Blizzards and Bunnies

...and after the flood came the blizzard. 

We are no strangers to cold or snow here in Nod, but this last storm, the weekend before last, was a doozy even by our standards.

I knew we were in trouble when, on Thursday night/early Friday morning, the forecast was for 3-5" of snow and we woke up to go 13."

We had a brief reprieve during the day on Friday and Saturday, but the new system (i.e., the blizzard) moved in late Saturday night.

By Sunday morning I was unable to get out the door.

{That's all the further I could push the door open before it hit the massive drift.)

In addition to the previous 13" of snow we had just gotten, we got 31" more in less than 24 hours.

{This is not a black and white photo...}

New records were set in our area and schools and roads were closed for several days (unheard of here generally).

My son managed to get over and plow for me (he lives a ways away) after the township roads were finally plowed but he could not shovel through the drifts to the house, so I was stranded for 3 days (one more disadvantage of a detached garage).

Most of that s*#t stuff has since melted and, thankfully, even though the temps were above freezing (actually well above freezing one day), the nights were still below freezing so there wasn't horrendous flooding.

Well...I've not been back to the lake since so, perhaps, I should not speak too soon.

We've since turned cold again...with snow squalls during the days and dropping into the (very) low teens at night. As the forecast stands now, we won't be above freezing for Easter day.

Weather notwithstanding, I have started pulling some of my chicks and bunnies and such.

The light that comes through my kitchen window makes it difficult to get decent photos (no, it's not the state of cleanliness of the window), but I tried to photograph the little vignette I started on the top of the butter churn above the sink.   

As I played with the focus, my attention was drawn to something in the background

Yup...the real ones are back.

Oh, wait...they didn't ever leave. (What's left of) my shrubs and the cords on my Christmas lights will attest to that.

Anyhow. 

Not much is being accomplished in the handcraft realm for many reasons.

I don't think, however, that I ever shared the "final" finish of this piece: "imagine*dream*believe" by Artful Offerings. 

It was stitched years ago and I posted about struggling with its floss colors. It came as a kit and, once I started stitching, the colors seemed very country-ish/baby-ish...especially when the "Woodrose" floss I had was way to the pink side vs. the peach side.

But I sucked it up and finished it and, many years later, finally got it fully finished.

Ok...that's it for now folks.

I have another week of nonsense ahead, but I will try to pop back in in the next few days and share a few more bunnies and such (hopefully not of the real variety). 

{Thank you to all who commented on my prior post and for the good wishes, hopes, and prayers. I am sorry that I didn't manage to respond individually to everyone. Life, once again, got ahead of my good intentions. Please know, however, that each and every comment was appreciated and brought me a measure of comfort.}

A Rose By Any Other Name....

"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet...."

...so said Juliet to Romeo, suggesting that it mattered not that his last name was Montague and he was from her family's rival house.

In other words, things are what they are, no matter what name you give them.  And no truer thing could ever be said about Woodrose floss from The Gentle Art:  It is what is no matter that it is called Woodrose...  No matter that one Woodrose is entirely different in tone and color from another Woodrose.  (Come to think of it, that is very true of families too....)

I love overdyed flosses for the variegation they have. I hate them for the same reason.  There is just too MUCH variation in the variegation.

I am still in that equivocal place of uncertainty as I have been for some time regarding my next "project," so thought I would once again "fill in" with a quick (ha!) stitch while I decide where I go next.  Besides, I needed a bunny fix.

So I started a little design called "imagine*dream*believe" by Artful Offerings.

It came kitted, but since I (relatively recently) organized my stitching and knew from my journal that I already had the Woodrose floss called for, I thought it wise to use what was started rather than start on a new skein.

After stitching several of the numbers in the pattern, I began have to have throwbacks to the mauve-y pinks and colonial/baby blues of the '80s.  

Not a good thing...so I went back and compared the Woodrose that I had and was using with the Woodrose that came in the kit.  Whoa....2 very different colors: the one I had a very pale pink, the kitted one a definite tangerine orange.

I was already not overly thrilled with the "baby blue" involved, but the pink threw me over the edge, and out it came.  Here you can see (at least a little...it was more dramatic in person) that 0, 1, and 2 are done in the "pink" Woodrose, while the 3 and 4 are done in the tangerine Woodrose:

I had actually already stitched through "5" before acknowledging I wasn't "thrilled," but happily frogged and re-stitched, grateful that I had not settled for the PINK Woodrose.

So grateful, in fact, that I stitched all the numbers AND the verbiage at the top of the design...only to become dissatisfied with the actual "variegation" (or, more precisely, the lack thereof) of the tangerine Woodrose.

(It's not easy being me....)

And, yes, I tempted fate a by going to the LNS: Most Woodroses they had were not only of the "orange" variety, but also more variegated...and less "in-your-face-plain-carrot-orange."

So....out it all came...

....and in went the perfect Woodrose (or maybe not....):

(The "8" and "9" still need to be redone....or maybe not.)

And then I saw it: I totally messed up the border.  The inner 5 vertical rows were supposed to be two rows light, 1 row dark, 2 rows light.  I did 2 rows dark, 1 row light, 2 rows dark.  

Seriously?

It was meant to mimic ticking - my version looks decidedly less like ticking, but I am not certain I have the wherewithal to actually redo it all.

  I think I am over that bunny thing.

I just may coax the Beast out of that dark closet.

Or maybe not.

In other news:  

I have spent the better part of the week at the vet.  This one had a blockage and we spent 6+ hours (and a great deal of money) at the emergency vet:

(Rajah Roo)

This one developed an upper respiratory infection from who-knows-where:

(Liza Bean)

And this one's chronic bronchitis (??) is back and his arthritis is worsening:

(SnowDog)

I have pills, liquid orals and injections...some need refrigeration, some are light sensitive.  I sure hope I keep all this straight.

Easter/spring decorating was sidelined.  I did not even put out my antique German bunny candy containers.  Little carrots and a lone needle felted bunny will be it it looks like.

Maybe next year.  Maybe not.

**********

As an unhappy side note, "Buddy" (from a few posts back about my technology issues) suffered an aneurysm and brain bleed.  They are thinking they will be taking him off life support soon.  😢  Prayers for him would be sincerely appreciated.  All sarcasm aside, he has a beautiful heart.