New Year, New Dog, New Look

Hello, my patient friends. The last quarter of last year was difficult. I injured my left shoulder and arm somehow. I think I may have done additional damage before I realized how bad it was so it's taking quite a long time to heal. I did a bit of hand sewing in December but have refrained from all sewing so far during this New Year. I've been tidying up the sewing table the last few days in the hope that I'll be able to get back at it soon.

I also had a sad event in November. Reilly, my canine companion, had developed cataracts and some deafness. Then suddenly his back legs wouldn't support him for any length of time. After a consultation with his veterinarian we decided it was time to send him back to his Maker. I was able to give him one last day of all his favorite things and he passed peacefully. There was a huge hole in my heart though. The Christmas holidays were a welcome diversion. We did try a little dog from one of the local shelters but she wasn't a good match for my lifestyle. I kept looking and found a better match through a rescue organization. Let me introduce you to Leah:

That's the name she came with. So far I haven't been able to call her anything else even though I've tried out several other names. She's a mix of Papillion and Chihuahua and is about four years old. That black spot on her side is perfectly round!

She has already made herself at home in my scrap basket.

We're still learning what her play time preferences are. The oddest thing is that she seems to use the play stance as a relaxed position. She may be hopeful that I'll give her more attention but as often as not she just seems to be resting.

I've never had a dog do that before. She's a delightful companion though, and I love the way her face is marked with touches of brown.

I have a few things I've made that I could show you. I'll save them for another post. But let me share what my good friend C~ made for me for Christmas.

 She knitted the zombie doll from sock yarn and used one of my favorite prints to make a zippered pouch full of goodies for me. All of it makes me smile!

And since I've been away from the blog for so long I decided to take this opportunity to change things up to mark a fresh start. :- )