About Pets and Blogging Friends

Posted on August 17, 2014 by thecontentedcrafter

I know, I know – it’s been a while…. I am a poor blogger, incapable of keeping to a schedule, or even regular posts. But as most of you know, this is supposed to be a blog about my arty-crafty output – and my arty-crafty life has been severely curtailed by a bouncy little fat puppy who LOVES the work room because his mumma zones out somewhere else altogether and he gets to rearrange and change up – or down – all he likes until she eventually becomes aware all is not well …….. usually by picking up on the fact that it has been Q-U-I-E-T for a long time…………

Last time I zoned out and was concentrating on a work in progress he removed all the paints from the shelf at the back of the easel. took them into the lounge and chomped holes through two of them leaving artistic stripes of blue and red – and therefore purple too – along the bottom of my lovely white door curtain……….. Oh, look – another excuse to change up the decor. 🙂

For me it has been interesting to discover that when I’m in the zone, artistically speaking, I hear nothing. I am totally immersed. Totally in the moment, totally zen 🙂 Who knew!

Right now I’m not though. Right now I’m typing this with a little round puppy sitting beside me doing his best Marx Brother impersonation with a chew stick poking out the side of his mouth which he is chomping on most enthusiastically while occasionally leering up at me and giving me a gentle nudge.

Don’t you love this photo? Does it make you smile or laugh out loud?

Orlando is asleep on the table which has become his new residence and which he shows no signs of being prepared to give up. Anything for a quiet life – I don’t host dinner parties any more any way.

Life these days starts with Siddy and me going for an hour long walk, which includes a good twenty minute romp at the dog park. Except for two or three mornings when the bitter cold Antarctic blast sent all us wimpy puppy owners running for home. While our usual claim to be the Riviera of Antarctica suits us pretty well, sometimes it feels like we are right down there at Scott Base!

Due to any outing being curtailed we must then come home and, after his breakfast of porridge, milk kefer, DE and savoury yeast, its a rambunctious game of fetch up and down the hallway. Then I can get on with my tasks – but always constantly accompanied by a keen and eager little pup – ‘Whadda we doing now?” “Where we going now?” “This way?” “That way?” “Where now?” “Whadda we doing? Whadda we doing? Where are we going?”

But I have to say yet again – he is probably the best little puppy in the whole world!

Here are a couple of shots so you can see how much he has grown – I know you want to know! It’s the same toy in both shots, the first one taken when he was about 9 weeks old and the second one today and he is now 19 weeks old.

We have had our up’s and downs since last I graced your lovely reading spaces – YD’s beloved cat Stanley became unexpectedly and quite seriously ill and was eventually diagnosed with feline aids, picked up many years ago most probably in a fight [he always was a bit of a bovver-boy] Stanley is a rescue kitty, adopted when he was grown and therefore most likely spent the first three years of his life living in kitty poverty. Nobody knows for sure. A cat of much charisma, great charm and friendly demeanour, YD had said a while back, ‘He is not the boy he used to be!’

It was devastating diagnosis. Getting medication into this cat has always been claimed by his mumma to be an impossibility. Our slightly raised eyebrows and quiet disbelief in this claim was blown completely away when we found out it took the vet and two practise nurses to hold him down and administer an oral dose. The vet was preparing us for the worst and I was mopping my baby girl’s tears. But Stanley is not a boy to take anything much lying down, including dying. He fought back and after three days was on the mend enough to go home. The vet whacked an intravenous shot of antibiotics into him and since then he has spent most of his time sleeping, waking long enough to eat – and eating more and more every day – then back to bed again.

We got lucky and have more time with this lovely boy.

Recently my dear friend from Serendipity Farm, the lovely Fran aka narf77 had one of her dastardly good ideas and announced that I was to become the proud owner of ‘A Dangler of International Happiness’ This all came about because I admired her dangler in this post. If you go on to read the comments you will see how she ~~coerced~~ encouraged our shared friends to take part.

A few days back I received a wee package from Hawaii with the first items enclosed. It was most fortunate that they got through NZ Customs who are notoriously anal about allowing foreign flora into our country in case it grows legs in the middle of the night and eats us all in our sleep …… and look, an original stick figure sketch from the BO exactly as they appear in this fabulous blog ‘Farmlet’ subtitled ‘Living cheaply and richly on an acre in Puna, Hawaii’.

Christi is a writer, married to the Bearded One, who, it appears, is master of anything that needs doing and cartooning as well. They recently relocated from Washington State to Hawaii and are busily involved with preparing to live as much off the grid as possible. These are good folks with huge hearts – I love them to pieces!

I have more for you too friends – take a look here.

I admired these on The Twisted Yarn ……………..

and next thing I know I am happily cutting threads with my very own pair of stork scissors sent all the way from the UK. Aren’t they gorgeous!! Phil made the pretty cover and I now have a sample of her so neat crochet work 🙂 If you are into things like crazy good knitting and yarn bombing go check her out and see what she gets up to when there’s a break from paying attention to her toddler twinnage, her day job or her allotment! I know you will enjoy her as much as I do!

I am working in my art room, just small projects that can be worked at without me losing track of the doings of one little puppy. I hope to have something to show you next week.

Oh, and just in case you are wondering how the detente is going – I now have a daily ritual of a purring cat on my knee with a quivering puppy trying very hard to contain himself beside us – and last night both of them were cuddled up in bed with me for about an hour. Orlando teases Siddy, Siddy ‘bites’ beautifully and usually gets wapped for his trouble. It’s great fun to observe 🙂

I’ve requested a ‘family portrait’ for my birthday. We’ll see.

Thanks for coming by today, I love that you did!

62 thoughts on “About Pets and Blogging Friends”

insearchofitall on October 1, 2014 at 1:51 pm said:

This is me trying to catch up on my reading. So don’t feel bad about not getting much writing done. I haven’t either. Love to see pictures of sweet little ones. So sorry to hear about YD’s cat. It’s devastating news. Been there, done that, don’t want a repeat. Maybe that’s why I have no animals right now. I rescue but don’t keep. I’m sure in the many weeks since you wrote this, everyone is doing better. I’m so far behind with this move, I may never catch up. Sounds like Siddy may need more challenging toys to keep him busy. You know, like you do with a child who has ADHD. 🙂

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- thecontentedcrafter on October 1, 2014 at 8:36 pm said:
  
  Bless you for coming by Marlene! I have just read your latest posts – both of them make me go ‘Wow!’ so I am surprised you have time for catching up. YD’s cat is doing okay. He is definitely frailer than he was but could well outlive us all 🙂
  
  As for Siddy, he is now nearing, if not in, puberty! Time for his little op! He is an absolute delight but is definitely checking out where the boundaries are at the moment…… I wonder where my tiny puppy went when I am being dragged along in the wake of a determined dog hell bent on saying hello to his latest and dearest friend.
  
  I don’t have a writing schedule any more – if I ever did have one – I haven’t finished a painting since March and am missing it. I am trying to find a routine now that I no longer have work interrupting my free time 🙂 I seem to get less done now than before – how’s that for lack of discipline!
  
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  - insearchofitall on October 2, 2014 at 2:05 am said:
    
    Ah, I remember it well, Pauline. My little Schatzie was supposed to be no more than 6 pounds but ended up 20. She was my mother’s dog the first year but I would be the one to exercise her. I always hoped she’d slow down a bit so I could work. Then she did. I still miss her. The time will come when you are free to work again. It’s oddly like having a 2 year old for 15 years.:) Good luck. I don’t need a dog to get myself distracted. I just buy a house. Now nothing else gets done. 🙂
    
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reocochran on September 8, 2014 at 6:14 am said:

Your dog does look like Groucho and your cat looks so serene and sweet! I enjoyed crafts while younger, love the photos you showed, too. I am a pen and ink illustrator for friends of homes and children’s names. I fill in with watercolors, I started blogging about being single over 50 but decided to tell love stories and talk about relationships. “Relationships reveal our hearts,” is my ‘byline!’ So glad Jill featured you on her post! Happy Belated #65! Smiles, Robin

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- thecontentedcrafter on September 8, 2014 at 7:31 am said:
  
  Hi there Robin- I am so glad you took the time to leave a message, it is nice to meet you. 🙂 Being single allows me to indulge my love of creating and my pets as I will – it is a most satisfactory lifestyle for me 😀
  
  I’ll wander over to return the visit very soon. Pauline
  
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Love Happy Notes - Daily Fun and Inspiration on September 7, 2014 at 2:48 am said:

Siddy is the cutest puppy! 🙂

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- thecontentedcrafter on September 7, 2014 at 7:59 am said:
  
  Yes indeed, over here we would all agree with that statement – and I would add ‘possibly the best puppy in the whole wide world’ too 🙂
  
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Boomdeeadda on September 2, 2014 at 2:43 am said:

I can’t believe I missed this wonderful update Pauline, I guess I was too busy indulging in my time in Victoria with our dear Alys. I think Siddy’s hair is comical to begin with, then the chewy in his mouth like that is totally slapstick. HA! what a punk. Hippy hair in his eyes, so darn cute. I can’t believe they’re snoozing on your bed together. What a shift.
When you first started telling us about Stanley, my heart sank. I was thinking “oh NO!” He’s just adorable hanging off the back of the sofa, that’s a really cute photo. I’m really happy he’s recovered too. Must have been some really nasty infection but thank goodness the antibiotics worked. My Boom-room got a major clean up yesterday and ready for a new project…..tally-ho! Are you also having a long week-end? Canada and USA are, so today is another Saturday night, Woop wool 😀 xoxoxo

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- thecontentedcrafter on September 2, 2014 at 11:35 am said:
  
  Hi Boomdee – you have done a grand catch-up job! I knew you were so busy with home and work and swanning off to BC for some fun in the sun with the girls – you must be having the most fabulous time with everything coming together so beautifully – though maybe also a tad super busy I expect! I am looking forward to a catch-up via blog or skype soon 🙂
  
  We did not have a long weekend – our next one is towards the end of October. I however, shall have a long weekend every week from next week on 🙂
  
  Stanley is doing quite well, he is a resilient fellow. He does have the HIV virus though and his system is compromised – D has to keep him away from other cats as much as possible as he is such a ‘bovver boy’ and doesn’t back down from a scrap. The idea is to give him as good a life as possible for the time he has left. We do love him to bits!
  
  My boys are doing really well – Orlando has reclaimed his position and is much more relaxed with the puppy. When Siddy learns a few more manners I expect it will be plain sailing. Have a good week xoxo
  
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fingerprintwriting on August 26, 2014 at 11:51 am said:

Awaiting your new post, Pauline:) This is my way of telling you that I enjoy reading your posts:)

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 26, 2014 at 3:35 pm said:
  
  🙂 Right! Okay! Must do something then …….. 🙂 xoxo
  
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Born To Organize on August 21, 2014 at 3:51 pm said:

Oh my goodness, what a newsy post. I’m home and starting to catch up. I’m so glad to see you’re blog float up the list.

I am very sorry to hear of YD’s kitty with feline AIDS. My Grant died from the same thing many years ago, though he was neutered as a kitten and lived with me for nine years till his passing. They think he acquired it from a puncture wound. Unfortunately they didn’t check that first, and we went through numerous, unproductive tests before we knew the score. I’m so glad kitty is back home and doing well.

You paint a marvelous picture of Siddy and the daily goings-on. Small puppies are much like toddlers. Mischievous, full of energy, clever, dear and exhausting.

Knowing the two of them joined you on the bed shows huge progress. What a cozy time that must have been, especially given your arctic blasts.

I look forward to seeing your creations when time permits. Meanwhile, I must see what the long thread about dangly things is all about.

Love your clever scissors and the case.

Gorgeous photos one and all. xox

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 21, 2014 at 4:57 pm said:
  
  Welcome home Alys! It is lovely to spend time with special friends isn’t it – and even more lovely to return home 🙂 I hope we will get to hear a little about your adventures in due course. The good photos are taken by my daughter – Siddy especially as you have to be really quick. All I generally get is a blur as he rushes up to the camera. The blurry, out of focus photos are generally mine 🙂
  
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  - Born To Organize on August 28, 2014 at 10:44 am said:
    
    Pauline, it is indeed. We talked about you on our trip and how we would manage a trip at a future date. I look forward to meeting you one day in the flesh. Meanwhile, I’m grateful for Skype and blogging, Facebook and the good ‘ole mail.
    
    Your daughter is very good with the camera and lucky to have so many wonderful subjects in your home. xox
    
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    - thecontentedcrafter on August 28, 2014 at 11:30 am said:
      
      I am delighted you thought about me when you were together, it’s like getting a warm hug! 🙂 I share your gratitude for skype and blogs and etc too – I noticed that I missed my eldest daughter much less once we could sit and chat face to face every couple of weeks for an hour or two. I’ve got YD reading Joe’s posts, especially his Friday tutorials which have just started – he has a real talent and she seems to be a natural….. another reason to love the blogging world!
      
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      - Born To Organize on August 28, 2014 at 5:19 pm said:
        
        🙂
        
        I didn’t know Joe was making regular Friday posts about photography. I read one and found it so helpful. I must go check out the others. There is so much to learn.
        
        It is wonderful chatting via Skype. I just had a long, long chat with my friend Nandini in India last weekend. The quality was poor for awhile, but she was able to upgrade and the call was smooth and stable. I would like to Skype with you as well, but the days just seem to run away. Let’s both try to find a time that might work. Okay?
        
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        thecontentedcrafter on August 28, 2014 at 5:23 pm said:
        
        That would be most lovely! As I am about to become retired 🙂 I am available fairly readily and easily. You pick a day and time and I’ll fit in. 🙂
        
        Joe has only done one post so far – the next is due on Friday. He is great isn’t he!
        
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        Born To Organize on August 28, 2014 at 5:30 pm said:
        
        Yes he is! Thanks for the heads up.
        
        So, remind me are you still 16 hours ahead of California time? We don’t roll our clocks back until early November.
        
        I’m heading to bed shortly (it’s 10:30 here) so I”ll check tomorrow for your reply.
        
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        thecontentedcrafter on August 28, 2014 at 5:40 pm said:
        
        It is 5.30 Thursday evening here – so I make it 19 hours ahead currently. Our clocks change [back] an hour on 28 September.
        
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John W. Howell on August 21, 2014 at 10:14 am said:

What a great post. I just love your pets and as a cat and dog lover I can totally relate. As far as frequency is concerned, it needs to be right for you.

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 21, 2014 at 10:38 am said:
  
  With your wacky sense of humour you have to be an animal lover! I’m beginning to enjoy Frank! 🙂
  
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  - John W. Howell on August 22, 2014 at 12:36 am said:
    
    Thanks again.
    
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aFrankAngle on August 20, 2014 at 10:52 pm said:

Thanks for the update. In terms of a regular blogging schedule, to blogger (especially readers) regular means whenever one gets around to posting …. so no need to beat yourself up because readers are very forgiving (but most likely, they are tougher on themselves).

Cheers to Stanley for his fortitude, thus not giving up … and as for Siddy, you definitely have a faithful companion with energy and personality.

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 21, 2014 at 7:48 am said:
  
  Thanks for those thoughtful words Frank. Of course you are correct! On all counts! 🙂
  
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bronxboy55 on August 20, 2014 at 1:20 am said:

Your crafty pieces are beautiful, Pauline, but apparently so is the life you’ve stitched together, locally and internationally! I hope Stanley is feeling better. And I love that Marx Brothers photo of Siddy — especially his smile.

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 20, 2014 at 7:50 am said:
  
  Thank you Charles – that comment started my day beautifully! And yes, he is Groucho to a T [now where did that one come from?] don’t you think.
  
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1annecasey on August 19, 2014 at 7:30 pm said:

Gorgeous account of your goings-on as always Pauline. It has taken me four attempts to read through as life is very, very full at the moment!! Currently living in a building site… Our house renovation has turned out to be a ‘little’ more than anticipated!! Hence, no blogging for me at the moment! Siddy is divine as always… as are your anecdotes. Orlando clearly has the upper paw as always! The scissors are a stunning treasure. Looking forward to the next instalment already! : )))xoxox =:•)xxx

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 19, 2014 at 9:16 pm said:
  
  Thank you for taking time away from what must be a very busy and quite stressful situation to pop in on us. I am very busy all day long but not achieving much it seems! You will have a grand and lovely residence at the end of this process I am sure! Love to you all – and Monty! How’s the wee fellow coping?
  
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LB on August 19, 2014 at 5:28 am said:

Those stork scissors are beautiful … and functional, too! How wonderful!
You’ve been the well deserved recipient of so many lovely things. How great is that?
Your descriptions of life in the home of Pauline, Orlando, and Siddy reveal a home full of life. And life of course can be fun AND frustrating.
Glad you’ve been in the zone, even if you don’t know what will show up when you come out of the zone!! xoxo

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 19, 2014 at 5:56 am said:
  
  I have never been so spoiled by so many 🙂 I was thinking this morning [I got up at 4am, wide awake and ready for a full day] as the coffee brewed and the puppy danced about my feet and brought me a range of his favourite toys and Orlando butted against my hand while waiting for first breakfast to be delivered – I was thinking how very fortunate I am to have this much pleasure delivered straight on getting up every morning. 🙂 I do love my life!
  
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  - Born To Organize on August 21, 2014 at 4:00 pm said:
    
    xoxooxoxoxoxoxoxoxox
    
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Robbie on August 19, 2014 at 2:22 am said:

oh my what a lovely post….I have been out of town so to come home to this lovely post about your four legged family-pure delight! He is adorable and not so little anymore:-) I love the picture above with the chew stick out of his mouth. What a personality. You caught him in action and I can just imagine what he is doing when you are in the zone and he is quiet( you don’ t hear him) it means trouble! I had one of my dogs eat the top off my fish emulsion and it was spread all over a rug! The smell took weeks to get out and my dog ate the cap , so I had to find some place to store it. What a mess!
I also had a dog that liked to get into the cat litter box and you can imagine the rest of this story-lol. I had one dog that liked to roll on drier sheets ( thank goodness not the other choice) and that was good since they smell wonderful! tee hee….it is an adventure with pets + I can’t imagine life with out them.
Having a puppy does sound like a toddler in the house-you can’t drift off too often since they will get into things:-)
I am so sorry about your daughter’s cat:-( What a beautiful cat + I do understand rescue cats. I have 3 cats that are all rescues and I do hope none of them encounter what you are going through. It is so hard to watch your beloved pet suffer. We had our middle dog ” Schatze” pass quickly about 4 weeks ago due to cancer. It was all over her body. The day we took her in was because she was breathing a bit shallow + not herself. That very day they took an xray and she had a huge tumor behind her heart that was filling her lungs with fluid. She had cancer so badly that they could not see her organs on the xray….so sad..nothing we could do….I never cried so much in my life for that day we had to put her down to sleep. She spoke with her eyes + let us know she was in pain and wanted to go…so hard…. My middle daughter met us there for she rescued Schatze from the back of a truck in the middle of winter when she was in high school…my daughter went to college + Schatze became our baby…she was a pit bull and the sweetest dog in the world!
I am sorry about Stanley….our pets are family + I believe it is harder when they are sick or pass because they love us unconditionally + unlike humans that tend to remind us of our faults, or not forgive…they just love us the best:-)…
This is a depressing comment, so I need to end it in a happy note…I could not imagine having a life without a cat or dog. We have two dogs still and 3 cats and even though I will not have that many( we had 5 dogs + 3 cats at one time-lol) as we did when the kids lived with us…I will always have a dog or cat at my side…life would never feel right without them….they are precious + the best part they never talk back but lick a lot!

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 19, 2014 at 5:14 am said:
  
  That was a lovely comment – it is like having a conversation over the back fence Robbie – an activity that is sadly dying out 🙂
  
  Your Schatze sounds like a lovely girl and it must have been so hard going through that. It is amazing how you can think an animal has a minor condition that needs checking out and you end up with devastating news. My heart goes out to the vets too, who not only have to deal with the pet but also the flood of grief from their humans.
  
  You have a huge menagerie still – mine is small and I hope won’t grow any bigger, but never say never!
  
  I don’t know how long we have got Stanley for. He is getting better, but it is very slow and there is a new frailty to him that is quite sad to see. But he is certainly ‘living the life of Riley’ as we say down here – do you have this saying too?
  
  I agree with you about the love. Siddy brings an enormous amount of sheer joy and enthusiasm for everything that is such fun to live with. Orlando’s energy is much quieter and deeper and more staid – he is a cat and he is almost eight years old now. But I get a lovely balance from them both.
  
  I hope you are still enjoying your summer Robbie and there is not too much rain. Take care xoxo
  
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  - Robbie on August 19, 2014 at 5:25 am said:
    
    Yes, “living the life of Riley” one we say here ,too.
    It is sad to watch Stanley decline, but you are providing him with time to spend with you all:-) that is the best part…it is not his time to go…he looks like an amazing cat + it is so good we have vets that understand.
    It is an emotional thing, but when you have wonderful vets that help you take care of your ill cat/dog and even when you have to make hard decisions they help you work throught the process. Ours took her paw print in clay, so we could bake it and have that memory. It came with a poem,too. It was so thoughtful and they sent a card. I would never be able to work in a vet office and watch people lose their pets or deal with an illness that makes their pets life difficult. It does take a special person:-)
    I am enjoying the summer! It is now getting hot…hmmm…should not of complained so much about rain and cool weather all of us in USA…now the “hot” stuff comes! Inside today:-)
    
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christiglover on August 18, 2014 at 1:04 pm said:

Wow, Mahalo Pauline! For the shout-out and link and photo of B.O.s addressing work. 🙂 I loved the animals pictures and admire your abilities in this regard. You get the best expressions out of BOTH cat and dog. And yes, Siddy has grown! I’m sure Orlando has also noticed this. They are precious together. Good wishes to Stanley and YD. Your hand, with the pink ring, behind the handsome Stanley, is the hand of an artist. 🙂 Love you, aloha. xxoo

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 5:04 pm said:
  
  I know you have a ton of happy followers Christi – but I hope some of my blogging pals might also pop on over – your last post was so beautiful! I’m keeping the contents of the package secret for a special reason 🙂 How did you know that is my hand – I tend to be somewhat horrified when I see photos of it now – it is looking so aged – a bit like all of me 🙂 I love my boys – they are my new generation of babies!
  
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brymnsons on August 18, 2014 at 11:21 am said:

The photo of Siddy made me laugh also, how cute is that! Oh he would wind me around his paw so easily…. Orlando looks content, and both on the bed, he is crumbling lol. Stanley is a lovely looking cat too, pleased to hear he has rallied. I have a pair of the stork scissors and they are excellent, I don’t have that lovely cover though. I wonder what was in that package from Hawaii? Being elusive… Can you not put a small barrier at your art room door to keep Siddy on the other side but still able to see you??? I put a screen door on my baby room to stop the cat from going in there. She seemed to think I had put it together for her 🙂 Have a great day x

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 11:46 am said:
  
  I do have a barrier at the door, but I took it down so he could be in there with me – he was supposed to be asleep in his bed, but apparently not! If I leave him outside the door for too long he whines, and I can’t work with that – I guess he has me wound around his chubby paw!!
  
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fingerprintwriting on August 18, 2014 at 9:15 am said:

Pauline, I’m sorry to hear about Stanley. I hope that those antibiotic shots keep him well for a long time for you and YD.
Sid is growing! He is a chubby puppy:-) I just love the photo of peaceful Orlando on the table.
I see you got some happy mail- I’m delighted for you. Looking forward to reading about and seeing photos of more of your creations (with the stork scissors) from your creative room…let’s hope Sid gives you a chance. Go for the zen. Have a happy week, my friend:)

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:26 am said:
  
  Thank you Elaine – I know you must be gearing up for the return to the classroom – Let me send you a special wish that you have a wonderful year!
  
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  - fingerprintwriting on August 18, 2014 at 9:39 am said:
    
    Thank you so very much, Pauline. I’m trying to read a few blog posts today as things will be rather busy for me this week.
    
    I got my class list on Friday- 14 boys and 4 girls:)
    
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    - thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:42 am said:
      
      I often found a class weighted with more boys easier to work with for some odd reasons – but that is a heavy weighting! What age are they?
      
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      - fingerprintwriting on August 18, 2014 at 11:05 am said:
        
        They are 8 going on 9:)
        
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        thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 11:44 am said:
        
        I loved teaching that age – and it is good to have more boys then too as it helps keep the girls out of the precious princess/catty stage – or it did when I was still in the classroom.
        
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Jill Weatherholt on August 18, 2014 at 8:33 am said:

Orlando looks so peaceful…he’s definitely adjusting to Siddy’s presence. Speaking of Siddy, boy is he getting big, Pauline! I still just want to squeeze his sweet little face! 🙂

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:24 am said:
  
  He would love you to give him a face squeeze Jill – he would love you right back! 🙂
  
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quarteracrelifestyle on August 18, 2014 at 8:25 am said:

Gosh Siddy has grown hasn’t he! He sounds adorable and I am glad Orlando is finding himself more at peace with him lol. What a shame about Stanley. My son had to have his dog put down last month and she had been a much loved character in our family for 13 years, it’s a sad time for pet owners losing their babies.
What a beautiful pair of scissors! and cute wee case. Blogging certainly opens up a world of friendships we wouldn’t have otherwise had, especially us hermitty folk 🙂 Very special. xx

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:24 am said:
  
  Orlando is leading the charge in the teasing stakes! He is doing quite well I think. It is hard when our pets leave us, it’s the down side of their faster take on life! Have you ever seen those scissors before? I hadn’t and I’m sure we don’t have them here…… but I’m probably wrong, I often am! 🙂
  
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  - quarteracrelifestyle on August 18, 2014 at 12:34 pm said:
    
    No, I never have seen them here, they are terribly sweet 🙂
    
    Yes, it is a downside. We form the same bond as we do with any other family member, they are so dear to us and leave such a gap 😦
    
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The Twisted Yarn on August 18, 2014 at 7:13 am said:

I am very sorry that I referred to Siddy as Siggy on my blog. I am quite stupid and have no memory. That aside, your pictures of Siddy, Stanley, and Orlando are gorgeous. If these cuties populated my life then I wouldn’t get much craftwork done either. (Thank you for mentioning my horrible blog. 🙂 )

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:20 am said:
  
  Your blog is not horrible! Siddy is called all kinds of names by me – mostly the nick-names of the cat, or once, my daughter’s name and most often ‘puppy’ because my tongue gets tied up…… 🙂
  
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The Snail of Happiness on August 18, 2014 at 2:21 am said:

Must choose the contribution to the dangler… I did start rummaging the other day, but got distracted by life – you know how it is!

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:18 am said:
  
  I do! 🙂
  
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gentlestitches on August 17, 2014 at 11:39 pm said:

Lovely to hear from you and see Siddy looking much bigger and dear Orlando looking tolerant! I am glad Stanley got a reprieve. XXXX

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:18 am said:
  
  Thank you Sharon 🙂 xoxo
  
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Gallivanta on August 17, 2014 at 11:16 pm said:

How lovely to have an update on the adventures and misadventures in your little household. Siddy has grown! And Orlando looks much more relaxed. By the way, does Siddy need much grooming?

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:17 am said:
  
  Siddy has a coat that is a little like my hair – wash it and it goes haywire! A good brush once in a while tames it down. He is a non-shedder, so easy care, no mess and little needed in the way of ‘grooming’. Though his coat is growing quite long …….. his fringe covers his eyes now and will need attention soon I think.
  
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  - Gallivanta on August 18, 2014 at 12:33 pm said:
    
    Ah, non-shedders are wonderful. My Jack is a non-shedder but he needs a groom about once every 6 weeks. I wish I were a non-shedder.
    
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    - thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 5:10 pm said:
      
      Ha! Me too – I leave more mess than either of my pets! I think Siddy will need attention soon – his coat appears to be growing faster than he is! Luckily I have just found someone not too far away who is apparently fabulous 🙂
      
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      - Gallivanta on August 18, 2014 at 5:21 pm said:
        
        That’s very good to have someone reasonably close.
        
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KerryCan on August 17, 2014 at 10:15 pm said:

It’s so nice to seeing you posting again and you certainly packed a lot into this! That’s very sad news about Stanley–I don’t know much about feline HIV but I do know he’s lucky to have caring people to love him right now. The stories, and photos, of your menagerie always make me laugh–that puppy has “mischievous” written all over him! It sounds like he’s doing a lot to keep you physically fit! And, yes, the stork scissors are wonderful–I’ve had a pair for years and you’ll never get tired of using them!

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- thecontentedcrafter on August 18, 2014 at 9:13 am said:
  
  Thank you Kerry! Feline HIV is an auto-immune condition that is passed from cat to cat through bites and scratches. apparently it is quite rife in this country any way.
  
  Siddy is the most mischievous of pups – his face is priceless and his personality even more so! I’m glad we make you laugh – I belly laugh every day at the antics of these two. 🙂
  
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