Googles the Duck

At long last I have finished Googles the Duck. He was intended to be a Christmas present for my stepsister, but uncontrollable circumstances delayed his completion until today. His design comes from the book Kyuuto! Japanese Crafts!: Amigurumi by Chronicle Books. It was originally published in 主婦と生活社, which roughly translates to Housewife and Life Style Co.

Hmm I'm no housewife, but it'd be a compliment to be considered as crafty as one!

Here are some pictures of Googles in his natural habitat--Botanica by Barnes and Noble Books:

These Are a Few of my Favorite Things

I recently moved to the southernmost edge of the Maple Leaf neighborhood. As well as being a refreshingly residential area, it has a surprising number of animals. Let me show you just a few of them:

My roommate's ridiculously cute rats. The one on top is named Beers, the other is mini Beers.


The cat that stalks through our yard and stares into my bedroom. I suspect he came in once too. I found dirty paw-prints.


The spider that protects my tomatoes. His web forces me to pick very carefully.


A hummingbird that visited today. My parents spotted one last weekend, in a yard a couple blocks from here. I take their presence as a good sign.