Travel day and it's all about the dogs!!

Travel days are so much fun! OK -- I know I shouldn't complain, and I'm not because I'm fortunate enough to be able to travel. I would say that half of the travel I do wouldn't be necessary if my family lived close, but we are all over the country, and hence, travel is required. For those of you with family within driving distance? You are lucky! 

Anyway -- the first thing was to get the girls walked and finish tidying up stuff around the house. Can you believe I even vacuumed quickly before I left? It's all about appearances since I have two people at home taking care of the girls. They have a night nanny and a day nanny! Those girls are spoiled, but no one will be taking them for a walk. I don't require that because they are a nightmare to walk, although Murpy is getting better. 

Remember when we saw all those pictures about what people think we are going versus what we are actually doing? Here's how that applies to the girls. To save some time, I walked them together, which I don't do so often. When we got Murphy, I walked them together, and it was a nightmare, and I put up with that for over 1 year before I decided they needed to be walked alone. I bet I would have been able to curb some of Murphy's enthusiasm if I had walked them alone, where I could actually train her. Sigh.......

So, in an ideal world, this is what it would be like to walk with the two girls. Lexi on the left, and Murphy on the right. And they walk at the same distance, no sniffing, and all is good. No arm swinging allowed with a leash in each hand. 

The ideal scenario when walking the girls

And at times in the forest, they aren't too bad. Notice how Murphy wants to be in front. Her leash is a leather lead that started out at about 6 feet long. I swear that her leash is now about 7 feet long!!! When the three of us leave the house, she is beyond herself for the first block as she pulls fiercely at that leash. I have no idea why, but she must be in front at the beginning of the walk. 

MOM  Lexi is so slow - I NEED to be in front

Most of the time on the walk, they are like this. I have both leads in one hand as I took the picture, but they get wrapped around trees; one has to sniff while the other wants to walk, and vice versa. And let's not forget all the times that they would cross each other's paths, and then the leash or at least one of them would be wrapped around my legs. Thankfully, that doesn't happen very often these days. 

MOM -- I hate walking with my sister - she's too slow! 

So the ideal is to walk them separately, and I do, except on a day when I'm a wee bit strapped for time. 

MOM - I like being walked without my sister

Lexi has an extendable leash, which I'm not a fan of, but since she is a pretty good, calm dog to walk, I'm OK with it. Murphy on an extendable leash? That would be the equivalent of one of those ping pong balls on an elastic cord attached to a paddle. That is NEVER going to happen. 

MOM - I loved walking without my sister

Since most people wouldn't have the patience to walk them separately. And I give strict instructions that should they choose to walk the dogs, to NEVER walk them together - NEVER. If we need dog sitters, the girls have to go to the backyard. 

And of course, if we stop for a break (we never do - this was simply to get a picture), they NEVER look at me. There is always something more interesting off in the forest. 

MOM - we are busy and have no time to stop for pictures!

Murphy went nuts when we got home. I gave the pond filter a good cleaning, and while I was outside doing that, Murphy went mad! Like a crazed dog, she jumped into her pool to cool off. Of course, it's not big enough for her to completely lie down, but she gave it a good effort to cool off. Of course, she was wet, but who cares? We live in a house with wild dogs! 

Cooling down in the pool

And so, at around 7:30 AM, we left the house with an Uber driver. It must have been prayer time because we heard chants all the way to the airport. I really don't mind, but you would think that if you are an Uber driver, you would put on some light music or something less specific! Maybe it was for DH's benefit! I don't know. But it was HOT in the car with the sun blazing in as the driver took some back roads to avoid the chaos on the road. I could have asked for the AC to be turned on, but it was only for a few minutes. 

No big deal - at least he got out to load and unload the small bags from the car. That's all I care about. I hate the drivers who just sit in the front seat and let you do all the work. You sure aren't getting a tip from me for that! 

Since we were already checked in and had no bags to drop off, we breezed right to the security area. Oh my -- the NEXUS line was much longer than the non-NEXUS line. We knew that was going to happen one day, and we have been spoiled. I don't think it was so much the length of the line, but the speed at which the bags were being scanned. Perhaps there was a trainee on the X-ray machine. 

I spotted this shirt in the line. It looks like it was made from an old tablecloth - cross-stitch embroidery, and the trim on the bottom of the blouse was the edge of the tablecloth. I still need to make myself one of those!!! I need to make a lot of things! 

A blouse made from a tablecloth

We made it through security with no issues, although DH's bag got flagged for something. It didn't take long to resolve. OH -- might have been the CPAP machine. 

We went up to the lounge to have breakfast - OK - second breakfast for me as I had something to eat while I wrote the blog. While I appreciate the lounge, it isn't the same as getting a Tim's tea. And before we knew it, it was time to board the plane. We walked down to the gate and boarded immediately because they were already boarding Zone 2. 

And this is another area that has become a nightmare in the travel world. I know -- first-world problems. The airlines have been loading by Zones for quite some time, and the Zones are determined by your status, your ticket price, and probably some other mystery algorithm. We were loading in Zone 2, which used to be special. Not quite business class, but ahead of the other 4 zones. 

It's not really a big deal since we all have a seat, but it's all about the luggage. If you get on the plane earlier, there is no danger of finding a spot for your luggage. If you get on later, it's harder. Not impossible, but harder. 

Now that the airline is using its branded credit card to let passengers earn points, the number of people who have moved into Zone 2 is enormous. It's now the largest loading zone, and any special privileges are gone! 

But what is frustrating is that you are supposed to have two items - a small carry-on suitcase and a personal item, which for most is a backpack or briefcase. That second item is supposed to go under the seat. When I arrived yesterday at our seats near the front of the plane (NOT business class), there were already tons of bags and backpacks stowed overhead, so I had to put my suitcase in the overhead bin behind me, not over me. If that makes sense. 

DH had to do the same thing. This was because we were the last to arrive in that area, and there were many backpacks up above. So I complained out loud (to myself) as I found a home for my suitcase, while I tucked my backpack under my seat. Anyway, when the plane landed, I popped up before everyone else and kept anyone in the two rows behind from getting up while I got our suitcases out of the overhead bins. I'm fast—I wasn't obnoxious! And we were both in aisle seats. 

Call me Karen! No one was going anywhere, so it didn't really matter. 

The flight was pretty uneventful. I was exhausted, so I tried to sleep, but kept waking myself up, realizing that my mouth was hanging open. Oh god --- I hope I wasn't snoring. Then I read for a bit and then watched the fourth Harry Potter movie. Only four more to go, and I will have seen them all on a plane. I never saw any of them in person. 

And then we were in Vancouver. And yes—this tile in the washrooms makes me smile every single time. I made a quilt based on that tile, which I'm sure I've shared with you many times. I won't today.

The tile in the Vancouver airport

Once we got out of the airport, it was off to the next airport. We had discussed getting from Vancouver to Vancouver Island—renting a car in Vancouver and taking the big ferry, the passenger ferry (number one on the list, but the timing wasn't going to work), or the seaplane. So we got on the airport shuttle. 

The airport shuttle

And then arrived at the seaplane dock. We thought we might be lucky and get seats on the 1 PM flight, but it was full, so we had to wait for our original flight, which was booked for 3:15, leaving us some time to kill. We went to the nearby restaurant and had something to eat. 

I've been on the seaplanes a few times, but always in the smaller plane, which has just one pilot. The plane to Nanaimo is a little bit larger and has two pilots. And there was my pilot friend Paul! He was the copilot on this flight. He was the one who managed to fly the small plane from Salt Spring Island the last time I was out through the fog that no one else would fly through! 

The seaplane

It's always fun to take the seaplane and those things bank like mad as they turn the corner to come in for a landing. Don't be afraid of heights or don't look out the window!!! Of course, we've been monitoring the travel plans of some of the other family members, and when they took the big ferry across, they all saw Orcas!!!! I watched from the air, but we saw nothing! 

Next up was to catch a taxi from the seaplane dock to the car rental. There was some discussion with the taxi driver about where he would drop us off, but he was right. I was just checking because I didn't want to get the run around - I was getting tired. The address on the retail agreement was incorrect, and the taxi driver knew that. Anyway -- we arrived and got the car. Or should I say the full-sized SUV? More on that tomorrow. 

It had started to rain - it's cold and wet here. I was going to pack my orange jacket, and I didn't. I said I would! I said that, but I packed a jean jacket instead. Silly me!!! Anyway, we will be fine. 

Then we had to make a detour to pick up someone!!! Look who we found at doggie daycare!!!!!

Hello everyone -- it's me -- it's BEAR!!!!!! 

M doesn't have a dog-friendly room at the hotel in Tofino, so they brought him over and dropped him off, and we had to rescue him. Finding that doggie daycare was pretty stressful. I had called and texted so many people. Well, I already told you about it. But there he was in a house of giant dogs, and he seemed to be just fine. 

Our plan was NOT to drive to Tofino yesterday. We still have a couple of errands to run today, so we're staying at a hotel in downtown Nanaimo. A hotel with a view, I might add. 

The view from the hotel

And the room is huge, so little Bear looks much smaller than he really is. I'm guessing they have had other dogs in this room because he needed to sniff the entire space before he would settle down. 

GRANMA -- Is all this space for me? 

But what a cutie. I was exhausted when we got to the room and lay on the bed to read. But Bear needed a walk, and then he needed his dinner. But I managed to get some sleep, and yes --- it's very early in the morning here as I watch the lights out that huge window. DH and Bear are fast asleep, but I need to be up and dressed when he wakes, because he needs to do business as soon as he wakes. Yep -- we got his luggage when we picked him up, and I swear his bags (food) weigh more than my bag. 

When we finally went ot bed, he wanted to play and was trying to lick my face and paw at me. Silly little boy. And he is so cute because when he is cold, he comes to snuggle under the covers. When he is hot, he gets out and sleeps on the covers. We love you, little guy!!!!

Grandma - I'm ready to play with you!!!!

And here's one more view of the harbor. There are planes, boats, ferries, and everything coming into this space. It's a bit quiet because, as you can see, the weather isn't great, but it's all going to work out!!! 

Part of the Nanimo harbor

I started reading a book yesterday that's due in three days. I read a third of it yesterday, but I'm not so sure I can get that much reading done in the next couple of days. We'll see how it goes. 

I had to laugh when we got in the car. I let DH drive as I was tired. The FIRST thing I do when I get into a rental car is connect to the Bluetooth. I couldn't figure out what was happening when he asked me for the doggy daycare address, as he was going to put it in his phone. What? Why don't you connect to Bluetooth? It only takes a few seconds to make that happen. So his phone is connected to the car. Good grief!!! WAIT -- I know why. He doesn't rent cars often. He mostly grabs Uber or a taxi when he travels. 

WAIT -- I almost forgot that I have two pictures to share with you that I've been keeping a secret. But since the two items are now gifted, it's OK to share. 

This has been the year of weddings for us. We had been to one wedding a couple of years ago, but haven't been to many others. Then this year, we have two, and they are both destination weddings. This one is a bit closer than the one in Italy when my SIL got married. 

So the other SIL (the one living with us) wanted to make a quilt for each of them. Robin (the husband) is from England, and wouldn't it be nice to make a quilt with English symbols? Here is the finished quilt before it was spirited away to Vancouver on a plane last week. 

Robin's quilt

As you can see, there are no British symbols on that quilt. I have to tell you the story of the quilt. We started by finding a great pattern with all sorts of English symbols. After looking at it, we realized it was a lot more work than originally anticipated, so we went on the hunt for some British fabrics, since I knew they existed. We couldn't find anything. Or very little and not enough variety to make a quilt. 

Then I happened to be visiting someone who was showing me their small stash of quilt tops that needed to be quilted, and I spotted a small square of British fabric on one of them. OH—do you have more of that? Well, it turns out the entire top was made from British fabric, and she didn't want the top. So we worked out a deal, and VOILA—instant quilt made! It was a win-win for us, and I even had more of the dark blue fabric in my stash so we could make the binding. 

It's backed with Fireside fleece, so good for these damp Vancouver days! It's quilted with a teapot motif and looks amazing!!!! 

The teapot quilting motif

I only supervised the finishing of the quilt. I didn't have time, nor did I want to take that away from KU. She babysat the long arm and put the binding on! 

The other quilt, for her sister, required more work. She made a library quilt!!! This one required many new techniques, including a phototransfer of the couple from their wedding. That required me to resolve our printer issue, which is why we now have a new printer. all for one photo!!!!

The library quilt

We were just about to load the quilt when I remembered that we were supposed to embroider the names of books on the spines of some of them. It was very neat because KU decided to make a book with a specific title for each family member in the new blended family. There were eight of them, and it took some time to write out the titles and get them aligned properly. Here is one for the bride and groom. 

The wedding quilt

Here's a picture of one of the book titles. 

One of the book titles on the quilt

Then we got the quilt quilted while KU babysat that, and then put the binding on. I made her watch my binding video on YouTube because she needs to learn to do this stuff independently. This quilt also has Fireside on the back. This was the one that we were short on. How the heck we were short, I have no idea. The store made a mistake? We told them the incorrect length? I've no idea, but thankfully I had a scrap in a different color, so the quilt got done!!!

I really need to learn how to use the Eclipse tool on my long arm, so if I ever have photos to quilt through again, I can mark out a heart or another shape that won't let the quilting go through the faces. A new thing to learn this summer. 

So that is two secrets we've been working on for months, and all is revealed. The recipients loved the quilts, and they will be used frequently in their library, which they are planning to create in the house. Everyone needs a good quilt for snuggling while reading! 

Well, on that note, I'm off. I don't need to be up this early, and I might catch a few more minutes of shut-eye, but my back doesn't like extended periods of time in bed. 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Sliding into homebase!!

Phew! I'm done! Everything I wanted to get done is done! 

I'd really like an extra hour this morning to get all the computer work done, but that's not going to happen. I'll do what I can, and that means the blog might be a bit short today. 

I don't know if the cardinal has attempted the new piece of suet in the feeder, but he was sure taking a long bath yesterday. I don't know how many times he dipped in the water, but he was having a grand time. 

Hey, lady - a little privacy here! 

There is plenty of room, so other birds can use the public bath as well, but all seem to love that one spot on the rocks. I bet they think they are in bird paradise - waterfalls, cold, clear water, rocks! 

OH, I see the peonies are just starting to bloom. The plant is in a bit of a shaded area, so it takes longer than those in other yards I've been passing. I think I'm going to miss most of the blooms. DRAT!!! But as with all peonies, the bush is loaded! I really must get a couple of other plants because there is room where this one is. And it seems to thrive there. 

The peony is just starting to bloom.

And the dogwood is starting to bloom as well. I believe that was the name - I remember looking it up last year, but can I remember from year to year? Of course not, it's not important to me. But I can tell you almost any information you want to know about quilting and sewing! It's all where our priorities lie!

The flowering trees in the backyard

Sadly, I didn't get any gazebo time. I had to take a trip to the mall and pick up one thing I had forgotten the day before. I had a snack and some quiet time, but I didn't dare go to the gazebo as I knew it would be hard to get back in the house. 

I don't know what DH does to his iron, but it was loaded with crap, and guess who had to clean it!! I guess I can clean it since I don't have to iron his shirts. I'm not qualified for that job. And seriously? I would go on strike rather than iron a GOLF shirt. Good grief. That's a bit much. 

Cleaning DH's iron

I had some machine embroidery to do, then some sewing on the machine, and finally some hand stitching, but I managed to get the last item for the wedding done! I can't share a picture because the bride hasn't seen it yet, and it's not quite complete. There is a bit more handwork, but I need a certain someone before I can complete. So I have more thread, needles, elastic, and ribbon in case Plan A doesn't work! 

It's quite pretty, and I hope she likes it. I added a wee surprise on the back. And that required a lot of mental capacity to get it to work - trust me - it's not rocket science, but I didn't have a lot of room to work. And I should have made a sample first, which I did not. But it all worked out, and it's packed!

Then it was on to hem the outfit. I bought an outfit online (first for me!), and the company makes the pants very long so that if the wearer is going to wear heels, or flats, or something in between, the length will work. 

I ended up cutting off 5 inches from the bottom. And of course, the outfit was lined, so I had to do the same on the lining. The bride has NOT seen that color, so I'd better not get into trouble. But all is good. I hope they have a steamer at the hotel! 

What I cut off the pants

As the day progressed, I had my suitcase open and started tossing things inside. Yes -- it's a small carry-on. I'm only gone for a few nights, so there's no need to take loads of stuff, although the weather looks cool. 

It's amazing what one can do with an extra hour (in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep): the laundry got put away, the suitcase repacked, and it all fits without bulging. There is room for more, BUT there is no need for more! Have you ever wondered about those ads for using the vacuum bags? I'm sure I have mentioned this before because it drives me mad. People use cubes (OK - I get that it might help with organizing), but to me, it's a sign that you are taking way too much stuff. 

And with the vacuum bags, you are tempted to take more. Guess what? MORE means more weight, and who the heck wants to carry more stuff with them? Besides, part of our travel plans means we have to travel light. DH is getting used to it - he travels light for work, so travel light for pleasure as well!!!!

OH -- the quilt got quilted, but sadly, you can't see that either! Soon!!!!

And then it was time for my event! I found out there was a Zoom social hour for puzzlers. So I joined in. There weren't too many of us on the call, but I got to meet a few other people, and we talked about speed puzzling and how we would like to be there one day. And can you believe that one fellow's wife was a quilter and she's going to Quilt Canada? I told him to have her look me up! She sews on a Husqvarna Viking!!!

I managed to get a wee bit done on my puzzle, and I don't think it's going to be that difficult, but it will still take time. 

I was happy to get this corner done. Two pieces. 

Yeah -- two pieces to the puzzle are in!

But it kept calling to me, so I decided to work on the pink, and OH MY—this is going to be a challenge because those pieces curve around. But I can't wait to get back to it, except I'll be on a tight turnaround, so I won't have much time for puzzling for a bit. 

Working on the pink pieces

I have some other quilts to share with you and reveal a couple of secrets - that will have to wait until tomorrow, when I have a bit more time. 

Since I'll be in a different time zone, the blog may be delayed. It depends on when I get time to write it. it. Bear with me!!!

And on that note, I need to get the girls out for a walk and finish packing up the portable office. I can't forget to grab the external hard disk. I love that everything is now on the small hard disk!!!

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!

There's plenty of time!

The best laid plans and then life happens! But yesterday was an amazing day, even if I didn't accomplish anything. WAIT  - I actually accomplished a very important thing -- nurturing a friendship, which is way more valuable than making things, except when you are supposed to be making things for your daughter's wedding! LOL. 

I had planned a lunch date with a friend, and yesterday was the only day we could make it happen this month. That "lunch" date turned into hours and hours of lively, energizing conversation. It was glorious, and I'm surprised we didn't get kicked out of the restaurant. But we were sitting in the overflow area in the mall (my favorite crepe place), and they didn't need the seats. When we finally decided to get moving, a huge group arrived, so that was fortuitous timing!!!

Thank you to my lunch companion. We have both been super busy for so long, and it was so refreshing to just sit and chat. It was worth the "panic" I'll have to do today to finish my wedding things. 

And you'll love this story. I walked to the mall, and my friend drove their two-month-old Tesla. They have the FSD (Full Self Driving - Supervised) software component, which is exactly that—the car drives and parks itself; you do nothing except set the destination and the driving mode—more on that in a moment. You can even fetch the car if you are at the mall door and it's pouring rain. But you can't have the car let you off and then park itself. You don't touch anything once it's set. I had to laugh as she described the FIVE levels of driving you can set it for. The bottom level is called Sloth (drives just under the speed limit, with maximum distances between vehicles and little to no lane changing). It progresses to Chill, Standard, Hurry, and Mad Max. Mad Max, in case you are wondering, is a bit aggressive and goes for bold, lane-changing maneuvers, maximizes traffic flow, and certainly drives over the speed limit. Hmmmm—I'm not sure I want to try Mad Max. They have not tried Mad Max. 

But it all sounds intriguing, although we will not be getting an electric car, and certainly not a Tesla. It's just the principle of it all. 

Anyway, what was hilarious is that since they have had the car (no more than a couple of months), they have had THREE software updates. No big deal. When she got in the car to come to the mall, the FSD feature wasn't working - the latest update had happened earlier in the day. So when she asked if she could drive me home, I said "yes" as I wanted to see the car driving us home. Alas, that feature still wasn't working. It figures—I must have jinxed the car as I approached it!

Supervised means that it will keep you awake or pull over if you fall asleep. It has cameras on you to monitor your activity, and if you are not paying attention to the road, it will remind you. So I get that the car is driving, but it seems silly that I can't do something while it's driving. I guess I'd rather be driving. Most people of my generation have been driving for years, and we have developed coping mechanisms and reflexes. Imagine you are new to driving and have an FSD - Supervised in your car. What skills are you learning? And then what happens when you have to drive a real car? That will be a very dangerous and slippery slope for everyone. 

Something to contemplate as you sit in your supervised self-driving car. 

Trust me - we also chatted about the use of Grammarly to write!! Without it, my writing would likely suck, but I'm hoping that, at least with prolonged use of Grammarly for writing, I have learned a few tricks and rules, so it shouldn't be too bad without it. But it's amazing how quickly we become accustomed to using those tools as crutches, and how we struggle without them. If I don't see the error list, my mind goes blank! 

As a result of that lengthy engagement, not much sewing got done. And I wasn't panicked in the least - my creativity will be fired up today because of the short time available. I still have to make that last item for the wedding today. It's today, or it doesn't get done. And that will be a disaster, so this afternoon, after my two morning Zoom sessions, it will be do-or-die! But it shouldn't take long, and I mean that in the best of intentions. The item is not huge, and I already have it laid out in my head. What I don't have is room to redo any part of it, so I must pay attention!!!!

Plus, I tried on the pants for my outfit -- there is no need to try on the top -- just the pants, which is why I'm always flying by the seat of my pants! Anyway, they are made for someone who is 7 feet tall, so they have to be hemmed today as well. Good thing I checked, or I would be walking around with very long pant legs, and they would be hard to roll up! 

Plus, I have a quilt that needs to be quilted today. Yep -- it will be busy. And I have two Zoom sessions this morning! 

However, I managed to take that small cushion cover apart and turn the backing around, so now the opening is in the correct orientation. The opening should be facing DOWN, not up! 

The opening in the back is now oriented correctly.

I inserted the pillow form, and it's very cute. It's called A Birdie told me so by Kimberbell. 

The completed cushion cover.

I have more pond pictures! It appears the pond is about to explode. There were two blooms yesterday, and it's amazing how quickly those buds appear. 

Two blooms in the pond

The buds are well disguised because this is how the leaves form. They come to the surface rolled up and look just like a bud. Once the entire leaf touches the surface, it unfurls and then lies flat. As you can see, the pond is covered with leaves - or at least the section I want covered- and it provides shade and protection for the fish. Which they seem to be thoroughly enjoying since we rarely see them! 

A leaf is unfurling in the pond.

I looked a bit more carefully, and while you can't see in this picture, a few more buds are coming, and I hope we get to see more today. Just checked, and I see one more bug just poking its head out of the water. It won't open today. 

The lily pad leaves come bursting out of the water!

Then last night, I decided that I needed to fix this frame. Anything to avoid hemming my pants!! 

Time to fix the picture frame

I could not get the small, down-ended piece of metal back into one corner, so I whacked some wood glue on all three broken corners and secured it with some elastics. If that doesn't work, I'll just whack some nails in from the side. I don't really care - what I want is the frame back in working order, so I can hang the picture up! I probably won't have time to deal with it today, so it will have to wait for a bit. But at least this step is done. 

The frame is glued back together.

And then I did something very bad. I opened the next puzzle box - it's actually a tube and started sorting. Thankfully, I wasn't speed puzzling, because I don't think I got the pieces sorted and turned over very quickly. I was listening to the last part of my audiobook, and I wasn't in a hurry at all. This is going to be a tough puzzle, I think, and I started by sorting the pieces by color on the design boards. I have one with blue, purple, green, orange, yellow, and when I ran out of room, I put the remaining mixture on one board! Yes -- some boards have multiple color sections. 

The pieces are sorted mostly by color.

All the while, when sorting, I removed the border pieces. 

The border pieces

And then I sat there and assembled the border. At first, I thought a few pieces were missing as it wasn't going together well at all. And then I rearranged a few sections and VOILA - the border is intact. All the pieces were sorted from the initial sort. Hmmm - the left side looks much longer than the right - it must be the angle of the photo!

The border is together.

My goal is to complete it by the end of this month, which could be a challenge since I'm away for much of the month and have things to prepare on the days I'm home. But I'll make it work as this is for the Canadian Jigsaw Puzzle Association theme of the month - rainbows, colors, gradations. I think this puzzle covers all three categories. There is nothing better than "panic" sewing because you squandered your time working on a jigsaw puzzle. And you know what? I'm perfectly Ok with that! 

I also managed to get a task that I had been procrastinating about off my to-do list. Well, not quite, but it's almost done, and that took a fair amount of time in the morning. But the worst part is done, and all that remains is to update three small sets of instructions, then put it all in an email and cross it off the list! 

As you know, I'm not one to plan far ahead or book things, especially when it comes to travel, but I have what's needed for the first day of travel on the upcoming trip. Lots of emails with names, numbers, confirmations, etc. I have moved them all into one folder so when (and if) I need them, they are handy. Look at me -- how organized can I get!!! 

If you had a peek at those hoarding lists from the previous day, someone mentioned that, in the worst-case scenarios, hoarding is also accompanied by filth. I've seen some pretty bad situations online. We are clean hoarders in our family -- thank goodness for that. But the other day, someone sent me a list of things that accumulate in our house, and I'm going to have fun with that as I share it with you. But that has to wait until July, as there is no time this month to make that happen. But you will want to play along with me, so be sure to watch for that. 

And I have a special event later today -- yes, that wedding item and the pants had better be done by then! I'll share it with you tomorrow! Hey -- if I told you everything up front, what would be the fun in that? What if the event is a dud? I can at least lie about what it was, but if I tell you upfront, then  - well, it's best to keep the options open!!!

I have neatly stacked all the boxes on the floor in the office - it's mostly books that I need to get rid of, and I'll have to deal with them in July. I had a pile of paperwork that was sitting on the floor, and it was getting very untidy, so I shoved it into an empty box in the office (the only empty box - I might add), and that will also get dealt with in July. I must make plans so that July will be to clear everything off the floor in here, hopefully get rid of the old computer, and maybe one or two things off the tabletop or the second desktop. 

You know what they say -- things must get worse before they get better. And I have to call about that oven, but it's not going to happen this week, nor the following week. We are managing just fine with our toaster oven. I just won't be cooking a turkey or cookies anytime soon, not that I've ever done that. Well, cookies, but never a turkey -- too much fuss for me! 

And on that happy note, I'm out of here!!! The girls are patiently waiting, and there is much work to be done! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

It's all about the birds

Don't you feel great when you discover (reaffirm) things about yourself that make you happy? I have always been a neat person. By that I mean, I love having my stuff organized, in place, and readily available. I love organizing. 

However, when I started quilting and had a baby around the same time, my brain went totally mush, and my organizing skills went downhill rapidly. On top of that, I became something of a collector (OK—read: hoarder). And while I had great intentions of getting everything I had accumulated read or made, that wasn't happening. 

And then the clutter began. And it grew and grew until our house was overwhelmed. NOT like some of the places you see, but on the firemen's scale of 1 to 10, our house was probably a five. WAIT -- I just Googled a hoarding scale and OH MY --- I think we only qualified for a level 2. Check this out. It's pretty scary, but we were never beyond level 2 - thank goodness. 

Yikes—in some of those areas, my parents would have qualified as level 9! Not all areas, but a couple of them for sure!

Anyway, more than 10 years ago, I saw the light of day and realized that things needed to change. 

And, in particular, I realized that, for me to function well —OK, in Studio B at least —I need to be neat and tidy. The cutting table, the puzzle table, the ironing surface, and the sewing tables need to be clear. The projects table can be a jumble (it's organized chaos), but I can work with that. 

In the last couple of days, things have gone awry, and there was stuff everywhere, so I spent a few minutes this morning tidying it up, and I feel ZEN!!!! While I'm OK with having multiple projects on the go, I also feel at peace working on one at a time or finishing one at a time. YES --- I have found my groove, and I need to keep it maintained! 

There are a few things still on the puzzle table, and I need to repair that frame today, so I can hang it back up. I haven't been puzzling the last couple of days as I sat outside in the evening, enjoying the weather and reading.

The puzzle table is almost clear again!

And in case you are wondering about the puzzle table, let's just say it will definitely be busy tomorrow evening. I'll share that with you later. 

In addition to keeping things organized, I keep finding things as I go through some of the piles, which is great, except there is one small thing that I had recently, and I put it in a safe place, but where? I'd really like to find it, but it will come one day. 

I started the day by washing the suet feeder and restocking it with one suet bar. I need to buy another one and put that in the feeder. The cardinals were on my case, and hopefully, they will be back this morning to get their fill. I really love this Brome squirrel-proof suet feeder. It wasn't cheap, but I've never seen a squirrel hanging off it. They don't even bother it. 

The suet feeder is restocked.

That should make the Cardinals happy. I need to get my new bird feeder out as well, and then the rest of the birds will be happy, and I'll have removed one more thing from the office. YES -- while I have gotten control of my working environment in Studio B, I have NOT accomplished the same thing in the office. I'm close -- the supply cabinet is organized, as is most of the filing cabinet. I just need to permanently clear some flat work surfaces around and deal with some excess. I'm getting there - slow and steady is better than not tackling it at all. 

I had an appointment for a mani/pedi yesterday. I hate colored nails, so I just got things tidied up for the wedding.

That is relaxing!

 DH dropped me off as he needed the car, and once I was done, I walked home. There is a shortcut from the parking lot to the road, rather than walking completely around the block. 

The shortcut through the ditch.

As I approached the shortcut and was pulling my camera out to take a picture, a red-winged blackbird appeared from nowhere and attempted to divebomb me. The bird was hanging out in the air and was not happy at all. I snapped the photo and took off into the shortcut as quick as I could!

It's about a 40-minute walk back from the spa (at the gym) to the house. One day, I might get brave enough to try out an e-scooter since there are so many around. You just need to set up the app (of course!) to unlock the e-scooter. Hmmm—I may continue to walk—I think it's much safer! 

Lots of e-scooters! 

Here is the pond and all the lilies. They are growing like weeds!!! 

The lilies are growing like mad.

And OH MY -- I see the first bloom!!!

The first bud!

It's not quite fully open yet. Interestingly, these blooms close up at night and reopen during the day. Do you know why they do that? For survival and protection. By folding up, their delicate pollen is protected from early-morning dew and prevents the flowers from being eaten by bad bugs. It also helps them to conserve energy! 

Almost open flower

I don't plant annuals, but I try to help the bees with my lilies, lilacs, landlocked lilies, and peonies, which will bloom later in the summer. I think I need a couple more peonies in the area by the gazebo - it's a bit bare, so I must tackle that job. 

By the way, in case you are curious, that pond is quite old. I must dig out the original pictures of our backyard. Most of what you see (shed, pond, gazebo) was here when we moved 23 years ago. BUT we have enlarged the pond and changed the deck, etc. 

And of course, Murphy is never far away when I'm outside. 

MOM -- do you need help?

In an effort to get a handle on the stuff hanging around Studio B, I trimmed the community project quilt. 

Community project quilt is trimmed!

And these are the cutoff edges, which will go back into the pile of blue flannel that I'll use to make the next five quilt backings for that group. NOTHING goes to waste at my house. Don't worry  - the use of scrappuy quilt backings will be discussed in the scrap class in the fall. 

The cutoffs from the flannel backing

A few more half-square triangles were trimmed. I only have a few more to trim to be up to date with my current sewing, and, of course, there is that bag of a bit smaller ones that I'm whittling away at. 

Trimming HSTs

This large snowflake, cut out with the Singer Momento (24" die cutter), was finally fused to the background fabric. It's sure nice to not have to trace and cut out something that large. It was super simple. Now to do some satin stitching around it! 

My large snowflake is fused to the background.

I finished the little cushion cover, except that I put the envelope backing on upside down. GRRRR -- that is going to bug me, so I'll likely take it apart later today. And now you know why it takes me so long to make anything! I am constantly taking it apart to make it right. What I needed to do was check it before I pinned. Sigh..............

The complete cushion cover

Then, instead of working on the remaining project for the upcoming wedding, I decided to figure out the puzzle that was Tequila Lime. Once I got things laid out, I realized that the large pieces of the 8 sections are assembled, but the large pieces (4 per section) need to be stitched together. Two sections are already together to make one quarter of the quilt. 

Anyway, I managed to get one section done - three down, and five to go. 

One section of Tequile Lime

It was just the figuring out that needed to happen, but after spending a few minutes, it all worked out just fine. The pieces for each section are pinned to the design wall, and I'll grab what I need as I sew a few more sections. The sections need to be sewn in a specific order because of the coloring of the petals in the center. So I must be careful how I start the sewing process. I do NOT want to rip this out. 

Progress on Tequila Lime

I did some embroidery and loaded a quilt, but I can't share that with you. OH -- so many secrets!!! But all will be revealed in due course. For sure, by the end of the month, you'll see everything that I've been working on. Some of you will see it sooner! 

I also did some tidying in the furnace room. I will admit that tidying up is way easier and faster than a deep clean. The furnace room is in order, so it was just a matter of putting a few things in a better location, and all is good. That took all of a few minutes, but I see DH has some excess golf things, so I'll have to ask before I toss! 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I'm still working on that very long To-Do list I created a couple of weeks ago. It's much shorter now, but there are still things to address. 

Do I need to remind you how important tidying/decluttering is? If you have time -- grab a drawer and start decluttering. And if you have been decluttering, are you able to maintain it? That is hard, but in the areas I have decluttered, I can keep things super clean. My "junk" drawer is as neat and tidy as when I organized it many years ago! 

Have a super day!!!!

Caio!!!!