What color is your roof?

I have to laugh as I was reading someone else's blog post this morning, and they talked about how their dog, Jade, didn't like things moved around and was out of sorts! That's just like me! I don't mind the furniture being moved, but I find it incredibly hard to focus when there are work people in my house. No idea why -- I don't mind them coming and going, but it's just darn distracting. I think it's because I have to keep the girls entertained or out of the way, and that's a HUGE job. I've been lucky to have access to the backyard, but the backyard will be off-limits for the rest of the week. Sigh...........

Hence, I'm not too productive this week when I should be cranking out all kinds of stuff since I don't have much on the schedule. 

I made a list of outside (in the car) errands to do, and I accomplished a couple of those. 

First, I checked my labeler. OH MY  - it does have a spot to plug it in. 

The labeler can be used with an AC Adapter

I even searched the place where I store cords to see if I could find one, but I didn't. Then I searched online to see if I could find an adapter that fit this labeler; it's probably an antique by the electronics standards of today. YES -- I could find one, and I checked the stock at my local Staples, and they had one in stock. Oh, happy day -- I need to go to Staples anyway (more on that another day). 

My new AC Adapter for the labeler

So I was off to Staples to get the AC-Adapter. As I searched the cords, I thought it would be an excellent idea to label all those darn cords, so it's easier to know if the cord is still worth keeping. It's incredible how many cords can accumulate in a short time. 

When I was looking for the AC-Adapter, I saw all the different kinds of label cartridges that you can buy. There was even one made explicitly for labeling cords. Why it's different from the other - I've no idea, but I'm going to get myself one!! I didn't buy any cartridges as I have to go back today to get the thing I dropped off. And I wanted to be sure that those cartridges would work in my labeler. It seems that all of the cartridges work in most of the labelers. Thank Brother for making that happen; otherwise, the inventory of cartridges would be a nightmare!

So now my labeler has an AC Adapter. And thanks to the Monday sewing group for that. 

My labeler with an adapter

While I was out, and since Chapters (Indigo) was nearby and I had a few extra minutes, I stopped in to check out the magazines. WOW -- COVID has undoubtedly had a HUGE impact on this item. The racks are practically bare. But at least, it allows them to keep everything neat and tidy and easy to see the titles. 

The rack of quilting magazine 

There certainly isn't the selection there used to be, and the bottom part of that rack is puzzle magazines. There are some knitting and sewing magazines one section over, but it's all pretty slim. I didn't buy anything, but I might stop again when I go back to Staples, or I might see if they have the same publication at the Indigo near me so I can do that on a walk. 

Speaking of inventory, when I was at Staples, I looked at a new keyboard for my computer. It's not that old -- well, probably a couple of years now. I love it, but I've worn the darn letters off the keys, and when I touch-type, I'm good, but when I try to find an individual letter - that's a challenge. They didn't have much in stock. I might try Best Buy later today and see if they have something. It's not urgent, and it's something I could buy online, but I like to TOUCH and get the feel of the keyboard. It seems that there are "new" keyboards with what looks like round Chiclets for keys, and I think they call them POP keys. 

A POP key keyboard

And darn it -- I forgot to look for a new mouse pad! I need two of them. Where's my list? I want a particular kind of keyboard; I'll show you tomorrow. I love it, and I think I would find it difficult to go back to a straight keyboard!

And now for the window update. So far, so good, and the window extraction is going better than the first three. The guys mentioned they learned a "new" technique to make it easier to get the windows out. Just like us when we are sewing. If one way doesn't work, then you try another. So only two negative things about the install so far. This piece of trim came with the rounded window for the living room. It was an extra piece of trim that we wouldn't have for the rest of the windows, so we ditched it. But how much did it cost me to have that trim made? It's the curving of it that makes it expensive. I paid a lot of money for the trim on that curved window, which is part of it! I'm sure in the scheme of things, this part wasn't costly and, in total, a mere tiny fraction of the overall cost. I'm not even going to mention it - it's not worth the hassle. 

Excess trim

OK -- so I NEED to find a way to get a better internet connection in Studio U. I mean, this window is to die for!!! And with no glass in there - and with a super sunny day, it's glorious!!! I have tried a WiFi booster, but that didn't seem to make any difference, but I'm going to try it again because, seriously -- this is THE place to sew in my house. And if I can't Zoom from the room, I can undoubtedly sew on my own up there. 

The window in Studio U

Notice what we did with the windows -- we went from that grill to nothing. And I swear when I stand in front of my living room window, I feel exposed, and I've never felt that before - probably because the windows had all kinds of dog slobber all over them. But the windows seem bigger somehow. I know with new technology and materials, they can make the frames smaller and well -- I would agree. Since we decided this would be the only time we get new windows, we went top of the line and bought wood for the front, and we got fiberglass for the rest of the house. That allowed the window frames to be smaller, so more light! 

The old and the new

Anyway -- it does make a difference. Hmm -- could I get Studio U in shape for the Virtual Retreat this weekend? 

I'll post the links at the end of today's post. 

Oh shoot -- the other "bad" thing that happened yesterday was I had to move DH's car from the driveway so they could park the trailer. Well - his car is quite old - I think it's 14 or 15 years and well - if you've been following me, you know the story about can we share one car or not? NOT! He offered to take my car, and I could get a new one -- not sure about that. Other than the navigation system, I do like my car - my main criteria for any vehicle is that it's fuel-efficient, and my Corolla is very efficient. 

All that to say that I had trouble starting his car. And the fumes were enough to kill someone. Those fumes stuck in my throat for a LONG, LONG time yesterday morning. 

It will die soon, and I think we need to be looking NOW for a car. We must have a conversation tonight to decide what to do. That was disgusting. 

I've added the keyboard and the mousepads to my shopping list. I do have a small quilt to quilt this morning - I was just too distracted to do it yesterday, and I have a meeting this afternoon. We had our virtual lunch yesterday, which was fun. You have to love it as you can get whatever you want to eat and no one needs to agree on a restaurant!! I picked up Harvey's, which was why I was out in the car. Harvey's is a hamburger joint and my favorite place for fast food for those who don't know. 

I did get some sewing done, but I'm not ready to share it with you yet, hopefully by tomorrow. 

Oh shoot -- I was going to share the roof story with you. HEY -- if you have heavy winds, you need to check your roof. I see some houses with shingles gone - down to the plywood, and I bet they have no clue. I contemplated knocking on their door and asking them if they knew. Anyway -- I called a roofing company on the weekend. They were open on Sunday, and that's a good sign after a windstorm. I got a call back that day to say someone would call me to come and look. 

The guy called on Monday and asked if I still wanted them to come. I suppose people call multiple roofers to see who will come first? Anyway, two guys showed up amid all the window kerfuffle. He had asked me on the phone, "what color is the roof?" AH -- that would be black or charcoal or DARK -- it's dark. 

When I was outside talking to him, I glanced up - OH GOD -- our roof isn't dark at all. It's grey or light grey. For someone who prides themselves on details, this was a fail - especially in the world of color. We had a good laugh over it, and he happened to have the color of shingle in the truck, so we were good. Two shingles had blown away, and everything else seemed to be OK. You can't even tell where he replaced the shingles. 

So hopefully, tomorrow, I'll be sharing my learning curve story with you, and I hope to have some sewing show and tell. 

Now here are the links for the Virtual Retreat. Please note the slightly later start time on Sunday as I have a UFO club that morning. It's because the Virtual Retreat fell on Christmas Day, and I thought you might all be a bit busy! BUT speaking of that, there will be a Virtual Retreat on Boxing Day (December 26), so that more than makes up for that!! I'll be posting the links and reminding you of the dates. 

Saturday, December 18, 6 PM -- whenever

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

Sunday, December 19 NOON - whenever (PLEASE NOTE THE DIFFERENT START TIME

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

Nothing happened in the administration world yesterday, so maybe later tonight. I need to learn to work better with work people in the house. If I don't, there are only three more days. They have almost completed the front with 10 windows - there's still missing trim and painting inside. That leaves 16 windows to do, but they are smaller and hopefully not as complicated. We'll see how it goes today. In the meantime, things are still everywhere, and I don't plan to start putting anything back until they are gone. And then the big purge will begin. 

And I cannot believe how fortunate we have been with the weather. We always talk about the bad things, but we need to emphasize the good. And the timing of this job has been impeccable. 

And thanks to Elle, who agrees with me about choosing room colors. Beige is a good option, although we need to repaint to refresh the house. It's been 25 years for some of the rooms, and that's a bit long! 

Have a super day -- I'm off to spin class. 

Ciao!!!