Week Thirty-Six: Prairie Schooler September Squirrel

Happy September! The leaves are starting to slowly change color, the nights are (much!) cooler, and there is that certain autumn-like scent in the air here in Pennsylvania. I'm beginning to see more and more grey squirrels like this one scurrying around collecting their supplies of nuts to hoard for the cold winter months ahead. I stitched this little guy, from Prairie Schooler's "Spring and Fall" chart, on 32-ct. flax Belfast linen using DMC threads.


I've also stitched the May and October pieces from this leaflet and, to save money, I use the same frame for each--just popping the stitching out to replace with a new month. Do you think I'll ever finish all twelve? Anyway, here is Mr. September Squirrel in his new home with two new friends. The carved wooden squirrels were my grandmother's and I still remember them being on display in her home. One has a chipped ear--I wonder if I did that as a child? They've always brought back fond memories of her welcoming, warm home...

I suppose you could say I've been lucky to have a lot of extra stitching time lately, but it came at a price. About three weeks ago, I hurt my right foot when a piece of metal shelving fell on it at work (and you thought libraries were nice, quiet, safe places to work!). As the first week went by, it kept hurting more and more so I finally had it x-rayed. No break, just a deep bone bruise which can take months to heal. I can walk, but with pain and a slight limp, and was instructed to keep my foot elevated and iced. Not much improvement yet and I'm starting to get discouraged... But at least two of my favorite activities (stitching and reading) are perfect for someone with an injured foot!