Murphy and her Stress Bear

I had a feeling that yesterday was going to be a fantastic day, and it was. When I got to the gym, Joseph approached me and said that the first seven minutes of his video were for me. And sure enough - my new adventure was documented on the screen! Keep in mind that the videos he plays are usually extreme sports or other crazy things that people do. While this isn't exactly an extreme sport, it has some element of danger. Good grief - who am I kidding - there's an element of risk in crossing the street! 

The Monday sewing ladies had fun guessing the destination by playing 20 questions. They did NOT need all 20 to figure it out. Here's a hint. The trip does not take place on this continent! If you were on the Monday Zoom call, you cannot comment! 

When I got home from the gym, I had to stop and take this picture just before arriving at the house. OH MY GOSH -- that looks so funny. 

MOM - Stress Bear and I were waiting for you! 

YES -- that is Murphy, and her stress bear sitting in the window waiting for me to come home. I almost died laughing when I saw them. 

Her bear had been sitting under a table by the front window, so I moved it onto her dog bed. 

The poor bear couldn't see out the window!

I'm sure the neighbors get a kick from seeing Muprhy watch the world go by as she sits in her window seat.  

This was the view from the window the other day. We had significant rain; since then, with the warmer temperatures, our yard has almost no snow. Just a tiny bit left of that enormous mound I created when clearing the driveway. The sidewalks still have icy patches, but they are not bad. Still, one must be careful. 

Pouring rain the other day

There are numerous crews in the forest and neighborhood pruning trees. I saw two squirrels get chased from their nest on my walk yesterday. Poor things because the crew proceeded to knock the nest down. 

They are cutting down diseased trees, and I've noticed them dropping the pieces on shortcuts through the forest. Is that an incentive to stay on the main gravel path? I wonder how long that will last. 

Blocking the shortcut through the forest

Miss Murphy and I ventured into the forest the other day, and she was thrilled beyond belief. AT LAST -- the forest! Most of the path is clear of ice and snow, which makes the walking great. It's muddy, but that's Murphy's favorite thing in the world. 

The paths are clear

There are still some icy patches where the sun doesn't get to as easily. 

Still icy in one spot

And the creek is running high. This creek is usually dry in the summer, but at this time of year, it has a fair amount of water. There are two creeks in the forest. Both of them run into a drain the city put in. You wonder how they place houses in areas where creeks and marshlands exist. The water comes back - it doesn't just go away. 

The creek is pretty high

Now, it's tough to see in this picture, but there's a guy up in one of the trees in the forest. I'm unsure if they chopped the entire tree down or just the top. But he was making loads of noise at lunchtime. 

Tree maintenance happening in the background

I found the perfect task to do while on a Zoom sewing call. I have some major handwork to accomplish for my Trend-Tex challenge. I made good progress yesterday and learned as I was stitching. I must keep at it, as I must complete the challenge in the next few weeks. I'm about 1/5 of the way through the hand stitching, and I hope it gets easier as I learn the technique! I certainly saw an improvement over the hours I worked yesterday. 

And here's my ender/leader project. I also got some sewing done in the afternoon, and I'm progressing well. I have no idea how many braids I can make, but I'll aim for 72 inches long. I may end up having to cut more fabric. I'll sew until I run out of pieces and then take stock of the situation. All is good! While making half-square triangles is good, you don't see any progress. Here, I see progress!

My ender and leader project

And on that note, there's a busy day ahead with several Zoooms and other commitments. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!