Adopt A Less Adoptable Pet Week

I know I tend to go on and on and on about adopting dogs, especially on Facebook, but I can't help it.  About ten years ago, I was a volunteer for a dog rescue and I had to go to local animal shelters to check on Lhasa Apsos, Shih Tzus, Pomeranians and other small breeds, that were being considered for the rescue.  (Now that I think about it, unless they were adopted or pulled by another rescue group, we pretty much took all of the ones I went to see.)  I was new to visiting shelters -- my dogs had all been pet store puppies from friends so I had never been to animal control -- and seeing so many dogs waiting for homes was so sad.  There were just too many and not enough people to adopt them or enough rescue groups to save them.   And, knowing many of them would end up being put down broke my heart.

As you can imagine, some dogs are more "adoptable" than others.  Older animals and those that are blind or deaf have a tougher time finding a home.  I was told many times by rescuers that the least adopted dogs were the big black ones.  This week, September 17 through September 25, has been designated Adopt-A-Less-Adoptable-Pet-Week by Petfinder to promote animals that are harder to place.  Petfinder is a wonderful website you can use to search for a dog, or cat, or hamster, guinea pig, turtle, bunny, etc. that's up for adoption in your area.)

 

You can be a part of ALAPW by posting animals that are in need of homes on your blog, Facebook or Twitter.  Read more about that here. 

And, if you live in Ohio and are looking to adopt a small dog, please check out a couple of seniors that need homes:

Ripley

and Ollie 

If only I could take them both!

Edited to add Blog Hop code.

Feeling Stitchy Contest

 

Feeling Stitchy is holding a fun contest called Covered in Stitches. To enter, stitch a book cover that's either based on the real cover of any book or come up with your own design.  You can embroider it, cross stitch it, crewel it, etc., on any fabric, of any size.  (Crewel is not a verb, is it?)  Click the graphic above to get all the details.

September 11, 2011

I was still asleep when the planes flew into the towers but I woke up in time to see the first tower fall.  I don't remember crying much back then.  I think at first I was too stunned that this had happened and I was scared, and then I was just horrified for those people on the planes and in the buildings.

We watched TV for hours and hours.  It broke my heart to see people walking around the streets of New York with pictures of family members and friends who were missing.  Didn't leave the house until two days later only because I had to take my dog to the vet to get her spay stitches out.  It wasn't until I was eating dinner that night that it hit me that it was my birthday.

I've found it really difficult to watch specials on TV about 9/11 this week.  I start crying, which happens often when I watch sad things on television, but then I find myself having to get up and walk away.  It's like I can't bear to see any of it, even if it's just people remembering about that day.  There's a song by Bruce Springsteen that he wrote about the firefighters who went into the towers to save people.  I wanted to post a video of it here today.  The first version I found on You Tube starts off with photos of the World Trade Center towers as they once were.  Then there are pictures of flames and smoke coming out of the buildings and I realized I couldn't watch the video any longer.  I think I'm crying more now than I did ten years ago.

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children."
– President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

The sky was falling and streaked with blood
I heard you calling me then you disappeared into the dust
Up the stairs, into the fire
Up the stairs, into the fire
I need your kiss, but love and duty called you someplace higher
Somewhere up the stairs into the fire

May your strength give us strength
May your faith give us faith
May your hope give us hope
May your love give us love

 – Bruce Springsteen, Into the Fire

Works In Progress...Sort Of

I'm not quite sure what happened but I could only find one picture of a pillow I'm working on. It's my first attempt at applique the right way -- I used Heat n Bond on my Scottie dog cut outs and then blanket stitched them to the pillow cover.  This other time, I sewed an embroidered piece on to the top of a wool case for my iPod but I had no idea what I was doing and didn't use Heat N Bond or turn the edge under or anything like that so it doesn't count as applique.  Anyway, I'm close to finishing this pillow.  The pattern and idea came from Bustle and Sew.

Every two weeks, Artecy shares two free cross stitch patterns, and after seeing the one with a donkey and a dog and finding I had a large enough piece of Aida this afternoon, I decided to stitch it.  I have the very upper left corner done so far and I can tell this one is going to be a challenge.  It will be 12" X 9" when it's finished -- I hardly ever stitch anything that big -- and I used five different colors of floss today and I swear they are all various shades of grayish beige.  If you click that link after September 8th, you won't see the donkey and dog cross stitch because there will be two new free charts available but you can probably find it for sale on the site.  It's called Ready for the Morning Ride by John Emms.  Looks like he painted a lot of dogs and horses in his time.  I know nothing about fine art but hey, I like dogs and horses.  And donkeys.

The "sort of" in the post title has to do with the Hallowe'en Trio stitch-a-long over at Feeling Stitchy.  I know I'm going to do it; I just haven't started yet.  I have to get moving though since it's a SAL for September and we're already a week into the month.

Ok, I am now going to work on my donkey and dog cross stitch and make a bunch of grayish beige X's until I get bored.

Vote Early! Vote Often!

Ok, you can only vote once but if you read this before 11:59 PM PST Sunday September 4, please go here and vote for Belinda's quilt block.  The poll is in the right sidebar.  You won't have to register or anything -- just vote!  Thank you!  (And, if you've already voted earlier in the week, you can vote again now since it's down to these three finalists.) 

Belinda is the designer behind Blue Ribbon Designs and I love her cross stitch charts.  Plus she's a very nice person.  :)