Much Slower Now...

Surprising how a piece's progress slows down so much when it's not the only thing you can do on a several hour plane trip. I did get more done, though, and I expect it completed by the end of the month.

Cobbling It Together

I got home so I picked up a couple of my pieces that didn't go with me. Got some more of the border done on Cobblefield Road this week, and there's only one more (huge) middle band to go on it after another row of starfles. I like the way it's looking but did need the break from it.

Done Being Crewel

I finished the stitching on Fair Maiden! Now all I need to do is get batting and make the project case out of it. It was a rather quick stitch when done, and I think it'll go over well when I teach it. I like the colors I chose for mine, too.

One Color to Go

I'm down to the last color to cross stitch on these plaques. I feel like I'm making real progress again on all my current projects, and just maybe I'll have this one done by the end of September.

Tuscan Filling

I managed to work more on this in the past couple of weeks. I'm getting closer to the finishing part three, finally. Maybe by the end of July I'll start working on the corner bits of part two again. I can hope.

Off Topic But on the Fourth...

I never, ever recommend books off the topic of needlework on my blog, but I'm breaking my rule today. My companion gave me this book a couple of weeks ago. It's a quick read, and the level is about high school.

So why am I recommending this book and breaking my silence on all things remotely political? Because I want people to be aware of how electronic surveillance works. Read it. Get your kids to read it - especially your kids. They are deeper into the world of technology than most adults. The book goes overboard on a lot of its applications of surveillance in the interest of exposing the kinds of surveillance currently available and in the interest of writing a good story. It strings together individual incidents into a large web of intent, something I have a hard time believing. On the other hand, the means are there for what is portrayed in the book.

Our founding fathers believed in both the security of each of us as individuals and of our country. This book will help you understand what giving up individual freedoms can cost. It will help you draw the line in your mind as to what liberties you want to give up, if you want to give them up, and what could possibly happen.

Happy Independence Day. It means a lot more to me today, after my trip, than it did before.

Mattie at Home

Mattie came home on Sunday! She'd grown since I last saw her a week and a half previously, and she was a bit shaky after the trip, of course. Not to mention smelly and dirty! So as soon as she got home, she was bathed and then I took a shower. Had to get the dog smell off me, too, since she spent half the looong trip home in my lap. Here she is a couple of days ago hanging out and scratching her ear.

And this is Mattie with her favorite toy. She's taken this one over. We'd bought it for the cats, who didn't like it, and then Emma discarded it. Mattie loves it, though. She gets going with it and keeps entertained for half an hour, an eternity for a puppy.