A Mostly Black & White Sunday

I thought I would jump in on the Black & White Sunday blog hop to show you some of my husband Charlies photography but I’m going to break the rules and show more than one picture. He loves taking pictures and then converting them to black and white. A few weeks ago we ventured to Lake Ontario (just a few minutes drive north) so he could photograph the lake and surrounding area. Our first stop was Webster Park. I wasn’t interested in doing any photography so I brought along my crochet project (you know you are a real hooker when you take portable projects along on a photo session).

As you can see Charlie was more interested in a scenic view than a close up of me at work, but if you look close you can see one of my small drawstring bags over my shoulder. I was working on one of the wash cloths I sent to Warmth for Warriors. As he wandered around the shore I followed and did a little crochet when I stopped. Don’t worry there wasn’t any crocheting while walking. I didn’t want to end up in the water!

Here are some of Charlies favorites in black and white.

Father and Son

Driftwood

Rock Jetty

Jetty and Clouds

This next one I prefer the color version over the black and white.

Goldenrod and Driftwood

The lake was very rough with a stiff wind in your face so we decided to travel along the coast to the Irondequoit Bay outlet. This time of year the bridge is open so boats can get out to the lake so we were on the Webster side. There is a marina, some homes and a long jetty to walk out on. This was on the side of the marina. I love it done in the sepia tones.

Gas Up

The cool thing about the Bay is that as rough and windy as the surf was at our first stop along the lake, the bay was like glass.

Dockside

It was a pleasant evening out for both of us and I hope you enjoyed Charlies work.

 

 

 

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Crochet for a Cause

A few weeks ago I showed you some of the wash clothes I had crocheted so far and now I want to show you the two most recent additions.

The first one up is from a pattern called “Paint the Town”. It was a bit more complicated than any of the others I had tried to this point and if you are a crocheter and look close you can see the many flaws in it.  Even though I messed it up a bit I just kept going and did the best I could and I’m sure it will serve its purpose even with the flaws. I plan on trying this one again and hopefully doing a better job.

The next one is called “High Tech” and I really like the way it came out. I don’t think I messed anything up on this one. I love the way the edging turned out the best. It was a fairly simple pattern to follow since it was done with square sides compared to the other one that started out with a center circle.

So now you might be wondering what would I need all those wash cloths for? Well I shipped all nine off to the Warmth for Warriors project. Next up I will be making some hats to send to them during the winter months. This has been a great way to learn more about different crochet stitches and how to read a pattern and I love that I can do something for a very worthy cause.

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Thank You!

I wanted to thank everyone that stopped by to say goodbye to our Nina. I know that everyone that visited didn’t leave a comment, but I know you read her story and were probably as touched by her as we were. Whether you left words of comfort or not just knowing you cared enough to visit has helped us through this difficult time.

For those of you that did leave your wonderful condolences thank you very much. I’m so happy that I stepped out of the shadows of Blogville and joined this loving community. Your words of encouragement as we traveled this difficult path with Nina helped to support us until the end. I probably won’t be able to thank each of you individually, but just know how grateful we are for your caring words.

I also have to acknowledge the person that had the most difficult job during all of this and that is our vet Dr. Daniel Fischer from Clark Animal Care Center (please click on the link to his name and scroll down the page to meet him). We first met Dr. Fischer just a few weeks ago when Nina spent time at the vet to receive her IV fluids. He took over her care as the other vet we had been seeing wasn’t on duty for the final two days of her treatment. I don’t know how to explain it, but the first time we met with him when picking up Nina from her day of treatment I was touched by his genuine care, concern and affection toward Nina. We were lucky that he was on duty on Friday when we took her in for her final vet visit and that he was the one to help us complete her journey.

I hope he stays with this practice for a very long time as I want our future canine family members to be in his care. Within 24 hours from our visit the above card was in our mailbox from Dr. Fischer. It wasn’t just a standard card sent from the practice, but from Dr. Fischer himself. Having only seen Nina for a few times I was touched by the personal note he left on the inside as it shows that he really got to know her in just a short time.

I’m not sure we take enough time to acknowledge the difficult job the vets in our pets lives have when we bring them in for their final visit. Most of the vets have cared for these members of our families for their entire lives, have done all in their power to keep them healthy, and then must help us relieve them from the burden of their failing bodies. How many times a day must their hearts be broken. I hope not that often, but I thank them for being there for us and our pets. Thank You very much Dr. Fischer for your loving care for our Nina during her final journey.

 

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow

March 1998 – September 2012

It is with a heavy heart that I have to tell you that Nina made her journey over the rainbow bridge this morning.

Greta, Steffi, Yenna and Nina (left to right)

From a young pup living with three German Shepherd dogs, to a frisbee loving only dog, Nina was with us for over 14 years.  When our last shepherd died Nina became an only dog and loved being lavished with our attention for the past 10 years.

Nina enjoyed spending time in her yard especially in the past few years since Charlie stopped working. The two of them would spend hours working in the yard together. She will always be remembered for the softest fur I have ever felt on any dog, her quiet, gentle demeanor and for never having chewed on anything other than toys in the house.

Please visit some of my favorite posts about Nina to learn more about her.

• Nina’s Turn – An Introduction
• Nina’s News – Garden Explorations
• Nina’s News – Mango Minster

I want to thank everyone for all your support over the past few months as Nina suffered the final stages of kidney disease. The past few days she stopped eating so we knew it was time to help her make her final journey and reunite with her sisters. I will miss our snuggles most as she was the best spooner in the dog world.

Run free my sweet girl.  You were loved more than you could ever know. You will be missed.

 

 

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Flower Power Update!

I thought I would update you on how our flower containers were doing. It is getting late in the season so the pots are getting super full.

Here are some side by side comparisons of the current and previous pictures of them. I am using small images for display so click on them to make them bigger.

Morning glory pots – previous post	Original Planting	Original Planting
Morning Glories as of September 2012

The newer picture is the one on the bottom and you can’t even see the chair in the middle any more. We have also had to push them away from the door to the garage. When you walk through the door it feels like the vines are trying to grab you!

Blue pot – previous post	Blue Pot – original
Front side – today	Back of container – today

This container has filled out so much that you can’t even see the pot from either side. I especially like the begonia on the back side of the container. Those leaves are bigger than my hand!

Canna Lily pot – previously	Canna Lily pot – original
Canna Lily pot – today

The Canna Lilies have really put on quite a show all summer long. As of this picture there were about 6 blossoms either open or about to open. Charlie plans on removing the bulbs and keeping them over the winter so we can enjoy them next year too!

Blue Sage pot – previously	Blue Sage pot – original
Blue Sage & Verbena – today

The blue sage in this pot has never stopped blooming and has never needed dead heading. This is not what we expected. I will definitely use it again, but next time I will plant something medium height in front of it since it has gotten a bit scraggly. Not only have the bees and hummingbirds enjoyed this, but as the flowers dry up the gold finches have landed on it and eaten the seeds.

Brown pot on patio – previously	Brown pot on patio – original
Brown Pot on Patio – today

Another container that filled out so much that you can’t even see the pot! If you click on the images you can also see how much taller everything got as the coleus now is above the window cell.

Container on Patio Wall – side view	Container on Patio Wall – front view
Patio Wall Container – original

I don’t think I have shown this container before. It sits on the wall of our patio and only has a coleus and bacopa in it. At first it didn’t seem like much, but over the summer you can see it sure has filled out. The bacopa on the front trails all the way to the ground!

I hope you enjoyed this update of my garden containers. The only secret to obtaining results like this is to water the containers every day and fertilize ever two to three weeks.

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Comment-a-Thon Prize Drawing

Hi everyone! Thanks for stopping by on Wednesday to enter my contest and leave a comment to empty my wallet for Sandra and the Pittie Pack. By the closing of the contest I had 28 unique comments so I just forked over $14 to the ChipIn fund-raiser on Mona and Weenies blog. It’s not too late to get your raffle tickets for the drawings, but you only have until tomorrow (or maybe midnight tonight, I’m not really sure but it says it ends on September 16th).

As promised I had a drawing among all the commenters to see who would win one of the toys shown above.

I wrote everyone’s name on a separate piece of paper.

Folded each piece neatly and put them in one of my drawstring bags.

I shook the bag to make sure everything was well mixed up.

Reached in and…

Pulled out the winning name…Puddles!

Congratulations to the lucky winner. Puddles, I will be contacting you via email shortly to get your snail mail address and your toy selection (although based on the comment you left I think I know which one it is).

Now don’t feel left out because if you were hoping to win a fire hydrant squeaky toy or the clown fish catnip toy you can order one for yourself from my Etsy shop. I will be adding more pet toys soon.

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Back to School Bash – Napping 101 Recess

Let’s have some fun with a comment-a-thon and giveaway!

Miss Madi is teaching a class in Napping 101 today and asked me if I would help out with recess. I think she was afraid that after all that napping everyone would need something to help wake them up. I also want to help raise some money for Sandra and the Houston Pittie Pack so I decided to donate 50¢ for each comment left on this post. In addition each commenter will be entered into a drawing for a pet toy. Anyone can enter, but please only one comment per family and international entries are welcome.

My kitty nephew Kip really enjoys the catnip toy I sent him.

And my BFF Tasha from the Dachsies With Moxie had fun squeaking her personalized dog bone. Now you too can have fun with toys like these too.

If the winner of my drawing is a pup then he or she can choose from one of these fun squeaky bones or this red-hot fire hydrant.

A kitty winner will have the chance to choose from this catnip filled fish.

If you aren’t fond of the nip you could choose this fun crochet ball. It might look big, but it is just slightly bigger than a golf ball so it is perfect for batting around the room.

If you want to have a chance of enjoying one of these toys just leave me a comment by Thursday, September 13th at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Remember these toys have been field tested and approved by my nephew Kip…

…and the Dachsies With Moxie gang.

I think recess is over now so you all had better get to your next class. I wouldn’t want you to be late!

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Attention All Hookers!

Er…I mean crocheters!

Since tomorrow, September 12, 2012 is the big Back to School Bash I thought I would alert my readers to another event happening on the same day…International Crochet Day! This is the 5th year of the event that was created by Jimbo a semi retired patent agent that hand carves crochet hooks. If you are a hooker like me then you should check out his blog and leave a comment for a chance to win one of his beautiful crochet hooks.

International Crochet Day isn’t just for those of us that are already hooked on hooking! If you haven’t tried it yet why not run to your nearest craft store (in the USA that is probably Joann’s, Michael’s, or Hobby Lobby to name a few), pick up a small skein of yarn and a crochet hook to fit that yarn (check the yarn label for suggestions). Then you could check out the great tutorials that Lynne created for the Blogville Ladies Crochet Society to get started. Here are links to her tutorials so far.

• Crochet Dishcloth
• Crochet Potholder
• Amigurumi Beach Pebble
• Granny Square

These tutorials are great for beginners with lots of pictures to help you along. I’ve been having so much fun learning this new hobby and I couldn’t have done it with out the Blogville Ladies Crochet Society!

If you are already an active hooker here are a few suggestions on how you could celebrate too:

• Teach someone to crochet
• Yarn bomb a co-worker’s cubicle. Or your spouse’s car. Or your kid’s lunchbox.
• Vow to bust your stash
• Make a hat. Give it away (Warmth for Warriors is a good cause).
• Get started on your holiday gift list.
• Crochet a flower or two or ten. Give them away at random to people you don’t know.
• Crochet in public.

Let me know how you plan on celebrating International Crochet Day! I plan on working on more wash cloths to send to the Warmth for Warriors project.

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