This and That

It is way too HOT.
In the words of one our local news broadcasters:
"and we haven't gotten to Ughust yet!"


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I wanted to finish my little crochet owl.

The pattern is in the Summer 2011 issue of Interweave Crochet.

It never crossed my mind that I would have problems finding

sew on animal eyes for his face.

I can find the stick on kind, but I want the sew ons.

My sista is looking in her part of the world. 

If all else fails, I'll hit the button box and come up with something.

Meanwhile, I've pinned on the face.

You can change the owls attitude by placing the face

high or low.

Fun!

And, the blue owl is for the Rice University Owls (blue and gray)!

This is a great way to use up your stash.

I can make a whole parliament of owls! 

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Many of you have asked about Cassie.

She went to see the vet again.

This time for her annual exam and shots.

She's doing very well.

Her hip and knee problems seem to be genetic.

As long as she has no pain and the problems don't become chronic,

we will leave well enough alone

(especially while she is still growing).

She is pretty much back to running, jumping and playing with Teddy 

with no problems.

She was on my shoulder this morning, purring and loving. 

(In the picture above, the baby sock is stuffed with cat nip, her favorite toy.)

***

   

Dr. Siri Paiboun is the 73 year old national coroner of Laos. He is off to the north to attend a communist meeting, something he is definitely not looking forward to. While there, he is kidnapped by Hmong women who believe he is Yeh Ming, the 1000 year old shaman who is supposed to inhabit Siri's body. Meanwhile, back in Vientiane at the morgue, Nurse Dtui discovers that a body delivered for autopsy has been booby trapped. Curse of the Pogo Stick is different from the previous novels in the series as Dr. Paiboun and his staff are separated, with two different mysteries going on. 

Curse of the Pogo Stick (and yes, there is a pogo stick in the story) by Colin Cotterill is the fifth novel in this mystery series set in the late 1970's in Laos. It is one of my favorite mystery series. I was hooked from the beginning by Dr. Paiboun. Laos is an exotic location. There are endearing and quirky characters including Dr. Paiboun, Nurse Dtui, Madame Daeng, and many others including a transvestite fortune teller. There is plenty of political satire, otherworldly phenomena and most importantly, Cotterill shows a deep understanding of the Laotian and Hmong cultures. I finished this book in two days. I enjoyed every minute. Please start with the first book in the series, The Coroner's Lunch, and read them in order. I'm an out of order reader, but even I read this series in order!!!!!

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Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled week.