainy out today so me and Georgie spend most of the day snoozing here and there in the house.

As a matter of fact, here is Georgie, helping Mummy wrap her belated Christmouse presents to her sisters. I think I heard her say that he was being a "great help"... wasn't that nice of him?

Well, that's my Caturday report for this week. Mummy says she'll tell you later about the other spending spree she went on at her local yarn store. Have a good week!

Love, Your roving reporter, Gracie

Our favorite Yoga poses

Crouching dragon















Reaching for the moon.


(This is actually one of George's favorite places to sleep - on my lap while I spin. His little head goes up, and down, and up, and down, and up - well you get the picture. )

Fall colors in the yard

This tree is such an amazing color - the photograph doesn't do it justice. When I walk from our bedroom to the kitchen in the morning, the red shines through the windows like a beacon.










It's leaves blanket the ground underneath it - a carpet of red with gold from the ginkgo and other colorful leaves.











Like our Coral Bark Maple -
















and this tree -















and this fine lace leafed maple















Gracie was perched between the bench and this plant - keeping a close eye on her brother so he couldn't do a surprise attack.











Rats, foiled again!

The Caturday Report!!

Hello everybody!

(Excuse me while I attack this rather frightful corner - it's in my way - even my laser stare can't get it to move)

Well!! It's Caturday!

And, Mummy proclaimed that this week was our first birthday! She was told that we were born in October, but they really didn't know when, so, Mummy picked a very wonderful and good luck day for our birthday - 10-10-10!








Mummy, put that flashy box away!









Mummy got us a new toy when she went to the PetCo store for our foodies last week. She said that she refused to get us any thing with feavvers on it because she thought it would make us want to chase birdies - Well, that might be true -

So this is a plastic stick with a stretchy cloth string on it -






We like playing with it and sometimes tag team it












We got some very tasty stinky goodness for our dinner (I think she gave some to that floofy black kitty too)

I (George) like to sleep on Daddy's clothes - I keep them all nice and warmed up for the next morning.

Good night Gracie...





And I (Gracie) like to sleep on Mummy - It makes me smile to be next to her at night - especially if she moves her feet around - I can pretend that they are tunnel snakes and ATTACK them!

Good night George.


Good night and happy birthday to our two darling kitties - you have made such a big difference in our lives. XOX Mummy

It's Caturday!

Gracie here -

Mummy & The Shepherd have loaded up their string and their sheep furrs and have gone to the faire.

Hmm - Wonder where Georgie is?












George's report:

A faire? What ever that is...

GOTCHA!

Monday Musings

Last month The Shepherd & I went to a special concert given by our friend Lydia McCauley and her current music partner Nancy Rumbel. It was an open air concert at a charming little Italian restaurant out on the Mt. Baker Highway. Truth be told, I didn't really enjoy the food all that much - but the music was fantastic, the evening was lovely and the bread was good -

It was kind of an anniversary celebration for us, as on our anniversary in April The Shepherd was sick in bed. All in all, it was a fun evening.


This little lady has fleece as white as snow - just like "Mary's little lamb" - her name is (Little) Eva - and she's going to be a contender for the BEST fleece next summer at Black Sheep. Her fleece is very much like her Uncle Galloway's fleece - a fine crimpy fleece - BSG, here we come!








I led the service yesterday at church. It was our end of the summer service (we only have two services during the summer) - and everyone who was there contributed - it was fun to hear how Laura, a 70 plus year old great grandma went on a zip line ride in Costa Rica - I mean really - you couldn't get ME to do that - You absolutely rock, Laura! - and another friend, whose daughter & granddaughter visited from England, fell in love with that little girl all over again. Oh, you grandparents - sheesh...



Well, speaking of children - aren't these two just so sweet - George has now decided if Gracie gets to sleep with Mummy at night, George gets to sleep with Mummy at night too - sometimes I wake up and cannot move my legs - It takes me a minute to figure out that I'm not paralyzed, I just have a 10# weight on each side holding me down.

They are pretty good about coming in at night - sometimes teasing me - one will come in and the other one disappears and no amount of calling will get him or her in until they are good and ready.

Here are some more of this year's lambs, with Vanessa from last year in the back.

Wendy, they black one in the front has changed colors again - according to The Shepherd, she has three colors in her fleece now - I'll have to go out with him one of these afternoons - I'm sure she wouldn't let me touch her by myself.

Her half brother Blanco went to the big BBQ in the sky last week. I just try to think about it that we gave him a very good life for the first 5 months of his life, and hope that the fellows that bought him will humanely end his life.

My friend Diane (who happens to work in the tech services department of our local Voc-Tech college) came over to visit on Saturday, and helped me put my new W I D E screen FLAT monitor together with my new/refurb computer. I had to get the new monitor because the new-to-me computer was not a tower style, and would not have worked with the old Gateway monitor that I had, which was AS BIG AS A HOUSE! It always seems like every time you upgrade one thing, another has to go...

I am grateful l that she was here, I'd never have been able to figure it out myself. Thank you Diane - I owe you a lunch! (at least...)

Well, that about catches you up on all the "noos" that Gracie hasn't imparted - I'm busily spinning and crocheting and now on top of the things that I'm making for the Artisan's Faire I have special orders for six pairs of fingerless gloves. Yikes!

Oh, and five more posts and I'll have 700 posts! Double Yikes!

It's Caturday!

Hellow everybody! George here with the Caturday Farm Report.

I have been doing a lot of snoopervision of The Shepherd. Every day he loads everything into a big white thing with wheels (that's his work trailer, sweetie) and drives away and doesn't come back until it's almost time for Mummy to come home and feed us dinner.

I heard him tell Mummy that he has been very busy working on some pretty new yards for people. Maybe he'll say it's OK for us to show you some of them next week.


Here is that silly Gracie taking a dust bath. I give her a bath every morning before we have breakfast - I don't know why she has to go out and roll in the dirt. (Mummy here - boy, I don't know why either - they both run outside every day and flop down in the sand - I think their flea medicine might have worn off - they aren't doing it as much since I put new stuff on them last week...)




We gave Mummy a scare last Wednesday - the V.E.T. lady had been here on Tuesday evening - she gave us a "FLV vaccine" - and Mummy said it didn't agree with our systems (or something like that) because we were both under the weather all day. Mummy's eyes were leaking because she thought that we were really sick. Our tails were draggin' - but as the day went by, we got to feeling better and by Thursday morning, our tails were waggin' again.

That's about all I have to say. Mummy has been spending a lot of time on the 'puter and sitting behind that yarn making thingy and not enough time playing with us. She keeps saying "soon, kitties, soon" -- Then she goes off to play music with another lady, and leaves us and The Shepherd to our own devices...When's soon, mummy?

Happy Caturday

The Shepherd's corn and pumpkin patch -











Man, let me tell you, that corn is REALLY good!













Gracie here - testing my stalking skills - oh, and that s'prize I promised you? Think Red & White rosette and pretty blue ribbons...










Here are some more pretty flowers from The Shepherd's garden - not as pretty as me, tho. Ha, Ha...

Thursday Noos

Hello everybodies -

Gracie your Roving Reporter here to say "Happy Almost the Weekend when Mummy will be home all day on Saturday to play with us day".

Anne Marie, the V.E.T. came out on Toesday to stick us with more needles. She forgot part of her stuff though, so she has to come back again. Mummy tricked us and closed the door on the family room when we came in to have dinner so we would be inside when the V.E.T. came. I don't think that was very nice, do you?






I have some more 'citing noos, but I can't tell you yet - maybe this weekend...

Meanwhile, please enjoy one of The Shepherd's pretty flowers while you wait.

Your roving reporter,

Gracie

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

Here, let me get that for you...

Well, heck

Hey peoples, Mummy said we haven't been on the interwebs lately because her computer was on the frank (no, sweetie, thats "on the fritz")

Anyhow, she ended up buying a "new-to-her" one. She said that fixing the old one would be like "pouring money down a rat hole"

Maybe she should get Georgie to check out that rat hole ...
- he's pretty good at catching things (Yes, like that baby mouse he brought in Sunday night and let go under the couch?)

Anyhows, we'll be back soon!

Your roving reporter, Gracie

Happy Sunnyday!

Happy Sunnyday everyone!

Mummy is letting us go outside more and more - in fact, yesterday she left us in the house, but left the door open between the family room and the back porch (she calls it "The Air Lock")

We surprised her by being outside when she came home from work. We figured out how to get OUT the kitty door!

Today we are just lounging around and George is stretched out as l-0-n-g as he can get so he is not so hot. He wants Mummy to stop with the flashy thing, so he covered up his eyes!

The weatherman said it got up to 74 degrees today - that is warm enough for us. Although Mummy says maybe if it got up to 80 degrees for a couple of days it would toast those pesky mosquitoes -

I like to chase them, but I don't know if I'd like them toasted...

Dr. Anne Marie came this week to start our shots. We just got the distempered shot this time (that's a good one for Georgie - he is distempered a lot of the time - ha, ha, ha) She tried to draw blood to do some tests for an awful disease that a lot of kitties get, but Georgie tried to bite Mummy's thumb off - so she decided to wait until she could come back with a V-E-T tek (what ever that is) who was more used to holding squirming kitties....


Mummy says this is her artsy-fartsy picture of me - taken through the hanging screen on the back porch.

I think I take a good picture whether or not I am fartsy, don't you?

Your roving reporter,

Gracie