Book recommendations

Thanks for all the comments. YES --- most of those exercises can be done while waiting for oatmeal to cook! I just need to remember to do them. The alternative will not be pretty, so it is a priority. I did some at the dinner table to demonstrate to DH how easy they are. I even told him that he should be doing them as well. He's in much worse shape than I, and it's simply because he does nothing. 

Brooke will definitely be part of this "recovery" mission, and I'll share with her next week. 

As for dentists, optometrists, and everyone else selling their practices, I don't know how we can fight back, but we need to speak out. Or probably insurance has made it next to impossible for a single practitioner to practice and still make money. I LOVE our dentist, and I sure hope he never retires. But since he's about the same age as myself, that is not going to be a reality. 

On the reading front, I get recommendations from everywhere - it might be one of you, it might be an in-person meeting, review online or in a newspaper, but they come in from everywhere. And I typically go to Libby and request a copy of the book - either audio or ebook. I just finished reading Game of Crowns, which was quite an interesting read, and it is so hard to tell what is true or not in the world of the Royals, but OH MY GOODNESS -- none of the Royal women was put in a super positive light. There is a lot of posturing, and they are ruthless! 

However, when that was done, I needed to move to the next book. I think there were three audiobooks in my inbasket for me to choose from. A bit too many for my liking, but I'm good with three. So I picked one because it was a novel and I needed a break from non-fiction. 

I know someone recommended this book to me, but I don't remember whom, but OH MY --- what a hoot. It's called Grounds for Murder by Betty Ternier Daniels. The book is based in the North Battleford area (where I grew up), and it's hilarious. What they say, what they do, how they act -- it's all so familiar! I'm guessing the main character is about my age or a little older, and lives on a farm, so it's very familiar. And they visit North Battleford, and yep - I know all those places! I LOVE the book!!!

A huge thank you to whoever you are for the recommendation. It's a fun read, and who is the murderer? 

AHA—here are our NEW fire hydrants. As we had discussed a week or so ago, they are repainting them, and the base coat was grey. I guess they tidied them up, slapped on the base coat, and came back to paint them red. Notice the top and the caps are grey. So bright and shiny! I think our entire city (or at least my neighborhood) is getting a minor facelift. Fire hydrant, new road lines, etc. 

Spiffed up fire hydrant

I had a book to pick up at the library. OK -- so I have a thing with books and puzzles. OK -- and quilt fabric. I'm obsessive about all those things! I cannot just go to the library to get one book. Instead, I found another one and also brought that home. It's not that bad of a walk to the temporary location - about 30 minutes there and 25 back. It all depends on whether I have to wait for lights. I'm glad my regular branch is not that far away -we are very lucky to have 18 branches in this city!

I stopped to look at the puzzle, and it's the same one as last time, but nothing is together. I'm not sure whether it was ever completed and then they tore it apart, or it never got completed. But as mentioned before, I am NOT a fan of the green felt. If I bought one of those boards, I'd be ripping that felt off. Plus I think I like my design boards as I can easily move them around and get a good look. The drawers are handy, but not easy to look into. I know you can also purchase the boards without the felt. 

Not a fan of the felt backing

I made progress on my puzzle last night. I think all the "easy" stuff is done, and now the rest will be a test of patience, size, and very slight color changes. After this one, it'll be time to do the monthly themed puzzle, which is wild animals! Yep -- I found one at the thrift store, so I can't wait to work on it. 

Status of the current puzzle

I got one more block done for Down on the Farm. OK - that block humbled me. I was working away, everything was fine, and then I went to sew the bigger sections together — and BAM—we have a major problem. I double-checked my fabric pieces, and everything seemed OK, but it still wasn't working. 

Then I took part of one section apart and OH MY -- I did miscut one of the pieces. And it's funny because as I was sewing that piece onto the others, I thought to myself, "This piece is too big." It was the diagonal strip of green on the turtle shell. My brain knew it was wrong, but did I investigate it? I did NOT. Which goes to show that you need to trust your gut!!! And then listen and act upon those instincts. 

So putting this together took a little longer than I anticipated, but this block is done. That makes six blocks done and six more to sew. Yes - I know the contrast in the turtle's face isn't the best. Too late to change it!

Block six

I spent a good chunk of this morning cutting out the next two blocks. All the pieces are on this board, and I still have a few more pieces to cut. There are a LOT of little bitty pieces in these next two blocks. 

The pieces are cut for Blocks 7 and 8

Instead of getting out a new design board, I just overlapped the pieces! Of course I did! I don't label anything - of course I don't! I have a ruler on the front of my sewing machine, and I can pretty much tell the difference in size by eye. But to double-check, I use that ruler, and so far, so good except for that miscut shape in the turtle. 

My goal is to get those two blocks done today. I was hoping to have all the blocks done by today, but that isn't going to happen. Plus, I spent the morning doing paperwork, so I am going to skip it today. 

The mystery book was so interesting that I wanted to finish the chapter before shutting things down for the night. Since I had a few minutes to kill (pun intended), I decided to trim a few half-square triangles. As I was trimming, I noticed that the yellow on the side has a hole in it. CRUD - so that goes! 

Trimming half-square triangles

Someone asked why I don't stop making them and start making stuff with them. I have made several quilts from half-square triangles and a pencil case. I could stop, but then what do I do for enders and leaders? Nope -- I'll continue to make them, but I do need to start sewing them together. I have several plans for the ones that are trimmed. 

I'll be teaching that scrap quilt session starting in September, and trust me -- we will be exploring this kind of thing, along with many other types of scraps. The first rule is WHAT size makes you happy! Remember that I am NOT expecting anyone to make a project each month. But I will be offering suggestions as to what you can do with your scraps. It is up to you to decide what you want to make. And then we'll see how all those HSTs will come together! 

So you know Miss Murphy has been banned from going up or down the stairs. And she seems to know that she isn't able, as she doesn't even bother or whine to come down. It's a bit sad for me since I know how much she loved being downstairs. It wasn't even to be with me, but she loved the coolness of the basement. However, life changes, and so do our abilities, and thankfully she knows that. 

However, I don't trust her not to attempt to come down and run into problems, so we have the stairs barricaded. What am I using? 

Well, every bag maker should have some of these - election signs!!!! 

We had to barricade the stairs at one point years ago, and I don't remember why, but I tucked those signs behind the bookcase in my office. And so when I needed them, they were there! 

What is hilarious is that Bonnie was our mayor from 2014 to 2024. These signs were probably from her first run for mayor, so they are at least 10 years old. 

Barricade to the basement

Guess what? She is going to run for mayor again! I told DH that I could just put the sign out on the lawn and he said NO. I was just kidding. 

And this sign was for a school trustee, probably from the same era.  

Barricade to the upstairs

I just sent Betty (the author of Grounds for Murder) a note to say how much I connected with her character and surroundings. If I were an author, I would love to get feedback from my readers. Again -- thank you to whoever recommended that book, and I wonder how they found out about it? 

I see that we have a nice gentle rain this morning, but do I feel like going out with the girls? Murphy couldn't care less about the rain and is happy to go outside and lie in the rain. That must be great for the muscles! But Miss Lexi is another story. Although Murphy gets saturated, the wet just lies on top of Lexi's fur. 

I must get myself organized and decide whether we wait or I get back downstairs to find out what happens to the character in that book!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

Class sign-ups begin!!!!

We all had a decent night. Murphy is content to sleep outside - I just don't get that, but if it keeps her happy, then I'm willing to do it. But should she ever bark, I'll be like the Dad in The Night Before Christmas - "I awoke with a flash and flew to the window and tore open the sash!" That will be me! But so far, so good. And when I brought her in around 5 AM (that's kind of the witching hour for raccoons), she was happy to sleep in Lexi's bed, but when she wanted some attention, there was one somewhat subdued BARK at the top of the stairs! 

So she is learning to cope - she doesn't ask or attempt to go through the barricade at the top of the stairs. OH WAIT - I need to take pictures of my barricades. I'll do that for tomorrow. So all is good. Needless to say, I was a happy camper yesterday because I had a decent sleep. I accomplished a lot, and, well, I just felt good. We don't have a perfect workaround yet, but we are getting there. 

You all know that when Murphy wants to go for a walk, she likes to walk very fast. The one "positive" from her slowing down is that she's not so keen on pulling on the leash. No kidding. The pressure she put on her legs to pull like she did was insane. 

And by the time we headed home, she was getting a wee bit tired, which you can see by all the slack in that leash. I swear she was walking like a properly trained dog on a loose leash! 

Mom - I'm a wee bit tired

Can you believe that it's August? Where has the year gone? Just flying past, or do we just forget that we have lived all those days! Lots has happened, the days are full, so no wonder it goes by quickly. BUT lately, when walking in the forest, I hear PLOP PLOP PLOP. Hmmm—it's not time, but yes, it is!! The squirrels are harvesting their acorns, and some of them are plopping on the ground. 

The acorns are ready for harvest.

These ones look a bit green still, but those squirrels are having a grand time! 

I did spend a bit of time (OK - all morning) dealing with paperwork and managed to clear some of the backlog, so that made me feel quite happy. I hope to put out a small stack each day and get on top of it again. Once I get to it, it's not so bad, but miss one day? Yikes!!!

When I pulled those boxes out with all my early-memory things, I noticed I had kept some of the work things I had done. I know -- why? Well, I was a newly minted MBA, and I wanted to show how useful I could be by generating reports after studying how people worked in the office. I guess, at the time, I felt it was worth keeping! 

My first report at a newly minted MBA!!!

That report was quite thick, but it was mostly the backup data that took up all the space. 

That's a thick report!

But I put these details here so my spreadsheet-loving friends know that I was once capable of generating all sorts of tables and charts and knew how to massage the data!! 

Charts and graphs in my report

Actually, this was Lotus 1-2-3, which I had used quite extensively. I used to work at a bank, and we used spreadsheets to assess traffic at specific branches to see which had the least traffic and so on. 

It's just that using a spreadsheet to track some of the stuff that people track - that's not in my vocabulary. I know you can create input forms and generate nice output, but I'm not taking the time to do that! I don't need that level of sophistication!

Anyway, the report is now in the recycling bin! Yes, when I put something like this in the recycling bin, I remove the pages that are still blank on one side for printing. I have a nice little pile beside my desk. I remove the coil binding, put it in the garbage, and put the double-printed pages in the recycling. 

Miss Murphy is quite happy to spend a good part of the day outside, and the side of the house seems to be her go-to place. But why does she lie like this? She has always slept this way, but you would think with her leg that she wouldn't be comfortable, but if she's happy, then I'm happy. 

On guard if anything should come through the gate!

So the next block of the Down on the Farm (Sew Fresh Quilts) is done! While I'm behind in the pattern testing, I think the pattern will be available for purchase in the near future. 

The dragonfly and bullrush block

So whose idea was it to use DIRECTIONAL fabric for the pond? I found this water-looking fabric and thought it would be a great idea! And it is, but it was a challenge to cut the variety of shapes needed. And when I put the dragonfly block in its place, all the water was going in the opposite direction to what it needed to be. Thankfully, that was easily fixed by rotating the block so that the dragonfly faced left rather than right. PHEW!!!!!

BUT -- I have no idea how Lorna even went about designing that dragonfly. It's an engineering feat to be sure. Sew on a square with a diagonal seam, add two more pieces, then another diagonal seam and VOILA - a dragonfly. OK -- it's a lot more complicated than that, but seriously - these blocks are creatively designed. 

And now there are my five blocks so far. I'm almost done with the 6th block, and I hope to get the entire middle row completed today. It's doable as I have NOTHING else on my agenda!!!

My five blocks so far for the farm quilt

I have sewn a LOT of enders and leaders together in making the quilt so far. And I'm using up those little triangles, and now I have a lot of things to press and trim. I'm OK to leave that because I want to focus on getting this quilt top together. 

A huge stack of triangles to press and trim

Hmmm -- I was wondering what to do with this quilt, and I have a second cousin who just turned one. Maybe it would be good for him. I wonder if Mom would appreciate it, though. If I were going to teach this quilt, well, I could take some pictures now and use the pattern to help people through it. Hmm -- got some thinking to do about that. 

This is my setup as I sew the blocks. I printed out the cutting charts because it's much easier to check off the pieces as I cut and sew them. But the pattern is 25 pages in total, so I have downloaded it to my iPad and then follow along. It's working very well, and when I need to zoom in to see some of the very small bits, it's easy as pie!

My setup for sewing the blocks

I have to use the mini design boards sparingly, as I have three in use with my current puzzle!! I managed to get some work done on it last night, but it's a challenge. 

OK - so you are wondering what happened with my appointment at The Sports Clinic. Well, in all honesty, what my doctor told me years ago is basically the same advice I got yesterday! STRENGTHEN and STRETCH!!!!!! 

Yes, I have arthritis in my knees. Actually, I didn't ask how bad it was, but it doesn't seem to be an issue, which I knew. My joints are OK, except they get stiff if I sit for a prolonged period. But if I move them while sitting (and NEVER cross my legs), they are good when I stand up. 

After much manipulation and testing for strength in my legs, she decided that my main issue is the sciatic nerve in my left leg. That is an issue that I've had for 16 years, and of course, it has gotten worse. The first time it reared its head, and it may have actually been just a muscle cramp, was on a bicycle trip. I believe I mentioned that a couple of months ago. 

It has flared up over the years but not constantly. Now it's a constant and very annoying. Thankfully, she says it's coming from my glutes, NOT my lower back, since I don't have issues there. It can be "fixed" by doing some strength training. I have a good range of motion in my joints, although the muscles around them are tight, and she said the main issue seems to be my left hip, not my knees. The joint is fine - it's the muscles around the hip that are weak. 

I got a series of 12 exercises to do and will go over them with a physiotherapist to ensure I'm doing them OK. 

But you are going to laugh -- no, you shouldn't be laughing because I have been telling you this for months. Look at this exercise. 

Exercises for strengthening

Do you see what the second one down is? They call it Chair Squats - I call it Stand Up/Sit Down!!!!! 

Get off your chair and do 100! And try not to lean forward - try to keep your upper body posture straight! That's my downfall!

I MUST find a way to incorporate this into my daily routine, or however often the physiotherapist recommends. I MUST regain strength in my hip and quads to relieve pressure on the sciatic nerve and the tendons in my knees. I know this and have known it for a while, but it's not until someone tells you that you resign yourself to making it happen. 

I do not want surgery unless absolutely necessary (that was never the goal of this quest), and I do not want to lose my independence (that was my proactive goal). I also need to strengthen my core and improve my posture. If I start now, I can keep my independence that much longer. How important is that to me? I will need to remind myself of that daily! If I wait, I'll be in trouble. 

I was at the grocery store and spotted these Lego sets. Oh my—they have Lego for everything. 

Lego set at the grocery store.

And they keep up to date with trends. See the mountain bike with the fat tires? I got a chuckle from that. 

Fat-tired mountain bike!

Well, there are phone calls to make today, and emails to send, and just the usual stuff. 

I want to remind everyone that I am now officially opening registration for the fall classes. You can find the details in this blog post. If you need the 40 Shades of Grey pattern, let me know. And YES, I confirmed with Thimbles and Things, and you will be able to sign up for the scrap class once she posts it on her website. She has NOT prepped that yet, but if you are signed up for her twice-weekly newsletter, you will receive a notification about the class and a link to sign up. That will likely happen mid-August. 

For the other classes, please send me an email (preferably one email per class so I can file them in the appropriate folder) and include the class title in the subject line. I've been filing the ones that have come in so far, and hopefully I haven't missed anyone. I'll be scouring email to ensure that I've got everything. 

Confirmations will occur around the third week of August, and at that time you'll receive a supply list and any other information you need. I want to warn you that I have to reschedule the classes scheduled for October 17 (I think that is the date), and I need to do that today. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a wonderful day!!

Ciao!!!

Where has the customer service gone?

Well, I'm here! And I'm feeling pretty good this morning, which is a miracle! It's been a couple of tough days, and I finally have some time to share the story. First—everyone is OK—we're just getting older. 

You'll remember me telling you that our vet retired last year, and we were very sad because they had served us well through various dog family members - Badger, Sparky, and Sammy. And then, of course, our current two crazy girls - Murphy and Lexi. I made eight dog-themed quilts for the staff as I was so happy with them and their service. 

When looking for a replacement vet, I "wisely" chose the one nearest our house so I could walk the girls there for appointments instead of taking the car. The first time I went, last year, I wasn't overly impressed because when they went to take blood work so we could renew Murphy's medication for her weak bladder, instead of taking the blood work in the same room, they whisked her to the back, where I heard her squeak. She is never one for liking needles. It's in those traumatic moments that I think the pet is happier when they can see Mom. 

I had asked multiple times to set up an appointment for Lexi, whose records had been transferred at the same time. That appointment has never happened. Five requests in one year and no appointment. 

About a month ago, Murphy slipped when coming up the basement steps. She just likes to take things at full throttle. That slip frightened her and us, and I took her to the vet on the Monday (it happened on Saturday night). Every time I went to that new vet, we saw a different person. This fellow walked in, took Murphy's heart rate, grabbed her legs, and made her cry out, checked her ears and eyes, and probably a couple of other things. I had initially gone there to get her some pain meds and anti-inflammatories, as it was obvious that she wasn't comfortable. 

That vet must have spent maybe two minutes in the room, and then waltzed out. He came back with a model of a dog's knee joint and suggested that she had torn her ligament and that surgery was necessary to repair it. It's not that I wouldn't do it, but Murphy is an older dog and prone to hip and back-leg injuries, and older dogs have more risk with surgery. He recommended X-rays the next day, and I said I wanted to wait and see how the meds worked. 

That was it. I got the X-ray estimate ($800) and an appointment time (again) from the receptionist. I told her that I wanted to wait a couple of days, and she said, "no problem." Imagine my surprise when I got home, and I had an appointment booked for the next day for X-rays. Good grief -- I had said NO twice. 

So I called the next morning to cancel that. But I was told - don't wait too long, or we will have to charge you another exam fee if I wanted to go ahead with the X-rays. 

Now I just happen to be going through the same thing, and I was told that X-rays do NOT tell if there is a tear in a ligament and that ultrasounds or even better, an MRI, are the way to go. The X-ray will identify if the bone is damaged, but not the tendons. So why would I get an X-ray for the dog? I didn't even ask that question. 

So after her two weeks of pain meds, she seemed to be just fine. She was banned from going up or downstairs unless on strict supervision, and then we had to help her up the stairs using a towel under her tummy. Remember that Murphy weighs 25 KGs, so that is a challenge in itself, although we were getting pretty good at it. 

She was getting comfortable and one day tried to sneak up the stairs on her own and had another slight slip. It wasn't nearly as bad as the previous one, but with the already injured leg, she was hurting again. She had no problem going for a walk, although I shortened the walks until I knew she could handle them.  

I did NOT want to take Murpy back to the same vet, so I contacted another vet in the area who was not far away, but I needed to drive. It wasn't a big deal!

OH MY GOSH --- the difference in treatment was the polar opposite of that other vet. The vet came into the room, greeted Murphy like she was her best friend, and started asking me questions. Let's just say it wasn't my finest moment. 

That vet spent about 45 minutes with me (I was terribly upset) and explained everything to me, and we talked about the various options for medication and many other things. She suggested that we have blood work done to find out how Murphy was doing and, in the event that surgery was needed, that she could even handle it, as we had talked about the potential complications of surgery in an older pet. This vet also suggested she might have torn ligaments, and I totally forgot to ask if it was just a bruise. 

For me, it was one of those situations when you aren't fine, and someone asks if you are OK. That just started the process, and I couldn't stop crying. I was exhausted from a lack of sleep and by how warmly we were welcomed into this new vet practice. 

Well, Miss Murphy had been pretty calm until the moment when the two young techs came into the room to get blood. I think she was traumatized by the last time, and she wanted nothing to do with them. They would get her positioned, and the moment they went to insert the needle, she moved! They had to bring in a third technician, who was a bit more experienced. She put a skid-proof mat on the floor to prevent Miss Murphy from moving so much, and when she had the opportunity to put that needle in, she didn't hesitate. Poor Murphy had no idea what happened!

One hour and $1 later, we were out of there. Let me explain. This clinic has a sign on their lawn that the first exam is $1. I wasn't expecting them to honor that given the time we spent, but they did. We did have to pay for the bloodwork and the meds, but that makes sense. 

MOM - I get treats at this vet - I LOVE it here!

The vet, by the way, is a youngish woman who was the most amazing person I have ever met. She was compassionate, caring, and gave me a hug because I was so upset. Just too much stress and no sleep - more on that in a minute. 

The entire staff went above and beyond, and they didn't even know us! I was in shock. They had contacted the other vet to have the records transferred, and I got a call to approve it. The poor girl at the interim vet didn't even bat an eye and asked if I wanted to close the files. I said to wait as I was shopping around and didn't know how this new vet would work out. I told her the entire story of why I was moving. She didn't say a word, as I don't think I'm the first one to move. 

Why the huge difference? The vet closer to my house was previously independently owned by a single owner. He retired and sold his business to someone (not sure if it's an investment firm or someone who now owns multiple clinics), but it's all about the bottom line. Get them in, get them out, and charge them as much as you can for services. 

The receptionist at the new vet used to work at the other vet, and she said she no longer works there because of the new ownership. 

I want to say more about the ownership thing in a minute. My lack of sleep stemmed from Murphy struggling to settle. Wait -- she's fine in the day - she likes to be outside, and she likes to sleep - she's older, and that's to be expected, although when it comes to the things she likes - food, water, and walks, she's right there and still wants to be first. So she's still our Murphy. 

But at night, when we brought her into the house, she couldn't settle and would pace and attempt to squeeze into weird places. She wanted to climb on furniture that she never even bothered with. Thankfully, she was not going near the stairs (which are blocked off), but she just couldn't settle. I was afraid she was going to hurt herself or knock something down, so I slept with her. We don't really have a couch suitable for sleeping in the house, so it's been a challenge to find a spot that's comfortable for both of us. 

MOM - I'm way down here in the last bit of shade!

And the other night, we slept in the gazebo because she just didn't want to be in the house. It was horrible. By the way, under different circumstances, that would have been fun. It even rained, and we didn't get wet! It wasn't a heavy rain. 

While I have no problems with her sleeping outside, she is a barker, and I didn't want her waking up the neighborhood if a raccoon came by. Last night, because I couldn't take another night with 3 hours of sleep, we left her in the backyard. When I got up very early this morning (because I went to bed very early last night), I was feeling totally rested! Murphy was fast asleep just outside the patio door! I went out an hour later, and she was still sleeping but in a different spot. Then, around five (when she typically gets up if she's left outside), I brought her in the house, and she went to Lexi's raised bed and slept there on her own for two hours!!! Sigh....................

Perhaps our house can get back to normal now. It's not perfect, and I suspect we will always have to supervise her on the stairs, should we ever let her back on them. She already knew she was in trouble because she went upstairs very rarely and it used to be a nightly thing. But it's the basement stairs that she will miss. But that is life and part of the price of getting old. 

I just let them out for the day, and Murphy comes along in her typical bouncy way, not to be left behind. 

So that was probably way more detail than you needed or wanted to know, but I had to get it out. It's been a long road - the entire month of July and things were good, and then they weren't. Now we wait to see what we will do, and hopefully, the meds and the anti-inflammatories will be enough to keep her happy. As well as restricting her stair activity. 

But the point of this story isn't really about Murphy; it's about who owns what. And it's becoming a major issue in all industries. 

Back in the day, when we had the Mom-and-Pop shops, you knew the owner, and the owner knew you and your family. If you needed something, they were there for you. Then they sold the company, and someone likely didn't even live in the neighborhood bought it. And then maybe someone bought that company out, and now the head office is so far removed from the consumer that they don't even remember they have consumers. 

WAIT -- they do, and all they recognize them for is their money! How can we cut service to our customers and still make them pay? I find it very sad and would never have expected that in a vet business, but it's here! 

It's also a good lesson that if you are NOT happy with something, you need to do something about it. I should have moved the files immediately after our first experience, which was getting Murphy's medication renewed. I did not. I don't feel guilty about it - no major harm was done, but I wish I had been more proactive. Now Lexi will finally get an appointment and life can move on. 

Thanks so much for listening. Things seem to be under control - amazing how much better things look when you have had sleep!

You know what they say about pets emulating their owners. I have my appointment (at last) for my knees today! I'm not sure what I expect from the appointment, but I sure want some answers. Is it the joint or the tendons, and what can be done about them? It's not that I can't walk; it's just that it's becoming uncomfortable. I still get in some decent step counts each day, but nowhere near what I used to. 

I have been getting things done, but at a very slow pace. I feel so much better today that I'm on a roll. And I had to go to the thrift store the other day because I just needed a shopping pick-me-up, which never happens or hasn't happened in a very long time. 

OK -- so I picked up three more puzzles, and I spotted three black tablecloths that I would like to go back and pick the best one. 

But I laughed when I looked at the back of two of the puzzles. Carol had written the date when she did the puzzle and how hard they were. Who is Carol? No idea! But she donated the puzzles to the thrift store. 

Carol's comments about the puzzles

I packed up the butterfly and bug puzzle that was on the table, and I cracked open the next one.

The next puzzle

It's only five hundred pieces, but it's unlikely to ever become a speed puzzle, so I'm not timing myself. Soon, I will need to start practicing, and I'm going to pick one of the puzzles from the last competition and use that to see how I fare. I will NOT be winning any competitions, but it's all just for fun. 

And I'm back at the sewing machine, and I got the fourth block complete. I changed the colors up a bit from the original, but that's OK. 

Down on the Farm by Sew Fresh Quilts

It's looking pretty amazing. And I think I commented on how a couple of diagonal seams and VOILA - you have a horse? Wait until you see what I sewed this morning! OH MY GOSH -- I have no idea how she figured that out, but it's brilliant. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. Fingers crossed that we have everything sorted out and I can get a lot of work done today, although I have paperwork to address, then a meeting, and that appointment. BUT - that doesn't mean that I won't find time for the puzzle and the sewing machine. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Harry Potter puzzle

OH MY GOSH --- who posted the comment about the quilted boat made with larch trees? It came through as anonymous!!! But that was exactly the boat I was talking about. If anyone else wants to read about it, you can check it out here. Shoot, that didn't work, and I don't have time to follow up. A job for tomorrow. 

I'm sorry about yesterday's post! I had written it and proofread it, but when it came time to post it, I forgot that wee step. Someone texted me that it was missing! Thanks, Mary!

I also do not have time to relate my story to you. I'm in a bit of a rush this morning. I am off to the gym to meet with Brooke. 

While I made progress on the pattern testing, I didn't even complete a single block. It's been a couple of silly days, and that's all I'm going to say about that. 

I had a small puzzle that I knew I could tackle relatively quickly, so I did that. This is a very weird puzzle. The pieces are rounded and made of plastic. 

Round, plastic puzzle pieces

When it's together, this is what it looks like. The puzzle is shaped like an egg. Do you know who that is? 

Why - it's Harry Potter

I thought putting the last pieces of the puzzle together would be a challenge, since I had to use my fingers on both sides of the pieces to hold them in place. However, the structure was firm enough that the final two pieces clicked into place with no issue. 

The back of the Harry Potter puzzle

This is the brand - Hylkies by Ravensburger. They are collectibles apparently, with figures from Harry Potter, Star Wars, DC, and Marvel Comics. 

The puzzle box

It was fun to do, but not the style that I like, so I won't be doing any more. I did not buy it either, but it was on loan to me. 

There are so many puzzles, both in the pictures available, the quality, and the number of pieces! It's definitely like quilting. So much to do and so little time. What's shocking is that the puzzlers are just like the quilters -- huge piles of "UFOs" to assemble. And then there's the question of which ones to keep and which to sell, swap, or donate. At least, it's a ton easier to get rid of a puzzle than it is to get rid of a quilt!

I'm sorry for the short post. A lot is going on—everyone is OK. But my time is not quite my own some days. Hopefully I can elaborate on that tomorrow. 

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

The washroom can be a great source of inspiration

I think I'm going to have to give up my day job and look into working for a packing company! Yes, I unpacked 13 embroidery units for the NEW PFAFF creative icon 3 in 30 minutes! Once you get the hang of how it's packaged and what you want from the box, it's super easy. And it helps to be agile when maneuvering the case the embroidery unit is packed in. It's still a large box, but it's an engineering feat! I can't say enough about the box for the embroidery unit. It's the same one as the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3. I would upgrade simply because of that new embroidery unit. It's the best, and so is the storage. 

For those with the old-style embroidery unit, this one is amazing. I can't say enough about it. And when we had finished the event, I had to pack those units back up. I did get some help, but it took longer than getting them out, but not by much. Again - the packaging is so well thought out, and everything has a home! 

And then we had to pack up 14 PFAFF creative icon 3s into their shipping boxes. We worked like a production line, and others put all the bits in the top section of the box, so all I had to do (again with one other person helping) was to put the machines into their respective boxes. If you keep the box, it is great for carrying your machine around, except that it is huge! But for us, who must keep the original box, it is beautifully designed and makes it super easy to pack a machine, which is very important if you have a large quantity to pack. 

With all the packing from last week and this week, I'm pretty good and very efficient at packing. 

Those machines and EUs are heavy! But I'm still able to do that kind of task, and well, I'm happy to help out. I will say that packing puzzles was a much easier job. The boxes were much lighter and smaller! I didn't need to go to the gym! 

The day went very well, and the dealers in the room were very excited about the new features on the creative icon 3. I'm pretty excited about it, and should you want one, you can check with your local PFAFF dealer, as they now have the proper training and information and can sell you one. There is a presale deal going on right now. By the end of next week, all the PFAFF dealers across Canada will be certified to sell that machine. Check out this link to learn more. 

The hotel that we typically have these events at has undergone a makeover since I was there last. Brand new carpet and paint in the meeting rooms. And new wallpaper in the bathrooms. Although I think that wallpaper was there the last time I was there, but I didn't really take note of it. 

The wallpaper in the bathroom

Yes—you can get so much inspiration from public washroom wall coverings. 

But what is funny is that this reminds me of the signature artwork in the PFAFF creative icon 3. I don't have a picture, nor do I have the machine, but some of those designs are funky curves like this. If you check out this link, you can see some of it in the fabric that is being embroidered in the video. If memory serves, there is one very similar design, and as soon as I can get a picture, I'll share it with you. 

I also accomplished more weeding the day before, so while there is still one patch I didn't get to, it doesn't look half bad. After the gardener comes this morning, it will look spic and span. 

I'm currently reading a book about a guy who calls himself a hermit. The Scotsman did lots of backpacking through northern Canada and Alaska and finally settled in a northern area of Scotland. It's not that he didn't want to be with people, but his calling was to live off-grid in the wild. He kept a diary, and he wrote down his travels. This book, called The Way of the Hermit by Ken Smith, is really quite an interesting read. The BBC made a documentary about him. 

There are lots of trials and tribulations as he learns to live in the wild and gets a job that allows him to do so and build a cabin, etc. 

But what I found really fascinating was his life as a storyteller. Here's a quote from his book: "When you keep a diary, you find yourself actively looking for a story to tell, and soon enough, your life will fill with far more vibrant scenes than it would if you were just sitting in your chair, passively letting the world slip by before you. You want to impress your reader, and if that reader is only ever going to be you, what could be more important than creating a life story that is full of color and resonance?"

OH MY GOSH --- I had never thought about my writing the blog in that way. But he is absolutely right about that. 

Wherever I go and whatever I do, the stories for the blog are constantly in my subconscious. I must take a picture of that, or remember the details of something else. Some of these stories get tucked away for a bit, and others I have to tell the very next day. And what I find hilarious is that things tend to group themselves in things you touch or see in your daily life. 

In The Way of the Hermit, Ken frequently refers to the larch, a common tree in the northern parts of the world, including Scotland, which he uses for firewood; I think he used larch when he built (and rebuilt) his cabin. He is very conscientious about reforesting the areas he harvests for firewood, and he is using fallen trees to help keep the forest floor clear. 

Just a few minutes ago, I read a short article in an OLDER quilt magazine (2014) about a Scottish quilter who rejuvenated a type of boat made from larch! I haven't finished the article yet, but it always amazes me how, when a new word or phrase comes up, you frequently find it popping up elsewhere. I am not familiar with larch trees, so to have it come up in two completely separate contexts within three days of each other? That's crazy!

And that had nothing to do with AI or anyone else listening to it - both sources came from print material, although one of them was from an e-book.  

Oh my gosh -- can you believe how quickly this month has gone! Soon it will be August and then summer will be over! 

Unless something else comes up, and it could, I am home for the remainder of the summer! Yeah me!!! I hope to get outside and enjoy the gazebo and the rushing water in the pond. I hope to read and do some puzzles, and I also hope to get down to Studio B, because I have a few things I want to get done! 

I didn't get a chance to work on the pattern testing because I got home quite late. But that will be on the agenda today. I hope to complete one more block and get the next one or two cut out. 

It really is an adorable quilt, and even though I am using the same colors (not fabric) as Lorna, our quilts have a different flavor. I'll do a side-by-side comparison when we are both finished. 

I have one appointment first thing this morning, and then the rest of the day is mine! Yeah!!!

On that note, I'm out of here. And the next time you are in a public washroom, check out the wall coverings!! You never know if you'll find an inspiration there! It might be a design, but it might just be the color! You never know. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- sorry --- I wrote the blog, then forgot to post it. A little bit of an emotional (in a good way) morning. I have a doozey of a story for tomorrow. Get your Kleenex ready. 

Take charge!!!

Excuse my obsession with the house fire thing. Lexi and I walked past the houses yesterday, and oh my. I will spare you the heartache for the families. It was a devastating fire, and I'm pretty sure that three of the four will have to be torn down and rebuilt. The fourth one can probably be salvaged, and the fifth one had a tarp on part of the roof, and you could see where the siding melted. That fifth house is for sale! 

It's already tough to sell a house these days, but one damaged by fire and next door to four houses that require some major building work? That will be tough. 

What is interesting is how these houses burned. They are smaller, two-story homes built on small lots, so I imagine the house takes up the maximum allowed footprint. The distance between the homes is very narrow. And once the fire started, you could see how it burned between the houses. It was a tunnel between the houses, and with siding on the upper floor along the sides of those homes, the fire quickly got out of control. 

Thankfully, no one was hurt - it happened in the evening when everyone was still awake, but it's going to take a couple of years, from my experience in this neighborhood, for those homes to be habitable again. 

I overheard the Fire Marshal talking to the owner of the fifth house, and all I heard was, "Now we get to see who has the better insurance company!" That's very scary, and I think we need to look at our insurance policy. I don't wish that upon anyone, but fighting with insurance over something like that could be a nightmare. As I mentioned, my friend whose townhouse was affected by a fire at her next-door neighbor will never go back. Almost one year later, and they haven't even started the renovation. They have torn out what they need to, but can't start rebuilding until the roof is repaired or something like that. 

Poor Murphy is so out of sorts these days. I don't have time to explain the story, but it got even worse yesterday. I headed out to the grocery store about 2:15 PM. As I was walking down the street, I could hear her barking. I was tempted to go back, but I was under a time crunch, so I continued to the grocery store. 

Murphy - what happened to your eye?

It wasn't until I was off my Zoom call at 4:30 that I had a look at Murphy and OH MY -- what's wrong with her eye? 

Then I smelled skunk and thought - there is NO WAY. But yes, when I got a good whiff - she had been sprayed by a skunk. But what the heck is a skunk doing out at that time of day? First the raccoon and now the skunk. I think those two girls of mine had better up their game!!!

It's funny what we keep. I have two boxes of things that I've carried from my very early life. Well, mostly high school to about 1990. I have no idea why, but I have those two boxes. I needed to dig something from the boxes a couple of weeks ago, and I spotted this. 

It's my creative writing book from middle school!!! 

Creative writing book from middle school

OH MY GOD -- right from the get-go, I am NOT a doodler. I suspect some of the people in my class were, and so I attempted to be super creative with the little curl on my last name and the organic line on the initial E. Sadly, I am still not a doodler. I have tried, but it just doesn't come naturally to me. So I don't think I'll pursue that as a career!!!

But there are my creative stories, and while I didn't read them, I'm sure that is where my strengths lie! In the words, not in the doodles. 

My handwriting sucked right from the beginning.

Testing a pattern is not for the faint of heart - at least one like this with so many pieces in it! I've completed three of the 12 blocks. One block had 24 pieces, and the one I completed yesterday had 83. Why is that important to know? Because I want to make sure that all the pieces on the cutting list are accounted for. It's just another way to double-check. 

My three blocks for Down on the Farm by Sew Fresh Quilts

And if you want to see Lorna's (Sew Fresh Quilts) version, you can check it out here. Lorna has seven blocks done; I have three! I have a meeting all day today, and then I'm back with no commitments. I'll be upping my game and hope to get at least one block done a day for the next 9 days.

If you are a pattern tester, you need to be tough! If there is a mistake or something that doesn't look right, you MUST flag it. And I'm sure there will still be a few things that go amiss! But I've seen patterns after someone has tested it, and some very silly mistakes come through. When you have a friend pattern test, they don't want to make their friend look bad by pointing out mistakes. That is the PURPOSE of testing a pattern. 

I have no friends when I pattern test! 

I will say that I have designed quilts in the past, but as I assembled the two horses, I have no idea how Lorna figured that out. A few pieces sewn together on an angle, a triangle on top of two sections to create a deeper angle, and VOILA -- you have two different horses. Incredible!!!!

Needless to say, after my exemplary performance in making boxes and being chatty-cathy on the puzzling packing day, I was encouraged to apply for one of the lead positions for the upcoming Nationals event next June. I did that last night. I love volunteering and meeting new people. This is an annual event, and I don't think it will be any harder than heading up a quilt show. I won't be the one in charge - just in charge of one group of people. I can handle that. I guess it just depends on who else applies now!! 

That is one thing I have always been - the take-charge kind of person. The first experience I remember was in Grade 6. I was new to the town school, with classes of 25-30 kids. My one-room country school had 15 kids from Grade 1 to 5! Our last class of the day was Phys Ed. Why was Phys Ed the final class? That just sounds wrong! When the kids got back into the classroom, the teacher wasn't there yet, and I piped up that the class was dismissed and everyone left. The teacher wasn't too happy about that! Someone ratted me out!!! Since I was bused to school, I couldn't stay after, but I still got some sort of punishment!

I have mentioned before that I was painfully shy as a kid. I probably wasn't super shy in school, but when I moved to the big city, I was intimidated!!! Somehow I lost that intimidation, and that is a good thing!!

I'm very short on time this morning, so this will be short. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Packaging puzzles!

Oh my --- what a crazy day! And I learned something. The Puzzles Canada store, which looks like a warehouse, is NOT the warehouse. There's another location that is the warehouse, and that is where I was supposed to be yesterday morning, NOT where I went. So after a bit of a wait because I was early, I figured it out! I arrived a bit later than I had planned and, of course, was annoyed with myself. I SHOULD have looked at the information sheet in the morning, which included the address. 

Who knew that a warehouse store would have a warehouse?

The other volunteers who were there were amazing! The day was super well organized, and the moment I arrived, I was given a task, and it didn't stop until everything was wrapped and in a shipping box ready to be shipped!

I don't know how many puzzles we wrapped, but if there are 11 events and a maximum of 100 in each, more like 90, that makes a total of 990, so around 1,000 puzzles. I didn't see the puzzles that will be in the events I'm in, but even if i saw them, we saw each one so quickly, that I barely remember what the picture was. I only wrapped two of the eleven puzzles. 

There isn't a lot of room to work in the warehouse, so we spilled out into the parking lot. And there were boxes and boxes of puzzles everywhere!

Boxes of puzzles

Each puzzle was put inside a shipping bag, and a label was put on it with the date and number of the event. That is very important, and of course, all the puzzles come in different-sized boxes!! Of course, they do! 

After all the puzzles were in their shipping bags, which also prevented the recipient from seeing the puzzles, it was time to group them by order for delivery. Some people only had one puzzle, some two, three, up to 14 puzzles, which is more than the 11 events, but some are pairs and they ordered the puzzles together.

I got on box assembly duty. They have a special way they want the boxes taped, which works for me, and I was instructed on how to do that. Then it was making boxes for several hours! I had two packers to keep up with. Mission accomplished! 

We had a blast as we started on a new grouping of puzzles. The groups were by the number of puzzles in the order. Since the puzzles are NOT all the same size as I mentioned, it was a challenge to figure out how to fit them in the boxes. Well, that was, once we figured out which box size that number of puzzles would fit into. One lady was extremely Tetris-oriented, and she could figure out how to put the puzzles into a box no problem!

At the end of the process, this is what we had accomplished. 

Boxes and boxes of puzzles ready to be shipped

And even more boxes!

That is a LOT of puzzles packaged and going out to people! 

I said I would bring my box home, and I was told that was OK, only if I knew where it was. And wouldn't you know it, but as I was getting ready to leave, I spotted my box on the top of one of the pallets. It was easy to grab, and I saved them some postage! 

Here are my three puzzles. 

My three event puzzles

One of the events happens on Halloween, so I suspect that puzzle's theme will be Halloween. That event is also a friends and family event, so now I have to rope someone into coming here that day to work on it with me. Any volunteers? It is a speed event, but since I've never done a speed event before, I think we will just be working on the puzzle! 

As a thank-you, we got to pick a puzzle, and I spotted this wooden one in the box. Of course, I'll take that. 

My new wooden puzzle

Of course, it comes in a wooden box, and the pieces are in a small cloth bag. 

The puzzle pieces are in a cloth bag.

I opened it when I got home and spotted some "whimsies," which are pieces that are shaped into something specific. I think I shared that when I did the puzzle at the hotel in Tofino. 

I was exhausted, but happy! It was a great day, and we really worked like a well-oiled machine! And I made new friends in the puzzle world!

I was asked to come again the next time, so I guess I passed. I need to rearrange something in my schedule, but I'll be back. Whether I'll do a speed-puzzling event again remains to be seen! The first one is in October. 

I'm leaving the wrapped puzzles on my puzzle table, so they don't get lost. That would be my luck - I would have to miss because I couldn't find the darn puzzles. 

Amanda took a video of us working - I didn't even notice. I have tried to forward the link to people, but it just doesn't work. I will try to link it here, and if you look real close, you can spot me in the background as I'm madly taping boxes!!! Here is the link to the FACEBOOK page. Scroll down, and you'll see the video. 

Last night, I worked on the pattern testing and have completed the second block. The 3rd and 4th blocks are on my list of things to do today. It's an easy enough pattern to put together, but with the number of pieces, it can be tricky, and it's only when you start sewing that you realize this piece is too long or too short. For the most part, the sizes are right on. 

If you have never written a pattern before, it can be very tricky. Trust me -- I've written lots, and you have to check, double-check, and even triple-check. 

Yep -- Studio B looks like a tornado has gone through, but I'm back in work mode, and that pattern testing is my focus! Amazing what can happen - everything is wide open, and the schedule is clear, and then BAM -- I'm testing a pattern. But I love being able to say yes!!! I love pattern testing. 

Oh my -- when I went out yesterday to walk the girls, there was burned debris all over the neighborhood from the house fire. We even had some in our driveway. 

Fire debris from the house fire - four streets away

But the park was filled even though you can't really see it in this photo. The house was two streets over. 

A lot of fire debris in the park

The street was still blocked, even to pedestrians, so we had to turn around. Apparently, five houses were affected by the fire. Yikes!! That's a pretty serious fire, and it got out of control so quickly, with huge flames. 

As I was walking and with all the fires in this neighborhood, it got me thinking. I believe I said four, but I remembered another one. I have a thing about house fires. I've never been affected, but it was a nightmare for me when I was a child. I have no idea why. 

Several houses in our area are getting "metal" roofs installed. 

A house with a metal roof

These metal roofs are essentially pieces of tin that they cover the existing roof with. What would happen if a house with that kind of roof caught fire? That tin would bubble and make a huge mess from the heat. 

Well, it's going to be a super busy day as we have Monday sewing, and I realized that I don't have a presentation ready for them, and OH DEAR - what photos can I pull from a hat? No worries - I just found some photos, so I need to plug them in and we're good to go!!!

There's also a solution! I have no idea where my optimism came from; it exudes from my body in leaps and bounds!

And on that positive note, I'm out of here. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!!