Out with the old and in with the new (electrical) Part Two

Every day is a new day! I think that was what Alex and Ricky say at the end of every episode of The Quilt Show, and it's true! So much is happening, and some days I don't even know where to start. 

I walked to the grocery store and on my way back, my phone started pinging in my pocket. PING PING PING PING. There were so many pings I decided I needed to stop to see what the heck was going on. It was M, alerting me to something extremely creepy, yet extremely hilarious. 

I had set my bags on the sidewalk and was there for at least one minute. A woman and a man walked by and asked if I was OK. Isn't that amazing? I think we need to do more of that - communicate with everyone. Ask how they are, or ask if they need help. Or simply to wave!

Case in point, a gentleman that I see from time to time was walking towards me, but he hadn't crossed the street yet. I was going to turn the corner on my morning walk with Murphy, so our paths wouldn't directly cross. However, I waved at him across the street, and he waved back! That brought a smile to my face, and I'm sure it brought one to his! 

OK -- so now back to the pinging and what that was all about. It seems that AI has taken over my life without me knowing a darn thing about it. I think this only works on your Android phone, as I couldn't find it on my computer. It is generated by Google Chrome. 

So go to my blog on your phone. Then, in the top-right corner, select the THREE DOT drop-down menu. Scroll down until you find "Listen to this page." OMG --- AI turned my blog into a podcast!!!! I am not kidding. And they were pretty thorough, covering all the topics in a conversational style. It's hilarious, but it's creepy at the same time. 

While we have the THREE DOT menu on the computer, I could not find the "listen to the page" option. I think this is something brand new. Anyone heard of this before? Should we be alarmed? Darn right!!! Can I stop them using the content that way? I don't know, but at least it's linked to my page. 

Besides that excitement, a lot happened in the house. I have made and received so many phone calls over the last week; it's insane. I have tried all week to contact the vet to make an appointment for Lexi, but each time I called, another call came through, and I had to close the vet call. They have a long message when you call them. 

However, the good news is that my phone (knock on wood) seems to be back to normal. I can make and receive calls without my voice dropping. I have changed NOTHING!!! It just happened. Can you tell me why that is? My only guess is that what they told me about a misconnection between my phone and the local tower is true, but doesn't that seem far-fetched to you? 

I have no idea, but I'm still tentative about making and taking calls. But now that it seems to be working, the floodgates and phone calls are pouring in!

I'm in the process of making travel plans—yep—so much for it being a quiet August. I will be presenting the NEW PFAFF creative icon 3 at the following stores. If you want to get in on the action, be sure to call the store and get on the list. BTW - the AI didn't know how to pronounce PFAFF, so they just said P F A F F. 

August 19 (Wednesday) - Castle's Sewing Center - Langley, BC

August 22 (Saturday) - Northgate Sewing Center - Regina, Saskatchewan

August 24 (Monday) Heather Bell's Sewing Studio - West Lorne, Ontario

I will also be doing an event at Northgate Sewing Center on August 21 (Friday) on Creativate (embroidery software, quilting and crafting software, and the technology that ties it all together) and the Momento (24" digital cutter). 

So if anyone is in those areas and wants to attend, please call those stores. I have flights booked, but need hotels and cars. It's a crazy trip, but I'll make it happen. 

We had two electricians in the house for a good part of the day. I'm happy to report they have finished inside the house and will be back next week to deal with the backyard. 

This is one of the two old sconces in the living room. They were original to the house, and while they were decent lights, they didn't do much for me. 

The old sconce in the living room

These are the new lights. I LOVE them. 

The new sconces

And they seem to set off that window/space a lot nicer than the old ones. 

I LOVE the look!!!!

I will say that for shopping from what they had in stock, I did a darn good job and I'm happy! No need to dither about making choices! 

And now let's see what happened in the basement. There were nine fluorescent ballasts in the basement. The middle three have been dead for several years. Don't yell at me!! 

The dead fluorescent ballasts

And of the remaining six, I bet there was only one fixture that still had two working bulbs in it. It was time to do something. 

Some of the bulbs in the working ballasts were toast.

They replaced a total of eleven lights; there are two over the long arm. When I walked downstairs, I was blinded!!! It's like night and day. OH MY --- there really is a lot of stuff in that basement. 

The new lights are blinding!!

But here's the thing about the lights. We had a discussion about the lighting. This is the THIRD lighting setup for that space. I started off with pot lights, but didn't like them as they created many shadows; those were installed in 2004. They were replaced by the fluorescent light fixture) and I'm not sure when that was), and as the bulbs burned, I've been replacing them with LED tubes. So it was decent light. 

These new ones are LED closed light fixtures. No maintenance required. Here's the very sad part: when a light goes out, the entire fixture needs to be replaced. They are supposed to last for 78,000 hours. That is the equivalent of leaving the lights on 24/7 for almost 9 years. Hmmmm --- do I believe that? 

Anyway, the reason for moving to these kinds of lights is maintenance. The lights are used in buildings, homes, etc., and to cut down on the maintenance of buying and replacing bulbs, these fixtures are used. Great for maintenance, not so great for the environment. We have become a throwaway society. No one wants to fix or maintain - just buy new. 

I didn't really have much of a choice - three of those units needed to be replaced, so I replaced them all. But working in that space? WOW!!!!! 

Then it was time to move outside, and the two electricians got lucky that it had rained a wee bit, but they were able to work.  

So the lights outside our house are also original to the house, which is 30 years old. They are dated, dirty, and don't work. 

We have one at the front door, two on the garage, one on the side, and one at the back. 

The light by the front door

The light on the garage

And this is what I replaced them with. 

The light by the front door

At first I wanted something a bit less angular (i.e. modern), but seriously? I love them. And I realized that the little path lights in the front are very angular, so these fit right in! I don't know if you can see in the photo above (two photos up), but the massive amount of unsightly caulking they used is very different from the thin bead on the new lights. 

New light on the garage

The only thing missing from the front is a new LIGHTED house number, and we should be good to go. That will take some time to order, so it won't happen this time. I have one other (possibly two) things for them to do in Studio U, so those will happen later. 

I dare not think of the bill I will get when this is all done. Even replacing all those switches and outlets will be costly. But I had a budget, and we are well within it, and one must maintain the house! They found multiple broken and cracked light switches, so it was definitely time to replace them. 

As they were moving their tools out of the house, they left the door open. Look at that, Lexi. She warily eyed the front door, but didn't move towards it. When she was younger, she would have been out the door without hesitation. 

MOM - the door is open - that's not right!

The same goes for walking on the leash. If I had dropped the leash years ago, she would take off. Now, she just stops - MOM - something isn't right! 

And look at that Murphy! It's been a long time since she ripped a toy to shreds. 

MOM - I'm feeling pretty good!

However, she started barking shortly after midnight, so I ran outside to get her. She was groggy as all get out, but staring at the forest and barking. She came in and settled down right away (thank goodness), and I found her this morning sleeping in the family room where the plug-in pheromone dispenser is located. So I think it's time to start bringing her in at night. I can't have the neighbors calling and complaining about her. 

In all the chaos, I managed to get the rooster block complete for the Down on the Farm quilt. 

The rooster block

It never ceases to amaze me how a few diagonal seams using squares and rectangles can lead to something like this! 

But I still have many pieces left for the second block.

The bits for block ten

Then I was onto the next block. Oh boy—that is going to take some time to complete, but the worst is over. There is a little mouse in the block, and he was very time-consuming. BUT OMG --- he is adorable!!!! 

Squeak squeak!

There are still a LOT of pieces remaining for the remainder of this block. 

Still loads of pieces

Now it would not take you as long to sew the block together as it is taking me. I am pattern testing it, and I am a dog with a bone. As I complete a section, I send an email with any changes I feel might need to be made. I would likely skim the writing and only look at the pictures, but I am doing both. Checking the writing is hard for me, but I'm doing what I said I would. 

I am NOT changing the style in which the pattern is written. I'm just looking for labeling issues, missing instructions, or whatever. That is a very time-consuming job, and at the end of each block, I count the pieces in each block and compare them to the cutting instructions. I'm trying to be diligent and check off each piece as I sew it, but sometimes I forget. That's why I do the double-check at the end. 

I love this quilt, and I think it would make an excellent teaching quilt. But I will say that if you decide to tackle this quilt on your own—I do NOT recommend it for a beginner. Maybe an experienced beginner, but I would say it's more an intermediate pattern. Why? Some of the pieces are tiny - the smallest I've worked with are 3/4", which is small when you consider you are using ¼" seams. There are many pieces, and the instructions are clear, but you have to think as you work through them. 

When I am sewing, I can listen to an audiobook, but when I need to select pieces and read the instructions, I turn the book off. And I've had to rip because I grabbed the wrong pieces! 

I highly recommend the pattern, but be prepared for a challenge. The rest of this block should be fairly easy - I think I am done with the tiny pieces. WAIT -- I am not, as some flowers are coming up and the centers are 3/4" pieces. 

The house is still filled with boxes - I need to break them down and put them in the recycling. I got about half of that done yesterday. And the floor needs a good vacuum and wash. I'll vacuum today, but the cleaning people can do the washing on Tuesday. 

So much more is going on, but that is it for today. BTW -- the scrap class is FULL. I'll work on a distribution list and then send out some information, but since the first class isn't until September 19, we still have loads of time. And there really isn't any homework or things you need - you just show up on September 19. But I do have one small assignment to hand out before the class starts. Don't panic—it's not mandatory, and it won't take much time. 

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

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!