I sits. It is good to know that I can make an effective cat collection device: put a cardboard box down with some crinkly paper and within minutes it sprouts a cat.


He’s getting so big!
I sits. It is good to know that I can make an effective cat collection device: put a cardboard box down with some crinkly paper and within minutes it sprouts a cat.


He’s getting so big!
This summer has been hot, so very hot. Our plants and yard have definitely taken a hit and are looking quite sad. I was surprised therefore to find that the pepper plants have actually been producing peppers. Small, yes, but still there. I saw a couple that had turned red and started to decay. These were mid-planter and high up against the fence. Where the dog can’t reach. Ah. That is where all the rest of the peppers went. To test my hypothesis, I tossed this pepper to him. He picked it up and took it off to eat it. Yup. Pepper pup. Sigh.

The hibiscus out front is also putting out an effort, despite receiving a full dose of Texas summer sun and being host to a myriad of insects. It has produced a couple small blooms despite the scorching temps.

I know technically we have passed the autumnal equinox and are in fall, but nobody tells Texas.
I have Frankenstein’d my shirts before, where I have two shirts with opposite positive attributes, so I combine them. Mostly it involves ripping seams, cutting, and sewing back together. I’m at it again. I found a printed tee that I liked the print and the message: “Keep going, just to see what happens” with singing dancing skeletons. But it is a “women’s” shirt, so has cap sleeves and a snug fit. Bah. I have an old shirt with lovely full sleeves, but a high neck and short body. Also Bah.

I like peach and olive green together, so I selected these shirts for tailor surgery. I ripped out the seams on the peach shirt, except for the shoulders, and cut a larger neck hole. I cut the sleeves and the hem off the olive shirt, and a two inch section of the body. I sewed the olive green strips into the side seams of the peach shirt to give it more ease, sewed the butterfly sleeves in, then used the olive green hem to edge the neckline.

I like how it came out. Before I had two shirts I would not wear, now I have one shirt I will.
I have two knitting works in progress. One needs a section ripped out, so is resting until I have the courage to tackle it, and the other I cast on several months ago, and am now circling back around to work on it. This is a fingering weight sweater (right? Crazy.) that I bought the yarn to support a cause, and determined I wanted to make my youngest an actual garment. The knitting isn’t hard, but it does take a long time. Izzy the cat appreciates it when I knit; I provide a long-term nap space.

I am acknowledging that this will be an on-again off-again project as other shiny things distract me.
I’ve been seeing some strange bug catching methods on my feeds, so I thought I would share my preferred method for catching and removing critters from the house: a cup and card stock. Put the cup over the insect, slide the card stock under, tada, instant cage. Thin paper can work, but isn’t as secure. Clear plastic cups are awesome, but a glass works too.

This works great for creatures on flat surfaces, and the materials are cheap and readily available.