Health supplements!

Thanks to everyone for the well-wishes on my arrival home. I'm glad that you enjoyed my vacation along with me! I also love living vicariously through others' experiences because I certainly won't get everywhere myself. That's my favorite thing about social media. It's so easy to stay connected. I don't need or want to get disconnected -- while I don't mind being alone, I'm a social person at heart! 

Where would you like to go with me next year? I have a couple of places in mind, but nothing solid yet. 

And it was another day of back to work. I must confess that I went to bed later because of the virtual retreat, and I woke up later - still the same number of hours. I must get to bed earlier tonight. I like those couple of tranquil hours first thing in the morning! 

We had fun at the retreat, and there was loads to catch up on. And you know what they say -- what is said at the retreat stays at the retreat! If you'd like to be part of it, please stop by this afternoon or evening. The link is below. 

There was some serious sniffing going on in the morning. Even Murphy is caught up in it, which rarely happens. Perhaps she has realized that if she doesn't stop to smell the roses, she is getting cheated on walk time!! 

MOM -- something is moving!!

But it's funny how differently they sniff. Murphy is wholeheartedly into it and doesn't mind rustling around in the bushes. Lexi is more delicate about the whole thing. She is just more delicate all around. They are so different!!! And she's back to her usual self. No issues in the night. 

Mom - I smell something! 

Besides my new toenails that will eventually grow back, here are my souvenirs for climbing Mount Kilimanjaro. OK -- the first two I bought. The one on the left is a badge that I'll sew on my backpack, and the other is a magnet for the fridge. 

Souvenirs from Mount Kilimanjaro

There was a gift shop (of course) in the building just inside the park gate area at the bottom of the path. I debated whether to buy here or wait until we got to the lunch spot, where there were other items to purchase. I had mentioned that one of the ladies encouraged me to buy here, and thankfully, I did, because they didn't have this type of item at the other shop. 

And then we all received a certificate, which was printed in the same building. We had to wait forever for that to be printed because the printer was broken. I'm sure the staff had to fix it themselves; no time for a repair person to get there. The certificates were "awarded" to us later that day, back at the hotel. 

My certificate

I'm not a big fan of certificates -- I did NOT get the one from the Camino, and that was by choice. I logged in, but refused to have it printed. What's the point? And what will I do with it? But these ones were given to us. I crossed out my age --- good lord, who needs to see that. But there it is --- my certificate for climbing the highest peak in Africa. I suppose that's worthy of a certificate, which I'll add to my certificate folder.

There is an art to buying magnets, which I'll discuss in more detail another day.

Then it was downstairs to get some work done. I got my quilt quilted, but not without some issues. This is the back, just to prove it was done. 

The back of my quilt

For most of you, this next part will be gobbly gook, but I'm writing it down because I need to try and figure it out. When you turn on the long arm, you have to identify a "safe" area. This is an area that indicates to the computer where it can calculate the stitches. It is usually larger (wider) than the quilt, and the height is the distance between the horizontal bars that support the quilt. Obviously, you don't want the machine banging into the bars at the top and bottom, so I usually bring it inside those bars by about half an inch at the top and bottom. 

Well, when I figured out my rows and sized them to the quilt, the computer takes over and sees what it can fit into that safe area. The first row worked without a problem. The following section, which consisted of two rows, did not fit within the safe area. According to the computer, it would, but it was so precise that I couldn't get it set correctly, and without it being set, it wouldn't stitch. I HATE when that happens. 

Do not ask me how I learn these things because I don't learn them; I just seem to know how to fix them. I closed down the computer so I could start over, and yes, my stitch file was saved. That is a critical lesson. I got back into the software, and this time, I did NOT leave that ½ inch at the top and bottom. And VOILA -- it worked. But why does the computer set the actual stitch area so close to the safe area? Give me an inch for wiggle room!! I wonder if we can change that - I must check into it. 

However, the problem was solved, and I got the quilt quilted. It took me all day, though, because I was interrupted by a two-hour phone call. It was someone I hadn't spoken to, but had been in touch with via text for over 30 years. We had a lot of catching up to do. It was all good!!! And it may have triggered my next hiking destination! 

Then I had to go for my walk, and I HAD to stop at the thrift store. I didn't have any money with me, but I need to go back today with some. I found a few things that I need — you'll see — and I have a 20% coupon, so I'm not waiting for Senior's Day!

Then at last, I was back in Studio B. While the long arm was working, I had the Designer Epic 3 fired up to do embroidery. I still had one hour left last night, so I just shut the machine off. It'll come right back to the exact spot when I turn it on this morning. I LOVE that feature. And while the EPIC 3 was embroidering, I was sewing a binding on. I almost finished it, but not quite. 

Working two machines at the same time

I wanted to share this with you about binding. Depending on how something is quilted or if the top is going to travel with me, I serge the edges of the quilt to prevent fraying in the case of the top only or to secure all three layers together so they are treated as one. In this case, I used a four-thread overlock. The seam allowance I use to sew the binding on is larger (about 3/8") so that it fills my 2½" wide binding strips and encloses the serged edge.

The width of that seam allowance is the biggest mistake I see when others put on a binding. That seam allowance is supposed to be WHATEVER is best for your quilt, filling the binding with quilt, and the width of the binding strip. This is a flexible seam allowance — make it work for your quilt!

My seam allowance is wide enough to hide the serged edge

So I have a question for you, and it's about supplements. For years, I didn't take any medication and never took a supplement. Now, this is what I take. There is ONE prescription pill there, and it's my weekly pill for bone density. The rest are supplements. 

My supplement stash

My question is, what supplements do you deem worthy of taking? You could buy one of each at the drugstore, but do you really need all that? I'm sure that most of you astute supplement takers will identify what each of those is! But I'll let you guess. 

Remember, there is a Virtual Retreat later today, and here's the link. 

Sunday, August 31 --- starts at 3 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The signs of autumn

OK -- someone turned off the heat! It's cold. I wore shorts yesterday, but I think I'll find some pants this morning. 

So far, so good on the jet lag. With the full day of travel and the ability to sleep like a baby on the plane, I didn't need a nap yesterday and went to bed at my usual time. I did wake up in the night, but was able to get back to sleep, and so the day is now just like any other day! Let's hope I don't get hit with a whammy later on! 

Another reason to fly business class if you can, but it also depends on the timing and which direction you are flying - east or west. It all worked in our favor, so that's a bonus. 

Miss Lexi seems to be fine, and she also slept through the night, so it must just have been excitement from knowing that she hadn't been abandoned! Poor girl! Both of them were ecstatic to go for their long walk. They had been walked daily while we were away, but not the typical long walk. Murphy will never get it through her head that we walk a specific route, not the amount of time it takes. So if you walk really, really fast, the walk is shorter! 

But both of them stopped to sniff lots!!! There was a lot of pee-mail to catch up on!!!

Me? I got right into my day and didn't stop! I have a lot to prepare for the September events, and there's no time to waste. 

I've unpacked my stuff, and it's in the wash; I'll deal with it later today. It's all my travel clothes, nothing I wear around here, so there's no rush to get them done. Remember, travel clothes are typically thin and lightweight. Yet, they can be durable and warm. Just for fun, I weighed the backpack before I emptied it. OK -- so I'm obsessed with traveling light. My "big" backpack was 13.7 pounds, which included the weight of the backpack itself at 1.5 pounds. 

All of this fit into it — a pair of ski gloves, my winter jacket, my storm pants (OK, there were a few things I wore here), pants, shirts, long underwear, my sarong, and so on. 

All this was in the backpack

Believe it or not, there were a few things that I did NOT use. I forgot to pack my towel when I went on the hike. An extra pair of socks, the belt to my new pants, and a few odds and ends. But overall, I did pretty well on the packing. 

Extra stuff I did not use

My small backpack weighed 7.9 pounds, and it contained a lot of unnecessary items. Mostly electronic stuff, so I need to be more diligent next time. I took way too many charging cords, and the power bank did NOT work as I would have liked. And a bathing suit that I always pack, but never use. That's the last time -- it does not come with me again!!!! And I took way too many protein bars - I ate half of them, so next time, I'll reduce the number I take. I greatly appreciated having them with me, so I don't regret that, but I don't need quite so many. I didn't use everything in my medical kit, but it's better to be safe than sorry on that front. It's tiny, but a mighty kit. I also had way more drugs than I usually carry, and I was lucky on that front and only used what I needed. 

Unnecessary stuff I packed

In total, I carried 3 pounds of stuff that I never used. What a waste of energy!!! OK -- I'm kidding, but next time, I'll pack a wee bit smarter. I love the minimalist approach, and if I hadn't had those bulky cold-weather items in my bag, packing and unpacking would have been a breeze. As it was, the backpack was full and things were crammed in. However, proper travel clothes do not wrinkle. 

When buying travel items, weight is my first consideration. DH did pretty well, with his small backpack and a canvas tote. It was more effort for him to carry that in his hand rather than on his back, but we didn't have a second backpack, and he did just fine. And while it may look geeky to have one backpack on the back and one on the front, it works well for travel. 

I noticed whenever we had a driver, they always took his bag, but they never took my backpacks!!! Which is fine, as I was comfortable wearing them to the car and had no issues. 

I even bought a couple of things that added to the weight. Here's a picture of one of the items. Technically, it's a pair of pants - something I've wanted for a long time. I actually had a pair of these pants years ago and loved them, but they went out of favor. Now, they are back in style. They are wraparound pants. I might wear them this coming weekend in Buckhorn! 

My wraparound pants

I have more stuff to show, but that's all I got around to at the moment. 

So then it was back to work as usual. I had to find some batting to piece together for a quilt that I loaded on the long arm before I left. I'll be quilting it later today, as it needs to accompany me to the show next weekend. I have another quilt to bind that will also go to the show with me. So, yes — there will be brand-new quilts that no one has seen before, and some of these are UFOs, so it's a double whammy! Well, some people have seen some of these quilts, but not many. 

Piecing batting

The batting is loaded, and the threads are chosen. I just need to press START. As if!!!!!

Then I decided to try to clear the cutting table, which, despite my rush to leave on vacation, didn't look too bad. I have two quilt tops that I completed before I left, and they needed backing and binding. I have this wide back that is perfect. So I will need to quilt the first quilt and then use the leftovers to piece the backing for the second one. All of this is now in the "to be quilted" pile. 

For the "to be quilted" pile

I decided to make the binding for both and found a striped fabric in the black/white basket. Since it was striped, I decided to make bias binding. I think I goofed on the size of the fabric squares, which was wasteful on my part from a work perspective. I  made two squares of bias binding, but it's not enough, and so I will have to make two more squares. I'll leave that for when I work on the second quilt. When calculating the amount of binding needed, I forgot to take into account not only the length but also the area of the necessary binding. DUH!!!!! Oh well—it's not the end of the world. 

Cutting bias binding

The binding is ready to go - I joined the two strips together to make one. Once I see how much more I need, then I'll cut more fabric. 

The binding is done

I had a virtual meeting first thing in the morning, which led me down a rabbit hole this morning. And I managed to complete one more embroidery project, so that was good!

The following slate of items is pulled and on the cutting table for today. It's great to just putter around on my own time! I love it!!!! And I might say that the cutting table is looking pretty good, and I hope to keep it that way. Just pull out what needs to be worked on that day. Nothing more!!!! Some of this stuff just needs to be put away, which I should be able to do. Or while the long arm is running, I can create my next embroidery files on the computer. That kind of thing, and that makes me very happy!

The cutting table

As I mentioned, this month is going to be insane. Here's a brief recap so you know where I'll be, in case you'd like to visit.  

September 5 and 6 -- Buckhorn Quilt Show

September 8 - 14 -- a Quilt retreat --- I know --- bad timing!!!! However, there is room, so if anyone wants to attend a quilt retreat at Spring House, there is still space available.

September 18  - Facebook Live using the PFAFF (I need to confirm the topic)

September 19 and 20 - A two-day hands-on embroidery workshop with Thimble Quilts and Sewing in Lasalle (near Windsor). This is a super fun event and a great way to get to know your embroidery machine. Contact the store if you want to come!)

September 23 - Stitch by Stitch (Kingston) ---- What's new with Husqvarna Viking and What's New with PFAFF (YES-- some fantastic new products are being introduced!!!!

September 25 --- an event at another store east of Toronto; details are being worked out, and I'll let you know when they happen. 

And then I'm home and have nothing on the calendar (except my online classes!) for three months. However, I'm sure something will come up! 

I walked to the grocery store yesterday and NO!!!!!!! The signs of autumn have arrived. 

Fall plants for sale!!!!!

I can deal with the flowers, but this? It's way too early!

Not pumpkin spice already!

And there's that Murphy! Curiosity killed the cat, well, it's going to kill the dog! We happened to have these two wrought iron tables, which fit perfectly in front of the front windows, because she is a nosey dog and would be jumping at the windows if they were not there. So it's not enough to look through the table, but being right underneath works just fine! The height is perfect for her! She can see the traffic coming and going. Silly Murphy!!!

Mom -- I fit perfectly under the table! 

And that wraps up another crazy day!!!!

Remember -- it's Virtual Retreat this weekend. Stop by to say hello, and I'm sure there will be loads of catching up to do! I already know we're going to have a discussion on metal hoops!!! And there will be numerous other topics as well --- it's amazing what our brains have to share with each other, and you never know what you can learn by asking questions. That is a fine art, and well, asking questions is a fabulous way to learn! 

Saturday, August 30, 2024 --- starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, August 31, 2025 - starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The LONG way home!!!

I don't need reading glasses this morning to write the blog. I'm on my big computer with a big screen! I love my mini portable office, even though it's super small. It does the job and frankly, without me documenting the trip, I'd remember nothing, or at least not in the order things happened. 

I blogged from the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Frankfurt yesterday. Today I'm home! 

The Air Canada Lounge in Frankfurt

It was very foggy and rainy when we landed in Frankfurt. So much so that you could barely see anything, but as long as the pilot knew where we were going, I was OK.

Fog and rain in Frankfurt

It's always confusing when you arrive at a new airport and have to figure out where to go next. Our layover was seven hours, even though another flight was leaving for Toronto within two hours of our arrival. Perhaps the booking agents had thought it was too short a turnaround time, or the fare didn't match what we were willing to pay? It didn't matter; the seven hours passed pretty quickly. 

They had quiet areas with this lounger chair where you could relax, so I had a good nap. I also blogged in a different area, ate a bit, and then read my book. Before we knew it, it was time to move on. 

The quiet rooms at the airport

Two things happened before we got to the lounge. As we came out of the gate from the plane, border people were there shouting, PASSPORTS, PAPERS!!!! Thankfully, my passport is in my waist belt, so it was easy to get. No issues, and we were good to continue. 

Then we figured out where we needed to go — not to the exit, but to the next wing of the airport, and where we needed to go through security. AGAIN! My bags have been X-rayed so many times. I happened to have a whole bottle of water in my bag that I grabbed before leaving the plane. So I had to drink that in a hurry, as we are no longer in Africa, where they don't care about liquids. 

All was good, although it took a long time!! Once we spotted the sign for the lounge on the other side, we were on our way! 

When we visited family in Dar es Salaam, they enjoyed watching game shows from Britain. There is one called The Chaser. Well, they have a German version of it as well! It was on the TV in the lounge. Maybe we even have the same show here? No idea. And I don't really care, but having never seen this show and then twice in two countries - it must be a European thing. 

The German version of The Chaser

Then it was time to board the plane for Canada. OK --- this was the worst boarding of any of them on the trip. Another document check to ensure we had all the proper credentials to enter Canada. Then we waited - the plane was delayed by 20 minutes, but that wasn't a big deal. It was the fact that there were no lines, it was hot, and there were some very pushy people, including one woman and her husband (she was the pushy one), who insisted that she could board with the preboarding people. 

She was just rude and obnoxious, and I said that she needed to look at the sign. Let it go --- pole pole!!!!

We flew Lufthansa again on this last leg of the trip and on a 747-400, and we were up top! There were only 24 seats up there, so it was nice and quiet. We heard NOTHING on this flight. 

Jumbo jet!!

Do these planes (Condor) not look like giant bugs? They have them in all colors -- green, orange, beige, and probably lots more. A very popular airline, as we saw loads of planes. 

Striped airplanes

I think this was the most spacious space we had - it was enormous. And we ate well. I took a nap on the plane because I was tired. Even though I slept most of the other flight, it wasn't enough. I didn't want to sleep too much, so I wouldn't throw my schedule off. But very comfy seats, and how could I resist? I would almost say those lie-flat beds were more comfortable than the ones on Air Canada and Brussels Airlines. 

Loads of leg room

This was our route --- we flew north to go over the top of the British Isles, next to Iceland, and then straight into Toronto. All was good. 

The flight path

Of course, they make you disembark at the opposite end of the airport from where you need to be, so it was a bit of a hike to get to customs. And there's that sculpture in the International area. It's always exciting to see it on the way out, and even more exciting to see it on the way in! 

The sculpture in the International part of Pearson

We breezed through customs with our Nexus cards and were waiting at the carousel for our luggage. We had decided to check the luggage so we didn't have to worry about carrying it through the airports, and we had no rush when we landed. 

As we arrived at the carousel, our luggage was coming out. WHAT? That can't be!! We did NOT wait for our luggage - well, maybe a total of two minutes. There was a customs guy (or whatever) with his sniffing dog, and the area surrounding where the luggage came out was blocked off. 

The dog was sniffing everything and sat down in front of one bag. So it was hauled off the carousel. It had a lock on the bag, and the guy promptly snipped it off, opened the suitcase, and rifled through it. It was set aside! We had no reason to worry about our bags passing the sniff test. I was worried that the straps on my backpack would get caught, but there were no issues. 

Sniffer dog hard at work (he's behind the suspect suitcase)

And then our last car ride on this journey. We grabbed a limo and were home in good time despite it being rush hour. HOV lanes on the highway work well! 

The last ride!

But two things crossed my mind as we drove home. Waiting for the traffic lights. That would never happen in Africa!!!!

Traffic lights!!!!!

And how many cows, sheep, and goats could graze along the edges of our highways? 

Look at all that land to graze animals!

Of course, the girls were beside themselves when we arrived!!!! MOM'S HOME and dad too!!!! Murhpy was her usual goofy self, but Lexi was very clingy, which is so not like her!!!!

MOMMY --- I missed you and Dad so much!!!! I thought you were never coming home!

MOM'S HOME!!!!!!!!   Dad too!!!

And of course, they had to entertain us with their shenanigans. 

MOM --- look what you missed!!!!!

So we traveled well together. Of course, there were a few incidents, but I don't need to elaborate on them. I've learned to keep my mouth shut - it works out better that way for both of us. Will we do it again? I don't see why not. Oh, gosh — did I just say that? Where to next? 

I went to bed around 8:30, which was fine; I was a bit tired by then. However, I was awoken around midnight by Miss Lexi. I could hear her cavorting in the living room, which she never does in the night, so I got up to investigate. She was not having a good night and was, in fact, telling me she had to go outside, which is NOT her. So I put her on her leash and took her out, where she proceeded to do her business. 

I lay on the couch in the living room in case she was lonely, and she was happy for me to be with her. But then she couldn't settle, so out we went again. And that happened several times during the rest of the night. She has a very delicate stomach, and the fact that we were back was too much for her to handle. Poor thing --- hopefully her system will get back to normal soon. 

So I'm wide awake, and have been for a while (I've finished another book!), and I have a sneaky feeling that a nap will be needed later today.

I'm already thinking about the prep plans for the Buckhorn Quilt Show next weekend. I have labels to make, samples to quilt and embroider! It's going to be a busy week, because I also have several other events this month, and some of them require a significant amount of prep. 

So be sure to come out and see me at the Buckhorn Show -- it's going to be a blast. As I mentioned yesterday, come and check out how you can use an embroidery machine to make, embellish, and quilt your quilts. So many inspiring ideas!!!! 

And remember, there is a Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, August 30 --- starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82693702241?pwd=QpQkm8Ppppy1XwCPOqva1bcgJCWKdP.1

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

Sunday, August 31 -- starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81073536036?pwd=uxRqMnK1aSKrmrcSO78w8QQs5g44eA.1

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

August 27 pictures

the pictures are not in order. This is me at the equator. Been to artic circle on my bike, now equator 

The story of the bird sanctuary where our air bnb was located

Town where equator is located in Kenya 

The fish restaurant for lunch. Notice the open planks on the floor. Lady luck was with me when I emptied my shoe

The tanks where the fish live

I took this at the fish restaurant.  I am notorious for leaving my phone in a public bathroom.  Especially on travel days. This is to prove, I am getting better. Of course, I needed my phone to take the picture!!! Lol

Can't miss that ad. It's very common for companies to paint entire buildings with their message. They may not even be in that building!!!!  Airtel  (red) safari.com (green) were other

The lounge at the Nairobi airport where we waited

Going down two flights of stairs to get to get to our plane

Our last drive in Nairobi.  Very tame with Uber on the express toll road

Our ride to Frankfurt. Flying Lufthansa which has alliance with air canada

Up the gang plank. Is that what it's called?

Watching the map to see places we visited earlier in the day as we flew over the equator to Frankfurt 

They plied us with chocolates 

 All settled in for a good night sleep 

So much morebi want to say, but that's it for today

Ciao!!!