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Tough times!

2/25/2016

4 Comments

 
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February is almost over and spring is a few weeks away.  I can’t say that I’m disappointed to see winter go, for me, it never really started….it’s been rather agreeable this year!  I look outside on the 25rd of February and all I see is mud and feel the double digits of plus 12  making it seem almost balmy.  Last year we were pummeled with snow and cold weather, every day was a groaner.  Just when I thought the backyard couldn’t handle another flake, another ton of it dropped as if the clouds held a grudge against us.  The money we spent on ploughing last year could have fed a third world country for months!   

And the back breaking shoveling, how I remember it well!  Of course hubby was away most of last winter so I bore the load.  Shoveling is man's work, I'll argue that point! Time likes to drag when I'm in discomfort as if it wants me to feel every blasted second of pains.  I did a lot of soaking in the claw tub last year working out all the stiffness and muscle aches and I burned up the phone to complain to my guy in who was working in Alberta….I’m no stranger to whining, ask him!

This year, things are different.  Hubby is off work, he hasn’t been in the field since last October.  The oil industry has gone down the crapper so a lot of folks are laid off.   It’s scary to not see work on the horizon.  Always waiting for the phone to ring and it did with bad news, no work this winter at all, perhaps something later in the spring, early summer.  Yikes! 

Normally, we live frugally but we’ve trimmed it down even further and battened down the hatches for the long haul.  No more meals out or frivolous spending on anything that isn’t absolutely necessary.  The pups are looking a bit shaggy without their monthly trim, but I’m sure they appreciate those long coats when they’re outside, no need for jackets when they look like sheep.  We are keeping them brushed and combed so they don’t matt and I trimmed their faces over the weekend, quite successfully actually, it was an improvement over what they had so thumbs up.   I might start scissoring their backs and legs this weekend.   I know what they should look like and will try to mimic it.  All I can do is try even though I’m not enjoying this job.  I like taking them to Bob with his 40 plus years’ experience.  They come home looking magnificent!  With me wielding the scissors, they might end up looking like a patchwork quilt!

With all the sacrifices, I won’t be giving up Larry the Cleaning Guy!  He’s my cigarettes, my booze, bingo and my pot, but because I don’t have any of these vices to waste money on, I deserve one luxury to hang on too.  Larry keeps me sane!  He gives my home order and more importantly, he’s very popular and if I gave up my spot I wouldn’t get him back when hubby gets back to work.  I laugh and say that I would eat dog food before I give him up but that’s no hardship at our house with their natural, homemade diet, some people say my pups eat better than they do.    The rule is, there will be no compromises on food, soap or toilet paper, all else can go.  But when things get really bad, the pack , hubby and I we will be smelly and forage the forest for meals, then squat and looking for a leaf big enough to do the job.   

I might be selfish about having my house cleaned, but, and there’s always that but, I have a business to run and any spare time is dedicated to it, especially now with being the bread winner.  I don’t have time to clean toilets and scrub floors or chase the dust around!   I’m too old to be working myself to the bone and I remember the stress of trying to keep my house clean before Larry so he stays!  Remember all the complaining I did when the spiders and webs were taking over the house and I was hiding behind the locked door if anyone knocked on it, too ashamed to allow the mess to be seen?  Well those days are gone and unlike bell-bottom pants, won’t be coming back! 
  
As time passes I might start stress-gnawing my fingernails but in the meantime we’ve tightened our belts and will wait out the worry.  I’ve been joking.  “Once our bank account is in the red, we’ll start eating out every night.  So....what night would you like us to come over?”   When life gives me lemons I’ll try to trade them in for apples and make jokes all the way to the poor house, cause no matter how bad it gets, a sense of humour will make it better. Maybe I'll have to ditch this craft and go into real hooking....although at my age and flexibility, it would take awhile to see gain at $2.00 a pop...... 

And back to the weather…..I have an opinion as to why winter is speeding by this year.  I think perhaps it’s because hubby is home, hauling all the firewood and shoveling any snow.  I didn’t have to lift a finger doing all the things I’m usually responsible for.  He kept the home fires going and feeling warm has a way of soothing the soul so I’m pretty content and that means happy times.   When he isn’t around to help, I’d work all day and come home to a fidget house.   Now I walk through the door and instead of starting a fire with my coat and hat still on and lying on the sofa with the pups under a duvet shivering until the warmth radiates from the stove, I can make dinner and function, enjoy my evening.    

There’s still about a month to go for winter but the steady rising temperatures seem to offer a sense that perhaps we will slide into spring on mud, instead of mounds of snow. 

Note:  Of course I'm joking....I'll pass around a hat before I have to hit the street corner! 


4 Comments

March's Shamrock Limited Edition Special

2/24/2016

5 Comments

 
March’s special edition pattern for St. Patty’s Day,
a stylized Shamrock that rocks and that's no sham!  

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The pattern is now available for the month of March as a special order for $25.95 on linen and if you would like the same colours I used, there is a bundle
available for $39.95. 

The bundle includes 5 – 1/8 yards and 1 - 1/8 + 1/16
yards in the following colours:   
1/8 yd Honey Dew Melon Light
1/8 yd Honey Dew Melon Medium

1/8 yd Medium Green With Envy Green
1/8 yd Medium Green With Envy Green
1/4 Dark Abrashed Green Kale for background
1/8 yd White
(Value $56.45)  Special Limited offer $39.95

Buy the set, the wool bundle and the limited edition linen pattern
together for $65.90 for a savings of $16.50

And remember, February is a free shipping month so there's even more savings! 

I’m now working on April's. 
Each month has a special holiday or event so I am going to design and hook a fun
12” x 12” pattern to commemorate it.   Wait until you see what’s brewing for Easter!  A pattern so sweet you’ll get a cavity just looking at it!

Shamrock Pattern on linen - $25.95
Shamrock wool bundle special - $39.95
Limited Edition Set - $65.90

5 Comments

Beginner Class Saturday!

2/23/2016

1 Comment

 
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1 Comment

Only 10 more days of Free Shipping!!!!!

2/19/2016

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Exploring the Tarot

2/17/2016

11 Comments

 
By Guest Blogger Mary Doig
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I recently had the great privilege of participating in an inspirational and creative project,  “Exploring the Tarot -  23 artists hook the Major Arcana.” Christine asked me to blog about how this hooking adventure unfolded.
 
Several years ago, at the Rug Hooking Guild of Nova Scotia’s annual rug hooking school, I took a class from Michele Micarelli, a vibrant, talented, and creative rug hooking teacher and artist.   I expect that many of you already know her and/or her stunning work:  http://www.michelemicarelli.com
 
Michele and I became friends.  Last year she invited me to participate in a project that she and her friend Loretta Scena were organizing.   It involved hooking one’s own version of a tarot card.  The rug was to be a specified size, with a black border and rounded corners.   It would have the name and number of the card in the bottom border.  Other than those “rules,” intended to ensure that the rugs in the display were consistent in size and shape, the design of the card was wide open.  
 
I knew very little about tarot, so when given my choice of design, I chose The Sun. Sunflowers have always been a favourite; I thought that whatever the card turned out to be, my design would feature sunflowers.

Researching The Sun tarot card was the first order of business.   The Rider Waite series is the most popular tarot deck and I was pleased to see that sunflowers were a key element in The Sun card.   Its meaning struck me as well.   The Sun is a powerfully positive card, and that positivity remains even if it is presented upside down, showing that bad fortune is only temporary.
 
I decided to use the sun, rock wall and sunflowers as the components of my design, and translated the shawl into a red inner border.  I imagined a rock wall with a field of sunflowers behind it, and beyond that, a radiating sunrise. I searched the internet for images such as these, printed off some for inspiration, and went to work on the design.
 
Christine was kind enough to give me the use of her design table one Saturday, and I was grateful not only for that, but for her listening ear and guidance with design challenges.
 
I also knew that if I buckled down in her studio, I would actually get the design done!


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Voila:  Design drawn!  It was transferred to linen, and then….colour planning….

 
I wanted bright colours, but not too bright, so I used a touch of chocolate brown and seal brown in each formula to tie everything.   Majic Carpet are my dyes of choice.

 
A combination of new and recycled wool was used, for transitional swatches and overdyeing.

 
On a beautiful day, the dyeing was done.  How much fun is it to hang up this wash?

 

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Next for the hooking.  As you can see, I received some very valuable help from our little dog, Ruby.   She normally doesn’t wear jammies, but she was recovering from an operation and these helped her stop scratching.  Hooking made her extra, extra sleepy too!
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Many cuts were used – everything from a 3 to an 8.
 
I was aiming for some, but not a lot of shading…primitive but not too primitive, if you know what I mean.  I am a big fan of outline and fill.  Is primitive shading a hooking term?   If so, that’s what I was aiming for.
 
The finished rug was delivered to Michele.  The next step along the way was to go to Shelburne, Vermont for the rug show opening.

In early December 2016, my husband Peter Redden and I set off on a road trip.   Fortunately, the weather cooperated and the travelling was easy. 
 
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The show was mounted at an absolutely gorgeous venue, All Souls Interfaith Gathering, Shelburne, Vermont.  http://www.allsoulsinterfaith.org.  Here is the view:

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The venue itself was as spectacular as the view.

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A very happy hooker!
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The opening was a great success, with inspirational pieces to view, the opportunity to meet people I had only ever read about in Rug Hooking magazine, delicious food, and even tarot card readings.  The next day we had a hook-in in the sanctuary.  This photo was taken before we brought in tables and rearranged chairs.  The view was so gorgeous that it was hard to concentrate on our hooking!

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I was so honoured to be in the company of these talented artists:  Diane Philips, Mariah Krauss, Wanda Kerr, Loretta Scena, Elissa Crouch, Stephanie Allen-Krauss, Liz Marino, Lynne Fowler, Jennifer O’Rourke Lavoie, Liz Alpert Fay, Rae Harrell, Lisa Chaloner, Kathleen Herbert, Doug Rankin, Jule Marie Smith, Emily K. Robertson, Michele Micarelli, Cyndy Duade, Celeste Bessette, Linda Rae Coughlin, Devin Ryder, Pris Butler.
 
“Exploring the Tarot” will travel around the US and Canada and is expected here in Nova Scotia at the Rug Hooking Museum of North America in 2017.   Please come to see it – you will love it!
 
If you would like to see and learn more about the rugs in the show, Devin Ryder, one of the artists, has blogged about each one.  She is an exceptionally engaging and articulate writer.   And a tarot reader as well!  Here is the link to her blog:
 
http://www.drawingfromtheday.com/a-blog-on-art-creativity-and-mindfulness/tarot-rug-project-news-and-index-to-the-rugs


11 Comments

My mom and dad....

2/16/2016

8 Comments

 
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I hope you all had a wonderful Valentine’s Day with the ones you love.  I was adorned with two dozen tulips, a favourite of mine, stayed in my jammies for an all-day marathon of murderous delight with Dexter on Netflix.  That’s about as romantic as we roll, the day was perfect!

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Last week I took my annual cruise down memory lane.  It’s always a bumpy ride, full of ups and downs, joy and sadness.  The loss of parents is never easy and despite what people say, time doesn’t heal all wounds, the holes remain and as other loved ones pass, ones heart resembles Swiss cheese.

February has always held a special place in my heart.   My mother was born on the 8th of February and my father on the 10th.  They were born the same year with only one day separating them.  As a child I joked;  my father married an older woman, my mother a younger man. 

Both of my parents have been gone a long time.  My mother passed away at the age of 58 in 1991, and this October will signify a quarter of a century without her.    My father passed away in 2000 on February 12th, two days after his 67th birthday, racking up 16 years without him.   My mother died when she was only one year older than I am now, far too young to be taken and it sure makes me think about my own mortality.  They say that parents are the buffers between us and our own end, once they are gone, well, get in line…… 

One believes that a mother is more important in the formative years, a guiding light through adolescence into young adulthood when we are fit to leave the nest, but I’m not so sure I agree.  Needing a maternal presence to nurture your younger self is important, yes, but what about the older me, I still need my mom, want her company and reassuring smile. I’m older and mature now, back then I took her for granted, maybe even thought I was smarter as youthful arrogance has no place for sensible thought.  I think I would rather have her now, be on the level playing field, discover each other as adults, be friends and confidants, sharing our lives, our secrets and our desires.  I’m lonely without her….. 

Now we would share things, grown-up things.   I would love to hear her inner most thoughts on life.  Stories of the past like meeting my father, falling in love and all the stuff in between.   I heard the basics when I was a child, but now I’d like to swap more intimate and meaningful  stories about her childhood, dating and dancing her way through the teenage years, a full account of her life as a wife and mother, which of her dreams came true, which ones were swapped for laundry and  domestic chores. 

Now that the silliness of growing up is over, all the tugging and pulling to demand independence, the stubbornness and one sided, selfish thinking,  we could sit in comfy chairs, sipping tea and perhaps laugh over the foolishness behind us and discover the commonalities of being women, sharing our hearts and our dreams without the limitations that mother and child can bring.  See each other as people without labels, be friends now.  Her hard working, slightly arthritic and spotted hand, wrapped around my own, clasped together as we walk along the unknown path into the future. I think she would have liked the older me….I would certainly treasure her.   
      
Sometimes, in my daydreams I wish she would have lived to see the shop, know that I am happy and following a creative dream.  My mom would have loved to hang out with me, share the joy of rug hooking.  She would have been a wonderful hooker.  All that I am in this craft came from her.  She liked handwork and would have taken to hooking easily, a natural progression from her needle crafts.  Her work was always immaculate, as close to perfection that can be.  She never did anything half way, taking great pride in all that she did whether it was starching and ironing my father’s work shirts, preparing a meal or creating beautify in her crafts.  Our hands create alike.  There is no denying that I am a product of her genes, even my hand writing is similar to hers although she was a right handed pen holder and I a left.  Sometimes when I’m writing, she is right there with me in the words that form, filling out my grocery list or copying down a recipe.  It’s a good feeling to see this commonality flow through me, a constant reminder of our connection.

My dad would be hanging out at the shop as well, to wink at the ladies buying wool. He was a bit of a scoundrel although in an innocent way.  He loved to flirt and joke but he only had eyes for his bride.  He told me often I was his favourite and although that might not be fair to my siblings, it made me smile bigger than Texas.  I was a daddy’s girl and proud of it.  I loved my father and appreciate the genetic gift of a sense of humour.  I think the two of them set me up well. 

February boasts the day of love. Valentine's Day.  So how perfect that February was also the time of my parents beginning on this earth and later, through their union, I came along. I think, February is a very special month……

They say time heals all wounds but that’s a load of crap.  It doesn’t get easier, it’s just different.  Some days pass without thinking of them, while others flood memories like a breaking dam.   Thankfully I can visit them in my dreams, where they are still youthful, vibrant, and full of life……


8 Comments

It's all about the LOVE!

2/10/2016

3 Comments

 
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I finished my Valentine’s Day special edition pattern called  “LOVE”. 

There are four quadrants, each with a letter and a fun background.  What a smart pillow this would make for someone you love or a gift to yourself.  And don’t be restricted to pinks and reds.  I can see this sweet pattern in a multitude of colours!  
Go crazy with colour if that's the way you roll!
 
 The pattern is now available for the month of February as a special order for $25.95 on linen and if you would like the same colours I used, there is a bundle available for $36.95.  The bundle includes 5 – 1/8 yards in the following colours:   
Hot pink medium solid,
Hot pink herringbone
Bright Red
White
Antique Red
 
Buy the set, the wool bundle and the limited edition linen pattern together for $52.95 for a savings of just under $10.00.

And remember, February is a free shipping month so there's even more savings! 

 I’m now working on March’s special edition pattern for St. Patty’s Day, a stylized Shamrock that rocks and that's no sham!  

Each month has a special holiday or event so I am going to design and hook a fun
13” x 13” pattern to commemorate it.   Wait until you see what’s brewing for Easter!  A pattern so sweet you’ll get a cavity just looking at it!

LOVE Pattern on linen - $25.95
LOVE wool bundle - $36.95
Limited Edition Set - $52.95


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3 Comments

The winter day of my content.....

2/9/2016

7 Comments

 
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Last night’s snow storm made it clear I won’t be at work today.  Our house is surrounded in icy drifts, like huge white scarves wrapped around our home.  The wild wind shaped large drifts, arcing like ocean surf in three foot swells. 

The snow is heavy and packy; good for snowball fights and snowmen, not so great for driving. Even though we have an all-wheel drive vehicle, one built for rough terrain and rogue weather, she isn’t going anywhere.  She’s as much a prisoner of our yard as we are.  We now both play the waiting game for the plough guy to make it to our door.  With this much snow to push, he might not be around until much later in the day so I’m held up with my “Little” family and will happily make the best of things. 

I slept in this morning.  After the alarm sounded, I glanced out the window to see the wall of snow thwarting any attempt to go anywhere, making it a perfect day to catch up on the deficit I’ve been carrying. I seem to revolve in sleep on/sleep off cycles and right now it’s on a hard off. Usually reading helps to lower the eyelids, but even a book does little to tire my rebellious brain, so I’m left to ride it out for as long as it takes.  

On the flip side, I never have trouble sleeping in.  Once the sandman finds me in the early hours of the morning, as the sun is beginning to peek above the horizon and the night shadows flee from the light filling my room, a marching band traipsing through our house with horns blaring and drums pounding would fail to rouse me.  Once locked into the elusive REM sleep, I’m just about comatose.  If only my internal clock could readjust so that kind of power sleep finds me in the dark, between midnight and dawn, instead of in the light of day.  But such is life; there are ups and downs to make it interesting.  Complaining doesn’t work so I wait it out in the hopes that I’ll soon be back on track and not be tired in the mornings, demanding a quick nap after breakfast to feel bright enough to begin my day.  

Ah.....the serenity of my home.  The pups are gathered around my feet, the fire is crackling and radiating warmth like an armless hug, hubby is nursing a coffee while we watch Henri tear up an egg cartoon, shredding it into minute pieces as only he can do.  No rushing or thoughts beyond these walls.   I feel cocooned in comfort....it doesn’t get much better than this. 
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At times like this, I’m lucky to own my own business and not have to worry about punching 9 to 5 for someone else, worried I’ll disappoint as I digest the pressure of being late.  I can stay home where it’s safe and not have to shovel until my internal organs are bruised and my arms fall off, suffering frozen fingers and numb cheeks.   Today I’m on the inside looking out, not having to worry about the reverse.   I can feel like a kid missing school after a winter’s storm; feel the excitement of a stolen day from duty and without guilt.   
7 Comments

Changes

2/8/2016

27 Comments

 
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Last week was a whirlwind.    It’s a new year, time for a change, so we’ve been morphing the shop.  We now have a cosy seating area in the front of the shop for drop-ins to hook by the window and look out over our beautiful town.   

We also have the library set up so come on in, sit and peruse my collection of rug hooking books and magazines.  I was surprised at how many publications I have, but then I’ve been collecting for 16 years so it is only fit that there be volumes of volumes. There are antique books to boot, a few you may never have seen, so check them out!

We moved the coffee/tea station next to the stairs, and close to the sitting area so it is easy to grab a warm cuppa to sit and check out the books or hook for a bit.   We have a few more things to shift but our old backs and knees were the worse for wear so we left a few things for this week.  The boys are downstairs right now changing out the sales desk for the one in the back room.     It has shelves in front to put merchandise, much more practical and just another spot to adorn with colour!

By request, we now stock all the colours of Heritage and Regal, Brigg’s & Little 2 Ply yarn along with all the dyed skeins Shane does at the shop.   It’s a cornucopia of colour everywhere.    

We’ve also been working on a shopping cart for the website.  We’ll have it up and running as soon as possible.  I've had a quick look around and I believe we have more inventory on our website than any other rug hooking shop.   Pages and pages of wool, patterns and all kinds of extras.  If it's in the store, it's on the website!  We try to have different items and great variety to pick from, we are never stagnant, always coming up with new and exciting things to keep us fresh.   

We launched free shipping for the month of February.  It's the month of love and at Encompassing Designs, we really love our customers so we are passing it on. We believe we are nothing without you!  Our American friends can not only have free shipping, but the exchange rate is in their favour so everything they order is a big sale!

For local shoppers we will soon have our loyalty card.  As soon as it’s back from the printers we’ll be handing them out with abandon.   What fun!

So is our little area cosy looking to sit and hook or peruse a book?  I'm having the center table cut down to make a coffee table so come and put your feet up!


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We now stock Brigg's & Little, Heritage and Regal 2 Ply Yarns
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27 Comments

Tonight's Hook-in Cancelled!

2/3/2016

1 Comment

 
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There's bad weather coming this evening.
Freezing rain tonight, so I think we will cancel the hook-in.  Better to be play it safe than to be sorry!

1 Comment

Free Shipping for the month of February!

2/2/2016

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1 Comment

Dove Tale

2/1/2016

4 Comments

 
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Sunday afternoon I was washing dishes at the kitchen sink while looking out the window over the vast white hillside.  Movement caught my eye and I noticed a crow land on the neighbour’s outbuilding roof.  It was looking at something on the ground and I watched it fly down several times, peck at something and then fly back to the roof.

Whatever it was worrying, was alive and kicking, as the object fluttered around trying to escape the crow’s beak.  I thought it might be a bird as it appeared dovelike, was smaller than the crow and maybe dragging a wing.   Any creature higher up the food chain wastes little time targeting the old and weak and the crow was very determined.

Repeatedly, it dive-bombed the bird below, getting bolder each time.    The American crow is omnivorous.  It will feed on invertebrates of all types, carrion scraps of human food, seeds, eggs and nestlings, stranded fish on the shore and various grains.  They are active hunters and will prey on mice, frogs and other small animals so a wounded smaller bird wasn’t off the menu. 

I suppose I was thinking that perhaps the dove needed saving.  If it was a matter of a broken wing, that could be fixed and a trip to Hope For Wildlife was in our future.  So I put on my coat and hat and gloves that would protect me from the beak and went outside. 

As I stepped out on the deck, the screen door banged behind me and both birds took flight. The crow flew away and settled in a nearby tree, cawed a few times and then watched me.   The dove tried to fly away but only made it a few feet and then dropped something out of its claws to the ground below and then flew out of sight.

I could feel the crow’s eyes burning deep as I made my way through the crusty snow. As I approached the object I could make out a wing and then saw the entire body of a dead bird.  The reason why I couldn't make out the creature on the ground from the window was because it was flopping about while holding on to a dead bird.   I realized immediately I had interfered in something, whether for the good or the bad, I did not know. 

I scooped up the cold, limp body of a dove and examined it closely.  One doesn’t get this kind of up close moment to examine nature often.   The bird was beautiful.  The delicate head, with iridescent feathers, shapely beak and eyes were like a beautiful painting.  I examined the body to determine the cause of death but nothing was revealed.  Some wing and body feathers had been plucked away leaving bare, rippled skin but there wasn’t any blood.  Perhaps the cause of death was a broken neck from hitting something hard or maybe it was just its time on the roster. 

I laid the little, fragile body on top of the BBQ cover and went into the house wondering if the dove would come back looking for its ward.  I looked up doves on the internet to read about their habits and it said that they will take care of their dead mate.  I felt sad momentarily that I had interrupted a natural process but as I read further maybe I helped.  It said that mourning after a mate can put them in jeopardy of predators and that was clearly the case with the opportunist crow muscling in on an easy meal. 

Although I meant well, maybe I shouldn’t have interfered.  Perhaps in my clumsy way I saved the living dove from danger as it tried to protect its dead mate, but perhaps I cheated it of closure, saying goodbye and letting go.   
 
I read that a dove mates for life but will seek another if they are rendered alone, but I’m not so sure they all do.  We have dozen of doves in the yard at all times, but there is one odd fellow who is always alone.  It sits on the peak of our house roof and makes the most mournful sound, seemingly cooing out its woes to the countryside.  While all the others are in pairs, it sits by itself and I’ve often wondered what its story is as I stop to listen to its mournful song.........  



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    Christine Little has been ranked #5​ out of the 60 top rug hooking bloggers by Rug Hooking Magazine!

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    Max Anderson, Australia, recipient of my Nova Scotia Treasures rug.  An award of excellence for promoting Canada through his writing.  
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    Gift Certificates are available for that special rug hooker in your life!  Any denomination, no expiry date! 

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    We have a pot to "Fiz" in!

Shop Hours:
Monday - Friday 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM 
Saturdays 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
We are closed during ice and snow storms
​so please call ahead.  If school is cancelled we probably are closed as well.  

Toll Free: 1-855-624-0370
Local:  902-624-0370​
[email protected]

498 Main Street
P.O. Box 437
Mahone Bay, N.S.
Canada B0J 2E0

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