Beautiful Wedding; Beautiful Couple

 It's all over and it was beautiful!  Everything was perfect, except the weather.  But the weather was perfect for taking pictures.

The rehearsal was on Friday at noon.  After we practiced the ceremony a couple times, we all gathered at a restaurant for a big early dinner.  That evening, Ed and I had a small party at our house for our family members that were staying in town Friday night.  From my side one of my sisters and her husband and one niece and her husband were able to make it.  It was the first time I got to meet my niece's husband, who happens to be very nice.  Unfortunately, I didn't get any pictures while they were here.  I was too focused on being in the moment, which isn't a bad thing!

Trisha and a few of the bridesmaids spent Friday night. Early Saturday morning, the ladies who were doing the hair and makeup showed up.  I made a brunch for the girls.  Then it was off to the venue about 1:30.

The ceremony and reception was perfect.  Everyone told me how beautiful everything was and how good the food tasted.  We are still waiting for all of the pictures from the photographer, but here are few.

We came home with half of the bottom layer of cake and two trays of leftover sweets.  As a result I did not bake any Christmas cookies.  I felt overloaded with sugar, but now that Christmas is over, I'm craving a cookie or two.

Christmas plans changed.  We had planned to go to Cincinnati Christmas afternoon to have dinner at my younger sister's house, but she and her husband and boys tested positive for COVID.  We ended up staying home and had a relaxing (sort of) day at the house.  It was relaxing for me once I got the dinner prepared.  After getting the news that the plans with my siblings was cancelled, I scrambled to put together a turkey dinner for my family.  I got the last fresh turkey at the grocery store, which I consider a small Christmas miracle.

In the afternoon, we took our time opening gifts and then watched football.  Honestly, I like being home and not rushing off to Cincinnati for the evening.  It is so much more relaxing.  

Squeaks agrees.

I didn't get all of the handmade gift done.  Ed's socks have about 4 inches to go on the second sock.  Blake's quilt needs the binding and Kristin's needs quilting and binding.  Blake is leaving tomorrow to head back to Cincinnati.  My goal for today is to finish his quilt so that he can take it with him.

Time to get moving if I'm to get it done.

One Week Left

 Not until Christmas, but finally my daughter's wedding.  (NOTE:  It was one week left when I started writing this post.  It is now 4 days left!) Trisha and Craig got married last February like originally planned, but we had to delay the reception because of the Vid.  All I have left to do is prepare some food for Friday night and Saturday morning.  Friday we are having our out-of-town relatives over for appetizers and drinks.  Saturday morning I'll have a brunch while the girls and I  get our hair and make-up done.  The biggest thing is that I need to clean my house before Friday.  I got over the biggest hurdle yesterday.  I had two of the bridesmaids dresses to hem and Trisha's veil to shorten.  Those are now done. Big relief for me.

In the midst of all this I am trying to get ready for Christmas.

The outside lights went up over Thanksgiving weekend with Blake and Trisha's help.  Blake pointed out that if you look closely, you can see Squeaks sitting in the doorway watching me.  She's my shadow and is usually near me unless she is taking a nap upstairs.

The tree is up and I have a few decorations around the family room.  I'll slowly get the rest of the house decorated as I clean this week in preparation for Friday night.

Work is gearing up and I've been quite busy.  Once I get through January, though, things will taper off.

In between everything, I'm getting little snippets of time to knit and crochet.

While I sit in the car while Ed has his PT, I knit on socks for him.  Like other handmade gifts, they may be presented on Christmas morning as a UFO.

Speaking of sitting in the car, the other morning I got to see a beautiful sunrise.

I did get one Christmas gift project finished.

The corner to corner afghan for Trisha and Craig is done.  I spent an evening weaving in the ends and clipping threads.  I goofed in a few places and clipped too short and had to do some repairs.  I hope holes don't pop up while they use it.  If that does happen, though, I have extra yarn to mend it.

I'm slowly making progress on my Right Around the Corner shawl.  Even though it is Christmas colors, it won't be done by Christmas Day.  It'll get tucked away for next year.

Work is extremely busy right now.  For the first time ever in my professional career (and we're talking over 35 years) I will be working between Christmas and New Year's.  Fortunately I'll be at home, but I think Ed and Blake will also be off so the house is going to be a bit noisy.  I might have to move my computer up to my sewing room to get away from the distractions.  I'm not enjoying working from home with this project.  Too many unknowns, including who I need to talk to to resolve the unknowns.  If we were all co-located I could walk over and ask someone.  Doesn't quite work the same being remote.

Busy, Busy Days

 Life has gotten very, very busy.

Ed had his shoulder replacement surgery three weeks ago.  This time it was his right shoulder.  Five and a half years ago it was his left.  He's doing pretty well with the recovery.  He only needed pain meds for about 3 days.  There has been a lot more swelling this time, but that may be due to the fact that he was a 'bleeder' during the operation.  Not sure exactly why that happened, but we will have to discuss this with the doctor for future reference.

I am now officially working full-time again.  Well, as full-time as I can be while being Ed's caregiver and chauffeur.  He is not cleared to drive so I have to take him to all of his doctor and therapy appointments.  I'm trying to get as close to 40 hours a week in that I can.  It'll be nice to have some positive cashflow.

As promised last time, here are photos of the Cozy Cardigan.

I have to still put buttons on it.  I meant to look for some at the fabric store the other day, but I forgot.  Then when I came home, I found some that I had bought years ago for another project but never used.  One of these days I'll sit down and put the buttons on.  In the meantime, I'll use a pin to keep it closed.

Working has put a dent into my knitting.  I have do a few projects that I'm actively working on, slowly.

The first is the Right Around the Corner shawl.

I'm using Destination Yarns Postcard base in the English Yew and St. Lucia Day in Sweden colorways.  I bought this yarn in 2020 on LYS Day when Destination Yarns was having a pop-up shop at The Nest at Yarnbyrds.  I doubt I will get this done by Christmas, but it will be a nice holiday shawl.  This is my current take-along project for when I have to sit in the car during Ed's appointments. 

After I finished the Cozy Cardigan, I cast on the Waverly sweater from Berroco.  

This sweater has a band of stranded colorwork at the waist and the cuffs of the sleeves.  I'm enjoying the colorwork and trying to take my time so that my tension isn't too tight.  I'm a little worried that I was too tight for a few rows.  I'm trying to consciously keep the tension loose now and crossing my fingers that the tight rows will block out enough. This project is definitely not mindless knitting.  I only work a few rows at a time.  Keeping my fingers crossed that I haven't made a major mistake.

I'm still chugging away on the Stacked Triangles afghan.

It is past the halfway point.  I'm still in the longest rows, but after 2 more rows each pass will get shorter as I approach the final corner.  I'm hoping I have enough yarn to finish this and don't have to order more.  Knit Picks had a Buy 3 Get 2 Free sale on this yarn the other day.  I should have ordered at least one more of each color just to be on the safe-side, but I didn't.  This needs to be finished by Christmas since it is a gift for Trisha and Craig.

My other projects that need to be finished by Christmas are throw quilts for Blake and Kristin.  I have the tops done.  Need to do the quilting on them now.  But working is getting in the way.  I see a few Christmas gifts that are going to be unfinished on Christmas morning.

On top of all this we are having Trisha and Craig's wedding celebration in December.  Most of the plans are complete.  Next weekend we need to make up the seating chart for the reception and the party favors.  I also need to figure out food for a few gatherings.  We are inviting our out of town family members over to the house for a Happy Hour the night before the wedding.  And then the next morning all of the girls will be here to have their hair and makeup done.  I'm going to have a brunch so that they aren't too starved during the ceremony.

Weekend Away

The upcoming months are going to be crazy.  November and December are usually extra busy in any year, with the holidays and birthdays for Trisha and Blake.  But this year it's going to be extra busy for a variety of reasons. Next week my husband is having shoulder replacement surgery.  I started my new job this week.  Trisha and Craig's postponed wedding celebration is in December.  Kristin bought a house and will be moving in the next month or so.

So, before we dove into all of those events, Ed and I decided to get away for a quick weekend trip to Florida.  Normally when we go to Orlando we stay at a Sheraton resort east of the Disney property.  This time Ed wanted to check out another resort, a Hilton resort in Kissimmee.

We flew down on Friday morning, getting a direct flight on Allegiant.  What we didn't realize, though, is that Allegiant didn't fly into the main Orlando airport, but Orlando Sanford airport.  It was an hour drive from the airport to the resort.

We got to the resort early afternoon.  After we ate lunch we changed into are bathing suits and relaxed by the pool for the rest of the day.

Saturday we drove onto the Disney property and went to what used to be called Downtown Disney.  Now it is called Disney Springs and is at least 3 times larger than what it was last time we were there.  It was an extremely hot, humid afternoon and I didn't enjoy walking around in the crowds.  So we headed back to the hotel and the pool.

Overnight a cold front blew through so Sunday was much more pleasant.  Another afternoon by the pool was in order.

Monday we woke in the middle of the night, drove back to the airport and caught a 6:00 am flight back home.  The above picture was taken halfway through the flight somewhere probably over Georgia or South Carolina.

After we got home Ed logged into work and I crawled into bed.  I napped for a couple hours with Squeaks next to my feet.  She really missed me us.  Shortly after I woke up I got a phone call from my vendor telling me that the contract that I've been waiting 7 months for had been signed and I could start work on Tuesday.

Now that I'm working, my knitting productivity is going to drop.  I finished the Cozy Cardigan this week while finishing binge-watching Shameless.  It's upstairs blocking on Blake's bed.  I still need to find buttons for the front.  I have a couple shawls on the needles.  One is a good mindless knit, but the other has sections that require some attention.  I want to cast on another sweater, but need to decide which one to grab from the stash.  Pictures of all discussed here will follow.

Intense Kitty Stare

This is the look of a cat intensely watching a stink bug crawl along the top of the wall.  Since the weather has cooled off we have been invaded by stink bugs.  I found one burrowed in a stack of fabric I had in the sewing room.  Yuck!  I don't let Squeaks catch them if I can help it.  I'm worried that if she were to eat one she'd get sick.  She has a sensitive stomach as it is.  Don't need those nasty things to aggravate her.

A little over a month ago I sent out a text to my husband and children asking them what they wanted me to make them for Christmas.  No one responded so I decided for myself.  I already have a quilt top done for Blake.  I'll finish that for him.   I'll post a picture once I get it finished.

 I found a pattern that I thought Kristin would like.  It's called Dusky Mountains from Connecting Threads.  I'm hoping since it is a modern quilt design that she'll like it.   I finished the top.  Now I need to buy the batting, backing and binding fabric.  I can't decide if I want to quilt this myself at home or rent some time on a long-arm machine at a local fabric store.

Trisha and Craig aren't getting a quilt.  That is because Trisha is making one herself.  Actually, she has sewn the squares of one and has asked me to put them together into the top.

But I am making them an afghan.  It's a corner to corner crochet pattern called Stacked Triangle by Living the Craft Life.  I'm using Knit Picks Wool of the Andes in worsted weight.  I added one extra column to each triangle to make it just a wee bit bigger.  I'm hoping it will be big enough that both of them can snuggle under it while watching television.

Squeaks approves of my choice of yarn.  She was upstairs when I spread the afghan out on the living room floor.  As soon as I did, she came running down and pounced on it.  My friend has been telling me that I need to make her a cat couch. If I do I'll probably use Wool of the Andes since she seems to like it so much.

In the meantime I'll make her a little blanket out of the leftovers from a cardigan I'm working one.  She really loves this yarn.  It is a wool-mohair mix.  

The pattern is Cozy Cardigan by Lis Barsuglia-Madsen of Heirlooms.  I'm using Bulky - 2 Ply from Yarn Hygge in colorway Cache Lake.  It is knitting up very fast and I should have a finished sweater in a week or two.  Just need to find some buttons.  

Because of the variegation of the yarn, I was getting some bad pooling on the sleeves.  The one of the right was the first sleeve that I knit.  I decided to do helical knitting on the second, starting at the point where the pooling started.  As you can see in the top photo, it yielded a one-row stripe, but I liked that much better than the pooling.  I am already imagining how I will style this with a my skinny jeans and a black long-sleeve t-shirt.

 

I Think I Broke My Cat

The other day I was sitting at the dining room table working on some paperwork when I glanced over at the front door.

Squeaks was laying on the floor in the sunshine looking like she was drunk and passed out.  I couldn't help but laugh.  She stayed that way long enough for me to get this picture but when I called Ed she moved.  Cats don't usually sleep very deeply.

Since I finished up a couple sweaters, I cast on a new batch of projects.  I don't have any pictures yet.

Last weekend Ed and I took a little trip up to Michigan.  We went up to the Traverse City area.

We stayed in a little cabin that was out in the middle of nowhere.  It was a cute place but a bit too far from Traverse City.  I made the mistake when I booked it, thinking it was closer.

We drove up to Traverse City for the day on Friday.

We visited the Old Mission Lighthouse.  While there we met a group of women who work for Ironman.  They noticed Ed's shirt as we walked by.  We chatted with them for a few minutes before making our way further down the beach.

From there we went to the Chateau Grand Traverse winery.  After trying a few wines in the tasting room, we sat on the patio and enjoyed a glass and charcuterie plate.  I am now obsessed with brie and fig jam.  It was like a dessert.  The almonds were pretty special too.  They weren't the normal type of almonds you find in the grocery store.

After the winery we went back into Traverse City and walked around the shops

There was a candy store that sold all kinds of sodas.  Can't say any of these flavors sound appealing to me.

When I was planning this trip I thought about making it a yarn hop.  There are plenty of shops between my house and Traverse City, but we ended up only stopping at one.  I'm trying to be more mindful of my yarn purchases.  Buying random skeins that languish in my stash just doesn't bring me joy anymore.  Now I'm only buying yarn for a specific project.  When I get home with the yarn, I put it in a Ziploc bag with a tag saying what pattern it is intended for.  That way when I do get around to knitting the project, I won't waste time trying to remember why I bought the yarn in the first place.

A good goal, I guess.

Word of the Day - Drapey

It is now September and I'm still not working full-time.  The project continues to be delayed.  Thankfully, the part-time project also is experiencing delays so I'm not totally without an income.  I'm not making much, but it does give me some spending money.

To fill all my free time, I'm sewing and knitting. A lot.

I made a top out of the indigo I dyed last month.  I used the Collins Top pattern by In The Folds.  What drew me to this pattern was the interesting construction.  Instead of just a front, back and sleeves, this pattern has multiple pieces for each element.  I thought it would be a good top to feature the different dye techniques I did.

Here is the front.  The center front is one panel with side panels.  The sleeves have 3 pieces each.  Two of the 3 are visible in this shot.

The back has a upper center panel and a lower center panel, along with side panels.   The back can be constructed with either a opening and button or seamed all the way up like I did.  The neck opening is large enough for either way.  If I had planned it better, I could have put the back center seam on a fold of the fabric and eliminated one seam.

I'm very pleased with the pattern and how it worked up with the fabric.  The only thing I'm not pleased about is the fabric itself.  As mentioned in my last blog, I used cotton muslin.  It is not as drapey as I would like.  As I wash and wear this top it should soften, but right now it sticks out like a tent on me.  Not a very flattering look.

The next top I sewed is the Scout Tee by Grainline Studio.  I used the Japanese batik I bought last month at Silk Road Textiles in Cincinnati.

I am completely thrilled with this top.  The construction was easy and it fits like a dream.  The fabric is also 100%  cotton, but isn't as stiff as the muslin I used for the indigo dyeing.  I definitely will be making more of these tops.

My next sewing project was an adaptation.  I used the Concord T-Shirt from Cashmerette to make a dress for myself.

I have a J Jill dress that I absolutely love.  It uses panel print fabric and fits like a dream.  I've been thinking about replicating the dress and went so far as tracing it onto interfacing for a hacked pattern.

While shopping at JoAnn's a couple months ago, I found a jersey panel print.  I bought 3 yards, thinking I'll use that for my hacked dress.

While digging through my craft room looking for some things else, I stumbled upon the Concord T-Shirt pattern that I bought a couple years ago.  I hadn't used it yet and decided I'd try making a dress using the panel jersey.  My thought was that if it didn't work out, I wasn't out much money because I bought the fabric on sale.

The pattern is only for shirts, but I used the J Jill dress to extend the hemline down to dress-length.  It took a little experimenting with my machine to get it to sew nicely with the jersey.  It was a definite learning process.

I am quite pleased with the final result.  The dress fits nicely and is soft and drapey, like I was hoping it would be.  I do need to practice sewing necklines a bit more.  It is puckering slightly.  I think I should have cut the neckline just a bit long so it won't draw in the bodice as much.

I am definitely going to use this pattern again.  Cashmerette specializes in patterns for curvy figures.  This T-Shirt pattern is sized for women with C through H cup sizes.

In and around all this sewing I managed to finish two sweaters.

Relax is finally finished, blocked, dried and in my closet waiting for cooler weather to be worn.  I was able to block it out enough that it has a nice drape.  As I was knitting this I was worried that the fabric would be itchy.  But the yarn bloomed nicely and seems to be soft and not scratchy.

I also finished the Pajama Cardigan.  Since it is made out of a cotton silk blend, it is getting used now.  This sweater is getting a lot of use in the evenings as Ed and I watch television.  The chair I normally sit in is near the back windows, which let in a cool breeze now that the weather has shifted to more autumn-like temperatures. 

My brother Joe has been visiting this weekend.  I promised him a train ride for his birthday.  On Saturday we drove over to Perry County to visit the Zanesville and Western Scenic Railway.

The railway is owned and operated by a couple of guys.  They lease the track from the state of Ohio and as a result are responsible for maintaining it.  Because of limited funds, they only have a couple miles operational at this time.  They are seeking funds so that they can repair the several trestles along the line.  

Joe and I were the only ones on the 2:00 ride, so they let us explore the entire train.  Joe was excited to see a caboose.  Here we are looking out the back of the train.  The rest of the train consists of a gondola car, an open-air car and a diesel engine.  We weren't able to see the engine.  Joe had his choice of where to sit.  He chose to sit inside and look out a window as we passed through the trees

On Sunday we went to a baseball game.

The Columbus Clippers didn't win, but Joe loved being at the ballpark.  We were 10 rows up from the dugout, close enough to see and hear all the action.

I'm starting to plan my Christmas projects.  When I stumbled on the Concord T-Shirt pattern in my craft room, I was actually looking for an unfinished quilt I am making for Blake.  I have the front and the back done, so now I have to get it quilted.  This will be his Mom-made Christmas gift.  I am going to make a quilt for Kristin also.  The blocks are large which should be easy enough to put together.  Trisha and Craig are going to get a crocheted afghan.  That afghan is my current television-watching project.

As mentioned, the weather is getting cooler, which makes me very happy.  My windows are open and I'm going to take a walk outside to enjoy more fresh air.

 

Indigo, Chickadees and a Long-term Project

 Hello!  It appears I am only getting around to blogging about once a month.  Life has been busy.

After my last post, my enabler and I went to a sewing expo in Akron.  We took several classes.  Two were hands-on classes where we made bags and the other was a lecture on cloning your own clothes.  The expo was sponsored by all of the major machine manufacturers.  We did not have to bring our machines with it, they were provided.  Classes involved test driving the nice, high end sergers and sewing machines.  Now, of course, I want to upgrade mine.

After we checked out of the hotel we took the scenic route home through Amish country.

We made an unplanned stop at the Smucker's store in Orrville.  I grabbed a few things, including my favorite - apricot preserves.

Then we headed to Lehman's in Kidron.  We call it the Amish IKEA.  It has everything, from wood-burning stoves to root beer.  The kitchen section is amazing; every gadget you can think of.  I grabbed a new vegetable scrubber, a tea towel and a 6-packet of root beer for Ed.

I'm still waiting for my official start date for the new job.  I was told it would be July, but it is now August.  I hope it starts soon because I bought a new car and have a payment coming at the end of this month.  The part-time job I'm doing for my vendor is keeping me busy, so it will cover things, but that is going to end in about a month.

On the knitting front I'm trying to finish up a couple projects.  I have the fronts, back and sleeves finished for the Pajama Cardigan.  I sewed one side.  I need to motivate myself to get the other side sewn and then do the button band.  It should actually be called the buttonless band because I don't intend to put any buttons on it.  If I have enough yarn left over, I might knit a belt to use to tie the cardigan closed since it will fit more like a bathrobe than a sweater.

The Relax sweater got pulled out of its long hibernation.  Since I've gained weight since I started this project (can't remember how many years ago that was; at least 5!) I decided the armholes needed to be a bit bigger.  I had finished the back and had most of the front done.  I think I shoved it aside because even back then I was doubting the fit of the sleeves.  I finished the front panel to the size I think I need now, then ripped back the shoulder shaping on the back.  I am now knitting the back to the same length as the front.  Once I get both panels matching, I'll reknit the shoulder shaping and tackle the sleeves.  I should have a finished sweater by the cooler weather.

A small, local fabric/yarn shop has offered a few classes that have piqued my interest.

I took a block printing class.  I absolutely loved it!  I was the only person who signed up for that session so I had a private lesson.  It was great to have one-on-one instruction.  I carved the linoleum block and then stamped it on a tea towel.  Despite the few shadowy parts, I am quite pleased with my first attempt.  The instructor commented at the end that she was worried that I picked a too-complicated design. That's typical of me, though.  When I try something, I jump in with both feet.

The other class I took as a Shibori dyeing class.  The instructor brought the already-made up vats of indigo.  Each student brought 3 yards of cotton to dye.  I tore my yardage into 4 pieces so that I could try different techniques for creating resist.  As with the block print, I am really pleased with the results. Yesterday I found I blouse pattern that will work wonderfully for featuring each of these panels.  Stay tuned for a new garment soon.

Time to hope off now.  The daily stand-up meeting for the 'babysitting' project is in a few minutes.

Travels and Family Time

 I seem to only get around to posting once a month.  It's not that my life is so busy.  I just don't think about the blog that often.  I've noticed other bloggers are not as frequent also.  Maybe blogging is going out of style.

I finally received word that I will be starting work in August.  The contract negotiations for the project my vendor submitted me on are now complete.  We are only waiting for the purchase order to get issued.  Hopefully that won't take too long.  My vendor is hoping I can start on August 2.

Trisha and I went to Tennessee for a few days.  We stayed in Franklin and explored the area.

We found a cute coffee shop in Franklin before browsing all of the shops in town.

In Nashville we toured the Country Music Hall of Fame, walked the pedestrian bridge over the Cumberland River and had lunch at Jason Aldean's restaurant.  Country music isn't my favorite genre but I did see a couple of John Denver's gold records.  

On our last afternoon we found a beautiful winery where we enjoyed a wine flight and the beautiful views.

Fourth of July weekend was a busy one.  My oldest sister, Mary Anne, came to visit from New Jersey.  It had been since Christmas 2019 since we saw each other.  My brother, Joe, spent a few days with me before I took him back to Cincinnati.  I also go to meet a couple family members that were born during COVID times.  Frankie is my first great-niece who is now 14 months old and Finn is fourth great-nephew, born in May.  Both are absolutely adorable and make me anxious to become a grandma.

Blake moved back to Cincinnati on Friday.  He isn't completely healed from his surgery, but is well enough that he doesn't need me to do wound care any longer.  He is moving from the UC campus area to an apartment in the far northern suburban section of Cincinnati.  I'm very glad he is getting away from the UC area and into a cleaner, more grown-up environment.  Ed and I aren't going to be able to help him move, but we hope to drive down to visit his new place soon.

On the knitting front, I've been spending most of my time on 3 projects.  

First is a pair of socks using Arne and Carlos' Mountain and Fjord collection. If I say so myself, I'm doing a fantastic job of making this into identical twin socks.

Once I am done with the socks I am going to make a cat toy out of the remaining yarn because Squeaks is fascinated by this yarn.  Saturday after coming back from running an errand, I found my knitting on the floor of the sunroom and a very guilty looking kitty hiding under the settee.

 

I am also nearing the finish line of the Pajama Cardigan by The Autumn Acorn.  I am working the sleeves two-at-a-time so that they come out the same and I avoid 'second sleeve/sock' syndrome.

My last active project actually isn't knitting.  I'm slowly crocheting flowers for the Arne and Carlos Astri Floral Throw.  I'm using some Knit Picks Palette that I have had in my stash for a very long time.  This is a slow project because it calls for 18 flowers in each of 18 different colorways.  I am also thinking about improvising a few leaf motifs to place randomly in the throw.  I think that will make it look more like a flower garden.  I'll have to make sure they have the same size and general shape so that they fit into the throw without distorting the rows.

Occassionally the neighbor's cat shows up on our front porch.  The cat's name is Topaz, but we call her Squeaks' Buddy.

Saturday morning I found her looking in the front door.  I made me laugh because it reminded me of when my siblings and I were kids and we ran over early to play at a neighbor's house how to play.  I could just imagine the kitty saying "Hi!  Can Squeaks come out to play?"

We don't let Squeaks outside (don't want to deal with the health issues that go along with an outdoor cat) so Squeaks and Topaz have to just visit through the door.  I wonder if they communicate somehow while they are staring at each other.  Occasionally one of them will roll around on the floor.  Neither seems to behave aggressively so I think they may get along fine if they were to be together.  I'm not going to test that theory.  Best to let them hang out this way and not tempt trouble.