To The Beat Of A Different Drum

Drum Pinkeeps!!  I just love them.  I've admired so many of them in cross-stitch groups and on blogs.  I knew it was time that I tried one.  I got Stacey Nash's sweet chart "Addy's Pinkeep Drum" and modified it a bit.  No insult to the designer intended, I just wanted to experiment with other themes and designs.  I preserved Stacey's original alphabet along the top and her main peacock theme.  I deleted the name and instead put my own initials and the date 1814.  I also added another peacock design and some keys.

 

So I marched to the beat of a different drummer on this one.  There will be more drums in my future.  I really like the concept and the finished product.  I added a large rock to the center of mine when I stuffed it.  I don't have much use for a pinkeep as an actually holder of pins.  I will use this as a paperweight.

 

Another among us who marches to the beat of a different drummer is our new friend Deuce.  He is getting less aggressive but there is still plenty of howling and hissing going on.  We are well into month number three of him being around, so I do hope this settles down soon.  He is allowed inside during the day with free roam of the house.  He likes the attic room the best and causes no trouble with the others.  When we all gather in one location....well that's a different story.

They played with opposite ends of the paper towel roll for a few minutes.  Then it became a swat-fest in the paper bag.

Outside they need constant monitoring so no one gets chased towards the street.  Can you spot them all in this photo(above).  Mel on the grill, Coal and Roy in the picnic table, and Deuce as usual, taking center stage.

Mel eyes him cautiously.  He seems to like to chase her the most.

Coal seemed ready to allow Deuce usage of this lawn chair....

..well, maybe NOT!

 

Raised my blood pressure and anxiety level by booking my flight to New Jersey for early September.  I can no longer pick and choose the days I go to visit my parents.  I always chose dates that I was off from work when there was a break from gymnastics.  Not so anymore.  My father would like me to come the first week of September so I can help with the giant neighborhood yard sale.  Year after year they attempt to rid themselves of the clutter in their garage and basement and year after year the clutter seems to multiply 10 times over instead.  So I'm going to take a crack at it this year.  I think the last yard sale I attended there was 1998.

Mr. Deuce will spend that week at Charm School (aka boarding at the Vet).  He is just too much for Joe to handle while I'm gone.  Not an ideal situation, but anything to make these trips go smoother.

 

I hear the drum beating(or is that just my pulse!).  Time to pick up some stitching and put September out of my mind for a while longer.