On finishing things!

I think I'm back on track with the sleep patterns despite being awakened by Murphy at 2 AM. I have no idea what her problem was, but a simple bark was all it took to wake me up. I did go back to sleep, so all is good!

What a day yesterday was. The weather was amazing! The sun was out, the temperature was in the double digits, and what can I say? The gazebo beckoned. 

I sat in my chair and read for a bit, napped for a bit, and just enjoyed the day. It was glorious. Even though I had much work to do, I felt that I needed that time just to enjoy the weather. 

When Bear wasn't sitting next to me, he was by the pond contemplating life. 

Grandma - Can I play with the fish?

DH left yesterday, so Bear was out of sorts and wanted to be in the house. Perhaps he wanted to watch out the window while he waited for DH's return. There has been so much turmoil in his little world that he doesn't know if he is coming or going. 

Murphy was her usual self, and even left a present by the backdoor for me. Oh yeah, a dead mouse. That dog is a hunter and not afraid to show it! 

Lexi, meanwhile, was sleeping UNDER the gazebo, and she is like a Houdini. The space to get under the deck is small, but she manages to get in and out with zero problems. I managed to catch her on the way out!

Lexi exiting the gazebo

Well, the basic machine embroidery class was a success. I had so much to share with the group that we didn't have time for it all. It proves to me that not only do we need a club where we share our ideas, but we also need an instructional class to teach people how to use their machines. It's not like there is a lot to learn, yet there is a lot to learn. It all depends on where you are on your journey. I've been at this for over 25 years, and I'm still learning new things! 

I think what I'm going to do in the fall is start an instructional machine embroidery class and run the club. I know -- I don't need to add another thing to my calendar, but I'll see what I can eliminate to make room for the class. 

I got a chuckle when the two-hour session was over. The area around my computer looked pretty bad. Samples, spools of thread, and other bits and pieces were everywhere! 

A bit of a mess to clean up later today

I must get busy and do some tidying up. I can't really clean up like I would like until that shelf gets downstairs, and with DH away this week, that isn't going to happen. 

I popped into the local thrift shop - just to have a peek. There are oodles of puzzle books for sale. I did not buy anything, but I laugh when I look at these books. By the way, I have lots at home - no need to buy more. But I checked a couple, and none of the puzzles were ever touched. My problem is that I get started and will do one or two, and then my interest gets caught by something else! That has never happened to you? 

Puzzle books at the thrift store

I have no idea why that happens to me. I can start reading a nonfiction book, and then poof—I'm off reading something else. I start a quilt project, and then I'm off to do something else. I seem to have an issue with finishing things. 

I did get my butt into Studio B, and I have ALMOST completed the top of the Heartfelt Sampler. Yeah! However, I added a row of pieced background to the bottom of one half of it and then when I got the other half done, I realized that I didn't need to do that, so it must come off! During Monday's Sewing today, I should be able to finish the quilt top, except for the borders. Ah yes - the borders. I have a plan for the borders. 

Borders and I seem to have a problem. How many quilt tops just need the border added? Toes in the Sand, The Butterfly Quilt, Green Tea, and Sweet Beans. And now I can add Heartfelt Sampler to that list, as well as a few others languishing in a tub. It's a sad state of affairs, and I should take ONE day(s) to finish them off. Perhaps I should take them to a quilt retreat where I have nothing else to work on but those borders. Hmm - that would be an excellent idea! 

I confess that this weekend, I was also obsessed with an online story that I can't stop watching. It involves a person I know and a romance scam. She has been duped for a LOT of money, and this is not the first person who has been scammed by this guy. He even went to jail (2013) for scamming people. 

I don't know if I should mention where to find the videos because they are time-consuming to watch. To chronicle the entire story, she is now on video 45, and each one is about 10 minutes long. I know --- but I can't believe the story. The number of times I think I've heard it all, only to hear another story and gasp at what he did! 

It's intriguing how one hangs onto hope and continues to stay in an abusive (financially, in this case) relationship. I feel for her and I can't imagine all the emotional pain she has gone through. She is making this public because she wants the world to know about this guy and hopefully prevent anyone else from getting scammed by him. 

Google "Michael Snow is a fraud" if you are interested, but keep in mind that it will take hours to listen to the entire story. And if you are on a dating app --- I cannot stress how much you need to take care!! There are a lot of bad people out there! 

What is scary about this is the charismatic nature of this person. He has a story for everything; he massages over the bad to make everything look good, and how he can pull people into his world while he's bilking them of their life savings. It's akin to behaviors in some political leaders (past and present), cults, and other positions of authority. They know the power they hold and they are good at it!!! The worst part is that they know they are doing this, have ZERO REMORSE for what they have done, and continue to repeat the behavior. 

The scariest part is how easily and quickly people are willing to give up their time and money and suffer humiliation and embarrassment all because of the hope that the person will deliver something for them when all that scammer wants is to line his pockets and maintain CONTROL over the other person(s). 

The victim is young (mid-50s), intelligent, and accomplished, and yet, she got sucked in!! How is that possible? I hate to say that she is a quilter, but she is!! Some of you might recognize her as she used to own a quilt store and has co-authored several quilt books. OK -- I'm sorry to suck you in like that. 

WOW --- is all I can say. I'm on video 29 of 45, so I still don't know where all this is going, except that I don't think she ever recovered any of the money he "stole" from her, and we are talking a six-figure amount! I'm NOT going to link to the story because I don't want my blog near it—I've already given too much information by putting in the name! 

On that "happy" note, I'm out of here. I'm off to spin class which I have missed for the last two weeks. I just couldn't make it last week - well, I only missed Wednesday because of my stupid sleep patterns. 

Stay safe if you're going to watch the eclipse! I do not know when it will occur, so it won't be on my to-do list today. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!