Life With Jules, and other stuff

I have returned to working on the Astral Lion over the past few days and thought I would share my progress to date. This picture shows the actual color of the fabric I am working with. Because it is so bright, it is often difficult to work with and is a strain on the eyes. I am happy with the way it is turning out this time (as opposed to all the problems I had last time I tried working it)! I am hoping to have it completed by Christmas so I can give it to my niece. Here is the pattern sheet with the areas marked in yellow that I have completed.

For the Poetry Challenge 2009 I wrote a poem about my cat, Mrs. Beasley. At this time I want to update my readers to the event of her untimely death. Recently, Beasley became extremely ill. All of her blood work came back normal, with the exception of a little toxicity. She was hospitalized for several days to receive IV fluids and antibiotics. After several days, I brought her home in hopes she would soon return to normal. Alas, she deteriorated even more. While the exact illness is unknown, it was hard to watch her health decline to a state where she could no longer walk or stand very well. I did the humane thing and took her to the vet to be taken care of. I have probably gone through all of the stages of grief, but am still so very sad that she is no longer with us. I miss her deeply, but I am thankful for the time we had together. Right now, I am trying to let my heart heal from her loss (and realized that I am still grieving the loss of Emerald; she died after 17 years last summe