Fifteen Books

I decided to take on the challenge of finding 15 books that are memorable to me. This is hard for me since I have such a dreadful memory but I do recall the lasting emotional impressions. So here's my version for today:

1. The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough
2. Edgar Allan Poe short stories
3. Angels and Demons by Dan Brown
4. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
5. Collage Discovery Workshop Beyond the Unexpected by Claudine Hellmuth
6. The Art of Annemieke Mein - Wildlife Artist in Textile
7. Material Visions Somerset Studio Publication
8. Awakenings by Oliver Sachs
9. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sachs
10. Birdman by Mo Hayder
11. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
12. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
13. Poetry by Leonard Cohen
14. The Petty Details of So and So's Life by Camilla Gibb
15. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
16. Mr. Sandman, The Romantic by Barbara Gowdy

So I've added another 2 books since it occured to me that I had forgotten Barbara Gowdy. Have you ever read a book more than once? I haven't and I'm afraid I would be disappointed if I recalled too much of the plot. Maybe I should try it at least once.

The knitting begins

Well I started knitting my first dog sweater and I've ripped it out twice. Doesn't look right. I now have switched to another colour. Amber is trying to encroach on my personal knitting space by lying on top of the needle despite its moving around. Wonder if she wants a sweater....

Lo and behold...someone is cat knitting.

New Projects

I'm lacking in the concentration department when it comes to my art projects. I can't seem to finish anything. I feel stuck. Since I'm now so organized (ha!), I have plenty of boxes that will house the supplies allotted to a particular work so it would be easy to get back to finishing up.

I haven't knit in about 15 years and I tried to make a baby outfit about 4 years ago with disastrous consequences. I couldn't interpret the pattern. Not sure if it was me or maybe the instructions were just lousy. Some knitting books were on display at Chapters last week and I picked up a few. I'm a hoarder so I can't be content with just one. I've decided to knit for dogs - sweaters, capes, balaclavas and leg warmers for those tall dogs with long, skinny legs that have virtually no fur for protection. I've ordered some supplies on-line because I knew I could only get a certain things in Toronto. And I'm no good at figuring out substitutions and even worse at asking for help. There's a mathematical aspect to these things and I useless at math. I took a trip down to Romni Wools on Queen West and made it through the door just in time. A major thunderstorm right overhead - you know the kind when the flash of lightning and boom of thunder occur simultaneously. Very cozy to be indoors surrounded by fabulous colours and textures. Well, Romni didn't have the brand names I was looking for so I decided to just start grabbing whatever was appealing. Everything appealed to me. I always have to choose those skeins that, in addition to the visual allure,also have a tactile component. Wow - nothing like cashmere - even fake cashmere feels like the real thing.

So tonight I'm going to start an outfit that's been designated easy. A single thick cable right down the centre. I'd better not get into a screw-up situation. I need to boost my confidence. I shall have to locate a dog for modelling purposes. But I'm jumping ahead of myself. Geez, I hope the cats don't go after the yarn.

Birthday girl

My dear Amber turned 13 today. As usual, she is lounging on the sofa and will soon rotate to the armchair followed by the stroller. Then she will beg for treats and I will succumb, dragging out the Greenies dental treats (dental my eye...cats swallow these things whole. And puke them up whole which provides the evidence for this theory.). As she ages she gets freckles. Her lips are covered in black frecks. Also the rims of her eyes. My vet tells me that red heads are notorious for freckling as they age. All this freckling and no sun exposure. I was racking my brains to think of something special to present her with. Usually I forget about birthdays but this time I decided to get her favourite toy - a realistic looking mouse with leather tail and covered in rabbit fur or something like that. Amber eats the tail first - I find it in the litter box attached to other bodily refuse. So far, she hasn't touched the mouse at all despite my squealing like a pig and whirling the
mouse around in the air by the tail. I guess she's now old enough to not fall for my silly antics.

OMG!

OMG, I seem to have done it. After days of toiling and I still have yet to figure out how I just did that. Maybe a change of colour is a good thing.

Redecorating

In a frantic attempt to restore the comment section under my posts, I've changed the template. I don't think this actually does anything except to offer a change of scene. I've printed off all kinds of instructions regarding the restoration of comments and nothing has worked so far. I'm frustrated beyond measure. Bordering on tears. So, there you go. Nothing to say except maybe a prayer.

I can now get emails from my father but they show up in the 'deleted' folder so I dare not empty it before checking. He is an 'approved sender' according to my designation but this seems to make no difference. I wonder if Windows Vista has become all powerful and is showing its dominance over me. I even manage to lose my last post without ever pressing a 'delete' button. How weird is that!

I think it's time to chow down over a bowl of organic white cherries. And then some black licorice.

I seem to be a flunkee

After much coaching by LJM, I continue to fail my million attempts at trying to have my blog links show their pictures. Why do I not have the same screen as she does when I move about behind the scenes. Remember when I wiped out my entire sidebar way back when...? I think this may be the same situation. Oh well...

What a glorious day it is. My very favourite kind of weather but my hair continues to be huge courtesy of yesterday's humidity. I was feeling so cooped up at home (self-imposed isolation to avoid temptation away from my clear fluid diet) that I thought I'd take a walk to Shoppers' Drug Mart. That should be safe enough. But, en route, I fell victim to the irresistible urge for a Starbuck's mocha frapuccino light and broke my resolve. So I said to myself 'how do I counteract this serious infraction' and, of course, the answer was right there at SDM. I picked up extra laxatives and an extra bottle of the purgative which I've just consumed. So I'm waiting and waiting for my punishment.

I finally put up my Sid Dickens tiles which I bought almost 2 years ago and they have been sitting in a bag ever since. In honour of the new sofa coming, I finally remembered them and how nice they would look against dark chocolate furniture. I have some more tiles coming in a couple of months. I actually saw them being sold on ebay for about 1.5 times what they are at the Sid Dickens website.

Meanwhile, Tayoh has started coughing and that means she will be going to the vet in a couple of weeks. In the new stroller. I can't believe how disinterested both cats have been around this new addition to their landscape. Last night I put a catnip pillow inside and picked up Amber, tossing her in the carriage. She stayed there for about 5 minutes. I guess that's ok. She also has just started coughing as well as sneezing and has a nasty sore on her chin. I think that she too will be making an excursion to the vet. Last night I tried the 'hiding-of-the-lysine-powder' in the pill pockets and by some miracle she's eaten 2 doses. I'm only putting a very small amount into the pocket so there isn't the leakage I had before. Also this is the veterinary version so maybe it has a different taste.

Time to sit on the balcony to enjoy the late afternoon sun with a tall glass of apple-peach juice.