Happily Returning

 Happy Valentine's Day

Greetings. Yes. I have been neglecting my blog and you. I miss my little community of friends and wish I were more disciplined to do my weekly posts. I will try to be a little more diligent, friends.

It's mid February and we are in the grips of a Colorado winter, thankful for the moisture since the Weather People--those pretty, sweet, smart young women who deliver the grim weather new reports with a smile, outside in the elements, dressed in chic winter coats and faux fur hats--reminded us of the reality of a warm (?) dry winter who remind us that we are officially in a drought, dreaded news for us here in the northern part of the state who hope for green pastures and abundant hay in the summer. Thus we have snow on the ground, not a huge amount, but it is a mere eleven degrees out there with bright sunshine that promises to warm up the day, with more snow in the forecast. We remind each other that it is February; it is winter; and it is Colorado. But enough about the weather. It will change in awhile, anyway. 

My first mosaic pretty much shows what I have been doing: Sewing for the girls, the 18 inch ones. I do enjoy sewing for them because they are are patient with the fittings and always love what I make for them regardless of the color or style or fabric.

The two dolls pictured are Target dolls, Our Generation. Both rescued from the dreadful toy bins at the thrift store. The price of these dolls is climbing. Last year I picked up a couple of Madame Alexander dolls for two to three dollars; the cute little red head was fifteen dollars. You will not find American Girl dolls in a thrift store either. Used, you will find them on eBay and Craig's List. 

If you want to know more about the patterns, email me and I'll be glad to share them with you. The first dress and the American Native dress come from a book of patterns by Joan Hinds. This book has dresses of the decades beginning in 1700 through 1950. The patterns are very easy to sew. They come on a CD and are scaled to print out the perfect size.  The little Edwardian dress pattern comes from a website specializing in doll clothes: Pixie Fair. Click on the link to see the pattern. The site also offers free patterns. You order the pattern then download it and it prints to the correct style. 

I buy most of my fabric at the the thrift store when I see a piece that calls out to me. I am acquiring quite a stash. I am also trying to use up my stash of notions and materials that I have collected over the years. My sister-in-law gave me a piece of doe skin leather that I will make a more authentic American Native dress. For this first one, I used faux suede. It was a very easy pattern to sew. I still have to finish the little moccasins. I've purchased a dark complected Madame Alexander doll on eBay with long black braids as my native doll. She'll be here tomorrow. I can't wait to meet her. 

I also need to catch you up on the equine members of the family. The boys are doing well, sort of. We noticed that Pop, the pony was shying at shadows, stumbling, and not quite sure as to where to go sometimes when he had his UV protective mask on. One day as Jen helped Lily ride, the light caught Pop's left eye just right so that she could see a cloudiness in his eye. The vet confirmed that he is blind in that eye and partially blind in the other eye. She says that blind horses do quite well and with Sundance as his buddy, he gets along very well. In fact, Doc Autumn told us that he has been blind for a very long time and that he probably had the condition long before we got him. He turns 30 this years and still has spunk.

Sundance, the golden boy, has more problems that poor Jen is trying to sort out. Basically he is lame. She has had a chiropractor work on him, put him an arthritis medication for dogs only--but also prescribed for horses--, and now he is on butazoline. Once used in humans for gout and arthritis, it is still used in horses for inflammation. But he has a lameness in the right hind quarter that suggests two problems: sciatica or even a cracked pelvis that will take months to heal. He will a begin around of shots soon to help his joints make lubrication fluid. Jen is heart broken. She had hoped to be able to ride Sundance with her girls this summer.

Ellie and Lucy both have horses now at their house. Ellie's horse has problems, too, that we are trying to figure out. Right now Jen is researching the possibility that Honey might have stomach ulcers. The horse's stomach can be scoped with may or may not locate the ulcer and it is an expensive procedure, so she is trying to figure out how to help the mare get to feeling better.

Horses are big animals and when they get sick or injured, it is often expensive to diagnose and treat their problems. Surprisingly, they are treated with much the same medications as humans are such as omperzole for ulcers, for example. Such treatments for horses are very expensive, so Jen is looking for alternatives, wanting to find homeopathic ways to heal Ellie's mare.

With Spring just around the corner, we are beginning to think ahead to spring gardening. While we have more snow yet to come, with March our heaviest snow month--if you can believe that. 

That that winds up this post. I'm joining Maggie at Life in Normandy for Mosaic Monday. See you there. 

Have a fabulous week. Thanks visiting.