Neat and tidy is the name of the game

What are they doing to my forest? OK, so it's a woodlot, not an endless forest, but I call it my forest—it sounds more impressive! There are a number of entrances to the forest from the sidewalks surrounding it. Since we have lived here, all but one of the entrances has had a paved path for a brief distance into the forest. In all cases, the pavement has prevented erosion on the trails (small hills), which has been good. 

You've heard me mention the erosion. That has only been in the last five years? And I swear it's starting to really erode the more they work on it. You know how it is —someone at the park's office had some new theory! Oh, and those ruts are a safety thing, so they must be fixed. OK, I won't go there. 

The entrances have been blocked off since the big storm last week, and the ruts are very deep, but that hasn't stopped people from walking through the forest. Many people use the paths to get to the other side as a shortcut, and it's cooler than walking in the sun. 

Two days ago, I could hear them working and expected to see the ruts fixed. Nope—they removed all the pavement!! OK, so they better have a good plan because, in 23 years, none of that pavement needed repair. 

MOM -- where's the pavement?

I guess they will now pave the entire path, which would spoil some of the forest feel, but it's better than constantly spending money to fix something they broke! 

That forest is such a beautiful area, and those of us who live next to it or any other woodland are extremely fortunate! 

A phenomenal mental health resource in the city

By the way, I checked on the skunk yesterday morning. An animal (coyote?) dragged it off, and it was gone. The circle of life!! 

That Murphy -- just not happy until I play ball with her. 

MOM - play ball with me!!!

And while she wants to play, what is Lexi doing? 

Mom -- A little privacy, please! 

Now is she waiting for food? A lame attempt at pole dancing? Or just lazy? 

I must be about to have a baby! You know what they say about nesting. Yesterday, I was a busy beaver who couldn't stop cleaning and tidying. 

I have this rack in the area for my quilts to be quilted. Two large tubs and a box under there are filled with community project quilt tops and backing that I prepared many years ago. I removed one of the quilts from it and quilted it last week. The backing was fleece, so that left a big hole. 

Tubs of community project quilts

I thought I could empty the box into the tub. The box was unpacked. 

The quilts from the box

Since I'm in there, I might as well clean the floor. So I got out the dust cloth and the Swifter and cleaned all the lint and dust. Gosh—it accumulates!!! 

Cleaning the floor under the rack

Those two tubs are filled with community project quilts and are back in place. I'll work on those when I schedule the next batch. I'm going to attempt to do them in batches of ten. I'm sure there are way more than ten quilts in those buckets. There are probably 30 in total. I've no idea—I didn't bother to count. This has nothing to do with the other tops that Diane sewed. 

Two tubs of community project quilts

And while I mention Diane, I should also mention that, sadly, she will not be sewing any more tops for me. She passed last week and I am eternally grateful for all the sewing she did for community projects. I want to say that she made over 300 quilt tops during the pandemic. I miss my treks through the forest, hauling bags of fabric that Diane made into quilt tops, and I hauled the finished tops back. Many trips were made through the forest on those adventures! RIP Diane - I miss you!!!!

I filled the box with all the supplies to make the covers for the pet mats, so now the area looks much neater than it did before. Something has gone off in my brain about things needing to be neat and tidy, things to be contained in boxes, and when the boxes are empty, they will disappear. 

Neat and tidy!

Yes, there are still a couple of problem areas in the house—the office and Mount Projects—but I'm working on them. Once they are clear, I'm guessing those areas will be dealt with with the same neat and tidy behavior as the rest of the place. 

So, this is the status of the current "to be quilted" pile—the ones that are next on the list. There are FOUR quilts there, and all of them are mine. I covered them with the double wedding ring, making the area neat and tidy, as I'm shutting down the long arm for at least a month. It's full of stuff, but neat and tidy!

Only four quilts of mine in the immediate "to be quilted" pile

I did the last customer quilt until I'm back and it's gorgeous! It's trimmed, and I'll contact the customer today. 

Customer quilt - DONE

Let's see. I got the binding on another quilt, leaving a small one of my own, which I should have no problem getting done today. The last of the ten community project quilts is on the long arm. I had to make the backing and piece the batting, but it's ready to go later today. 

I have a lot of paperwork to do today. I have to get everything scheduled for the fall, and I hope I can get it done today. Then, we have a couple of days to go back and forth confirming dates, topics, etc. 

I pulled out all my hiking gear, and I have to sort through that and decide what is necessary to take with me and what stays behind. I may or may not have mentioned it, but YES - I'm going back to hopefully finish hiking (walking) The Camino in Spain. I wonder what part of my body will fail me this year? Wait -- I can't look at it like that. I will do what I can. There's a reason why the past has happened - I'm just not sure what! 

When I walked home from the clinic the other day, the sky was stormy. I got lucky and experienced only a few raindrops but did not get wet. 

Stormy skies

I spotted this at the mall. It's a neat piece of art painted by local students? The colors are pastel, and it's beautiful. That would make a nice quilt!!!

Art at the mall

And it was time to open that box and put it together. 

What's in the box?

Lots of pieces. Surprisingly, a screwdriver, NOT an Allen key, was used for assembly. 

Lots of bits

Murphy was the supervisor and did an amazing job. 

Mom -- tighten those screws a bit more!

And there it is --- a split-top computer desk. 

My new computer desk

It's quite a bit smaller than the table I was using, but that was the point of getting this. It's also on wheels, so that's good. I can take it wherever I want in the room. My iPad will fit into the slot on the top, so I can use that on the upper level. If I get a second monitor, I can put that up there. Or I can move the laptop to the top and use it as a stand-up desk. Or make the two shelves the same height for more workspace. 

The new computer desk

I haven't used it in any class yet, but I think it will suit my needs. 

The one thing driving me crazy is that I have a Swifter and a vacuum in Studio B. I use them ALL THE TIME, but I can't seem to get all the bits. I suspect Murphy is bringing new bits in as soon as I get rid of the old. But it just goes to show how much lint and dust accumulate in a sewing space. It's insane!!! 

Yes -- there is a Virtual Retreat this weekend. I can hardly wait - I have stuff lined up to sew, and I can see how I like my new table for Zoom. 

Saturday, July 27 - Starts at 6 PM

 Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89816483795?pwd=Mjc3M3pvVmZPdjdsQzlHS3Zhck52dz09

Meeting ID: 898 1648 3795
Passcode: 248667

Sunday, July 28 - Starts at NOON

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82983517671?pwd=ODdsa1FJenQwdFNaQWFTNGd4bEhPZz09

Meeting ID: 829 8351 7671
Passcode: 117636

I will say one thing about all this cleaning; I know I've said it before. My brain feels so much better! I feel very relaxed and for the most part, I know where everything is. I have a lot more time since I'm not wasting it trying to find things. I have a better idea of what I have, and I'm NOT tempted to over-purchase. I'm in a better space also about what new projects I work on and to finish what I'm working on. I'm a LONG way from getting it all together, but boy --- where I am today from where I was ten years ago? I'll take today any time! I LOVE being this way!! But it was hard work - tough work, but so worth it. 

There are only two (okay—there might be a third) new projects in everything I'm scheduling for the fall. Everything else is going to be about finishing, learning, or perfecting your skills and techniques. I'm trying very hard to practice what I preach, but it's nice to start one or two new projects as a reward for finishing the UFOs. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I see and can hear someone who NEEDS their walk!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!