July Sparklers

Did I mention that I have a new venue for my Tuesday night quilting classes?

Well, I do. It's here. It's a brand new shop, although not exactly a brand new business--the owners have been selling wonderful fabric and ethnic textiles at quilt shows and online for a few years now. They've found a wonderful space and revamped it completely--what was a dark and atmospheric mystery bookstore is now a light, bright, inviting quilt shop!

So we've been settling in, learning where everything is, checking out all the amazing and delightful fabrics.

It's not just quilts, either--they've got some really wonderful garment teachers on board too. Well, the owners have been very active with a local Wearable Art guild, so I'm expecting to see some interesting ideas coming forth!
Anne was finishing up a Fourth of July wall hanging for the dining room at Westminster Gardens,. which will certainly give the place a little patriotic flair!

These other pictures were taken around the shop, just to give you an idea of what's there and what kind of ambience it has.

Then there was the Fourth itself.

Yummies were the order of the day. I really should have taken more food pictures, but I was sidetracked by the firecracker cupcakes.

Baked in our very own new oven, I might add. D4's first culinary experience with the new stove.

It was slightly hampered by the fact that we are still living with dozens and dozens of boxes.

I will not make any further allusions to the frustration of having to sit and "rest" while looking at the work that needs to be done.


In fact, let's just look at cupcakes for a while.

Yummy. Really.



See? A little blurry,but still tasty, no?


Then there was the swimming pool. Cousins Nate and Garrett cheerfully loaned Cousin Audrey their new swimming pool for the day.

Audrey approved. So did the rest of the crew.

Nate was really trying to get into the spirit of the day, He even wore his hat.

And Garrett had to do a little posing and flirting for Memere and the aunties. He and Dad had matching shirts to get into the spirit of the day.

D5 lives within easy viewing distance of the Fairplex, which was having their annual fireworks show. We had prime viewing space on the front lawn. However, we think that before next year's 4th of July extravaganza, a couple of neighbors are going to find us offering to trim their trees.
Audrey and Nate slept through the fireworks, but Garrett loved them. He was ready for more! Mom says she may have to take him to an Angels game soon, since they have fireworks there!

We had a good celebration, and I hope you did too! Now let's see--I wonder where we can find Bastille Day fireworks?? (True story: I was in Chicago one year for a Bernina convention, and we heard fireworks outside. It was the hotel next door, a Sofitel, celebrating Bastille Day!)

Another Goodbye

Padua

1991--2008

I guess, when your cats live long lives, you really get used to having them around and you start thinking they will live forever. Unfortunately, it eventually comes time to say goodbye.

Padua was one of those scrappy cats who adapted beautifully to family living, but was fiercely protective of his "territory" which included the whole house and yard. He tolerated his feline housemates, loved his Megi, and defended his borders whenever they were breached. He's the cat who tore out the screen in the screen door, because there was another cat in his yard and he wanted to get him! That night, he spend the night in the crawl space under the house and cleared out all the wild critters that had been there, too. Then he came out when I called him, ambled into the house, ate his breakfast and went to sleep.

He was just a little tiny kitten when he was spotted in the parking lot of the San Gabriel Civic Auditiorium, where my kids were working. He came home tucked inside Meg's sweater and settled right in. He was FIV positive, which meant we had to get all of our cats tested; in those days, there wasn't a vaccine for it, although there is now. In practical terms it meant that every so often he'd have to go in for antibiotics--he'd get a really sore mouth--but otherwise he was just as healthy as all the other cats. We decided he had to be part Siamese--he had that Siamese body type, long-legged and lean, and a decidedly Siamese voice.

During the house renovations, he boarded at our vet's, where they were able to give him fluids to keep him hydrated, really quite a blessing since Meg and I are terrible kitty-IV-givers. He was happy to be home, but it was obvious that he needed more care, and so after a couple of days of assessment, the vet agreed that it was time to say goodbye.

I'd like to think that tonight he's curled up on Robert's lap, right next to Tache and GiGi. There's a Padua-sized hole in our hearts tonight.