January 2026, as a month, is moving pretty fast. January 2026, each day, is an eternity. The month started out with a bit of a warm thaw, and since then we’ve had lots and lots of snow and terribly cold weather. Today’s high should top out around two degrees. For the high. Not counting wind chill. There’s not an end in sight until sometime at February.
In the meantime, I’ve been busy with projects for Feral Cat Crafts and Etsy. I’ve done well with football themed purse charms, selling one for the Chicago Bears and one for the LA Rams. I made up a few for the upcoming Olympics (pictured above). Over the next few weekends, I’d like to get a couple of mystery trinket boxes up in the store. I’m also working on a trio of mini zines with a music theme. One is done, one is started, and the third I haven’t even put thought into.
You might have seen my garden resolutions post. I’m continuing to watch garden videos and take a few online webinars. I signed up for Michigan State University extension’s Plant Quest, and have one more webinar to go for that. I especially loved the section on gravel gardening, and it gave me a new idea for the “Paw Garden” at the shelter! I’m signed up for Foliage Driven Garden Design in February. I’ve got lists and notes everywhere!
This month I seemed to have a ton of meetings for work. I went and did the teen night at the Marshall District Library, and the generator project at the shelter was FINALLY completed (nearly a year later!). Next project, stray side dog kennel indoor ceiling replacement.
February, just a week away, I’ll be working on finishing up the newsletter at the shelter, continuing to post twice weekly Substacks for the shelter, and getting through the annual audit and animal welfare org groups meeting. I’m working on various projects for Twin Peaks Day and will need to get something together for staff member Valentines. By the end of February, we will have earlier sunrises and later sunsets, and hopefully a return to temperatures at least nearer to freezing.
We are in the midst of a polar vortex. The only thing getting me through is daydreaming about gardening, watching gardening videos, researching new garden ideas, and setting my 2026 Garden Resolutions. One week until the sun again rises before 8:00am. Two weeks until the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. We just need to last a little while longer!
Gardening Trips and Tours
One of the highlights of my summer is going to the annual Battle Creek Garden Tour put on by Leila Arboretum Society with my Mom. We always have the best time, and come out with so many different ideas! It’s an incredibly inspirational journey. Of course, the 2026 Battle Creek Garden Tour is on the top of my list of what to do this year (here’s last year’s visit, in case you’re interested!).
Battle Creek isn’t the only garden tour, though. In 2026, I’d like to see if we can’t go on one more tour somewhere not too far away.
I follow Garden CrossingsYouTube channel online and it is amazing. This summer, I’m going to take Mom over to Zeeland to visit the Garden Crossings store and gardens.
Better Stay Up on Cemetery Pots
Year before last, I did fantastically with the six cemetery pots we maintain for family and friends. At the end of the season, there were still flowers alive in all of the pots! Last year got away from me unfortunately. This year I have a better plan! I want to spend more time riding my bike during the summer. I’ll drive to the cemetery, park, and go on a bike ride. Then, I’ll bike through the cemetery and water the pots before ending my trip! If I can find it, I’d like to try planting Jamesbrittenia Safari Dusk in a couple of the pots. It likes full sun and can handle some dryness.
New Side Garden
Last year I had planned on putting in the new side yard garden, but ran out of time and energy. This is hopefully the year! We’ll plant some shrubs, trees, and ornamental low grasses.
Revamp Back Gardens
Since the willow trunk fell last year, I’d like to add some larger pots to that area. I attended the Michigan State University Extension program Plant Quest 2026 this month, and the first presentation was on incorporating traditional houseplants or tropical plants into your outdoor gardens. Last year I had massive elephant ears that were amazing. I saved the tubers, but who knows if they will survive as I never have luck with that. But if they do, they will join Persian Shield and Fuschia Gartenmeister (provided I can find them) in pots in the back.
Move and Divide Front Gardens
The front gardens consist of two parts, the main garden which surrounds the vegetable garden (fenced area), and the border garden along the drive and porch. Over the years, some of the plants have become HUGE and crushed out other plants. This year is a year of moving and dividing. The yucca at the bottom of the drive border will be pulled and moved to the back yard. I’ll be putting down cardboard and soil on that bed to hopefully finally (!) choke out the lily of the valley, and will be planting Peach Melba Crocosmia in the space, along with some asters. In the photo above, I’ll be removing the metal edging, and in the dirt space I’ll be planting some creeping thyme which should flow right into the yard, as well as a few plantings of Lemon Coral Sedum (if I can find it). In terms of items crowded out or overgrown, I’ll need to divide the daisies in the driveway border and pull the Autumn Joy Sedum from up near the porch. Both of those will either go back by the yucca, or wind up out at the shelter. Our maple by the veg garden is growing leaps and bounds, and I know at some point in time the veg garden won’t be able to have vegetables any more and a lot of the garden in that area will become more shady. As it is, I water that bed regularly, but the drive border is hot, dry, full sun and stands on its own.
Vegetable Garden
We’ve been contemplating putting in a greenhouse where the vegetable garden now sits. With the maple, it wouldn’t be a long-term solution but it could be a great place to do some seed starting and expand the growing season earlier in spring and later in autumn. I’m giving more thought this year to what we grow our vegetable in. For a few years we’ve used those grow bags. I have been looking into instead using large jute bags they use for coffee bean transportation for the roasters. I have heard if you double them up, they can last a season or more as long as you don’t try to move them. And when they give out, they can be composted. Bob shared with me information about new pesticides that have been approved for use in the US, and it is concerning. Having a greenhouse or cold frame could be the thing that allows us to safely keep eating lettuce and arugula in colder months. Something else I’d like to try this year was a tip given by my friend Susan. She places two cloves of garlic in each of her veg containers, and says it grows along with the veg and seems to stop some of the insects from bothering the plants. I think it’s well worth a try! Last year’s tomato worms were disgusting!
Other Gardens
I have some ideas and plans for gardening at the shelter as well. I have been going back and forth between cardboard or tilling. I’d like to turn some of our invasive fields-gone-wild into native wildflower fields that help pollinators. And I’d like to make the beds by the front of the building and the pots look even better this year. I’ve also sent Mom so many ideas for her garden, I’d like to help her make some of them happen. Because isn’t gardening with others always more fun?! Let me know what items are on your 2026 Garden Resolutions list!
Holy cats, I’ve missed so many updates! As of yesterday, it is now officially autumn, so here is my autumn update covering what I did over the summer and what I have coming up.
Crafts
In my last update, July 7, I was working on items for the August Mutt Market. Mom broke her wrist and was in a brace for the market, and she didn’t get to work on all of the stuff she wanted to. Here’s my market prep video, and my market recap video. I did well with some things (a few purse charms, key rings, Blind Date with Books, and lip gloss key rings, making a total of $200. Other things, like all of the Halloween bracelet stacks, didn’t do well at all. I’ve got them up on my Etsy, and they still aren’t selling.
Honestly, if none of the Halloween stuff goes, I’ll break down the sets and give them in the staff member Halloween gift bags next month. I love making bracelets in general, and Halloween stuff in particular. I’m not sure why they aren’t selling. If you’re interested in Feral Cat Crafts, and whatever I’m doing with craft projects, the Facebook page for FCC is here.
Family
In July, Mom and I drove down to Bowling Green to see Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney. I had such a great time! Love them so much. We were also fortunate to have a few coffee sessions with Cyn and Evan. And my monthly video calls with Amy and Kat bring so much joy. Bob and I worked on various small projects around the home, but really just enjoyed spending time together. It was a great summer.
Mom and I went on the annual Leila Arboretum Society Battle Creek Garden Tour again this year, and had an AMAZING time. You can see the video of the garden tour here. It gave me so many ideas, as well as recharging my soul. I used some of the inspiration to remake an old garden bed (photo of before and after, above). I made a full video as well, in case you want to see how it went. This summer was hot enough, but more than that, it was SO HUMID. The heat index was regularly over 100° and I felt like I was melting every minute. June and July were overly wet, and August was overly dry. The vegetable garden reflected the weirdness of weather, but the flower beds looked fantastic.
Zines and New Projects
I have been selling a good number of zines on my Etsy, and over the weekend I completed another one. It’s painted in gouache with added photos and hand lettering. I dropped it off at the printer, and should have it back this week and maybe get it up on Etsy over the next weekend. This one is about Halloween costumes, past and present.
My latest project is a new Etsy, separate from Feral Cat Crafts, called Whiskers & Words Book Club. Mostly, it’s a print on demand (POD) attempt, but there are some things like stickers and book marks. I’ll also make some bracelets (that probably won’t sell) and maybe have some Blind Date with Books or other items up there, too. The Facebook for Whiskers & Words is here, and I share all kinds of book things as well as doing my promotion for the Etsy shop.
I have a few October craft projects planned, and will hopefully get some YouTube videos up for those, too. It often seems like I’m managing quite a lot online, with multiple Instagrams, Facebook pages, and YouTubes. Any time you look for advice on why stuff on Etsy isn’t selling, it’s because you need to post more on your social media! I’m managing so many different things now, I probably need Chat GPT to put together a schedule for me. It sure would be nice to see some responses from what I’m putting together, at least. Is it all just going out into the nothing of the universe?
It’s October, yo. And so fast! Time for a quick September Recap before we start on spooky season.
Cats
In September, we managed to snatch the cat we had been seeing since early spring, aka Tuxie Gilbert. He turned out to be really sweet. We had him neutered and I was fortunately able to find placement for him in Ann Arbor. Unfortunately, this guy wound up kicking me into a compassion fatigue meltdown literally 16 years in the making. Spoiler: I’m doing better now.
This guy is Jett. He is having an eye issue of unknown origin, so he went with me to see Dr. Ben. He’s on new medication, but the prognosis is still unknown. I’ve been spending extra time cuddling him.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens
I made a quick trip to Matthaei Botanical Gardens. It is glorious.
Crafts
Mom and I stopped by the Craft Queen craft fair. It was a nice day and I supported some local arts and crafts businesses, which is always a win. I took a break from sewing to work on a couple of scarves for a local Facebook group that makes scarves and hats for Battle Creek children who don’t have appropriate winter wear. I’ve also been working on a super fuzzy lap blanket for a friend who needs a hug. I didn’t intend the colors to look like candy corn, but there you have it.
Misc. September Recap Stuff
We went to see cousin Evan in Urinetown at the Great Escape Stage Company in Marshall. It was really good. Charles Burr and Kelly VanRyswyk were also in it. It’s a lovely little theater and they really did a good job.
The mushrooms are now making an appearance on the Bark Park trails. We worked on the roof and indeed, finished the lower back half. Hopefully the upper portion will be done quickly, before the weather really turns. On a rainy day, I cleaned up my craft space some so I can paint my new zine (Clean Slate) when I get the opportunity. I’m ready to be done with the crochet projects so I can also get back to sewing some. I did get my Covid and flu vaccine, so hopefully I will avoid any sickness this autumn. The gardens need cleanup, at least to some point. I like to remove the leftover mess from the vegetables while leaving the perennials for the critters to use for overwintering. It’s been so dry I’ve had to work on keeping the birdbaths full.
Coming in October
Spooky season is upon us, and has me reminiscing of my glory days of Halloweens past. October 31 is on a Thursday this year, and the lobby is open to the public, so I could dress up. I’m not sure I have it in me though. I will do a post in October about past costumes I think. Before the pandemic, I had collected some parts of a Mrs. Peacock costume. For work, we will have our State inspection and Soup Day! I’ll send out some Halloween cards and small gifts to pen pals. I need to prep for the first class I am teaching at the senior center, “Slow Stitch Meditation Rolls” taking place the beginning of November. No Etsy sales in September, and my social media stats were down, too. Hope your autumn is off to a great start!
It’s time for a June update, since we only have three days left in June. I don’t know whether I’m coming or going these days. Things at work have been stressful, and honestly I’m just not feeling very well physically. I need a week where I can catch up on house cleaning, a week to fix the issues in the garden, a week to catch up on my various side hustle projects, and then a week or more to sleep. But instead I get two days here and there, sometimes over the actual weekend, sometimes not.
Mutt Market Prep
The Mutt Market is coming up August 17 and I’m working away on market prep. Once again, Mom and I have a booth in addition to my running the whole event. Right now I’m planning on selling the following: – Swivel Snap Wristlets (8, have not made one yet) – Slow Stitch Shopping Totes (6, have not made one yet) – Slow Stitch Keychains (10, have made just one so far) – Slow Stitch Brooches (maybe up to 20? I have completed 6) – Slow Stitch Lavender Sachets (10, have not made one yet) – Slow Stitch Meditation Roll Kits (5, have not made one yet) – Whichever zines I have completed and have copies of, an assortment – Leftover crochet hair scrunchies from last year – Leftover crochet leggy froggies from last year
I had an idea and patterns for some beach towel bags, but I doubt very much I will get any of those done. As always, I have so many more ideas than I have time to work on them. I have some ideas for tshirts and more totes, but maybe I can work on those over the winter? I’m working on social media posts for all of my accounts for the side hustles, and I’m pulling together the actual set up for the Mutt Market. I got new lights for the canopy. I am planning on making watermelon and strawberry bunting as a decoration. I have a few new displays coming as well. Looking back at the photos from last year, I am not super pleased with how the table looked. Fingers crossed for this year.
Storm Damage
We had some storm damage a few weeks ago. Our big maple tree was hit by lightning. Bob did a great job cleaning everything up and is working on roof repairs. As you can see, part of the tree came right through the ceiling of the back porch and destroyed the cat tree.
Zines
I continue to make and sell zines on Etsy. I’ve had a total of 36 sales since January 1. I also just put together a zine for the presentation I’m doing at the Marshall District Library July 9. My next zine, whenever I get back to it, is on the religion of Spiritualism. I found some old copies of TNS publications from the 1990s. I played the piano one summer for the Memorial Spiritualist Church many years ago.
Garden and Health
Maxy’s garden here is looking pretty good. The rest of the flower borders are not. I haven’t taken a video since May, and I really need to just so you can see the problems. We’ve had more slugs this year than I’ve ever seen in my life, and they decimated all of the annuals. I’ve tried beer traps and egg shells. Then there’s the problem with deer. They’ve eaten the ferns, all of the violas, the dianthus, and all of the coneflowers. There aren’t many flowers in the flower gardens this year. I just haven’t had the time or energy to get out and spray to keep the deer out. Thankfully the fencing is keeping the vegetable garden going though it would be better if I could get it watered. I’m really hoping for rain tonight as I have an event after work again. I just haven’t been feeling well. Lots of headaches, quite a few migraines, intense exhaustion and joint pain. I need to get some answers, as this is no way to live.
How quickly the summer is going! It’s already past mid July. We’ve finished our first two of three summer events for the shelter, attended the Battle Creek Garden Tour, and had a lovely visit with Aunt Suzie, Gail, and Sydney.
This year’s garden tour was amazing. This is our third year attending. It’s hard to pick which garden was my favorite. The weather was lovely, not too hot, with a glorious breeze. I think this year’s theme was whimsy. Each garden had a number of really fun little touches.
My garden at home is also entering its stride mid July. We are now starting to get some sungold cherry tomatoes and some green beans.
Aunt Suzie, Gail and Sydney came for a visit, and we had a great time. Lots of laughs, and we worked on crocheting! Sydney is learning and doing a great job. I continue to make progress on my items for the craft fair at the Canine Carnival in August. Hoping I can have quite a bit up for sale. I’ve been making leggy froggies in a rainbow of colors.
As I’m kind of going freehand with them, so far each one is a little different. Hopefully as I keep making them, I wind up with some kind of standardization. The green one was first and yellow second. I’m also making some little ones to put on the ferris wheel.
I have read a couple of books, and will do a summer reads short update soon. I’ve had a bad round of headaches this summer. Is it stress? Smoke from the wildfires? Who knows, but it’s wearing me down.
Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. I know, how fast is this summer going?! In June I did a garden update as well as a crochet update. We finally had a day of rain yesterday, and I need to get some more photos and a video as the garden is looking really great. We aren’t getting much veg as of yet; a couple of sugar snap peas, one sweet banana pepper, and some rainbow chard is all.
I’ve been crocheting hair scrunchies for the upcoming booth at the Canine Carnival. I hope to have about 30 of them ready for it, plus some other various projects. I know it will come up sooner than I expect. The Strut for the Strays is already this weekend.
It seems like I’ve booked myself into a too-busy July and August. It’s a bit stressful overall I think. I need to take extra time to relax after each extrovert event or meeting, so it doesn’t build up too much. I’m envisioning a world and a life where I’m not constantly doing extrovert things that deplete my energy. Mom is making dinner for the Fourth of July, complete with a strawberry rhubarb pie which is my favorite. It will be nice to spend some time with her and Fanny. I’ve had a little time to read as well lately, so later this month I might even have a summer reads update. Reading glasses seem to make the difference in being able to concentrate and not get a really bad headache.
It’s well time enough for a June garden update. How quickly this time of year passes! I’ve been working on the gardens, and though I have yet to make a video, I do have some photo updates. The image above is from Wenke Greenhouse, on the day Mom and I went to pick up our flowers and vegetables. Mom had her knee replacement surgery April 18 and is still making progress. We shared carts at Wenke and River Street Flowerland, and still were unable to fit anything else in the car. The color displays at Wenke were gorgeous this year (photo example above)! Normally we also do K Drive in the afternoon, but we were tired out from the morning.
Mom added a new pot garden in the front yard near the pine stump, and this year I planted my vegetables in fabric pots. I added some plantings to our backyard as well. We also did our regular cemetery planting.
And I potted up some plants at the shelter entrance.
We haven’t had any measurable rain since the Whisker Mixer event May 19th, and last week was in the 90s, so we are watering every other day. Everything is looking pretty good so far, I think. The first colorway to come in our front beds is purple, from the salvia to the Siberian iris, chives, and catmint. I love the color against the bright almost neon green or yellow from the baptisia and ornamental grasses.
As I mentioned, I am working a bit more on some back yard beds. First is Cato’s Garden, which needs more planting in addition to the one pot with a fern and coral bells. The hardscape around it features blue stones and driftwood, as Cato was always partial to water. I would like to add a small water feature maybe. I need to open up the space a little.
I added a similar pot to Maxy’s Garden, which needs to be weeded out and mulched. The brunnera, ferns, and hostas are looking pretty good though.
This year I added two large pots near the regular birdbath. My vision for this year is to have views of the gardens from every window instead of having the focus of the gardens for the people driving past on the road. I’m not sure I was successful. Backyard pots:
That’s it so far for the June garden update, but things grow and change so quickly. I plan on taking some video and maybe doing some shorts as well, so check back soon. I also owe a post on other events going on, including some lovely time with the Russell family lately. How is your garden doing so far?
It’s looking like the end of summer. Time for an August Misc. update. The leaves are starting to color on the trees and the goldenrod is in bloom. It just feels different now, too. Of course, you could argue it’s the loveliest time of the year, and is not so hot so you can actually enjoy being outdoors. Our veg garden did nothing this year, but the flower beds were gorgeous.
I’ve made another moss terrarium, this one for Mom. It’s doing well and I’m pleased with how it turned out. The little cat glass terrariums I posted in the last post are going crazy. The baby tears cuttings are going to take over.
Pi is scheduled for surgery to remove the leg September 14. He’s struggling a bit. Everything feels a bit crap these days. I’m watching Twister constantly and dreaming of inappropriate toilets.
It’s already mid July. How did that happen? The summer is going much too quickly, as always. What have I done to show for it? Not much, actually. Some art projects. Some garden maintenance. Lots of riding the spin bike in the evenings. Watching YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I’m trying to take care of my health, but I’m still waiting for my CPAP machine and new glasses to come in. I don’t know, it rather feels like I’m squandering life.
The last two summers were spent with painting, and I haven’t done any painting at all. I do miss it. My latest project was creating this small moss terrarium (below). I wanted it to be like a living book nook, but I don’t think it was successful. I did manage to make a tiny staircase which is kind of cool. I will be interested to see if the moss grows or dies. I think they are kind of fun to make, and might make nice gifts, especially for people who have cats and can’t have regular houseplants.
Not that anyone ever reads these posts, but if you do, I’d greatly appreciate it if you’d subscribe to my YouTube Channel (click here). As I mentioned above, I’ve been watching lots of YouTube videos on how to make better YouTube videos. I don’t know why I find the work so interesting. You can see more garden updates that way, too as I’ve been taking regular videos.
I do miss reading. I used to love the summer reads each summer, sitting on the couch with Maxy on my lap. Maxy is gone, reading puts me to sleep, and my bad glasses give me a headache when I do try to read. I have been listening to audio books. The latest is Joe Hill’s 20th Century Ghosts. They aren’t ghost stories in the traditional sense, though I suppose there’s one or two like that in there. It’s more the uncanny type of stories that will remain in your mind long after you’ve read them. I wasn’t sure with the first one or two, but now I highly recommend it. Many years ago I read a collection from Breece D’J Pancake, and there was one particular short story that never left me about a snow plow driver. This book is full of interesting tales like that one.
After finishing Severance on Apple+, I am now on the third season of Servant. I guess it is renewed for a fourth season, but that won’t be out for quite awhile. Severance was excellent.
Yes, mid July and I am squandering life. How is your summer going?
