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!!!

Despite the negatives, there are positives!

What's the opposite of batting 1000? Lots of things happened yesterday - things that were related to my update list from yesterday, but NO progress was made on anything!!!

I had my call from Microsoft, and I think I mentioned that my Classic version of Outlook had frozen. Nope—it hadn't frozen. It's in the process of syncing all the folders, but it's taking a long time. Why? I suspect because the computer goes to sleep 5 minutes after I leave. So now I have set that to never, and hopefully, it will sync a bit faster. Will this solve the problem? I don't know. WAIT — I need my distribution lists tomorrow, so it had better sync completely so I can send my emails. The good news is that, while I can't access any of the folders, they appear to be being repopulated. 

A slow update process

So when I chatted with Reena, she didn't even need to log into my computer - I just explained what was happening, but she didn't mention that I shouldn't let the computer go to sleep. Maybe it still works when it's asleep? I don't know, but let's see if it moves a bit quicker. There are a LOT of files to sync. YES --- I should have cleaned it up before, but who knew this would happen? 

She mentioned again that the Classic Version is being phased out, and I told her that the New version was totally useless to me. I'll hang on a bit longer, get this problem resolved, and perhaps start browsing for an alternative email interface. 

I got an email back from the engineer about the beam. They are idiots. "We don't rip open the walls to see what's there. Do you have plans for the house? If not, perhaps you can get them from the city." If they knew that upfront, why didn't they ask for plans before? Seriously --- I question their ability. They could give me feedback that new posts might be in order, but they would need to actually see the beam. I was so frustrated that I was tempted to take a hammer and tear out all the drywall in that area. But common sense prevailed! I'm not an engineer, but I can hazard two scenarios about the situation, and then I can rip out the drywall to confirm. They are smarter than I!

Then, in the afternoon, I walked to the post office with my printouts to see if we could figure out what to do about this missing order. Only to find the dollar store where the post office is located is permanently closed, and that if we want postal services, the next closest one is at the mall. You have to be kidding!!!!

So I stopped at the grocery store (same plaza as that dollar store) to get bran muffins for my afternoon snack, and two days in a row, they do not have any!!! It was not a great day for making any progress on my outstanding issues. I have a few other things to follow up on, but I can't add another to the list at this point. I need some resolutions first. 

To top it off, the list of Cherrywood Challenge finalists and semi-finalists (online only) was revealed last night, and my name was not on the list. I didn't think it would be, and I had fun making the piece. I'll share it with you next week. However, the good news is that my friend Lynn had her piece accepted, and when you see the difference between what I did and what she did? You can see why hers was accepted, and mine was not. She was super creative with the fabric and thread. 

I was never a fan of this year's color choice or theme. I didn't find either super inspiring, but that's OK. I used the piece to learn a few new techniques and that works for me. Am I disappointed? Not really - I would have been thrilled to have it accepted, but since I learned lots while making it? I'm a winner! 

BUT I did win two Roll Up The Rim spins yesterday, so that counts for something - doesn't it? 

Roll up the Rim wins! 

I have never heard of "The Athletic," and neither has DH. He won six months of Sirius radio yesterday. I hate those subscription things—you get X number of free months, and then you have to pay or remember to opt out. I will not be signing up for "The Athletic." I wonder why they put these silly prizes in that we don't want. Anyway, I got 100 points, and that makes me happy. A positive from a day of negatives!

I'm happy to report that I got some work done on that little heart mug rug. I am determined to not let this thing beat me! I struggled with the design before Christmas and managed to get one done, but now I want to really understand the file structure. Don't ask—it's my attention to detail that has me up in arms over this thing. I don't think it's designed well, nor are the instructions written very well. 

I wasn't able to finish the first one on the embroidery machine as planned, but no worries—I have it ready and will bind it by traditional methods in sewing mode.  

One mug rug is ready for binding.

In all fairness to the pattern, I am in the process of making another one. Yep—I will not be defeated. And then I can explain all that happened to my machine embroidery group on the weekend, provided I can get the message out about the Zoom link!!!

Making one more heart mug rug

But all is good with this one, and I hope to remove it from the Visual To Do list later today! My goal is to remove EIGHT items from that list this month! I'd better get myself busy!

I also managed to trim the Dear Jen quilt - I think the backing looks pretty amazing, I used up all the extra blocks, and got rid of a bunch of scraps of solid black fabric. 

The backing for Dear Jen

However, something very bizarre happened, and it's a bit disturbing. When I was moving that quilt from the long arm to the cutting table, I was holding it by the backing and heard a RIP!!! Oh my --- what was that? When I looked closely, one of the fabrics had ripped along the basting stitches on the edge of the quilt. WHAT?????? 

Then, when I was ripping the small sections apart from the cut-off edges, it happened again. Can you believe this? One of those blacks was pretty thin, and it literally ripped at the line of stitching. That means the STITCHES were stronger than the fabric. This is a black fabric I purchased or received as a sample in 2017. I do NOT remember the manufacturer, and of course, there is no selvage. 

The fabric ripped along the stitches!

When I worked for that fabric company, I compared the quality of solids, with black being my color of choice, and I had purchased solid black from all the big names. This is very disturbing!!!! And the quality of the fabric just keeps getting worse. 

Last night, I put on my headphones and listened to The Kitchen House. Oh my --I know that life was not easy for the slaves in the 1800's, but how they were treated is inhumane and so sad that the "superior" white man was better (or thought he was) than those beneath them, including the white women. It's a good read, but sad. And it's very sad, how quickly people get influenced by others! More on that in a bit. 

The status of the current puzzle

I'm running out of big circles to work on! There is one more, and then it's going to be a challenge to work on the remainder of the puzzle. I was able to move all the pieces to two boards, not three, so that helps. 

The remaining pieces

I had a few car errands yesterday and ended up at Michaels (no fabric aisles yet) to look for a skein of 100% wool. Hmmmm  - that's a challenge. Look what I found. 

You have your 100% acrylic. 

100% acrylic

You've got 100% polyester. I also spotted 100% nylon, but didn't get a label for that. 

100% polyester

Then you have your blends. 

Acrylic and metallic fiber mix

This one has all three man-made fibers. I wasn't really paying attention to the feel, but what is the advantage of polyester, nylon, or acrylic, I wonder? 

Blendof polyester, nylon, and acrylic

Oh, at last a blend with at least a natural fibre. 

Cotton and acrylic

There's one with a wool blend.  

Acrylic, wool, and rayon

And at last, a 100% wool yarn. And guess what? I found it in the clearance bin!!!! 

100% wool!!!!

AHA — I asked Google what the difference between acrylic (closest to wool—soft, warm, and lightweight but weak), polyester (strong, hydrophobic, and excellent for durability/wicking), and nylon (the strongest, most elastic, and abrasion-resistant—good for socks) is. Now that begs the question, when you buy sock yarn, is it nylon? 

So much to learn about all the materials we work with. Anyway, I got my 100% wool, so that was another positive outcome in the day!!

I spotted these grab bags (boxes) for $10. I was tempted, but then I peeked through the opening and through some of the tops (they were taped shut), and it's all Christmas stuff, which I don't need. It would be great to buy for a school or a challenge at a retreat or something, but I left it in the store and only purchased my skein of wool. 

Grab bags (boxes) at Michaels.

And if you are looking for something bright -- what about these balls? I spotted those at Michael's as well. 

Now that's bright!

So let's chat about the Smartphone Nation by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr.  

What I'm reading is NOT new to me, but the intensity of it is frightening to see it all laid out like this. Here's a direct quote: 

"encourages companies to prioritize things that hold viewers' attention, and this content is less likely to be informative or educational, and more likely to be 'false, demagogic, conspiratorial, and incendiary, and to appeal to emotions such as fear, envy, anger, hatred, and distrust'. "

Whoa --- that is insane, and this is exactly what is happening right now. 

But look what the next paragraph says, "Facebook has realized that if they change the algorithm to be safer, people will spend less time on the site, they'll click on fewer ads, they'll make less money."

The companies know the algorithms are harmful, but there is NO REGULATION in this industry — NONE — so they are going for the maximum viewer attention they can garner. And I hate to tell you this, but we like the bad and the ugly. We do not gravitate to the good stories. 

I contemplated long and hard yesterday whether I could give up my IG and Facebook accounts, and I realized that while I could, I would also miss out on staying in touch with family and friends and the few online accounts I follow. 

What this is going to make me do is to stop PASSIVELY dealing with social media. I will not scroll (I don't much anyway), but I will stop it altogether. I will watch what I want to watch, and not what I am being fed. I know -- I can't change my algorithm, so I'm at the mercy of what it feeds me. WAIT  - I can control my algorithms. Every time you scroll through something, watch a video (or, god forbid, watch it twice), hesitate on something, like something, respond to something, you are affecting your algorithm. So beware—you can modify what comes into your feed. Will you ever get rid of all the negativity? No, but you can control it somewhat. 

They mentioned in the book that the worst platform for addictive behavior is TikTok. Within 35 minutes of watching that platform, you are addicted!!! Thank goodness, I never even downloaded the app and refuse to watch any clip from it that friends send my way. Just say NO!!!!! 

The next chapter in the book is about how your algorithms make you sick and how you can get well soon. I'm very interested in this one. 

The book is fascinating, and what these big tech companies are doing is NOT new. Google began collecting data almost as soon as it started, recognizing the value of that data. Guess what? They keep all that stuff you post - even the deleted stuff! And then you wonder why they need these massive data centers around the world. That is to store all the data, pictures, and videos that we NEED to post online. I have pretty much stopped posting on both platforms - I might post once a month, and usually to repost a memory. I will very much consider the number of likes and comments that I put out there going forward!!!

Anyway -- I must get myself organized. I have nothing on the agenda for today, but I have a lot of follow-up to do, a quilt to quilt, and to finish those two mug rugs! So busy, but nothing at a specific time. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!

Updates on houses, technology and so much more!

Oh my—I love the comment: once it goes in the giveaway box, I don't look back. And that is me as well. There are times when I think I should have one last look in the box to see what I am donating this time, and I just can't be bothered. I decided to give it away; I don't need to see those items ever again. Way to go!! It's all going to happen slowly—we can't erase years of accumulation overnight. Baby steps!!!

I have a few updates -- they are mostly for me to document and empty my head, but in case you are wondering what has been happening, here goes. 

1. I finally got a response from the label company via their Etsy Canada page. It appears that the labels were delivered on February 7. Hmm --- but delivered where? To my mailbox? To Canada Post? I printed out the information and will take it to my local post office to see if they can help, but I'm not overly confident I'll have good news. If Canada Post had the very small package, they wouldn't be sitting on it waiting for me to contact them. I suspect I may have lost out on that unless the company decides to be nice and resend it. I got 400 labels because they were on sale. Hopefully, they will at least honor the sale price. And I will try the email that I received in the comments when I respond. 
2. I finally got a chance to send the remaining pictures along with some information about the support beam in our house. The house is 30 years old and has a partial cathedral ceiling in the living room.

Partial cathedral ceiling in the living room

 There is a large beam going down the center of the house to support that structural design. 

The beam from the hallway as you look into the living room

When you think about it, that is a lot of weight for those two skinny white posts. I hadn't really thought about that until I sent the pictures to the engineer yesterday. 

The beam from the living room as you look into the hallway 

There are three cracks along that beam, two in the hallway and one in the living room. In this one, you can see that even the drywall is being crushed. 

Crack number one

Crack number two

Crack number three

We had the cracks repaired and painted, but they cracked open again and have remained that way for many years. I want it fixed! Let's see what they say. My solution is to reinstall more substantial posts after jacking up the beam to level it. Let's see what the experts say. 

3. The roof -- I have done nothing and need to look back in my emails to see if I have an envelope engineer, as that is what I need to give me a report on the roof. My suggestion is to install a new roof INSIDE the living room to ensure proper circulation. Doing anything otuside with that crazy roofline would be too costly. By the way --- there are many houses, including that same house as ours, but with the metal roof, that still had snow in the valleys yesterday at noon! Those valleys are wicked and if there is any form of shade on the roof, the snow won't melt regardless of what type of surface it's made of!! I learned that from many observations on many walks! 

4. Outlook. I had yet another call from Microsoft and they are trying something else. There are so many settings in Outlook — do they really need to be that many, since the average person would never touch half of them? Why make it so complicated? Reena set up a task involving my folders that would take a long time to run, so she started it and said she would call back today. Yesteday took almost one hour. The task ran and didn't seem to take as long as she thought it would, but now that version of Outlook is frozen. Thankfully, I have the new version open (I switch back and forth between them depending on what I want), so I wasn't without email. 

I might be persistent but hey -- I pay for this support and it takes only a small bit of time, I'm game to see if they can fix it. They seem determined. 

BUT she did say something yeserday that makes me think I might start looking for a new front end for my email. She said that since the classic version will not continue to be supported (the date I saw online is 2029), they may not spend time fixing it. WAIT --- it's not classic that needs fixing --- it's the NEW version that needs it and prior to me opening up the new computer with Windows 11, the Classic version worked just fine!!!! Let's wait and see what hapens today!

5. Sewing -- I got NOTHING done yesterday. I turned on the long arm and loaded a quilt and that was it! OH -- and I put one large piece of paper away that was on the cutting table. Other than that? No sewing things were accomplished. BUT I need to get cracking because my Facebook Live is now on March 11. Yes -- that was the original date, but they gave me the 18th. I questioned it and OOOPS -- they made a mistake. 

Facebook Live invite for March 11

OK — enough with the updates — this is so much to keep track of, and I'm not always the best at follow-up, but let's hope I can find a happy solution to all of that. 

If anyone is looking for the pattern for this tote bag, I had posted it on Facebook because it came up in memories. Imagine this was picked up by a magazine at Quiltcon in 2017!!!!! Shoot—I don't have a picture of it, so you'll have to go to the link to see it!!

I think someone is trying to tell me something. Do you think Lexi wants her bedding washed? She tossed both blankets out, which is very unusual for her!

MOM - fix my bed - wash my sheets!

Yesterday was a glorious day, and you didn't even need a jacket in the afternoon. Miss Murphy never forgets to jump on this bench when we walk by!! We are avoiding the forest these days because there will be a thick layer of ice on those pathways, and I'm not walking there, not by myself, not with the girls. 

MOM - I love playing in the park!!

After my Microsoft phone call and another personal phone call, I decided I wasn't going to get any sewing done, and the backyard was now in shadow. While it was warm, it wasn't warm enough to sit out there in the shade, so I put the girls on their leashes, and we sat on the front step. I don't think they were impressed with just sitting. Look at how much of our snow has melted!!! We are supposed to get a lot of rain today, and temperatures will be barely above freezing. It will be a day to stay inside! 

Mom - why aren't we walking? 

And look at this happy girl!!!! She is almost as needy as Murphy and also pretty demanding in her way. 

MOM - I LOVE YOU!!!!

Well, since the day was lost to all the disruptions—wait—I did get some writing done in the morning, and now I need to take a bunch of pictures!! Hopefully, that will happen this morning. But I cleared off a spot on that extra table and did this. 

The start of the 1000-piece puzzle

I didn't make room on the table to lay out the puzzle as I worked on it. I found an easy solution - I got out my three quilt block design boards - each is about 18" square and laid the pieces out. That was easy, and I love it because I can bring the boards close to me rather than me leaning over the table and possibly catching a piece on my shirt. They are covered with felt, so the pieces don't move. HEY --- I think I found a perfect solution for laying out larger puzzles. Let's hope I finish the puzzle in a week because I'm going to need those boards for sewing. Notice how easy it is to find pieces, store these, and not have to dig through puzzle trays. I don't think I'll ever use the trays! 

The puzzle pieces are laid out.

As I sorted, I kept the border pieces out and then got to work. The predominant color of this puzzle is green, so sorting by color isn't really an option. And the pieces are all irregular shapes. It's going to be fun!!!!

The border pieces

I got the border almost together and worked on a couple of easier areas. See how the puzzle just fits on the end of the banquet table? I was listening to an audiobook (The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom), and I was in my glory!!

Progress on the jigsaw puzzle

I also started reading a nonfiction book despite not having finished the other one. But the other one I could renew, this one I cannot, and it's due very soon. It's called "Smartphone Nation" by Dr. Kaitlyn Regehr. OH MY GOSH --- I think this should be required reading for EVERYONE with a smartphone. I don't have time to go into all the details, but she is talking about phone addiction and how people just can't stop playing with their phones. This is a problem that many have identified with their children, but she says we need to turn the attention to ourselves because we are just as addicted, if not more than, the kids today. 

Thankfully, I'm not addicted, but I can get caught up watching some of the endless reels, though I think I've cured myself of them. It's pointless, wastes time, and just silly!! I have already earmarked many important passages in Chapter One alone. 

The bottom line for today is to remember that it is in the big tech companies' best interests to keep us engaged with our phones, and they are data-mining every single keystroke!!!! They do NOT care about us — they only want our data, and the longer you stay on your phone or other smart device (tablet, phone, computer), the more data they collect and the more money they can make by selling that data to an advertiser!!

It appears the new thing with phones is not to regulate how much time you spend (that was what we did in the past), but how you spend your time on the phone. I'll share more interesting tidbits as I get to them over the next four days!! It is an interesting book, and I've only finished Chapter 1 of 6. 

And look at the quote from my tea yesterday. How can I get that across to people—never regret your mistakes—they are not mistakes; they are parts of learning. Just move on!!! 

Love this quote

On that happy note, I'm out of here as I have a date with Brooke. Yeah - I can hardly wait for the torture she has in store for me, but I'm feeling so much better by getting to the gym and using my body. You do NOT need to get to the gym to do some weight lifting - cans of soup work well. Stairs work for a bit of cardio - just step up and step down. And a mat for stretching, and if you aren't graceful and do it at home, no one will care. But I have to say that I can get up and down on the floor with a lot more dignity than this time last year, and I'm very proud of that fact. I was heading for disaster, and thank goodness I caught it before it became an issue. And they say you can't turn back time!! HA!!!

My knees aren't good —more the tendons than the joints —but I'm trying to loosen those tendons and muscles around my knees, and YES—it's working!!! I will never be a ballet dancer, but I can get up and down quickly and with some dignity!!! That works for me!!!

OK -- now I'm gone!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!