I have made a change or two in this design as I've gone along.
Since the cat reminds me of my Rupert I decided to dedicate
this piece to him. (Don't tell Phoebe) So I changed the one
line of the alphabet to include his name instead of the word
Purr. I hope that he likes it. Please excuse the creases in the
fabric.


Here he is so that you can see the resemblance. Of course
Rupert has white socks and muzzle and neck, but I wasn't
feeling confident enough in my skills to make changes to
the cat itself. I love the little mouse in the third line.


Following the lead of Lynn at Kearnal's Korner I signed up
to receive newsletters from San-Man Originals when they had
special designs for sale in their Secret Shop. It's a case of
first come, first receive as each item is sold in a limited number.
I was able to get three of the four items that I wanted, plus
they sent along a free design as well.

The designs are simple, pretty and colourful. The charts
are a nice big size and very clearly marked so following
them will be a breeze. I'm actually very impressed with
them.


And then there was that little win on Ebay, a pile of charts
from Prairie Schooler. I have a couple of them already but the
rest are all new to me and wonderful additions to my stash.


More of the same Ebay win. These are the seasons charts
with my favourite being Measure of a Year.


And finally we have this months bits from Stitching Bits and
Bobs. Crescent Colours in all their glory.

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Update on my Mom: Last weekend certain symptoms began
to appear which prompted the Rehab facility to run tests and
put Mom back in quarantine as a precaution. On Tuesday
they received confirmation that the C-Dificile was back.
We were advised not to visit her while she was in quarantine
and a friend of ours who is a doctor also advised DH and I
not to go.

On Wednesday I received a call at work to let me know that
the doctor at the Rehab facility had seen Mom's lab work and
she was showing signs of dehydration and her potassium
levels were dropping again. So they were arranging to transfer
her to a hospital near their location in Oakville so that she
could receive intravenous fluids etc.

DH and I went to see her in the Oakville hospital that night
just to make sure that she was comfortable and not too upset
with all that's been going on. I know, I know, we weren't
suppose to but I just couldn't stay away. We had to wear mask,
gloves and gown to go in and see her in her little isolation
closet...er room. She was so pleased to see us, and we stayed
for an hour and chatted with her and helped her to eat her
dinner.

She was responded well to treatment so they hope to send her
back to the Rehab facility tomorrow. As for the C-dificile and
the quarantine, I guess we'll just have to wait and see how
long it'll take them to knock it out of her this time.

Of course all of this has taken a months worth of physical
improvement and tossed it out the window. Mom's been
confined to bed again for over a week and we're wondering
how this will affect her walking and her general improvement.
Especially since she may well be confined to bed for awhile
yet. Time will tell I suppose. We're trying to take things
one day at a time, but it's hard not to get disheartened.



I've heard from some of you who've asked about my music
selections here on my blog and specifically asking who is
singing the first few songs. It is my pleasure to introduce
Connie Dover to those of you who've never heard of her
before. She is a remarkable lady with an incredible singing
voice and a talent for both writing original music and for
taking traditional ballads and folk songs and presenting
them at their very best.

She began her career as lead singer for the celtic band
Scartaglen, then moved on to a solo career, releasing
five albums to date: Somebody, The Wishing Well, If
Ever I Return, and The Boarder of Heaven. Her newest
CD is pictured above and is all Christmas music.

She has written and produced music for movies and tv
and in 2007 won an Emmy award for music written for
a PBS production. She is also an award winning poet.

She also works as a ranch cook in Wyoming. Honest.
It says so on her web page.

I've been a fan of Connie Dover's for over 15 years and
it would be a dream come true for me if I could see her
just once in concert. But it appears that she doesn't tour
too much, and when she does she stays in the States.
Perhaps someday....

***************************************************

I finally finished reading Robin Hobb's three book
Tawny Man trilogy, comprised of Fool's Errand,
Golden Fool and Fool's Fate. If you enjoy lush,
well written, finely detailed epic fantasy then these
books, and the others in this series, are for you.

Now I'm reading a book by Robin Pilcher called
Starburst that I picked up from the sales shelf at
Chapters one day. He's the son of Rosamund
Pilcher and writes pretty good books too.


Got a letter from my cousin Peter in England. Hi Peter!!!
He wanted to see some pictures of DH's car posted on my
blog so I'm obliging here. These were taken in front of our
house last summer. Ah... I remember summer.....

The weather here is nothing if not changeable. We'll have
a few days of cool, rainy weather and then the temperature
plummets and we'll get cold weather and snow. It's going
to be -11 Celsius tonight so we'll be piling on the blankets
at bed time. By Sunday it's going to be +4.

The Christmas cards are pretty much done, and most of
the shopping too. Just one more trip to the mall (she says
with a straight face) to pick up a few odds and ends. Then
it'll be time to tackle the wrapping. I want to do some
baking too but time won't allow for much this year. Wish
I could have Shannon here to bake with me and give me a
few tips and pointers and perhaps some new recipes.
We'd have fun blasting the Christmas tunes and wrecking
the kitchen.

***************************************************

Help Wanted: Leadership skills an asset. Ability to
to put country ahead of political ambition a must.
New ideas (any ideas actually) to help deal with and
lessen impact of economic recession in a practical,
intelligent and resourceful manner welcome. Knowledge
of world affairs also required. Must be fluent in both of
the country's official languages for a change.
Belief in a united country and equal representation for all
an important necessity.
Apply: Prime Minister's Office - Parliament Hill, Ottawa.

Thank you.

****************************************************

Have a great week folks. Take care.