We have a spider that hangs out on our Hibiscus bush. It is a very welcome spider, and especially welcome to eat the insects that come to eat my flowers. I am pleased with this photo because the backlighting really highlights the spider and the petals.
We have blackout curtains in all the bedrooms, but my youngest has high anxiety about fireworks and thunderstorms. She doesn’t wear her hearing aids at night, so usually can’t hear but the loudest rumble, but she can see the light flash around the blackout curtains, even without her glasses. I wedged a cardboard box in the window as a temporary fix, but we needed a better long-term solution. I knew that blackout fabric was something purchasable, but I didn’t know that Velcro had the rest of the solution. Velcro produces a household product that has one side of their hook and loop with a strong adhesive, and the other side without glue for sewing, perfect for attaching blackout fabric to a window.
Velcro didn’t mess around with this product. It is one of the strongest hook and loops I’ve encountered. Our customer service person cutting the Velcro put it together before cutting. Next time, I will ask for the two parts to be cut separately. So sticky. My window frame is a half-inch, and the Velcro was 3/4”, so I had to cut the hard side down to fit. There is still some light that creeps through, but paired with the hanging curtain, it is dark as pitch in the room. Except for the light coming from the closet, which also has a window. I have another curtain to sew.
Here is another entry for the “Show me you have a kitten in the house, without telling me.” We have been sorting and cleaning out closets, and we stuffed a box with old packing paper. This is now Thor’s favorite spot. He gets in the box and rustles through the paper, often bringing a toy with him. Our floor is often littered with paper scraps.
Having a kitten means coming up with ways to distract the kitten, usually from getting into trouble. He thought my Cricut cutter was quite fascinating, so to keep him out of the mechanisms, I made toys from the cutting scraps.
We have the plastic springs, which he loves, commercially produced balls, some he likes some he doesn’t, and some small stuffed toys, but we have an army of little balls of paper and paper towels all over the floor. A distracted cat makes for a happy family.
Our kitten has been trying to win over our older female cats. It is working, slowly, but mainly because he backs off when they tell him off. He jumped up on my chair, only to find it already cat occupied. He tried to settle, but decided it wasn’t worth the risk, and found another spot. Although there is a large size difference now (he is just over 3-months-old), I don’t think that will always be the case, so I’m glad of the photo op.
Critters and Craft 