One more page

and this will be a finish.

I don't like the bare top of the center stem but it is what it is. 

The base of the pot is void of stitching and may be filled with satin.

The brats have been on their own sleeping in shrubs and avoiding me.  But Petey is sticking close to me and wanting stroked, I've been obliging.  A half hour after my last close encounter, my stomach started itching and I assumed a skeeter bite.  But there was a tiny black pinhead protrusion, and after my Dazor light and mag, in addition to a pair of 4.0 mags, there it was.   A tick.  The tiniest of ticks, the Lyme carrying ones.  So I am swelled and red, waiting to see what develops over the next few days.  Can I squirt the tube on his neck without wasting this expensive flea/tick remedy?  I seriously doubt it.  

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Wren

Hopefully this will help when deciding on a PTP linen, whenever they are back in stock.  The Wren looks to be Flax with tan mottling.  Legacy is more yellow, Heartland even more.  One piece of Legacy I received a while ago is my favorite with less yellow background, more neutral and leaning to Flax.  Whatever!!  You all know I have a phobia about color.  Seeing completed projects compared to the actual linen is misleading because they don't seem to be as dark after stitching.

The Vellum that I showed in the prior comparison is the lightest ordered.  If I knew where it was, I would have included it.  But you saw it already so it's all good.  One more that I need to try - Faun.  Almost ordered Fawn by mistake (Lakeside?) but the PTP is spelled with a U.  Haven't found a piece yet and looks very contrasted in photos, but you can't believe what you see because every piece is different.

Have a great weekend!!

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Did they have spotted Llamas in 1809?

Bud doesn't know either.  

He's just ticked because Petey always gets to eat on the big bench.

I got Carole's tablet today.  Oh my word.  How the hell do you people know what to do with those smart ass phones?  Are they more confusing than tablets?  I touch the wrong spot or swipe a gnat off the screen and all hell breaks loose. I end up in places I've never heard of and a woman starts asking me questions.  Startled, I looked around to see if someone was watching me.  I think she's related to the one in my GPS and we do NOT get along.  The only way Carole will be able to use this without calling me every 5 minutes is if I hide all the apps and she keeps the Walmart grocery site open forever.  And allows gnats.

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Mottled crew

Not Motley Crue!  Two posts in one day but I received more linen and tomorrow will get the highly anticipated Wren.  Just can't get enough of this PTP.  Literally!  Out of stock everywhere!  I can do without the very dark and very contrasted, but these have become my linen crew.  Love love 'em.  For those of you feeling as confused and hesitant as most stitchers without a shop, I hope this helps a little about color choice.  

When I saw The Attic's flosstube sharing linen inventory, the Vellum looked so silvery and drab on that table.  Too late, I had already ordered.  And good thing I did because it's beautiful, not as it appeared on my laptop screen.  Beautiful!!  Light, very.  Neutral, very, Soft, absolutely.  No yellow no pink no green on this piece.  After these came in, I decided the gorgeous Dusty Road from Seraphim is not me, so I will either sell or dye (would rather sell).  Here's a peek.

Flax has no mottling, hardly any on Winter Brew.  Flax would be a great base to dab on some shading.  Remember the "old" days when you used a crumpled rag to get that effect on walls?  That's the method I will use in my attempts.  No immersing, no wetting, just dabbing with a light tan dye on a crumpled rag after a corner test.

 Legacy is my absolute favorite (so far!) but for very light projects Vellum is great.

Legacy, Vellum, and Heartland.

 I'm not crazy about the large piece of Heartland and may sell that one too.  Very anxious to see Wren and will compare that next time.

Blog and IG photos of various finishes listing linen color confuse me.  I've seen Oaken look very dark and dramatic, and other finishes much lighter and softer, which seems to be the case most often.  It depends on the photo's settings so it's very hard to know what to expect.  Can't wait for Wren!  Something tells me I will be thrilled.  I've been wrong before, and Mark notched that date into a 4x4 on the deck.  Which has long been removed.

I hope this helps a little.  I have an old tablet and comparing the photos between these two devices, not even close.  The tablet is more saturated and darker, so I have no idea how you will see these.  But I tried!!

Sitting on the swing with my pal.

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They prefer the heat

to an air conditioned room.  Hardly eating which is routine for them when it's this hot, but when they do it's a quick bite and back to the outdoors.  Why?  The rest of the day is spent lounging in the shade, or grabbing an occasional chipmunk.  Petey is a real hunter and rather than torture the helpless little creatures, he starts eating them immediately.  I like chipmunks and all other little PITA creatures, but when my cousin saw one steal a cardinal baby right out of its nest, they moved down a few notches.  The nest was in a burning bush outside her office and she was horrified as the munk came back until they were all killed.  I couldn't believe they would eat a baby bird so I researched and found they are nest raiders, eggs or chicks.  Nature is so cruel on many levels, but my hope is for deaths to be quick and free of suffering.  You can't fool Mother Nature nor can you control her.

Another thing about critters, the really big ones are fussy about hydrangeas.  They devour Annabelles and don't touch Limelight.  Right next to each other, but never any damage.  Annabelle has some foliage left on the house side, but the back side is bare.

 These are next in line but usually manage to avoid destruction.  The Vista variety is not at the top of their petunia list.  Of maybe they don't like Fuschia.

And for some good news, Petey is now allowing me to scratch his neck and head when he's on the bench getting food.  And I didn't fall out of the door.  Once off the bench I can't get near him.  He did not try to bite or scratch, just recoiled from fear, but after several times he is now enjoying it.  I know he was someone's cat.

We got Carole's umbrella for her wrought iron set (I gave her a choice of two, she kept both) and Mark drilled the pole for a bolt to keep it secure.  Matt Jr. has been staying there for a few days and you don't know how bad autism can be until you deal with 24/7.  He has meltdowns and has not been bathed, won't put shoes on, and a multitude of other issues that can't be forced on him.  I bought him bright green water shoes and attached a tag that states "can only be worn by kids that like dinosaurs, will not fit anyone else".  We'll see if that helps.  He hides from us now.  Last fall he made great progress and played basketball, had friends, and was fine on the bus.  The break from school has set him back two years.  He still thinks he did something wrong because none of his teachers had visual contact, just the weekly email.  This fall will be traumatic because he panics if you try to put a mask on him and it's mandatory, let alone leaving home on a bus full of kids.

Steak splurge and grilled veggies tonight.  Hope your day is a good one.

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Decorative aids

Arthritis is really taking a toll on my right hand.  Heberden's nodes are getting huge and starting on the left also.  Trying to alleviate frustration and pain on simple things with decorative alterations has become a hobby of sorts.  I have several of these Basketville lunch bucket baskets and although easy to lift, the lids are getting difficult to grab.  So I decided to add leather flaps.  Two baskets are still unfinished and need stained or painted but I'll come up with something for them too.

And remember this typcial bench that I had Mark cut open and convert to a shelf?  Those storage baskets that fit perfectly are now sporting jute loops.  So much easier to pull out.  One of my better ideas because so much coffee table stuff is hidden in these baskets.  Pens, papers, magazines, missing floss skeins, stitching aids, extra glasses, and of course, Dove.

My $274 sealed tooth caused me to hit the ceiling when I chomped a piece of cold watermelon.  I called, they said it doesn't always work.  No, I can't have a refund.  I never asked prices because I was just there in February so assumed the costs would be the same.  Costco still has a good dental plan but I never got around to making the almost 4 hour round trip to sign and pick up my card.  They wouldn't mail it.  This dentist would not accept it anyway, he only participates in union plans.

It's hot baby!!  So are the prices of beef.  I thought the processing plants were only down a week or two over a month ago.  So why haven't the prices returned to prior costs?  Really taking advantage of us aren't they?  My local meat market has a huge farm in PA, all meat comes from their animals and processing is done in house, yet they increased prices dramatically.

Have a good day folks.

Iced coffee and chocolate for me.  Thanks for the visit!

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