Day One at Retreat at the Farm

In case anyone thought I was too harsh yesterday about my comments about the planet, I want to clarify that slightly. Yes, people visit these places to learn about them, and then they can be protected, but there are two types of people. OK -- so I'm generalizing there -- there are many types of people, but to keep this train of thought somewhat simple. There are two types of tourists -- those who just want to conquer the place/event so they can check that item off their to-do list. Get to the end as quick as possible, get to the top as quick as possible, be the oldest, the youngest, the one with the most times doing the attraction. These people are there just for the "likes," and most couldn't tell you anything about the place when they are done. 

Then some will respect and admire the work, the trip, the spiritual reason, or whatever, for that place. There is so much history in the world, and many people are totally ignoring that. 

I don't have time to fully format my thoughts on this, but it's well known that, whether you are a careful tourist or not, the mere act of visiting damages those areas! Erosion (by the very walking of your feet) and hands, etc. At least if we are going to visit, we should be respectful, and I know many are! But just as many are not! The amount of toilet paper left on the Camino is disgusting. 

Everyone talks about how exciting it is to go on a safari. We did two different safaris in Africa, and thankfully, they were short - the first one was one day, the second was only a couple of hours. I felt awful as the jeep roared around the habitat of these wild animals, trying to find them. There were many other jeeps. It was intrusive, and what a waste of fuel and pollution to this beautiful environment. 

I would NOT do a safari in an animal reserve again! I shouldn't say never, but it was hard, even for me, to keep up the enthusiasm of aimlessly driving around so I could get a picture of a lion! Seriously? 

I thoroughly enjoyed the balloon ride over the park. It was still disruptive to the animals, but not nearly as much. 

Thanks so much for the comments, because 1000% this is "progress," but all progress has done is remove some beautiful countryside around the world. It's very sad and disruptive. So I'm not against progress because we need it, but our politicians and corporations all over the world are not in tune with our environment - they just think of money! 

As for being a tourist in your own country? I'm right in there! Some people have never been outside their province (our provinces are huge), but still. They have never been to the West or East Coast. Yet they have zero qualms about hopping in the car and heading south, or hopping on a plane. What about our beautiful country? I can happily report that I've been to all provinces and territories, EXCEPT for Nunavut. I need to get there. And there are many places where I would love to go back, and of course, many places that I haven't explored yet. 

As I drove up yesterday, I was thinking about what to do for the remainder of the summer. Instead of going anywhere big, I think I'll stay in my home province and take day or multi-day trips within it! I haven't explored many areas of Ontario, and there is loads to do. I could stay home, but seriously—it's fun to get out and just explore. I wonder how DH will cope. And I need to get Murphy to the lake! 

Enough about that! Let's talk about the retreat. 

My plan was to leave my house at 8:45, and I was right on the money. It is so easy to keep to a schedule when you travel alone. The girls were not happy because there were fewer opportunities to sniff, but I had a plan! The girls each got a fancy cookie for being good girls on their walks. 

Leaving right on time

I didn't take a picture of the car once it was packed, but it took a few trips to get everything from the car to the house! And there were still four bags of books in the car!!! 

What I brought to the retreat

Wait -- there's more. I brought a cutting mat, a lightbox for someone to use, and a box of fleece scraps. Don't worry -- I did NOT overpack. Wait, and you'll see what I mean. 

More stuff that I brought

Then I set up the sewing room for the six of us and got myself ready to cut. I raised the table so I could cut. The cutting table at this retreat is in a different room, and it's hard to chat when you are not in the same room, so I came prepared. 

My cutting table

I had brought two lidded tubs of fleece scraps. One of them contained squares of fleece that had been cut to 6 1/2". The second tub was filled with odds and ends of fleece scraps that had accumulated over the years. One of the pieces of fleece was from a pea pod costume I made for M when she was two!! There was a round laundry basket and a small open tub (on the table) filled with scraps. Good grief!!! I was determined to deal with this once and for all. 

Prepping to cut fleece scraps

I emptied the laundry basket onto the table and then started sorting. I cut 6 1/2" squares where I could. Then I cut pieces that were 6 1/2" wide, but not long enough to make a square. Those pieces will be joined and then cut to size. That's the bits on the right, and the bits on the left are smaller squares that I'll join to make very scrappy squares. Don't worry -- it's my time, and it makes me happy to do this, so I don't mind one bit. 

The pieces that will be joined to become squares

Some larger pieces will be perfect for sewing together to make quilt backings. Yeah --- more backings! I probably have enough to make two backings. 

Larger pieces to make backings

OH MY _- look at the cutting mat. I knew this was going to happen, so that's why I brought my own. I didn't bring my mat cleaner, but I don't plan on cutting anything else on it, so I'll take it home like this and then clean it. 

A wee bit of a mess on the cutting mat

There's the box of cut squares. My plan was to sew them together and make some fleece blankets (quilts). Then I thought I would donate them to a group that makes fidget quilts for a texture block. Once I see how many I have, I might do a bit of both. 

The cut squares

A couple more pieces got added to the yardage bucket this morning. 

The larger pieces

Here's the bucket of scraps, which I will probably stuff a couple of pet mats with. Nothing goes to waste! Just a reminder that texture waste is one of the biggest fillers in the landfills! Fast fashion and all!!

Very small scraps of fleece

And this is the basket with the bits that need to be sewn together! Yikes!!!! But I would rather focus on this and get it out of my house. Those bins have been taking up a ton of space, and I was tired of moving them. Once I'm finished cutting this morning, I will put this back in the car, and then I can work on other stuff. This basket can come back to the next retreat, or I'll schedule a couple of "at-home" retreat days and work on it. 

The bits to make blogs

This is all that remains to be cut once I finish writing the blog!!! Yep—I'm pretty excited about that, and then I can move FOUR bins back to the car. Then I'll set up the sewing machine, lower the table to the regular height, and pick something to sew, although I have some hand sewing and knitting with me as well. Since there are very experienced knitters in this group, I had better use my time wisely, as I have a small issue, and I bet one of them can help me. 

All that remains to be cut.

Once this fleece and the flannel are used up, I vow never to buy either material again!!! That is my goal - use up the flannel and use up the fleece. I brought a flannel quilt (squares) with me to sew together. It's one of MY community project quilts. The blocks are made from cut-offs left over after trimming quilts. 

I love the sewing room at this retreat house because three sides of the room are windows, and the sun pours in. It's so bright, you don't need to turn on the lights until later in the day. While there are blinds on the windows, the top part isn't covered, so at some point in the day, it's a challenge for one of the sewing spots because of the sun. 

However, the person who picked that spot happened to have sunglasses AND a hat. It worked perfectly, so she was able to keep sewing. But she looked so much like those cowboys back in the day with their heads bowed. She wasn't sleeping -- she was sewing!!! 

Who is that masked sewist?

Some people absolutely LOVE those clips! This person is making napkins and has everything clipped and ready to sew!!!!

That's a lot of clips.

And what a clever idea to wrap spools of thread in!!! That is an elastic bandage. NO -- it's not an elastic bandage, but one of those with a sticky surface so it sticks to itself. What a brilliant idea for taming threads!!!!!

WAIT -- I just Googled it and found it. It's just called a wrap (made by 3M - at least the brand I spotted) and is used to secure splints, ice packs, dressings, etc. Did you know that you can buy a 1" by 5-yard roll for $3.25? That's way cheaper than buying a roll of the clear plastic tape made for quilters. WOW!!!!! 

I went for a short walk to the end of the driveway, but I still got loads of steps with all the loading and unloading of the car. 

WAIT -- for anyone who has a Fitbit and uses the app, it changed to Google Health last night!!! Oh dear—the information looks different, but it's the same information. I'll have to investigate that later today. 

Well, let's see what today brings, and it's time to finish cutting and get to work on something else!!!!! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Save the planet

Art is art! Oh my—I love Tammy's comment about the CN Tower from yesterday's blog. The person who criticized the block recognized it as the CN Tower. Mission accomplished!!! I NEVER think of the good comebacks at the time. 

Imagine if we were all quick on our feet and could put the "Karens" in their place immediately!! I have to work on those witty comebacks! 

And it was time for our UFO Club. The amount of UFOs that most of us have is obscene, but slow and steady, and we will whittle them away. That's my philosophy, and sometimes, if the UFO is huge, it's a good idea to plan it out. Maybe work on it for a month or two. If you get bored, switch it up, BUT leave yourself good notes about where you are, what you have done, and what the next steps are. 

And here's the other thing about UFOs. You do NOT need to be a hero and finish everything you started or wanted to start! If you no longer are excited about it, or every time you pick it up, it's a chore, or you are procrastinating about it - guess what? Find a new home for it. I'm not a fan of throwing stuff out, but if no one else wants it and you don't - why should you be obliged to finish it? Can you do something different with it? 

Move on to the fun stuff, because if you don't—here's a great quote by Henry David Thoreau. While the quote is about books, it applies to everything in life. 

"Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all." 

And I just spotted another quote that brings a serious situation to mind. 

"All good things are wild and free." 

This makes me think of the recent pictures of Mount Everest. May is summit season on Mount Everest, and over the years, many people have reached the summit. But if you look at this year's pictures, they are discouraging, disheartening, and disgusting! There are literally LINES of climbers inching their way along the paths. You could get through Tim's line much faster. Or how about a line at the bank on Friday afternoon? 

This is the problem with any of those "great" hikes - The Camino, Machu Picchu, etc. We now have so much more disposable income (not everyone - I get that), and they think it is their right to visit these sacred places and, in many cases, leave them in worse condition than when they arrived. The garbage situation on Everest is disgusting, and while some organizations are making inroads in cleaning it up, the people who made the mess should be the ones cleaning it up. 

And I've never understood the "importance" of people wanting to get close to places like Antarctica without ever actually setting foot there. I just think about the environmental impact of the ships in those waters - just so people can see ice floes and penguins. 

I guess I'm just a simple person. It makes me NOT want to go to places like that. Find the less popular places to go. Those are the gems now - the other stuff? Tourist trap and garbage dumps! 

And there are many other amazing quotes from Henry David Thoreau. 

How about this one: "Your life is frittered away by detail. Simplify. Simplify." 

How true!!!! 

Yesterday, during the Virtual Retreat, we got onto the topic of travel and how to protect your possessions, whether that's your checked luggage or your valuables. It's so simple—just don't take your precious stuff, and don't take lots. I will never travel with checked luggage for pleasure - NEVER! I have to check luggage when I'm traveling for work because the sample suitcases are too big and heavy to carry on. 

When I see those huge suitcases at the airport, I would love to ask someone to open them up so I can see what's inside. I'm dying to know! How many clothes, shoes, and purses does one person need? 

I'm all about simplicity, but I sure would love my life to be a lot simpler in terms of possessions, and I'm working on it, so that is good. 

Here's an example of the kind of thing that makes me sing. When I went for a walk in the morning, I spotted this on the ground. 

Moss in the forest

Do you know what it is? The picture doesn't do it justice. It's just a patch of moss. Its color was spectacular in the light drizzle. I don't need cathedrals and gold to make me feel inspired -- give me a forest any day. I've talked about forest bathing many times, and yesterday, when I started walking in the forest, it was incredible. I could feel the energy pouring into my body (OH god -- I'm starting to sound like James Redfield in The Celestine Prophecy), but seriously -- when I entered the forest, I was thinking about the day ahead. As I walked, the pieces of the day just fell into place. I felt calm, but energized and eager to get started. 

Please don't laugh until you have tried it!!!! Walking in a forest - if everyone could do it, you would see how soothing, relaxing, and energizing it can be. BUT -- you can't just walk in the forest. You have to put your cell phone away. Then you use your ears to HEAR the forest, and you use your eyes to SEE the forest. Don't just look and listen—be in the moment! It really does make a difference!

And the other thing --- don't be in a hurry! Why is everyone in such a hurry? There's no need. Just take life as it is. We are teaching our children and grandchildren to be in a hurry - start earlier, so you don't rush. How many times have I seen a parent fly down the road, often right through the stop sign, only to turn into the schoolyard to drop off her kids? 

I also spotted this snail on the way to the forest, and OK -- so doesn't it make you wonder how long it took the snail to get in the middle of the sidewalk? Where did it sleep all winter? Will it make it to the other side before someone else comes along? 

A snail - first of the season!

We must stop thinking about silly stuff and start clearing our minds! 

I didn't get as much sewing done as I would have liked, but that's OK. This morning, I was up early and crammed all that loose stuff into ONE MORE panic-packed bag for the retreat. I know -- I should not have done that, but I needed a bag to put two power bars in, and well, some stuff just got thrown on top. 

I managed to get this backing pieced for the next community project quilt. The light fabric on the right is a single piece, and the long strip on the left is as well. But the section in between is made up of nine pieces from the leftovers of another quilt backing. The cutoffs after the quilt is quilted. I wanted the strips to be vertical—it made more sense —and voilà, I got a new piece of fabric. 

The scrappy backing for the next community project quilt

You can see the backing and the piecing a bit better here. Again—why are we in such a hurry? Make everything a puzzle to make it more fun, like turning fabric scraps into fabric. I don't know about you, but I value my resources way too much to toss things out. I'm happy to sit, rip things out, and make something new. My parents, as I'm sure many of your parents, grew up in the depression and had NOTHING. The Earth was in somewhat of a good way at the time. Now, we are in a throwaway society, and if we no longer want something, it's easy to just toss it and get it out of the house. 

My pieced backing

My pioneer roots (thanks, Mom and Dad) tell me that you can have fun with creating new fabric from scraps and save the planet at the same time! 

The other thing I mostly did was tackle that stack of Half Square Triangles, and they are all done! Remember that little grouping I did the other day with blue and green? I found more of the same blue and similar greens in the tray beside the sewing machine, so I'm going to add to that pile. The ones in the stack on the right are randomly made, and I found one large one. 

Trimmed half-square triangles

And yes -- My little group of four worked out just fine, with the fourth one in the last group being the large one. 

It worked out!!!!

I'm sure after you read the above, you are wondering where the heck my brain is going. But I have always said - I am a simple person, and I have a child-like curiosity. I'm OK with stopping to stare at a snail on the sidewalk and then taking a picture. If a neighbor sees me, what the heck do I care? I really don't care what other people think of me and what I do. What is important to me is that I enjoy each and every minute of my very limited time on this planet. 

When I visit some place, I want to see the people behind the scenes. That is way more fascinating than seeing the main show. Take me to a Broadway show and put me behind the scenes, and I'd be a happy camper. Put me in a seat out front, and I'm bored. 

We are all different, and that's a good thing, but don't be afraid to explore, to get down on the floor (if you can), and to ask questions. Lots and lots of questions. You'd be amazed at what you can learn. And how people will change their reaction to you. No one wants to hear your companion conversationalists go on and on about themselves. Unless you ask, be careful, because some people don't know when to stop!!!! I could go on and on about that! 

My portable office is packed as soon as I pull the plugs on my portable hard disks. I love that everything is portable now and just plugs into whichever computer I'm using. We discussed that last night as well, and many people no longer have a computer. I still have TWO and an iPad, and I use them all. 

All that remains is to pack my food, but first I'm off to the gym for 30 minutes on the bike and a wee bit of stretching. It's actually kind of refreshing to do the spin "class" on my time instead of waiting for a 60-minute class. 

Have a super day. I'm off to a quilt retreat for a week. Don't worry—I have my portable office with me, and I'll tell you all about it!!! 

Ciao!!!!

PS -- there is good news about my knees. The slow walking, the reduced distances, plus one pill a day, have made me feel like a million bucks! Murphy is NOT happy with a bit shorter walk, and I think that is part of her problem. She feels cheated, but I feel better - I can practically fly up the stairs (OK - I'm exaggerating), but a few simple things I changed have made a difference. I'm off for an ultrasound next week. 

Check your subscriptions!

Thanks for the suggestions on computers—I'll look into them because I'd love to get the old computer off the second desk! It takes up a lot of room! 

There was a lot of trepidation in the house as I unboxed the second HP printer. This time, I took pictures as I unboxed it. There's that heavy paper strap around the shrink-wrapped printer. And it worked like a charm. No need to bend deep to pull the printer out of the box. I was very impressed. 

Pull on the heavy cardboard strip to remove the printer

Then I started the set-up process, which meant I had to run between the kitchen (printer's current location) and the office (computer location) to make that happen. As it passed each step with a green checkmark, I was getting excited, but would it pass the "insert ink cartridges" test? 

Setting up the new printer

And within about ten minutes, this is what appeared on the screen. YEAH!!!! It worked!!! I may seem like a bumbling idiot when it comes to technology, but I know how to set up a printer! I mean - how hard can it be? And most companies these days have it so automated that it's almost idiot proof. Not quite, but almost! 

YES -- we are in business! 

And then I did a very brave thing. I printed the alignment page. OK, so that part wasn't very brave. I just printed it. But the next thing I printed was the reason I bought the printer. OK -- it wasn't the only reason - the old printer was becoming very costly for ink (more on that in a second), and I needed to print a photograph on fabric. I couldn't scan on the old printer from the new computer, so it really was time to retire the thing, and me drying up the print heads and the cartridges was the straw that broke the camel's back! 

Instead of printing a test page for the photo, I shoved the fabric sheet into the paper tray and pressed OK. And then we waited. Oh shoot - I need to press PRINT as well, and then it started to print. OH MY -- I can't share the photo with you yet, but the quality of the print? STUNNING!!!!! 

 

Waiting for the photo to print

Now here's the thing with printers. Our old printer was an OfficeJet with four ink cartridges. We had signed up for the InstaInk program, which monitors our ink usage and sends us new cartridges when we need them. It worked for us. I didn't realize that we were paying almost $20 a month for that. DH set it up when we got the old printer, and we used to print more then, but we don't print nearly as much now. 

I set up a new plan that costs less than $10 a month. And this printer uses only two cartridges (the colors are combined in a single cartridge). This printer is also a photo printer, so I'm not sure how that works differently. Anyway, we have a new printer; it works like a charm. I did NOT test the scanning, but I'm sure it's fine. It prints amazing color photographs on fabric, and the ink is cheaper. The new plan is also to print fewer sheets, which also accounts for the cheaper ink cost. 

It should be obvious, yet it isn't. But you MUST check the details of any and all subscriptions you have, because we were overpaying on the ink by double! And if we need to change the subscription level, it's easy to do online! 

After the two very successful presentations in the morning and YES - I got everything done in time, I decided to do a bit of tidy-up work. This is my basket of fabric for Color My World by Wendy Williams. It's a beautiful quilt, and I decided to put away the fabrics that I no longer need. I kept out the backing, the background, and two potential candidates for the binding. 

Sorting out the fabrics for Color My World

So, do you want to see the quilt? 

My almost complete Color My World

I still need to add the outer border, which will be the background. But it's mostly done, and that outer circle fits the inner black circle like a glove! OK -- I had to ease a tiny bit here and there, but it fit amazingly well. I am thrilled to death with it!!! I made two blocks - the grain elevator and the CN Tower, both on the left. 

But what stunned me was the level of creativity that the participants put into their quilts. They left me speechless with the workmanship, the creativity, and the willingness to take a leap of faith and try something most had never done before - design their own blocks. And it was a very odd-shaped block to boot! I am very proud of that group - they've all done a spectacular job. I will be sharing the show-and-tell after the June meeting on the 27th of June, so you have to wait until then, but the wait will be well worth it! 

There is one thing that drives me CRAZY!!! I encouraged this group of participants, as well as anyone in my classes, to step outside their comfort zones and try something new. Many people designed their own CN Tower, and each is unique. Last night during the virtual retreat, we were chatting with someone who made this quilt several years ago. She also designed a CN Tower block. When she showed her quilt to a "friend," they said, "Your CN Tower has a flat bottom," or something to that effect. 

WHY? Can you tell me why people think they have the RIGHT to make nasty comments like that? If you are thinking something negative -- just keep it to yourself. There is NO RIGHT or WRONG --- we design to our abilities and skill levels, and we all perceive things differently. 

NO ONE has the RIGHT to criticize my quilts or anyone else's. If you don't like it -- keep quiet! In case you don't know, you are making yourself look like a crotchety old lady from my mother's era, and guess what? It's not attractive!!! 

You know who you are—so next time? Just say -- wow -- you did a great job and leave it like that. You do NOT get a medal at the Pearly Gates for being overly critical! There are ways to provide feedback if you feel it's necessary. 

Harsh -- I totally get that, but so many quilters have fragile egos, and for them to create a quilt block and then be criticized for it? They will likely never try it again! 

Sorry to harp on this, but negativity seems to stick in our heads way more than positivity does. I don't know why. But imagine speaking to your children and grandchildren with that constant negativity. How will they learn to keep their heads up, be proud of what they have accomplished (even if they made massive mistakes), and build their confidence? You don't agree with what they designed? So be it—have a good laugh with the person, ask if they need help or support, and then move on! 

I could go on and on about this. Are you a fixer or an interrogator? And so many other things. I'm not perfect by a long shot - I am quick to respond, have anger management issues at times, and am slowly learning to back off and to apologize if I screw up. Be humble!!! Read The Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield. It's an eye-opener about our behavior toward others. 

KU and I headed off to Fabricland in the afternoon to pick up some supplies. I have three small things to make/alter for the wedding, and I need to get moving! But I needed a couple of things. Now that I have the stuff, I'll start working. 

Once we got back and set up the printer, I really didn't feel like sewing. I was going to go for a walk, but it poured all day, so I sat down with the jigsaw puzzle and started working on it. 

It was a challenge right to the end. I had this hole in the puzzle and these remaining pieces. The issue was that some holes were filled with TWO pieces, making it challenging to find the right spot. 

The final challenge

And there it is --- done!!! That was probably the most challenging puzzle I've done recently. My puzzle artist friend (Cynthia Frenette) says she has received feedback that her puzzles are challenging, which is good, since I have a few! I paid $6.99 at the thrift store and likely got a discount. A very good value for the money, and it helps offset the cost of the new ones. No pieces missing. 

The puzzle is together

The next puzzle is pulled from the closet and follows the theme (Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association) for the June puzzle-along. I won't open it until I'm back from the quilting retreat. But yes -- I snuck a 500-piece puzzle into my retreat bag! OH - the theme is Colors, Gradients, Rainbows!

My stuff for the retreat is sitting in the garage because the cleaning service came this past week, and I needed to get it out of the living room. It will take little time to wing it in the car. I have ONE last-minute packing bag downstairs, and as the day goes on, I'll wing stuff into it that I think I might want to work on! It's ONE bag, and I can always leave it in the car! 

My panic-packed bag for the retreat

Speaking of wedding things, as we chatted on the Virtual Retreat last night, I pressed the lace I had removed from the pinafore and removed all the loose threads. It's rolled up and ready to go. 

The trim is ready for the bouquet.

I didn't get much done during the Virtual Retreat. But I managed to get the pieces cut for another scrappy backing for the next community project quilt. You can't really tell, but the mottled fabric is made up of many vertical strips. I'll sew them together today and then add that to the snowflake fabric. And there will be another scrappy backing. I don't waste anything, and when I set out fabrics for the backing, I'm generous. I've had to put half the stuff I pulled away because of my ingenious piecing; I didn't need nearly as much as I originally thought. My goal is to use up all the blue flannel for the backing of these quilts. 

The backing is ready to piece

And I can't tell you how excited that backing makes me. I love solving puzzles, and figuring out how to use scraps to make something is just that - a puzzle. This exercise helps build many skill sets. It may take time and not be easy, but it's worth it to me! I don't make notes, and measure - I go by eye and gut feel. My gut feel is getting a good workout, and it's highly tuned because of all the experience I've gone through! 

Before closing up last night (we finished the Virtual Retreat at 9 PM), I managed to trim this group of HSTs. Yeah!!!!!

Another group of HSTs trimmed.

That leaves this pile that I just stitched this past week. So I'm pretty current, and I should be able to get those done later today? 

The last pile of HSTs to trim

I got the two UFO presentations ready this morning - I am so darn productive in the morning, and while going through emails for something, I spotted this picture. Oh my—these are signature quilt blocks from an exchange I participated in years ago. This is not my quilt, but I have my set of blocks!!! 

A signature quilt from years ago

There are tons of exchanges going on these days, and I really don't care about them. I think they are wonderful things to participate in, but I remember one year that I spent most of my time working strictly on these exchanges. I was probably working on at least two Block of the Months, then many blocks or fabric swaps, and that was all I did that year. I've done so many different styles of exchanges and group quilts that I'm done! I now want to finish my UFOs. 

They were fun to participate in,  but so many of the exchanges sit as UFOs today. 

And what day goes by that Murphy doesn't do something silly? She seems pretty agitated these days - well, that's not a good word, but she is just constantly moving. Well, that's not true -- I'm not sure how to pinpoint it, but she seems different. It might be my imagination. The girls had a few days of freedom to come in and out as they pleased, but with the plummeting temperatures, the doors and windows are tightly shut. I'm tempted to turn the furnace back on, but instead piled on two sweatshirts! 

Anyway, as mentioned, it was pouring rain yesterday, and she saw fit to go outside and just stand on the deck! 

MOM - it's raining!

I need to alter this bowtie for the wedding, and it has Bear's scent on it. Murphy almost ate the bowtie in her eagerness to sniff it!!

MOM - where's Bear? 

I managed to go through all the emails from people giving their thoughts on what quilt to pick for the fall sew-along. OH -- could I be tempted to do more than one? ACK!!!! Be strong!!!! I'll take the list with me to the retreat and try to figure out what's going to happen for the fall. 

I'll be sure to share with you. 

Have a wonderful day. Stay warm and dry!!!

Ciao!!!

Here's the link for the Virtual Retreat today. We start at 3 PM. It's a perfect type of day to stay inside and sew! Come join us!

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Why jigsaw puzzles are good for you!

 OH MY GOODNESS --- Someone mentioned in the comments that Southern California is already in fire season. Our thoughts are with you, and we hope there are no serious fires. We are so at the mercy of the weather in all we do and how we live our lives. 

I could go down that slippery slope of climate change, but I won't. All I have to do is think back on my short life to see that the weather is NOT the same as it was when I was a kid! 

Well, what a day it was yesterday. It was a bit better than the previous day, although this morning started out badly. I was trying to get those two presentations together, and when I went to load pictures in one, most of the changes I had made yesterday were not there! Seriously? We have AutoSave for a reason! Anyway --- the first presentation is complete, the second is almost done, and I have a few minutes later this morning to finish it. The bottom line -- it's done enough! 

You never know what wildlife you will see on the walks, and yesterday? It was a stinky one!

MOM - I see trouble!!!!

Of course, once she saw it and focused in, she went wild! Thankfully, it didn't want to be near us either and took off under the fence. It appears that anything moving is her downfall. If she sees the rabbits or the skunks and they are stationary, then Murphy is too. But the moment they take off, she wants to follow. I guess that is why you are told NOT to run if you encounter a wild animal. Most will not pursue if you don't run. But our instinct is to run like mad, which is pointless. 

When I passed by that same spot with Lexi, someone had upset the skunk, and you could smell it! 

Here's a more sobering thought about wildlife. TICKS!!! I had to get Murphy's medication, and these vials were sitting on the counter at the vet's office. They are ticks of various varieties that have been removed from pets. These are nasty little beasts, and those little ones in the front jar are so tiny, you can't even feel them when they are on your body. Sorry for that. I will be very sad the day that those ticks invade my forest in a big way. So far, we are good. 

Ticks!

But I'm not so sure I'm happy with this new vet. They are sure not like our previous vet clinic, which was owned and operated by the vet. Some corporation owns this vet clinic. Our records were moved in August, and at that time, Murphy needed a renewal of her medication, which cost an arm and a leg to have bloodwork and heart tests done. There was no need because she had been on the medication for years, and without it? She has a weak bladder! 

But I have asked about Lexi numerous times, and they keep saying, " It will come up. Well, it's getting on 9 months and still NOTHING!! I asked again yesterday. OH - the notes are handwritten, and she promised to write them up, so the appointments could be scheduled. Good grief!!!! You think they would be chomping at the bit to charge me another arm and a leg for Lexi!!!

But this is indicative of any company, not just the vet. When the small guys go out of business because of many reasons (our vet retired after 50 years!), the service (or lack thereof) from the big guys is terrible. 

WAIT -- I shouldn't say terrible, but it's not personalized at all. That's the same for service companies, stores, and anything else. That is why it's important to support those quilt shops and other small shops. They get to know your name, are more receptive to questions, and don't just treat you like a number! 

Poor Lexi - she needs her flea and tick medication as well, and hopefully, we'll get it soon. I could give the girls the same medication, but Murphy's is for a larger dog. WAIT -- while they look the same size, Lexi weighs about half what Murphy does. Maybe not half, but she is significantly lighter than Murphy. 

The other day, when Murphy and I were out walking, and she was fixated on something and walking with her head turned back, she banged into my leg and almost wiped me out! She's SOLID and HEAVY!

Murphy is just fascinated (AKA as HATES) anything on two wheels. When she hears motorcycles revving down the street, she stops to look for them, and then she is fixated on the darn thing. I'm sure if she were off-leash, she'd be off in no time to save the world from two-wheeled modes of transport. The worst are those e-scooters. We haven't had any pass us yet this year. Thank goodness. 

She's OK with the little while electric car that goes up the path almost every day! It has four wheels! 

I managed to get a lot of sewing done, and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, including what happens when you procrastinate about something you don't want to do. It all turned out amazing. 

The other thing about Miss Murphy is that she is very inquisitive, aka nosey. She has to KNOW everything that is happening. So when I had to get down on my hands and knees and clean the pond filter and the pump, she was right in there. 

MOM -- what's going on? Can I help? I can help!

And it took a lot of name-calling (in a good way) to get her to look up! She has zero attention to me! 

MOM - I can hear you, but I was busy!!!

And then she went and lay down like this. How can that be comfortable? 

MOM - I'm just fine! 

I keep talking about the office, so I thought I'd let you see what I'm up against. This is a pile of boxes that are either waiting to be sorted, or to be picked up at some point, or whatever. I must get myself in gear and finish the sorting. 

One area of the office that's in disarray

There is still a stack of paper on the floor beside the desk. One day, there will be room for the paper to sit on the desk! I have the old computer that I no longer need. I have kept it because I couldn't get my new computer to recognize the old printer as a scanner. I could print on it, but no scanning. Seriously? So I kept the old computer to make that happen. Now that I have a new printer, hopefully I won't need the old computer. It still works, but can't be upgraded to Windows 11. Hmmm --- what to do? My love/hate relationship with technology continues!

A stack of paper to deal with

And the desk, once again, looks like a nightmare. I really have to figure that one out! 

And the desk is a nightmare again!

OK -- I have a very addictive behavior which I'm sure you all know by now. And when I go down a rabbit hole, I'm like Alice - let's go the whole way. I've been investigating the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association on their website and signed up on Facebook. It turns out that they have theme puzzles each month. They release the theme, and then you make a puzzle in that theme and post it on Facebook. HEY -- quilters do that kind of stuff all the time. There are guidelines, and while I could have posted something for May, I didn't have all the pictures they wanted. So I'll wait until June, with the theme of Rainbows, colors, and gradients. I might even use my butterfly puzzle—it's filled with color! 

Then I looked at some of the puzzles they did for previous online timed puzzles. And well, three puzzles followed me home. Actually, I bought them from Puzzles Canada (did you know they offer free shipping on orders of $69 or more?). And they were delivered within 24 hours of me ordering? 

Three new 500-piece puzzles

In a heartbeat, I would rather order from them than from any big-box online store. They support the local community and sponsor some of the area's competitions. They are super friendly when you go in, and they are local, Canadian, and small! Yet, the store contains over 10,000 different puzzles from 93 brands. Yep -- they have my dollar!!!! OH - and if you want a puzzle that is sold out, they'll email you when it comes back in stock!! Well worth supporting this store! Or whatever puzzle store in your neighborhood! There are loads—check them out! 

I told DH I have a new hobby, and I look forward to switching up what I do in the evening. I want to enjoy sewing, but I don't want to do it all day and into the evening. So it's nice to switch it up. 

Anyway, the plan with those three (500-piece) puzzles is to do a timed practice in the privacy of my house - just for curiosity's sake! I might suck with the pressure!

Even though I still had work to do on the presentations, I spent an hour last night working on the puzzle. I am still missing border pieces, although I managed to find a couple last night. But this puzzle is a tough one!!!! But I'm almost there. I should be able to finish by Sunday evening. 

The current status

Here are a couple of reasons why I love jigsaw puzzles. I actually love all kinds of puzzles - I have since I was a kid - logic, crossword, sudoku, but interestingly enough, I don't do those daily puzzles like Wordle. I'm not into having the pressure of having to do something daily. I hate that, and it takes all the fun out of it! I know -- I don't have to do it daily, but it's a daily thing, and you get addicted. I get addicted at the drop of a hat!

1. Low-tech. Heck—there is NO technology whatsoever involved. That's reason enough to love making puzzles.
2. Doesn't take a lot of room to enjoy puzzles
3. Relatively low cost
4. Hours of entertainment for the cost
5. Easy to swap/donate
6. No reason to keep them
7. No UFOs
8. Huge variety of subject matter
9. Variety in brands - how the pieces are cut, etc. 
10. Low tech. I mean NO technology. I know I already mentioned that, but it's so important, it's worth mentioning twice!!!!
11. No UNDOING!!!! 
12. Hard to make mistakes!
13. Easy to leave and come back when you have time
14. Great at color matching and pattern matching
15. Great mental activity (Google that! - we should all be doing puzzles)
16. No tools or supplies needed
17. Easy to get rid of if you have to move
18. Easy to store (unless you get obsessive)
19. Fun
20. Can be a shared activity!
21. Easy to sit down for an hour or just five minutes!

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture. It is so different from sewing, and I'm glad I now have time to make that happen. And there is no reason to buy any more puzzles for a while. Until........

OK -- remember there is a virtual retreat tonight. Here are the links: 

Saturday, May 23 - starts at 6 PM. 

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, May 24 - starts at 3 PM.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

And on that note, I'd better get the dogs out for their walk, because I have 20 minutes of preparation left and I'll have just enough time to make that happen. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!