A walk in the flowers

It was another LONG exhausting day; however, I listened to another page-turner audiobook, and I didn't want to stop. But I was so tired that I was falling asleep, even listening to the thriller. I tried listening to the rest of it this morning as I was prepping my presentation for the classes, and I had to stop because it was distracting me. OH! What a great book -- another page-turner by Shari Lapena -- The End of Her. 

I may have to listen while walking the dogs this morning. Again -- secrets and families -- are NOT a good mix. So if you have family secrets -- watch your back! 

A super productive day and I'm pretty pleased with the results. I'm not out of the woods yet with deadlines, so there won't be any celebrating today. Two more things NEED to be done by Sunday PM. NO -- make that three things! But it's all good, and I shouldn't be rushed to get them done. 

Everything is ready for this morning, and I must say that with technology, I'm getting much better and faster at taking and editing pictures and making up the presentations! Yeah me!!

I did not have a chance to tackle those few items on the cutting table. There was NO time for a break yesterday. OK -- I did sit outside for a bit. Not because I wanted to, but because I needed to make a call, and yep -- the phone isn't working correctly again! So I need to go to the store, but that won't happen until next week. When things are a bit more relaxed. 

I have to fly for work (and pleasure) in a few weeks. It was a trip that started out entirely as a pleasure trip, then turned into a work trip for part of it. Thankfully, in the same city that I was going to be in. However, it required that I make a change to one of my flights. I HATE making all those travel arrangements, as it's not my thing. I kept getting notifications from Air Canada that my flights had changed due to their scheduling or whatever, and I needed to accept or change my flight. Since I knew I had to change one flight, I was waiting for confirmation of the dates. I managed to change the DATE of my flight at zero cost! 

But now, since I have a specific timeline to follow, there are a few more changes to make and another flight to book. I'm NOT good with that stuff. Where's that darn admin??? As much as I hate doing that, I'd have a hard time letting someone else do it. I learn so much in the process!

Here are some wise words of wisdom that I found on the internet somewhere. 

Honestly, it's like someone looked inside my head and wrote down what's inside. I see some people stuck on any number of those things. It drives me NUTS because I wouldn't give two thoughts to what some people consider earth-shattering. YES -- we all march to the beat of a different drum but go back to that rule of FIVE. In five seconds, will it matter, in five days, in five weeks, in five years, etc.? 

I will admit that my biggest fault is number one. I do tend to dominate the conversation at times. I try to sit back and let things go, especially when I think I know better than someone else. I'm trying -- and I'm going to stick a sticky note to my laptop (for Zoom) to remind myself to sit back. 

OK -- I have a few issues with number four, but I'm working on that. I'm much better than I used to be! The rest --- I never overthink EVER. I'm the number one focus in my life (well, maybe the girls come first sometimes!), I never cheat myself, I'm the first to admit I made a mistake, and I detest wasting time on social media! I love that list! 

I also no longer save things for a special day. Here's one of my fancy bike teatowels that gets everyday use. I don't think there's a single thing in our house that we're saving for special occasions. To me, every day is special. My bike tea mugs get used every day, and I rotate them one day, it's this one, and the next day, it's the other one. 

Using the "fancy" tea towels

I will say that some things don't get used because we have too many of them. Too many cups in the cupboard. There are only two of us, and unless one of us starts to break things, we have too many. The same thing with clothes -- I tend to wear the same things repeatedly, and there's stuff in the closet that needs to go. I should do another cull one day!

OK -- I think I mentioned that our local grocery store is undergoing renovations. And they've moved the Starbucks from the bookstore (many Starbucks locations closed forever during the lockdowns) to the grocery store. The way the grocery store is set up, you come in one door and out the other at the other end of the store. As I walked Murphy past the store yesterday, I saw the sign, and it got me thinking. 

The coffee shop is at the ENTRANCE to the store. If you were a shopper, wouldn't it make more sense to have it at the EXIT? Who wants to walk around with your coffee in hand while you push a cart and grab groceries? And do I want to see spilled coffee on the groceries? I'm guessing they sell goodies as well -- well, wouldn't it be cheaper to purchase a pack of cookies from the grocery store rather than buy an individual one from Starbucks?? I don't know, but this doesn't seem well thought out. Or is it just me? 

I don't have my tea until I'm back in the house after walking the girls, so I can sit and enjoy it with a couple of digestive cookies. 

As I walked the girls yesterday, I snapped a couple of pictures of flowers. Here's a dandelion in the seed stage. Hmm -- that's probably not the proper term, but I am fascinated by this stage of the dandelion. It's so delicate and beautiful. They are everywhere at the moment. 

And here's a flower so the bees will still be happy. 

And I spotted one lone tulip in the forest. Now, how the heck did that get there? It's beside the sidewalk, and I bet a squirrel dropped it!!

We've seen a lot of wildlife lately. Two days ago, I spotted two skunks on the walk. Of course, Muphy can't handle herself like a lady when there are skunks around. Either she or I have learned how to get her back in control much faster than before, but she still freaks out. 

Then we spotted a fox the other day with breakfast in his mouth. Well, Murphy went ballistic. "MOM - I NEED to play with that." It took a lot of convincing, talking, and leash pulling to get her back on track. The next day, the fox ended up on our front lawn, and she almost crashed through the window in an attempt to get at it. Sigh......................   She is better -- that's all I can say. 

It looks like a blistering, cold, windy day outside, but I just stepped out, and it's warm! But it might rain. Umbrella or not? I don't trust the weather app!

On that note, I'd better get moving as my first Zoom starts at 9 AM. It's an exciting day, to say the least!! And there will be some FANTASTIC show and tell tomorrow. 

Now, where are those earbuds?

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Sewing on Zoom is loads of fun!

What can I say?   I have the BEST friends ever! We had so much fun at the Virtual Retreat. Where else would you be able to chat to quilters from various parts of Northern Ontario while they were in their studios? The joke at one time became - how north are you? Because as they joined the call, each was more north than the other! We had people from Western Canada and from the US. And then a couple of people were on the call whose houses I could walk to! 

Oh yes -- so much fun! And I get so much done while we're chatting. I was going to get some handwork done, but I totally forgot. That has to be on the agenda for this week. I MUST get that double wedding ring quilt done. 

But here's the best part of the retreats. We get to chat with each other, and we share. Oh my -- I learned a LOT this retreat. But more importantly than what each of us has to share, I think knowing that you are NOT ALONE in anything we do makes us rich beyond our wildest dreams. We all have husbands who do weird things, we all have health issues and family issues, and knowing that others are in the same boat, doesn't solve those problems, but it makes us realize that we are not alone. 

For mental health, that's so important. So if you're struggling at home because you can't visit people, and you choose NOT to attend a Zoom retreat, I think you're doing yourself a disservice. Of course, if you already have an active social outlet, then you probably don't need the contact. 

Anyway - a HUGE THANK YOU to everyone who dropped by. I left the call at 9 PM on both days and the night owls stayed on. Good grief --- they can't get enough. But I was at the gym at 5 AM this morning, and I need my sleep. 

The next quilt got loaded on the long arm, ready to be quilted later today. And I almost got a quilt top together. This was the quilt at some point in the day. 

My new project

All the blocks are now done and mostly together. I didn't get a picture of it before I closed the sewing machine down last night. It's a gift for someone, but they don't read my blog, so I'm safe to post. The pattern is Hopscotch by The Quilt Patch (our favorite store in Moose Jaw, which is closed-- gosh -- I miss them!) Anyway, I made the blocks larger than the pattern, and it's made from red flannel. I think the recipient, whose favorite color is red, will like it. 

I don't normally just buy fabric for the sake of buying it, but I love fabric with words on it, and I thought I should buy some.  

Fabric with words

I did feel a bit guilty putting it on the shelf in the stash room. I have no idea what will happen to this fabric. No plans for it, and that seems a bit wasteful now. It never used to bother me, but knowing that I'll likely never use it? Well, I'm over the guilt, and I rarely buy anything that I don't have plans for, so I'm allowed a slip every once in a while. 

I posted some pictures of Murphy the other day on Instagram. That dog is a veritable pigpen! Someone asked me if I gave her a bath. Ah no -- that's just a waste of time. So while the mud from the previous day had dried up and fell off either outside or in the house, this is what she looked like yesterday. Much worse than the previous day. Sigh.....................

Murphy is a dirty girl!

So what's the point of giving her a baht? I think she likes being dirty and covered in debris! I've been trying to get someone to groom her, but no one will take her! Well, that's not true. PetSmart didn't ask us to come back after going there twice. She barks her head off the entire time. You can imagine why we didn't get asked for another appointment. The groomer at the vet is NOT doing anything except emergency grooming. Trust me -- I've practically begged. And the mobile groomer - well, I didn't like her. I guess it's time for Youtube and my own pair of scissors. Murphy  -- come to Mom!!!

But this dog has a mind of her own. She is getting better when on the leash. Notice, I said better, not good! Why does she have to bark her head off when we stop to talk to someone? I'm able to calm her down now so that we can at least have a conversation. YES -- I do stop from time to time to have a chat with someone I meet, but it's rare. 

And if we see a squirrel? That is mostly controlled by a constant flow of the word NO coming from me. She can mostly deal with squirrels now, but god forbid if she spots it before I do. However, when she sees a rabbit? No -- that is not a situation under control. And yesterday? We saw a fox, and she went ballistic! So it's all baby steps - she's much better than she used to be. But seriously --- if I had roller blades on, we would be flying through the walk!

Murphy on the scent of the fox

We chatted about everything and anything, and what is said at the retreat stays at the retreat. However, the subject of geocaching came up since several of us have accounts or have done caching in the past. So when I went for my walk, I was thrown a gauntlet  - was I going to find a cache on the walk? Well, of course, I had to then. 

But seriously, if ever you see a person wandering aimlessly around a thicket on very public property, like the local mall, and you think they have lost their marbles - they are probably geocaching!

When I see this one here, it's easy to spot the black zip tie that holds the cache to the tree. 

Can you spot the geocache?

However, with the traffic on the road about 20 feet away and the sun shining in my eyes, it took a few minutes to spot in person. But it's all in great fun, and I really do NEED to get away from the sewing thing. Although I don't mind sewing all the time. I do enjoy geocaching, and I'm glad Susan got me back into it!!

Today is my first day "back to work" with one presentation in English. It's the same one that I'll be doing tomorrow in French, so that's a good thing! A good lead into what I need to practice for tomorrow. I have a few samples to photograph and add to the presentation. I'm excited about it!!!

If you're interested in the Virtual Retreat and want to stop by, the next one is scheduled for September 25 and 26. I used to host Sit and Sew days twice a month where people came to my house, but the virtual retreat is way more exciting, and no one has to pack stuff up. And I love that there's only one conversation that everyone can participate in! And we get to stay in touch with people who have moved away. That's the most important thing. People dropped by that I haven't seen in a long time, and it was great to catch up. I hope they come back later this month!

Well, on that note, I'm off! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!