Thank You Joan!

My very sweet friend Joan, came to keep me company yesterday.  Joan had taken a couple of Crazy Quilt classes here with me and she was here a 2 weeks ago, a week before I lost Simba.  She emailed me the other day and asked if I would like her to come and keep me company. 

Joan brought lunch and we just sat in my kitchen and stitched, looked at books and magazines and talked.  Joan has been stitching on a beautiful ocean art quilt (wish I had taken pictures) and I started on this little purple seascape crazy quilt piece:

I very much enjoy Joan's company and was a bit sad when it was time for her to leave.  Joan is so enthusiastic about art quilting and embroidery and like me, has an insatiable appetite for craft supplies and learning new techniques.

Joan, I can't even begin to thank you for your kindness and for listening.  I very much look forward to the next time you come to visit me.  Thank you so much and Big Hugs!

Pat Winters Crazy Quilt Gatherings

If you haven't already seen it, Pat Winter's beautiful Crazy Quilt Gatherings magazine is now available:

You can find a little charted butterfly of mine in this issue.  Perfect for your crazy quilt projects!

To read a very special story about the cover design by Terri Lee Takacs please visit her Lavender Between The Cracks blog.

Small Creatures

Sometimes, even on the cloudiest days, a little ray of sunshine will peek through, even if only for a few moments.

While walking yesterday morning, I found an injured Cardinal.  He was sitting in the middle of the street.  His wing broken and his tail gone.  Well, ya'll know me.  I couldn't leave him there.  I picked him up and brought him home:

He hopped around my mudroom, he ate some sunflower seeds and he chirped a little bit.  I made some phone calls and made arrangements to take him to the wildlife rehab center which is not far from where I live.

I pulled out one of my small kitty carriers and fixed it up with a towel for him so I could safely transport him to the rehab center.  Sadly, he didn't make it.  But at least I was able to give him a quiet place to pass in peace and quiet with dignity.  Last night, Scott buried this beautiful little bird in our backyard.

Isn't it amazing what the tiniest of creatures give to us?  For a short time, I was so focused on this precious little bird, that I had momentary relief from my grief for losing Simba.  All creatures great and small.

A Little Stitching

First, I'd like to say Thank You to everyone who left me their hugs for my loss of my Simba kitty.  And a special Thank You to my sweet blog friend who called and left a message on my answering machine.  I can't begin to tell you all how much your kindness has meant to me.

I miss Simba terribly.  I'm still rather lost without him but I have his photos and my memories of him.  It'll take me some time to get used to him not being here physically.  But he'll always be in my heart.

I did do a little bit of stitching yesterday and finished up on that seascape that I was working on:

I pulled a few things for my next little project yesterday.  That was hard because Simba was always my little helper.  He always sat with me while I played with lace and trim.  I could almost feel him sitting there.  Mom said that maybe he was there but it was probably more like wishful thinking.

Anyway, if I can stitch later, I will.  And I'll get back to working on the finishing of my wedding project as soon as I can.  It'll take me some time to get my focus and routine back.  I don't feel well so I'm in slow motion.  But it'll get better.

Saying Hello

Just thought I'd stop in for a minute and say hello.  I'm lost without my Simba so I'm still at the point of keeping busy rather than actually doing anything.

When I took this picture of Simba back at Valentine's Day, I had no idea it would be the last photo I took of him.  I can't believe how much weight he had lost.  He's always had a non-stop appetite.  At his healthiest, he weighed 15 pounds.  He had Colitis which really took a toll on him this past year.  On Wednesday, he was down to 7.02 pounds.  I was afraid to pick him up because I was afraid of hurting him.

Anyway, his appetite was still really good until Wednesday morning.  I always hid his pill in some tuna which he loved but when he wouldn't eat it, I knew it was time.  It's one thing for me to suffer but I won't let these babies suffer.

Nightmare and Lucy are doing okay.  I can see that both of them are grieving but Nightmare is having a harder time with it.  When I adopted Simba, Nightmare was a year old.  Nightmare and Simba bonded right away and Nightmare immediately took to mothering him.  Simba became Nightmare's baby and Nightmare raised him.  Not me.  I just supervised.

Now, Nightmare sits in front of my rocking chair and stares at the sunspot on the floor where Simba used to lay.  And then he looks at me like, "mom, where's my baby?" 

Lucy and Simba were best friends.  When we rescued Lucy and took her in, she immediately took to Simba.  Probably because he was the closest to her in age.  They used to sleep on the bed together. 

Simba was one of the most gentle creatures on the planet.  There was nothing aggressive about him.  He was just quiet and gentle.  And he has left this incredibly huge, empty space in my heart.