The right to vote -- be sure to use it!

I made good progress on the paperwork yesterday, but I still have a lot to do. It involved several phone calls (yeah, for a cell phone that works), being on hold FOREVER, and still getting the wrong documents, so I had to start the process all over again. 

I had another task: preparing a document, and I got it done and sent it off. Then the recipient asked another question, and I had to take it one step further. That's on today's agenda.  

Then I wonder why I never make headway. However, I've moved the pile of paper from the floor onto the desk, and I'll whittle it down as best I can. 

But the good news is that I renewed one of my memberships before it expired, and I voted in the advance polls. So I am making progress! 

I won't be around on election day, so I got myself to the voting place yesterday. It was near the library, so well within my daily walk. Only to find when I got home that DH had a book at that library! Sigh..... But that's a destination for my walk today. 

Get out and VOTE!!!

Well, things have changed in the voting world. In the past, it was always a paper ballot, and you marked your candidates with a pencil. This time, I got a long slip of paper with some information at the top and the rest was blank. Hmmmmmm, should I ask, or just go to the voting cubicle and see what happens? 

It was all electronic!! You insert your paper into the machine, and the eligible candidates appear on the screen for the various positions: mayor, councilor, trustee, etc. You select the ones you want to vote for on the screen. You can make changes if you mess up. And then the voting machine spits the paper back out with your choices on it. It then goes into the scanner where your votes are counted.

I was excited about the changes and posted in my Monday sewing group, only to discover that one person votes by mail in their area, while another votes on their smart device. Hmmmm, so many ways, but it doesn't matter as long as the data is protected and it lets MANY people vote. 

So if you are NOT planning on voting, think twice. The opportunity to vote is a hard-earned RIGHT, especially for women. If you don't take advantage of it, you are doing a disservice to your community and to yourself!! 

As I was walking back, I spotted this, and this is not the first time I've seen this kind of mess. 

This looks serious

I'm not sure what type of wires these are for, but doesn't that scream that someone is missing some kind of service somewhere? 

It also begs the question: why did it get damaged in the first place? 

Please note, this next comment has NOTHING to do with the above; it's strictly an observation, and my brain put the two thoughts one after the other. I always seem to go for my walk at the same time the high school lets out for the day. The one thing I have noticed is how LOUD these kids can be. The kids usually hang out in groups, which is typical of high school students, but within those groups (usually girls or boys, rarely mixed) there are one or two more exuberant people. 

They shout at the top of their lungs, usually individual words rather than sentences. I wonder if they have inside voices when they get home? 

Here's a couple of other things I noticed in the neighborhood. We had rain the other night, and I'm not sure how torrential it was, but at one point it was raining hard. As I was walking, I realized I was on the part of the path that gets the worst erosion when it rains a lot. 

Hmm, I didn't see any signs of erosion at all. No ruts, and no gravel running off into the forest. Could that section really be fixed? 

Zero erosion on the path

And there are still lots of beautiful flowers out. Miss Lexi and I spotted this one on our walk. 

Some plants are still in bloom.

In that same garden, we spotted a different colored flower, and I was taking a picture when a bee flew into another flower, and I captured this picture. 

The bees are still busy.

I decided to set up my iPad with the new puzzle website. I don't think this is going to happen. My brain just wouldn't function properly with this setup. I tried. Then I tried a different puzzle style, and I went from my desktop to the iPad. That isn't going to happen either. The format is different on the iPad, and it sucks! 

Trying to do a puzzle online

So I think I'll be relegated to the desktop, and I'm OK with that, although I much prefer having a piece of paper in front of me to solve a puzzle. And I tried!!! Multiple puzzles, different sites - didn't like any of them. 

I got one presentation ready to go, just waiting for a few more photos from the students to add. And I've got most of the next quilt cut and ready to sew together today. I hope I can get through it quickly; I seem to be in slow-motion mode this week. 

However, I need some help! I am missing a small piece of this fabric to complete a block. If I can't find it, I'll substitute something, but I thought I'd try. 

This is a Jinny Beyer (eyelash) fabric from the late 1990s. It is deep purple in color. I don't need you to suggest a substitute - I can look in my stash for that. I am trying to find this exact fabric. I did a bit of searching online, but I haven't had much time, and I was hoping someone might have it in their stash. I need a 1 1/4" by 20" strip. 

MISSING fabric

I also got the next quilt loaded on the long arm. But not before I had to load the back THREE times because I wasn't paying attention to centering it. Thankfully, I was able to quickly do that because of the magnets. Note to self --- put a mark on the leader indicating the center before you load the next quilt. 

I was hoping to quilt it, but that isn't going to happen. 

The next quilt is loaded.

Now seriously --- why can't all dogs be as good as Miss Lexi? She is a bit eccentric and likes to sleep with her head between the table legs, but I'm OK with that. 

MOM -- trying to get some beauty sleep here!

Murphy, on the other hand, is just trouble. I had laid out some fabric on the floor to see how it all fit together, and the next thing I knew, she plunked herself down like it was just for her. Never mind that there are TWO mats on the floor especially for her. 

MOM -- this fabric needs to be dog approved!

It looks like one area passed the test, so let's test a different section. 

MOM -- I need to test the edges - they are very tricky!

She was back at it this morning after I sewed part of it together. 

MOM - this feels very comfy after you sewed it together - I approve

I spent more time on the jigsaw puzzle, and yes, this one is tough, but I have managed to put part of one corner together. Can you guess what it is? 

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

It's candy!! There are multiple spots with the same colors, and none of them are big. It's a very busy puzzle, and it will keep me going for a while. I NEED to have it completed by the end of the month. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but I'm away for most of the rest of the month, so timing will be tight. 

Shoot, I'll post where I'll be for the next couple of weeks, so if it works for you to visit one of my events, you'll know where I am. I'll attempt that tomorrow. 

OK, I get alerts for houses for sale in my area, and I sometimes look at the pictures to see whether the house has been upgraded or how the kitchens and baths were redone, etc. From time to time, I spot unusual furniture, and well, this is unusual!! That looks like a princess chair!!! You can sit on that in your big, fluffy princess dress, and everything is contained. 

A chair fit for a princess.

Maybe Murphy would like that chair? Although she isn't a big fan of jumping up anywhere on her own. Not even her window seat at the front window. Those days are past for her. But she still does the stairs with our help, and all is working just fine. 

I see there is only one Frank Lloyd Wright house in Canada, and it's privately owned, so no go to visit. BUT I could buy one --- there are currently seven of his houses for sale in the US! I finished the book yesterday, and while the man was a genius with architecture, he was lousy at love. Married four times, and two of the four wives were very manipulative and caused him a lot of grief. The man could have done so much more without their interference! 

I'm also reading a book about Princess Diana. Her brother wrote it, and I have to say I'm on the fence about it. While the book is technically supposed to be about Princess Di, it seems to include a lot of information about the author. 

From the reviews, it seems no one likes the book. I tend to agree; while there are some interesting tidbits about their lives as young children, it keeps harping on how bad their lives were. And the struggles they had. I don't know why everyone assumes they had such a bad childhood - not openly loved by their parents, etc. That was pretty common for parents back then; not many showed one iota of affection toward their children. 

What the book tells me is that she had mental health issues that were never addressed, and then she became Princess of Wales, which only exacerbated the situation. It's the story of someone who married too young into what she thought would be a fairy tale and ended up with a nightmare. 

It's all rather sad! And a good part of the book seems to focus on the eulogy at Diana's funeral. 

Anyway -- I must get organized for the day. 

IT WILL BE A WONDERFUL DAY!!!!

Ciao!!!