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!!!

One of those days!

Have you ever had one of those days? You have things planned, and all the tools and supplies are in place, and then BAM - something goes wrong, and the rest of the day aligns with that? That was yesterday!

The first item on the agenda was to set up the new printer so I could print the pattern I needed to make the blocks for the class on Saturday. How hard can that be? It's a printer. Right? Wrong! 

I unboxed the printer, which I thought was very cleverly packaged. The printer was on its side in the box, and a strap around the shrink-wrapped box made it super easy to remove. 

A strap around the printer to make it easy to remove

Then, when it came time to remove all the tape, one end had been turned under, so it was easy to remove. 

One end of the tape is folded under

And then it went downhill from there! I plugged it in, and I'm not sure what happened, but it seemed to want to do the setup on its own and connected itself to the WiFi without a password. I don't know what that was all about. BUT the big issue was the ink cartridges. 

We used to joke that buying a new printer was worth it because of the included ink. Well, no more. There are TRIAL ink cartridges in the printer; they are good for printing some test pages, but not enough to print anything substantial. Well, it's probably not quite that drastic, but they are not full ink cartridges. 

I took off the plastic film and inserted the cartridges. Technically, that was easy because there was a short video on the printer's screen showing me where and how to do it, since the inner mechanism was new to me. 

However, I then got an error message saying the printer didn't like those cartridges. It would NOT recognize them. So I did some troubleshooting. I cleaned the head; well, I tested that the ink was flowing. Then I took them out and reinserted them - multiple times. I turned the printer off and then back on. NOTHING. Still got an error message. 

What to do? I called HP Support and ended up on the phone for 90 minutes, where we tried a few more things, but NOTHING. That was interesting, and I've done this before for something, but they connect to your cell phone camera, so they can watch what you are doing! I guess that's easier and more trustworthy than relying on the consumer to correctly relay all the information. 

Bottom line: the brand-new printer is defective and needs to be returned. Now here's a funny thing - I've been known to buy something new (like my computer) and let it sit for months before I actually crack open the box. I opened the printer box within two days of purchasing it, and I had 30 days' grace to return it, no-questions-asked. 

Before I could get back to Best Buy, someone stopped by the house. And we chatted for a couple of hours! I didn't mind the distraction because the conversation was great! But the clock was ticking, and I still had homework to prep. 

Once they left, I hopped in the car and went to Best Buy to exchange the printer, which was easy and relatively fast. 

I wasn't going to trust this printer, so I had put the file I needed on a USB and stopped at Staples on my way home. Printing the document to their printers wasn't good enough because I needed these patterns to be a specific size—I had taken a ruler to double-check, and nope—they printed to FIT, not actual size. So I had to wait and get a staff member to print them. She didn't charge me for the printing, and I was off. 

It was only when I got home that I realized I left the darn USB at the store. So I have to go back today and pick it up! GRRRRRRRR 

However, I got home, got to work, and made pretty decent progress on the homework. The one presentation is up to date with all the pictures I currently have, but I still have more work to do. I've done a presentation with less prep work, so it'll be OK, but I'd prefer to get it all done. Let's see what today brings! 

When Miss Murphy and I were out for our walk, this big hawk swooped in front of us and landed in a tree. While I tried to get a picture of his front, Murphy was barking at a motorcycle, and the hawk moved. So I got his back, not his front. 

A big hawk in the tree

There are tons of them in our neighborhood, and they are looking for prey on the ground. Good thing Mr. Bear isn't around. He's just the right size. It's funny because until that hawk swooped around us (Bear and me), that one day, it never occurred to me that danger was in the sky. I was always worried about coyotes. Well, I guess I don't have to worry about my girls because they are too big to be carried off. 

When I turned around to look at Murphy once I got my picture, she was standing like this! The better to see the neighborhood! 

MOM - the view is better up here!

I worked on the homework for the rest of the afternoon, stopping to make dinner! Yes --- me - making dinner! But I said I would, and that's OK. 

I did a bit more homework, and at 7 PM, I felt I had done enough for the day, so I took an hour to work on the puzzle. Oh boy -- this one is crazy. I've never had a puzzle that got put together like this. I'm all over the place, and while it's pretty solid, the border is still not intact. I think everything is now connected to something else. 

Progress on the puzzle

The border pieces are different shapes and don't even look like border pieces. I think there are six or seven border pieces still missing. 

Missing border pieces

 

I did a wee bit more research early in the morning on the puzzle association, and it seems quite active in Canada, which is nice. I might just participate in some of the events. Well, it's not an event - they have themes for each month, and you pick a puzzle in that theme and post it online. That is cool because you get to see what others are working on. That is something I can do!!

And YES—there is a Virtual Retreat this weekend. Here are the links. 

Saturday, May 23, Starting 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, Starting at 3 PM

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

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Let's hope today is a bit less dramatic and that I don't forget to pick up the USB stick!

And it's Friday, and that means I don't have to cook tonight! Yeah!!!! Going out on Friday is going to hold a lot more meaning than when I didn't cook!

By the way -- I have found the serial number for the stove, but just haven't had a chance to call yet. It's on the to-do list!

OH -- one more thing. I'm almost caught up with all the books in my current reading shelf in Libby. I have two audiobooks and one ebook. Phew!!!! But there are many books on suspend hold at the moment. I'll release those one at a time! The audiobook I'm reading is excellent and was recommended by M. She had the hard copy with her when we were in Italy. Hmmm—I would never take a big hardcover on vacation, but she likes to travel light!

Anyway, the book is called The Sicilian Inheritance and takes place in Sicily. It's fun to hear about the places we visited, BUT more importantly, it goes back and forth in time, and it's interesting to hear about some of the culture. It's not historical, but I bet that some of what is said actually took place. An interesting place! The book is a murder/mystery and very good.

OH -- speaking of books and puzzles, if you live in or near Maple Creek, Saskatchewan, you have to check out this store! It's called Cowtown Kids Toys and Candy, but they also sell many jigsaw puzzles. I'm tempted to visit the next time I head out, but it's a FOUR-hour drive from my parents. Yikes!!!! But you never know -- life is all about adventuring, and why not?

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

It's all about the puzzles!!!!

 OH—rushed for time this morning—I'll read the comments later, but I see comments about the wedding, which is quickly approaching! 

Well, Brooke has a conflict this morning, so I read the comments. I LOVE the idea of the movie wedding! How cool is that! And since I'm not off to the gym this morning, I managed to get quite a bit of work done on the presentation for Saturday. 

I think I have walked into a giant rabbit hole. Funny how that happens with anything I do! So, you all know I love doing jigsaw puzzles. I always have, but never took much time throughout the year to work on them because of sewing deadlines. Well, now I have time to work on them a bit more, and I try to keep it to the evenings since I still have sewing stuff to do. 

I hope this link will still work for you (I think it was a reel, so it may be gone), but someone sent me this link about my favorite jigsaw puzzle store in Georgetown - Puzzles Canada. Turns out there are puzzle competitions in Canada, including one sponsored by Puzzles Canada. It happens to be next weekend, but I won't be around. I don't even know if they are open for spectators. That led to finding the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association on Facebook, which I became a member of. 

Update: I sent an email asking if spectators can attend, and I got a response almost immediately. YES --- spectators are encouraged, and of course, Puzzles Canada will be there, and of course, they will have puzzles for sale! I can go to the Sunday afternoon events on my way home. Hmmmm --- I think I might put that on my agenda - what do I have to lose? It will be loads of fun and informative! It's noted on my agenda! 

Let's just say that I'm getting a ton of Facebook posts about puzzles! Oh my!!! A new (to me) company that has some amazing puzzles is Villager.  Oh my --- I spotted one for Salt Spring Island. As so it goes!!!! Here is the link to their new puzzles. This is a Canadian company, and all the artists are women! 

I do not need to buy any new or used puzzles at the moment, but oh my --- the possibilities are endless. I guess I know what I'll be doing to take a break from sewing, as I can't see myself sewing all day, every day. Making a puzzle doesn't take up much room  - a 2-foot by 3-foot space is more than enough, and put the pieces on some make-shift boards made with felt and foam core, and you are set! 

And I spotted a virtual event that was based in Canada! It happened on May 9th. Who knew that all this stuff was happening? I've been so focused on quilting!!!! WAIT --- I also see there is another virtual event coming up. Hmmm! I might buy the puzzle they just worked on and do a practice run to see if I can actually work under pressure. And do I want to work under that kind of pressure? It would be fun to try once. 

Speaking of puzzles, here is the status of the one I'm working on. I have certainly gotten my money's worth from this one. This was after about two hours last night.  

Progress is being made on my existing puzzle

The holes are filling in, but the border is still not connected in some spots. I should be able to finish it by the time I leave for the retreat. OK -- that's doable! 

I spotted this photo on Facebook, and well, we need one of these in our neighborhood. What a great idea! 

Jigsaw Puzzle exchange library

Before I go, here's an interesting thought about puzzles versus quilting. You get loads of entertainment, it's probably no more expensive than quilting - actually, probably cheaper since it doesn't require any special tools. And once you are done, you can swap the puzzle or give it away. You don't have to worry about any UFOs. Hmmmmmmm 

OK - enough about the puzzles, let's get on with sewing. I think I mentioned that I finished all the applique for Color My World, but since the sewing machine was set up for applique - such a tough job to set it up - NOT!!! I continued with applique and completed all the stitching on this wall hanging. 

The hexagons are all stitched down

The fabric hexagons and one cardboard template were cut on a digital cutter (Momento) in mere minutes. I love that I can take an entire fat quarter and cut it with the Momento! The hexagons have been fused to the background for a couple of months. The edges are turned under, so I needed to do machine invisible applique as I did for the house blocks. 

That is done, and I still have more invisible appliqué to do later today, but first I have some piecing to do. No—wait—I think I have to do the appliqué before I do the piecing. Anyway, I have no choice now but to work on the homework - I've delayed it as much as I can. I got some of the presentation work done for the weekend, but I'm a wee bit behind. 

I got one more customer quilt done. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I have to call it quits on the long arm for the time being, until I finish preparing for the weekend classes. Although the machine works on its own, it's still very time-consuming and requires focus. So I don't get a ton of work done. Today is the day for focus!!!

I scanned one picture from Katimavik and sent it as a sample to Radar's brother. The old printer still works very well as a scanner, and I hope to use it to print something today, as I don't have time to set up the new one. Here's the new one - a white printer! 

Update --- No go on printing with the old printer. After leaving the cartridges out, they have dried up. So I have opened the box on the new one, and it's sitting on the kitchen counter. I need to print a few pages, and then I'll find a home for it tomorrow. 

The new printer

As I was looking through my Katimavik photo album, I spotted a group photo of all of us in the military option. They did not have that option very long. I'm not sure if it lasted only one year. But I counted, and there were close to 50 people in our group. I think the full program only ran once. They offered shorter programs in other years. 

The Katimavik military option group

It was an exciting and life-changing experience, and even though it was tough, it was NOT as tough as the boot camp the regular force goes through. But it was tough. I found lots of pictures of the girls in the hallway in their underwear. Why I took those pictures is beyond me, but it's a good memory. But why in our underwear? Because our uniforms were pressed and cleaned, no one wanted to get them dirty or wrinkled before inspection. Our barracks had to be clean as well. So we did that cleaning in our underwear, then got dressed! Perhaps that is why I'm not good with rules and authority! 

That group then got split into three groups - one for communications, one for infantry, and I can't remember what the third group was. Or maybe there were only two groups. It was interesting because most of the communications group were females, while the infantry were males, and we ended up at the same base (Valcartier, Quebec) for the final three months of the program. More than one couple resulted from that program. 

Hmmm—be careful what you wish for! The weather has been cool, with lots of rain and no sun. Or that's how it seemed. Then we had three HOT days with humidity. A cold front moved in, and it's back to freezing again. It's currently 7 degrees C. That's a 30-degree difference from the "feels like" 36 we had just a short time ago. 

This is the alarm pad in the house, and I don't know where it gets its data from, but I think it's a bit off! Even though it's cold, it's not this cold!

Hmmm-- where is this data coming from?

So that was a weird way to write the blog, but it got done. I have a very busy day at the sewing machine. But the first thing is to get that new printer fired up because I need a pattern! Then I'm off to work. I still have a couple of videos to finish reviewing for the weekend and quite a bit of sewing. I've been working on stuff, but not the right stuff! Typical me! 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Spend time with your friends NOW!!!

After getting some feedback from people, I'm glad M is using the trim from her dress for the wedding. Someone else dismantled their lace wedding hat, so her daughter could use it to wrap her bouquet! It was worth the four hours to take it apart!

To answer the question about the community project quilts, the group of 11 I'm working on is NOT among the ones Diane made. Someone did me a favor and picked up a bunch of scraps I was using to make scrap quilts for more community project quilts. She was looking for scraps, so I offered what I had. As a favor, I offered to quilt some of the quilts she made, provide the backing, and the batting. I was very grateful that she took those scraps. 

However, I suspect the scraps got tossed. I think they were too small for her liking. She asked if I would mind if she offered them to a friend because she didn't have time now, and, well, I must remember in the future to just say NO or not make an offer. It's not a big deal -- I've really procrastinated on getting them done, and this will be the LAST time I offer to do a favor like that for someone. I wasn't expecting 11, and I wasn't expecting them to be so large - about 50" square. 

Life is all about learning lessons. 

And I learned another lesson yesterday. When I was younger, I was fortunate enough to participate in a youth program called Katimavik. I didn't know the program was still active! I actually met my first DH during that program, and because of him, I ended up moving to Quebec and learning French. And set my life on a different path than I thought it would take. 

I can't even remember how many of us were in our group, but let's say about 30. That number seems low - it must have been closer to 50. There were two options that year -- a community civilian option or a military option. I chose the military. Of that group, I've stayed in touch with 6 people - not close, but we've met over the years from time to time, and we have a small messaging group. My plan was to visit three of those people this year. One, I was planning to meet before the wedding. She was the least communicative of us all. 

I learned last night that she passed away at the end of March. No warning to anyone that she was sick - she was looking forward to the visit when we chatted at Christmas. I am meeting another person in Winnipeg during Quilt Canada (she's very chatty), and the third person (my roommate) lives within a thirty-minute drive from me, and I haven't seen her in years!

I need to call her and meet up!! 

It's funny how quickly we lose touch with people, and that's one reason why I love Facebook. Even if you are not having an active conversation with someone, you still feel in touch, although it's at arm's length. And some people, like "Radar" (her real name is Marie), but she was Radar to all of us. She was very troubled and very shy and struggled with a lot of health issues (mental and physical) over the years. RIP Radar! Out! We were in the Communications branch of the Canadian Armed Forces for our youth program, and it was MANY, MANY years ago! 

I have to look for some pictures today as her brother is putting together a memory book. 

Now I have an extra day when I'm in BC, but I think I know what to do! I just have to make some plans. 

I didn't get much done the entire day. Well, that is not correct - I did accomplish things, but not much to show for it. The phone/computer seems to be my constant companion these days. We had a two-hour meeting for Quilt Canada to get things arranged, so that is good. And I've started the process to get some help for my Mom. And thankfully, the first consultation can take place over the phone. But I think we should handle some legal paperwork the next time I return to Saskatchewan, which will be sooner rather than later. So, step one accomplished: make the appointment for the on-phone consult. Step two, which is today, is to try for some kind of appointment for Dad. 

The trees are in full bloom right now, and this is one massive tree we spotted on our morning walk. All those blooms are falling into the driveway, but who cares - it's beautiful. 

Beautiful tree in bloom

The girls were enjoying the sun on the back deck! I don't know how they can stand lying in the sun with their big fur coats on, but they love it! 

MOM -- we're sunbathing! 

Why does anyone have to mess with nature? I went to the grocery store and spotted these multi colored peppers. I believe they called Aloha! While they are pretty, do we really need them? What's wrong with orange, red, or yellow? Hmmm—apparently, they are native to the Netherlands and are yellow and red, with no seeds. OK - now I need to buy one just to check it out. 

Aloha peppers

The good news is that I managed to complete the appliqué on all four houses for the Color My World quilt! Yeah!!!! 

The house blocks are done!

Honestly, it didn't take much time at all, and I'm pretty darn good at it. So I must buckle down and get more appliqué done! This is an invisible machine appliqué, which I stitch with very thin threads and an elongated zigzag, using thread that matches the appliqué; it works very well. 

The appliqué stitches

Quick side trip as I pulled out my photo album for Katimavik! Thank goodness I labeled all the pictures with people's names. Sadly, many of that group have passed. And of the gang of five at high school, two have passed. These people are way too young to die of illness!!!

I'll take a trip down memory lane later this morning and forward to her brother whatever pictures I have of Radar. I think I'll post a few to our group of those still there—loads of good memories! That almost ten-month program was a game-changer in my life. 

Even better news: I finally made some progress on the darn puzzle!! While the border is still missing many pieces, I finally have it more or less in place. I removed all the excess pieces I couldn't find a home for, and everything within the puzzle border is either attached to the border or a section. 

Great progress on the puzzle

There are still a lot of holes, all of which are foliage or sky! So bit by bit, I'll get it together - it's definitely not a fast one and certainly getting my money's worth! I bought this one at the thrift store for at most $7.99, and likely got a discount. 

I also dropped off another donation box yesterday and got another 20% coupon in the event I spot something, and it's not seniors' day. And I went to Best Buy and bought the printer. I spotted the guy I spoke to the other day, and he gave me $20 off. It's better than nothing. I need to get that hooked up today, as I need to print something. 

I also watched more videos and made notes for my upcoming classes this weekend. So, as I mentioned, I got a lot done, but not much to share! 

I'll tell you the story of the cleaning service another day. As I survey the office, it doesn't look that bad, considering there is a sewing machine and an embroidery unit in here, the box from my stick vacuum, which I need to finish unpacking, and a bunch of books that I have to deal with. So even adding in that extra, it's not bad! I am feeling pretty good. Mind you, there are still loads of things to deal with, but it's so much better than it was. 

DH and I started playing the EXIT games again. I'll tell you about that as well. 

On that note, I'm off to the gym for my private spin class. I still can't bear the thought of walking into that room and Josephy not being there. 

Remember, there is a virtual retreat this weekend. Saturday starting at 6 PM, and Sunday starting at 3 PM. 

And just to note - the temperature last night when I went to bed was 30, feeling like 36. Right now, less than 12 hours, it is 13, feeling like 10!!!!! What a change! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Doing what you think you don't like

OH MY --- someone mentioned in the comments about Mary Ellen's book -- "It's OK if you sit on my quilt." Indeed, there were NO quilt police for her! Mary Ellen was quite the spitfire - I heard that from the shop owner where I used to hang out. And definitely, there were no quilt police in Mary Ellen's life. It's a great book. All three of her books that I have (well, technically, now two) are amazing. The amount of detail, flexibility, and freedom she gives is refreshing. 

We need NEW books like that. Books that give you permission to play, meat to sink your teeth into, and not another book filled with patterns. The good stuff came in the old books! Which is why a lot of my books are the old stuff! 

I'm working on the items from the handwritten to-do list. I just can't work with the list on the computer. I have no idea why -- it's just not in my blood, but I'll keep trying. I'm great with audiobooks and ebooks, but not my lists! 

This weekend is the Color My World class, and I still have some appliqué to do on the house blocks I made earlier. I seem to have a mental block about appliqué. I have no idea why. I have a good machine that does great appliqué. I have lots of stitches that work amazingly well for appliqué. The machine has zero issues and is easy to switch between piecing and appliqué, and I have all the proper tools and plenty of thread. But the thought of stitching out appliqué just doesn't sound appealing to me. Why is that? 

Well, I need to get my butt in gear and make this happen, so this morning, when I woke up and lay in bed contemplating what I would do today, that appliqué popped into my head. It's Tuesday, and I need this done by Saturday. 

So I got everything prepped, which took about 1 minute, and then I started. I also connected my audiobook. And before an hour had passed, I had completed all of the fiddly bits and only had seven pieces left to stitch down later this morning. 

Four house blocks that need appliqué stitching

So, can you tell me why it's not my favorite thing to do? All that remains is to stitch the two pieces of tree down (one tree is already stitched in place, which is why there are seven left) on four blocks. Then I'm done and only have this month's homework left to finish. Finish? Who am I kidding - I haven't even started it!

I have other appliqué to do as well, and I really should just leave the machine set up and continue. It's not hard, and I'm good at it! Mindset change!!!!

Yesterday was Monday sewing, and we had a great time. There is a lot to be said for being close to an amazing and extremely supportive group of women. What I love about Zoom calls that you will not get in an in-person group is that if you are seeking information (that's me every week), EVERYONE usually has something to offer. While they are listening, they can continue working. This DOES NOT happen in an in-person sewing session. 

While people like to get together in person, and I agree that I like that as well, I will NEVER give up my Zoom calls. Learning to take turns talking, actively listening, and participating is something you will NEVER get in an in-person group. OK—depends on the size of the group. But Zoom? Something very good came from the pandemic. 

A HUGE thank you to the ladies who answered my many questions yesterday; I feel much better about a lot of things. And you know what? People like to share information, and they typically have a ton to share. Some people need a bit more encouragement than others, and I find that the ones who usually talk are happy to talk over the quiet ones. WAIT!!! Let person X respond, since I asked THEIR opinion, not yours! I find I have to do that frequently in the Zoom calls. But it's a "trick" to engage everyone - ask questions. It's not just about YOU! It's about everyone! I don't always do a good job, but I try. I think that's why every casual Zoom call requires a moderator to keep the conversation going and to encourage everyone to participate. 

While they were chatting and answering questions, I had something important to work on. 

M is getting married in just over three weeks! Oh my --- how did that date come up so quickly? And she is following the tradition of something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue. We also added the phrase about the penny for the shoe. And thanks to Jane, who found a penny for the year she was born. 

She had taken care of everything, but needed something old. I couldn't think of anything, but she remembered this little pinafore that I made for her when she was tiny! We have a family photo of her in the dress. She drooled on the embroidery in the yoke, and I don't think she ever wore it again. It's been hanging in the closet for 30 years. I'll take a picture of the dress, which doesn't have quite so much work on it. 

Pinafore for the dress

The dress and pinafore went out to BC with a friend of hers and then came back. She asked if she could use the lace along the bottom to wrap her bouquet in. At first, I was resistant, and then seriously! I gave my head a shake. If she remembers this dress from when she was a babe, the least I can do is let her use the lace. I must remember to learn from my mom what not to do! 

As we chatted yesterday, I attacked the bottom of the ruffle using the seam ripper. 

Time for some ripping

Not wanting that lace to ever come off, there were two rows of stitches - of course, there were, and because of the ruffle, there was almost 4 meters of lace. OK -- it's technically eyelet trim, not lace. I had staystitched the bottom of the ruffle, then stitched the trim onto the bottom of the ruffle, and then topstitched it in place. 

That's a lot of stitching.

It took FOUR hours to carefully remove the trim, but it's off! I just have to remove all the threads from the trim and give it a good press. Amazing how much it has yellowed in thirty years in a dark closet. I'm not washing it -- that's the concept of OLD! I must try to find a new picture of her in the dress - the one that's been sitting in the living room for 30 years is quite faded. 

The trim is off the pinafore.

If the trim comes back in good condition, I can restitch it to the ruffle. Why? I don't know because who the heck would ever dress their kid in a dress like that? Unless it's for a photo! Perhaps if she has a girl someday........ But mission accomplished. Now I have to resize a bowtie for Bear, and I'm waiting for scraps of wedding-dress fabric to arrive so I can make a ring-bearer pillow. 

I'm waiting for my outfit to arrive, as I broke down and just ordered one online. I have to rent a car, check the Hullo ferry schedule, and then I'm done with my wedding plans! 

I also completed another community project quilt! 

Community project quilt - number 5 of 11 - done!

I'll be very happy to get these done, but I also have another grouping of ten of my quilts slated for community projects, and I need to dive into those. I must make some kind of dent in the pile this year, or I'll never get them finished. 

It's definitely a treat to work on something where the backing has already been prepared. But I'd better learn to "like" that task, because there are about 250 community project quilts with ZERO backing or binding. Yippee!!!!

Here was the quote in my tea the other day. OH!!!!

A great quote to live by

I cannot express this fact often enough, and we need to encourage people (quilters) or any other person to embrace this philosophy. We NEED to make mistakes, we need to fail, we need to embrace all those so-perceived negative things. Because if we become used to the negative things, we don't feel bad when something really bad happens. We will have developed coping mechanisms to get over it. Today, the youth do not have those abilities (not all), and it's hard for them when something goes wrong, and they develop anxiety! 

Can you imagine being shielded from failure all your life, and then going out into the world and facing failure for the first time as an adult? You'll have a meltdown! 

The section in The Celestine Prophecy I am currently reading is about children, encouraging them to grow, and giving them your full attention. OH boy -- if the author could see the world today, where parents are walking their children to school, and the parent is on the phone. Why are other people on the phone more important than the little one in front of you? 

I really think this book could be rewritten as a "self-help" type book. Outline the nine principles and forget the story. Although the story helps illustrate each of the nine principles. Actually, when you look at it from that perspective, the storyline is pretty clever. While the storyline is so contrived, I'm enjoying the book and really, really believe in these nine principles. It's about self-awareness, energy, and how to get it, and living in harmony with each other and the planet. But I'm curious why the author feels it necessary to give each character the main character meets an age?  

Perhaps I'd better take the lesson from the dealing with children section and apply it to Murphy. I was on the phone for quite a bit yesterday and sat in the gazebo to make the calls. 

Of course, she wanted it to be all about her! And this was her adoring face, only because I took her ball away from her! 

Mom - give me the ball, I'll be good! I'm a good girl!

It's almost like the instant I sat down, she grabbed a ball and threw it into the pond. Her acts are so intentional that you can't help but smile. But then, when I don't pay attention to her, she barks! And she doesn't like to be disciplined, won't be quiet, and you can't catch her. Indeed, one very naughty girl! 

MOM - the pond is a magnet for the ball!

At one point, she finally got the message that we were not playing ball, and she lay like this - staring at the ball. 

MOM - My ball is beautiful!

If the ball comes close enough to the edge, she can pick it out. But it's more fun to have someone throw the ball! 

The rabbits in our neighborhood are pretty bold. They hang out along the walk, and for the most part, Murphy can contain herself, but she can get hysterical. Lexi just wants to play with them. 

The rabbits are bold in our neighborhood.

After dinner, I attempted to work on the jigsaw puzzle. While my butterflies and birds are more together, I'm still a long way from being finished. I need to start moving those pieces into the proper position in the puzzle. I love having the puzzle on the end of the table like this because I can swing my chair around and work from THREE sides! All the pieces are on those boards, which are out of the way. But notice how many pieces I have lying in the puzzle. And I can't find homes for them. Yet............

Progress on the puzzle

This morning, as I walked by (the puzzle is too big to be completely covered by the boards), I noticed that I'm getting a lot of work done in the bottom-left corner. Notice how the corner is floating; it's not connected to the left or bottom border! 

A floating corner!

The cleaning ladies are coming today, so there are a few things I haven't finished (sorting books I don't want), and I must take care of them this morning. It's a good thing to have a cleaning service because it forces you to deal with the "junk" that has accumulated since they last came by! 

I'll have to tell you the story of the cleaning lady another day! I have a few things to put in the garage so they can be packed in the car for the upcoming quilt retreat, and I have things in the kitchen which will get plunked into the office, which is why the office is never clean and tidy! One day!!!!

There is a virtual retreat this weekend. Saturday evening, starting at 6 PM, and Sunday, starting at 3 PM. I'll post the links later this week, but in the meantime, you can add that to your calendar if you want to attend. It throws the Zoom security computer into a tizzy if I post the links on a public blog! Remember what I said about our Monday Zoom -- the information sharing and the way it makes you realize you are not alone in any aspect of your life are priceless. 

And on that happy note, I'm off to tidy up a bit and get a LOT of items checked off the to-do list. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!