What I learned today!

There isn't a day that goes by when I don't learn something new. What amazes me is that as people get older, they seem to lose their curiosity and their ability to live like children (OK - children back in my day), a simple life, uncomplicated by all the stuff that life throws you. I do the basics of life, but I don't stress about many things. Life is too short.  

But the learning? Well, I'm still stunned by what I learned this morning. 

I'm doing my writing assignments while I'm not home. The first step in the process of writing is to load the photos I've taken and then write about the pictures. The previous document I was working on had been started at home, and I loaded the pictures there. This morning, when I went to load the photos, they went into the document as they should. WHAT????? By that, I mean that on my desktop, they all crowd onto one page on top of each other, and it can take a significant amount of time to reorder and rearrange them. 

This morning, when I loaded them into the document, each one went on its separate page, already tagged for the way the text should appear. NO WAY!!!! Is it the computer memory? Is it the version of Windows? OK -- that fact alone is enough to upgrade my home computer to Windows 11, and if that doesn't work, I need a new computer. OR I just start the document on my laptop and then move over to the desktop. I much prefer writing on the larger keyboard, but that's OK. My files are on my shared drive, so I can access them from any computer. 

I'm still sitting here in disbelief because that process can take up to half an hour and is very frustrating. WOW!!!!

OK -- so it pays to try new things! 

Here's the other thing that blew my mind! I've mentioned several times that my FitBit is dying and I need to replace it. Instead of buying another FitBit because they have been purchased by Google, and who knows what the future holds, it was time to find a new brand. I purchased the Galaxy Fit3 by Samsung. 

I took some time yesterday morning and charged it up, downloaded the app, and completed all the necessary tasks. I'm going to wear both of them over the next couple of days to see how different they are in tracking steps. 

My fitness trackers

Yes - it looks like I'm a geek, but that's OK!! I've since changed the face of the Fit3 - there are MANY configurations you can have on the front. I'm blown away!!

I also like the fact that the charger is small, so it's easy to travel with. The old one is big and clunky, the new one is tiny. What's even better is that someone here can use my old charger, so it's gone!! I've charged my watch up, and once it dies, bye-bye!!!

Two different chargers for the fitness trackers

Are they tracking the same? Because some of the "steps" were in fact hand movements, the Fit3 was a bit behind the FitBit. But when we went for a walk after dinner, the Fit3 gave me more steps. I like that! 

And it's all relative anyway. Is it 100% accurate? Probably not even close. I may need to turn off some of the notifications, especially on my hike, where we won't have electricity to charge it up. HEY -- I should turn on the stairs, not steps, for that hike. How many steps are there to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro? 

Anyway, it was amazing this morning when my alarms went off. I could turn them off on my watch. Oh yes, I'm going to love this new watch, and I'm glad I switched brands. 

The other thing I learned yesterday was related to audiobooks. That book about Facebook is very frightening, particularly in the world of politics, and how if you know what you are doing, you can influence things like elections, and MANY politicians around the world are doing just that. They have figured out how to make the algorithm work in their favor. That is scary beyond all belief. With the amount of incorrect information from around the world, it can blow your mind, and I think people are going to start to lose credibility in the information posted. 

We definitely need to be teaching people how to detect AI-generated content or false information. It requires a lot of time to fact-check, but you have to do that these days. 

What the people of the world need to do is to make that algorithm work in the people's favor and make it backfire on the politicians. I'm smart, but I don't think I'm that smart! 

Anyway, I wasn't able to finish the book because I only had a week. I learned that I can get 10 hours of audiobook listening monthly on Spotify. Hey, it's the last day of the month, so I could read some today. Tomorrow, I get 10 new hours. BUT, I only have 4 hours left, so either way, I can finish the book. Which is good because when I put the book back on hold at the library, it won't get back to me for MONTHS. 

As if that isn't enough, through six degrees of separation, I have a "new" people connection, and I won't share it at the moment. That's something to deal with in September. I can't wait! How small the world is!!!!

My brain could explode with all this learning. 

I took some cute pictures with my camera on my Samsung Galaxy 25+. Yep -- if I have the camera, I better learn how to use it, and I LOVE that new Zoom feature. Well, it's not new, but the settings to access it are new and I LOVE THEM. 

Chippie!!!

While eating dinner last night, I saw this little guy on someone else's plate. What do you think it is? It's a French fry -- but what animal does it look like? 

A French fry!!

And now back to sewing. These blocks were an experiment with one of those disappearing blocks years ago. I made one block as a sample. HEY -- doesn't that mean I have to make an entire quilt because I have one block? Anyway, the top is together, and now I want to add a darker border around it. I don't have any fabric left, so I'll look for something when I'm home, and I'll put it back in the retreat box for the next retreat. 

The quilt top is almost done

Then I pulled out a project from Diane. It's made from triangles, but I think she had trouble sewing it together. I decided to rip it apart and remake it. It was only in columns when I got it. 

I had ripped out four columns and trimmed the pieces, but I didn't pay attention when trimming, so I had to retrim almost all the triangles. DUH!!!

Trimming the triangles

Here's the pattern, which is quite attractive, but it seems long and skinny. I may have to add borders along the side. My version will be slightly smaller? I'm not sure. 

The pattern

I got two of the 18 columns back together, with two more ripped out, so I should be able to finish those this morning. Yes - it has that wonk in it as these are bias edges that have been handled many times. I'll make it work! 

Two columns of the quilt

Last night we decided to go into town to have dinner and we chose this restaurant. The Dufferin Public House in Shelbourne. 

The Duffy

It had intrigued one of our group because it's in an old church. How cool is that? We decided to eat in the garden, but it was a bit cool since the high temperatures we've had have gone!

A church converted into a restaurant

We needed patio blankets to keep us warm! 

Patio blankets to keep warm

I had a glass of cider - OK --- alcohol hits me pretty quickly these days, as I rarely drink any alcohol. Yikes!!! 

My glass of cider

A great chicken and bacon burger, with dill pickle flavored fries!!! 

My chicken burger

It was a great meal and a great way to end the retreat. We don't often go out for dinner, but when it's a small group (we are four), we have way more flexibility. I'm really a fan of the small groups, but any size group is fun. The dynamics change depending on the number, and each has its pros and cons. 

The gardens were beautiful, and there was this GIANT hosta in the garden. It looked just like those I have at home, but four times the size!!!!

A giant hosta

How about the QUILTsocial blog posts? Are you reading them? I'm so impressed with what I accomplished that week. I can't wait to get back and do more! The ideas are spinning in my head, and the technology is only going to get better and even more connected. I'll be right there waiting to use it. 

Here is the link to day four. 

QUILTsocial - OH -- shoot, I don't see the new link this morning. I'll post it tomorrow. 

And that's it for today. I hope you never lose your ability to learn, nor your ability to be curious, and ask questions. Life is too short to just accept everything at face value!! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

The writing process!

 NO --- that was NOT pieces of sod I spotted the other day. That is artificial turf!!!! I get that sod has seams and it comes in rolls, and pieces are identical. No, if you look closely at the picture of the "sod", it's in big chunks and will not grow. But my thought was - do they know that? Unless this is a new kind of sod! 

ARTIFICIAL sod

Another fun and productive day at the retreat house! I'm having to do some paperwork and prepping for the next writing assignment, and the clock is ticking until I need to get on a plane, so I have no choice. But it all works out, and things are moving along just nicely. The first of five blog posts is done! The prep work for the second is complete, and I'm ready to work on day two writing and day three prep.

I'll just push through on this, and before I know it, it's going to be done! 

Let me explain something about the writing process, or at least how it works for me. I start a week of blog posts, with a vague idea of how it's going to play out. I have a project in mind, but how will it work out? What will the breakdown for each day be, and so on? Those details are usually worked out as I'm walking the dogs. 

Then there's the gathering of supplies, and we always need to rely on a third party to acquire some of the tools and supplies, so some of the planning needs to be done in advance. I'm not always good at that part, but I've been doing great so far. 

Next up is converting the mental plan into action. And some of the prep work requires research, reading, and lots of other details that you won't ever know about, but it increases the integrity of the blog post. Let me just say that I've expanded my knowledge of many things 1000-fold since I started these blog posts for QUILTsocial. Can you believe I've been doing them since 2014? I have no idea how many I've written, but it's a lot! 

And if they were as easy as the ones I write here, then life would be grand. But they take a lot of preparation and thought because I am trying to make things easy to read and follow along, not cause confusion. Overall, it's a great "job" and I wouldn't change it for the world, even with the sometimes crazy time constraints, which are 100% self-induced! 

Shoot -- what I was trying to tell you with all the preamble, is that as I'm writing and down to the final editing, fact checking, link connections, etc., as I read through, I feel a great satisfaction about what I've written. It all comes together, and I'm excited. 

I don't see how I could get AI to do this task and feel the same level of satisfaction. I just can't. I get that others may need AI, but to me, the writing IS the part I love, and why would I offload that to something else to do? 

OMG --- I just flipped back into my blog and we were here at Retreat at the Farm on July 28, 2021. They were spraying for potatoes early one morning, and I pulled that photo in from that post. 

Spraying potatoes on July 27, 2021

 

So I wasn't surprised yesterday (July 29, 2021) when they were spraying. Do they have a date in their calendar (July 27 - 29) - spray for potatoes on crop X? Hilarious. 

Spraying for potatoes on July 29

That picture almost looks like it was done with AI, as the tractor seems very small and not connected to the background. But trust me, I took that photo out the window!!! I have others to prove it in case you do not believe me!!! 

There is good news for the trip. The insurance is complete, and you will all be happy to know that I have travel insurance!!! Thankfully, DH has an excellent plan from work, and we are covered. The hike trip people are delighted, and I learned something I never knew we had. What do I care? I make things up as needed!!!! But all in all, it is a good thing to be aware of. A broken leg on a mountain could be expensive! 

I'm still trying to arrange those two extra shots for Friday, and that's my goal today. I may not be getting as much sewing done as I typically would, but I'm accomplishing a lot, and that's all that counts. 

I was "forced" to do the handstitching on my midi bag instead of leaving it when I got home. So that bag is completely done!! And it's already full of things that I can put into the car! 

Hand-stitching the opening in the lining

I assembled another quilt top, but it still needs an inner border added, which I'll do today. Then, I need to find a fabric for the outer border, which I hope to find at home. But it's going to be on the back burner when I get home, as I have to get this writing completed ASAP. 

I promised pictures of my portable offices so you can visualize me when I'm writing away from home. 

This is my portable office when I take my laptop. Oh, you can't see the mouse on the right. But it's basically a laptop, and there are usually tons of cables or charging cords sticking out on either side. It could be for my Fitbit, an external hard disk, or whatever. But it works. 

My portable office

However, it's too heavy to carry when traveling on vacation, although I cannot believe that on my first trip to the Camino, I contemplated taking it. What a dolt!!!

So this is my mini portable office. It consists of my cell phone as the computer/screen and a Bluetooth folding keyboard for input. It's crazy, but it works. I haven't tried uploading a photo to the blog with it, but I'm going to try this year. I'll need to pair it to this phone later today. 

My mini portable office

There is a quilt show that you all need to check out. It's at the Waterford Heritage and Agricultural Museum about the red and white quilts. It's a small show compared to the large one that was in New York in 2011. Do not miss this show. Thankfully, it's on until the end of September, so I'll go when I get back. Although my September (until the 21st) is ridiculous. 

I swear, if the last three months of this year are not quiet, I'm not sure what I'll do. I keep saying that I just need to get over these next two weeks. My friends no longer believe me when I say that. I'm trying to say NO and I'm canceling or moving things, but sometimes, events come up that you can't say no to. But so far, October, November, and December seem to be relatively quiet for me! 


Remember, there is another blog post on QUILTsocial, so hopefully you are following that. And aren't you impressed with what you can do with technology? The fact that all of these things are connected is the beauty of it!!! 

QUILTsocial - Day Three. Today, it's all about creating and cutting appliqué shapes.

And that wraps it up for today. I'm off to get some more prep work done, and I may get a very rough draft put together so I can work on the final draft tomorrow morning. 

I needed a long nap yesterday to compensate for not sleeping well the night before. I slept very well last night, so hopefully, no nap is required!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Retreat at the Farm - Day One

Thanks for the vinegar tip! I need a spray bottle for the vinegar to make it easier to apply. And I know where to get a great one. I've heard that before, but never got myself organized to make that happen. 

Shoot --- something bizarre happened in the morning and I was going to tell you about it, but it's gone! Maybe by the time I finish writing this morning, it'll come back to me. Anyway, I finished getting everything ready and packed it all into the car. There actually wasn't too much this time. Some items are not coming home with me, and I shouldn't be bringing anything extra home. 

MOM -- again? 

So why did I need to find those flat clips? Well, the one I was using was on the right, and I think the non-claw edge is what caught on my headphones and ripped the material. Too bad, but I never even thought of the consequences. I needed something else anyway and went searching for the flat clips, which I LOVE as they don't dig into my scalp. But there was an even more important reason for those flat clips. 

Flat clips versus a claw clip

It's a challenge to put that claw clip under my hat and have it fit comfortably. So the flat clips work like a charm, and I'm a happy camper! I can continue to use the claw clip at spin class. 

My Tilley hat

To save some time, I decided to take the toll highway, only to discover a slowdown ahead. OH!!! That turned into a delay, but fortunately, I was able to get off the highway, do a U-turn, and get right back on. There was a significant accident between the off and on-ramps of that road, so that worked, but it still cost me time. I was the first to arrive at 10:30, which is a very late start! But all was good, and it didn't take long to unload the car. 

There are always goodie bags waiting for us at Retreat at the Farm, and one of the small gifts from a local store (Creekbank Sewing Center) is small bundles of fabric. OK -- I confess, I peeked into each of the others' bags (our names are on them) to see what each person got. We have been known to switch things around when someone hasn't yet arrived. 

This was a lovely curated bundle of black, white, and yellow. I like that! 

Black, yellow, and white

Someone else got black and orange, and a small strip of green. OH -- they didn't have a larger piece like the others? Anyway, this could be a nice fall theme. 

A great fall theme bundle

Someone else got a nice bundle of blue/grey neutrals. 

Blue/grey neutrals

I got these two fabrics in my bag. Both are a bit bright, but then I like cheerful, so I can't complain. 

Bright fabrics in my bundle

But wait -- where's my third fabric? I laughed so hard at this one that I couldn't switch with someone else. I thought - how fitting that I deal with another brand, and yet, I get this fabric!!! I know someone who can use that, so I'm not worried about getting rid of it. Only they would have branded fabric. Actually, I've seen other branded fabrics, so they are not alone. 

Look what I got in my goodie bag!

Eventually, the rest of the group arrived. We are a small group, and it's so quiet and peaceful! I threw this project into my bag as I was surveying Studio B before I left. It's been hanging out on the design wall for months. The final border was mostly pieced, but it wasn't sewn on the quilt. Well, the quilt top is done! This is Vintage Christmas by Lori Holt, and it is one of the projects we worked on as a long-term project. I didn't bring the binding fabric with me, so I can do that when I get home. The bottom line - the top is done! 

Vintage Christmas quilt top - DONE!

Then I got to work on another project that I really wanted to finish at this retreat. It was started at this same small retreat four years ago!! The other three finished their bag at that retreat, but not me! Oh, I wanted to use scraps to make the lining, and that hadn't happened. Well, those pieces were made at an earlier retreat this year, and I thought it fitting to bring this back here and finish it with the group. 

At the other retreat, the others said that my scrappy pieces were more exciting than my original outside, and I agree, so I swapped the pieces. Here's the outside of the bag. I believe this is the Midi Bag. 

Side One

You need to make four rectangles for the inside and four for the outside. And yes, although it took a long time, I really do like the new outside. It has fusible fleece on it, which is what I usually put on the outer pieces of a bag. 

Side Two

The fabric is leftover bits of a particular designer, and I want to get rid of it because I'm not fond of it. 

Side Three

These are leftovers from the Urbanologie (Sew Kind of Wonderful) quilt. And yes, one section was more white than the others, but that's OK. 

Side Four

This was the original outside, which was the same fabric, but just squares!! The only thing left is to close the seam on the inside where I turned it inside out. I like the bag so much that I'm going to hand-stitch that closed this morning. It was too dark to see last night. Well, not too dark, but my eyes were tired! I'm going to use it as a retreat bag. Even with fewer retreats, it'll still get used.  

The inside of the bag

I went for a walk after dinner last night, and it was glorious. It was mainly shaded, and I got warmed up as I walked, but it wasn't bad at all. I'll be heading out after writing the blog to beat the heat, although it's a bit cooler in the country than in the city. 

A shaded walk last night

There's always a creek!!! 

The local creek

You'll want to follow along on QUILTsocial this week as I play with some very creative tools in the Creativate Digital Toolbox. 

Here is Monday's post --- What is Creativate, and what's included in the digital toolbox

Here is Tuesday's post  --- Using the Creativate Crafting software and the Singer Momento to cut

And on that note, I'm out of here. I have a big job ahead of me today. I brought my next writing assignment with me, and I'm editing and working on it today. You'll see that one in August. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Working in the backyard

I WAS going to say Rose of Sharon!! I am quite confused about plants, but I believe you are correct! It's hard to believe that my paternal grandfather and mother had green thumbs, yet I struggle to name even a few plants in my garden. 

But I was attempting to use my pale green thumbs as I puttered in the garden in the morning. More in a second. 

It was another fun day at the Virtual Retreat. Our new hours are 3 PM to approximately 9 PM EST, in case you'd like to join us in the future. They used to be longer, but I want to play host and be on the call, and this time works for me. Remember - it's all about reclaiming some time to complete more of my projects. I was actually quite accomplished yesterday, or at least more so than I've been in the past. 

The next one is scheduled for August 30 and 31. I learn so much from everyone else that it blows my mind! Just when you think there is nothing new to learn, BAM -- your head is spinning with new knowledge and new ideas! 

After walking the girls, I was hot and sweaty, and I decided it was a good time to finally get the mulch I had purchased months ago into the garden. I know --- I'm good at procrastinating. 

I had only purchased 10 bags, and if I really wanted to cover the entire backyard, I would need about 200 bags. At which point, I should just buy the large bag, but then it's a hassle to get it from the front to the back. My intention was to buy 10 bags for each of several weeks, but that didn't happen. Oh well. It's not the end of the world. 

Newly laid mulch

More mulch

It's incredible how quickly the weeds grow back, especially between those rocks. I'll get in one more session of weeding before the trip, and then it'll have to wait until the end of August, which isn't a big deal. It's pretty clean right now, so a few weeks won't kill anything. And if I can find more mulch when I get back, I might get a few more bags. 

Poor Murphy was so hot when she got back from the walk, and when I showed her the small swimming pool, she just flopped right down. But she didn't stay long, nor did she return to it - even when I encouraged her. Maybe she didn't like the fact that she couldn't lie flat out! 

MOM - I'm boiling! 

Let's see -- Oh yes -- I mixed up the concentrate of the pesticide for my boxwoods and they got a good spray. I'll spray again this coming weekend, and hopefully they will be saved. They are out front. 

And no wonder that dog is hot -- she thinks sunbathing is a good thing. Then she comes in the house and is HOT. Well, she knows what to do to stay cool. She loves to sleep in the basement where it's cool. 

MOM - the sun is good for you!

Miss Lexi, who is afraid of stairs, prefers to have a fan! But it's incredible how one fan (well, we now have two) can keep the temperature and the humidity down in the house. Five minutes after I turn the fan off? Hot and sticky!

MOM - I LOVE the fan!

I know - we could turn the AC on, but I love hearing the birds chirping, I love getting that breeze through the windows, and I love that the girls can come and go as they want. It makes the house feel alive! Having the AC off also makes a huge difference in our ability to cope with the heat. Since our bodies are accustomed to the heat, we don't feel it as much outside. DH still plays golf in this weather, and I walk every day. 

I don't have an issue with getting to sleep or staying asleep due to the heat. 

I stared at this picture for a few minutes before I remembered why I had taken it. A house near me decided to install artificial turf. OK -- I get that, but perhaps I'm missing something. There are huge seams in this section. Wouldn't you want that to be one piece? Do they think it'll grow and the seams will disappear? Just seems odd. They are NOT connected - just shoved one beside the other. 

A patchy artificial turf job

I did manage to finish the appliqué on my quilt top. I realized after I got started and looked at the appliqué that these ones were added on after the top was stitched together. You'll understand more when you see the top. It's now loaded on the long arm, but I didn't get a chance to quilt it. See how the appliqué sappliquéer the edge of the block? That's why it never got done. It was a hassle to deal with the entire quilt top while I twisted and turned, but it was fine, and it's done! 

Appliqué oAppliquéngle quilt

Can you tell that two different people and two different machines, 25 years apart, did the stitching on that block? I didn't think so! There are a few other blocks, where you can see that two different people did the work, but it's a quilt -- do I care if it's not perfect? Not in the least. It's a group quilt, so that means it will never be perfect! 

I also completed some more machine embroidery, and this morning, I did some more tidying up. I have some paperwork and administrative tasks to attend to, and I might use my mornings at the upcoming retreat to get that done. Yes -- I'm off to another quilt retreat this morning. 

I did a bit of panic packing this morning, but only because I have a project that needs to be done and I have one week. No extensions, so if I can get a bit more done in the next four days, it'll be less pressure when I'm back. I'd almost be happy not to sew anything but the urgent things and get caught up on work! I'll see how it goes. 

And can you tell me about my headphones? What's with them? I was having a lot of difficulty with them, and I suspect there's a short in the wires due to the way the ear part rotates to turn them on and off. However, they have been behaving themselves quite nicely lately, and I'm a happy person!

However, I noticed that I've now torn the "leather" on the headband. Why? 

The leather is torn! 

Because of the way I was putting my hair up in this hot weather. I was using a squeezy clip, and I think the top of it damaged this material. I found some flat clips the other day, and they work so much better. I'll explain that situation a bit more tomorrow. 

DH took care of the ETAs yesterday, and thank goodness he did. It sounded like an awful process with a few frustrations. I'm sure that as this becomes a more common requirement for travel, the process will get refined. Now we wait for approval. Due to the shifts in where people are traveling, I wonder if some countries will start refusing entry to their borders because of the numbers. 

My task for today is to finalize the insurance details and contact the doctor regarding the vaccines. 

Many people have asked if I will be blogging while away. You bet!!! I have my office at home, where I mostly blog, and it consists of a desktop computer. I have a portable office, which I pack in my backpack and which consists of a laptop. When I travel on vacation, I have a ULTRA mini portable office, which I pack in a ziplock bag. I'll share the photo tomorrow since some of you may not be familiar with it. As long as I have Wi-Fi, I'll continue to post. The pictures are very challenging to post on the blog when I'm on vacation, but I'll consider options and — oh — I just thought of a way I might be able to make that happen. And it'll only add a few ounces to my Ziploc! Stay tuned! 

On that happy note, I'm out of here! I have a few things to attend to before I leave. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

A GOOD NEWS day!

Oh my goodness — everyone was in such a chatty mood last night, it was hard to get a word in edgewise! But that is great! We had some fantastic discussions, and I always learn a great deal from them. Remember, the Virtual Retreat starts today at 3 PM. Pushing back that start time is another way for me to recover some time for myself! I can always open the call earlier if people want, but I won't be there until three. 

I'm getting back into the swing of things, only to have my schedule turned upside down again in the coming days. But that's OK - the important thing is to work when I'm motivated and relax guilt-free when I'm not! 

I laughed when I wrote today's blog title. I mean MY good news. Is there ever any good news in the real news of the world these days? I'm not sure. 

But let's have a look at my good news. OK - my socks look very geeky at that height, but you can see my new hiking shoes. I LOVE them. They were a bit roomy when I first put them on, which is good because I'll be wearing thicker socks and possibly double socks in them on the hike. But as my feet warmed up, they were just fine! 

Hoka hiking shoes

It just goes to show that your feet expand, and I'll never wear shoes that are too tight again! A big lesson was learned on the Camino. I should have known better, but I digress. 

The other thing I LOVE about those shoes is the Quick-Toggle lacing system. At first, the shoes felt very loose, but then I tightened them up using the elastic laces, and oh my goodness, this is amazing. Everything that I was skeptical about proved me wrong. 

Would it be easy to get my foot in the shoe? YES -- just slide the slider down, the shoe opens up as if it had laces, and my foot went in like Cinderella's glass slipper. Then pull up the laces and slide up the slider; voilà — nice and tight. I LOVE the system and will definitely incorporate that into all my shoes going forward! I will see if I can find the lacing system online and buy a couple to put in my other shoes. 

And they said "old" dogs can't learn new tricks!!!!

Speaking of old dogs, I don't consider my dogs old, but they are certainly older. And it's hot, but not unbearable in the house, although the humidity level is high due to the rain yesterday. Murphy is good to sleep downstairs, where the dehumidifier is working effectively. But poor Lexi, with her big fur coat that I am constantly brushing off her, has some issues. 

Here is a dog who is very skittish about anything, and look at her. I think we need to turn on the AC to remove the humidity for her. Last night, when DH went to bed, he turned her small black fan off! Why??? I turned it on, and that's where I found her this morning. I'm not even going there! 

MOM - that black fan is mine - right? 

Even though it's hot outside, they are never lacking in enthusiasm when it's time for a walk. They both want to go at the same time, and that isn't happening at our house! 

MOM - I'm first, right? 

And can you tell me why Miss Lexi loves bushes? It's not enough to sniff them from afar, but she has to get right into the bush to get a good sniff. I suspect she likes the feeling of the leaves on her coat and might love a rubbing post! 

MOM - I love walking in the bushes! 

And when DH leaves, they flock to the window to see the action! Silly girls. 

MOM - where's Dad going? 

Yesterday was a day of finding things. First, here is the thing I saw at the hardware store that I didn't know I needed. A pantry moth trap! Yes -- we have an infestation of the pests, and I've cleaned and washed the pantry and kitchen shelves and drawers; thankfully, the infestation has lessened considerably. But we still get them occasionally, and it drives me mad. I just checked and there isn't a single moth in either trap, but I haven't seen one flying around or stuck on the wall either. 

Pantry moth traps

Then I needed to find my new fitness tracker. I knew I bought one and I put it in a safe place, but where was that? Then at last, I spotted it under the small shelf right beside the computer, so I must get that organized. Now, why couldn't I see that small box on the bottom right when I was looking for it before? I think I was looking for a larger box. But no worries - I have it, and all I need to do now is pair my current FitBit to the new phone, grab the data, and then switch over. 

The missing fitness tracker

However, something unusual happened with the Fitbit. Although it hasn't synced with the phone for the fitness numbers, I'm still receiving notifications from my phone on it. Could you please explain why that is happening? It just started sending me notifications while I was away last week. Speaking of notifications, I've turned almost all of them off on my phone. Good grief - I don't need to hear that constant pinging! People are too addicted to that ping, and it drives me mad! 

The other thing I found yesterday was the cell phone holder for the tripod. I had taken it off for some reason, but do you think I could find it? Nope -- gone. I searched where it should have been, and it wasn't there. And not on any of the three tripods. That sucks, and I was going to buy a new one. Then, as I sat at my computer last night during the Virtual Retreat, I glanced to the left and there it was. Black, like the stand my laptop sits on, and I couldn't see it! Yeah!!!!! It's now on the tripod! 

Cell phone holder for the tripod!

I still haven't found the plastic templates I'm looking for, and I really thought I should give it a try last night, but I didn't. Perhaps, today, I'll look in the two other spots where I think it might be. 

Speaking of being efficient with errands, I had a list of things I needed from the drugstore and some questions for the pharmacist. I got my questions answered. While they can supply and administer the two remaining shots I want, I have to get a prescription for both. Crap -- maybe if I can call the doctor on Monday, it can be done on Friday. I hate that we have to VISIT the doctor for something like that, and hopefully I can persuade her to do it even if I don't come in. 

I got the other items on my list and came home, only to realize that I missed buying one thing! Crap! I should have made a list, but I didn't think I needed a list. Obviously, I did. But then I already had five things on the list, and DH added one more, and that bumped one thing from my head. FARCE!!!!!

I spotted this detergent while waiting to pay! Everything is an inspiration for a quilt. Actually, this reminded me of the Postcards from Sweden quilt. 

Laundry detergent inspiration

We have lucked out with our backyard. There seems to be something blooming constantly. Here are the two flowering shrubs that are currently in bloom. 

Pink morning glory

White morning glory

I'm not sure if there is anything else to bloom. I think this is it. Our lilies in the pond didn't seem to last too long this year, or maybe I missed it all. Next year, I want to stay home and enjoy the backyard more! 

I finally got this quilt quilted. It's been in the "to be quilted" pile for probably 20 years or more! I know. It's not dated at all, and I have kept pulling this quilt out to use for trunk shows. I won't have to do that any longer. I've crossed it off my master list of "to be quilted" quilts, and it needs to be trimmed and have the binding put on. This is NOT the panel. I cut and pieced that thing! Which got me started on a long and costly journey of collecting novelty prints. 

My I Spy quilt - quilted! 

I have another UFO that I'm working on. These are not official UFOs for the UFO club, but I might substitute these ones for what I put on the list. Anyway, there's a long story behind this quilt. It was a group quilt, and I had shuffled it around for eons. I had the top done, but I wanted to do more with the top, but it never happened. It's going to be at the Buckhorn show in September, so I figured I had better get to work on it. Some of the quilts at the show will be new, and some will not. But you need to come and see WHY I chose those quilts for the show. There is a theme!!

Thankfully, after meeting my friend last week, who participated in this group project, I remembered that I had made a book for the quilt, and I remembered during our discussion where the book was. It was right where it was supposed to be, but I had forgotten about the book. But I laughed when I saw the cover. There are TWO notes on saying, "the finished quilt pix goes here!"

I suppose a picture of the finished quilt would be appropriate here. 

I took a look at the book to determine the date we worked on this. OMG!!!!!

OHHHHHHH

TWENTY-FIVE years ago!!! That's bad!!! The quilt is still current (no dated fabrics), and I'm anxious to complete it. I even found a label in the book with the signature of each participant. WOW!!!!! 

I was about to press the quilt top when I remembered the temporary hangers on the quilt. For anyone who remembers this far back, I really wanted this quilt to hang in the Mississauga Quilters' Guild quilt show many years ago. I would say that was 2004 or 2005 when I was the show convener. The quilt never got quilted, but I hung the quilt top. I'm sure many guild members were mortified! I didn't care. 

Temporary quilt hangers for a quilt top!

So I made the backing yesterday and loaded it on the long arm. When I went to press the quilt top, I discovered that several appliqués were fused on, but not stitched. Hmmm - can I live with those appliqués not stitched in place? I could have, but I didn't want to, so last night during the virtual retreat, I appliquéed two shapes. I found another smaller one, so I did that as well. 

Stitching the appliqué in place

As I scoured the quilt top, I discovered FIVE more appliqués with no stitching. DRAT!!!!! So last night, I grabbed the five thread colors I would need and left them out. I've already stitched two of the shapes this morning, while the other machine did embroidery, and all is good. I'll easily complete the remaining three this morning, and I might even get it quilted today. I'll share the top with you, but you'll hear a lot more about this quilt later on. 

Thread colors for appliqué

Between the embroidery and the appliqué, I have many boxes of thread piled on the table. I LOVE these storage boxes for thread. When I want a color, I grab a box. I can't imagine having my thread in a drawer or cabinet where it couldn't be removed. That's not efficient in my books. But we each work to our own agenda. 

Some of my thread boxes

The big topic of discussion last night was the towel on the ironing surface! When I first spotted that at a quilt retreat on their ironing surfaces, I thought the owner was trying to protect her ironing covers. But NO --- this is the best discovery in the pressing world! 

A beach towel on an ironing surface

You want a beach towel with no ribbing or fancy stuff on it! I would love to find a plainer one because I often take pictures on the ironing board, but no worries! Bright it is! And it looks way more cheerful than the stained one that was there. However, I think I'll try to wash that stained one today. Just to see what happens. It is just a canvas cover that is NOT attached to the pad. 

At some point, I'd like to add elastic to the corners of the towel to prevent it from curling up when ironing large items, such as my quilt backing or a quilt top. But otherwise? I wouldn't press anything without it! Try it and see!!!!

Additionally, I completed one writing assignment and began the second. Yep -- I'm on a roll and this one should be much faster. 

On that happy note, I'm fired up and have already had two machines up and working this morning. I have laundry to do and a lot of work to complete before the Virtual Retreat starts at 3 PM. See you then!!!! There were many interesting discussions and a lot of fun!

Sunday, July 27 - Starts at 3 PM

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Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!