A prep day

I love to teach - I think everyone knows that, and I seem to be a natural at it. Perhaps when I was a kid, I should have veered that way. But I'm happy things turned out the way they did. 

I lived a very isolated life as a kid, and the only job opportunities I saw were those of a teacher, a nurse, or a secretary. Can you believe that? But it was common, and that's why we have a lot of retired teachers and nurses who quilt. 

I learned to type in high school, either in Grade 9 or 10, and began my career in the secretarial world. For whatever reason, the other day, I said 'carriage return' instead of 'enter'. I kind of dated myself! I'm sure many of you can remember that! I've never regretted that class. The other day, someone mentioned that their typing teacher would put a bag over the keyboard and have them type to ensure they knew where the home row was. 

But when it comes to teaching, the amount of prep work involved is crazy. Of course, that depends on how much time you want to spend, but if I'm going to take the time, I want to fully understand what I'm teaching, and I want it to be well done. Yep -- there have been times when I've been rushed and didn't quite explore all the avenues, and I got caught! 

Nothing bad ever happened -- we're talking about teaching people how to sew a pattern or a quilt together, but still! I've then had to backpedal and do the work, and then follow up again!

Let's say I spent most of yesterday preparing for this one-hour class, and I was extremely thorough. I'm not quite done, and have about half an hour left to load some pictures into the presentation and to read one more item I found. 

I hope they enjoy the presentation! I'm excited about this project, which is called Colour My World. We are a reasonably sized group, and once those show-and-tell pictures start to come in, it's going to be very exciting. 

Here's a picture of the quilt, in case you're unsure what I'm talking about. The designer is Wendy Williams of Australia. 

Colour My World

Now, in my thoroughness, I learned something that had puzzled me from a previous class. Of course, it's about technology, and now I know the answer. I'm not sharing until I've told the class. It's amazing what you can learn just by exploring! I was pretty excited about that little tidbit!

I had to do some printing, and when I went to grab the printouts, this is the message I saw on the printer. WHAT????

A User or Counterfeit cartridge?

I've never encountered this message before, and what should I do about it? The cartridge came directly from the manufacturer. I selected OK, and it seemed to print my documents. I must ask DH about it. 

My first priority in the morning was to fix the F11 on the dishwasher. I must remember to clean that filter regularly, as there tends to be loads of debris (OK - hair that accumulates in the filter). It must belong to the dogs! 

However, I also found this in the small section with the ball bearing. I believe that is a bit of bone. No wonder the dishwasher wasn't happy. And I must remember to take a picture of that little gizmo next time and order a new one, as I see the seal is starting to break down. 

A bit of bone in the dishwasher

I did NOTHING towards tidying any of the mess in Studio B or Studio U. It was all hands on deck to get that presentation ready. This is what Studio B looks like at the moment. It's a disaster, and I had to shove a bunch of stuff out of the way on the cutting table to find room to cut something this morning. 

Studio B - a disaster

I couldn't even find scissors or a seam ripper this morning, so I had to go into my retreat box to retrieve these tools. Sheesh -- they are in that room somewhere, but where? I'll start by clearing a space so I can work, and I'll get my writing done while putting things in order during this coming week. Let's not forget about the project that needs to be reworked. 

However, it was a blissful day. I was not in a rush to get anything done. If I wanted a wee nap (which I did), I took it completely guilt-free. I read during my lunchtime, and I went for a long walk, where I ran into a neighbor who cycles. We had a grand conversation about cycling. He invited me to join their group, and well, I just might get my butt back out on a bike. It's been a long time. I told him I would join them in the spring, after I have a bit of alone time with my bike. There's no need to embarrass myself by falling over when I'm clipped in, although that has never happened before. LOL. 

But this is how I want to spend my days. I don't want to be rushing around from one event to another. I hear so many retired people who are literally running from one thing to another, and my question is, WHY? Does every minute need to be programmed? Not for me! 

Oh - I also browsed at the library as I had to pick up a book for DH, so of course, three books followed me home. I can't help myself!!!!

And now let's have a peek at what those entertaining girls did. This is Miss Lexi, who is DH's guard dog when he's working. 

MOM - stay out - this is Dad's private space! 

All Murphy wants to do is play ball! I was wrapping it up for her, and she got so excited that she jumped up on me and lightly scratched my arm. So we had a good talk, and she went into a time-out for a while. But then she happily unwrapped the blankets to get that ball. 

MOM - I WILL find that ball

MOM - That was too easy!

MOM -- Look, I actually pulled the ball out of the toy! 

And Lexi and I need to have a chat. From time to time, she takes food from her dish or perhaps it's a treat and tries to hide it. She isn't trying to hide it from Murphy; she is trying to put it away so when she wants a snack, she has one. 

Lexi is trying to bury snacks in Murphy's dog bed

This is where she tucked a couple of pieces of kibble. Sadly, this won't last long, so I put it back in her dish. I felt bad, but Murphy will gobble that down without even thinking about it. There is NO safe place for Lexi's food or snacks, except in her dish, which Murphy will not touch. 

Lexi's hiding spot for the kibble

These were the flowers outside the library. So pretty!!! 

Flowers at the library

And what is it with this dog and staring! She is intense and very creepy when you catch her staring. There was nothing she needed, except my attention!

MOM -- how are you? 

You can't really tell in this photo, but yesterday was one of those surreal days, almost like fake lighting that throws things into a twilight zone. I didn't get a chance to sit outside as I was at the computer or walking for most of the afternoon. But today? I might just make it there - I now have many books to read and I'd better get to it!!!!

Surreal lighting in the backyard

And here are the links to the Virtual Retreat for tonight and tomorrow. I removed the references to Colour My World and the Digital Cutter Club; the groups are already aware of the classes. I should also mention that the transition in creating the distribution list for 'Colour My World' went very smoothly. I was extremely diligent about my filing system, and it worked! I double- and triple-checked before sending things out. It paid off! 

September 27 (Saturday) - Virtual Retreat - Starts at 6 PM EDT

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

Meeting ID: 826 9370 2241
Passcode: 795071

September 28 (Sunday) Virtual Retreat - Starts at 3 PM EDT

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

Meeting ID: 810 7353 6036
Passcode: 596838

And in case you are wondering how October looks, because no one believed me when I said things were quieting down, I have two classes: the Jacket class and Colour My World. TWO!!!!! They are on Zoom and one hour each. I have my five clubs, and they are also hosted on Zoom, each lasting one hour. The prep work for the clubs will be minimal, as will the next Colour My World class. The jacket class will require extensive prep work. But that's it! There is NOTHING else on the calendar except a few appointments, and I'll be adding to that - dog grooming, a massage, etc. But I refuse to fill that calendar - as far as I'm concerned - I'm booked full! 

And on that very happy note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!