Tree hugging is good for you!

About the air fryer — I think the smell greatly depends on what you cook. Yes -- DH was able to get crisper chicken than he can in the oven. I am not a fan of anything with grease or fat on it. Chicken with skin? I'll pass and just eat veggies - thank you! Yes -- I could remove the skin, and I do, but to eat the skin? Even crispy? No way! What I've seen so far is that if the item has grease (skin) on it, it's going to stink. If you are cooking veggies, it probably won't. 

I doubt we'll use one enough to warrant buying it. We have a small toaster oven that works just fine for the amount of cooking we do. HEY -- we have a stove that the poor oven has been rarely used! Thanks for the comments on the air fryer. Since I don't eat potatoes, processed foods, foods with batter, or stuff like that, and I'm totally happy with raw veggies (salad), I don't really need one! DH - loves his BBQ. But I'm not a picky eater! I just eat plain food - no sauces, no condiments, and that makes me happy. I eat to fuel myself - I don't enjoy cooking or eating it. And what I find is that people eat so fast that no one really enjoys the meal, so why put a lot of time into it? Don't get me started on meals prepped in high-end restaurants, where they seem to undercook everything and spend more time on presentation than on cooking. Not a fan!

I'm back to reading the book about the brain at rest, and apparently, it has been proven that forest bathing is truly healing. And it will keep you healthy if you hug trees! OK — that's pretty high-level, but I'm on the right track to staying healthy. Being in nature can boost your immune system -- who knew? 

And then there is the silence. Silence is golden and lets your brain rest. I can so relate to that because while I like to listen to audiobooks, I love listening to nothing, not even white noise. My brain can wander and relax and do whatever it wants, and that's usually where my brilliant ideas pop into my head. Try it sometime—turn off everything in your house and just listen to your brain, or not. It's one of the best therapies around! During these times, I think I face the reality of who I am, my limitations, my quirks (I have lots of those), and I've come to the point that I don't care - I'm happy with who I am!

Speaking of the forest, there is this tree that I've watched for years as it slowly deteriorates. Trust me, after walking as many times in the forest as I have, you get to know the trees. OK -- so I'm a tree hugger. Well, maybe not a hugger, but a lover. Although the book says the actual act of hugging is good. I might try that far off the path where no one can see me! WAIT -- I don't care!!!!

Anyway, here is the tree. A large group of squirrels calls this tree home, but there is barely anything left of the tree, and one day it's going to fall over. 

The squirrel condo

As you can see, the top part is leaning, and there isn't much holding up the spot where the squirrel condo is. It's absolutely fascinating to watch things grow or rot, depending on the situation.  

The squirrel condo is leaning.

So yesterday, something very strange happened in our house. I was in the kitchen tidying up, and I heard a ball plop plop plop down the stairs, but Murphy wasn't in the house. WHAT? I glanced over to the stairs, and Miss Lexi was standing there watching what she had done. I didn't see whether she picked up the ball, kicked it, or deliberately nudged it, but she caused it to bounce downstairs. 

MOM -- the ball went downstairs!

And there it was!!!! Of course, she wasn't going to chase the ball downstairs - that is not her thing. Hmm -- what happened? 

Lexi tossed the ball downstairs.

As I was trying to put some order into Studio B, I had help. I swear Murphy picks a spot intentionally where I need to walk. She is very good at it! I got my sewing machine set up and a few more cables, etc., in bags, but there is still a lot more to tidy up. Mostly the samples, but I needed to get to work on my sewing, so once the machine was up and running, I pretty much stopped tidying!

MOM -- I'm here to support you!

And look how cute this girl is!! All sleepy as she makes sure I do not miss her! 

MOM - it's exhausting being your constant companion

While I made great progress, it just seemed to go so slowly. I finally got all the half-square triangles trimmed for my border. And thank goodness, I sewed the border as I went, so it's all in one piece. You'll have to wait to see what it looks like. 

Trimming the half-square triangles for my border

While getting all that sewing done, I sewed more triangles as enders and leaders. They are pressed, but I didn't get a chance to trim them. That's a job for today. I have a few more things to get done for the weekend session of UFO Club. I still have a lot to finish, but I'm doing OK. 

More half-square triangles sewn.

As I looked at the tray of triangles to sew as enders and leaders, I spotted this stack of small ones. OK -- I'm past the point of keeping these teeny ones, so they went into the scrap box. 

These ones are too small to keep

I was "chatting" with a few friends on Messenger/Texting yesterday, and this picture was sent to me. OH MY GOSH --- what memories this brings back. 

Captain Elaine!

This was me about halfway across Canada on my bicycle trip in 2013. Can you guess where the picture was taken? Yes -- that is a ship's wheel. And look how tanned my face is! That's after spending five weeks riding at least 100 KMs a day (OK -- there was a rest day or two in there as well). 

That was such an exciting trip, and I had to mentally dig pretty deep almost every day. Yes -- it was a very physical trip, and I was ready for it (I'm NOT an elite cyclist by any means), but the mental part was much bigger. Dealing with a frustrating fellow cyclist who almost drove me mad! Inclement weather—we had multiple days of rain in Northern Ontario. Hills that never seem to end, but thankfully, were graded for transport trucks, so most were no more than 12%. Hours and hours of riding and no one to talk to. Now that's not true because we did talk to each other, but I mostly rode in silence, which is where I learned that I'm very comfortable being by myself and enjoying nature and letting my brain wander. 

This was NOT my first long-distance cycle trip, so all this stuff wasn't new to me. 

Well, have you guessed what ship I could be on - halfway across Canada? Yep --- it's the Chi Chamaun Ferry. We got to do a lot of cool things on that trip, and it was definitely an adventure of a lifetime. I've been so fortunate to have taken several adventures of a lifetime, and guess what? I had to do them alone because none of my friends are nutty enough to do them with me. I'm perfectly OK with that. I only have to worry about myself, and that's the way I roll! 

Well, on that note, I've got a lot of work to do today, and I have a lot of paper crap to clear off the office floor. ONE day, I will get on top of it. But as I clear up, more comes out. One day, there won't be anything left! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The calm after the storm

It's 4:30 AM, and I see Brooke sent me a note last night (I was asleep) saying she is unwell. I'm up and dressed, so I'm going to the gym on my own this morning. Look at me - a gym geek!

Thanks to everyone who watched the presentation live yesterday! It means a lot to me for all your support and the feedback you gave. When I'm going to do something, I try to do it to the best of my ability. What's that quote? If you can't do it right the first time, you don't get a second chance? On something like this, there is no second chance!

I got a chuckle, and so will Murphy and Lexi, when one person said that I have no UMs and avoid unnecessary chatter. This is why I entertain Murphy and Lexi on the walks. I go over and over the darn presentation (as if I were presenting it), and I'm paying attention to what I say. I rarely say UM, and I think I've mostly eliminated that word from my vocabulary, but it is easily replaced by NOW, SO, AND, and probably one or two other words. 

By rehearsing it, I catch those words and try to correct myself BEFORE I do the presentation!

And as the clock was ticking down to 3:00 PM and I said "goodbye" to Aimee (the behind-the-scenes person), my mind went totally blank!! Yikes --- what am I supposed to say again? And then, because of the rehearsal, it all came back!

Thanks once again to everyone for watching. If you missed it or want to watch it again, here are the links. 

Youtube: 

Facebook:

While I love doing the presentation, I love the technology involved in making that happen. I decided to try adding a fourth camera to the mix using my iPad. It worked like a charm!!!

What I love is that I was able to manipulate the angles so you can see me and the embroidery machine, but you can't see the TWO cameras behind me. 

I'm hiding two cameras behind my back!

There was one camera on the needle and one on the screen (the iPad). I think I did a pretty good job of setting up! I have never tried using my iPad as a camera, but one of my colleagues has, and it was amazing. The only thing about an iPad is that it drains the battery faster than it can recharge, and as I was nearing the end, the battery was nearly depleted. No big deal—next time, I won't let it sit for so long BEFORE I start presenting. But for the hour and a half I'm online (30 minutes before the start time are just waiting and a last-minute check), the battery life is fine!

The two hidden cameras

I love doing these videos, whether it's been with Fons and Porter or on my own. But so much is happening BEHIND the cameras, and you don't get to see it! 

My mini film studio setup

Of course, I had help in the morning when I was running through the samples and getting them in the correct order. That is my small chair, by the way. I don't want my chair to be a distraction on the camera either, so I have this small one, and it works. I had plenty of room between the tables, so I stood up for some of the work, especially when working with the embroidery machine. I didn't want to bump the tripods, although I think I did right at the beginning. No big deal!!

My trusty helper

I started to pull things apart yesterday, but I will finish it this morning. Before I put things away, I'm going to bag the cables for each camera, put them in a labelled bag, then put that bag in a large bag, and put the large bag in the bin with all the other cables. That will make it that much easier to set up, as I have another session in September. Why waste time when I can put things away even more organized? And perhaps by then, I'll have found that missing power cord. If not, I'm making a note that the power cord for my Cricut works on the switchbox!!!

It will be so nice to take a break from machine embroidery for the rest of the week, although I have my UFO homework to do and I have some blog post writing to take care of! It will be calm and quiet! 

As I was leaving the house for spin class, I saw a big flash of light out the front door. What? I thought it was a car, but it didn't last. OH MY --- that was lightning, and the thunder wasn't far behind it. The dogs went out and did their business (on leashes), so we were quick. I got in the car and drove up to the lights to get onto the main street. If you arrive at those lights before 6 AM, they immediately go into the sequence to change. After 6 AM, you need to wait for however long it's programmed for. 

As I was approaching, there was a massive flash of light, followed immediately by thunder, and all four lights started flashing RED. WHOA!!! What just happened? I made it through the light and in the four KM to the gym, it started to rain and hail like mad. I mean, it was like a monsoon - the wind was blowing, and the hail was coming down so hard, I worried the car would be damaged. 

Then I got to the gym, and it's still crazy. Needless to say, I parked as close to the building as I could. I usually park far away and walk. Then the question was: do I wait it out or run? I ran and got thoroughly soaked in the one minute I was outside. 

This is the hail on the car's sunroof. 

Hail as seen through the sunroom

And this was the rain on the windshield as I waited in the parking lot. 

A monsoon

Thankfully, there are lots of towels in the gym, so I dried off as best I could and went to spin class. When I exited, it had stopped raining/hailing, but there was still ice on the ground. What a crazy day. 

While it was wet, that didn't deter a certain girl from enjoying the backyard. And seriously? That is a flower bed, not a bed for dogs. What a goofball!

MOM - -this spot is for me! 

I'm going to take turns tidying up and sewing today - I have a "few" things to do before UFO. Perhaps I bit off more than I could chew this month! Oh well -- I've made good progress, so I'm not worried. But there are a few more things I'd like to finish, and I now have THREE full days to dedicate to getting that done. It's going to be nice to be quiet. 

And I hope my tummy feels better today. Again, no need for the washroom, but just not feeling right. It wasn't the presentation, as I don't get nervous about that kind of thing. I ate some yesterday, but not like I usually do. I'm feeling pretty good this morning, but tentative about eating anything and getting it started again!

I have a question for you about air fryers. We have one temporarily in our house, and I have no desire for one to be here permanently. I think it's another fad like the Instant Pot (which we never got), but DH is so influenced by the gadgets that his guy friends have. It's been used three times since it was brought into the house, and every time, the SMELL has been horrific. The air fryer just intensifies the smell of grease from whatever is being cooked (meat), and I find it absolutely disgusting. Is that just me and my biased opinion, or is that true? 

On that note, I'd better get moving. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

What's your plan B?

What a day! I got out my bucket of cables and other supplies as I was setting up the cameras for today's Facebook Live. No fear of losing a tripod since they are relatively large, and I keep the two video cameras attached to them. The third tripod is for my cell phone or the iPad since I now have a holder for it. 

Tripods and cameras - check!

There's the bucket of cables and one more camera. 

Bucket of cables and document camera - check!

And then there is the swtichbox. As I was sorting through the cables (I keep saying I will label them, but I can figure it out), I realized that I did NOT have the power cord to the switchbox. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? 

Switchbox - check! Switchbox power cord - FAIL!!!!

I have been so diligent about putting things back where they belong, and I have no other place to use this power cord. I would not have stolen it for another device - it's pretty specific. I searched everywhere, but obviously, I didn't because I couldn't find it, and without that power cord, nothing will work. 

I looked online, and NOPE—I can't get one until later in the week. So I was off to the camera shop, and no, they do not sell these, but the staff member I chatted with said he had a box like it, and I asked if I could borrow his cord. I told him I'd call him back if I needed it. He seemed reluctant - I guess he has never been desperate before! 

I stopped at Best Buy and spotted something I thought would work, but after asking the staff there, they said NO. Seriously??? How come I can't find a power cord? Back home and a bit more research online, and while I can get one, I can't get one quick enough. 

I called the camera shop back to see if I could really borrow that guy's cable. I was willing to give him some cash for it, and then I scoured around the studio to see if anything else had that kind of connection. Oh my—let's try this cord. It was the power cord to my Cricut digital cutter, and it worked!!!!! I stayed on hold with the camera shop until the guy came on and I explained what happened. 

The Cricut cord is the white one in the mess above. 

It was funny because he seemed to think I was trying to borrow it through the shop. NO - I'll pay YOU, just loan it to me. Fortunately, we didn't need to go that route. 

Then it was time to move the tables and set up the backdrop and all that other fun stuff. The excess cables got put back in the bucket. I was testing all the cameras at this point and making sure they were charged, although I do NOT run them without a power source. Can you imagine, in the middle of the presentation, one camera losing battery power? Not happening!

Testing the cameras for connectivity

Thankfully, I've done this a few times, so I got the whole mess down pat, but here's where you would love to have a LOT of power bars and extension cords running all over the place, because getting power to all the devices is sometimes the hardest thing. I'm not sure how I ever did this the first time! While the embroidery machine is madly stitching in the background!

Testing the connectivity

 

At last, everything has power and is connected to the switch box. And the lights are out, although I could use more light. All the while, I had my embroidery machine working away in the back! I still have a couple more samples to run this morning, and I have to run to Staples to print out two things because our printer is acting up. Yippee!!!!

Lights, cameras, action!

When I was out, it was close to lunch time, so I stopped at Harvey's for a treat. It's funny how people do things on autopilot. They ask when I'm at the window, "Do you want ketchup?" and I reply, "NO." When I open the bag, this is what I see. EVERY single time!

What you get when you say, NO KETCHUP!!

But then I didn't feel well in the afternoon. DH also had lunch from there, but it only hit me. I wasn't sick, but I just didn't feel well. So I lost a couple of hours as I went to bed. And poor Lexi had tummy issues overnight and had to go out TWICE!! Thankfully, she makes a huge racket, although I didn't hear her the first time. DH did that run. But I heard the alarm system say, "Back door closed," which only says when the back door closes. I hadn't heard anything else, so I went to investigate. DH was sitting in the family room waiting for her to come back in. Of course, she isn't one to run out and do her business and then come back in. Nope -- she has to explore a bit. 

Well, I heard her the second time, and now she's back in and settled in her bed. Hopefully, she feels better. I feel better, but I'm tired this morning. However, I'm still going to spin class. 

And this was Murphy's take on the whole day. I had left the backdoor open in the afternoon because it was so warm. I didn't even get to enjoy a walk in the warm weather because I was in bed. But the girls are so happy that they have had a couple of days to come and go as they want. The door will be closed today because it's much cooler, but still above freezing. 

MOM -- I'm watching you!!!!!

I didn't even eat dinner last night. I just wasn't up to it. I had my snack before spin class, so let's hope that all is good. Again, I didn't need the washroom; I just had a lot of discomfort. But all seems to be good this morning. 

After "dinner", I went back to my jigsaw puzzle to see if I could finish it, and VOILA -- it's done. 

The 1000-piece puzzle is done!

I continued taking a handful of pieces at a time and tried to find a home for them without using the box, and by this time, I was getting pretty good at it. And before I knew it, the puzzle was complete! Yep - even the missing border piece was found. It's weird how that one piece was missing until almost the end. I've left it up, but I will dismantle it later today as I want to take this one with me at the end of the month to give to the fellow at my parents' apartment. I think he'll have fun with it. 

And I have another one that I'll open later tonight. 

OK—so if you want to watch the presentation live today, here's what you do. 

Go to the main Husqvarna Viking North America page on Facebook. Here is the link. 

You can have that window open as you wait for the presentation to start. It WILL NOT start until precisely 3 PM EDT. Now here's the trick: at 3 PM EDT, you must REFRESH that window to get the live feed working. The pages do not refresh on their own. The same applies to YouTube if you plan to watch the presentation there. If you have the page open BEFORE 3 PM, you must REFRESH the page to get into the live feed. It is supposed to start automatically. So if you open either page at 3:01, it should already be broadcasting the live presentation. 

Here's the link to the YouTube page. 

So you can watch in either spot—just be sure to REFRESH the page. I'll be there at 3 PM, but I'll hold back a minute or two before I really get started. The presentation will be recorded if you miss the beginning. 

Oh --- I have some advice for you! If you are a Facebook scroller, and I confess, since I wasn't feeling well yesterday, I did a bit more scrolling than I would typically in a day, but it wasn't for long—it's so boring!!! 

Anyway, my advice to you is: if you spot some information that looks REAL on Facebook, go to a web browser or a news source and fact-check it. There is so much FAKE stuff on Facebook that it's disgusting. You'll see lots of things you wish had happened, but when you fact-check, they did not. Or you have loads of people reporting on things that seem legit, but they didn't quite happen the way that person makes them appear. FACT CHECK from another legitimate source. 

What I think I need to do is subscribe to a legitimate news source, but which one? 

On that note, I'd better get myself moving. I have a ton of things to do this morning, and I need every second. Well, it's not that bad, but I'll be running samples, getting pictures printed, and well, that's it. I was hoping for a manicure, but I might have to settle for a home-based one! 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!

MOVE OVER MOM!!!!

OH - I love the fact that puzzles helped calm someone down. I can see that. I find it extremely relaxing to sit and work on a jigsaw puzzle. I am going to try to always have one on the go since I have learned how to tackle my addiction to them. 

MOVE OVER MOM!!!! 

Hello everyone, this is Murphy and Lexi, and we have something to say. 

It's the girls -- Murphy and Lexi!!!

We love our Mom, and she is very good to us, although we do NOT get nearly as many treats as we need. We are starving, and she won't do anything about it! That is why I, Murphy, am scrounging for garbage every time we go for a walk. Mom says she hates having to dig in my mouth to remove yucky stuff, but I love yucky stuff. 

Mom even took us for a walk together in the afternoon, and we were up to our old tricks. I (Murphy) walked fast, and Lexi walked slowly, so Mom was pulled between our two leashes and looked like a fool! It was so much fun to play tricks on her!!! 

BUT please—can you tell our Mom to stop talking on the walk? It's annoying. She says she is practising for her felting presentation. Well, we don't care about machine-embroidered felting; we want her to talk to US, about US, and be there for US. 

She says it helps her to work out the bugs and get the topics in the right sequence. We call it annoying! 

And then look what happened to me (Murphy). I was hanging around Studio B (my space, which I just let Mom share with me), and I got fuzzy bits on my face. Mom didn't even clean it off. It's so hard to get good help these days!!

MOM - I got fuzz on me!!!

STOP — OK, girls — you've had your fun. You can go back to sleep now, and sorry -- but I have two more walks to practise the sequence of my presentation. Sorry!!! 

Yes -- I do talk about my presentation when I'm walking. It's a great way to work out the logistics in my head and realize, oh, I don't have a sample of that, and so on. I love doing it, and I'm sure many people think I'm crazy. But I could be talking on my phone, which I'm not!! 

The walk with the two of them was challenging. They just do not walk at the same pace, but it was such a beautiful day, and I had no errands, so I decided to bite the bullet and take them together. We had fun, despite what Murphy and Lexi say!!!

And when we got back, I sat in the gazebo to finish Smartphone Nation, and Miss Murpjhy plunked herself down under my chair and had a good snooze, while Lexi went to lie beside the house in the sun. 

MOM - I'm getting old. I'm exhausted!

Speaking of puzzles, before I was so rudely interrupted, I'm making great progress on the green one. And while it is tempting, especially so close to the end, I have it covered and did NOT touch a piece until it was time. 

I walked past it countless times on my way from the cutting table to the embroidery machine, but I did NOT touch it!!! 

The puzzle in plain sight, yet I did NOT touch it

However, in the evening, when I only had to wait for the embroidery machine to finish, I took the puzzle piece board in my hand and started working. This is how it looked when I went to bed last night. 

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

There are holes all over the puzzle, which doesn't typically happen, but there are so many small things in this puzzle that it's hard to finish one area. I am now to the point where I fussy-pick a handful of pieces and can pretty much put them in the puzzle. WAIT --- if only it were that easy. NOPE -- I need to scour the picture to see where those pieces go. It's a challenge in that way, but not an insurmountable one. 

My spotting skills are getting quite sharp! I love it, and it's such a fabulous break from sewing. I was tempted to continue last night, but what's the rush? There is none, so I should be able to finish tonight and maybe even crack open the next one. 

I had a couple of border pieces mixed up, but I got that straightened out. It looks like I'm still missing a border piece. It may be missing. And YES—I saw that fabric from Northcott that is similar. I wanted some, but did not cave. What would I do with it? 

I've got a lot of stitching to do on the embroidery machine today, and it's all laid out on the cutting table. I just need the machine to stitch faster!! I could open up the second embroidery machine, but I'll stick to one. I'm good on the scheduling. 

The next hoopings are prepped and ready to go.

I LOVE experimenting with machine embroidery. It's been so much fun, and I've learned a ton. Did I mention that I'm doing the felting presentation tomorrow, and learning all about felting on the embroidery machine is one of the items on my Visual To Do list? Yep --- Nothing like double dipping, but hey --- it works, and I'm killing two birds with one stone. I'll take it. 

It wasn't without some casualties. What are the chances that the section with the price tag is the one I used? Thankfully, no one will know that. And I removed the tags from all the other pieces. 

Oops - the tag got chopped up!

Here is the link.   Please note the link will NOT open until exactly 3 PM EDT. I will wait a few minutes to let everyone on. There are two buttons on that link, and I'll see which one to use to join the call. 

Then a bad thing happened. I was chatting with the Monday group about my upcoming quilt retreat in two weeks. It's not one that I'm organizing, and I'm happy as a clam about that. I'll go to any retreat these days, but I won't organize any more than I already have on my plate. There is a lot of cutting to do on the current project tables (more under than on them because of the size of the containers), so I have decided to take only handwork (cutting mostly) to this retreat. I'll take chair risers and my cutting mat so I won't disturb anyone who wants to cut, and I'll get a lot prepped. 

Packed for the retreat

There are tubs of fleece scraps to be cut up. Well, the bottom tub already has cut squares, but there is one more tub, a laundry basket, and a small white tub with more scraps. It would be amazing to get all of that dealt with. And I may have a home for those squares, or I'll make them into children's blankets. 

There is one bag of batik scraps—I'll tell you more when I start cutting —and I have the perfect project for them. 

Then someone asked if I was going to take my 365 quilt and cut more blocks. That's a BRILLIANT idea, so there are two bags with the fabric for that project. 

Will I get bored? Absolutely not - I love cutting, and I have a binding to finish on my Mom's hexagon quilt, and I also have a small pouch with hexies that I'm making. I've been working on that for 15 years! But it's the perfect thing to take, and I'll take it on my trip to visit my parents. I need something small to work on at their place. 

I have another call with Microsoft this afternoon, and I need to double-check my Outlook to see if it has any other issues. I think we might be done, but I must check before two PM. 

The rest of the day is mine, but I still have more samples/projects to finish. I swear, the more samples I make and the more I talk myself through the presentation, the more I want to make!!! That's the problem with making samples, but I'm learning a ton!!!

As for the missing labels? Seriously??? This is the message I received from the only contact I have - through their Etsy Canada page. 

If you received my package back -- then why didn't you contact me? And I'm not even sure they have my package. I'm pretty frustrated with them. I had no issues the first time, but I really want those labels. I love the quality of them, I love how easy it is to order them, but getting them? Well, I must keep following up with this person to see if she can give me a firmer answer than this. 

I finished reading Smartphone Nation, and it was an excellent read. It makes you look at your phone in a whole new light. I know I pick up my phone very often each day, like most people do. But when I start to evaluate what I do with it, it's all active stuff. OK --- a few minutes of scrolling happen. So far this morning, I've taken 30 pictures and emailed them to myself. I emailed the pictures for the blog this morning, and that's it! I haven't checked messages - there's no need until I have time to respond to them, which will be once the dogs are walked, and the embroidery machine is running. 

NO ONE needs me urgently. No one!! I'm not a doctor or first responder; my family members all live far away, and nothing is urgent that requires a message or phone call immediately. 

I noticed I checked my phone for messages (three spots—Messenger, texts, and WhatsApp) multiple times, and almost every time there was NOTHING to respond to. YEAH!!!! I did check Facebook and Instagram a couple of times during the day, but probably spent less than 2 minutes each time. Unless there was a video from one of the people I follow, I watched that. Since I don't follow many people, it doesn't take much time. 

MY PRECIOUS TIME is MINE!!! Why should I give it up to watch mindless videos and reels? I was picky with my time before; I'm going to get even more selfish with it!

I check the temperature on my phone before walking the dogs, so I know how to dress for the walk. 
Good grief -- it's PLUS 11 C. 

Looking at social media and the political situation, it makes you wonder who is governing whom? I've often said that over the last couple of years, although I said BIG companies, not social media. It makes you wonder!!! I don't think our governments have as much control as we think they do, at least in some countries. Big companies, tech companies, have a lot to say about how our countries run. And guess what? It's all in the name of marketing/advertising to us (and mining our data) to do so, and making money for themselves. 

The fact that these companies market to us, whether it's food or social media or whatever, with one goal in mind to make more money, regardless of whether we become obese from eating the wrong foods, or we become addicted to whatever substance/behavior they are pushing, is bad. 

It was a cold, sober thought when the author said they are mining our data and tweaking the algorithms to such an extent that the algorithm knows what we want to buy before we even know we want to buy that item. 

I say—be MINDFUL of how you use your phone and interact with social media. Or the internet. Be MINDFUL!!! And SET A GOOD EXAMPLE for the younger generations. Talk to them about ACTIVE and PASSIVE use of your phone. Don't discourage them from using their phone - just make them MINDFUL. 

On that note, I'm out of here. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

Signs of spring

Wow -- it's the start of another week. While I'm thoroughly enjoying each and every day, it just seems that Monday comes along very quickly!

We have no snow left. We had two days of temperatures in the low teens, and you could almost see the snow melt. It was crazy because I was thinking it was going to take forever for all this snow to melt, and then poof — it was gone. I did more cleaning up in the backyard and hope to finish this afternoon. Then we need a nice, gentle rain to clean things up. But WAIT-- we have snow in the forecast. But still, it'll be nice to get some of the backyard tasks done before we get more snow. It's not a lot and likely won't stick around. 

It's still muddy and wet, but there's no danger of falling on the sidewalks, although the well-trodden path in the forest is still slippery, so I continue to avoid that for a few more days or weeks. 

I even spotted new growth in someone's garden on our morning walk. 

Green shoots!!

And this opossum took it upon himself to walk down our street in the morning, which causes no end of excitement to Murphy. 

Opossum crossing the street

One more sign of spring - the first e-scooter of the season passed Murphy and me on our walk, and Murphy was beyond herself. She hates those things and would tear them apart if I let her. I keep a very tight grip on her when she spots one. And if someone comes from behind me and surprises us both, there is no telling what will happen, but god help the e-scooter driver! 

I'm not quite finished with the Smartphone Nation, but I've got enough information. The last chapter talks about regulation, defunding hate, harm, and disinformation. I'll read it this afternoon. 

My takeaways from yesterday's readings are that you should keep a phone journal for a day or two. Write down why you picked up your phone. What you eventually ended up doing on your phone. Did you actually do the thing you picked your phone up for? How long were you on your phone? And how did you feel when you were done? 

There is something called algorithm resistance (gaming the algorithm), which means you are working the algorithms to work for you, not against you. I'll see if I can dig up more information on that, but not this morning. 

Ensure your screen time is ACTIVE by spending time on education (including language learning, games, math tutorials or quizzes), creativity (making or reading), communication (keeping in touch with friends and family), and participation (searching or gaming). 

AVOID the passive activities of mindless scrolling. 

The bottom line in this is to be MINDFUL of why you are reaching for your phone. Were you bored, so you watched reels to entertain yourself? Were you going to do an active activity with your phone and then got sucked into social media? Like all aspects of life - be MINDFUL of what you do, don't let time just pass you by!

In addition to making samples for my upcoming Facebook Live, I finished the customer quilt. 

Customer Quilt - done

I've got some trimming to do later today. I also took an "emergency" trip to Fabricland yesterday. I was making samples for the Facebook Live, and as I made some, I started thinking about others I could make (typical), and I needed a few extra supplies. I arrived at 4:41, and they close at 5. I grabbed an employee I knew, and we got everything I needed. OH MY --- once you get outside the world of quilting cotton, there are so many exciting things in a fabric store! But I was mindful of what I bought, and less than $50 later, I was on my way home!

As a reward for the day's activities, I worked on the jigsaw puzzle. I'm loving working on it this way!! I have all the pieces of the puzzle laid out on those boards, which I could never do using the trays. I started by working on the circles. 

Progress on the 1000-piece green puzzle

Now all the pieces fit on one board, and I scour it for specific pieces. Then I grab those pieces, bring them to the puzzle, and see if I can find a home for them. When I find the home for all, then I go back to the pieces board and look for more distinctive pieces. It is working just fine. But I doubt that method will work for all puzzles. There are so many things in this one, and I spend a LOT of time looking at the picture to figure out where some of them are. I know there are different colors in other puzzles. I think I have the orange one. I might just have to find all the other colors, since I really like this puzzle style. i think my friend has the red one! 

Just like that -- I found that there are SEVEN puzzles in this series. I want/need to do them all. They are a lot of fun!

I'm having great fun, and it's a great way to leave that phone alone. Not that I'm on my phone a lot, and I'm much more conscientious of it after reading that book. 

I have to investigate a bit more about changing the algorithms, but I'm in pretty good shape, so I'm not really worried. But being mindful about everything you do is so important. It's easy to slip into a rut and just get caught up, but then I don't get to do the things I REALLY want to spend my time on, and that makes me feel bad, so I try to be as mindful as I can. 

As I was sitting by the embroidery machine making samples, a book on the bottom shelf caught my eye. Actually, the coil-bound spine did. I pulled the book out to find a book of quotes I had purchased a long time ago. I really have some great books, and sadly, one day, I will need to start culling them. 

I found an entire category of quotes dealing with "to-do" lists. I got a chuckle and then started reading them. OH MY!!!! These are amazing quotes. 

Here is one:

"Every person you meet knows something you don't: Learn from them." H. Jackson Brown

So true—do not be afraid to ask others questions, and stop talking about yourself unless you are asked. And then we want to acknowledge your woes or your family, but do NOT belabor the point unless it's a close friend. Share your KNOWLEDGE. 

WOW --- I think I'm going to have to keep this book out as there are so many good quotes. The book is called "Quote" Unquote - Volume 2: Inspirational Quotes for Meaningful Moments. It was a book meant for scrapbooking, but it can be used in daily life. 

OH MY—time is running out, and I need to get to the gym!! Still not putting full pressure on the bike, but slowly increasing the intensity. Keeping an eye on my knee -- I have good days and bad. 

Have a super day and be MINDFUL - whatever you do, do it mindfully!!!

Ciao!!!

Here is the link to the Facebook Live on Wednesday, as I always have trouble finding these links. Once the session starts, select the ONLINE button to get in. I'll post this link every day for the next two days so you can easily find it. I think that is the correct button. I think the other button works once the video has been saved. 

https://www.facebook.com/events/3548708531933619

On saying no to addictions

Someone asked for a side-by-side comparison of the Visual To Do list --- January 1 and now. Let's wait until the end of this month, and then I'll share it with you! That list watches me, and I watch it!! A few things on the list are almost done and just waiting for a label or a phone call, so I'm going to wait to share them with you! But all is good!!!

Something extremely unusual happened yesterday, and it was absolutely wild and pure luck. A bag of items was on the Pony Express, and it was my job to pass it along. The weather was amazing yesterday, and I called the person before leaving for my walk and asked if she was home. Yep -- she was home. I grabbed the bag, and I was off. 

We had a wonderful chat about lots of things, since we have a lot in common. We chatted about what to do with all the extra quilts that we own, and she showed me her closet. Oh wow—every quilter has a closet like that. But WAIT -- one immediately caught my eye. I spotted a particular fabric on one quilt and asked if she had any more of it. Turns out it was a quilt top that she no longer wanted, and it is perfect for something I need. So I am going to work out an arrangement with her, and I get something that I "need," and she gets rid of a quilt top she no longer wants. 

Hey -- if more of that happened, I bet none of us would ever have to sew again! Anyway, it was the right time, the right conversation, and a win-win for both of us. I'll share the quilt at a later date. 

In case you are wondering how I can control my addictive self from working on the jigsaw puzzle when I'm supposed to be working, it's easy! I have self-control and lots of it. I also have patience and perseverance. And I have a Visual To-Do list that will scream its head off if I work on the puzzle when I'm not supposed to. 

I simply put the puzzle piece boards on top of it and the box, and let it sit. I'm not even tempted because I use it as a reward at the end of a day, regardless of how good or bad the day was. You know what? It works well. I am loving those puzzle boards—sheets of foam core with a layer of felt. My mini design boards for quilting, and since I have four of them, I can spare them now and again! I'm almost down to ONE board with puzzle pieces on it!

The puzzle is "put away" during the day.

This is the state of the puzzle as of last night. I'm making pretty good progress, and I should be able to get that done by the end of this month. It's working out so well, I might just keep one puzzle set up in that spot, and when I have a free evening, I can work on it. My evening is for reading a physical book, so I may have to split my time between the two. 

Progress on the green jigsaw puzzle

While I'm liking The Kitchen House (audiobook), I NEED this book to end. There is so much pain and sorrow, and I just want revenge!!! I'm also very aware that what is happening in this book is real. This book is fiction, but the events in the book were very common. Why the heck can't people just talk to each other? So much of what happened was because of a lack of communication. OK -- that's not true since it's based on the actions of the "superior" white man, but they could have done something. At least by talking, they could have saved themselves a lot of despair. 

I did a bad thing, and I think we have no more fish in our pond. It was super warm yesterday, and not a single one has come to the surface. The bubbler died, and I thought that keeping the pond open with the heater would be enough. It was not. Of course, DH told me to get a new one, and I did not. But it might be a good time to do a deep clean in the pond. It's very full of plant debris. 

But as I was doing some cleaning in the backyard, Miss Murphy found a ball that had been in the pond all winter and was waiting patiently for me to get the net to fish it out for her. It's a bit messy for us to play ball right now, and I hope to get out there and clean up a bit more this afternoon. 

Waiting patiently for me to rescue her ball

I had the embroidery machine working, but you'll have to wait until Wednesday to see it during my Facebook Live on felting with an embroidery machine. Everything about me is about learning! And while I'm making samples, I'm learning a ton!!

I have half of that large quilt done and will finish it later today as well. 

I also need to finish reading Smart Nation by 6:50 PM tomorrow, but that shouldn't be a problem. I'll focus on that this afternoon. 

But here's another interesting way to look at our smartphone use. The author is NOT condoning the use of smartphones for adults or children. Her emphasis is on how we use the phone. 

Case in point: a youth may need a phone for safety reasons—maps to get to school, checking the bus route, staying in touch with parents, class schedules, or whatever. There is nothing wrong with that. The same for adults: there is much we can do on our smartphones, perhaps too much, because there's an app for everything. 

And in the past, smartphone use was judged by how much time you spent on them. I only spent 10 minutes; I'm better than you, who spent 1 hour, but what did I watch or do with the phone in those ten minutes? You can't judge someone by how much time they spend, but by what they do in that time. 

An example in the book is of two children who get ONE HOUR of screen time a day. One watches children's TV with a parent and discusses what the child is watching. The other has headphones on and is watching a kids' YouTube channel on an iPad. The kid watching on the iPad gets bored, starts surfing, and ends up watching some horrible things, while the one watching TV has a great conversation with a parent about what they watched. 

Hmmm -- it's not hard to see which one got more use of their one hour of screen time. 

Here are some things you can check so you don't become addicted to your smartphone:

• Be ACTIVE, not PASSIVE, when using your phone. Watch content that encourages creativity and discussion to support brain engagement, learning, and communication skills. DH keeps insisting that he doesn't watch YouTube, but YouTube is a very educational tool when used wisely! 
• Communicate with other family members about their social media engagement. 
• Quality of Content. Is what you are watching of quality, or is it just a time-waster? 
• Remember that NOTHING on social media is regulated, whereas TV is. 

The whole thing is really an eye-opener into the use of a smartphone. Thankfully, I use my phone actively for almost everything I do. I did get caught up in reels, but now I don't. How do I do that? In the same way, I don't get tempted to buy candy when I'm at the grocery store. It's like an alcoholic who sees booze and knows that if they touch it, they are gone. You want it, you feel you need it, but you just say NO. And before you know it, you've moved on. How can one do that? Well, the benefits of saying NO are that you don't feel guilty, you don't need/want to restart your addiction, and there are no consequences. 

I know -- you think that I am depriving myself of stuff. I am not. I can't eat candy because I'm addicted to sugar, and I know what it does to my body. So while I still eat sugar through lots of foods, I do NOT buy a bag of candy because I can't stop eating it. If it's not in the house, I'm good. 

It's like not touching the puzzle during the day. I know that I will be in trouble time-wise, and I have set aside a specific time to work on it. I look forward to that evening, so I'm not depriving myself of anything. I have a small amount of chocolate every day because I love it, but I don't need more than my two little squares. It's not hard to say no - just listen to your body, your heart, and your mind. You decide what you want to do. 


And if you are still not convinced about the cell phone thing, read this story about Molly Russell. Oh my—I see a documentary was made about her. It's a true and very sad story about the damage of social media and the eventual suicide of a teenager. 

Still not convinced? I see that Meta (Facebook and Instagram, owned by Mark Zuckerberg) is being sued over its algorithms. This is just one lawsuit, but I think there are multiple ones. 

Do your part—if you have young children or grandchildren, encourage them to share what they are watching online. Encourage them to learn about the QUALITY of what they are watching. Encourage them to get physical exercise or do things with their hands, rather than just focusing on screens. And set a good example by NOT being on your phone the entire time you are with them. 

Go to an event and put your phone in your pocket. Apparently Coldplay is famous for bringing this to people's atention at their concerts. OH MY GOSH --- watch this video. It's 8 minutes, but look at the bottom of the screen at the beginning. It's OBSCENE!!!!

On that note, I'm out of here. Time went back last night, but with all the electronics, including our smartphones, we should never sleep in!! I have two great presentations to share this morning, and then I can share some of this stuff with you!! I love putting presentations together—I do a lot of research through my photos and online, and I hope they all like what I did!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!

Is your smartphone a slot machine?

Taking my computer out of sleep mode was a good thing. Before I knew it, the syncing had finished, and my folders in the Classic Version of Outlook now have email in them!!! I must get busy and start deleting and resorting what's in there. I don't want to have to go through that again. 

And the program is no longer frozen. It wouldn't allow me to do anything while the syncing process was happening, so that is one positive thing that happened!!!

I went to the post office to check on my missing parcel, and they couldn't find the number in their tracking system. I knew that since I had also tried. But I did learn something - there is a GLOBAL tracking system, and it will track parcels coming from other countries, which happens a lot these days. It contains the same information as the one the company gave me. It seems that the package was delivered on February 7. 

The tracking history of my missing package

The information looks very sketchy and not detailed at all. You would think that when it hit Canada Post, it would say so. And it keeps saying France, not Canada. It started in France, and it should end up in Canada. I called the number the post office person gave me, but when I listened to the messages, it basically said the tracking number I was looking for wasn't found, and there were five reasons why. If the computer can't find it, I doubt a person will. I sent a note back to the original company to ask what the next steps are—do I reorder? Will they give me the new ones at the same price as the old ones? 

I am NOT good with follow-up, and here I am with multiple situations that require constant follow-up. Sigh............ I still have a couple of other things (as mentioned yesterday) that I need to find solutions to, but I dare not overstretch my time on follow-up. I need to wait for a resolution to at least one issue before I can move on. 

I did not take the girls for a walk in the morning. It was hovering around freezing, and the sidewalks and the streets - at least my street was covered in ice. I was not taking chances, so they were not happy, but I walked them in the afternoon. 

It was a very weird day because it was very foggy. This was on the way to the mall, and the mall is very visible from this distance, but yesterday? You could see nothing! It's very foggy again today and is supposed to hit a high of 15 by this afternoon, but it's cloudy! 

The mall is just a short distance away and lost in the fog.

 

It's amazing how many little errands one has in a day. I had some old eyeglasses that I rounded up and dropped off at a drop-off in the mall while I went to the post office, which is also in the mall. I learned that, yes, the little post office near me is closed permanently! 

I managed to empty a few more folders. I would love to clear up all the folders that are sitting in three piles on the floor so I can find some new paper to throw away. Can you believe I still have this brochure from the very first quilter's retreat house I went to in 2006? Quilter's Mis Bee Haven --- how many of you remember that place? It was small compared to some of the houses we go to now, but so many memories!!! This brochure is now in the recycling bin.

Brochure from Quilter's Mis Bee Haven

I found receipts from years ago, and can you tell me why I kept a receipt from Gymboree to buy clothes? By the way -- it's dated November 9 or September 11, 1996. Good grief --- I am my own worst enemy in this decluttering thing. I allowed this to happen. 

A thirty-year-old receipt!

But there is no time to beat myself up -- I can do the happy dance, realizing that I've made the decision to get this mess cleaned up, and the more I do, the easier it becomes. I will get it done. 

Speaking of decluttering, you know that one technique the professional organizers use is to grab something and ask you if you really need it? They ask questions like, "Why are you keeping this? What will you do with it?", etc. I once hired a professional organizer, and we did some of that. Still, obviously not nearly enough, because I didn't learn from it, and she developed this filing system for me that was totally useless. I think that was the case because I didn't know what I wanted and couldn't communicate it to her. 

Anyway, as I was reading Smartphone Nation yesterday, something similar came up. I think it's common knowledge that most of what comes through on social media these days is questionable content, since people and companies are just in it to earn money and don't care about the messages we get. We are targeted with all kinds of stuff, and we continue to seek out NEW experiences on our phones. The author equates the addiction to scrolling or refreshing to see what just came in with a SLOT MACHINE in a casino. 

While I totally see the comparisons, I had never thought of it that way. But yes -- those that scroll have a one-armed bandit in front of them called a smartphone. And they don't even know it! It's passive behavior and extremely scary. 

OK -- so here's the deal. Just like you declutter your house and we all need someone to hold out the things we want to keep, what if you scrolled through your phone with someone at your side to see what you are looking at? Would you be embarrassed/upset if someone saw what you are looking at? What if it was your grandchild watching you, your children, your partner, a total stranger? That's a bit mind-blowing, but imagine! What would they say? What do the things you look at say about you? 

The premise of that in the book was more for you, as a parent, to sit with your child, once a week, and see what they are scrolling through -- you'd have to start at an early age and then ask questions --- why do you watch these posts, what makes you feel good or bad about them. Too much content directed at children is extremely damaging, involving suicide, hate, bullying, sex, and violence. That's very scary!!! 

I'm afraid that if someone sat down to watch my weekly scrolling, they would be bored before it even started. I follow Max, the 10-year-old fashion prodigy; a farmer who talks about sprayer equipment (I have no idea why that one, but it's interesting); a couple from Wales renovating an old house; and the young couple from Vancouver who are rebuilding their house. I don't watch anyone else, and after this book, I do NOT stop on reels. I'm cured. I take a quick swipe up to see if any family members have posted something, and I'm done! I check in on Facebook and IG about three times a day. In total, I might be on there for 10 minutes all day! I may not check my phone for messages until 9 or 10 AM. 

I'm also not a good candidate for watching anything on a screen. It's taken me an entire week to finish watching two 60-minute educational videos. My time is precious to me, and I'm not wasting it on some addiction to a screen where people are making money off of my time. 

I'm sure there will be more to share as I still have 130 pages or so to finish the book. 

I managed to get some machine embroidery done. I finished the two mug rugs - my plan was to only make one, but I ended up making two. Solidified the learning that way!

Two machine embroidered mug rugs

I now have a very thorough understanding of this process and why it went wonky the first time I made one. I can also remove this from the Visual To-Do list!! The picture is now in the little pouch on the Visual To-Do list. I messed up a bit on the first one and had to put a binding on in sewing mode, and then I got messed up even further by sewing it to the front, requiring me to hand-stitch the binding in place. That's how I managed to finish watching one of the videos. The other video got watched because I wasn't walking the dogs. 

Then I moved on to another machine embroidery project, which I completed as well. I also did some more stitching for my upcoming Facebook Live, and I really need to focus on making a few more samples for that. 

Another machine embroidery project

I got a customer quilt done. The quilt was beautiful to quilt, but it seemed to take forever as the pattern was quite busy. But it's done, and I have an even larger one to put on the machine and get finished by Monday. 

Customer quilt - done!

Of course, the girls had to entertain me while I was eating. 

MOM - are you watching us?

And while we always think that Murphy is the bully, she is not the instigator of these play fights. Yes -- it's that sweet girl Lexi. She wants to play, but only on her terms, and I think Murphy goes down on the floor to make Lexi happy! They are a funny pair to watch. 

Well, I didn't sleep well and thus slept in, so now I must run or my day will be totally off. 

Have a super day!!!  (happy scrolling!!!!)

Ciao!!!