"It is well to remember that the entire population of the universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others." A.Holmes

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Cat Entertainment On A Rainy Day

 It's a rainy day here in the Pacific Northwest and I decided to move my parakeet back into the sunroom. The parakeet enjoys the front porch all summer long .Since she is back indoors the cats took full advantage of her entertainment value. Miss Marple napped on top of the cage ,
 Blizzard across from the cage. He knows he can survey the bird AND Miss Marple from here.
 Looks like a cat stare-down , doesn't it ? But Miss Marple with all her claws intact is no match for a muscle-bound 16 pound cat, even if he is de-clawed. Blizzard dominates her and all our big dogs. Soon the stare-down is over and Miss Marple leaves. Blizzard is ready to...

 pounce ! What grace, what feline precision. He lands exactly where he planned.

In front of the parakeet cage. Betty, the parakeet isn't even startled. She knows what you & I know,
Smarty pants Blizzard can't open the cage door. She'd better watch out though, he can open all the bedroom doors and I see he is pondering the parakeet. Now I'd better go get a wire clip , I don't want my cat entertainment to turn into a cat snack .

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Colclough Tea-Cups & Autumn

 As I perused my teacup collection today I realized some of my teacups may vary greatly in color, but their shapes and handles were remarkably alike. It appears they are all made from the same mold, doesn't it ?
 This ivy teacup is perfect for Christmas table-settings and teas, don't you think ?
 Although I do not have the matching saucer, this teacup and saucer seem to go together well, and the delicate yellow with blossoms makes me happy.
 This is one of a set of 4 teacups that are favorites of mine. The pale robin's egg blue with delicate gold scroll  flowers is one I use frequently.
 This must be the reason all of these teacups are so similar, they are all made by Colclough * . "They ( Colclough China ) were the first company to produce fine bone china for the every day market which was marketed by the piece, ruling out the need for large sets to be purchased first."  ~'Focus On Colclough'

One of my very favorite teacups though was made by one of my granddaughters and presented to me as a birthday card this month. I think she knows I love chickens AND teacups !

The rains and cold weather have arrived and I am happy about it. Cool weather means an end to the hot weather I don't do too well in, and also an end to the constant need for garden & yard upkeep. Now I can begin to move my activities indoors. Now I can enjoy needlecraft, spinning, weaving, sewing, scrap-booking, and simply reading, before our  fireplace . Time to cozy up indoors with a cup of hot tea, my husband, my 2 cats, our dogs. Autumn, my favorite season, has arrived !

Join these ladies too for even more cozy tea-times and lovely teacups ~
  •  

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Honey Of A Prize & Tea-Time Tuesday

Tea-time Tuesday , yay ! Oh sure, just point out that this post will not be published until Wednesday, but I have a lot of excuses, and they're all true. Yes, I am still  getting things put away and caught up after being away from home at the fair for a week. The apples, pears, garden vegetables, and livestock don't care if I'm at the fair. The fruit is ripe now . The vegetables are needing to be picked, prepared & eaten, now. The livestock and poultry pens need cleaning and sorting out. So I made a pot of tea...
...this is my Williams-Sonoma tea-pot , sugar & creamer. I love the honey bees on the pot and the honey pot lid & spoon. This choice for my peach tea today was perfect because I had honey from The Bee Lady *    I won honey and so much more in a drawing she had on her blog.
Look at this bounty! Two bottles of honey ( I love that little bear ) , two lip balms , a beeswax owl ornament , and the "Bee Happy" pottery ornament. I spread whipped butter and some of her honey on my English muffin. Mmmmm.
Hot peach tea in my cheery Royal Grafton teacup , honey- buttered English muffins, my Bible study. That's how I started my Tuesday, my tea-time Tuesday. 
 

"No matter what words we may say, our hearts will be revealed by what we do."  (I Samuel 15:20,24 )
Myrna Alexander 'After God's Heart'
 
I am linking with Terri *, Martha*, Bernadeen* ,and Sandi*, for Tea-Time Tuesday. Please join them for a cup of tea



Sunday, September 15, 2013

Puyallup Fair 2013 Here We Come ! ( And there we were )

 Our home away from home  as 2 of my grandchildren and I headed off for the Puyallup Fair. We would be spending 5 nights in this travel trailer ( I love this little trailer ! ) and 6 days at the fair. From early morning to late at night 2 of my grandchildren & I enjoyed the privilege and the work of exhibiting my Jacob sheep. This has become a precious September tradition for me and my oldest grandson, and hopefully one of my granddaughters too.
 Here is a picture of my exhibit from the view the passing public would at first see. My oldest grandson and one of my younger granddaughters are sitting at my table exhibit, willing to talk to the public, answer their questions, and be friendly & hospitable. They both surpassed my expectations . They were very friendly, my grandson was able to answer the questions asked of him, my granddaughter smiled, was friendly, helpful, and very diligent in her job of keeping the exhibit well swept and clean.
 Both of my grandchildren were able to help me re-enforce the reminder that my ram , Goth, was dangerous. He was there on display, but he is a ram, and therefore not to be touched or played with. ( You MUST respect the ram ! )

 All I can say here , without breaking into thankful tears, is that my grandchildren are a blessing beyond my ability to express. I am so thankful God has blessed my husband & I with these grandchildren. As a granny who loves her sheep too, I am even more thankful for grandchildren who also love animals, love their family, and are hard workers ! These two grandchildren made my time at the fair even more a pleasure because they were such willing hard workers. And they make me laugh & smile.
 Little Miss 'M' was able to hang out with the baby Watusi calf in the exhibit across from me. How cute is that calf ? This exhibit also has zebras , zedonks ( cross between a zebra & a donkey), and yaks. Doesn't this just make you know you need a Watusi ?
 Meanwhile, back here at our place at the fair, Goth is resting with his red rubber ball,
 his daughters are waiting for soda crackers from me,
 
 while two exhausted grandchildren take much needed naps in the back of my exhibit. Both children & I were up before 7:00 a.m. , got all pens cleaned before 9:00 a.m. and were there until the doors of the barn closed at 11:00 p.m. two nights in a row, then the same except the barn closed at 10:00 p.m. the remaining 3 nights. Long hours for young people, and my grandchildren held up well.
 Little Miss 'M' is a hard worker...
 ...as is her oldest brother, my oldest grandson Bugs.
So here is my work crew for my exhibit at the Puyallup Fair 2013 in the Animals Of The World barn . This is the morning clean-up before the gates of the fair open. They helped pitch out the dirty pens and make them clean, sweep the aisles for the public, disinfect the railings, keep litter picked up, the sheep well- fed, well- cleaned, answer the public's questions, and were friendly and hospitable. I count myself as blessed beyond measure for these grandchildren God has given my husband & I and I hope to have many more years with them at this fair !

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Whimsy & The Puyallup

Look at my birthday present ! My daughter is holding my new German Shepherd puppy. I named her Whimsy. She is 9 weeks old now and since this picture was taken her other ear perked up. She has been very easy to house-train and a joy . I have already had her with me in the sheep pens, and plan on teaching her to herd sheep. But that will be later in the spring. For now I just want her to be exposed to my sheep, their sounds & movements. She isn't afraid of them, nor is she aggressive. We are going to have so much fun together !

I spent my birthday preparing for our annual September tradition, taking sheep to the Puyallup Fair. This is a busy time, and for the next week I'll be occupied with the fair. Goth ( my Jacob Sheep ram ) can tell it's that time again too and he even seems resigned to his 5 day stay. Last year he appeared to enjoy the crowds gathered 'round his pen. He would stretch, lift his head high and strike a pose for them.


I'll be back to blogging after the fair. If you're in the area ( Puyallup, Washington ) stop in at the Animals Of The World barn & say "hi ". You know you want to  Do the Puyallup !