The O-Zone

Last night I finished braiding some black silk yarn to make a tie for holding the calendar on the wall, and threaded the ends through the holes Dan drilled in the dowel.  And then I finished knitting a candy cane.  I’ll take this to our friend’s house today, and when I finish knitting the last two ornaments, I’ll take them over later.

Very clever pattern made by the person who designed it. I could see how it could be addictive to make these.

Ornaments tucked into their pockets and empty buttons waiting for them.

Close to being completely finished!  I still want to stitch around all the outside of the pockets and around the tree, but that will have to wait until after the first of the year.

I still have hand sewing to complete, adding the buttons the ornaments hang on, and preparing the dowel this advent calendar will hang on, trim the extra felt away from the sides and bottom, and I have three more ornaments to complete.  Sounds like a lot when I put it that way, but I’ll have it all done except the last three ornaments, by Friday.

It looks pretty cute, all things considered. Very happy with the way it has turned out.

These are the ornaments I finished this last long weekend.  I took a 4-day weekend for knitting purposes.  Much fun was had.

A christmas tree ball, miniature version of a bead knitted purse, a wreath, mitten decorated with a rose and leaves, a fairisle sweater, and a star.

Still to come are a candy cane, a macrame jingle bells hanging, and I guess a santa.  I have ideas for a lot of other ornaments but that is going to be the final line-up.  I have a pattern for a crochet rose if I can figure out how to read the pattern.  It’s been so many years I’ve forgotten how to do that.

This large buck has been hanging around the house the past couple of days, following does around.  We saw him again this morning.  He looks etheral through the early morning fog.

He didn’t grow such nice antlers by being careless. He’s very spooked by the parrots who talk to him.  Nice to see he escaped the hunters.

Two more ornaments knitted.

A Fairy Mouse and a stocking hat.

Terry made the wand for me, and I added the bling. 🙂

I saw a flash of movement by the pallets of wood pellets which are between the garage and our greenhouse, and I knew immediately what was visiting, so I grabbed the camera.

We see Bobcats in the yard pretty much every year, though sometimes it’s not the cat, it’s a trail of footprints.

I told Dan the cat was here and obviously the cat heard us because forward motion stopped as soon as we were talking.  They have amazing hearing!

Sitting completely still, almost hidden in the shadows.  He’s staring intently at the house.

Squirrel!  And just like that, we were no longer of any interest to Monsieur Puddy-Tat.

Completely oblivious to the danger just yards/meters away, one of our Red Squirrels was going about his normal routine of running back and forth across the yard, between the two hanging bird feeders.

Halfway across the gravel driveway, the cat freezes to avoid detection by the squirrel.

Back on the move, getting closer to the big Ponderosa Pine tree near one of the bird feeders.

At this point I was holding my breath and saying “Go, kitty!!” And hoping Terry didn’t notice the drama unfolding.

Next to the big tree now, the cat is in striking distance of his prey. The squirrel is still completely oblivious.

Such a pretty cat, and so focused.

Fuzzy pictures through the windows.  Gotta buy some Windex!

And just when it was going to get really interesting, Terry spotted the Bobcat, which did not belong in our yard.  And she yelled loudly, warning us (and neighbors within a mile radius), about an interloper.

The Bobcat did think about it for a tiny bit, but decided discretion is the better part of valor, and left quickly, disappearing around the other side of the garage.

But now, the Bobcat knows about the squirrels, so he’ll be back.  This is a good incentive for us to get the window shades installed next to Terry’s cage.

Slowly but surely making progress on my tiny knitting projects collection.

A tiny Santa Mouse holding a bell; a red bell with a silver bell inside; and a snowperson 🙂

I didn’t have a pattern for the bell or snowman so I just made them up as I went along.  Next a Fairy Mouse.

Does Mish look rowdy?

That would be because he is talking to me and trying to get me to engage in a little cat-scapades.  He and Dan had just been playing and Mish always wants to rumble with me after he plays with Dan, to make sure that I’m #3 on the pecking order around here.

So I bombed him with his lion 🙂

It started snowing last night as we went to sleep, and this morning we woke up to a good four inches of snow, and more falling.

And to think just yesterday I was remarking on how much it looked like fall with the golden grass and leaves all off the trees.

Makes us feel smart to have gotten the snow tires on the car this past Thursday.

Rhody is wearing snow and the grass is turning white.

It won’t last.  It is bound to get above freezing today.  But then it might do again overnight.

So there is just one thing to do in this situation….

Make cinnamon rolls!!  They are on top of the warming oven on the cookstove, rising.

Slowly adding to the collection of ornaments for the advent calendar. Very slowly.

A bear, a blue bird, and a fairisle sock.

The bluebird just didn’t look right without wings, so I used some Pionus feathers that I’ve been saving for about 40 years.  Geeze, time flies!