Metric Cross Stitch

I ordered 3 very cute cross stitch kits from a company named Riolis, through the stitchery.  They were made in Lithuania.  I really enjoyed working on the kits. They were on 10 count Zweigart Aida fabric done with a wool and acrylic yarn.  So they filled in really nicely. I went to order frames and found the cross stitch was 20 by 20 cm, except in English measurements that is 7.75 by 7.75.  I ordered 8 inch frames but now I need to put one row of stitching all around the picture so they fit.

Mary Jane

While we were in Oregon, Hubby decided he wanted to try a marijuana brownie.  He went to a dispensary where they had pieces of chocolate but no brownies. He said he didn't feel a thing and was quite disappointed, The small piece of chocolate cost him $7.50.

Portland

We just came back from a short visit to Portland, Oregon to visit my son and his family.  We had a wonderful time. We had fantastic food! Rej's mom and dad made Indian food for us, a little spicy but great.  Bill took us on a tour of Portland and on to Mt Hood and the Bonneville Dam.  Mt.Hood was covered in snow and really breathtaking. Hubby was really excited that the Timberline Lodge had been used in the film "The Shining."

Then we drove up the Columbia Gorge to the Bonneville Dam.  I have never seen a fish ladder before, it was not what I expected. I got a chance to see Sammy's school and watch him swim. As a seven year old, I couldn't believe how well he did. He also played the piano for us.
 Oh, and Sammy has a new kitten, Nala. We spent a lot of time playing with her. It was sad to leave them and realize how far away they live.

Cats and Quilts

I love making quilts and have made almost seventy of them.  I like cats too. Over the years that hubby and I have been married we have had eight cats, not at the same time.  We had three at the most and now we are down to one. The cats seem to be fascinated with quilting.

This is Savannah as I was quilting Amy and Seth's quilt.

Sprocket liked being under Gretel's quilt.

Cleo helped me design my brother's quilt.

Virginia and Cleo liked napping on my bed.

 Fervor is our last remaining cat.In the top picture he is helping me bind my quilt, next he is laying on a quilt made of entirely cat fabrics. He is testing Amy and Seth's new quilt and in the bottom he is on my new quilt. We don't let the dog on quilts. We can't keep the cats off.

New Leader Dog Facility

Yesterday we went to an open house at the new Leader Dog Facility. It is a fourteen million dollar expansion of their previous kennels. They are now air conditioned and they have new puppy bays and veterinary facilities. It sure is a wonderful place.

This is where the year old dogs stay while they are being trained.

These are 7 week old puppies getting ready to go out to puppy raisers.

Pumpkinfest

Last weekend we brought Mary and Sofie up for the Tollgate Pumpkinfest. We had such a good time! We made s'mores. Had a hay ride and bought a pumpkin. Sofie petted the goats,sheep,cows, horses and a rabbit. She also held a hissing cockroach. She went through a straw maze and made apple cider and we ate pumpkin ice cream.  But the best part was we got to dissect a cow's eye. Sofie liked it much more than Mary.  She especially like squeezing the vitreous humor out of the eye and feeling its squishiness.

Lawn Ornament

Well we have our, every 4 year, lawn ornament up.  I hope it does some good!

Pig Roast

Last night Hubby and I attended a Pig Roast at Tollgate, Michigan Extension Service Farm  Everything on the menu was grown on the farm.. We had a hay ride before dinner and saw their community gardens.  We had volunteered there earlier in the day.  Twice a year the gardens have a plant sale so we were working to separate plants, label them, and prepare them for winter. I think I have all the hours of volunteer work that I need for recertification as a Master Gardener.  I still have to pick up two hours of education.  On Monday we watched a fantastic webinar on the Monarch Butterfly.