Day Trip ~

DSO, Ernestine and I went on a day trip to Kinzua Bridge State Park, 4+ hours from home.  The Kinzua Bridge (or viaduct) was a railroad trestle that spanned Kinzua Creek in McKean County, PA.  When built in 1882, it was billed as the Eighth Wonder of the World.  It was 301 feet tall and 2,052 feet long.  In 1900, the bridge was dismantled and rebuilt out of steel to allow it to accommodate heavier trains.  It stayed in commercial service until about 1959.    Excursion train traffic was halted in 2002 due to the condition.  The State hired a contractor to rehabilitate the bridge, but on July 21, 2003, an F-1 tornado with winds calculated at 94 mph, partially destroyed the viaduct.  Eleven of the twenty towers still lay in the valley below.

This is what we went to see.

And this is what we saw 😁.  Nary a leaf on the trees!  (A friend who was on hour and a half away said color was at its peak.)

Oh well, oh hell.  We were a week and a half too late, but it was still a good day.

A few miscellaneous pictures.

Looking out from the visitors' center.

The height of the viaduct in relation to the Statue of Liberty.

The bridge supports today.  They never removed them from the valley floor.

My hooking accomplishment on the drive.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Selvedge trees ~

Betty was asking how I made my selvedge trees.  So easy I'm almost embarrassed to show the process.  As they say, so easy a child could do it    . . . lol.

Here's the template for the size tree I made.  Six trees can be cut out of a sheet of foam core from Dollar Tree using this size.  It doesn't matter if they have the white or black.  The foam core is not seen.

My selvedges are not as wide as Saundra and Robin thought they were.  Most are about an inch wide but it's fine to use varying widths.  Choose your selvedges as you go or plan out ahead.  

Wrap a piece of brown wool around the "trunk" and glue in place.  I use tacky glue.  I leave the wool just a bit longer than the foam core so as not to see the white center.

Glued to the back.

Starting at the bottom run a bead of glue.  Leave a little overhang and lay the selvedge in place.  Be sure to keep it level.  Keep adding selvedges as you work your way to the top.  You will be gluing each selvedge.

If you want a very straight tree, use a rotary cutter to trim.  Some people were wrapping each selvedge to the back and gluing but I chose not to do that.

Use scissors if you don't want it as perfect.  Glue felted balls if desired and a star at the top.  Both were bought on Amazon.  The felted balls were a little pricey IMHO.  

The backs.

My mantra!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

National Pug Day ~

October 15 is National Pug Day.

Ernestine, at 14 1/2 years old has her share of health issues.  DSO adopted her at five from Ohio Pug Rescue (she was my foster for a week before being adopted 😁) and has been his constant companion since.  She is on more medication than we are, but he will do whatever it takes to keep her around as long as possible.

Some fun facts about pugs ~

• they are one of the oldest dog breeds, originating in China over 2,000 years ago
• they are known for their wrinkled faces, short muzzles, curled tails and loyal, companion-orientated temperament
• pugs were kept by Chinese emperors and Tibetan Buddhist monks as early as 400 B.C.
• Dutch traders introduced them to Europe in the 1500's where they became the mascot of the House or Orange after a pug saved Prince William of Orange
• Queen Victoria and Josephine Bonaparte famously owned pugs

More than you ever wanted to know about pugs, right?

Ern loves soaking up the sun!

Thank you for all the kind words on my last post.  I am pretty much over the crud and thankful it didn't last longer than it did.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Odds and ends ~

The hook in went well, a little better than I was hoping for.  I have "fun" money and household money and my fun money had been depleted for months, and that's no fun!  I did have to leave for the hook in at 4:45 in the morning (4:45 normally only comes once a day for me!) and drive for 2 1/2 hours in the dark.  Not fun but I survived.

No pictures from the hook in other than their featured hooker.  So many amazing creations.  This is one talented lady.

Look at that face!

Not much else to report.  My to-do list is extremely long as always.  It would be a good day to do some yard work.  However . . . yesterday I came down with the crud for lack of a better word.  I haven't been that sick in quite a few years.  I feel a bit better today but just weak and blah.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Living in chaos!

My dining room is my craft room.  It has been a disaster for a couple months.  First it was making consignment items for a rug camp, and since then it has been used for making items for the hook in where I am vending on Saturday.

The table after much had been cleared off.

The pile of crap stuff ready for vending.

Still more to haul up from the basement and a few things to finish making.  I have been working diligently, even stopped cleaning in the attic and have ignored yard cleanup, but I still seem to be spinning my wheels.  Then when the hook in is over, I need to get busy on things for the antique/primitive show at the beginning of November.  It has been forever since I've hooked something fun, other than the witch which I am very surprised did sell.  Thank you Nancy in Texas!

I have been collecting wool selvedges for many years but didn't do anything with them.  Friend Leigh came up with a selvedge tree project but unfortunately I missed the get together when they were made.  I finally made a couple.  So easy.  At two hooking groups I belong to many members made one or two.  These were my samples.  (Tree on the right now has a star.)

I still have enough selvedges left to make at least a couple dozen more . . . lol.

Time to get back to creating.
Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Mother Nature ~

Lake Erie midges (also called midgies, lake flies or muckleheads) are tiny, non-biting, mosquito-like insects that emerge in massive swarms along the shoreline during the spring and fall.

Saturday evening just before dusk, DSO and I were out for a walk.  I have NEVER seen it like this before.  In every direction, the sky was filled with black clouds of millions bajillions of those pesky creatures.  Those that weren't flying high, were swarming around us.  And the noise!!!  I guess I would describe it as a humming buzzing sound.  We cut the walk short because it felt like we were in the Twilight Zone 😱

By last evening there weren't as many, but still lots of them.

On this morning's walk, they were still everywhere.  Keeping your mouth closed was a must!

Then there is my lilac bush.  It was huge and old when I moved here at the end of '99.  Super fragrant.  For the first time ever, I had no flowers in the spring and by September, it had lost all its leaves.  And now . . . 

I am just confused.  Obviously the lilac bush is, too.

And finally ~

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren

Double, double toil and trouble ~

 ~ fire burn and cauldron bubble comes from Act 4, Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's play Macbeth.  I am not a Shakespeare fan, but I thought this an appropriate name for my rug (since Saundra always names hers . . . lol).

It is hooked and bound.  The finished size is 14" x 17".  And of course, the colors are better in person.  

{{ I normally don't try to sell anything on my blog, but I just have too darn many Halloween rugs and no place to put them.  If anyone is interested, she is $155 which includes shipping.}}

Thanks so much for stopping by.
Pug hugs 😊
Lauren