Honey Chain

one year ago today, i left the vets office with a broken cat. the vet was very dramatic as he implored me not to let her suffer, to bring her back and put her to sleep. i had no intention of letting her suffer but i also could not just put her to sleep. i had to do, try something.

i did what i could and today, boo is pretty good. she’s still broken. she may never be “normal” again, but she’s not suffering. she plays. she still eats anything you put in front of her. she’s a lover and, sometimes, a fighter. it doesn’t seem to bother her that she can’t jump up on the counters anymore or that she has a nasty tremor or that she doesn’t have as much control over her movements as the other cats. she has sunbeams on the floor, her favorite catnip toy and her dogs. she is just fine.

boo looks pretty darn good for a cat 365 days past her expiration date.

my neighbors have dogs and their dogs aggressively attack the fence anytime my dogs, or myself for that matter, are in the yard. so, this is how they have decided to handle this

i’m sure they’re thinking this blocks the dogs from being near the fence. so, no more problem, right?

when i look at it, i can imagine the neighbor’s dogs climbing on the pile and jumping over the fence.

since it’s become HOT and HUMID again i have no love for the chieftains and the sweater knitting. now, i am all about the circle jerks and flip flop socklets.

i used the crochet pattern from knit-errant. i had difficulty with the ribbing. the difficulty being that i couldn’t crochet ribbing without mas cursing. so i used a row of dc instead. i think they came out pretty nice.

i also completed unfinished object #974: a ribbed hat

i think i used a 2 needle hat pattern form one of the stitch n bitch books. i needed it to be stretchy cuz i have long hair and i almost always wear it up (those headbands are nice, but sometimes you need a hat). i added some stitches, used a bulky yarn and tried to knit as loosely as possible. it fits, it’s comfortable and doesn’t look dorky. woohoo!

just a couple of years ago, i could tolerate the heat and the humidity. it was no problem. i lived in a house that had two working windows, i had a fan and i was fine. yes, sometimes, when the heat index got really high i would go hang out at the grocery store to suck up the cool, but everybody has limits. now, after living in a house with central air, the tolerance for the heat is gone. it’s 79 in the house and i am dying. seriously, i am a big crybaby. “hiking? are you kidding? i’m not going outside. nature doesn’t have air conditioning.”

in other news, i’ve managed to complete another unfinished project. yea! for me!

it’s only been lying around the house waiting for me to weave in the ends for 6 months or so.

this week, i am grateful for a good nap.

today, is a dark and dreary day. it’s the type of day that makes you want to put on the chieftains, have a cup of tea and knit a sweater. unfortunately, i have knitasweateraphobia. so, i put on the long black veil and shaved pal. i’ve been lax in my grooming duties and pal was getting a little too rastafarian looking for our tastes.

he was surprisingly well behaved.

yes…that’s a kitty litter pan. a couple of weeks ago pal starting sleeping in the kitty litter pans. i have no clue why, but after the hundredth time i shagged him out i broke down and gave him a pan of his very own.

she visits my grave when the night winds wail….

moon of the nocturnal knit witch found these uber cute knit cupcakes and challenged anyone reading to make one of their own. i really wanted to participate but i am dpn challenged and i’m pretty positive this project would require the use of double pointed needles. i still really wanted one, though. they’re so cute, i just had to make one anyway. i decided to try crochet. i’ve never made anything that wasn’t a scarf in crochet. so, i searched the internet and found this pattern. it seemed pretty straight forward and easy (the most important part). i gave it a try and tada!

isn’t it the cutest thing ever?

yesterday morning reminded me so much of fall. it was damp and dark and chilly. i miss fall and it’s sweaters and knits and hot apple cider and soup. oooh, i miss soup, especially minestrone. as a result of all the longing for fall, i pulled out two scarves that have been patiently waiting for me to finally finish them and i….finished them. yea! for me!

and here’s misty modeling a lovely red scarf

they are both just simple garter stitch scarves but i like garter stitch so that works out for me.

misty looks like she is enjoying this so much, i might just have to knit her a sweater.

today, i am grateful for the basics. i am grateful for air to breathe, food to eat and water to drink. i am grateful for a roof over my head and the ability to be mobile (feet, wheels, whatever). i am grateful that i have people i love and the knowing that some of them love me back. i am grateful for my pets. i am grateful for shade from an old tree. i am grateful for smiles, deep laughs and twinkling eyes. i am grateful for cool grass under my bare feet on a hot and humid day. i am grateful for iced tea and cold lemonade. i am grateful for a friendly meal shared with friendly others. i am grateful for the rose of sharon that draws the humming birds. i am grateful for opportunity and knowledge and choices.

if you scroll down my sidebar you will notice that i am the proud owner of some shiny new brownie points. that’s right, i successfully identified (or came reasonably close) 2 whole fungi, earning me 20 spantacular brownie points. it was hard, it was grueling, it was surprisingly fun. i know you are thinking “wow! that kiki is amazing!” and also “how can i get me some brownie points?” well…head over to name that mushroom, check out the unidentified mushrooms (there’s a list in the sidebar), and then identify them. while you’re over there be sure to check out laura’s other blog fungi thinking, which is not only a good read but has surprises like this video of mating slugs. i’m not sure what i expected when i clicked on that video but slug sex was not it.

and if you’re curious i identified this one and this one.