Atalanta the Rescue Turtle

Yesterday we brought home a sweet little boxie. Her previous owners had her fixed after a dog attack, but really didn't know what to do with a box turtle and let her beak get over grown. So they posted her free to good home, and lo and behold, it turns out I'm a good home!

Here she is fresh from her ride home:

Cute rite?

And here she is showing just how big her beak was:

 Its very overgrown. But we did manage to trim it (after a lot of misery and getting bit) and here she is with me new, nicer mouth.

I feel like we did a pretty good job.

Oh, and this is Bess the living dead dog.

She isn't a box turtle, but she is my sweet girl, so I figured I'd show her off.

Crochet Birdie

http://attic24.typepad.com/weblog/birdie-decoration.html

This site (and blog in general) often inspires me. The author is my hero, she is so creative and her projects are beautiful and colorful! I love these birds, so I decided I just had to make a few.

After all, how hard could it be?

Famous last words huh? Its not a hard pattern, its deceptively simple in fact. Just make a circle of different colors, a couple wings, a beak and a string. (I didn't make legs, since I had no beads, and I havn't decided whether to make the flowers.)

Of course, she is in the UK and I'm in the US... Which didn't occur to me until i was trying to figure out what a half treble is. DUH! I grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down the instructions, swapping UK terms for US and away we went.

So I whipped everything up and ran into my first problem... I did too many rounds. Might have written down *7* so I didn't do nine, huh? Eh, maybe my birdies are super sized.

The beak wouldn't go on perky and cute the way hers does. I ran back to the computer, re-checked the tutorial... hmm. Maybe I didn't sew it on quite right. Oh well. I'll do better on the next one.

Then my wings wouldn't come out with the little point at the end. Never did figure out what that problem was, but I'm sure it'll be just as cute with my deformed little wings... right? I of course managed to not even sew these wings on where they should have been. They're too far forward. My dear stepmother didn't notice though, so maybe its just me.

Anyway, on to pictures.

Here is my birdie, all ready to be stuffed. Isn't he cute? I need stuffing :( I like my colors. He's acrylic instead of cotton, which irks me just a teeny bit, but I just didn't have enough colors of cotton. I think I'll get cotton though to make the robin variation so i can decide which I like better. Its summer here, but I long for spring when the weather is sweet and we have green things instead of dead brown. Maybe a cute Robin is what we need.

This terrible picture is to illustrate why I should have spent more time picking button eyes. They're grey and ugly and make my birdie look dead. I intend to search the button jar more carefully for Birdie Two's eyes.

So that's my crochet birdie. As soon as i get stuffing (and maybe make him a Robin to chat with, because he's my only birdie and I think he might get lonely in my room without a friend.) I will post his triumphant finished pictures. :)

Ta Ta For Now

-Kimmie

PS:

You know, the more i look at him, the more I think his beak looks like a parrot. Maybe he's a parrot birdie? Or maybe I just messed up his beak. You decide.

Andromeda the Box Turtle

Andromeda is one of my two box turtles (her mate being Orion). I don't know how old she is, other than that she is an adult, but she has been with me for about two years, and she is very special to me.

(That's not blood. Its a red colored tortoise food. She LOVES it.)


She is the second box turtle I can remember having, and the first whose care has been my responsibility. She is a joy to be around. She's friendly and outgoing, beautiful and generally just a wonderful life. She asks only that I feed her, provide her a watery place to drink and bathe, and occasionally give her a few head rubs and chin scratches. In return she provides me many laughs, lots of beautiful photography opportunities and a reason to brave the unforgiving heat. (In case you wondered, its to go outside and admire her.)

(Her in her water dish. I whistled and she stuck out her head and looked at me. I admit it, I squealed like a girl. Cuz i am a girl.)

Andromeda could not be more of a perfect pet. Quiet, friendly (but not needy) and beautiful. She brings me great joy, and I felt it was only natural, since I have so many pictures, that I devote a post to my sweet girl.

Plus just look at her! She even smiles at me.

I hope this post illustrates just what a treasure Andromeda is to me. She's a star.

Introductions are hard!

Hi.

I'm not sure who I am, or to be more exact, not sure what to call myself. This isn't my first attempt at a blog, but its my first serious attempt. I love to read blogs, especially ones with lots of pictures and funny things to read. I was raised that you give back as much as you take, and while I take great pleasure in other people's blogs, I haven't given back anything at all, and for that I'm a bit ashamed. Therefore I intend to do my best to provide a funny, picture filled blog for others to enjoy. It'd probably help if I was funny or took good pictures. I should work on that.

What I can do is crochet. (and write fanfiction, but we both know, deep down, that you don't want to go there.) I crochet daily, and strive to fill my world, and everyone else's, with pretty handmade things. If they're functional all the better, but I don't kid myself that my hanging birdies or rapidly invading amigurumi are useful.

I love many things, colors and nice smelling things and cuddly, good tempered animals. I love cold days and fireworks and talking about funny and strange things with people who love me back. I love craft fairs, especially when i'm selling something, and even when I'm not as long as there are people like me who are happy and enjoying their time. I love my digital camera and my iPod and my bed best of all. I really love it when my bed is freshly made and covered in whatever little item I am trying to make.

Oh, and I might just love you. I try to find something loveable in everyone I meet. So look deep down and tell me what's loveable about you.