Well-Timed Surprises

This morning I received an email from Thelma at Cupcakes and Daisies telling me that I'd won a give-away on her blog, Eventide, a pattern by one of my favorite quilt designers, Carrie Nelson.

How nice. I am thrilled and very appreciative.

For also today, I had to do something really difficult, and needed a pick-me-up. You see, my grandmother's, (yes, my grandmother, age 94) little Jack Russell terrier named Casey, had to be put down this morning, and I was called in to take her to the vet. I was not all that attached to Casey ( I generally prefer bigger dogs), but she was such a good companion for my grandmother, and kept her company. Casey had just gotten old, though, and was failing in a lot of ways; it was my mother and aunt's decision to go ahead with it, after talking to Grandma earlier, and because Mom is laid up with her dislocated elbow (see last post), I was called in to assist.

After it was all over, Grandma was a bit weepy, and so was I, to be honest. It'll be an adjustment for Grandma not having her little 4-legged friend around, but there was quite a bit of not-so-pleasant work in taking care of an aging dog, and Grandma knew that the time had come. Grandma is having her cremated, and the funeral home does this (!) - her ashes will be spread around the tree where she barked at squirrels and stood sentinel over the backyard when tied out.

RIP, Casey.

Here's a sweet video of the importance of dogs to we humans.

So you see, Thelma's email was perfect for helping offset a difficult situation. I feel I should have a picture of a wonderful quilt to post here today. But alas, I have no new finishes; I am one side-border away from having my Dressmaker's Quilt top finished. I'll post a pic of that ASAP.