Welcome November!

A day late, but greetings to a new month! The first of this month came on a Monday, and our list was long of things needed doing. Posting had to take a back seat to a myriad of other tasks - defrosting a freezer and restocking it, then, with a side of beef we just had butchered. We will be well-fed this next year!

But now I can get back to the subject at hand - welcoming a new month. With the turn of the calendar from October to November, it feels as though the holiday season begins. Instagram is full of Christmas - trees, tunes, and tinsel everywhere!

I am content to enjoy fall and Thanksgiving a bit more fully before diving into Christmas. Each holiday to its season! And before I go very much further into November, I want to do an October wrap-up, just to remind myself of the highlights of the past month.

TOP ROW: The month was unusually warm and sunny and glorious. The first picture is taken from our front porch, looking out across the lawn. The second picture represents the 8 kittens we have enjoyed. I will provide a complete story on that later. And the third picture is of my sweet mom on her 85th birthday. A few of my siblings took her to breakfast which she enjoyed thoroughly.

MIDDLE ROW: One finish quilt is a throwback to my grandmother. She made the blocks but never completed the quilt, so I came up with this. In the center is our house - I just couldn't get enough of those aforementioned glorious fall days, and took plenty of pictures to look at come the gray days of winter. The birdhouse in the third picture is a souvenir purchase from our New Hampshire trip in September. We erected it in the woods behind our house, and I can see it from the kitchen window.

BOTTOM ROW: I quilted a lap quilt from several years ago, with great success. I may find myself coming to a better, more productive relationship with the long arm! In the center, another nature picture. All the warm, sunny weather provided us with some magnificent sunsets! And finally, after I changed out the quilts on our bed, I made new pillow cases and shams to reflect a more fall-like vibe.

It seems as though I didn't do nearly as much sewing as I normally do, but I felt busy all month long. Part of that "busy business" stemmed from the cat situation in which we found ourselves. 

In early August, we noticed a stray cat hanging around our place. We are very rural, and frequently see critters coming and going out here, but this poor thing stayed and stayed, and was so desperately starving. After a couple of days, we gave in and fed the poor thing. She looked quite young, and had obviously been someone's pet - I could tell she had been loved on. She wanted in the house every time we opened the door - no, she remained outdoors. We reached out to many neighbors to see if anyone was missing their pet. No luck.

After a couple of days' of regular eating she filled out quite a bit, and I began to suspicion that she was pregnant. Yes. She was. Good grief. I began calling cat rescue facilities to see if I could find her a home. Then, at the end of August, while I was at a 3-day quilt retreat, and DH was at his brother's, she had her kittens in our garage.

We fed her and allowed her to use the garage as her nursery. After about 3 weeks, DH went searching for the kittens - she'd had them in a far-back corner behind lots of stuff. He announced that he thought there were 6. A week or so later after another check, he amended his count - there were 8. Yes, 8. All healthy, and all adorable.

 We moved them into a box to keep them contained. That worked for about a week, and then the antics began. At about 6 weeks old, kittens become quite rambunctious! Goodness gracious, the activity! They outgrew the box, and found all manner of places to sleep - the tool shelf, the top of a wreath, the lawn mower seat - the entire garage was their world. Romper room for kitties. It was totally entertaining to watch them play.

Now they are 10 weeks old. We have managed to adopt two out. The rest will be going to a cat adoption facility in Columbus on November 11. The mother has been spayed at our expense. The kittens have all been examined by a vet, given shots, flea treatments, and other general meds that cats get, also at our expense. 

And the cat food and kitty litter! We are buying both in large quantities. I do love watching these little darlings, but I will be glad to have them in someone else's care! 

Our indoor kitty, Gracie, has been a champ about the activity on the other side of the door. She knows that something is out there, and is not happy when she sees them through the porch door, but basically she ignores the ruckus.

I went on a bit long there with our cat saga, but we  have had that stray momma cat for far longer than I ever intended. We have tried to be good cat stewards; hopefully their forever homes will work out happily.

Happy Quilting, Friends!