Things That Move in the Night

Last night as I was walking down the dark hall something scuttled in front of me. I screamed - as loud as someone with a paralyzed vocal chord can scream. I jumped - as high as someone with a fake knee can jump. It turned out to be a lizard. We occasionally get a lizard visitor in the house. I calmed down and we laughed about it..

This morning while in the bathroom my eyes came to rest on this -
I thought, "Oh, that Jerry! He is always trying to trick me." But just in case he wasn't I touched the beast with my foot and it moved!!! I tired to call for Jerry to come. I didn't want this lizard to get away and make our home his permanent residence. After numerous attempts to yell, Jerry finally heard and came languidly in asking what the big fuss was about. I pointed out the intruder. My Hero offered to pick it up by the tail and dispose of it. That was fairly odd. He doesn't like picking up critters. But manfully, he insisted that he didn't mind. And, then the jig was up. I knew the thing for what it was, a fake, just like my knee, placed there by my hero to get a stir out of me. And, did he ever. I made him so happy. Don't ask me how it moved by itself or how he just happened to have a spare plastic lizard on hand, because I don't know.

Casket Quilt

This beautiful quilt belongs to my cousin Floyce. Floyce completed the embroidery work last fall and asked me to quilt it for her. She said she wants it to cover her casket. After establishing that she wouldn't be using it for that purpose for a very long time, I agreed to quilt it. It is lovely and was a pleasure to quilt. I love the comination of crosshatching and feathers, as well as the pleasing colors brought to the quilt by the embroidery. During the quilting I had hours of remembering the good times and coversation Floyce and I had when she lived close and we rode our bikes together each morning.

The Relocators

Our neighborhood has been besieged by ferral cats, seemingly dozens of them. Our desert landscaped front yard was in danger of becoming a giant cat bathroom.

Gross!!! How Hygienically, visually, and aromatically unappealing. One neighbor came home late one night to find 8 cats sitting in his front yard. Something had to be done. We went to the pet store and stocked up on pellets the clerk guaranteed would fend off the offending cats. It didn't work. Someone said Cayenne Pepper sprinkled liberally would do the job. Nope. It doesn't. We checked with the Humane Society. Sure, they'd take the cats if we paid them $100.00 per cat! We fumed. We mused. And, finally we had a plan. We would become Relocators!

First, we had to get a relocator tool. My Hero was happy to go to his favorite male hang-out, Harbour Freight, in order to acquire one. After that, things went quite well as one after another of our unwelcome guests were relocated. We were once again able to walk freely in our front yard.

Just the other day while doing yard work in the back yard, My Hero discovered his relocating tool was inhabited. He saw a very bushy tail and went over to take a look. This is what greeted him.

He took a closer look.

And even closer.

It wasn't a cat. It was a squirrel. My Hero took Mr. Squirrel to the front yard so he could make a get-away. Mr. Squirrel sauntered down the street for a short ways then looked back over has shoulder with an accusing look that said "What you looking at?"
before he scampered off.

Cousins

Front row: JoAnn, Linda, Karen, Floyce, Tana, Susan, Bobbie,
Fern , Bonnie and Eileen.
Back row: Mike, Robert, Art, Lynn, Bud, Hall, Emer, Ross,
Laverl, and Henry.

Cousins who were able to attend Uncle Lloyd Ashcroft's funeral. What happened to all those little kid who used to run around at family dinners?

"Lots of Heart"

Hearts seem to be a repeating theme in my blogging so here is a heart quilt. It is Brooklyn's. We pooled our talents to create it. Brook drew a wonderful picture. We went shopping together and she selected the fabric. I cut out the hearts and flowers. Brooklyn carefully placed them where they should live on the quilt and I sewed everything together. The quilt is like our Brookie - it has "lots of heart".

They Grow Up So Fast

On his 2nd birthday our little boy was bright, strong, handsome, funny, usually happy and interested in anything that was electrical or mechanical. However, he could give you a look that said you were coming mighty close to getting on his very last nerve.

On his 46th birthday our boy hasn't changed all that much. He is still bright, strong, handsome, funny, and usually happy. And, he can still give you a look that says you are coming mighty close to getting on his very last nerve. Just like his Grandpa he has a huge heart and has done so much good in this world. You know that song, "You've Got a Friend in Me" ? That's my boy.

Old Spice and Gun Powder

Last night I was listening to a replay of Reba. Her dad came to visit her. As she hugged him she said, "There's nothing like the smell of Old Spice and gun powder to make me think of home". How that made me think of my Dad and home. He exclusively used Old Spice aftershave and was busy much of the time reloading bullets, oiling and cleaning his guns or shooting them. Wouldn't I love to be able to give him a hug and smell that Dad smell again! Awhile back I dreamed he was piloting a small airplane and that I was his passenger. We were having a great time. I hated waking up to discover it was only a dream. Dad was a strong, hard working, manly man with a huge heart. He loved his family.

A Brainiac I'm Not

A lot of thanks goes to Sydney for creating this great page for me. With her help and coaching from her and Heather I can blog!! But, I need some impossibly clever thing to say to be in league with family bloggers. Having a fibro brain today is not helping.

Welcome to Karen's Quiltery

This is a quilt made for Marge Weeks. Marge and I were Visiting Teaching companions and then I was given the privilege of being her Visiting Teacher. All the hearts are messages to Marge. She was having a very difficult time with chemo after being diagnosed with breast cancer. Women in the ward wrote the messages on the hearts and I made the quilt. Younger women, who hadn't been in the ward long, thanked her for making them feel welcome. On her way home from work a week before Christmas, Marge was killed by a drunk driver.

Marge's Life Motto touched something in me. This new year I would like to be a lot more like Marge and make her Life Motto mine.

To be so strong that nothing can disturb
your peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness, and prosperity to every person you meet.
To make all your friends feel that there is something in them.
To look on the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.
To think only the best, to work only for the best, and expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the greater accomplishemnts of the future.
To wear a cheerful countenance and give every living creature you meet a smile.
To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger , too strong for fear, and too happy to
permit the presence of trouble.