Saturday, May 14, 2016

For The Love of A Pibble

or Why I Need Tons Of Quilts - a musings post

This past week has been rather tumultuous in my corner of the planet.  This deals with the most tumultuous of the events...

I'm a pretty simple girl.  It doesn't take a lot to make me deeply happy in my being.  Quilts make me deeply happy.  Some quilters give away most of their quilts.  I am not one of them.  Although I do give a lot away, I also keep a lot, and I make no apologies for doing so.  They make me content, and creating them feeds my soul, my passion, and although it may sound cliché, they are my therapy.

My other therapy is my prince, my beloved Rocco.  How do these two therapies come together?


This past week he had to undergo surgery.  Again.  Seventh time being under anesthetic.  He ruptured his ACL in his right back knee.

Sleeping, slowly coming out from the anesthetic, and whining and moaning the entire time after surgery - note the stack of quilts: here being used to stop any draft on him as he gets cold easily having minimal fur
We have a wonderful wonderful vet.  He said the hardest part would be the first 24 hours, and it was, and then the hardest part would be slowing down this 'love-my-LIFE-helLOO-my-name-is-Rocco-you-could-be-my-friend-let's-go-PLAY-WALKIES!!!-I-LOVE-to-RUN-meh-some-food-TREATS!!!-let-me-THROW-myself-after-the-ball-new-person!-love-you!-come-on-IN!-I-have-TOYS-let-me-soar-onto-the-couch-or-bed-ahh-bed" pibble.  That's about his day, which ends, like clockwork about 8 pm when he finally slows down and wants nothing but his bed and to be left in peace, preferably on a human bed with said human.
Already sitting up, still not happy
The photos are a bit grainy because we had the blinds down so no barking could happen from Naala and get Rocco to perk up and investigate.  We have a green strip behind us, with a wealth of wildlife that is both amazing and wonderful.  However, it is cause for much barking, growling.

Back to having many many quilts around my house.

We took turns sitting with him the first night he was home, and lying with him as the evening wore on.  I set up a bed on some foam with quilts on top and more quilts on top of that to wrap myself in.  I had moved the other stack out of the way already when I took this photo.  That first night he didn't wear his cone, but the second one he did, as we were worried he might start licking the incision.  That first night was hell; I bet I got 2 hours if that of sleep, as he whined and moaned all night, even in his sleep.

Music
Another huge component of my therapy, something that truly makes me deeply at peace, is my music.  I played a yoga music playlist on the lowest volume the entire first two nights, a classical music playlist the third night.  Waking and worrying continually, hearing this soft music calmed MacGyver and me, and I like to think, Rocco.

Miss Bella came to investigate the day after surgery, but she didn't get too close.  'Eww!' she probably thought, 'He stinks.' (vet smell can be extraordinarily upsetting to cats, firsthand experience) She has since come a little closer to him, much to his happiness (he's still dreaming of the day she will decide to wash his face and ears like our previous cat used to do).  However, she was more interested in his crate when we brought that up on Friday, much to Rocco's profound dismay.  He associates his crate with being left alone, since we used to crate him when he was little while we were at work.

The yoga mats are throughout the house to prevent any sudden slipping, as we have hardwood and tile throughout.  The old towel you see is what we used for the first two days as a belly sling to help him with his hindquarters.  He soon didn't need it; we are having to hold him back from running, yes, running to the door to go out to do his business.  This dog does nothing half-heartedly or slowly.

My home
Having all our blinds closed is extremely foreign to me; like Rocco, I am a creature who loves and needs light, preferably sunlight.  Yet there is definitely something comforting to enclosing our home, cushioning it from the world, keeping it calm, quiet and as peaceful as possible.  I guess it is much like the cocooning effect, a 'protect one's family from the world' feeling.

My sewing room
This is now taken over the dining table area and part of the kitchen counter.  Our lives will be centred as much as possible on the main floor, no prolonged basement time for the next while, as Rocco has to be on 6-8 weeks of bed rest.

I've been slowly working at my projects for Lara's Crafted Appliqué blog hop; I post on May 17!  Did you check out her retro telephone project?!  Love!  She is one amazingly talented lady, let me tell you.  How she does it all I do not know, as she is no stranger to health issues either.

One quick, mindless project I did when I first relocated to the dining area is re-covering my little ironing board which had gotten quite revolting.  I used the scrap from this Debbie Mumm fabric I bought to cover my pressing board in Florida.  Guess it counts as a green with some brown in it soscrappy project...
I only had to run the string through the casing twice, gulp.  The first time with about 6" left to pull it through, it slipped out of the eye of the needle I was using--!! Insert bad word.

See my lovely Steamfast iron??  I know, I keep going on about it, but I sure do love it.  I'm sure you've heard that Craftsy is having a fabulous sale on kits and supplies this weekend as another part of their month of May birthday celebrations.

If you, like me, have been putting off snagging something, I assure you, I think this weekend's sales are the best yet, with some items as much as 60% off.  I have my eye on another fat quarter bundle that is--gasp--a mere $26CA for 15 of the beauties.  This is a Benartex Fossil Fern bundle.  Kona cotton is available by the 1/2 yard, or 1 - 4 yard cuts.  Many fabrics are like this; I snagged 5 yards of RJR Handspray a couple of sales ago; you'll see it in one of my Crafted Appliqué projects!  Here are a few other tantalizing photos we were given to tempt you.
http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=1074126&b=253536&m=29190&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Ecraftsy%2Ecom%2Fsupplies%2Ffreespirit%2Dloominous%2Dscrappy%2Dhappy%2Dquilt%2F17286
Clicking the picture will take you to the Loominous quilt, nearly 12 yards of fabric, which, remember can be used for ANYTHING, not necessarily that quilt, although I certainly love it, and I have heard great things about that fabric...
Yarns are also on sale.  This yarn looks nice and lightweight for a summer project:
http://www.shareasale.com/r.cfm?u=1074126&b=253536&m=29190&afftrack=&urllink=www%2Ecraftsy%2Ecom%2Fsupplies%2Fcascade%2Dcherub%2Ddk%2Dyarn%2D2%2F18505

Again, I thank you proFUSEly if you click through on any of the affiliate links on this page, as I will get a commission on your purchase.  Even if you don't go through me, try to go through someone you follow who is an affiliate, please?  This shows them people do care to support their blog.  And that is a good feeling, let me tell you. :-)

Last weekend I took a few, okay, several photos of Blue Skies and Sunny Days under my friend's glorious Weeping Cherry tree:
and on her interesting fence!
I'm off to list Sunny Days on my Etsy shop!  And write up the pattern for my intrepid pattern tester.  And work on Crafted Appliqué!  And love on a darling pibble, who is having a good pibble dream right now as he reposes on his daybed.  All in the quiet of my quilt-filled home. :-)

And yet... that simple statement fills me with such sorrow, such anguish, for all those families in Fort McMurray whose homes have burned to the ground, or, who may have been spared, but are going back to smoke-damaged, or water-damaged, or fire-retardant-damaged homes, or who may have a home in a questionable state, (can you even imagine what all this time, in hot weather, a fridge or freezer would be like?), but who might arrive back to find their place of employment has gone?  Even in my tiny town of Kingsville, our firehall has an "Alberta Strong" huge sign; in Windsor where we buy our dogfood, at For Your Fur Kids, they are matching donations up to $500 for Fort McMurray.  Our dogfood, Acana, which is excellent, is made in Morinville, Alberta, head office in Edmonton, AB.  My heart swells with the goodness of people in times of need, but also swells with such sadness and compassion for these people, and their ongoing plight, as I hear firsthand stories from my family who live in Edmonton and surrounding area.  Remember not only is there the Red Cross Alberta Fires Appeal, but the Salvation Army, where you can donate.

Linking up with
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Crazy Mom Quilts (Wow! her link is still open, yay!)
soscrappy






24 comments:

  1. I hope Rocco mends quickly and he (and you) can return to a bouncy life.

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  2. Oh dear you have had a hard week haven't you. No fun I know. This should be a big challenge to keep him resting for that long wow, no doggie wants that.

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  3. More hugs to Rocco! I went to buy dog food today (totally out and you should have seen these two - they totally knew there was no food in the house and were acting like they were going to starve to death!!) and it was adoption day there. Mostly Pibbles. Looking at me, begging to go home :( Breaks my heart every time I see an adoption event and so many Pibbles with no home. People suck. Those that dump them and those that breed them and abuse them. OK stepping off soap box now.

    So glad to hear that Rocco continues to get better! Give your sweet prince a big hug from us! :)

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  4. Oh, Rocco has a loving mom and dad, and I'm sure he knows and feels it! I hope you will both be up and in the sun again soon. And I am so looking forward to your post about Lara's book later this week. I'm off to work on my project for the 20th... :)

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  5. There you are! I've been wondering what happened to you; imagining you were off on a fabric buying binge or something equally fun. Did not cross my mind that poor Rocco was suffering even though I knew he'd been limping as of your last post. Still, I figured a bit of rest and he'd be okay. So sorry, Rocco! Get well soon!! Sandra, I do understand your lack of sleep and all the worry. Reminds me of when my Sparky (Jack's predecessor) got his pacemaker. Called worried mommy!

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  6. Poor Rocco for needing surgery again. Lucky Rocco to have you for a mom. We have two standard poodles and we treat them like our kids, so I know exactly how you worried when Rocco was recovering. . Hope all is well and continues that way.

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  7. Sending loving and healing thoughts your way. Rocco will soon be well and back to his old antics. Hope you get some rest. Wishing you all the best on your Etsy endeavors. Both Sunny Days and Blue Skies look lovely.
    Hugs,
    Preeti.
    http://sewpreetiquilts.blogspot.com

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  8. I'll be thinking of you and Rocco today. I feel that I actually know him, as you share so much of his story here. It must be very difficult trying to keep him quiet and laid back. Hope he recovers soon.

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  9. Oh, poor Rocco! He looks so mournful in that photo with the cone. By the sound of it, he's getting back to himself so hopefully will recover well.

    Love the telephone mug rug - may have to give that a go! Thanks for the link.

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  10. Rocco is so gorgeous! It's hard to keep a dog calm and relaxed after surgery...poor little guy!!

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  11. Oh no, poor Rocco! It's always so difficult to take care of them when they just want to get back to doing all their normal things. I hope he heals up quickly!

    The Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild is doing a drive to make maple leaf blocks to turn into quilts for Fort Mcmurray - I know there's also a facebook group for those wanting to donate completed quilts but the blocks are a good option for those who want to help but don't have the time to finish a quilt. The whole thing is just heartwrenching.

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  12. It's been a really rough week for Rocco, but I think maybe more so for you and McGuyver. He's one blessed doggie to be loved so much (and vice versa!) Sandra, I'm sending prayers that he heals quickly, with no setbacks.
    Thanks for the wonderful compliment about my retro telephone pattern!
    It will be interesting to see how much you like sewing upstairs in the dining room. Right now, with your blinds closed, it probably isn't much lighter than the basement. The new ironing board cover helps it blend in with the room.
    I'm looking forward to your post on the 17th!
    The Fort McMurray people are in all our hearts. Thanks for the reminder to do something concrete to help!

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  13. Our Cocker Spaniel tore his ACL almost three years ago and he healed like a trooper. I can tell he's a little 'stiff' when he gets up, but he still runs and plays with the best of them, and he's now 9 years old. Gotta love our fur friends.

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  14. I wish there was more to do for Fort Mac, but until they start getting back into the city and see what they have left if anything. All we can do is send money and continued prayers.
    I hope Rocco has a speedy recovery for his sake as well as yours.

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  15. Poor Rocco, my nephew's dog has to have both of his ACL's done a couple of years ago. It was very sad to see him so down too, but he has recovered well and sure your beautiful Rocco will be bouncing round like normal soon. It is heartbreaking when our 'fur babies' are poorly... You are a wonderful mummy 😀 and yes your quilts will be giving him lots of love....
    We are thinking of the poor people in Canada too... So sad for them.
    PS, call out to Craftsy.... I love the fabric sales but the postage costs to the UK are prohibitive, makes the sale redundant. So I have only purchased classes through them. Anything they can do? Connecting Threads had an offer for a while



    which gave free postage to some places and I am sure this helped with sales, I
    bought fabric from them as there was free postage.

    Love and hugs to you Xx

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  16. I'm glad to hear that Rocco is on the road to recovery. Pibbles are so full of energy (except Becker) and it so hard to get them to relax and lay still. He is surrounded by so much love and I know he feels that. Hopefully before too long, you will both be back in the sun and enjoying a leisurely walk. I just want to run up there and kiss him on his snout and tell him how handsome he is!

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  17. Hope your buddy is feeling better soon! Its so hard to see them in pain and not be able to explain to them what happened or that right now jumping is NOT the best idea! Glad mama is staying busy & hope you both get some restful sleep soon!

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  18. Good luck with Rocco - hope he feels better soon. I too love my little iron like yours! Dare I say even more than the Oliso? Geez, I coulda saved a bundle starting with the bitty one.

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  19. Bed rest is hard for anyone who loves running. Hope Rocco feels better. I appreciate hearing that you keep a lot of your quilts. I do too.

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  20. I am so terribly sorry Rocco had to go through this! Not an easy time....
    two of my close friends had dogs die this week! (One of them is John's good friend, too). What a heartbreak. Hang in there, Sandra

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  21. Oh I read this with my heart in my mouth and beating fast . I didn't think this was going to end well . But thankfully rocco is recovering . And the new quilts are nice too .

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  22. Rocco is such a total love bug. I hope he is much better now. My crew sends loves & kisses.

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  23. Hope Rocco is feeling better. Having to keep him quiet for so long will keep you on your toes !! My cat Bella did the same thing when she was about 3 yrs old (now 16 and a half) and I can remember that first night of her meowing moaning and in the end me setting up a bed on the floor with her.
    My heart goes out to those affected bythe devastating fires,

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  24. My poor furry nephew❤. I love him so much.

    A couple days ago the smoke was thick in the air still here, a couple hundred miles from Fort Mac. Now with the blessed rain, the smell is gone.

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