Blog on hiatus until further notice. Thanks for all the kind comments.

Frick

Nearly a month has passed and I can barely wrap my head around the crushing pain and sorrow that constantly surrounds me. On August 29th, I lost my beloved Frick. He became sick suddenly and from the beginning, I was told there would be no good outcome. I'm not sure if it was my own ignorance or arrogance that made me think I could save him. Perhaps just denial as it happened so quickly; there was no time to prepare. A fast-growing, invasive and inoperable cancer caused a fluid build-up in his chest and abdomen, almost drowning him. I took an option of exploratory surgery - the one chance he had - to see if the tumor could be removed. It couldn't. I lost him.

Mab wanders the house looking for her brother and constantly jumps onto my dresser keeping a vigil by his photo and sniffing his little bunny rabbit toy. It is heartbreak compounded by endless heartbreak. The days sort of dissolve around my once happy little world - my world with my sibling felines, Queen Mab + Frick, always together and now torn apart.

12 years was simply not long enough. I love you, my little Fricklette.

Book Score #1

My intended summer cleanup and downsizing was more of a "replacing" one group of things for another. I did clean out my books, taking many old reference books and unread novels to a used bookstore that offers trade and store credit. Two of these were only $1 each and filled with beautiful illuminations and scenes of romanticized medieval life.

Whiter Shade of Pale

Seems that everywhere I wandered yesterday, I saw white. White birds, swans, flowers, mushrooms!

Snowy Egret

Trumpeter swans

Coral Fungi

Not white, but a nice surprise on my car antenna as I left the trails around the lake.

And Sew it Goes...

My Etsy shop has been woefully neglected and empty for some time now. Creative projects are underway and I've set myself a deadline of Sept. 1st for a revival of my shop. I've been plagued by a case of major slow motion and other distractions. Here are a few previews of things to come.

These were birthday gifts for a friend who shares my Game of Thrones love.
My nods to House Stark & House Lannister.

Another bag made in the winter - a design I'll likely repeat in another color scheme.

And this may be my favorite thus far. I combined two embroidery patterns, changed the thread colors.
I was inspired by a Pugin wallpaper design. For now, it is just a piece of velvet. Not sure what it will become.

 

Secret Gardens

Another movie I recently watched is The Secret Garden.

How did I forget how visually lovely and heart-warming this movie is?

 

And some recent photos from my own not-so-secret garden.