I finally understood something in my VB class. I thought that that was amazingly lucky. I actually TAUGHT something to Mikey, programmer extraordinaire. Wow. I know.

Today will be a house cleaning and quilting day. I spent hours last night slaving to get all the cuts just so and then realized that they were supposed to be 8 7/8" squares, not 8 inches. Fortunately, I hadn't cut all of them out, I had just cut a couple to see what it would look like when done, but I was cursing myself for not actually reading the instructions. *sigh* So I finally got 4 of 6 squares cut for one row and then I have to go back and cut the rest for the top row. The problem now is that for the top row, I may be short some fabric, so I'll have to wing it a bit. I found this fabric that would make a really cool sunset and it does, but then I only left myself a bit, so I may just tier the color some and I washed fabric last night, so I could.

I know now why I prefer sewing and why I have never braved quilting. At least in sewing, if you miss cutting a seam perfectly straight, it doesn't matter. In quilting, you'll be ripping out stitches til you're dead if you don't do it right. I was off on one seam the slightest amount and I had to rip it out and sew it twice. I hardly ever rip in sewing, but I seem to do it a LOT in quilting.

And a little nervous, I told my mom that I'd lost my job. I'd figured she'd say something condescending, but she didn't and she offered to make Genny some cute dresses for the holidays. I've been all drooly for this one dress for her for Christmas that I saw at Walmart. I really would like to make her something cute for fall, too. You only get to dress them when they're young, so I'd like to do something cute like that. I've also been thinking about taking her in for the preschool pix at Russell's school next week or just to Walmart to get a professional sitting done. I guess I could just dress her up in one of the costumes she's going to wear for Halloween (we have every Disney princess gown known to man through size 6) because she'd look like a pretty princess and it'd make a good picture. I'd just like something "harvesty" til Christmas. If the damned fabric weren't so expensive, I'd do that in a heartbeat, though I do have a coupon to the local fabric store.

The big news of the day is that advent of creatures. Weather changes bring creatures. In the summer, when it got super hot, I suddenly had scorpions around. Now, that it's gotten cooler, there are other things creeping and crawling about. I finally decided I'd had it with the cereal - snack shelf of the pantry, so started reorganizing boxes and cleaning things up when a mouse jumped out of where I was rearranging and sprang down behind the fridge. I know I'm a big pussy, but I'm sorry, but when something small and fast comes flying at you, you are just going to jump back and screech a second. My husband came in, all worried shitless, and I giggled and said,"We have a mouse." I cleaned out that shelf, including accompanying mouse poop and pee and pretzel crumbs and shuddered periodically.

This morning, I told Russell that we have a mouse and he said,"Why didn't you catch it?" I explained to him that mice carry diseases and can bite you and as a result, I merely squealed like a stuck pig.

It made me miss Cowboy, the killer kitty, but I figure it's nothing that peanutbutter and mousetraps can't fix. Ruby's going down to the feed store and purchasin' herself some mousetraps. I figure if I stick one behind the fridge where it ran and one way behind some cans on the bottom shelf, I'll have a dead mouse in no time. And then I'm going to make my husband take the dead mouse and toss it in the trash, because admittedly, while I love my tiny rodent bunny wabbit, I'm grossed out and freaked out about a dead mouse in a trap.

Speaking of Cowboy, we've had a lot of coyotes lately down in the valley here, and I notice there are not many bunnies around any more. The coyotes howl and yip all around us at night sometimes. It's rather unnerving because sometimes a distant coyote sounds like the baby waking up in her sleep and crying. I run halfway down the hall sometimes to listen outside her door and then hear the familiar yipping out in the sagebrush. There've been a few times where I'm pretty sure they've been on our lot and Kittygirl has scratched furiously at the door to be let in her crate because Mike hadn't gotten her in yet. I notice she's on the patio every night, like a good kitty, now. I miss her brother. He had such a big soft head and he liked to be pet by my whole hand over the top of his head because his cheeks were right by my fingers where he could get a good scritching on both sides at once. He had a lusciously soft white thick-furred belly that he'd let me rub gently. When that cat wanted to be pet, it was a wonderful treat. I miss him terribly sometimes.

Coffee Cup is a decidedly sweet animal and I think he'll fit in fine around here. He's been learning to use a litter box, so I'm hoping we'll be able to let him in some, come winter. Kittygirl has stuck her paw in his cage a bit, I think in a jealous rage, but has decided to let the bunny live, after being shooed off a few times.

Live and let live seems appropriate now.