u/SpecificSkunk

I work on this blanket (~5’ wide) most nights after work, though I did take most of May off for other outside projects. I started in November.

Each row takes me about 30 minutes on average, so it’s slow going. I’m struggling more and more to pick it up because I work on it while hubby and I watch our way through Bridgerton, and I miss all the spicy expressions and longing glances across fancy gardens and crowded ballrooms. :/

Additionally, the colorway is meh to me. It’s a gift and the recipient chose the general color scheme. I’m more of a blue/teal person myself.

I’m open to suggestions for the border. Right now I’m thinking an envelope in the purple will be the way to go (if I have enough leftover- I wasted 2 skeins on a false-start with another yarn that looked… not good).

Pattern is AZUL by Tinna Thórudóttir. Yarn is Hobbii Cotton Cake and Rainbow Cotton.

Edit to add: this is my first mosaic crochet piece, but I’ve been crocheting for probably 15 years now.

Last fall we had this little cat show up on our plant site. It’s a heavy industrial area full of trucks and chemicals and heavy equipment, so my coworkers and I were in a bit of a tizzy with what to do with her. It’s not a place for animals to live long, healthy lives.

I live in BFE forest country with 2 large dogs and a plethora of wildlife, and I am not doing cats inside for personal/lifestyle reasons, so I waited to see if anyone could take her but to no avail. I was NOT in the mood for a cat, but I couldn’t let her stay there. So I slowly introduced her to my office, and then my car.

We started her off in an old chicken coop (with a large fence and tree so she could feel safe from predators) and she adapted well. Then we took her to the vet for a spay and all her shots, and kept her in an insulated shop for a few weeks while she recovered (and took care of the mouse population, thanks cat!). She did well with a litter box and was a big fan of my seed-starting heated mat under her bed, but was still a bit skittish. It took her a few weeks to show the dogs who’s boss and she was eventually able to migrate to the fenced dog-friendly backyard. She has taken it over; it is her domain now. One of the 80 lb dogs treats her like an ornament, the other- a nuclear weapon. They co-exist peacefully with a few zoomy-chases here and there. She gives them the what-for when needed.

We eventually decided she was sticking around and got her an upgraded cat house, and moved her “cat belongings” to the front porch. She will never be an inside cat because it would mean declawing and I just can’t do that, but she’s got a happy cat-life here now and I wanted to show everyone her progress.

She has twice-a-day meals, an insulated house (with heat), and a forest to run rampant in. She gets deworming and sees the vet regularly. She keeps the mice down and has only caught lizard tails so far (thankfully). The birds appear to be safe. We have coyotes but the dogs keep them away from the house and she has plenty of trees to skitter up when she’s scared. I put up our summer sun-shades and she’s decided they are the best cat hammock to ever exist.

Today I’m chilling on our patio and she’s keeping me company, snoozing in the sun and purring when she’s awake. She follows me around the yard as I garden and tries to trip me up when I’m watering plants. She takes a lot of sun naps and has adopted a favorite patio chair.

Maybe not the ultimate best-cat-life, as she’s still outdoors, but she seems happy and hasn’t abandoned us for a neighboring house yet. If she eventually does, I won’t be upset. She’s a sweetheart and I’m glad we could adopt her into our little family.

I got into gardening by googling “how to permanently get rid of blackberries”. Turns out the answer is “shade”. I spent a summer working at a native nursery for beans. We moved and got 13 acres of forest. It had 2 (rough) acres out front that was swamped with himilayan blackberry, and I made a personal vow to overcome them.

I hired a foresty mulcher (awesome machine) to come and just… f**k s**t up. Bye bye blackberries. Hello rough terrain.

Then we planted 600 saplings over two years. We were making progress. Then my sprayer died and the blackberries came back this spring, so I am MANUALLY REMOVING THEM. Just me and a brush cutter, baby. 2 hours every day. Searching for my little baby trees and volunteer natives while I slay this 2 acre beast.

I’ve found a bunch of natives doing their best but today I found this little duckfoot flower, by sheer luck. Just one little plant, trying so hard to do its thing. I’m 1/4 acre down over my 2 acres of insanity and this little patch of leaves gave me so much hope. Just wanted to share.