Wednesday Needle Dancing...

Between taking care of my new feline charge, and running out for a much needed haircut, I didn't stitch as much as I'd originally planned. Even so, I did make a little more progress on this little lady. 

I think she's shaping up nicely, and I found that I don't need to stitch as furiously as originally thought. My actual deadline is closer to the end of October, but I'm going to try to complete this piece in the next week to ten days. My next surgery is October 12th, so I'd really like to have it completed by then.

I have bread baking on my agenda for today, but I'll be stitching during my proofing segments. I'd like. to finish her body today or tomorrow. Then, I'll be able to go into the weekend with the branch and other embellishments on my list.

I also have eight jalapeño plants with peppers ready to harvest. That means there's a Cowboy Candy canning session in the near future, too. Truthfully, there are days where I stand in the middle of my bedroom wondering just what I should do next. I think it's a joyfully frustrating dilemma, don't you? 

I'm blessed that I'm able to do all these things, so I'm not complaining in the least. I just have to set priorities, make lists, and then check off my tasks one at a time. I can say that I sleep like a log at the end of every day. 

I've made my usual start-the-day decision...breakfast and coffee, and then I'll be about my daily tasks. I hope you have something fun planned today.

Before I close, I'd like to take a minute to mention Florida, where many friends and music family members are facing this day without power, and perhaps homes that have been devastated by Hurricane Ian. The eye of the storm made landfall exactly where Hurricane Charlie landed in 2004. I was there with the dogs while Handsome was back here in Wisconsin. I well-remember how I felt experiencing my first of four hurricanes that year.

Charlie created havoc in Charlotte County that year. We lived in Sarasota County, near the county line shared with Charlotte County. Post-Charlie, homes had blue tarps covering damaged roofs for months or longer. We didn't go into Port Charlotte (only a few miles away) for six weeks, because we couldn't bear to see the hardships caused by the storm. 

People came together. Restaurants who'd lost power, cooked all their food on grills and handed it out free to people who'd lost everything. We were also without power for a time, pulling buckets of water from our pond to be able to flush toilets. Drinking bottled water and cooking the food that was in our freezer on our grill, just like the restaurants. Thankfully, we had privacy from all the undeveloped land around us, so when it continued raining, we could use that opportunity to shower outside.

Ian was worse. The eye of the hurricane was three times the size of Charlie, and was much slower, causing much more damage to the landscape. Worse (if it could be worse) is that - I repeat - it took a second shot at those areas which had only fully recovered from the last assault. Seeing the television coverage from our farm on high ground, I found myself close to tears.

Our prayers are with all of the people in harm's way. We contacted many prior to the storm, and we'll be in touch with them again to see if there's anything we can do to help. There in for hard days ahead. Please pray for them.