Embracing Changes

Lots has happened at Prairie Cairn Cottage.  As you can tell from the last two post, not all changes are good. We sadly lost a very good neighbor to the war in Afghanistan. He had left his loving wife and newborn daughter only three months before his tragic death. And Little Black Brindle was diagnosed with a life threatening condition this Spring. He has improved with medication but his condition has not changed. The medication has just reduced swelling of his throat so he is breathing better. Please continue to pray for my poor sweet pup.

My Master Gardeners class was very interesting and I was looking forward to trying some new things I had learned. I had gotten my required additional volunteer and training hours in early which is a good thing because my Ever So Handy Husband got offered a job in a different field and was put on a 12 month project in Wisconsin. Rather than stay home and be lonely we closed down the cottage, packed up our small motor home, the dog and the cat and a few kitchen items and headed out for Central Wisconsin.

The last weeks Prairie Cairn Cottage has been reduced to less than 220 square feet! We like to think of it as the Cozy Cairn Cottage. But not to worry Cozy Cairn Cottage will be relocating to a more "spacious" 2 bedroom apartment home soon. The fun part is we didn't know where we were going to wind up or when so we didn't bring anything but a few kitchen items. Now I get to go out and furnish the new cottage. How fun is this going to be?

Cozy Cairn Cottage

Where the heck are we?

What happened to being a free range dog?



Life on the road

Please Pray for Little Black Brindle

Our sweet Little Black Brindle has been gravely ill.  He has been diagnosed with Tracheal Collapse.  This unfortunately is a common condition in small dogs.  In his situation his trachea collapses when he breathes out and he has a difficult time getting the old air out of his lungs so he can refill them with new air.

Because his tracheal collapse is lengthy he is not a candidate for surgical correction. The only thing that his doctors can do is to give him a cough suppressant and steroids to reduce inflamation.  If you are a Christian, please lift this sweet little boy up to God in prayer to restore proper breathing in his body.

"Jesus looked at them and said "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."
Matthew 19:26

Audrey

Memorial Day

In memory of our neighbor

Andrew McAdams

Army National Guard

January 10, 2014

Afghanistan 

Andrew was a true hero.  He will be missed.

Let's Talk Gardening

I am pretty excited. I signed up for the Master Gardener Course and my first class is tonight. We are jumping right into it with the first class all about botany. Hopefully I will glean enough from this course to have a more productive garden here at Prairie Cairn Cottage.

I am also pleased to announce the completion of the hat I made for my Ever So Handy Husband. I didn't quite get it complete by Christmas but it was done before he had to make a trip to frigid North Dakota. He said it came in handy and was really happy with it! Yeah!

Happy New Year 2014

Well, we made it through the holidays here at Prairie Cairn Cottage! Christmas was good to us this year. Little Black Brindle got some new balls and a squeaky, stretchy fox which he loves! Tabby got a pole with a long string to tempt him to chase but his favorite where 3 fabric mice. Both pets chose the toy I thought would be their least favorite. Guess I don't know them all that well after all!

New Year's day had me working on the things I'd like to spend more time on in 2014 or new crafts I'd like to accomplish. To that end I enjoyed a day of knitting, sewing and I tried my hand once more at spinning on a drop spindle. A few goals were set for 2014. For Prairie Cairn Cottage we'd like to finally get fencing put up,a shed or two put up, and the new chicken coop built. Personal goals for me include learning to spin, learning to knit hats and socks and walking more. Of course adding a few more critters to the Cottage is always a possibility!

Count Down Begins

Like all of you out there, Prairie Cairn Cottage has begun the countdown with only one week left. I just got my packages to out of town relatives in the mail yesterday and cards sent off Monday. Whew! I am cutting it short as usual. Anyone out there besides me vow to make next year stress free? I've already figured out what I want to create and give as gifts and the timeline necessary to accomplish that goal. Let's just say that as soon as this Christmas ends, I'll be starting on next year's gifting. Mr. Tabby and Little Black Brindle are looking forward to Christmas this year as well. A visit to our local pet store for treats should have their presents all wrapped up. The stockings that I made them last year have been hung and are adding that special touch to the decorating at Prairie Cairn Cottage. Thanks for stopping by the Cottage for a Christmas visit. We hope you find the joy of the Savior's birth to be at the heart of your holidays. Audrey

Weekend Crafting at Prairie Cairn Cottage

What's on my needles?

knitted dishcloth

What is under my needle?

Lil' Rascals quilt kit

What is on my hook?

crocheted skillet cozy

What is on my reading shelf?

A Cairn treat for you