Little mermaid, 4

I just love the way her tail looks in person.  All those smyrna crosses add such texture.  Of course, they also take longer to execute than many other stitches (says Miss Instant Gratification).  I have started stitching the sand in diagonal mosaic.

My reading in the summer is usually nonfiction, heavy on biography and memoirs (such as a biography of Iphigene Sulzburger whose family owns the New York Times).  However, Monday I picked up my paperback copy of Mrs. Frisby and the rats of NIMH by Robert O'Brien.  It won the Newbery Award in children's literature and is just delightful.  I reread it every couple of years because it gives me such warm fuzzy feelings.  It has subtle messages (and some not so subtle) about cooperation among different groups,  joining forces against a common adversary, stereotyping, and so much more.  Who would have thought I'd be proud of a rat or a mouse?  If you've never read it, I highly recommend it to you.