Wednesday, July 27, 2011

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!"


***

I wanted to finish my little crochet owl.

Crochet Owl


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


Crochet Owl

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! 

***

Many of you have asked about Cassie.
She went to see the vet again.
This time for her annual exam and shots.

Cassie

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!!!!!

***

Wishing YOU well and a JOY filled week.




11 comments:

Pondside said...

I love a good this and that post and this one is a good one! Some crocheting and a book recommendation - I'm purring like Cassie.

Sherry said...

I love that owl!!!!!

GratefulPrayerThankfulHeart said...

A very cute owl even while waiting for his eyes!

Happy Cassie is doing very well. Hope you both get through the Ughust part of the summer feeling cool!

Jinksy said...

I embroider eyes these day - they can't fall off, or pull off! ♥

Barb said...

Cassie looks like she's being long-suffering. The owl is quite a character - hope you find some perfect eyes. Keep cool, Snap!

Anonymous said...

O, so sweet owl Snap, what beautiful crochet. Sorry for the heat, it has been incredible watching temps on the news. xox Corrine

Anonymous said...

This book looks good....I love stories like this, another series I like is by James Pattison, murder mysteries that take place in Tibet.

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Snap, Glad Cassie is doing well.. Your little owls are adorable. Hope you find the eyes you want. Have you searched online?

Hugs,
Betsy

Mandy Saile said...

Your crocheted owl is so cute Snap, great job...hope you find those eyes soon so you can finish it up:D

Glad your beautiful cat is doing okay too...she's beauty. Give her a pet and a hello from me:D

Have a wonderful joy filled week Snap. XO Mandy & The Bunnies.

The Tablescaper said...

When I was a little girl and the sew on eyes fell off of my favorite teddy, my Mom embroidered new ones on.

- The Tablescaper

Cezar and Léia said...

Dear Snap,
Thanks for the news, we were in Berlin last week without internet access but I was thinking of Cassie all time.
Glad that she is feeling well, she is a brave girl.
Lots of love to you all
Léia