Crocheting by the Pool

What a beautiful summer day! The temperature was just right and there was not a cloud in the sky! I took my crocheting outside and worked on my ripple afghan for awhile. Nothing is more relaxing! The bougainvillea overhead! The water gurgling beside me! A tall, cool drink by my side! I felt as if I was on a tropical island! This is living!













My original bougainvillea did not make it through the winter last year. It succumbed to lack of watering! My fault! So I bought myself a new plant. It is fantastic! Bright pink cascading branches hanging above me! I will have to take this one inside in September and remember to water it regularly!















Yellow pansies and blue ageratum fill this huge pot! There is also some aspargus fern, a yellow flowering maple and a couple of lime-green sweet potato vines.

Mr. Red

Usually nothing happens around here. It's pretty boring. We nap, we eat, we nap, we look out the window, we nap, we lick ourselves, we nap..... Well, you get the picture. So when this red male cat started to come around, it was pretty exciting! Mimi climbs up on the screen in the window when she sees him and then our owner has to help her down. Her claws get stuck! Mimi is a feisty little thing! She doesn't like Mr. Red or any other cat that comes around for that matter. She's always defending our territory! But she is no match for Mr. Red. That's what we call him. We really don't know his real name. Mr. Red has balls!!! No, he isn't really brave or furious or anything. He just has balls. That's because his owners haven't had him neutered! How disgusting is that? And they let him out to wander around the neighbourhood! It isn't right! He marks his territory, scratches around in our backyard and is just plain rude!
Look, he has no shame or pride! He just sits there and licks his private parts, right in front of our back door. It's like he's showing off or something! Meow!! Next time Mimi tries to go for him through the screen, I'll be routing for her. Go Mimi, go! Put that shameless cat in his place!

Boy! I really love writing on this blog! It's so much fun. No one ever cares what I have to say. But now the whole world is listening! Well, maybe not the whole world! Maybe only a handful of people. But think of the possibilities! I could become famous! I may have to write a book!
What's that you say, Mimi? Oh, you think I am getting sort of high on myself! Well I don't see you writing on this blog! Yeah, right! Later! Bye for now! Purrrr! Love, Oscar

Ethan's Construction Compay - WIP

This is my Work In Progress! I have been working on this quilt over the past few days. There is still a lot of quilting to be done on it, but I feel as if I am getting somewhere now! Should have it finished in a few days - I hope. Can't wait to sew the binding on! That's my favourite part of any quilt!

I'm on Top of Things!!

Okay! Okay! Now for my inspirational, philosophical and intellectual views of life! Has anyone got any catnip? Can have cheeseburger please? Cute, eh? I got that from the Meme lolcat website! What? No catnip or cheeseburgers? Okay, I will get on with things then!
Hmmm? You want to know the meaning of life? You are asking me, Oscar, the great philosophical guru? Well, you have come to the right cat! Okay, let me think. I guess I will have to come up with nine of them. Meanings that is. After all, cats have nine lives! Good thing I can count. I can count, can't I?

Number 1 - EATING!
A cat is nothing without food! And don't give me any of that cheap stuff! I want the $40 a bag kind from that gourmet place. Yummy!

Number 2 - NAPPING!
Never miss an opportunity to take a nap! Isn't that right Mimi? Okay! She's napping at the moment!

Number 3 - CHASING!
I know! I know! I look like a fool, chasing those silly things on a piece of string or that stupid laser light. And I see you laugh when I chase my tail! But hey! It's good exercise! You could all take a lesson from me! And anyway, what else am I supposed to chase? I am not allowed to go outside!

Number 4 - INSPECTING!
Every nook and cranny! I need to know where everything is. And when my owner brings something new into the house, it is my duty to check it out! Nothing gets past me! And of course, if she spreads a quilt out somewhere, I am the first to get up on it and check it out. Inspecting is a very serious business! This is what cats do best! No one is as good a judge of a quilt as a cat is! And besides, they are fun to nap on!

Number 5 - WATCHING!
Don't laugh! Watching squirrels and birds is the best thing in life! Who can pass up an opportunity like that? Those little critters are the most delicious, I mean, most fun things to watch! I like to sit where I have a nice overview of everything.

Number 6 - SCRATCHING!
Not myself, dummy! Scratching furniture! Sharpening my claws on chairs and couches. That's what is important! That's life! And don't remind me that some idiot had me de-clawed! It's not important - much! I still like to scratch things. And dig in the dirt of your potted plants. That's pure Ecstasy!

Number 7 - POOPING!
That's the end result of eating! But I'll bet you knew that! I know how eager you are to clean out my litter box each morning. So we both have our pleasures!

Number 8 - BEING CUTE!
I know you love me, unconditionally! But when I practice my cutesy poses, you just melt. Then whatever I have done wrong (according to you) like scratching, chasing, pooping, digging or eating, will seem so insignificant! It is my way of reaching your heart! That's life!

Number 9 - OH, AND DID I MENTION EATING?
Oh, I did! Well feed me already. I can't wait forever! Look at me. I'm wasting away!

And that's Life According to Oscar!

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Oh, Oscar! You moron! You forgot LICKING! Licking oneself, that is! Not the kind of licking you guys do to each other! Yuck! But maybe that is fun for you! Licking is the most important thing that a cat can do! Nothing is more satisfying than spending time in self cleaning and preening! It calms the nerves and soothes the soul. And it keeps us clean! Just try it sometime! Or would you rather be put into a tub of water? Meow! Mimi

Ummmmm.........

You say "Butt-licker" like it's a bad thing!

A Conversation With Mimi

Me - Hey! Mimi! Here kitty, kitty! Come here, my little sweet kitten. I need you. You have to do me a favour!

Mimi - Okay, okay. What's your hurry? Jeez. Can't you see I'm taking a nap! Meow! What do you want now?

Me - I need you to write my blog for me - over the next month or so. I am going to be very busy. I have to finish Ethan's quilt and make a whole other one for Xavier! Too many quilts, so little time!!! Xavier's birthday is on July 26th and I want to make him a quilt and give it to him then. He likes trains and I have the fabric all picked out! Can you help me out?

Mimi - Ho Hum! I doubt it. This is going to seriously cut into my nap time! Meow! Can't you get someone else to do it? Anyway, what's in it for me?

Me - I'll buy you some delicious chicken hearts!

Mimi - Gee whiz! Thanks a lot! You get to make a quilt and I have to write crap on your blog! All for some smelly chicken hearts. Who's getting the deal here? Can I get Oscar to do it?
Here kitty, kitty! Come here you stupid, I mean, smart cat! Do you want to write stuff for our owner's blog?

Oscar - Oh, boy! Do I ever! I can write about what it's like to be a cat! Or how about the things I like to eat? Or stories about that cat who keeps coming over to visit! Oh, I know! I can philosophize about the meaning of life! Oh, the possibilities! How come no one ever asked me to do this before? When can I start? When can I start?

Mimi - Snore! Snore! I can't hear you!

Me - Oh, my god! I think I've created a monster!

A Philosophic Moment

Be who you are and say what you feel,
because those who mind don't matter,
and those who matter don't mind.

The Flowers in My Garden

Clematis

Bright, pink blooms! I love this plant!

Columbine (Aquilegia)

I rescued this little plant from a patch of obnoxious weeds and other invasive plants. I am sure it would have died, had I not dug it up and transplanted it into a better place. I think it appreciates my attempts to save it, because now it is rewarding me with a beautiful, large, pink flower!

Maltese Cross (Lychnis chalcedonica)

Lots of bright, orange-red blooms to brighten up a dark corner! This thing grows like a weed!

Just Napping!

Hi! It's me, Mimi! I am helping my owner with her charity quilts! If I take a nap on them, she won't have to iron them! Meow! Aren't I clever and helpful?

Even More Colour in the Garden!

The Clematis and Oriental Poppies are in bloom. This light pink, almost white poppy was a gift from my daughter for Mother's Day a few years ago. I had always wanted a white oriental poppy. It looks as if the flowers are made of paper! Each year this plant comes back bigger and better than ever. I love it!

Felix Has His Say!

How about just calling me a Handsome Dude?

I'm serious, distinguished, intelligent and good looking. In fact, I'm the cat's meow! Oh, yeah! And I almost forgot! I left you a present just outside your bedroom door! Careful that you don't step in it and slip and hurt yourself. Love, Felix

Oscar get mad

Don't piss me off, ya hear!

I'm not hot and I don't want to be called a 'pussy'!

Oscar

One Hot Pussy!

Meow! What do you expect? It's 32 degrees Celsius in the shade!

Mimi

Another Charity Quilt!

I made this quilt from flannel scraps from my stash. It, like the others I have made for charity, is destined for a women's shelter. I have a few more charity quilts that I am working on at the moment. They are mostly simple patchwork squares and require very little technical expertise. I can practically make them with my eyes closed! Which is especially convenient, since I have been known to sit at my sewing machine at 2:00am when sleep escapes me. Also, even though I would like to be gardening all day, there are times when it is too cold, too hot, too wet or too wild to be outside in the garden. Then I am thankful for my quiet sewing room! Felix, my big, fat, hairy, feline companion, likes to keep me company when I sew. I have to be careful not to roll my chair over his tail as he naps behind me! I hope I will get some more quilts done in the next few weeks, so that I can post them.

More Colour in My Garden!

My poppies are in bloom! Papaver orientale. Their colour only lasts a few short days, but it is magnificent! I also have a patch of perennial Geraniums, or Cranesbill. I don't know what I ever did before I discovered these simple plants! They are so interesting and pretty! And the rhododendron! Fantastic! Next year I will have to divide the hosta that is growing beside it, before it swallows up my Rho, one of my favourite shrubs! And notice the Lamium (Purple Dragon) in front? I just planted that this year. I never thought that Lamium was anything special, but now that I see it in my garden, I love it! The leaves are variegated and the flowers resemble small snapdragons! A small Sweet Cicely plant is growing through it. I think it grew from a seed. How exciting! There are hundreds of seed pods on this year's Sweet Cicely! I could have hundreds of new plants next year! Too bad my garden is so small! There is never enough room. Already I am planning what I will transplant next year! That's the beauty of gardening. It is constantly changing! Nothing stays the same for any length of time. And everything is at the mercy of Mother Nature!

The Flowers in My Garden

Now, since I am officially a gardener - I admitted my weakness in my blog yesterday - I thought that I would show off some photos of my garden. I love herbs. The first photo is Sweet Cicely - Mirrhis odorata! It is absolutely lovely! It has pretty fern-like leaves that smell like licorice when rubbed. The flowers are born in umbel-like clusters, which will later turn to long seeds. I think it is a very interesting plant! My task for this year is to find out what this plant can be used for.

The second one is Solomon's Seal - Polygenetic. I started with a small plant, which I bought at a Scarborough Garden Club's plant sale several years ago. I planted it under my apple tree. I wanted to start a sort of woodland-type garden under there. The Solomon Seal is doing very well! It seems to multiply by two each year. I planted one plant. The next year two came up. The following year four came up. Well you get the idea! I will soon have a million plants in my garden! Solomon's Seal is a good plant for shade! Its little jewel-like flowers sparkle from under the apple tree! I love this plant! It grew beyond my expectations and inspired me to plant more woodland plants! It's like having my own little forest! Because for me, a forest is not just trees, but also the wonderful plants that grow under them! Solomon's Seal remains one of my favourites.

The third photo is of Virginia Buebells - Mertensia virginica. I must have bought this plant last year. I had totally forgotten about it until it started to come up this spring. What a pleasant surprise! The little 'bells' are blue, but start out as reddish-purple buds! Really pretty! They like shade and are part of my woodland garden!

Last Quilt Meeting for This Year

Our Quilt Guild held it's last meeting for the year on Tuesday evening. Someone, in her infinite wisdom, decided to change the venue! This meeting was to be held all the way out in Ajax, about a half hour drive from my place. To make matters worse, it was to be a pot luck dinner and I was supposed to bring a dessert - enough for about 6 people. That should not have been difficult, but I had no time to bake or prepare anything. I had been busy in my garden all day! I did not want to show up without a dessert! What to do? What to do? I decided to do the only thing any conscientious, hardworking gardener, covered in soil and dirt, would do! I decided to stop at Tim Hortons for a box of Timbits! I hate it when people are so lazy and just buy something stupid, like Timbits - those little dough balls laced with oil and fat! Yuk! But what could I do? Ordinarily I am a quilter! But after the May two-four weekend, I turn into DADA! SUPER GARDENER! I can think of nothing else than the plants in my garden! My nails get dirty and chipped! My hands won't come clean anymore! They are hard and calloused and dry! My skin gets tanned from too much exposure to the sun. I forget to drink water and get dehydrated! And my feet get so filthy that I must wash them before entering the house! Like my hands, they will probably never be clean again! Not until the arrival of the first frost anyway!

I tried my best to look like a quilter for the evening! I took a shower and cleaned my nails! I changed into clean clothes, put on a quilted vest, combed my hair and brushed my teeth. No one would be able to see that my first hobby had taken second place to my new hobby! But try as I might, I was still late getting to the meeting. And on top of that, the meeting was to start half an hour early, and I had half an hour farther to drive to get there.

As I was getting into the car I realized that I was out of gas! What else could go wrong? On, no! I had no money! Not even the $2.25 for a pack of 20 Timbits! So I stopped at the bank machine, went to Timmy's, and got gas at the only station that still puts it in for you! After all, I didn't want my hands to get dirty again!

I could only drive slowly along highway 2. I had to fight rush hour traffic combined with construction all the way to Ajax! I parked my car in the last space outside the church and as quietly as I could, went inside and sat at the back of the room. I hoped I would be inconspicuous, but some members had already seen me and started waving! I waved back - sort of low down - to avoid making a spectacle of myself. Our president was speaking at the podium. I waited politely until she was finished. As soon as I could, I handed in the two quilts I had made for quilts from the heart (quilts that will go to charity), paid my dues for next year (I will again become a quilter in September!) and put my Timbits on the dessert table, being careful to do so when no one was watching!

Aside from the pot luck, the highlight of the evening was a singing quilter, named Cathy Miller. She and her husband, John Bunge had come to entertain us! They sang songs about quilting and the special things that go with that. It made me feel proud to be a quilter, even if it is for only half the year!!! Most of their songs made fun of what we do - like buying too much fabric, having a stash, avoiding housework in order to quilt and disguising new fabric purchases so as not to evoke the wrath of our families! It all sounds so crazy when someone sings about it! Included in their lyrics were acronyms like UFOs (UnFinished Objects), PIGS (Projects In Grocery Sacks), and WIPs (Works in Progress). We all enjoyed it immensely! At the end we gave them a standing ovation, in the hopes that they would do just one more song. But, alas, they didn't. It was time to go home! It took me until after 10:00pm before I drove into the driveway. As I reflected on the evening, I was glad that I had conquered all the obstacles in order to attend the last meeting for this year! It had been most enjoyable. Good food, well except for that box of Timbits someone had brought! Good company - quilters are the greatest! And..... I still had some cash left over from my trip to the bank machine. I had a car full of gas, a box with about 8 Timbits left in it, (I saved them to have with my coffee the next morning) and a case of hiccups from laughing so much during the performance! Tomorrow I will spend that bit of left over cash on some more plants. After all isn't that what every gardener needs- more plants? Just like a quilter needs more fabric! It makes me glad to be a quilter AND a gardener!

What is Life?

Life is the blossoming of flowers in spring, the ripening of fruit in fall, the rhythm of the earth and nature. Life is the buzzing of cicadas on a hot summer day, geese flying south against a cerulean-blue autumn sky, fish swimming in my owner's aquarium. Life is a soft bed, a window to look out of, a cool drink from a toilet bowl. Life is a nap in the sunshine under a flowering bougainvillea. Life is the joy of a catnip mouse! And better still, a fresh sprig of nip from the garden in spring! Meow!!!! I love that! Life is all things! Love, Mimi

I Finally Found Some Trilliums!

This is a Crazy Place for Trilliums to Grow!

I found some trilliums! It's the strangest thing! I found them in a woodlot, in front of our Civic Centre! Aren't they beautiful? Yesterday I looked everywhere in the park, where nature seemed undisturbed and deer prints covered the ground. And yet I could find none there. But here, in this busy area of our city, there were plenty. This is a place where lots of people walk every day. A pathway connects the main road with the buildings. I didn't use the pathway, although I think I probably should have. But I was careful not to step on any plants growing on the forest floor. I stood in the middle of the woods. It was the strangest sensation! I could not see the buildings around me. And I could not see the traffic on the main road, but I could hear it. I was in the middle of a forest yet I felt as if I could get run over by a car at any moment. The noise from the road seemed much too loud.

But inside my secret woodlot, the air was clean and clear. I closed my eyes and imagined myself in the deepest woods! The birds were chirping all around me. I could smell the sweet scent of forest floor and herbaceous plants. It was breath-taking! I took photos and sat on a fallen log to admire a chipmunk, scurrying about its business, digging in the crunchy leaves. A robin sang from the tree above me, a lovely song of freedom and happiness and love, announcing the arrival of his two new offspring! The wind whistled through the overhead branches and blew across my face as if welcoming me to this wonderful natural Paradise. Only the sound of a car, honking its horn, brought me back to reality.

The sounds of the city were all around me. I was in two worlds. The world of nature and the world of mankind. If a car travels on a road beside a forest, can anyone hear it? I tried not to! The nature sounds were much nicer!

Where Have All the Trilliums Gone?

I went for a walk, in the woods, with my camera today. I had a purpose! To photograph the trilliums that are in bloom at the moment. Our provincial flower! I wanted a photo of them - lots of them - growing on a hillside, dappled sunshine making their white blossoms sparkle, their smiling faces reflecting the light. the deep green of their leaves a stark contrast to the brown leaves of the forest floor. But I found none! Unbelievable! The park I went to used to have millions of trilliums. I had photographed them with my old camera a few years ago. Now, with my new digital, I wanted to get lots of shots, so that I could print them and frame them and decorate my walls with them. But I could not find any!!! None! Only a group of May Apples, growing in some dry dirt. This was not the forest I remembered! Don't talk to me of global warming or garbage that is being shipped to Michigan or those curly lightbulbs that will save energy! I only want to know what the heck has happened to the trilliums? My trilliums!
If you know where they are. Could you bring them back? Please!