Success!

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We finally trapped Sparky, the last of our feral kittens that needed a trip to the vet to be either neutered or spayed. We do not know yet which, but we will learn soon.

This cute little kitty has been very elusive and trap-shy. Buck set the trap out a few days ago. S/he kept nosing about the cage, but did not venture in, at least while we were watching. We noticed this morning that someone had gotten in and eaten the cat food we left as bait without tripping the door. But, this morning, I no sooner turned my back after watching the cats eat from the food bowl on our back stoop, than I heard the sound of the trap door slam shut. Sure enough, if was our Sparky. Success!

Mama Gidget went to the vet in December. We knew she was a female, and with weaned kittens, we did not want to chance her having another litter.

We waited until the end of January before we tried to catch the kittens. We know that they need to be about six months old to be neutered if they are males, or the vet will send them back home. Our first success was little Scamper. At first he was hissing mad, but then he settled down.

Since his surgery, he has become very friendly with the "old man", CeeCee, Bootsie's brother and litter-mate. Actually, CeeCee's name is spelled CC:, since it reflects that he was a carbon copy of his father and uncle and a few other cats born in our yard. CC: has become tame, and he lets us pet and hold him all the time.

Scamper has almost become friendly to humans. Although still cautious, in order to eat, he will come within two feet of us while we are petting CC:.

Next we put out the trap for Sparky. Much to our surprise, we caught Jeffie. Jeffie is a male we have had for years. He has always been very trap-wise, and we never were able to catch him. Even though we were after Sparky, we did not look a gift-cat in the mouth, so to speak. Jeffie went to the vet.

The vet wanted to know how old he is. Buck had no idea, but told him to look up Bootsie to see how old she is. They were not born in the same litter, but they were born within a few months of each other from different mothers back when we had 21 cats in our yard, all related. Bootsie and Jeffie are something like 3rd cousins, twice removed. They are six years old.


So, today Buck posed with little Sparky before taking him/her to the vet. But, if we thought that adorable kitten was going to look at us so we could get a shot of his/her cute little face, we had another think coming.
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2:30p.m. update: Sparky is a she. She is doing fine and will be ready to come home tomorrow morning.

I Am the Remnant Queen

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When it comes to fabric, I am the remnant queen. I love a bargain, which is a nice way of saying that I am too cheap to pay full price if I do not have to. I have been gathering remnants of quilting fabrics for years, even though I only began officially quilting within the last year. Plus, I love making totes and other small sewn items. I am really happy with some of my recent finds:


The sparkly beige will go great with a black-beige-dark green-deep red patchwork quilt for which I am collecting fabric. It is based on the fabric used in one of my daughter's high school dance dressy-dress skirts. And, guess to whom I eventually intend to give it? The green and aqua will go nicely with any of many pastel motifs. My favorite buy was the hearts fabric. It is only 7+ inches wide, but it only cost 32 cents. I can get some nice strips or squares out of that piece.



I am always happy when I can get some remnants in basic solid colors. One thing I notice when I try to put prints from my fabric stash together is I often need to make a special purchase of solids to add to the project to tie it all together.

I loved the tropical design. It was not quilting fabric, but 100% cotton shirting fabric. It will get quilted.

These last remnants will go in my tote and purse projects tub. The metallic fabrics have purse trim written all over them. The baseball pattern will probably line a tote that will feature a baseball design fabric I have. The checkered will line a tote with some quilting from scraps from my grandson's NASCAR quilt. The plastic will be great to line a beach tote or to use for photograph pockets.

Spring Comes Early

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While coming out of Target during the days of our last rain storm, I saw many people on the sidewalk and in the parking lot facing east. The sun was ready to set in the west. Many had their cell phones out taking pictures. I waited until I got to themy car before I got out my camera, so this rainbow was not as wide and intense in color as it was when I first saw it.

Since then we have had a week of weather with temperatures in the low- to mid-sixties--once the fog burned off. So, even though we are due for another rain storm this weekend, spring has come. The blossoms are out on the almond trees.




One of the best things about driving California freeways where there has been recent contruction is that contractors often plant wild flowers for erosion control.

Why It REALLY Pays to Get Organized

Today I went to my supply drawer for a spiral-bound notebook to use for my family history area support mission. It reminded me of why it really, really pays to get organized.

To fully appreciate what I am about to write, you need to understand that before I got hooked on quilting, my favorite places to shop were book stores and stationary stores. I could not pass up a bargain, especially once I knew I was due to retire shortly. I wanted to be sure I had plenty of supplies for my family history notebooks and other writing projects. So, when stuff went on sale, I bought ahead.

While I was in organization mode last month, I finally, after two years or more, gathered up miscellaneous office supplies scattered around in my desks and cabinets, and consolidated them in one place. What an eye-opener! Some supplies I have enough of for three lifetimes. Just the new 8-1/2" by 11" size, not the recycled/reuse items or the hard-cover 3-ring binders, include the following:

1" soft binders - 7; spiral-bound notebooks - 11; packages of lined paper - 8; triple-cut manila folders - 20; color triple-cut folders - 28; 2-pocket paper portfolios - 18; 2-pocket plastic portfolios - 15; 2-pocket portfolios with 3-ring brads - 29; binder slash pockets - 11; clear 5-tab subject divider sets - 14; cardstock 5-tab subject divider sets - 2; color 5-tab subject divider with pockets sets - 7; color 5-tab view divider sets - 5; color 8-tab subject divider with pockets sets - 3; bound journals - 3; plastic pocket portfolios - 3; 13 pocket expanding wallet portfolios - 3.

If I look like I am heading to Staples again, someone please steer me towards Office Supplies Anonymous.

Train Fascination

I finally put up my train calendar. Buck usually brings home several calendars the first of each year, many of them beautiful animal or scenic calendars. Nice, but I usually leave them for him to hang in his space. This year he brought home a calendar of train pictures, compliments of Orchard Supply Hardware. That one I claimed for me.

My family seems to have this fascination with trains. It may be because my grandfather was an engineer on a train. My uncle was killed in June of 1955 while working as an electrician on a train.


I enjoyed this photo of a Santa Fe engine I took while Buck was working for Wesson Construction to repaint the Bradley Overhead in Merced. The train company is now the Burlington-Northern Santa Fe, and the color scheme of their engines is entirely different.







My brother loved model railroading, and belonged to the local club before his death in 1998. He was disabled, so Buck built him a work bench, and the club helped him get set up so he would work one-handed. His specialty was trees.





We featured several at his memorial service, along with my all-time favorite picture of Bob as an adult--his smiling face in the middle of his benchwork. Several of his trees were donated to the model railroad set up in one room of the Bloss House in Atwater.

I saved a box of trees to pass along to my grandchildren even though I know in my heart of hearts that most, probably all, will have no interest in the beautiful things created by their great-uncle.

Yet, I keep a scene using his trees and some of the model buildings from his model railroading benchwork in a corner of my living room. It is backed by a barn in winter scene painted by my sister. They are a reminder of the talents of both my siblings.

New Banner! New Look!

New banner! New background! New format! New look!



Huh? Huh?