Incoherent Scribblings

Mouse turned 18 years old this spring and for the last four years, she has been living with feline hyperthyroidism. Unfortunately, less than three weeks after I had to make the decision to put Scooter to sleep, Mouse’s feline hyperthyroidism suddenly spiraled out of control. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and, in order to end her suffering, I (again) made that final decision to send her to Rainbow Bridge to join Scooter and Harley.

I sent her to Rainbow Bridge a week ago and today I received her ashes in mail. Words cannot express the pain of losing two of my most faithful companions within weeks of one another. My family feels incomplete, my house empty.

For those of you who know anything about Mouse you know she may have been a little kitty (at her heaviest she was only 7 lbs), but she had a BIG attitude… and it is that attitude that I will miss most.

Rest in Peace Missy.

Mouse
Spring 1992-June 10, 2010

Today is the day before my 36th birthday. It’s also the day that I sent my beloved Scooter to join my precious Harley at Rainbow Bridge.

In January, Scooter was diagnosed with Chronic Renal Failure (CRF) and Feline Hyperthyroidism. Both CRF and Hyperthyroidism are terminal (normally) age-related illnesses. Scooter would have been 15 years old this coming August.

Caring for Scooter during this stage of his life was probably one of the most difficult things I have ever had to do. Unlike Mouse, Scooter did not respond well to the hyperthyroid medication and we had a very difficult time stabilizing his CRF.

CRF is a horrible, wasting disease. When he wouldn’t eat even the most delectable things I offered, I watched my once 15 pound cat wither away to 5.3 pounds and I knew that I could not let him suffer any longer.

As I drove him to his final veterinary appointment this morning, I repeated these things to him:

You will not be sick anymore.
Soon you will see Harley again.

And I repeated these things to myself:

He won’t be sick anymore.
It’s right and it’s the humane thing to do.

And it was.

Rest in Peace My Love.

Scooter
August 1995-May 21, 2010

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food and water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.

The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they miss someone very special to them; who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. The bright eyes are intent; the eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to break away from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. YOU have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Author Unknown

Finally! May I present my first happy dance of 2010 as well as my first happy dance in almost seven (7!) months… “Portrait of Lauren in Blue” by Nora Corbett. *insert applause here*

Now in addition to this happy dance, something else has been “a long time coming” and I think it is time to address it. For many, many months (probably over a year actually), I have had little desire to blog. My life has changed in the six years that I have had this blog and as a result, things that used to be priorities in my life are no longer so… and yes, the blog is one of those things. However, because I reserve the right to change my mind, I will be keeping my blog parked in its cyberhome, but do not look for anymore updates here.

If you are still interested in my life and stitching, join me on Facebook… Just make sure I know who you are or your friend request may not be accepted.

~rg

As you can see, I have been stitching like mad on “Portrait of Lauren in Blue.” She now has (most of) her hair! There is still a little bit of hair to fill in, but that is around the flowers that I am now stitching.

I have also been working on “Austrian I” but have no picture of that progress because I discovered a mistake that I am going to have to frog (over one on 32 count) before continuing.

I have to say that I didn’t realize how much I missed stitching over the past few months until I had some time to devote to it. I hate just stitching for a few minutes at a time. When I stitch, I want to settle in for 2 or 3 hours and dedicate myself to needle and thread, not sneak 5 minutes at a time dammit!

Well, another year has come and gone and at a mere 12, my finished project count for the year is the lowest I have had since I started my stitching blog. I am not really upset about this though. I had so many other things going on in my life that I simply didn’t have time to stitch this year. So, without further ado, let’s look at what I wrote approximately a year ago in regards to my stitching:

WIPs carried over from 2008:

• “Fairy Flora,” Mirabilia – Finished in 2009
• “Spring Queen,” Mirabilia – Didn’t even look at it.
• “Summer’s Magic,” Dragon Dreams (SAL with Dawn) – Finished in 2009
• “Tapestry Cat,” TW Designworks – Disassembled and abandoned
• “Snowman Wisdom,” Stoney Creek – Finished in 2009

Projects for 2009:

• “Too Cute to Spook,” Stoney Creek (SAL with Dawn) – Finished in 2009
• “Skeleton Crew,” Cross-Eyed Cricket (SAL with Dawn) – No
• “Lady Rose,” Joan Elliott – Started, didn’t like the fabric.
• “Kitty Cottage Sampler,” Little House Needleworks – Finished in 2009
• “EduCATed,” Bent Creek – No
• “Little Ballerinas,” Country Cottage Needleworks – No
• “Choo Choo Train,” JBW Designs – Finished in 2009
• “Princess Parade,” Country Cottage Needleworks – No
• “Robert’s Cats” set, XStitch Happy – No

Now, on to 2010!

I debated about whether or not to make any kind of stitching goals this year, but like Kathryn, I think it is a good idea to at least have some things to think about when planning for the year. Besides, after I looked at my list I realized that out of my 12 finishes, 6 came from this list, so I guess goals can be useful after all.

The main goal for 2010 is to finish all of my WIPs from 2009 except one that I think will more than likely end up as a UFO, so here they are:

WIPs carried over from 2009:

• “Butterfly Bungalow,” Country Cottage Needleworks
• “Castle Sampler,” TW Designworks
• “Austrian I,” Bleu de Chine
• “Portrait of Lauren in Blue,” Nora Corbett
• “The Old West,” Little House Needleworks
• “Spring Queen,” Mirabilia
• “Navajo Style,” Joan Elliott (this may possibly become a UFO)

And of course, I wouldn’t be content with only working on WIPs, so I also have a few projects that I’d like to start this year, although as you can imagine this list is subject to change and expansion as I see fit!

Projects for 2010:

• “Lady Rose,” Joan Elliott (I have the fabric now)
• “Little Ballerinas,” Country Cottage Needleworks
• “R,” Nora Corbett Alphabet Series
• “Celtic Summer,” Lavender and Lace

And now, off to stitch!