Meet Buster

After days of being despondent, Duane suggested I should get a kitten.  Before we took Butterscotch for his final sleep, I held him to say a private good bye.  I thought about when we got the tuxedo twins.  Butterscotch was so happy to share his home.  Gave them welcome licks on the head and showed them where the food is kept.  It felt like he was saying he had a good life and I should give another cat a good life.

The lady from the ad on Craigslist said her neighbor found the litter of kittens in the backyard, dehydrated and dirty, three weeks ago.  She cleaned them up, bottle fed them, weaned them to solid food and litter trained them.  When I told her about Butterscotch, she said she had the perfect kitten, lovable and cuddly.

He is just that and more.  He's attached himself to Duane's chest.

Duane sits on the couch and Buster attaches himself.  Duane apologized that my kitten became him his kitten.     It's ok.  He did suggest that maybe I should get another for me.

Precocious little thing.  He's not put off by his grumpy aunties.  The girls fly into hissy fits when he comes up to them.  The past two days, he hides under things waiting to ambush them.  Not the least bit dissuaded by their hissing.  He is determined they will either like him or explode.

Duane said, "Great revenge for you, Butterscotch.  Come back as a kitten and go after them."  The girls weren't very nice to Mr. Scotch the past few years.  The timing isn't right for Buster to be a reincarnation. Maybe in six weeks, I'll take a scan over Craiglist and see if something jumps out at me.  Maybe.  Still waiting for the feeling like I've been punched in the gut to lessen.

Duane wrote a post about Buster.  He's much eloquent with his words than I am.

In other news, Duane had a lung cat scan in April.  The pulmonologist says that the scarring has not improved since his last scan in the ICU last year.  There are three holes in the center of his lungs.  They are looking into putting him on the transplant list, as his name wouldn't come up for three to five years.

This weekend, I joined Summer of Socks and Tour De Fleece, team Cranky Pants.  Hopefully it will bring back my mojo and there will be pictures.  I did get some nice quilting thread for my yoyo quilt on Saturday.  However, I can't find where I last put my fabric cutting scissors, so I sat down defeated for the moment.

Back to work today, when you'll read this.  Need to head to bed, 5 am comes way too early.

Thank you for all your comments of sympathy for Butterscotch.

So Sad

I haven't been around much this year, so busy with work.  Along way, I'm so tired when I get home, I lost interest in my knitting.  Work is going well, though.  A woman at work makes yo-yo quilts while she's on the phone. I was thinking that would be a great way to use up my mountain of quilting fabric without much effort.  This weekend, I sorted through some of it.

This past weekend, our Butterscotch stopped eating and drinking very little. A few days before, instead of fighting me over my chair, he started sleeping on the floor in the corner next to my chair.

We took him to the vets.  His liver is completely shut down.  The vet thinks it's liver cancer.  They re-hydrated him and sent him home with us for a couple days.  Wednesday at 9am, we take him back to be put to rest.

He was born in my closet on Memorial Day, May 31, 1999.  A week later, I injured my back at work and was put on bed rest.  The kittens were just opening their eyes.  We laid in bed together, just staring at each other.  Butterscotch has been my constant companion, ever since.

He loved to sit and watch the birds. 

My chair thief.

Lover of catnip.

Such a wonderful gentleman.  In the mornings he would let the girls eat their can breakfast first.

My knitting and spinning wheel buddy.

Before we got Dammit bunny, he was best friends with our Lexie bunny.  They would curl up together in front of the bookcase.  He would take his big clumsy seven-toed paw and try to pet her head, just the way we would pet him. Lexie resides on a shelf in our closet now.  Soon, Butterscotch will join her, to keep her company again.

Butterscotch, May 31, 1999 - June 13, 2012

We will miss you!

Happy Easter

My planter this spring.  It's what's to come to those of you up north and what's about to be burnt to an inch of it's life in a few weeks down here.  How did it get to be April already?  All work and no play makes Denise ......

Oh well, we'll just sit here and enjoy the flowers for short time.  It's all I have then I need to get ready for another work week.

We're taking bets how long the bunny and the gnome lasts before someone steals it.

Last time, I had promised to tell you about the new furniture and the bunnies.  This is the new sectional.  It's about twice the size as the one we saw in the store. Takes up the whole living room.

I had to straighten and move things to make room for it.  Which made alley's and tunnels for bunnies to run and hide.  Dammit and Betty had a fine time making plans that first night.

All sorts of alleys in that area.  Yes, I know it's a mess. See the vacuum?  I got half done then sort of tired out.  Have a mentioned I'm gone twelve hours a day, five days a week.

That first morning, Duane said Dammit and Betty ran around the cage, and the table, then the chair, and under the secretary in the corner.  It took him over an hour to chase them home.  At one point, Duane pushed the chair against the wall and Dammit jumped back and forth over the chair.

It reminded us of when Dammit was just a little Dammit.  The first time he was let out of his cage after his neuter surgery.  He led the two of us on a merry chase.  Then he dove onto the couch.  Duane shouts, "I've got him now."  Just Duane dove to grab the rabbit, Dammit jumped over the back of the couch, over the table behind it and ran under the couch.  That's when we said to hell with it and just let the little bugger stay out.  If he's that determined.

We can't do that now, as Nippit needs her turn out.  If let Nippit out when Dammit is out she goes right for hind quarters.  Just like the furious little Nippit she is.

I've been spinning again, since there is shuttle now and I don't have to walk two miles twice a day.  This is the second bobbin and it's almost since I took this picture.  It's the fiber my friend bought me for Christmas.  One more bobbin then I will ply it.  I'm anxious to see what the finished yarn will be like.  Also, I have 8 oz of CMF Walpurgis in BFL that Duane bought me for Christmas.  I'm dying to spin that.

I finished the socks, but they are too small for me.  That's what I get for not taking a minute out of my busy day to try them on as I'm knitting.  It's in the 90's F now anyway.  Too hot to wear.  I'll have to reknit them and hope they are finished by November when it's cool enough for wool.

Every thing that has been sucking for awhile, still sucks.  But, we won't talk about that.

Butterscotch walked by my sandals and noticed they smelled like me.  He made a pillow out them.  He misses his mom.

Saturday Catnip

Feeling pretty tired from my two days off.  Yet, I go back to work for another five day run of 5 mile walks and answering 350 calls a day.  I have Thanksgiving and Black Friday off.  I put in for PTO for those two days hoping I would have either Tuesday and Wednesday or Saturday and Sunday as my regular days and thus four days in a row off.  No such luck.  I just get the two.

Today, I give you pictures of the cats with the catnip I bought them last month.  The problem was, I couldn't let it grow inside, because the following happened.  If I took it outside, the same would happen with the neighbors' cats.

Bootsie, what do you have there?

Catnip!!!

You don't lick it, you bite it like this.

Hey, what do you two have there?

Happy Saturday everyone.  Think of me sitting in the call center today.

Fiber Arts and Foto Friday

A certain feline took offence to me calling them lazy in Wednesday's post, so this is what I woke up to this morning.  Out of my work bag.  No that is not the culprit.  That is the tattle tale.

This is our culprit.  Ms. Bootsie Bitey, formerly of the Scottsville Biteys, aka Yarn Hoarder with a refined taste in only the best yarns.  Silk and cashmere needs to be kept under lock, key.....

with an armed guard.

Yesterday, I cleaned the living room area in the morning.  The refrigerator guy came and fixed the fridge.  He and the manager tried to blame us, that we didn't know how to use a refrigerator.  It was some Freon thingie that was faulty.  Duane knows what it is. But yeah, we are 45 and 50 years and don't know how to use a refrigerator.  I never had one break down on me until we moved here.  I've lived in apartments for ten years at a stretch and never a problem.  We will be looking for a new place to live, probably after the holidays.  I wanted to wait until we had enough for a down payment on a house, but this place is becoming undo-able.

His new case manager came to meet us and do the the three month evaluation.  He's on a new medical plan and this one has a Dr. that does house visits.  A Dr. who make house calls, that's pretty cool.  We didn't like the new Dr. he was seeing at the clinic, so we agreed to change.  Because she is new to us, she's keeping everything else the same.  I'm still his caregiver.

Remember the sweater I showed you on Wednesday?  It now looks like this.  I'll give you all a moment to get over the cringing.

I measured it yesterday and it was two inches wider than I wanted.  Since, I was afraid of running out of yarn, I decided to rip it out and restart the smaller size.  Hopefully, I won't have to spin more yarn doing this. I really don't have time to spin more, when you consider I'm away from the house twelve hours a day.  Exhausted from all the walking.  Plus, most of the housework, running errands on my days off.  I will re-cast-on tonight in time for the bus in the morning.

Last night, I worked on the first pattern repeat of the Bellevue Cardigan.  I'm using Knit One Crochet Too, merino/silk fingering in teal.  Once I get past the pattern stitches and into the stockinette, I can add that to the bus knitting rotation.

Foto of the week:  My rose bush must have felt bad about Sunday.  Yesterday I noticed this little bud had shot out the side at the bottom.  I hadn't noticed it there before.  Then again, I've been tres busy lately.  I'm hoping when my friend comes to take us to do our errands she will stop at Lowes so I can get supplies to make a sign for my planter.  "Keep your damn hands off MY plants!"

My day includes, running all the errands, the weeks laundry and vacuuming the bedroom.  If I can muster the energy, I might spin for a bit tonight.

Happy Friday for you.  This is my Sunday and tomorrow is my Monday on a Saturday.

WIP Wednesday

Happy Friday!!! It might be Wednesday for you, it's a much deserved Friday for me. This week, I'm sorry but I haven't been pretending to knit very much.  I don't know what the cats have been doing, but sure isn't knitting.

Wow, this picture looks like more progress was made than it does in real life.  I'm halfway through the waist decreases and half-way through the first ball of yarn.  I'm rather concerned I might not have enough yarn and will have to order some more bfl/silk to spin for the sleeves.  When I'll get around to spinning that, who knows.

I tried teaching the cats how to spin last year, but it all ended in a hot mess.

A little progress was made on the granny ripple last night.  After a row or two, I started dozing off in my chair, even with all eighteen tweeters going all at once.  I went to bed and the cats took to do whatever it is they do while I'm sleeping.

Duane slept through most of the night finally.  He woke at 4:30 am and Ms. Bright Eyes decided I needed to up as well.  Instead of holding road races with her cohorts, she sat next to my head and patted me on the shoulder every ten minutes.  Until, I finally gave up and got up fifteen minutes before the alarm went off.

Pearl offered to send Liza Bean Bitey (of the Minneapolis Biteys), over to have a talk with my unruly kitties.  After seeing this post about Liza Bean Bitey, I think she and Bright Eyes might head out to the patio to share a pack Virginia Slims and a Gin and Tonic.  Which would be ok, as long as Liza Bean keeps her occupied between four and six am so I can get some sleep.

There is an uncanny similarity between Liza Bean and Ms. Bright Eyes.

Now, for a cute story to distract you from the lack of knitting content this week. (Damn lazy cats.)  A few nights ago, I was perusing Pearl's cat posts while waiting for my pictures to upload.  Afterward, I went into the office to find Ms. Bootsie, (the tuxedo cat in the above picture) had attached herself to Duane's arm with her mouth.

D: "I was just petting her and she became over-excited and started biting me."

Me: "I think she may be a Bitey.  Probably not any relation to the Minneapolis Biteys, though.."

That's when I sat there and came up with names for everyone.  Bootsie Bitey, of the Scottsville Biteys.  She and her sister Tennessee Bitey, also of the Scottsville Biteys, came to us via the manager of the pizza shop, I worked at.  Their mother, big and pregnant, had been dropped in his driveway early one morning.

Butterscotch "Bubba" Stinky, (of the Rochester Stinkys) was born in my closet on a hot Memorial Day, when the AC had broken down.

His daughter, my familiar, is Bright Eyes Demanding, (of the Rochester Demandings) born in the middle of my living room one hot fourth of July.  The AC was working that day. She has made herself spokeswoman of the group.

We have Dammit "Bunny" Chewer, of the Rochester Chewers.  He came to us via the Pet Saver, family owned pet shop.  As we all know, he has a love of Led Zeppelin and will chew on the carpet to get his way.

Nippit "The furious" Disapproving, of the Syracuse Disapprovings.  She comes from a long line of award  champion Dissaprovings.

Betty Timid, of the Rochester Timids.  She came to us from another family owned pet store under false pretenses.  They said she was a purebred Netherland Dwarf and charged us twenty dollars more for the purebred.  After a few weeks, it was quite obvious she is a mixed breed and verified as such by our bunny vet.  We still love her anyway.

Finally, we the Tweeters, of the Rochester Tweeters.  The five came to us from various pet stores around Rochester, NY.  (Do I have to name them all?)  Anyway, after relocating to Tucson, they decided to open their own Chapter of Tucson Tweeters, hatching 13 more to the group.  Until somebody got smart and took the breeding house away.

Finally, we have Henry the Hateful Hummingbird, of the Tucson Hateful Hummingbirds.  Who came to us from who knows where.  One has to be careful when out on the patio, as he may put an eye out.  Where was he when my flowers were stolen?  Henry has been up to more antics which I will post about soon.

My reputation with animals is getting around town.  This little sparrow took up residence under the picnic bench at work on this past rainy Sunday.  He was out there today.  I fed him a bit of my stale danish, which a brown crow stole from him.  So, I gave him a couple more pieces.

Our refrigerator is going on the fritz.  Yes, the newest refurbished one.  It was freezing the refrigerator stuff. The freezer is still freezing, but now the refrigerator part is very warm.  While writing this post the internet went out and I'm sitting here waiting for it come back up.  Must be a large outage because when I called to report it, the recording said they didn't have time to take my call.

It never ends around here does it?  Excuse me, Life, I don't need so much new material to blog about.  I have plenty of old stuff I could write about.  Like how I live in a mental asylum.  Surely, you were figuring as much.


For more WIPS by people who actually work on them go to Tami's Amis.

80 Dutch Hearts

Today my grandmother would have been 101.  As most of you know, I was very close to her.  Looking at that picture makes me a bit misty.  My grandfather took that, as you can see on her birthday in 1990.  He always printed all the details on pictures.

(Notice: no finished items can be shown without the Bootsie seal of approval.)

This is the quilt I made for her 80th birthday and aptly named 80 Dutch Hearts.  She didn't know it but it didn't start out to be for her.  I saw a picture of a quilt a veterinarian had made in my Quilt magazine and decided to make one something like it.  When my grandmother was over visiting and I was stitching the hearts on, she made comment as they were Dutch colors.  Since she was born in Utrecht and had a fondness for things Dutch and her 80th birthday was coming up, a seed was planted in my head.  So, I purchased more fabric as I had originally planned it to only a lap size quilt.

Bootsie has decide it is fine enough for a nap.

We decided it was special enough to be a family heirloom and I was able to buy a special pen at the quilt store just to mark it.  I should have added the location, now that I think about it.  Certainly back then I did not think both me and the quilt would travel across country, especially to Tucson. I HATED hot weather back then.

The real reason I started this quilt is because I loved the scrappy postage stamp borders.  Those are 1 X 1 inch squares, cut 1 1/2 inches for seam allowance. That turquoise fabric at the top is what started me off on sewing.  JoAnn Fabric had that in assorted colors pink, peach, yellow and green also.  I fell in love them and bought some of each to make mother daughter blouses for myself and my daughter.  I had quite a bit of each leftover including the scraps that I couldn't bear to throw away.  Money was very hard to come by back then and my grandmother taught me not to be wasteful.  When I was at the store I found Quilt magazine and started on my journey of quilting.

Many of the squares of bits of fabrics I wish I could find again.  I could take a ton of pictures of those.

I promised Susie over at Useless Beauty that I would take pictures of my binding when I posted this quilt.  I have never fiddled with mitered corner for my binding.  Most of my quilts are utilitarian and certainly not going to be in show for judging so I just do a strip binding up each side.   I make four biased tapes long enough for each of the four sides.

I machine sewed it to the front, just like you would bias tape.  Then flip it over and applique stitch it to the back tucking in the ends when I get there.  I leave about 3/4 overlap for the tucking in.  Good enough for home use if your not going to have it judged.

(Myrtle and Emily are at the top right. Mr Bird, right, chatting up the little twin.  Herbie is on the far left taking a nap. Clarence is next to him considering a nap.)

The birds had a big move yesterday.  Huey has been just awful to the little ones.  Ladybird made more eggs behind our back and kicked the little ones out of the box, permanently.  Huey had gone on a rampage to protect the box from them getting back in, which made them want to get in all the more to get away from their horrid father.

Yesterday, D and I took the three that were in the small cage and put them in the big one, then put Huey and Ladybird with the box in the small cage.  Myrtle is a bit put out by this.  Her eggs died and she was waiting for her turn with the box.  She'll get her chance eventually.

Mr. Bird is quite happy going around chatting up his young nephews and the little ones are settling in, finally.

Huey isn't really happy and is acting lonely.  He often gives me the back.  Oh well, Huey, you brought it on yourself being a bully.

If you haven't already go over to my name my birds post and enter the contest.  Wednesday, February 9th at 5pm Mountain time is fast approaching.

Tuxedo Tuesday

Do you ever feel like someone's watching you?

Tabby, Tiger, Tuxedo Tuesday

From Knitting Kitties

Mama says, many of you are commenting about our assisting skills.

From Knitting Kitties

Truth is, she wouldn't get anything finished right with out our direct supervision.

From Knitting Kitties

and our redirection.  Back to the knitting, Mama.

From Knitting Kitties

Bootise, what do you think we should have her knit today?

From Knitting Kitties

These are my yarn ball kittens.  No you can't have these back.

From Knitting Kitties

Today's update.  They are growing daily.  Herbie stumbles around the box now when we open the lid.  I think he is just about ready to leave the nest.  Clarice is the one with the all dark head just to the left of Herbie.

D told me I could name the other two.  

D: "What are you going to name your two?"

Me: "Three and Four" 

Actually, I'm waiting for them to get a little bigger and then you the readers can suggest names for Three and Four.  

Intense Debate was working perfectly all weekend.  I don't know, but I was thrilled.  Then this morning it crapped out again.  I removed it and have Blogger comment settings fixed to work right.  That is the end of the Intense Debate nightmare.