Stalked in the forest!

I'm almost up-to-date with things! What a wonderful feeling knowing I can start the week with very little on the overdue list! I have one more follow-up to finish this morning from the weekend Zooms. There have been so many questions to answer or additional information to provide, so that is good. But there also seem to be questions about stuff we've already covered! OH -- I sure hope people go back and review the slides I send each month. It's a lot of information, and sometimes, it's a challenge to grasp everything the first time. 

If they are asking questions, I hope they are reviewing what I send! But above all -- the biggest issue is needing to understand what their sewing machine can do! It's amazing how many people do not understand the functions of their sewing machines - SIMPLE functions on the function panel! I'll be running a Zoom class (through Carellen's Sewing in Winnipeg) on that topic in March. I'll give you more information so you can sign up. Although it's for PFAFF, the information could be translated to another machine. DO NOT be afraid of the manual!

I made good progress on the article and need to finish it today! And then it's time to work on the new stuff this week. I'm trying a new method of organizing my time based on what's in the calendar and, in some cases, looking forward to the following week if I think extra prep time is required. How positively proactive I am!!! So far, the system is working. OK -- so I did it for one week! 

I will say one thing about my computer since I've cleaned everything. It's FAST!!! I can send an e-mail, and it syncs almost immediately. Saving files, moving files, and pretty much anything else happens FAST. I've never had a problem with Outlook freezing, either. OH -- silly me. I guess it was protesting that it had ZERO room to work. Now that it's got room to work, it's much happier. Yep - digital decluttering is essential! 

I'm keeping an eye on the whole thing now and checking that nothing is clogging up the space. 

Little Bear and I were walking in the forest, minding our business, when we realized we were being stalked! By what? Have a look. 

Our stalker

Technically, we weren't being stalked, but this guy had zero qualms about following us on the path. Then he scooted into the forest, checking for food. Finding nothing interesting, he zipped back to the path to follow us. At one point, I grabbed Little Bear, held him in my arms, stepped OFF the path, and let the skunk zip past. He was on a mission and covered the same ground faster than Bear. That little guy just has to stop and sniff EVERYTHING. 

This skunk also looked well-fed - haven't they been hibernating? They've been up for weeks, so they have filled out. Thankfully, Bear saw the skunk and not one of the other two. I love the skunk's defense system. If he thought we were doing something we shouldn't be, he turned to face us! Which is GOOD!! He evaluated the situation, didn't sense danger, and kept going. But if he had sensed danger - well, we would have seen his butt, I'm sure! 

Not only did we meet the skunk, but the forest was quiet. I don't think we saw a single person. That was from 7:30 - 8:00 AM. Then, with Murphy (8:00 to 8:30), we saw a few people in the distance, but with Lexi (8:30 - 9:00), I swear I saw our entire neighborhood of dogs out for their walk. We met Cooper (golden retriever and only 5 months old) - the new dog in town. We saw but didn't talk to Eddie (little black fluff), and we chatted briefly with Murphy (black lab), who is 7 months old and a holy terror for his owner! 

Plus, there were others, so Lexi is always "mad" that she gets the last walk in the morning, but it's when we meet the most people! I mean dogs!

Here are the fruits of my labor for the 365-day quilt. I've got FIVE 6-inch blocks completed this past month. 

FIVE 6-inch blocks for the 365-day quilt

And ELEVEN 3-inch blocks. Plus, I believe two more (3-inch) are waiting to be sewn because I ran into an issue with the fabrics. So that is exciting progress, and I hope to cut some more this morning during our Monday sewing session. That will bring me to the end of March. 

ELEVEN 3-inch blocks for the 365-day quilt

Oh, Murphy -- we must break her of this habit, or nothing will grow in that spot. It's filled with lilies, but they will be crushed if she continues. 

MOM -- this is my new outdoor bed!

Poor Murphy! She hoovers her food, while Lexi is a grazer and will only eat when she feels like it. Little Bear loves to eat his canned food as quickly as possible, but he can't lick the dish clean. Murphy offers a free service - cleaning up what morsels are left. With Lexi (and her kibble), there's only a whiff of nothing to clean up. With Bear? That's a whole different story. 

Sometimes, Murphy is in his dish before he barely has time to finish. And I like to scrap it all down into one ball and let him have the final dregs. Imagine my surprise when I spotted this in the kitchen. She looked guilty like she wanted to clean the dish but shouldn't. And this was minutes after Bear had walked away! What control that she didn't scoop right in there. 

Murphy's Dish Cleaning service at work

And oh my gosh - look at the size of her paw compared to his dish. 

MOM -- we need bigger dishes!

It's never a dull moment with those three. And anyone who says that a third dog or child is no work? Guess again. These three can NEVER go in or out at the same time. Or very rarely. Bear has taken to barking (yapping) when Murphy and Lexi play. He is telling them to STOP fooling around! And they literally can keep one hopping during the morning and feeding time. Phew! It's easy to get steps in these days!

Well, I'm off to spin class. I'm not sure how fast I'll be riding today. I think I overdid it last week by pushing hard, so I will back off today. My "good" knee isn't happy, and my legs were tired all week.

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!