Hearts and Squirrels, Squirrels and Hearts

Well, I think h*!! has finally, really, and truly, frozen over.

How cold can it get in the Cold, Cold, Land of Nod???

REALLY cold....Cold enough that no one got mail, no garbage was picked up, and bars closed.

That's right....BARS CLOSED in WISCONSIN.  Now that is DANG cold.

Temps down to -30's and windchills reaching -60.  

YIKES!

Rumor has it, though, that we will be in the upper 30's soon....

A 90 degree temperature swing in a matter of days.  Gotta love Nod....or NOT.

Ok...enough ranting... Yes, I am going a bit stir crazy (I get nervous when they say exposed skin can be frostbit in a matter of 5 minutes in those temps)....

There are many things I SHOULD be doing, but it seems a herd of squirrels running through the house always manages to distract me.

After spending a few hours sorting through boxes from WWR (yes, there are still boxes) and not finding any treasures like Marly's, I started working on a new project for which I needed a little painted heart box.

So, I painted the box....and the squirrels came again.

I started playing with paper, and well, that led to Valentine-ish things.

I am kinda liking those little dimensional heart things made with old sheet music and journal papers.

I might have to make a few more.

Something tells me the "box" project might be delayed.

But, I did finally finish my heart and hand punchneedle piece.

I had the punching done long, long, time ago, but the hornbook challenged me at every step.

(If you know me and paint, you might understand....)

Hope all is well where you are, and if it's in the Polar Vortex, I hope you are staying warm and cozy.

If you need any squirrels, just let me know.

*******

(PS...I think I did something stupid and enabled Google+ comments?? But I can't disable them?? I hope it doesn't cause anyone problems with leaving a comment.  If so, please try emailing me and I will do some research....And if anyone knows the spell to undo what I did, please let me know!)

Some Farewells & Some Introductions: The Tale of Four Kitties (and a Snowdog)

I have been gone a good long while and, as I mentioned in my last post, I have some serious catching up to do....and I promised to fill in a few of the missing pieces.

So here we go....and, in this case, the emphasis is on the word "missing."

Yes, Snowdog is still here and doing fine (although a bit preoccupied with the unexpected snow we are getting today).

But this is mostly a cattail cat tale.  In one of my posts before I fell off the face of Blogland this last time, there was a sneak peek at a new addition to the teeny, tiny, house in the cold, cold, land of Nod; but I don't believe I ever got around to formally introducing her.

So, friends, please meet Liza....a/k/a Liza Bean...a/k/a LuciFur (and, trust me, she truly earned that last moniker):

 She came to us as a "rescue" (from my niece's farm where she was found drowning in a pail of water....).

(Hmmm....water seems to be a recurring theme for her.)

 But she did eventually grow into those ears of hers:

*************

Then, about a year and a half later, I had to say farewell to my beloved Lizzi....

She left this world too very young, and oh how my heart hurt.

*************

An unexpected birthday surprise from my husband a month later, however, brought a smile to my heart again....

How could anyone NOT smile? Those eyes, the purr....the unbelievably soft fur, his snuggles.  I don't know who else could have mended my broken heart like Purrcy....or broken it so swiftly and completely when he died two months later as unexpectedly as he had arrived in my world.

I know there are questions...but his story is yet too sad for me to tell.

He was just too good to be true...and now each birthday will be bittersweet for me.

*************

But if my heart was shattered by losing Purrcy, my pain was exacerbated by witnessing that of Liza's.  She did not eat for days...and I would catch her lurking in some of her and Purrcy's favorite "play" spots...waiting...and waiting for her playmate.  You see, those two had bonded beyond anything I ever thought imaginable.  And as surely as you and I have a heart, so does she...and clearly it was broken as completely as mine was.

So, with great reluctance, and quite of bit of trepidation, we welcomed another new kitten to the teeny, tiny, house in the cold, cold, land of Nod: Rajah Roo.

No kitteh could ever replace Purrcy, but Rajah really isn't just any kitteh, and has at least "distracted" us.

I cannot say that Liza Bean has bonded with him as tightly as she did with Purrcy, but Rajah is...well...his own purrson LOL.... 

So...there you have it, 2 years of fur baby history at the teeny, tiny, house in the cold, cold, land of Nod in a nutshell...Ok, a rather "large" and LONG nutshell, but a nutshell nonetheless.

And, yes, I actually started the next part of the WWR Chronicles...but somehow am having some photo issues in that regard.  So, stay tuned...or not! 

The Nine Lives of The Cranky Crow

Yes, the rumors are true....I am "back"...again....

It's hard for even me to believe that it has been almost 2 years since I last posted.

I have visited a few blogs somewhere in that time, but it seemed my own words were stuck down somewhere deep within.  Each of these times that I have "disappeared," it has not been with intent.  I do not quite know what happens, when it will happen, or exactly why it happens....but it does.  And then eventually it seems as though I find myself far "away" and there is always an overpowering homesickness that calls me back.

So, although I am not entirely certain of what "life" I am on...or how many I may have remaining, I am here now and that brings joy to my heart.

So much, and yet so little, has happened in the past two years.  I will try to fill in some of the puzzle pieces as I go from here.  But for those of you I left hanging 2 years ago, as you can see, I did, in fact, finally find the floss I needed and finished up this little pinkeep tuck.  (Pattern by Jenny Hoffman @ Country Rustic Primitives... Finished Marly-style.) 

And, in some chance encounters with a few of you during my absence, I was asked to continue the WWR ("When We Remodeled") Chronicles. So, at the risk of losing the few faithful followers I may have left, I promise I will.

I just need to remember where I left off....and take Christmas down first.  

See...some things never change.

 ;-)