Oh, how I love Florida. As I write, helicopters are circling to our east hoping to spot the suspect wanted in a local animal-killing, family-threatening situation that occurred some time earlier this morning. I learned all these details while giving my statement to the nice Sheriff's Deputy - apparently this very same animal-killing, family-threatener pulled up right next to us at the gas station this morning and I happened to take notice of him and his car.
Our County Sheriff puts out phone alerts when they're looking for missing persons. While listening to this particular description over the phone (70-year old man driving a white Mercury, blue vinyl roof), I realized that I had just seen him at the gas station and, thinking it was a "Silver Alert" (senile old person missing from the home), I called the Sheriff back to report in. I was not so happy to learn that it wasn't somebody's missing grandpa at all but a hardened animal killer! I do need to find out what sort of animals we're talking here. I mean, what if it was just a gator or wild pig or rats or something? My own mother is guilty of trying to snuff a snake with an ammonia bath. We need perspective here, people! Guess we'll have to wait until tomorrow's crime log to find out more. I am beginning work on my new book tomorrow: Chapter 1 - Polk County: So You Thought The Wild West Was Dead? --cds
So, this was fun and now I can't wait to get some more fabric to mess about with. Some of these pieces are actually two or three colors blending into each other and they look really neat.
I also have to do some tests for color-fastness, because I'm not at all sure how well they'll do if I stitched up a little quilt or something and then washed it.
Pretty blues, though.
Time for coffee, though, just now; then I'll plan my day - my brain is all wooley this morning for some reason. --cds
Just had to note the passing of Phantom, big fuzzy black cat we lived with for a bit while still in Vermont. He was clipped by a car last week and Stephanie and Josh finally had to make the hard decision today. Phantom kept our area free from rodents and could have been the inspiration for the following little ditty
So I forgot how difficult it is to take photos while in the midst of this messy job - I had to wait until I had everything hosed off and packed up and curing in the sunshine. I did lay some pieces out in the grass to dry and here they are hanging on the rack.
Tomorrow is the wash-out. In other news, I've been listening to The Hunger Games on my iPod, but I'm having trouble thinking that it's anything more than a video game put to book form. Seriously, to me it's like Super Mario, but with knives and spears. I'm too old, I guess. --cds
That's FABRIC dyeing day. I spent most of yesterday brewing up lots of lovely colors and today I am ready to start making lots of pretty pieces of fabric. I've got about 6 yards of PFD muslin, in half-yard increments, soaking in soda ash and I'm gonna set up shop outside under the carport - it's a messy job, but fun. 
Kind of like Easter egg dyeing for big girls, except you don't have to eat all that egg salad afterwards. I'll try to photo-document the process. --cds
