Sick me, sick computer

I'm posting on my husband's laptop, which is really awkward. I've been sick for 16 solid days now and am weary of feeling bad. I have a URI that just wants to go on forever, I guess. I have been to the doctor, but she said I just had a cold - the most incapacitating cold I've ever had - it's as bad as the flu!

The computer died yesterday and I've lost all my pictures from the last 7 or 8 years. We'll be computer shopping, but until I get a replacement, I'll not really be able to write much. I think I've had it with PC's. We're looking for a Mac.

Kittens are thriving and they leave me on Friday. I will really miss them. Oh yeah - I took them in a few weeks ago for vaccinations and they're all male. They've been so much fun. They've had a few encounters with the other cats and dogs in the house and all encounters have been cordial. Kristin and Ardella are fascinated with them and very, very gentle. I love Labs! Misha has had kittens before, every time she is with them she pins them down to bathe them and swats at them if they try to nurse. She has a special "call" she uses with them. Fostering kittens has been a good experience and I would like to do it again.

So, farewell until I get a computer replacement. Hopefully that will be in the next few days or so.

Made by Hand

The editor of Make Magazine has a new book out today, "Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World". For those of us who make stuff by hand, this couldn't be a more profound publication.  Seth Godin aptly and eloquently describes the book "...is about the increasing insulation between modern life and the idea of actually making/growing/fixing things. As Mark chronicles his journey into the world of tinkering, I realized that this is a spiritual journey, not merely a hobby. Tweaking, making and building are human acts, ones that are very easy to forget about as we sign up to become cogs in the giant machinery of consumption and production." {I appreciate Grodin referencing Marx's theory of alienation.} Buy one at your local {mom & pop} bookseller today! 

...from the studio

Some of our new products for the National Stationery Show. 

"Adopt a Shelter Pet" Stamps

Halo will be donating a million meals to shelter pets, and raising awareness with these adorable stamps. All the photos were taken of adopted animals from a Connecticut shelter. Purchase online or at your local Post Office.

Back to Winter

Our back yard today.......








Looks as if summer has been put on hold for a week or so here in Idaho.

From Spring to Summer

Well spring seems to be past us now and all of a sudden we're heading into summer.

I managed to spend some time actually gardening today and I couldn't believe all the plants that are blooming right now. How did this happen? It all seems to have been in the past few days.



The iris are coming into bloom out front.

They're looking and smelling great.
















And along with them the Blue Flax are brightening the front garden.




Onto the back garden....












A few columbines are showing their pretty faces.














The bluebells I planted last year.




















and alliums, bluets,























amethyst in snow,


















Fireworks clematis,















early daisies,










and the tree peony has bloomed and gone.




(There are also plenty of weeds which I won't bother showing you. I suspect you've seen a few too many of those yourself.)



We've lost a few plants this year. We suspect it was due to the cold snap we had in early December. One of the hydrangeas didn't make it along with our ligularia and a tree peony. The wisteria vine we've had for years is just starting to open a few leaves. We're hoping it recovers but it should be blooming now.


My Golden Chain Tree is actually blooming so I'm excited that in the future it will come around and become a "real" tree someday.


The garden has just been full of all sorts of birds today; blue buntings and goldfinches along with some I couldn't identify. I didn't manage to take any good pics but I really have enjoyed watching them and hearing their sweet singing.







Happy gardening everyone. Hope you're enjoying the beginning of summer.

Oops!

Fiesta is a boy. His name is now Fuego. I think there are 3 boys, 1 girl.

Sweeney is the name of the new puppy that joined our club on Saturday. He's a male yellow Lab and one of the puppies in the Buck/Gallery litter.

I miss Kristin!

I'm sick again - I was suspecting cat-scratch fever, but I'm pretty sure it's a URI that my son brought home from work.

New puppy club blog

The puppy club I attend has a new blog that is open to the public. It's in the beginning stages but will be our primary source of information and will have pictures of puppies there. I'm hoping that we'll see a picture of the new puppy coming this evening to some first-time raisers.

Kristin is going to another experienced raiser for about 9 days starting Monday. The evaluations were canceled which left me feeling a little desperate since Kristin is supposed to go back in August. I'm hoping this experience will be helpful and definitive in the direction we'll be taking with Kristin. As attached as I am to her, I'm more concerned about her success and part of her success may mean that she needs to go to another home to finish raising. Kristin is reliable in buildings but outside she is prone to having relieving accidents and I'm not sure if they are stress related or habit. I'm eager to hear the puppy sitter's opinion.

No pictures of kitties this week. They're still very cute and my legs look like I've walked through blackberry bushes. Hopefully, I'll get some pictures soon.

Another Half Marathon (13.1 miles)

Vanessa and I ran the half marathon part of the Famous Idaho Potato Marathon today.

Here we are pre-race.



Yeah, I look goofy. Try not looking at me.

It was a chilly morning; 50 degrees. Which doesn't sound chilly, but in the shade and with the wind, it was very chilly feeling. Which is why we were taking shelter in a shed with a bunch of other people before the race started.

The beginning of the race and all the people ahead of us;





And here we are post race with a friend of Vanessa's.



I was sooooo glad to have Vanessa run with me. She was a huge help as my body tried to give up along the way.


Do I look tired? Cause I am! And I think I'll spend the rest of the day relaxing in our garden and being entertained by our chickens.

Kitten pictures

I've been busy. I'm so glad I am human and not a mother cat. These creatures are tiny and busy and messy! It's a good thing they are cute!

I changed Flair's name to Fiesta. It suits her as she is somewhat of a party girl. She's one of the most friendly of the kittens and one of the first out on the floor and into a lap. Physically, she's the darkest kitten with the longest hair.







Flicker has the sweetest face. She's independent but definitely has her social moments and has a wonderful personality. She's the smallest kitten. I love her swirly stripes. She's also the smartest - the only one who knows how to use the litter box!







Flash is the one that looks like he is wearing a shrug or has wings. He's also a little independent but still sociable. I love his smudgy mouth.







Flame has the cutest personality. He's the bravest and the first in the lap and the first up the leg and the first out of the pen. We don't have many pictures of Flame today because we had gotten a good one on Tuesday.





Here they are playing together. Fiesta and Flame are on the floor (Fiesta is biting his ear) and Flicker and Flash are in the basket. Flicker is the one with the wider stripes.



These are great kittens. They're going to be wonderful pets - well, as soon as they are litter box trained!

I just read the phase report, and oh happy day, Fantine is in phase 10! Awesome!

Spring Explosion and (possibly) Offensive Dishtowel

Spring really does seem to be exploding all over the valley. These trees are blooming at our end of town and every spring they take my breath away.








I don't even know what type of tree they are; probably some sort of flowering crab, but I'm grateful to whomever planned and planted them.


































I'm glad we seem to be finished with this scenario: the hail we received last week.


















It's time to enjoy our tulips while they last.











These were supposed to be red to match the ones above. Oh well, they're still pretty.





Not having your tulips color coordinated isn't the end of the world.







My daughter and her boyfriend are buying a house. I saw this dishtowel on Here on the Prairies blog.






WARNING: HERE COMES THE OFFENSIVE PART!














(I did warn you!)




I just couldn't resist. It will make a great housewarming gift.

I know they'll get a kick out of it.


Check out more of her hand made gifts (many of them are baby wear and not offensive at all, but darling) at her Etsy store. You can also get there from her blog.

Names

I've named the kittens:
Flair - female, long hair.
Flash - male with the white jacket-like markings.
Flame - other male.
Flicker - shyest, smallest female kitten.

I'll provide pictures by names later.

Birthdays, vacation, and cute, fuzzy kittens

A lot has happened since I last wrote. I've been on vacation since Thursday afternoon. I'm not going anywhere this vacation, but my favorite way to take time off is to stay put and do all the things I like to do at home.

Kristin turned 1 on April 30. We didn't give her a fancy cake, but she did get several Nylabone toys and a treat pack. She has taken a few trips to indoor locations like the mall, and to the movies to see How To Tame Your Dragon (loved this movie). Kristin never relieves indoors and these trips have been very successful. We took a walk on a walking path near us and took Ardella and Kristin together. We've discovered that Ardella and Kristin can ride successfully side-by-side in the back seat. Here they are together - it's the best picture we had and Kristin was moving too much.



I took Kristin for a walk yesterday and Lyn was behind us with Aidan and Ardella. I was working on food protocol with Kristin and noticed Kristin turn with great interest toward what I thought was a young boy on a bike with training wheels. However, I saw movement in my peripheral vision and turned to see a Boxer coming towards us with an intent stare at Kristin. She was in the middle of the road and I registered that this was going to be an ugly encounter. I tried to get Kristin behind me and Kristin was interested in meeting the dog, so was resisting getting behind me. The dog started snarling and snapping and jumped on Kristin's back. Fortunately, the dog's owner was in the yard and came and got the dog off. I informed the owner that Kristin was a guide dog in training and he apologized. However, I was furious because I really don't think people should let dogs off leash in an unfenced area. Kristin seemed okay after the attack, but I'm still concerned because of how a similar situation affected Ardella. Kristin is a year old, so it may not ever bother her, but I was worried enough that I reported the incident to my leader who will report it to our CFR.

Lyn, Keri, Ryan, Karren and husband Ed went to see Kevin in his last performance of Pride and Prejudice on Saturday evening. We went to the performance after eating Thai Food at Thai Orchid (hands down one of my favorite restaurants). Kevin was Mr. Collins and he did a fantastic job. Many people have commented to me that Kevin's performance was an audience favorite and I have to agree. The whole cast did a great job and I was even able to accept the person who played Mr. Darcy (never thought I could like anyone but Colin Firth in that role).

My birthday was yesterday and Lyn gave me a savings bond to be used toward saving money for a Shiloh Shepherd. I believe it will take about 5 years to save the money, so this won't be happening tomorrow, but I look forward to the day when I can have one of these beautiful dogs. We had a birthday dinner with Tim and then Lyn, Kristin and I went to see the movie mentioned above. I'm not a fan of animation, usually, but I really loved How to Tame Your Dragon. I kept thinking the dragon reminded me of Kristin.

Today, I was in the right place at the right time when an e-mail came up requesting foster placements for 2 litters of kittens. I got one of the litters.



There are 4 of them. So far I have identified 1 male and 1 female. Edit: 2 females, 2 males. The one playing with the white "wings" is a male. The 2 females are side by side in the basket - the one with the white blaze and white chest facing the picture and the little striped one sitting sort of off to the left side. The other male is the one in Lyn's lap and is the cat sort of covering the female with the blaze/white chest in the "awake picture."

This is the little male. He's the most adventurous, so far.



The female I've identified is the kitten with the longest hair and she's the most affectionate. She's also the darkest and is at the top of the bed in this picture.



These kittens are 5 weeks old and I have them for the next 3-4 weeks. I've put them inside an ex-pen and have already had to lay magazines over the edges of the pen to keep the kittens from climbing out. Little boy kitten climbed to the top of the cage already. They are staying in the library turned knitting area turned nursery and I'll start letting them out of the ex-pen to explore in a couple of days. I'm going to name them and am trying to decide whether to go with a theme or with the same letter of the alphabet.

Needless to say, I'll be posting more kitten updates and pictures. The other animals in the house are really curious and I'll have to get a picture of them all lined up by the door to the room trying to see what's happening.