Upshot: Floors Get Mopped

Jeez, this is getting old! Tuesday I came home from classes, only to find another poor little birdy on the dining room floor. I'm wondering now if there are Indiana Jones-esque sacrificial ceremonies going on. Blood, feathers, and/or bird doody *yes, poop* was splattered all over the cat door, their little indoor steps, the outdoor steps, the outside of the house, and of course at the body dumping site. And then...

Then I discovered the culprit, this cute little guy, with a bloody collar and a feather stuck to his name medallion. He's 8, and has only caught something *someone* bigger than a grasshopper once before. What is this, a midlife crisis?!

-A

Watch the Birdy

If my week were to have a theme, it would definitely be birds. Three times in the last six days, I've encountered the creatures in one way or another.

First, on Monday I came home from class to a bloody, feathered mess in the kitchen. "Look what the cat d..." nevermind. I was amazed that some cat actually caught a bird! Usually they miss by about 5 yards.
I think the poor thing was already mostly dead when they brought him in, but that doesn't stop our boys. Once, in the middle of the night I found Gatsby playing with a nearly dead mouse. He'd set it up by placing the mouse behind the closet door, going back around to the other side, and then reaching around and batting at it. Gross. Anyway, back to the bird. I cleaned up the mess in the kitchen, which required a lot of suds and feather catching skillz, and went on with my week.

On Tuesday, our Boot Camp class shared Sellwood Park with a bunch of screaming crows. It was annoying and impressive all at once! On Wednesday I was reminded that that's called a murder of crows. Gross again.

Then on Friday Christina invited me over to teach me how to freezer paper stencil. I found a cute bird template at a craft web page and printed them out and took them along. This bird experience was not gross. In fact, I think I'm going to get me some more supplies and keep stenciling. Thanks for sharing, woman - you should start charging!

-A

Goodies

1. I don't usually indulge in Blogging about my most favorite newly-purchased fabrics, but I guess I'm feeling exceptionally proud today. Look, look! Aren't they pretty?
Part of this collection was actually a package of coordinating fat quarters plus a few originals I added in. Don't know what will be created out of them, but it is possible that you'll be seeing them in person someday.

I can proudly say that I picked the components of little blue and green bundle myself. Someday these patterns will be in my kitchen in some form. It's edging on Country Kitch., but I'll try to pull it back to '50s Kitch, or whatever they collectively shout.



2. What should I wear with my new shoes? They're so cool and, like my friend said, not brown or black. So what does one wear with Bansai green shoes?



3.
Apples, schmapples. The apple tasting at Portland Nursery was happening (and happenin') last weekened. There was a varietous selection outside of your typical Fuji, Delicious (an Iowa native), and Granny Smith. My favorite was the King David. It's spicy!

-A

What's wrong with this picture?

It's too funny -- or is it annoying, I don't know! Now I'm no fitness Nazi girl or anything, but I can't let this go unnoticed, plus it would sure be fun to start a portfolio!
The portrait you see could be the first piece in my collection, which was provided by a company (who shall remain nameless) that specializes in selling exercise and "fitness" clothing.
I'll get right to it. That is like, one of the totally worst cobras I've ever seen (and I used to teach yoga!). I won't start listing...
We all get the poses a little wrong the first few times, but that's when instructors and a little practice comes in handy, right? Unfortunately, this girl was no yogini, and the camera folks weren't either!
I think that large companies like this one, who play a role in motivating/shaping/providing clothing for people to be active have a responsibility. They should take the time to ensure that they are providing accurately-portrayed information, including images used in e-mails, web pages, and catalogs. I'll keep these little gems comin' as long as I keep seeing these examples.

Ahhhh, better now.

Our Anniversary (in PG)

Paul & I had a wonderful day together yesterday. It was our sixth anniversary -- the forgotten one between the big fiver and the "seven-year itcher." After workouts, groceries, and a stop for Peets, we spent the better part of the afternoon working in the yard, enjoying the non-precipitating weather. He spread gravel and whacked pavers for the patio. I planted squirrel-resistant Allium bulbs (in hardware fabric) and transplanted a couple things. It was so Norman Rockwell of us!
Then we cleaned up and spent the rest of the day focusing on each other. We exchanged cast-iron gifts (kitchen goods all around), enjoyed a romantic homemade dinner, went out for the most amazing dessert & champaign (not sparkling wine!), and then lounged away the last hour of the day.
It keeps getting better every year.
-A

"After"

Oh yeah, the "after" post. Actually (again), it's more like in between. I've got more on the Flickr page too.
Sitting on the patio on Monday & Tuesday morning was very satisfying -- really great to be 'pretty much done' with this monster. I'd really love a little temporary crummy table out there on which to set my coffee/books/notebook. We're looking for 2 chairs, maybe adirondaks, and a little table to comfortably contain us. I'm still thinking about the possibility of dining outdoors, since we won't get swarmed by mosquitoes here.

A neighbor came over & critiqued our work -- said he didn't like the blunt ends on the arbor beams or the square ends on the rafter end design. I think he's a house painter... so whatever, thanks guy. I think it didn't turn out too bad for our first construction project!

-A

How was YOUR weekend?

"Ah," you say, "busy." In fact, where did the weekend go? We too were busy -- put in about 25 hours of hard work since Friday (what 'cha think about that? Huh? Huh?) I guess I'm just feeling pretty proud that we completed a task that we weren't sure we could do.
The patio pergola is done (aside from landscaping & a few more sand sweeps)! We couldn't have done it without the neighbor's tools... and advice... oh yeah, his pick-up truck... and he helped haul, sweep, etc...
I'm really looking forward to the landscaping part. Just have to prep the soil and transplant a few things (anybody need any sand?). I'll post an 'after' picture tomorrow!
-A