Out the Window

We moved, 6 years ago, from the East coast, to the Southwest. Everything is different out here, even the birds. There are no robins. I miss them!

But, occasionally, we see familiar faces.

See him? A Cardinal. :)

Monsoon Season

Summer is hot in Tucson, Arizona. It is the Sonoran Desert. It is mystifyingly hot here sometimes. Ridiculous.

And don't believe that junk about "But, it's a dry heat!". When it's 105 degrees out, it is like an oven. And besides, in the summer, we have monsoon season. So it's humid, too.

Monsoons are completely wild and crazy storms. Thunder, lightning, high winds, hail. Tremendous amounts of rain can fall in very short periods of time. Dry washes and creekbeds can all of a sudden wash cars away. People drown every year cause they drive down a street that is flooded and get swept away. Crazy.

This monsoon season has been a big 'ol disappointment. Where's the STORMS? Where's the RAIN? It's hot and humid, and NOT ENOUGH STORMS.

We had our first one the other night. Middle of the night. I didn't get to see it. :(

THEN, finally, yesterday - RAIN. Thunder. I LOVE IT.

It was all over in about 15 minutes.

Sigh. Waiting for more.

(That's a giant saguaro cactus you see).

If I wasn't a bit worried about being struck by lightning (which also happens all the time out here), I would have been dancing in the downpour.

:)

Wild Bunnies

A week or so ago, we saw a baby bunny. All alone. She (he?) will let us get pretty close. Just hopping around, doing his bunny thing. Almost everytime I go outside our yard, there he is. We have a bit of land, some of it cleared and nice, and some we leave pretty wild.

Where is his mommy? Where are his brothers and sisters?

All alone.

He could fit in the palm of your hand.

There are other bunnies around - grown up bunnies - but none that he seems to belong to.

We've been watching him now for a week or two, hope to keep seeing him around. Let's hope he's too quick for the coyotes.

What is your favorite animal?

Do you like zoo animals?

Is the giraffe your favorite? (It's my sister-in-law's favorite)

Or maybe wild donkeys?

Perhaps the rhinocerous?

Or maybe the king of the beasts?

We took this pics in San Diego, at the Wild Animal Safari Park.

It gave me lots of ideas for what I want to knit. Keep an eye on Woolies. You never know what might appear.

ER

So.......I woke up at 3am Thursday morning with the room spinning. I couldn't focus. I couldn't walk without falling down or getting sick. So I did both. Then stumbled back to bed and went back to sleep - or was it just going unconscious? When I woke again at 5am, I knew instantly it wasn't just a bad dream. Somehow I made it downstairs, where I collapsed on the couch - room upside down and spinning. A combination of merry go round and roller coaster. Neither of which I would ride unless paid a very large sum of bribery money.

It didn't stop, unless I closed my eyes and laid very still.

I called in sick, somehow managing to use the telephone.

Then passed out again.

I have a vague recollection of feeling like this after a particularly wild party in college....too bad - this time - I don't seem to remember having any fun before all the spinning and upside down stuff started.

Periodically I woke to spinning and sickness.

Hubby called to check on me. I must have sounded really bad.

He called back a few minutes later to tell me he had spoken to my doctor, who told him to get me to the emergency room.

WHAAAA???

OK, maybe I'm having a stroke? A heart attack? I have a brain tumor?

I went upstairs and woke my son. Good morning, can you please drive me to the hospital??

The merry go round was still a wild ride. The roller coaster had slowed down a bit.

The hospital was wonderful. They were nice to me. They gave me lots of tests - EKG, chest xray, CT scan of the brain, blood work. They gave me medicine to make the roller coaster stop.

Diagnosis : Vertigo. Possibly Meniere's Disease - a disorder of the inner ear. They sent me home with medicine. And a phone number to call the Werner Institute of Motion. Apparently they do things like hang you upside down and shake you. Can't wait!

It really is so incredibly true - if you have your health, you have everything.

Happy to report, a few days later, no more spinning.

Christmas In July!

Who doesn't love a great sale? The Natural Kids Team on Etsy is offering discounts during the next 10 days - shop now for the holidays!

Just click on the picture which will take you to a directory of Natural Kids Shops, detailing each shops sale.

At Woolies, I am offering 15% off any item over $25. Now that's a Deal!!

This Tiger really needs a new home!

Thanks for visiting!

Artisan Spotlight

I want to share a wonderful artist with you.

Her name is Stacy, and you can see her work at Foxgloves. She is a needle-felter extraordinaire.

Check out some of her work! She taught me how to needlefelt. I think it takes more patience than I have, or maybe I just lost count of the number of times I stabbed myself.

You could just about bite into that juicy pear, and one day I'd love to have her needle felt my home - like the one above.

Some artists just aren't content with one medium, they must branch out into others. (ahem, like me).

Stacy has just opened her newest shop on Etsy - fantastic, unique and beautiful Jewelry! Where - how did she learn this?? Please stop by Sweet Escargot.

Stacy was wearing a pair of these the other day when we got together - TOO adorable. All hand-fabricated.

I'm in love with this necklace too!

Have a great weekend - just wanted to share!

Creative Friday

For those of you that knit, you know that knitting things takes a long time. Each of my Woolies takes hours of knitting. Which is OK, cause I love to. It's a wonderful rhythym - knitting - and I love the process and watching the new creation become 'alive'.

But, I'm also in the need for something that might take a bit less time to knit. Which also makes them more affordable.

What do you think of my new Wee Woolies? Lots more color choices will be in the shop soon....as well as little boy Wee Woolies. :)