DC

I'm in Washington, DC this week for meetings related to next year's adventure in Zagreb. Spike accompanied me for a little tourism.

The US Supreme Court

The Capitol, from atop the steps at the US Supreme Court.

Well, yeah.

Meeting the Pres.

Getting ready for our trip.

Caterpillar

Knatolee has posted some lovely bug pictures lately, and look what I found munching on my tomatillo plant this evening. I think it's a sphinx moth caterpillar of some kind. It's about 3 inches long.

It has very impressive teeth!

Look! I did something crafty!

When is the last time I knitted? Forever ago, sadly. But I recently acquired a Kindle and decided to put my minimal sewing skills to use making a cover for it. The pattern is here. I owned the fabric and other supplies already, so my cost was zilch. The results?

This is one side of the cover when it's closed. It's less than an inch thick even with the Kindle inside.

Here's the other side. Pink is normally not my thing, but I really love this fabric.

And here it is open. You can fold it flat or prop it like an easel. Spike and Angel approve, I think, as does John Steinbeck.

The first one is hysterical, isn't it?

Thank you

I really appreciate all the kind words. We just came back from a trip to Hawaii, and the house is so empty without Ruthie. This is my first time petless since 1985! No plans for another pet now, though, especially because Thing1 and I will be in Croatia for 6 months next year.

Thank you

Thank you so much to all of you for the very kind words. Your thoughts mean a lot to me.

Ruthie

We had to put Ruthie to sleep this morning. She could hardly walk, she was pretty much blind, and she just wasn't happy. It was the right decision. She was 11 1/2, a good age for a Saint. She was the sweetest dog in the whole wide world.