Play ball with ME

 The spin class went well! There were no issues with the knee, so that was good, and no swelling at the end, so that's even better. I'm going to have to move indoors for the walking as it would appear all that concrete isn't doing my knee any favors! 

A good number of the regulars were in the class, and our favorite instructor - Joseph! A big round of applause ended the class - I think everyone was excited to be back. It was hard to get going, but I ended up doing 27 KM, where I would normally do 30 KM. But that's OK. The only problem? Those KM do NOT count towards any of my challenges. The FitBit doesn't register the motion of the bike or very little. Now I could if I wanted, but the challenges weren't set up to reflect cycling distances. 

Then back to walk the girls and get on with the day. It was a pretty productive day, so that was good. More writing is done, but I'm behind on finishing the homework assignments. I'm going to try this weekend, but it's Virtual Retreat this weekend, so it will be tough to find some free time. 

Here's the Zoom link for Saturday, July 24, from 6 PM - 9 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

And here's the link for Sunday, July 25, from 10 AM - 8 PM

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87246635892?pwd=VGY1cUUyLzRaRi9VUVV2ZWFINXc2dz09 Meeting ID: 872 4663 5892 Passcode: 440473

I signed up for a T-shirt class via Zoom, and the first part was yesterday. We learned all about fitting a T-shirt, and I placed the order for my pattern and the fabric last night. It's a couple of weeks before the next class, so I have time to organize things, which won't take that long. 

Then I was back at the long arm and the sewing machine. Here's a couple of recent quilts. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Customer quilt - DONE

OK --- so I have a crazy dog - well, two of them. Lately, I've been finding this in my living room. No -- it isn't what you think it is at first glance. 

A brown lump

It's actually a rock! Now, who do you think brings rocks into the house? Yes - that would be Murphy. But where are these rocks coming from? We don't really have rocks in our backyard, and certainly not like this. 

Then I checked a bit closer, and they are stealing these from the neighbor! Yes -- I see them sniffing at the base of the fence that joins the two properties, and they must be able to dig the rocks through the fence. 

The rocks from the neighbor's yard

The little monkeys! We have all this space in our backyard and lots of fun things to play with, but NO - they want what is on the other side of the fence. I guess the grass is greener on the other side of the fence applies to dogs as well. 

With all this rain, the fungi in the forest have grown like wildfire, and I've been taking some pictures. Usually with Murphy at my side - well, way in front of me on her leash. I ask her to STOP, and then she realizes we're going to take pictures, so I swear she zeroes in right where the fungi are located. So I have to remind her to get out of the way so I can take a picture. 

Now she has never once destroyed what I was going to take a picture of. However, she had a good laugh at my expense the other day because I went to take a picture after she got out of the way. As I bent down to get a ground-level shot, my sunglasses fell off and broke the cap off!! 

A ruined fungi

Sigh.....................   Oh yes -- she was quite excited because I BROKE that and not her! She's trying to say that she's a good dog? 

By the way, there's still a pile of paperwork strewn on the floor, while the desktop is a bit tidier. And this is what Murphy thinks of the paperwork. "If I lie here, the paperwork will disappear and then Mom can come and play ball with me." All that dog thinks about is her ball! "Let's play ball in the morning. Let's play ball at lunch. Let's play ball at dinner!" Any time of day is the right time to play ball!!

"Mom - I don't see any paperwork!"

One of the balls was just out of sight in that photo. 

I was checking the Google maps on the Appalachian Trail. I'm still in New Hampshire, ready to move into Maine (the last state!) by next week. There are not many roads in that area, but the viewpoints are mapped or at least tagged with a photo that someone has uploaded. Isn't that just the most bizarre thing? Here's the view from one of the lookouts!

A viewpoint on the Appalachian Trail

Oh my -- I went to the library to pick up some books yesterday. YES -- I went right into the library!!! Wow - that felt weird but so nice to be getting back to normal with everything. Except for wearing a mask, I feel that things are pretty much back to normal (for ME). 

Here's a tip about reading. I'm currently listening to an audiobook and have a physical book on the go. Oh yes -- I may not get as much time in to read, but I'm grabbing some ME time even though I have a ton of deadlines. No time for the gazebo, though, these days. 

Anyway, both books are spy novels. Lots of action and lots of bad guys. I wouldn't recommend it as it's confusing. Which book did which character appear in? What are they searching for? Gold? Shipwrecks, lots of action, and well, it's hard to keep them straight! The next two will NOT both be spy novels. 

And another busy day looms ahead. The next quilt is loaded and ready to go. No major events or appointments today - so I'll be at that sewing machine trying to get all the homework done today! Good luck with that! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!