Anna's blog entry today has me thinking of Dan (short for Dandelion, or Dandy-lion, depending on how goofy I was feeling) was my feline companion for many years. He outlasted one husband, a long-term boyfriend, and a few other characters. He never adjusted to life in the Netherlands though - Maine was Dan's home, heart & soul. And my allergeries to him became so severe that it was necessary to take him home to my Mom where he enjoyed life to the hilt for nearly a year. Dan never did learn to fear cars, and although Mom lives almost a full mile from the road, he tried to follow her to work one day. I take some comfort in the fact that he lived a pretty long (and very varied) life but never reached the sad stage of losing his stamina or health. Here's a fun picture of Dan helping Max learn the intricacies of walking with style.



On the stitching front, I am happily busy with The Drawn Thread design "For the Birds" and I hope I'll be posting a finished picture soon. My list of Christmas gifts and obligations is shortening at a rate that I'm pretty satisfied with. I've had so much fun, too! Though I am eager to begin some of my own stitching, and also return to some charity stitching. I think I only have three more stitched pieces to go, plus some finishing.

I've been enjoying everyone's Silkweaver Halloween grab bags, but like Carol, I was not too thrilled with mine. Did I order too late? They certainly did not make any attempt to match my ordering history (which is embarassingly extensive) when they sent me three pink/purple pastel selections. I have never ordered pink or purple anything. I am very happy with my 32 ct. "Everglage" Jobelan and would happily double it. I'm intensely envious of Carol's "Vintage Pear" (I have a small piece that I've been drooling over). Anyway, the one piece I will truly never use, even if I live to 130 and stitch every day between now & then, is the 28 ct "Lilac Ice" (scroll down to solids on the Silkweaver link) Opalescent Lugana, measuring a whopping 18 x 36. So sad it had to be the biggest piece. I don't care for the glitter - it distracts me when I'm stitching - and I simply can't abide the color. If anyone would like to trade for it, I really love the boring neutrals, and I do have a preference for higher stitch counts. Let me know if you're interested, please!! Although I am still a very loyal Silkweaver customer, I've been so disappointed with my last two grab bags that I think I will take a pass on future grab bag opportunities.