Unpacking

I'm gradually starting to get things in order here.  There have been many essentials to do... plumbing leaks fixed, drywall repair, hot water heater replaced, running AC up to the studio, screening in the downstairs porch, weeding the garden, central vacuum installed..just to name a few.  After next week, all the outstanding repairs will be finished and we can move on to doing the fun stuff like picking paint colors, getting new flooring, kitchen and bath updates... after we take a break to catch our breath.

In the meantime, the unpacking continues.  I've gotten all the boxes out, now I'm just putting it all away and getting things arranged like I want. The studio is mostly put away now...just a few things to put in place, and I still need to get my design wall up.  I'll be replacing all the plastic bins and shelving with nice cabinetry once things are more settled, but these are functional for now.  The best part is having it all in one huge room!

And check out this floor tile; it's in 3 of my bathrooms ...perfect for a quilters home! The hexagons are 3 inches, in good shape and a nice neutral color, so I may leave them...



I'll leave you with a few more photos , first of Chloe





and then some shots around the house















Have a great evening!

 

Back to the land of the living, sort of...

I think if it weren't for having a house to unpack and put away, I would have gone mad by now.   The loss of Harry has hit me harder than any before him.  I'm still very weepy, but better today than last week.

Chloe too has been hard hit with this loss. She still is going from room to room crying for him...as you know they were inseparable...as Harry and I were.

But, there is the house to unpack and put away, and many jobs to be done...life goes on, though painfully and reluctantly right now.

 

After Sidney and Ira died we got new babies very soon...they were Chloe and Harry.  While they did not replace Sid and Ira (whom we still miss)...they did force us to get on with life.  They demanded so much love and attention, we had to comply. That in turn, slowly helped us heal.

 

So yesterday, I found a ragdoll breeder just 3 hours west of us.  It just happened she had new kittens. So we reserved a new little boy.  Hopefully this new little guy will demand much love and attention and  help all of us get on with living.

Nothing can replace the gaping hole in my heart from the loss of my sweet Harry, but Chloe and I have to find a way to stop crying all day every day, and to try and move from the profound sadness to a place where we can savor the wonderful memories of our short time with Harry.  I'm hoping the distraction of a new baby will help us do that.

He is only 7 weeks old, so we can't bring him home until the end of April, but it is something to look forward to.

And here are your first photos of him

Harry

My sweet, beautiful boy lost his battle with HCM this evening.

Thank you all for the kind messages, I will respond to each of you in the days to come, but right now my heart is broken.

 

Bittersweet Move

We arrived safely in our new home.  Both Chloe and Harry were just wonderful on the trip.  They adapted quickly to their new surroundings and were running around playing  and exploring until last Friday morning.  Harry suddenly became very lethargic.  I took him immediately to the premier small animal hospital here in town.

Long story short, he has  very advanced,severe Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy; unfortunately all too common in large breed cats...more common in males, but prevalent in both sexes.  It is known as the silent killer as many die  before they are diagnosed.  It is an inherited disease...they are born with it.

After days in the ICU trying to stabilize him; he came home with us today.  They have done all for him they can; he is on treatment, but the outlook is not good.  He is comfortable at the moment, so we will go day by day with him.

Harry is only4 years old, but he brings me immeasurable  joy every single day...I am devastated.

 

This and That

As we go through the next couple weeks, I will be busy with our move. So I have scheduled some posts to fill the time.  First though, is real time about today's mail.

I received a gift in the mail today from my friend Yvonne. She made me the most beautiful eternity scarf.  All hand knitted by her, in the most scrumptious baby alpaca/merino/nylon wool blend that is sooooooooooooo soft.  And those of you who know me, know my absolute fav colors are those in the blue and green families.

Well, the eternity scarf Yvonne knitted for me is blue.......can you say love?!!!!

I couldn't get a good photo of me wearing it, so I convinced Harry to model it for you.





And this is as it looks on the pattern page



Thank you so much, Yvonne! It means the world to me that you made this for me.

And then back to moving stuff and scheduled posts; you can't send liquids on the moving van, so I had some mixed dyes to use up.  Well, as it happens, Don had some ratty old stained tee shirts........ so combine ratty old tee shirts and dyes that need to be used and you get this;



and this



and this



Great use of mixed dyes and a good way to breathe new life into old tee shirts!

 

 

 

"Impression" piece finished!

My Fiberactions challenge piece is finished except for the edge finishing. Unfortunately, that will not get done until after the reveal. All my stuff is packed for the move, so the edges will have to wait until I get to the new house and unpack my studio stuff.

It will be revealed on March 15th, but here is a small section of the back.




That's all you get till the 15th:)

The Move Has Begun

Today our boat "Trout" began the journey to her new home.  Since she lives on a special lift in the water of our back yard, we had to hire a crane to lift her out of the water and onto a custom made trailer for transport.  All in all a nerve racking, breath holding couple of hours.   I did however, document the event in pictures.   So fair warning....no quilt or kitty content tonight.

If you are still with me and curious, here are my photos from today.

The crane arrives and prep begins



lifting



higher



and higher



turning



the descent



lining up with the trailer



lower



final adjustments



loaded and ready to go



on the road to New Orleans



Now I can breathe....and we'll see her again soon when we arrive at our new home.