…I’d gotten her a simple Kenmore that should have just sewn a simple seam, eh?
Couldn’t work one day before it started making a loose-cam sort of sound and skipping stitches.
THAT’s being returned to Amazon, practically a round trip.
As happens, we spotted a good deal on a Brother machine at Costco—and since sewing is one of Jane’s delights, I couldn’t stand it—her Kenmore is going back; and I went and nabbed this machine which I hope works a lot better for her. She gets such pleasure from sewing—and NOT going out to eat on New Year’s and Christmas, and discounting those two ‘special occasion’ nights out, it’s just about paid for. It’s really a good deal—we hope.
Meanwhile Jane and I are cat-training. The two lads spend a lot of time sleeping together, but we’ve decided, by golly, they have a catly job to do, sleeping with their respective people: so we have started a campaign to keep them in our bedrooms and get them used to this idea. Seishi has always been very sweet—but a total spook about being picked up or handled; and I think this campaign of ours is a good thing—he’s gotten a lot more mellow about being picked up in just a few days of this. I began to realize how much I still miss Ysabel, and one of the big ‘misses’ is that she was always with me, 24/7, always at my heels, always sleeping with me, and by golly, Seishi can learn.
Minor success. He’s sitting in my room, now, just curled up on the carpet. He’s evidently decided this was where he wanted to be this afternoon: a hot air vent’s over there, which is a nice feature of my room. And Shu is downstairs, helping Jane unpack all the little parts of the sewing machine.
I’m not a sewing fan, myself either. My sweetie’s ex wife’s sewing machine is sitting upstairs, completely unused, although I do admit to being tempted to use it for shortening my pants legs and shirt sleeves.
I like my clothes loose and comfy, which means I buy a size bigger than I really wear, and the arms and legs are always toooo long. It’s like the clothing manufacturers somehow seem to believe that we are all H/W proportional, which means we also must be really tall with long arms.
Really?? With so many people being a bit on the chunky size these days, I think it’s just plain arrogance on the part of the clothing industry, and punishment for us not being *their* standard of ‘right weight’. Blah.
I’m glad that you’re not allergic to cats, CJ. That is a quite common allergy. I think such an allergy would be very hard on such a devoted cat lover as yourself, though! I kinda wish I could take in that spangly tabby, but he’s not neutered and I’m afraid he’d start spraying. 🙁
But I am sensitive enough to cats that I can’t let them in my bedroom or I start wheezing. Of course, I could probably tap the allergy away nowadays, but neither Lance nor I really want a cat because they just die tooooo soon and it breaks our hearts. 🙁
I think the Brother option is a good choice. I did virtually ALL of my quilting back in the days when my hands and eyes worked well enough to sew using a Brother machine! It was a great machine and I did start with a Kenmore. I tend to get my machines locally from stores that work with quilters and refurb the machines before resale so I’ve had very very few problems. When I retire, I’ll upgrade once more and see if quilting can work again with ‘special aids’ (sigh). I’ve got a fabric stash way too large to ignore….
Critter training….yeah…..I stick with dogs (wink). IT does seem unfair that my domestic geese will live longer than my dogs, but the joy of sharing my life with dogs is too great to deprive myself of the good. I’m on Siberian huskies #5 and 6 right now. I’m sure cat fanciers approach this sad issue similarly.
This relates to nothing at all, but is a super-duper deal from Nasa! Fre ebook showing satellite pictures of Earth. http://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/earth_art_detail.html
Dragonrider Gal, even short folks have that sleeve problem, if they wear larger sizes! Clothing manufacturers must think we’re all dragging our knuckles along the ground…
I can’t sew at all, but I still have my grandmother’s old cabinet sewing machine. It must be over 70 years old. Both she and my mom used it, but I never had the patience, sad to say.
Got bad news yesterday, knee surgery on right (non-cyborg) knee the week after New Year’s. So much for a nice long vacation trip after retirement… 5 more working days! My corner of Arizona got snow this morning so insensibly my spirits lifted, even if the snow didn’t last long. Our daughter’s cat has started singing to me eveey time I enter her part of the house. (We keep the dog “Pepper” separated from “Miss Halloween”). She thinks I am the source of all things food, although readyGuy feeds her more often (and more copiously) than I do. I’m the one who cleans the litter box and puts out fresh water, plus I give her ear scritches and chin chuckles, plus occasional brushings. readyDaughter has been away so long that Miss Halloween actually ran from her when she got back from the latest business trip. Happy Holidays to you all, especially the Winter Solstice.
So happy about the retirement, but so sorry for the surgery news, SisterReady. Beaming good healing thoughts and hopes for a speedy recovery. Get that knee back in shape in time for the next reunion canoe trip 😀
Bummer on the knee surgery. Hope the rehab goes fast and you can get that vacation.
Kitteh politics! We are getting some nice behavior out of ours, but locking these guys up at night is probably good during the Christmas season—I caught Seishi with a short spray of tinsel stuck in his teeth—looked like he was spitting rainbows. I swear if there is any habit I wish I could break in both these guys, and particularly Seishi, it’s the habit of eating things. We’re real careful what we leave down.
Do Seishi and Eushu sleep together but typically not with either you or Jane? Then this training will get across the idea they are welcome with you both, and maybe “strengthen the pride” bonds. As long as they don’t think they can’t sleep together. Sweet guys.
Glad you found a deal on a sewing machine and Jane gets to enjoy.
My two rarely want to sleep curled together, though I’ll occasionally catch them close to each other, asleep. Each thinks he ought to own me, not the other, but they get along and share me, one on one side, one on the other. Very nice in winter! And they both are nearly always in the room with me, whatever I’m doing.
Goober’s older, but very non-assertive. He’s a gentleman. Smokey is younger and very assertive, occasionally a brat. They are good natured enough to lke each other despite their personality differences. The one continuing issue is Smokey wants to nose into and steal Goober’s food bowl, and Goober lets him. I made a mistake when first introducing Smokey, that gave Goober the wrong idea. Over the last year, though, I have gotten them to be better about this. Still haven’t convinced Smokey not to hog Goober’s bowl. Three bowls don’t help. Goober rarely sticks up for himself, so I have unceremoniously plopped Smokey back at his bowl a few times. They are better, but not cured. They get plenty of food, it’s just basic personality, plus since Smokey was a street kitten, he is always eager for chow, while Goober has built-in appetite control. Smokey isn’t quite fat, but he isn’t lean these days, and I don’t know any workable way to control his weight that doesn’t get Goober too thin. A puzzle I’ll keep working on.
I feed my three at different levels. Luvbug is the spookiest, so she get fed high up on top of a toolchest where she can keep an eye on the others. Biddles is a feline dispose-all, so I TRY to keep him away from Monkey Butt till she’s done, but since she isn’t that fond of wet food anyway, I just give her a tad from Biddles’ portion and call it done.
NONE of them get along that well, though Biddles and Monkey Butt HAVE been seen to be napping so close together that their fur touches… this works for them as long as their backs are turned to each other.
The single available human lap is a timeshare.
Zorro is slowly figuring out that she needn’t climb on the computers, especially when DH and I are playing online games. Nothing like having AISUFH:IQEHR:IGDHIQOEWHIFF scroll across chat as Herself walks across the keys! She’s not as much of a lap monster as Snow or Rocky were, and rarely climbs up to sit with us, but she loves chasing her feather boa. I think her vet trip gave her a bit of upset tummy, so she’s on a bland chicken and rice diet for a few days.
The bedroom belongs to the cats. They allow us to sleep there sometimes . . . as long as we don’t disturb them too much.
We’re getting the first snow of what may be a major storm. Russ made it home early today and is going to work from home for a day or two. His boss is really nice about that stuff, especially since he’s driving about 90 miles to work. He was going to do some freelance work in New York over the holidays because we really need the money, but the job didn’t quite come through. I can’t say I’m sorry — it’s nice to have him home for the first time in five years, even if we aren’t doing much holiday type stuff.
So I think we’re settled in. Bring on the winter!
I got a brother machine in about 98. it’s still going strong, and is great provided I remember to oil it. the light has gone and I keep forgetting to get that sorted. it’s one with the embroidery stitches, which I thought would be fun to use, but no, mostly I use the zigzag and the straight stitch and the hemming stitch, and I did at last learn how to make good buttonholes with it. they are tough serviceable machines, good choice! hope Jane has many hours of productive fun with it! (oh, that’s my name too, LOL! :D)
I have a “walmart” Brother machine, which model apparently has a tendency to sling off the little gizmo that attaches the needle to the drive shaft. However, there is a shop in town run by a couple — she sells fabrics, quilting supplies and “notions” and he services sewing machines — talk about a marriage made in heaven! — and he fixed it for me while I waited for a very reasonable fee.
My little grey kitteh, Stormie, is the only survivor of an abandoned litter. I adopted her as a very young kitten and as far as she is concerned, I am her mommie. She loves to snuggle. When I lay on my side, she curls up next to my tummy (which I love). I have a body pillow (abduction pillow) for between my knees when I sleep on my side, and it makes this little hollow between me and my tum where Stormie likes to snuggle. She can “ride the blanket” when I turn in my sleep. The black one, Jaks, and the white one, Gobi (aka Pu) trade off sleeping on my feet. When I got Gobi as a kitten, I kept him in a big ferret cage on wheels until he and my two older cats had “hissed and made up.” I moved the cage from room to room as I went about my day. Since I worked from home, we’d go back to my office to work, into the front room to eat or watch TV, into the bedroom to sleep, etc. He got the idea that whither I goeth he should go, so he frequently accompanies me from room to room. (I call him my “wing man”). I did the same with the other two. Even though I have a queen sized bed, they all seem to end up sleeping on or next to me. I’ve dealt with the “aging out” phenomenon of keeping kitties by making sure there is a several year age difference between them. When I lose one, I still have the other two. When the time is right, I adopt a rescue kitten. It helps space out the sadness of losing one.
One of my friends who does a LOT of sewing and embroidery told me that when I mentioned I was thinking of buying one of the Brother machines at WalMart that I would be making a serious mistake. She prefers Bernina machines, my ex has a Pfaff, my mother a Singer Golden Touch-and-Sew from the early 1960s. Appliances from WalMart tend to be low-end items from the manufacturer, according to a “leading consumer magazine”. Some things are fine, and I’ve gotten stuff there that works just as well as the high-priced stores’ wares.
Like WOL, my girls tend to monopolize the bed. There’s just something about being in the exact center of the bed that attracts them. Birdie doesn’t get on the bed so much anymore, Sydney almost always takes her place there, Maggie will occasionally get up if Sydney’s on the bed, and Sophie rarely gets on the bed, preferring to hide under it.
I don’t know about the Walmart deal, but a young lady whose family is in the business of sewing and she designs lingerie, gave me the tip that the brother machines are a lot tougher than bernina. bernina are REALLY expensive, and feel very nice, real quality, but they are not workhorses. my mother had a Bernina, and I could never get on with it! but she made some lovely tailored things with it.
when I was single and had two old cats, one slept on my pillow ( actually on top of my head) and the orange one between my knees, and he too could surf the blankets in a roll over. After i got married and the orange one died the old guy had his own pillow, so we had three pillows in a row. He would announce that it was time for bed when he got tired, and would sort of herd us in that direction. my daughter, who is allergic (:( ) nevertheless loves to sleep with the current black cat, and she has found he likes to knead fleece, so she keeps a fleece robe on her bed on which she can deposit him. He does often stay there most of the night, which makes her so happy, even though it also makes her sneeze.
Hi all, storm last night, no electricity until at least this afternoon, possibly longer. I’ll be back on as usual when power’s restored.
After several hours, power was restored that afternoon. Food in my freezer and fridge are fine, so I won’t have to restock for holiday dinner.
Good thing it wasn’t over the next few nights, dipping near or below freezing.
Good to be back online. Better to have refrigeration and power to cook and wash and heat the house. Also nice to see inside the house!
Happy holidays!
My cat, Bentley, has serious issues. He was abandoned if front of my house, about 6 weeks old, eleven years ago.
He’s a scaredy cat, big time. He lived under the bed for years. If he does get on the bed with me it only takes a little movement for him to dive under the bed again. It’s taken 5 years for him to even come out when my girlfriend is over.
He’s getting better but still, I’d love a cat to cuddle but not this one. But still I feel good having rescued him from certain death.
People are scum. I’ve saved several cats from abandonment and death and wish I could do more but one can do only what one can do.
Phil Brown
Oh, I think Bentley is a Ragdoll and I believe he was abandoned because he’s darker than the perfect Ragdoll and he had a bit of a cold.
That’s all it took for a death sentence.
Phil Brown
Philbrown, have you tried Feliway? It can solve aggression issues, but it can also relieve tension. They make it for a wall dispenser, or in a spray—you can get it at the vet’s, maybe also at Petsmart… We use it when things get crazy.
or at http://www.catfaeries.com as well.
My first cat was 8 years old, her owner had 2 other young cats and was moving back to Pennsylvania from Norfolk, VA. She couldn’t be bothered with taking an older cat back with her, so she dropped the cat off at the SPCA. I was in the market for a pet, and went to the SPCA’s website. She was a beautiful black-and-white tuxedo, long hair, and was so gentle and sweet lying on my lap. I’m sure the drugs they gave her for her spaying helped, as well as the painkillers.
It took a few days to get her to adjust to me, of course bribery always works. I had fixed a chicken breast for dinner, and she watched me from the chair cattycorner to me. I thought maybe she might like to try a bite, so gave her a small piece that was cool enough she wouldn’t get burned. A very cautious sniff, a taste with the tongue, and it was gone. A second piece didn’t last as long as the first piece. From that point on, we were friends, and she’d lie on my lap while I’d pet her. Since she had not been declawed (fortunately), I ended up with numerous scratches on my legs from when she’d knead her paws as I’d pet her.
Sadly, she is long gone, I lost her to liver failure about 2 years after I moved up to Ohio.
As soon as I’m able-I’m recovering from major surgery on my neck-I’ll get some and try it.
Thanks,
Phil
Hmm… I hadn’t tried that idea of feeding them at two levels. I have tried feeding in different rooms. I get the feeling that Smokey would still try to get to Goober’s dish, but hey, I’ll try it a few times and see. Feeding in different rooms means one or the other gets curious. “Is he getting something better than I got? I want some!” Or, “Hey, don’t close that door! I want in/out! I’m a good kitty, he’s a good kitty, we don’t want to be separated, even if we do fuss a little.” 🙂
Yes, on how arbitrary and coldly some people will abandon a pet. Though I had to ask my grandmother’s neighbor to look after my grandmother’s cat, who *refused* to be “caught” so he could be put in a carrier for transport. I knew I’d need to find another owner, because he wouldn’t integrate with my cats. (I’d tried. He wouldn’t tolerate anyone else, male or female cats.) So I had to leave him to her neighbor, who has too many cats already. I didn’t want that at all, bad situation. Ideally, I would’ve kept him with me, separate from my cats, until I could’ve found a new owner. But each time I’d try, he’d scram before I could get him anywhere near a carrier. Poor cat. Especially since he seemed to like me. Most animals *really* like me, pretty quickly. Not him. 🙁
Otherwise, I’ve moved my cats back and forth with me, except leaving my cat with my parents while in college, then returning. I think I’d sooner choose living somewhere else, than somewhere I couldn’t have my cats.
I like dogs too, but haven’t had a dog since I was a young teen, the mama dog I grew up with who was my mom’s dog. Sweetheart of a dog, too. — And as an adult, I have avoided getting a dog, the few times I was in between, because dogs *need* people or other dogs, and space to move in. But I suppose if the need arose, I’d try integrating a dog into the household. 🙂 — No idea how my current two would take that, though.
Smokey was a street kitten, given to me by that cat-lady neighbor, a rescue. If he hadn’t been rescued and given to me, he wouldn’t have lived the night, certainly not the next night. I’m so glad to have him. He’s a scamp at times, but also a sweet cat.
Goober was given to me by a friend, the last of two of a litter to be given away. Ironically, the friend had hoped to give me the other kitten. Their mama had been a street cat given to the friend by someone else. Goober’s something else, a little goofy, a sense of humor, and a real gentleman, not a mean bone in his body. If anything, I wish he’d stick up for himself more. He’s surprised me a few times being braver or more curious than I would’ve expected. Really glad he’s here.
I love animals and they love me. I can’t understand people who wouldn’t do their best to make sure an animal has a good new home. How anyone could be cruel toward an animal, I don’t get.
Glad to share my home and the planet with other critters.
…OK, but if they have more than four legs, they really need to move elsewhere, thanks…
Just took a gander at my weather widget — looks like we may have a white Xmas here in TX panhandle. Colder than a wedge here right now — 20F.
Off topic, but cool:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23021-nearby-tau-ceti-may-host-two-planets-suited-to-life.html