Panel palooza

 Another great day with the Monday sewing group! I'm learning to get so much done. At the beginning of these Zoom sewing days, I will confess that I spent a lot of time chatting. Well, now I'm able to sew a lot more, and I accomplished a LOT towards the magazine quilt that needs to be in the mail by Thursday. There wasn't too much of a rush to finish it since I didn't even have the border print or the backing yet. 

I got a notification yesterday that it should arrive today. I wasn't panicked before, but now I have no excuse to not get this thing done on time! Two of the three sets of components are done. One more to do today, add the border, quilt, and bind it tomorrow, and all is good! 

Then I have two more rush jobs, and then - well - I'll be back to doing presentations next week, and there's still a bit of tweaking I want to do. 

All in the fun of learning. 

Two unforeseen things happened yesterday, and both of them were GOOD. The first - I got a call from Diane saying that she will soon need more fabric to sew into community project quilts. Now that is MUSIC to my ears. I knew exactly what I was going to give her, and I dug it out. It was in one of the tubs under the long arm. 

I went through it last night - oh boy -- I think I found at least 11 panels and tons of coordinating yardage, so she'll be making many panel quilts!! BUT -- look what else I found. 

Nine small panels

I found NINE identical panels. Now here's the best news - these are ¼ the size of a regular panel. I have wanted to make one of those one-block wonder quilts with a panel, and this is going to be perfect. It won't be huge. I'll have to scale down the size of the units that I cut, but that's OK - I know how to do that. I cut two of these off and put them in the bag for Diane to deal with, as I only need seven panels. 

That was HUGE. 

So now, I have an empty container. 

Another empty container

And I also had one more cardboard box downstairs. So I transferred what was in the cardboard box into the plastic tub, and now it's nicely tucked under the long arm. HA -- I WILL get this mess under control. But one day, I will have to deal with the scraps from the sewing that Diane has been doing. There isn't much, and there are still a few strings to deal with. But it's mostly under control, except for the number of quilt tops to quilt. I think I'd be willing to part with the scraps if anyone is a scrap quilter and wants to make something. I don't want it going into your stash --- you would have to use it up!

So what was in that cardboard box? Well, it was stuff I shipped home from my parents. It's filled with crimpoline or Fortrel, as I call it. And look -- there are a huge number of squares already cut!!!! 

Squares of crimpoline

My intention is to make ONE quilt from this stuff. A good memory of my Mom and well-- Victoria Findlay Wolfe has a crimpoline quilt - I want one too!!

I have some large pieces for the backing, and well - does anyone want some crimpoline? 

The decluttering didn't stop there. The second thing that happened was I pulled all of the geocaching stuff off the shelf in the office. That opened up a space on the shelf. 

The shelves in the office

OK -- so technically, it doesn't seem like I opened up some space, but on the shelf second from the bottom, there's a lot more space than there was before. 

This is what I removed from that space. I have a small backpack, a box, and some Ziploc bags - all filled with geocaching paraphernalia. 

Geocaching stuff

I'll share with you what's in those bags and boxes as I go through it. Hey -- if you don't care -- it's one way of me documenting the memory!

Previously, before phone data was super cheap, you didn't use your phone for geocaching. I don't think there was even an app - but you could access the geocaching website through the browser on your phone, and we did from time to time. Anyway, we used to use a handheld GPS - the kind that a hiker would use. And that meant you needed to have the coordinates with you or at least some information for each cache. Look what I found.

Here are the names of two caches with their identifying code. Gullfoss -- do you know where that is????

Yep -- that was from my trip to Iceland in 2010. Hmmm -- a bit dated. Kerio Crater is also in Iceland. I did get both of these caches. Well, I think I got them -- I'll have to back and check. Hmm -- I just checked -- Gullfoss was an Earthcache, and it's not marked as found. I was probably too lazy to do the math or whatever was required! 

But here are the countries where I've found caches. You have to love logging all this stuff in the computer because it stays there forever!!!! 

And then, I found several pages with lists of caches, the coordinates, and the names. 

A sheet with cache coordinates and names

And this was the other way we used to identify them - print out the page and take it with you. Good grief -- we've come a long way!!!!

A printed page with geocache information

Look at the dates -- I don't think I need those caches any longer. Well, at least not on paper. Should I choose to visit them, I can use the app on my phone. 

Wow -- look at that date!

So while I wasn't focusing on stuff on the table, I still got some decluttering done. I know that's what will happen; I'll keep piling stuff on the table until there is nothing left to pull out. I'm OK with that - the almost empty table scared me!!! Bit by bit, depending on my mood -- I WILL get this mess cleaned up! 

On the weekend, I quilted a quilt for Quilts of Valour, and now it needs to be trimmed and bound. I might get to that later this week. Those three urgent projects are my priority this week. And I need to get the acknowledgment out to the Saturday Sewing day at Thimbles and Things. I don't even want to see how many are on that list. 

A quilt for Quilts of Valour

With all the rain we've had this year, this part of the path is once again - a mess. This is a small part of the path with NO TREES on the path for obvious reasons. Imagine a deforested hillside - what happens to it when torrential rains hit? Oh yes --- it's not pretty. What I don't understand is why has there been so many problems this year? We've had torrential rains before but never had this erosion problem. At least not to this extent. 

Erosion on the path

And seriously -- how could you not love this dog. When I walk Lexi, she waits by the window!! Such a big goof!!!

MOM -- come home soon - I miss you a LOT

The humidity finally broke with that last storm. Yeah!!! I don't mind the heat and the humidity, but it was getting tiresome even for me. We should have some gorgeous walking weather this coming week, and well -- I said I wanted to get out for a hike, and I'd better go before winter gets here!

On that note, I've got a busy day. Can I get the third component of that quilt together BEFORE the package arrives? I might - no, I won't! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

Birthday Cake and lots of it!

 

So when I created a folder for the pictures today, it hit me. Where did August go?? Tomorrow is the last day of this month, and it literally flew by. How the heck did that happen? 

I must confess that I was a bit of a slug yesterday. I had a big nap - too much celebrating or just getting old? A bit of both, but those late nights just don't sit well with me, and if I don't sleep well on top of that? Oh boy! 

And I don't know what the heck is happening to me, but it seems that I keep getting insect bites, and they are these angry welts, not just a wee mosquito! I had two along one foot last week and one more on my leg today. This one is not nearly as itchy as the first ones I got. But with traipsing through all that bush when geocaching, I'm surprised that I don't have more!

Let's not forget the virtual retreats -- they are easy to get to - it's all on Zoom. The cost is right -- totally free, and you can pop in to say HI or stay and sew a while. There are TWO in September. The first one is September 5 and 6.  That's Sunday evening and all day Monday. We'll be piggybacking on the Monday Sewing group for part of the day on Monday, but that's OK. I'll be posting the links later this week. 

The second one is scheduled for September 25 and 26. That's the usual Saturday/Sunday time slot. That link will go out later this month. 

Now -- how many of you are addicted to Kimberbell designs??? There are two versions of most of her patterns -- sewing or machine embroidery. If you have an embroidery machine --- it's super easy to do. And all of the patterns are cute -- just adorably cute!!!

It appears that MANY of us have those patterns, and we're not getting them done. So guess what? We're going to have some sort of class or club to make that happen. If you're interested, let me know. You will have to have the patterns -- I'm not sharing or sourcing them for you! That will come sometime in September. I might do that instead of the embroidery club -- I only have so much time. 

Here's the latest Halloween Kimberbell. It's so cute --- wouldn't it be great to get that done BEFORE Halloween? 

The latest Kimberbell Halloween quilt

OK -- so let's zip back to the weekend and see what happened at the retreat. Remember, we rented the room at K & A Quilt Studio for two days. It's a beautiful space, and the cost was $10 a person. 

Here are some scenes from the retreat/birthday bash. We really did have loads of fun, and we're going to plan some more short retreats like that in the future. It's next to impossible to find dates at a retreat house, so this will just have to do. And I'll be madly booking dates for 2022 later this week. 

First, we had cake. This is the cake that I took -- it was red velvet and very yummy! The poor guy in the bakery did a good job even though I don't think he does that regularly!!!

Birthday cake number one

Some of us stayed over rather than driving home, and after dinner, the girls surprised me with ANOTHER cake. This one was made by Colleen's friend, and it was SUPER YUMMY. Thanks so much for that little surprise. 

Birthday cake number two!

And yes - we had a cool beverage so that we could have a wee toast. 

A birthday toast

You have to love the self-timers on camera. You can take a picture anywhere!!! Yes -- we were having that much fun!!! A huge THANK YOU to everyone -- that was a very memorable birthday!!!

Birthdays with friends - -the best kind!

And now back to the retreat. I didn't get a lot of pictures of us during the retreat. I was so focused on my project!!!  But you can see how HUGE this sewing room is. 

The sewing studio at K & A Quilt Studio

And then we had a wee bit of shopping happening. Some people bought Halloween fabric. 

Halloween fabric

Some people walked out with little bags, and others had BIG bags. Not passing any judgment - OK -- I got a big bag, but it wasn't full!

Shopping bags

This kit seemed to be a trendy item. It's a Christmas kit by MODA. The kit includes the pattern, the fabric, and whatever embellishment you need. One person bought two, and she's not in the picture! We'll protect her identity - but we all know who it is.

A popular kit

If you're interested, I think there were one or two more kits left, and you could also have one!!!!  It's adorable -- I do love Bunny Hill quilts, but I don't need another one at the moment. OH -- did I mention, the kit was ON SALE!!!

The kit for this quilt is ON SALE at the shop

I confess that I purchased a thread bundle for the Kimberbell Halloween quilt. Why not? I'll use the thread in more than just that quilt. 

My thread bundle

I didn't get a lot done -- too much chatting, but that's OK. I learned lots while I was there, and well -- sometimes, it's just about being together, not getting stuff done. 

However, I'm happy to report that I traced ALL the shapes for this applique quilt. I decided to do the entire thing with fusible. Why not? Before I left, I gathered all the bits of fusible that I found in that cupboard. I threw them into a bag, and I had used most of the scraps by the end of the tracing. WOW!!!!!! 

Tracing an applique pattern onto fusible

I had one more block to finish off, and I did that yesterday as I was quilting a quilt. Yeah!!! Now I'll sit down with my scrap boxes and block by block; I'll get this quilt done. It's the LST project from the 2018 UFO list. Oh my --- while there is still a LOT of work to do on that quilt, the end is in sight. 

That would leave the 2017 and 2018 lists - DONE. There are 6 projects on the 2019 list, and I could get one for sure done by the end of the year and possibly more. Oh yes -- focusing is a good thing!!! 

But right now, I have THREE projects that need to be done very quickly, and none of them are on the UFO list. They are all brand new projects. I'll be focusing on those this week. 

And here are Coleen and Joyce packing up at the end. They travel LIGHT!!! 

Colleen and Joyce packing up to go home

Again -- a huge THANK YOU to everyone for all the laughs, the gifts, and spending time together. It was the first mini-retreat, but it won't be the last. 

I don't know about you, but this weather is totally whacked. The rain we had two nights ago was insane. We never have to close the windows on the side or the back of the house when it rains. But that night, when I checked those windows, the rain was pouring through and onto the floor. So I quickly shut all the windows and then ran around with a towel to mop up. DH was totally oblivious that I was muttering rather loudly about the mess and running around upstairs!!! 

Heavy rain

On that note, it's Monday sewing, and I spent the morning cutting, so I'm prepped to sit at the machine today and sew!!!

Think about the Kimberbell. The intention is that you do NOT go out and buy a pattern. This is for those of us that have them at home but have NOT touched them. Or maybe you have, but it's still not complete. I'll run it as a club once a month, and you can work on whatever one you want. I'll give out tips on doing the embroidery and using all the embellishments. E-mail me if you're interested  - elainetheriault@gmail.com. 

And don't forget the Virtual Retreats -- we get so much done during those days -- I want more!!!

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Back in the saddle

 Oh my --- what an enjoyable little break in the routine. I want to say a huge THANK YOU to K&A Quilt Studio for hosting us. It was great fun to finally meet Kate and Ann in person - I'd seen them many times over Zoom. The classroom is HUGE - that's all you can say to describe it -- huge, bright, great tables and chairs, fully equipped with irons and ironing boards. What more could you want? GREAT FRIENDS to fill the space. 

Well, we didn't fill the space to capacity, not even close, but it worked for keeping our distance, and that's important. Let's just say that there will be future mini-retreats at that store. Oh yes!! 

Another huge THANK YOU to everyone for the birthday wishes! I got e-mails, texts, cards, e-cards, notes on social media. What fun to hear from everyone!! Thanks so much. I feel very blessed. 

One thing that we were chatting about at the retreat was how much more comfortable we feel in our skin the older we get. Isn't that weird? You go through all that crap in adolescence totally NOT prepared for all the bullying, snide comments, petty fights, etc. OK -- so as an adult, that behavior still exists, but we feel so much more prepared for it. 

I'm at the point in life where I care about that stuff, and negative comments still can cut to the bone, but I get over it much faster, or I let it go and just ignore it or confront it. While I care about that stuff because it can hurt, I'm more at the point of NOT caring a bit what others think. Why would I worry myself about someone's bad vibes. Oh my --- life is just not fair!

I'm going to wait until tomorrow to share what happened in the store; today, I will show you what happened outside the store. YES -- I did some geocaching on my own, and with Ronda, and Dede came along for the ride for part of it. 

I know -- if you're not into geocaching, you might find this boring, but it's never boring. Trust me!

Oh wait -- here's a picture of the back of my car just before I left. Can you believe that I took that much stuff for two days of sewing? 

What I took to retreat

Well, I did take three quilts that needed to be returned to their owners, a box with the birthday cake, clothes, some sewing stuff, and of course, the portable office. 

Oh yes -- what happened with that bag? I took it in to the store when we arrived so I could dig out the portable speaker. Then in our excitement to leave the store and go for dinner, I left the backpack IN THE STORE. No access to it until the next morning. 

It was only when we were in the hotel room later, much later, and I had a thought in the middle of our conversation. NO BLOG!! My laptop is in the backpack, as is my charger for the phone. Sigh...............

However, I still went geocaching on Saturday morning. It was still dark outside, but that was OK. By the time I arrived back at the hotel, there was no power on that phone. And I remembered on a previous occasion that any hotel would likely have a cord. Yep  --- MANY people forget their chargers in their hotel rooms. So I asked at the front desk, and sure enough -- there was a charger for the Android phone. 

I sat in the small sitting area and whipped out that small blog post yesterday. OOPS  - sorry for that. Then off to breakfast with the others, and my phone was at 77% by the end of breakfast. Plenty enough for the geocaching session. 

While the others did their thing until the store opened at 10 AM, Ronda and I were off to geocache!

But wait -- here's our geocaching adventure from the previous night. I was out in sandals. NOT good geocaching footwear. 

Sandals are NOT good geocaching footwear

At one point, we were in a cemetery (in the corner, not disturbing anyone), but we had a small pile of rocks to clamber over, and on my way out, I slipped on some weeds on the rocks, and oops - there I was sprawled on the ground. At my age!! My only thought as I fell was - don't rip my shorts as it was the only pair of pants that I had brought. I could just imagine myself in my bright orange PJ pants for the rest of the sewing retreat. 

Fortunately, nothing ripped or tore, and I was fine!!!

Some of the caches are easy to spot once you zero in on the location. This was on the steel roadside barrier that you see along roads and highways. 

Easy to spot geocache

This was in a large hollowed-out stump of a tree. As a matter of fact, as you zero in on the coordinates, you start guessing --- Hmm -- it's THERE. 

In a large stump

But others are a bit tricky. And required a bit of ditch-digging, then across the road to a sign, and finally zeroing in on this fence. 

The gate to the cemetery

Ronda searched part of the fence; I searched another. We couldn't find the darn thing, and then I went and searched where Ronda had searched and VOILA -- there it was. I'll just say my fingers were longer than hers were and leave it at that. Oh yes -- you have to search EVERYWHERE. 

YES -- Up there is a geocache

The next morning, I put my running shoes on, and I was off. It was still dark at 6 AM, but that was OK. 

Much better shoes for geocaching

By the time I got to the first one, it was light enough to see it. 

Plenty of light now

Oh, boy  --- a little hill, and I need to be on the other side. It looks impossible, but there's a small STEEP little path, and I managed to climb up! Thank goodness for the running shoes. 

Up and over

And sometimes, you're faced with this. It looks impenetrable, but I plowed through it! I know -- perhaps short pants are also NOT a good thing to wear when geocaching. I did get a few bites, but I was fine!

I have to go in there? 

My reward was this pretty little spot, completely hidden from everyone. 

A little stream

After much searching, I found the cache lying on the ground about 20 feet from where it was supposed to be. So I moved it back to where one would think it would go - UP IN A TREE. 

A cache that fell out of the tree

There was one that I couldn't find. Perhaps it fell down that steep bank - I was NOT going after it. 

Then I hooked up with Ronda after breakfast, and we went out to a small hiking path - not a very well-groomed one, and we ended up at this tree. 

There's a cache in this tree

And we spotted a HUGE spider on a web that we walked around. I have ONE small clip of him clear on a short video - I'm trying to cut that frame out to show you. I love my phone, but on the macro lens, as always, it's tough sometimes to zoom in on the thing you want. This shot focused beautifully on the background, but I wanted the foreground. I must learn how to make that happen. 

That blur is a BIG spider with a treat in its spidey fingers

Anyway, the geocaching website has a new challenge (OH god -- I'm a sucker for a challenge). You get a certain number of points for each cache you find. The total has to be the same as the height (in meters) of a mountain peak - one per month on each of the seven continents. This month was Puncak Jaya at 4,884 meters. I'm done for the month. On September 6, the quest for the next summit begins. I'm saving the caches until then! 

If you know nothing about geocaching, check out the website. It's a FUN activity to do - you never know where you'll end up, and it's FREE. Well, the PREMIUM membership is $30 US per year. That's pretty cheap entertainment for the entire family. 

And on that note -- I'm out of here!! I've got loads to do today, and it's time to get started!!!!  

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

What a ride!

 Ok. So the blog has to be short and sweet today. I left my computer at the store. And now I'm sitting in the lobby of Elmhurst inn using a borrowed phone charger as my phone died. 

One year older and I start off forgetting stuff. What fun. 

But we had a super day. That sewing room is HUGE. I don't want to spoil all the stories so I'll wait until I have a proper keyboard.  

Suffice it to say, I think this birthday will be one of the memorable ones.

Here's a photo of us at the inn last night and that's all I'm going to say. 

That will come tomorrow. Thanks to everyone who made the day memorable 

Oops. I dont think I can do that. 

Have a super day

Ciao!!!!

Birthdays are the best!

 WOW --- It's my BIRTHDAY today! It's not a big birthday, but then every birthday should be considered a big birthday. With what happens to us each year, I sometimes think it's a miracle that we have lived one more year! 

So much has happened between this time last year. More lock-downs, lots of walking, LOTS of snacks, lots of new friends, lots of sewing. Well, it's been a super year, and I thank all of you for helping make my year such fun. 

I'm also one year older, so supposedly I'm that much smarter? More logical? Wiser? Hmm -- I'm not so sure about that, but I don't care -- I'm more ME, and that makes me very happy!

And a BIG Happy Birthday to my Aunt Yvonne, who shares a birthday with me!

Today, I'm off on an adventure, so it's going to be one of those memorable birthdays. You know -- the ones that stick in your head. I've had a few - like being at a dude range in Arizona for a corporate event, boarding a ferry to finish off the last Canadian province on my cross Canada cycle trip, and for whatever reason, my 13th birthday sticks in my head! I was at home on the farm, but my Mom made all my favorite things for dinner! 

I have a wee dilemma that is driving me crazy. I've made some storm at sea quilts in my day. The last one I made is done. Well, the top is done, and it's probably in the pile of "to be quilted" quilts. 

I need to make a few of those diamond components from the storm at sea pattern. I SWEAR I have the Marti Michelle template for that block. Do you think I can find it? Nope -- I've been looking. I checked my blog to see if I had started another Storm at Sea quilt and forgot about it. NOTHING. 

Did I loan that ruler out and forget I did that? To my knowledge, I did not loan this template. I'm not even sure that I ever owned it. I might have thought about it, but I don't know if I actually ever had it. I did NOT use it for the original Storm at Sea quilt that I made. 

Let's just say that it's NOT on the wall with the other rulers. So if I do have it - it's in a project box, but which one? Sigh.............. 

Now - where will I find one in the next few days? I think I can get it through The Hobby Horse, but gosh -- I'm not going to be able to get there today or tomorrow. I'll call them later today and see if we can work something out. 

So you know I got a new phone last week, and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra -- the one with the 100X zoom camera. Well, we all know that digital zoom lenses do not give you a good quality picture. It's all grainy. The quality of the photo is bad with the 30X zoom  --- I'm OK without the 100X Zoom. 

Look at this picture I took last night. I walked past this house the other day and saw these GIANT flowers in their front yard. I didn't have my phone with me at the time to take pictures. So I went back last night, and we had had rain since and the flowers were not as nice. The day before, they were out in full bloom. 

Giant flowers

It might be OK for an internet photo, but not if you wanted to print it. Why are these flowers worthy of a photo? They are at least SIX inches in diameter!!! They were HUGE. I wanted to get closer to take a picture with my hand for perspective, but it was on someone's lawn. 

And here's a picture of Murphy from across the backyard. While it looks OK for the internet, it's quite grainy. 

Murphy

Carol, who got the 100X zoom, said she can zoom in on folks along the lake and see what they are wearing. Perhaps we don't want people with 100X zoom on the loose, but then it's no different than binoculars. 

And after the rain, we had a rainbow. No digital zoom on this one, and it turned out fine. 

Rainbow

I'm happy to report that despite my long errand, I got another customer quilt done. This was the LAST customer quilt for August. It didn't need to be done right away, but I wanted it done. Now a few days with only my quilts to do, and then September 1 comes, and there's a list. 

Customer quilt - DONE

This quilt is super adorable. I have started this pattern as well. I don't remember if I taught this class or I took the class. It was that long ago! I dare not dig mine out as I have lots of other stuff that comes before this. But the quilt is darn cute!!!

I also got a LOT of sewing done, but nothing that I can share with you. That'll come at another time. 

But here's something that well --- how do I broach this delicately. This is the time of year when new fabric collections come out. I've been watching them. And I'm currently working with a fabric collection for a magazine quilt. I won't show any of them - well, I will, but not this morning because I don't have much time. 

Here's the thing -- so many of them are NOT useable as they are. Wait a minute -- let's back up. 

When a fabric company designs a collection, the desired effect is that the shop buys the entire collection, and you, as the consumer, buys the jelly rolls or layer cakes (if those exist), and you make a quilt. Or you buy some of all the collection and make a quilt. Or just put it in your stash. But so often, the collection is just a mishmash of stuff or too much of the same thing. The collection that I'm currently working with is all LIGHTS and then ONE very dark fabric. 

I find that many of the fabrics are gorgeous on their own, but I'm not a fan of them in the collection. This is why so many stores "cherry-pick" the fabrics they like and leave the others. Even some of the quilts that are designed to encourage us to buy the fabric -- well, the designers are trying too hard to add in as many SKUs as they can, and well -- too much is too much!

But the biggest issue I have is that there is NOTHING NEW -- nothing! I was looking at a lookbook last night. This particular company is just issuing "new" collections that are takeoffs of stuff they had in the previous collection or the collection before. Nothing NEW!!! 

Even the substrates - the type of fabric --- everyone is just copying each other. At first, all there was quilting cotton. Then there were rayons. Now there are knits and wovens. 

People are buying this stuff - I just hope they are buying and using it. Don't stockpile it because it's too pretty to cut up because a very similar print will be available before you know it - either from that same company or another one. 

OH MY -- I just heard them say on the radio that most "new" songs are not new. Just a mishmash of the old! Just like fabric!!!!!

Anyway - I digress on that. 

I've been packing for today and tomorrow  - our mini-retreat. I think I have more stuff packed than for a larger retreat. BUT -- most of the packed stuff is NOT coming home with me!!

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

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!

Keeping fit - Virtually!

 I'm all set -- I finished the Appalachian Trail and confirmed the address for my medal. I started the Pacific Crest Trail. Why not just dive right in? While I will always walk the dogs in the morning, there are some days when I wonder if I need that second walk. But the aggressive goals I've set for the virtual challenges get me off my butt and onto the road. 

And here's the thing -- while it's called a Virtual Challenge, I still have to WALK the miles to make that happen. It's not like I just plunk in random numbers - everything comes from the Fitbit. But here's the thing I need to check out. My Fitbit does NOT register my cycling at the spin class, which I'm good with -- I don't want to log those miles. The Fitbit doesn't recognize the spinning motion. It seems to clock steps, but NOT KM, and I'm using KM these days, not steps. Weird -- I wonder how it works. 

I went for my walk after dinner last night. I know that it's hot outside, but you'd be surprised at the breeze that is out. That little breeze is perfect for keeping you on the cool side, and it sure helps a lot that I've acclimatized to the darn heat. We still haven't turned on the A/C in the house. It's warm but not unbearable. And it's all in how you look at it. We didn't have A/C when I was a kid, and we didn't have windows that opened, and well, I've just learned to live with adverse things. I'm good with that. 

Here's the other thing when I'm walking. I'm TRYING very hard to get my posture back in check. So I try to walk with my shoulders squared, and to make it interesting, I try to keep a smile on my face. That way, it makes people who see you wonder what's going on!!!!  I have to say that the shoulder thing? It's exhausting - until I build up some strength in my shoulders and upper back. 

Everyone was SUPER friendly yesterday; even the two men chatting on their cell phones acknowledged me, and I acknowledged them. It was a great walk!!!

The only negative in the day - well, I need to figure out the eating thing when I do the spin class. By the time I got home and walked the dogs, it was time to take Lexi to the vet, and I was starving. I did have a protein bar and some almonds, but that's not enough for me. I have no idea how people manage to not eat until lunch. I'd be dead. I had my oatmeal for an afternoon snack!

So, Miss Lexi got to go in the car. She never was a super fan of the car, but she was quite good yesterday and didn't go bouncing all over like she normally does. 

Lexi on a car ride

Of course, you know who was MAD. Oh yes - she was at the door when we were leaving, and she was ready to bolt. Then she ran outside to the side gate and barked. And when we arrived back home, she was waiting at the front window. You know Murphy -- it's all about HER. 

Where have you been?

Lexi got her shots, and now she's good until next year. Since I couldn't go in with her, I decided it was a good time to connect the new phone to the car. And I got it figured out! Now, I haven't connected the navigation system, but I'll try that later today. 

At least the phone and all my contacts are there, and that's all I care about..... for the moment. 

Contacts are back in the car communication system

I had to laugh as I was trolling Facebook yesterday; I spotted this picture of my cousin's dog. So if you ever wondered what Murphy and Lexi would look like if they were morphed into one dog - this is it. 

What Murphy and Lexi would look like if they were one dog

Look at those eyes!!!! That's very weird!!!

Here's my finisher badge for The Appalachian Trail. I averaged just under 11.5 KM per day for 276 days. Regardless of the weather -- rain, snow, heat, humidity, and most of the mileage is outdoor walking.  That was a total of 3,168 KM. 

Finisher badge for The Appalachian Trail

The Pacific Crest Trail, which goes up the west coast of the US, is 4,000 KM. I gave myself ONE YEAR to make that happen. 

WAIT -- before you think that there are only long distances, I'm starting with all the long ones. Some are only 42 KM. There's a NINETY-year-old woman who is walking about 2.5 KM a day using her walker. This was a woman who, months ago, could barely make it up the stairs. Now she's outside walking 2.5 KM a day!!! That's impressive. I want to be like her when I grow up!

And on our group walk across Canada, we are at 20%. We started in Vitoria, BC, and are walking north through BC to Whitehorse in the Yukon, then we head east. We're almost at the Yukon border. Imagine that --- we've walked 2,000 KM and haven't even left one province!!! We are only four people, we started July 1, but we are a mighty team. Some people are rushing across - they are almost at 70%. There are 16 people in that group. What's the point? It's not a race; there's no prize at the end. 

Our first milestone for our cross-Canada walk

At our pace, we should finish the walk in 10 months, and that's perfectly fine by me. I get more value from my entry fee!!! 

And yes, I was back at the long arm yesterday. I got one more quilt done. The next one is loaded and ready to go this morning. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I also did a bit of sewing, but nothing I can share! Gosh -- how does that happen? Well, it'll be shareable at some point, just not now. I desperately need to fire up the embroidery machine - I have a few things that need to be done soon. 

I know that some people are not that fond of Facebook and find it intrusive. But I LOVE the GROUP function. There is a group for the software on my long arm. I had an issue that I just couldn't figure out, and I got an answer within minutes. Hmm -- that's why I couldn't figure it out - that little function is NOT intuitive as far as I'm concerned. I see their logic, but it doesn't match my logic, and the error message doesn't give you enough detail to figure it out. 

The person who gave me the answer must have had the same issue because she went one step further than the error message, which was all I needed. 

There's paperwork to do today, but I have a long errand, and I need to get that quilt done. So I might get to some paperwork tonight. Sigh --- why is there so much paperwork to do? However, I'm happy to report that the binding on the double wedding ring quilt is half done!

Don't forget to say hello to someone you see regularly but have never said hello! Why not - most people will say hello back, and it makes you feel good! 

Have a super day!!!! 

Ciao!!!!