Wearing many hats

Nothing is more satisfying than entering the kitchen in the morning and seeing a dishwasher full of clean dishes. 

The dishwasher cycle is finished!

I had to put on my appliance repair hat because this happened. 

The night before, M loaded some stuff in the dishwasher and I suspect there was a LOT of food left on the plates. I woke up to an F11 error message on the dishwasher. OK -- no big deal, I've dealt with that before. Oh no! The dishwasher was filled with greasy, orange water. ICK!! I shut the door and would deal with it later. 

Finally, at lunchtime, I had some time to scoop out the water and clean the primary filter filled with debris and that orange grease from some food she had. Double ICK! 

Just before dinner, I finally had time to get the gizmo out in the drain section, and YEP -- there was a lot of debris in that thing. 

The ball bearing in the drain system

Well, I'm getting good at removing that little thing, but I struggled to get it back in. I didn't remember it being so hard to replace. Then I remember, it rolls to the right to remove, so ROLL it to the left to put back in. Don't force it from the top. Will I remember that? It doesn't matter -- I figured it out, the dishwasher ran, and everything is nice and clear. The orange ICK is gone. 

Then I had to put on my wild animal removal hat because this happened. 

In the afternoon, I discovered why Murphy has been under the weather. Sorry -- you don't get to see a closeup of this picture. 

Murphy carrying a prize encased in snow

Needless to say, I saw her prancing around the backyard with a big chunk of snow. What???? Upon a second glance, I realized there was something in that chunk of snow. Fortunately, she dropped it without much fuss, and I got my shovel and heaved it over the fence. Usually, the girls do NOT eat what they kill, but with Murphy's horrible flatulence, I suspect she ate part of it. Does that even the score? Rabbit 1 (for trapping Murphy under the deck) and Murphy 1 for taking revenge on the rabbit? 

I'm sure there are more where that came from. Sigh..................   She gets the last bit of chicken this morning, and hopefully, she is good. The gas seems to have passed. No pun intended! OK -- pun intended!!!

And then there's cute Little Bear, who seems to have stolen Murphy's new bed. This is the bed that will go on the new raised platform. He likes it because it's soft and cushy, and he almost sinks into the edges of it! I hope Murphy will sleep on it. 

Little Bear in Murphy's bed

Then I had my technology hat on. And I guess my teacher hat and my free motion quilting hat. 

I taught the first of a two-session class on Free Motion Quilting. I wasn't worried if things would go well as if you are prepared and know your stuff, what can go wrong? Nothing! But I did have a full house on the call, and I must say that everyone behaved nicely! 

My setup to teach a Zoom class

I had three cameras going, my laptop, a sewing machine, and I monitored the whole show on my iPad. There was just enough room on the table to make that happen, but I had to get a stool to sit on; that darn tripod for the camera takes up a lot of room! 

The setup worked beautifully, and I was thrilled with the class. I have to say that I'm pretty proud of myself for making all that work. I got some fantastic feedback (thanks to everyone who participated). I think it went exceptionally well. There's so much that one could teach and say about free-motion quilting. I'm in the midst of getting out the notes and their homework assignment to them. Hopefully, I'll finish right after I walk the dogs. I need to get that off my plate. 

Dare I say this, but I think the free motion class was ALMOST better than in person. Why? Well, each student could have all their personal setup without carting a ton of stuff to class. I could show closeups of what I was doing, which I can't do in person. And I didn't have to pack anything either. They had time to do the assignments on their machines. Yep --- I'd be tempted to do this on Zoom going forward!!

BUT here's the thing  -- many people do NOT know their sewing machine! Things like dropping the feed teeth, setting the tension or the speed control, or what presser feet are used for what! You know what I'm going to say --- get out your User's Guide and READ IT. Take a small section each day and read it!!! 

And still, with the technology hat on, I finally got a chance to install our new wi-fi booster system in the house. Someone told me it's so easy -- you just plug them in. Well, NO -- it wasn't quite that easy -- it took at least a half-hour. Unplug, then plug, but didn't tell you where to plug the wires, so I had to Google that. Then some of the boosters didn't pair up right away, so I had to redo that part. And then one we had to install using the serial number. Thankfully, M was standing there so she could read the teeny tiny script and give me the number. 

The new wi-fi booster system

I haven't had a chance to test it out and see if it makes the wi-fi better or worse in the house. I didn't really have an issue, except in Studio U. The internet works, but it is very weak, and I can't Zoom from there. I want to sew in that room during Monday sewing, but with the old system, that was impossible. I'm hoping this will make it better. 

The only thing I don't like is that these things don't plug directly into the wall - there's a cord attached. Oh well, we'll manage. 

Then just as I was going to start making dinner, M wanted a ride across the city to have dinner with her friend. I know she had hinted a couple of times during the day, but I had a busy day. I finally said yes, but I also gave her a task. Nothing is free - not even for your children. Her friend's boyfriend works in the television industry, and he worked on the set of The Great Canadian Baking Show. YES --- how could I refuse to drive her when she could pump the boyfriend for information? So we talked about reality shows on the way there and the baking show specifically. I had some very specific questions. I'll let you know what I find out!

Let's see -- I also wore the dog walking hat, the personal walking hat, the shovel-a-bit more snow from the driveway hat, and probably one or two others as well. I must say that our driveway isn't as clean as it should be. Somehow I got lax in that department, but the sidewalk is clear, and hopefully, the sun will melt more today. I'll be out there, cleaning it better, now that I have a pretty quiet day. 

I have to share this video with you. It's about the weather in Canada, and it's hilarious. And it's so true. I check the weather app each day, and I'm looking for the +one!

I did NOT even turn on a sewing machine other than the one I used for my class. There wasn't time, and I hope to get to the embroidery machine and the sewing machine later today. I have one easy session this morning. No prep required!

On that note -- I'm out of here to see which hats I'll be wearing today. Hopefully, it'll only be one or two, not many! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!