In the Works....

With all that has been going on around here, it is always amazing to me how much crafting i do manage to get done. The floors and the furniture are dusty, and the laundry is piled high, but i make sure that whenever i sit still, i have a bag full of yarn and a crochet hook or knitting needles with me.

Meet my new newborn model, Dorie. Her store bought name was Dora, but i decided to change it a bit so she would be named after the little pup we lost last week. Newborn sized hats fit her perfectly! And the hats are a new style i have been working with. Last Winter i focused on learning to knit, and this year i am teaching myself how to read and execute crochet patterns... I worked on the ear pattern on this hat and am calling them my teddybear beanies! They will be available in newborn and toddler sizes at The Paper Sparrow and in my Etsy shop real soon.

And underneath this pile is my kitchen table! I put my countless unfinished projects on the table this morning so they would be right in my face, and hopefully i will get some of them finished today. (This is just a fraction of the projects that need finishing) I have over a dozen pair of booties to be seamed, ears to sew on hats, scarves to be trimmed out, lovely hats started on looms, baby sweaters to be pieced together and trimmed, teddy bears that need to be stuffed and sewn together.... And that's not all. Time to finish up a few loose ends before starting another project....well....except for the next sweater i started last night and those new hat patterns i am working on........oh well, i am a work in progress!

Runnin' with the Big Dogs

Early morning, and fresh out of the crate for the night, Ruben is ready for some wrestling...

Even Gipetto joins in sometimes, tho he spends most of his time sleeping on the bed or chairs up high above the action. Gipetto will be 17 next June. He's had his share of welcoming puppies to this house. Now in his old age, he can do whatever he wants to do!

Tag team action going on at the moment, and sometimes the big dogs lay down and let little Ruben win....I'm so glad they are all good friends already...

Morning Moon

I have a special love for the moon...I tried to take some pictures of the Full Hunter's Moon the other night, but was unable to get a good shot. (It could be because all four dogs decided to jump and wrestle right under my feet, causing me to get some very blurry shots)

So when i came out early this morning with the dogs and saw this, i thought i would give it a try... The moon was only visible for a short while as the sun was coming up

and right before my eyes it blended in with the wispy clouds

and disappeared...just for a little while...

Prayers are welcome....

My son in law, and Seth and Lola's daddy, Jeremie, is in the local hospital, and has been for over a week now. He has had a lifelong battle with asthma, and has been in and out of hospitals all his life with this problem. Two weeks ago he caught a cold or flu that was going thru the family, and last Sunday my daughter brought him to the ER with shortness of breath. He has developed a very strong bacterial pneumonia that has so far been very resistant to antibiotics. He is now in ICU, on a respirator, in a medically induced deep sleep.... Jeremie is a very private person so i have resisted posting about this. But as we enter into the second week in ICU with no improvements so far, i am hopeful that extra prayers and positive thoughts might just help him out. I am a lifelong believer in the Power of Prayer and Love, and i thank you all in advance for sending a little Love and Light our way....

The Cohoes Falls

Last Sunday i woke up, and the sky was clear, and the sun was shining, so i grabbed my camera, and went to take some pictures of The Cohoes Falls to share with you... My little city has been working hard to improve it's looks, and one of the bigger projects was to build a park near the falls, and highlight the natural beauty that is right in our own backyards. And literally folks, this is right down the street from my house! I've gone by a zillion times and wished i remembered to bring my camera along. So on this day, i was on a mission... You enter the park by crossing this bridge

That leads to this overlook

to see this.... The Cohoes Falls. And on this day, after a few days of hard rains, they were very impressive!

This is the far side of the falls

The foliage was a little past peak, but still beautiful

the far side

from a distance The water was rushing so hard that the spray was creating the perfect environment for rainbows... and more rainbows

and more rainbows

and more

another shot of the cliffs and the foliage...
This year the city opened a staircase so that you could climb down to the water's edge and get closer to the river

You know, i got halfway down and got so dizzy! (I get dizzy just looking at this picture!) This is a very steep stairway

But it does give you a whole new way to experience the falls

You get so close you get sprayed with the mist from the falls and you can feel the water pounding the ground thru your body

This is a shot of the river just below the falls

I stood and looked at the water and felt the spray and the pounding and crashing and couldn't get this silly smile off my face. It was Awesome!

another rainbow

Ok, so it was chilly, the sun was going down, and i was getting wet and i turned around and this is what i had in front of me ~ a zig zagged pathway and the steep staircase again. And let me tell you, it is more work to get up the stairs than it is to get down!

almost all the way up....

The rapids before the falls

Another view of the lookout

and the rusty colored hills across the river

As you leave the park you face the old Erie Canal that has always run thru our city

and cross the bridge over the canal to the parking area. The park will be closed for the season in another week. But it will reopen in Spring during the Spring thaw, when the falls are really magnificent. I hope you enjoyed this little "tour" of one of the more magical places in my city. I know i did!

Snuggle Time

Here's little Ruben,crouching in the dog bed, planning his next sneak attack on Pollyanna or Zinnia... when along comes Polly. She has taken over the role of Mother to Rubie, cleaning him, grooming him, and playing with him gently

He has decided he likes the fresh marrow bones i provide for the big dogs, and spends a lot of time working those sharp little teeth on the bones

Pollyanna sees this as a good time to do some cleanup detail on the pup

She cleans around his mouth, ears and chest

then works around to his eyes and the top of his head

She does this often with him...lays along side of him and puts her leg around him in a hug , just like Zinnia did to her when she was a small pup

The cleaner, new and improved Ruben!

Sunday Stroll

A few weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, Bill and i set out to check out a fairly new local Farmer's Market, in the town of Waterford, NY. It's just a hop, skip and jump from our little city.

I go to the Farmer's Market in Troy, NY almost every Saturday morning on my way in to help my daughter Katie at her shop, The Paper Sparrow. And this little Market had some of the same Farmer's stalls set up, as well as some new wares for us to look at.

Like the Market in Troy, this Farmer's Market is also set right along the Hudson river, but this one is overlooking the Erie Canal Locks. So not only did we have wonderful pottery and produce to peruse...

but also some pretty colorful boats and tug boats to check out

The morning started out chilly and overcast, but soon the clouds and fog burned off and the pale Fall sunlight warmed us all up.

Here's Bill talking to a fisherman

and then he sat and warmed himself in the sun while listening to some live music

There were little cafe tables set up and benches galore to sit on and just enjoy the river, and watch life go by

This little Market only ran for one more weekend and then it was done for the year. I'm so glad we stopped by and discovered how nice it was. We will definitely be back in the Spring!

But with the colors of Fall in the trees, it will be a while before we shop at the Market here again.