Lemon Tree Tales

Machine Embroidery Applique

I signed up for a summer block swap on the APQS forum and need to make 22 blocks. Since it was a summer theme I decided to applique bikini swimsuits and then sew a log cabin surround. So far I've been using my Bernina embroidery module to machine applique some bikinis that I found from Rivermill Embroidery on etsy. So far I've only had problems with one where the bobbin ran out of thread and I didn't realize it. Maybe I'll go back and see if I can fix it. Sadly the mini pc laptop that I'm using has to have the screen resolution adjusted so that I can scroll up and down to see the Bernina embroidery program. I just wished that it would automatically resize to adjust for the screen. At any rate when the mishap occurred I couldn't get to the portion of the program that will let you back track and re-stitch where you ran out of thread. Oops.

Here's a couple of them in the hoop:

 

We had a thunderstorm rolling in last night so I had to turn off the machines and unplug them. Thank goodness the timing was such that I could finish the last little bit before doing that. Fearghus and Fiona were a bit disturbed by the thunderstorm so this is where I found them, on the recliner side by side. It's always so hard to photograph Fiona because she's so dark. One day I'll have to take her out in the sunshine and get her lit just right so that you can see all of her beautiful coloring. There's bits of red and a light patch near her right shoulder. She's so doggone affectionate too. Her favorite resting spot is right on that recliner next to my legs (in fact that's where she's at right this very minute.) Fearghus only wants to be next to you if it's bedtime. Right now he's lost his bedroom privileges because he chewed up one of my bras! So now he has to sleep in either his crate or the ex-pen. Don't feel sorry for him though, he'll get to sleep in the bed in the RV the next time we go on a trip.

Lake Minatare Nebraska

A few weekends ago Steve and I took the dogs with us for a drive to Nebraska. We were wandering around and found a beautiful lake near Scottsbluff, NE which is less than two hours away. Lake Minatare was beautiful and had lots of RV parking spaces so it may end up being a good weekend trip destination for us. Dogs were allowed on the beach and lake so we took Fearghus and Fiona in for a little dip. They weren't liking it as much as they've enjoyed chasing the waves at Pismo Beach, CA in the past. Maybe if we went in the water they'd go in as well? Or perhaps it just was that there were no seagulls or ducks to chase. Yes, I think that was the problem ... they need some prey to hunt.

There's a lighthouse, purely a fantasy building but nice nonetheless.

 

It looks like no one was around in this picture, but I just got very lucky in my timing and didn't catch any of the jet skiers in the shot.

 

And finally a quick snapshot of my little family, Steve with our cairn terriers, Fearghus and Fiona.

 

It was a hot day and we were in our car, not the RV, so we didn't stay for a long time. Next time we'll bring the RV and camp out for a day or two. We did check out a couple quilt shops along the way and stopped for a classic car show (but they didn't allow dogs so we only parked and looked at a couple cars in the parking lot before heading on the road again). Day trips are very nice to do.

Snowy Dog Park Day

On Sunday we drove 45 minutes south to Fort Collins, CO so that we could let Fearghus and Fiona play unleashed at a dog park there. It was a fantastic day, no wind, not too cold, and not many dogs at all. In fact when we took the two of them to the big dog section with a pond (empty for winter) the other dogs there left after a few minutes. But that wasn't a problem for our two. They ran, bounced and jumped all over the place. They were in heaven and we were having a great time enjoying their excitement.

 

 

In other news, yesterday we saw a house that we really want to rent but the owner has already taken applications from five other people and will have to decide who gets to be the renters. Wish us luck!

Home again

Yesterday afternoon I came home from a week at Asilomar. A couple of posts to follow but first I had to show you the dogs. They were originally scheduled to stay another night at boarding so that I could unpack but I missed them too much. Here's what they've been doing since I picked them up.

Fearghus

 

Fiona

 

I guess they had an eventful week too, playing with other dogs all day long.

Fiona went to the vet

Yesterday Fiona had an appointment to get spayed at the vet's office. This morning I brought her home for some quiet and rest while she recovers. She did well but the poor thing has a very shaved tummy and a front leg where they had the IV inserted. She may not like it but she's going to be getting lots of crate time over the next few days to give her incision time to heal. Next week she'll be 8 months old. My goodness how the time is just flying by.

Here's a picture of her from a couple months ago after she visited the groomer for a quick bath (she was so stinky from all the romping around in the bushes). Needless to say she didn't like the experience and really hated that little pink bow. If you look closely you can see the pout.

Groomed

It's been a bit crazy around here and no, I haven't been able to accomplish any of my creative to-do lists. Sigh. But I did manage to drive the two doggies to their groomer the other day since they were getting a bit scruffy. They have hair not fur but they can't get haircuts, instead they need to be hand stripped where the groomer pulls all the dead top hairs out. Here's a few snapshots of them once we got home. Oh yeah, those cute little red bows? They didn't last more than an hour or so before they became chewed, ratty and needed to be removed.

Now let's see if I can attack some of those items on my to-do list. How's your week going?

Best of Friends

Fiona is now a little over 5 months old and is definitely a beloved member of our family. Fearghus is quite taken with her except when he's tired of running around in crazy circles. Last month we got back from another quick trip in the RV where Fiona learned how to jump on the sofa ... their favorite place to be while window gazing.

I think they were quite excited to be watching out for rabbits. Here they are waiting for a treat. Don't be fooled by their sweet looks of innocence, they both can get into trouble at the drop of a hat.

We met a few other cairn terriers during our travels. This little wheaten colored cairn is 1 year old Ellie and she loved running with our two. Don't you just love all the colors they have? Fearghus and Fiona are both brindles so their colors will change as they grow. Already Fearghus is more silver than what he was a pup. Fiona has more red on her back than at 6 weeks old but I believe that she'll end up being a salt and pepper dog.

Fiona's First Week

There hasn't been any creating this week. Instead our household is all getting used to the new puppy, Fiona, who as it turns out is quite a little vocal girl. Fearghus has finally accepted that this creature is definitely not going away, ever! Here's a little video of them playing together.

 

Next week it's back to the sewing studio as I need to finish some quilting for the Shir Hadash quilting bee. Have a good weekend everyone!

Welcome home Fiona

Let me introduce the newest member to our family, Fiona. She's a cairn terrier (just like Fearghus - they even have the same grandfather so are officially cousins not siblings), is black brindle in color and is almost 12 weeks old. We just got home late, late, late last night. Fearghus seems to be fine with her but we're all tired and conked out. Here's a few quick pictures of her.

Snow in July

Our trip to Bend, OR to visit the puppies was a lot of fun. So much fun was had that I forgot to snap pictures of everything. I did manage to snap one of the puppy that was our favorite. Here she is with Steve.

All the puppies were adorable and wanted attention, but this little girl was attracted to Steve. Every time he moved to the other side of the ex-pen she hopped to his side and wanted to be picked up. She liked to be held. The other puppies didn't want to be held very long at all. We'll know for sure later this week whether she's ours, but the breeder is pretty sure that she will be our new Fiona. She's the one with the green collar. We won't be able to get her until August since she only turned 7 weeks old on Monday.

The rest of the weekend went well. We saw some of the cairns competing in the show ring and a few were competing at the lure course. That's where a dog is released to chase a set of three white plastic bags tied to a motorized lead. That was very entertaining to watch. There was one border collie who only wanted to chase the bags for a bit and then started to run around in circles. It was his first time and he lost interest in it.

We met lots of nice people who belong to the Columbia River Valley cairn terrier club. Plus we met the earlier puppy who we couldn't have, Brook. She is a beauty and definitely looks like she'll be a showdog in another few months. Fearghus played with her and a dozen other cairns in someone's backyard on Friday night. It was funny but Fearghus would growl at Brook if I petted her. He had no problems with the other dogs being petted but had a problem with her. Of course Brook had the same problem if I bent down to pet Fearghus. Too funny. Hopefully he doesn't do this with Fiona when she comes home. Fearghus' uncle was also there and we met the people who whelped Fearghus' mother. They even had a puppy scrapbook of her - Fearghus looked just like her when he was a puppy down to the same belly stripe. I guess that definitely means that by the time Fearghus is 6 years old he'll be a dark steel grey color like his mother.

On the way back home we decided to drive through Crater Lake. The last time we were there was almost exactly 11 years ago. This time was a bit different. There was snow! Yes, snow in July and lots of it! We had to stop at the side of the road so that Fearghus could play in it. He first got to see some a few weeks earlier on our trip through Yellowstone Park (oops, I still need to post pictures from there).

 

 

As you can see in the video Fearghus is having a blast. After the snow break we drove a bit higher up until we came to a vista for Crater Lake itself. It's gorgeous!

I love how blue the water looks with the reflection of the sky.

There were quite a few people who ignored the little stone wall to step on the ground and the snow to get closer for pictures. I can't believe they did that since most of that snow wasn't directly on the ground but was many feet of snow. It's prime avalanche season so they were taking a big risk. Here's a picture of the many chipmunks waiting to be fed and in the background you can see some of the deep snow.

 

As if that scenery wasn't spectacular enough, further down the road we saw the beautiful Mt. Shasta covered in snow.

 

We got back home last night, just in time to relax today for the 4th of July. I hope you enjoyed yours as well.