How Did My Animals Handle Moving?

My animals made the transition surprisingly well. Reggie, my Yorkie, wanted to mark the new place the first time he visited. I guess I couldn't blame him too much. The house did smell like a doggie bathroom when we first moved in. It only took me fussing at him 3 times before it sunk in that it wasn't OK to mark indoors. Since then he has been good as gold.

I was most concerned about my cat, Singha. He is an indoor/outdoor cat who is extremely nocturnal and wants to wake you up at 3am to let him out. If you don't comply there will be consequences. A friend suggested I keep him inside the new place "for a few weeks". That would never happen. I once kept him indoors for 14 days while he healed from surgery. Neither of us had a good time. I got very little sleep. He was constantly looking for a way outside and I have the claw marks on my wall to prove it. I decided to leave him at the old house on the day we moved because of all the chaos and open doors. I returned to Tacoma the following day to gather him up and bring him to his new home. I placed him in a travel crate for the drive. Once at the new house I put his crate and his enclosed litter box into the back bathroom, where I could close the door. I opened the door to the crate. He slowly slunk out of the crate and into the litter box, where he remained for the rest of the day and night. I went into the room frequently and talked to him. The next day when I checked he had moved from the litter box and had wedged himself behind the laundry bin. He stayed there for the rest of that day. The next morning he was still behind the bin but it was apparent he had ventured out long enough to eat half of his cat food. We were making progress. I continued to check on him frequently. That afternoon it was just he, I and the dog in the house. I decided to open the bathroom door and see if he would emerge. Pretty soon I see his head peeking around the corner. Little by little he would venture out, then retreat back into the bathroom. Then he would come out a bit further. Pretty soon he was snooping all around the house. That night he started mewling to go outside but I wasn't ready for that. He was being very vocal so I closed him back into the bathroom so I could get some sleep. The next day he was feeling very comfortable around the house. a few times during the day I would let him outside but I stood where he could see me and called him back after a short time. We repeated this a few times throughout the day. I wanted him to know where his home was. Later that night, when he asked to go out, I let him. In the morning I called him back and he came running. He has been fine ever since. The bonus for him? His dad now lets him sleep in the bed.

That leaves Shirley, My last remaining hen from my small Tacoma flock. Shirley is 4 years old. She was still laying eggs but 2 months before my move she stopped laying and her health was obviously declining. I was hoping she would live long enough to make it to Winlock and experience what it is like to free range. I don't have a proper coop here on the property but there is what I think was a goat shed. It consists of 2 rooms and has straw bale sides. The top is canvas. I hoped Shirley would hang out in there. The first night I went to check on her and found her outside the shed, wedged up in a bit of fencing. I rescued her and set her inside the shed. She remained inside the shed for 2 days, even though the door was open and she could leave at any time. On the third day I saw her out eating some bugs near the shed.

 I went to check on her later and couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't in the shed, or anywhere in the orchard. I though something must've got her. I was heading back to the house when I saw something moving in the pasture next to the orchard. There was Shirley, happily gobbling bugs. I checked at dusk and she was back inside the shed, roosting up on top of the partition between the rooms. That is where she sleeps every night. Her days are spent free ranging our property. Yesterday she made a nest and laid her fist egg in a very long time. Today she laid another. I think she loves her new home.

 

 

 

Jammies: Part Two

   This morning I finished tracing the pattern, just as the husbeast woke up. I then had to wait until 4 pm to proceed. That is of my own choosing. I am trying a new system. Usually I either work on the house all day or goof off all day. I am trying to balance things better. My current plan is to do my own thing until the hubby wakes, then take care of shopping, cooking and cleaning until 4 pm. After that I am free to do whatever I want until bedtime. So far it is working well. I get more accomplished if I have a schedule and some accountability. Today I roasted coffee and then made a batch of homemade spaghetti sauce which is in the crock pot now. The house smells heavenly. I have been waiting all summer to get enough tomatoes (10 cups, chopped). I finished those chores and cleaned up the kitchen and then it was time to begin cutting out the pajamas. This is a slow process. Why? Because of my "help".

I'm Reggie Willoughby & I approve this flannel.

As if having a little dog making a nest on 

your fabric isn't bothersome enough...

I soon had one on either end of the cutting board.

Even when I was finished and was clearing up, 

Reggie insisted that he didn't need much fabric. 

This little bit will do.

In spite of my helpers i did manage to get the pajama pants cut out. Now for the shirt.

Sick Chicken

My leghorn hen, Joanie, has been sick for the past week. She had not laid any eggs for at least 2 months but had otherwise seemed fine. She is the only one of my 3 hens that could be older than a couple of years. She was already laying eggs when I acquired her. She had been laying steadily up until the past few months, except for taking breaks during molting. Because she seemed to have reached the end of her egg producing usefulness I was planning on having her take a swim with the dumplings at the end of July. Then about 6 days ago I began to notice she wasn't her usual rambunctious self. As the days passed she got increasingly more lethargic. Her tail was tucked very low and she had trouble walking. She would just lay down and close her eyes. This usually means they are egg bound. An egg gets stuck along the oviduct and backs up the works. I have had this happen before with my Rhode Island Red, Laverne. My usual treatment for this is relaxing soaks in a warm bathtub. I began this therapy for Joanie on Sunday. She has enjoyed a warm 10 minute soak for the past 4 days and each day she has made improvement. The first couple of days she made no attempt to resist and would lay in the tub with one foot curled tightly. Yesterday she sat beside the tub while I ran her bath but she didn't cooperate at first when I wanted her to lay down in the water. Today I can tell she is feeling MUCH better. Her tail is still drooping down but her comb looks better. No dark edges. She tried to walk away from me when I went to collect her from the chicken run and when I sat her beside the tub she walked over to try to hide in the corner. She was also more uncooperative when it came time to lay in the water. These pictures were taken after today's soak. She is standing up with the other hens and going after the lettuce treats I gave them. I figure this is also a good time to give them their yearly worming. Which means if she rallies, and still doesn't lay eggs, she has a one month reprieve from the stew pot.

Today I needed a little break from my chicken nurse duties. I had to pay a visit to Costco which meant I was over near Tuesday Morning. I stopped in there to see if they had any more cheap quilting fabric. I picked up some fat quarter packs, charm squares, and a couple of other fabric bundles.

As I was wandering the aisles I spied this cute little bee scrubbie. I'll display it next to my sink.

I also stopped by Petco to stock up on Reggie food. I always look down the toy aisles to see if they have any on sale. I hate to pay full price because he chews through them so fast. I picked him up this latex squeaky monkey. He loves it. Here Reggie is taking a nap with his monkey close by. Excuse my unmade bed. It was a hectic morning.

A Peek At The Garden

I am WAY behind this year. I bought some tomato and bean starts right before I went to Chicago but didn't actually get them into the ground until this past week. They are looking mighty pitiful. We'll see how they do. But first here is a picture of Singha and "his" catnip plant. This plant was a volunteer. Singha found it and likes to nibble and roll on it. I finally took pity on the poor thing and gave it a cage. Singha can still nibble the sides but the plant has a fighting chance.

I have another caged catnip, in my herb bed, and harvested some branches yesterday. They are now tied together and hanging in a closet to dry. I wanted to get it cut before it bloomed. I did leave a couple of branches for the bees.

Speaking of bees, they are doing great. I will be painting a bunch of new hive boxes and preparing to split my bee population in half, theoretically making two hives from one. Here is my established colony.

I let my chives bloom because the bees love it. I'll need to chop it back soon, before it goes to seed. Chive spreads like a weed. I'm still pulling it out of my strawberry patch.

Click on the picture and try to spot the 4 bee girls.

The bees also go ga-ga over the strawberries and raspberries. I am going to get an insane amount of raspberries this year.

One of the field bees hard at work.

Here are my spindly Early Girl tomatoes.

And my pole beans.

We'll check back next month to see if they make progress. I almost forgot, it looks like I'll get a good crop of apples this year. Last year I think I got 4 apples, total. Not even enough to make a pie.

Finally, let's check in on my resident serial killer goldfish, Mr. Squiggy. Having offed his mate, Lenni, and all subsequent pond mates, he is now a confirmed bachelor. He should grow to a good size since he insists on having the pond all to himself. I love him even though he is a murderer.

Decisions, Decisions....

My project is getting closer to becoming a dress.

Today I have added the pockets, joined the skirt backs to the front, and attached the skirt to the bodice. But before I can insert the zipper I need to figure out how best to attach the black grosgrain ribbon to the waist. Below, one of my supervisors pores over the instructions, trying to decide how best to proceed. He thinks he's a huge help but in reality he just wrinkles the pattern pieces and tries to look important. The pattern calls for decorative topstitching, by hand, using a saddle stitch. It is supposed to be applied to the waist ribbon, the back zipper opening, and the hem. That's a lot of extra work for something that isn't crucial to my vision for this design. All I care about are the polka dots, ruffles and the black ribbon. I am leaning towards simply machine stitching the ribbon to the waist. What do you think, Singha?

I have a couple of confessions to make. I've had 2 screw ups so far, both involving the pockets. Remember when I was complaining about there being 5 sizes stamped on this pattern. In many places the size lines were very close together, making it difficult to tell which cutting line went to which size. I was being ever so careful. Double and triple checking before cutting. All went well until I cut the bodice front. At the shoulder straps the lines were incredibly hard to keep straight and despite my best efforts I managed to cut one of the straps along the wrong line. Aaaack!!!!! This was especially problematic because I didn't have much extra fabric to work with. I was able to cut out a second bodice piece (after taping the pattern back together) but thought I would have to sacrifice the pockets to do so. I was just barely able to cut out the second pocket. I had to do so with the grain going widthwise instead of lengthwise. Shhhhh! It'll be our little secret. That was screw up #1. Number 2 came as I was attaching the pockets to the back and front pieces. Just as in reading a knitting pattern, or any instructions, make sure you're reading what it says and not what you think it says. I was attaching them using a 5/8" seam instead of the required 1/4". Oopsie. The good news is this lining fabric is very forgiving. Here is the finished (and lined) pocket.

The lining side is facing up. As you can see, it's a very thin lining. I'm not sure how much further I'll get tonight. I'm going to sew a bit more and then I have a cigar to enjoy. Our nice Subaru salesman was also a cigar smoker and shared.

Scary Monsters (Another Reggie Shirt)

I won't have much spare time to sew for the next 7 days. Reggie needed at least one more new shirt and I managed to get this one finished today.

The fabric started out as this cute child's hoodie which I found at the Goodwill in one of the "by the pound" bins.

I cut out the pieces for Reggie's shirt...

....and saved the hoodie lining, zipper and some of the waist band, for future projects.

This shirt went together very quickly.

I have one more shirt to sew for him, out of his dad's union t-shirt, and then I need to start on his sister's dress. She'll be jealous if I don't get her birthday present sewn.

Success! New Shirt For Reggie.

I spent yesterday cleaning and oiling up the new Kenmore and making friends with it. Today I was ready to see what it could do. This morning I re-sized the dog shirt pattern, adding 1" circumference to the body and 1/4" depth to the sleeves. I wasn't sure if it would work so I didn't want to waste any more of that gorgeous red t-shirt fabric. I have been buying up secondhand children's knit wear and pulled out a size 6-9 months shirt from the stash. I cut that up to use for this dog shirt. I am really happy with the results.

Front:

Back:

I was able to use the existing hems for the front and back but had to hem the sleeves myself. I used the machine's straight stretch stitch for the seams but used zig zag for overcasting the raw edges and a regular straight stitch (set to a loose tension) for the top stitching. I fashioned a decorative stripe from some of the original shirt's sleeve fabric and a small portion of the decorative screen printing. I didn't have enough room to turn under a hem so opted to applique the piece to the front of the dog shirt using one of the Kenmore's fancy cam stitches. The child's shirt cost less than $.50. I bought new thread and d-rings (on sale for 50% off) and the white grosgrain ribbon to secure the d-ring but I think this shirt still cost less than $1 to make. And the child's shirt was recycled, keeping it out of the landfill.  Here are some more photos of Reggie modeling his new togs.

 And a close-up of the appliqued strip.

Close, But No Cigar

Well, the little dog shirt turned out pretty cute. But because of where I placed the strip of trim it was a wee bit snug. He did agree to wear it long enough for me to snap some photos. Mom will try again tomorrow. I'll add a bit of ease to the pattern. I think my seams were a little larger than on the original t-shirt, too. Poor Reggie was stuffed in there like a sausage.

 Front.

Back.

If nothing else it was good practice sewing with the Kenmore. I got to play around with the stretch stitches and get used to sewing knit fabric. I used one of those ball tipped needles and it seems to have done the trick.

Sewing Reggie A Shirt

Or attempting to. I can no longer find the Gooby t-shirts that work so well for him. They have attached d-rings so you can hook up your leash without having to use an uncomfortable harness or collar. The t-shirts cost about $15 each but they were well constructed and lasted quite a while. But after a couple years of constant use they are starting to wear out. Now that I have a machine with stretch stitches I am going to try to sew Reggie some new shirts. First I deconstructed one of the Gooby T's.

And used those pieces to make a paper pattern.

His dad donated this union t-shirt to use as fabric. Here I have cut out the pieces. I was too smart for my own good and tried to save steps by using the pre-existing hems. But I forgot to take into account the 1/2" hem seams on the paper pattern. I fear this shirt will wind up being too long. We'll see. I may have to cut new pieces. This first shirt will be solid red with the fun CARS trim. If this works the total cost of the shirt will be less than $1, the price of the trim and one of my custom labels. The shirt fabric was free and I am recycling the metal d-ring.

Today's Bargains

It looks like we have that health scare taken care of. Time to get back to the business of living. I have always tried to enjoy each day like it could be my last, and being ill has just reinforced that philosophy. Life is short so play with your toys! One of the things I really enjoy is hunting for bargains. Shopping at the mall and paying full price just doesn't do it for me. So when I realized I had a 40% off coupon for Half Price Books, that expired today, I got myself over there. I used my coupon to purchase a book on machine quilting. It will go hand in hand with an online course I am taking. I also picked up 8 quilting magazines and another quilting book. I spent a little over $20.

Then I went to check out a consignment store next to Guns & Bows on Pacific Ave. in Tacoma. I believe the shop is called 'This & That'. I can't find them listed when I Googled but apparently they have been there for nearly a year. It was a cool place. There is quite a variety of items from collectibles to tools, housewares to clothing. I enjoyed poking around and came away with this tin full of sewing notions for $3.

Almost directly across the street from this shop is my favorite Saint Vinnie's. I couldn't be in that end of town without paying a quick visit. I spent about $20 and came away with the following.

 A gorgeous red sweater with beading and bullion stitch roses.

A lovely blue silk blouse.

My costume for this Halloween.

A pile of assorted zippers.

Some uncut patterns, a few of which are trading stock.

And some iron on patches.

While I was taking these photos Reggie was sitting on the floor crying. He was telling me he wanted to sit up on the chair. Why? I have no idea. I actually forgot I'd put him there and left him for about 20 minutes. He just sat there quietly. Funny dog.