Ta-Da!

Well, almost. Since we plan to use the trailer again soon, I thought it would be a good time to finish the trailer rugs. I'm now working on the border, but I have to put another bobbin of yarn into the shuttle.

There's still a lot to do on the new book, but the front cover design is done (tentatively). I still have to go through the agonizing process of getting it into the form needed by the publisher. To do that, I have to use software called InDesign. Its logo is a big "Id," which to me means the part of one's psyche reflecting only the basest of instincts, like that of a newborn. It's very difficult to use (the software, not the Id, which I assume is happy to do its own thing), although probably not if you use it more often than I do, which is once a year (again, the software).

If you're wondering what Veronika is reading, it's the first volume in my Goethes Werke (Goethe's Works). Veronika is fluent in German, so she will have no trouble telling us what it says, although the book is meant to be a depiction of a book of old classic stories for children. The stories are fiction, after all. It is what I say it is. Meanwhile, the inside pages are still with my two talented proofreaders.

I managed to make a little progress on the first sleeve of my Hinterland Pullover, although it was a busy week, and I really needed good light to pick up the stitches using this very dark yarn.

Charlie and I have a joint project, which is now more than half done: Putting up netting around the back deck. As you can see, this screening material will not keep out flies or mosquitos. Its purpose is to keep Rocky from squeezing through the vertical slats in the rail and getting stuck. We think he does it because he can't see, but he can smell the grass and wants to go there. It isn't safe for him to be down there for long unsupervised, because there are too many places for him to fall and be unable to get up again, like the sandbox and other play equipment, or under bushes. Obviously, it isn't good for him to get stuck between the slats, either.

It also isn't safe for him to go down the steps to get to the yard. Although he has (even recently) gone down them safely many times, he has hurt himself, and then there's the issue of being out in the yard without supervision. We addressed this problem by getting a baby gate, which works fine. He can still go through the dog door and sit on the back deck or get a drink from the outside water, which, for some reason, tastes better than the water inside. (The little package attached to the gate contains something you can attach to your structure, maybe in case the distance isn't right. I'm not sure. We didn't need them.) 

We lock the dog door when the sun is too hot in the back. He can still get stuck under furniture on the deck, but otherwise, he's fairly safe there. Dusty's old collapsible play yard fencing blocks off the other side of the deck until we can get to putting up netting there. It's a two-person job, because one person has to hold the netting and the other has to put the zip ties in and fasten them.

I need good light to remove the stitching from these T-shirt pieces, which will make up part of the back of the T-shirt quilt. The design along the bottom of this back and sleeve were interesting, and Charlie wanted to include them. I still need to steam-press them to remove the creases from the hems, then attach the stabilizer/interfacing to the pieces. I have a few more pieces to prepare. Then we have to figure out how to arrange them and fill in with fabric.

Appointments messed with my schedule this week. I had a dental appointment on Tuesday and an eye appointment on Thursday. After the eye appointment, I had to sit for a while for my eyes to go back to normal. It was hard to knit, but I listened to my audiobook. I also made a run to Bend Animal Emergency to drop off the rest of Dusty's medication, which we are donating for use by a dog whose owners can't afford it. We feel so fortunate we don't need it at this time. The weather has cooled off for a few days, and Dusty can chase the ball repeatedly without panting or with less panting than when it was over 100ºF.

I've also been doing some online work, promoting my preferred candidate for our new Congressional district, which we will be in after January 1st. She is a good person and has devoted a lot of her life to helping others. We're fortunate to get an opportunity to vote for her.

As always, if you have a few minutes and are willing, please go to Amazon and B&N and search for "Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook by Peggy Stuart" in Children's Books. Every click on the page for the book makes it more likely they will keep a good supply in their warehouse and stores. If you are outside the US, you may have a separate website for these retailers. If you have a copy of our books, Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook,or Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook, it would help if you left an honest review on the websites, especially if you bought from them.

Where's my blog: If you want to follow my blog, go here and sign up to follow.

What's on my needles: Still the Hinterland Pullover, some progress made, and the EmPower People Kerchief.

What's on my loom: Trailer Rugs, close to being done.

What's on my sewing machine: Working on back for T-shirt quilt.

What's in my hoop: No progress on the Whole Cloth Quilt.

What's in The Doll's Storybook: In Pauly's Trial, Pauly learns that his friends will support him when he needs to do something very difficult.

What's on my iPad/iPhone: Finished listening to The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone on the Audible app. It was great! Now listening to Come a Little Closer by Rachel Abbott.  

What's in my wine glass: Montepulciano D'Abruzzo 2020 from Villa Cerrina. Montepulciano is the name of the grape variety, and Abruzzo is the location in central Italy where it is grown.

What's my tip of the week: My bread machine was moving around as it worked. It even knocked off the box of tissues that were on the counter next to it. I was afraid it would fall off the counter one day, so I put a piece of shelf liner under it. Problem solved!

Where are my books: The stories in each book first appeared in the blog and they are reproduced with few changes. Emil: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is available from booksellers world wide. The link for Book Baby is here. The three stories are Best Buds, Getting What You Want, and The Boys Cook Dinner.

Mariah: Stories from The Doll's Storybook is also available. The three stories in the first book are Being Little, Besties, and Distraction.

If you don't get free shipping from Amazon or B&N, buy from the BookBabyBookshop, because 50% of the price goes to St. Jude. Other booksellers pay much less. If you want an autographed copy, I still have copies at my home. 

Note: This blog post was produced on the iPad and the MacBook, using the iPhone for some photos and some photo processing. No other computer was used in any stage of composition or posting, and no Windows were opened, waited for, cleaned or broken. No animals or dolls were harmed during the production of this blog post.

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