A perfect day

 Yesterday was about as close to a perfect day as you could get! The temperature was perfect; there was zero humidity, and the sky was blue with little wind. I had no appointments or immediate deadlines, so I got to do what I wanted, and well -- it doesn't get any better! 

I hopped on my bike to get some KMs. I went zipping around the city again, and I swear it was like being a kid. I was out exploring! There is so much more open to you on a bike than in a car. First, in a vehicle, you must keep your eyes on the road. OK -- so you have to with a bike as well, probably more so, but if you're on a bike path, there is less danger until you cross the street. 

Have you noticed how many more people have decided that instead of making a left turn, they will turn right and then make an immediate U-turn so they don't have to wait for the left turn? I've noticed since the pandemic started that it has become a widespread practice. So much that someone nearly clipped my wheel yesterday. I was about to push off the sidewalk when he drove right in front of me (he turned on a red light). Thankfully, I was on my toes, but I was too startled to even yell at him. GRRR!!!!

I did some exploring and found new bike lanes, and I also went geocaching. I really need to get a handlebar mount for my phone. 

I hate the caches that are hanging in trees. Can you spot the cache? 

There's a geocache in the trees

The tree caches are very tricky, and the notes tell you to be inconspicuous as the tree is along a busy street and right beside a parking lot that I assume during the week is pretty busy as well. To top it off, I'm now wearing a bright orange bike helmet!!!

How about now? Can you spot the cache? It's near the center of the photo -- a small brown tube. 

The geocache container

Geocaching never ceases to amaze me that with the coordinates (longitude and latitude) and our phones, we can get to any spot on earth! How cool is that? 

So I've been chatting a lot about decluttering, and this is another area that drives me crazy! The amount of visual clutter on any public surface. A brand new mailbox goes up, and within hours (or so it seemed), someone had plastered their signs on it. Is nothing sacred anymore? 

Visual clutter on the mailbox

And the worst part is that most of the signs get left up, becoming an eyesore. Months ago, I spotted signs around the neighborhood that someone had lost their cockatiel. OK -- I get it, but do they need to stay there forever? I feel like calling the number and saying -- can you come and take your mangled signs down. 

Hideous missing pet signs

And for those people who are conscientious about putting their garbage in the garbage can, this one is an eyesore. I need to send this picture to the city as it is their garbage can. This is in a busy spot and perhaps needs to be emptied a bit more often than what is on the schedule. Don't worry; Miss Lexi got a little sniff while I was taking the picture, but she never gets to linger!

An eyesore of a garbage bin

I had to laugh on the morning walk as well. The night before, the gas price had dropped significantly, and before moving my car into the neighbor's driveway for the night, I decided to top up the tank. A first for me as the tank was still half full. Of course, there was a lineup that didn't take long, but for some reason, it was a challenge to pay at the pumps, and they were completely sold out of all levels of gas except Supreme. So yep - we got supreme gas for the price of regular. This morning when I passed that gas station, it was completely sold out and was waiting for a delivery. 

The gas station is SOLD OUT

It was such a lovely day that it was time to crack open a new pair of socks. I would love to go barefoot, but our house has ceramic floors, and my feet just can't hack that. So I'm destined to wear socks. It took a while to get used to them as I was a barefoot girl forever. But my feet hurt much less when wearing socks. 

NEW socks

After the bike ride, a shower, lunch, and loading the next quilt on the long arm, I decided it was too lovely to be in the house, so I popped out to the gazebo with a book and my water. I mean, it was a perfect day to lounge around. The tinkle of the windchime and the babbling waterfall soon had me asleep. 

The view from the gazebo

When I pushed back my lounge chair and looked up, I spotted a hole in the roof. It was recently fixed, but not good enough. The problem is that the shingles are so brittle, and this is in a tough spot to reach that the shingle didn't get nailed down properly, or those darn pesky squirrels moved it again. I blame the insistent squirrels. 

A wee hole in the roof

As I was lounging, I spotted many butterflies and a HUMMINGBIRD. Wait a minute -- we have nothing in our yard for hummingbirds, and I had never seen one before. And where was Murphy? Well, it was a perfect day for her, and she was tucked up somewhere quiet for several hours. Now, what was going on? I thought several times about checking on her, but she never gets into trouble when she's silent, so I wasn't too worried. And then I spotted her sitting in the shade beside the shed. Good dog, Murphy! There were zero requests to play ball. 

Murphy just chilling

Until I went outside after dinner. And then the pesky pup was at it in full force. MOM -- play ball with me. And she is super intelligent. When she drops the ball too far away, I show her my hand and point at the ball and tell her that I can't reach it. Next thing I know, she has dropped the ball within my reach, as if to say -- OK, lazy pants, here's the ball. Now throw it!!

That is fine, but when she really wants my attention, she drops the ball under the deck where she can't get it and then barks, so I will come to her. What an intelligent dog!!!!!

Mom -- the ball is UNDER the deck

And despite all my lazing, I got the next customer quilt done!! The camera angle makes it look like a giant quilt, and it's 85" square. Two more are on my list, and then I will take a break for a few days. 

Customer quilt - done

There is a pesky fly here this morning which is driving me crazy!! But now it's time to get to spin class. 

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

And NO -- I did NOT touch any paperwork, so I'm behind!