I CAN DO THIS!!!!!

I think I'm almost back in my time zone. I slept great—only woke up once and actually got up to do some work. I went back to bed, and I should be good today, although a nap every once in a while is highly recommended. 

Getting back early from a trip is great, but what does one do with the "free" time? OK -- you know I'm not one to sit around, so I've been busy! 

WAIT -- let me tell you about my souvenirs. I'm not a huge fan of souvenirs and certainly NOT a T-shirt. As a matter of fact, when I put on my cotton T-shirts that I usually wear, I'm NO LONGER a fan. In the heat, they just feel gross. And these shorts of mine have ZERO pockets. Hence, I will start wearing the stuff I wore on the Camino. It was cool, wicked sweat, and the shorts had nice pockets for my phone. 

Everything is now washed - thank goodness, because things got a bit stinky on that last long day - even for me! And hand washing is not the same as washing in a machine. 

Most of the stuff is now put away, which was easy since there wasn't much. That backpack, minus a few things I took on the plane with me, weighed 4.5 kg. That's impressive because that number includes the weight of the backpack and the walking sticks. One can get by with very little in life—we just don't realize it. 

So, there were three things in my bag that I never used on this trip; however, I used one of them on each of the two previous trips. They were nice to have if I needed them. If I had gone at a different time of the year, I would have probably needed them every day. Can you guess? 

Rain gear and a long-sleeved T-shirt

That would be my rain jacket and the cover for my backpack. Both of them are brand new —never used!! The orange item is a long-sleeved shirt that I used last year but not this year. 

We had rain one day this year, and I was waiting for the train at the Santiago train station. I think it would have been a horrible decision to make: get wet and possibly cool or be warm (hot) and dry. Thankfully, I never had to find out. 

OK—so at the middle and end of the Camino, you have the option to visit the Pilgrim's office and get your Compostella (certificate). I never knew about the one in the middle, and I did have an opportunity to get it, but I didn't. So what did I do at the end? I decided not to get the certificate. GASP!!!! 

Hey, I'm in the process of getting rid of stuff in the house, and what was I going to do with it? I've seen some people who framed it along with their shell, their credentials, and photos and whatnot, but seriously? I'm past that stage of my life. I've become a minimalist (not in the craft room, obviously), but everywhere else, I'm making a massive effort towards minimalism. 

So, there was no certificate, but I did get the final stamp on my credentials. This was the little book that we had to carry each day and get stamped to prove that we were pilgrims and allowed to stay in the pilgrim hostels. 

Pilgrim Credential

This is what the inside looks like. I used the same one for the entire Camino—last year and this year. You can put 12 stamps on each page, but some of them are huge, and I was running out of room at the end, so I just went for the essential ones—no extra, and the last one went in the last spot in the book. 

The stamps in my Pilgrim Credential

That is way more important to me than a certificate. Certificates are way overrated these days, and I think they need to start issuing virtual ones. I would have gone for that. With all the changes to what is required to get the certificate, what exactly does that certificate mean? I won't go into the politics of the Camino, but it's a hot spot! The stamps show the dates and where I walked. That makes me happy, as it more accurately reflects what I did. 

As mentioned, I'm not a big fan of souvenirs, but I caved and bought a magnet. I should have bought one with a big yellow arrow on it, but I saw enough shells, the pilgrim sign, and the colors that I thought this one was appropriate. 

My fridge magnet

It is now on our fridge with all the other magnets. 

The magnet collection

I think I need to clean that fridge up. There is stuff on there from when M lived at home, and quite frankly, it needs to go. Not always, but most times, we buy a magnet when traveling somewhere new. It's a happy reminder of where we've been, and we appreciate it every day. 

And then I couldn't resist when I saw the little running shoe. I mean -- how cute is that. 

The mini running shoe

And I started a collection (more than three items) of little shoes somewhere along the line. 

My mini-shoe collection

They are attached to a small day hiking bag and are easy enough to remove as they are all connected to one ring. 

The last thing I bought (I know—THREE souvenirs) was a thimble to go with my collection, which is still on the table and must be hung up. I might get myself in gear and do that today. It would free up a lot of space on the table. 

My thimble

It wouldn't take long, except I think the thimbles will have to be removed so they don't fall out in the move. That will take some time. But they need to be up so I can enjoy them daily since they sit right in front of my computer. 

So what did I do with my day? I returned to "work" as I was pumped to get some bonus stuff done. Sitting and reading was not relaxing since I've read so much over the last two weeks. I need a break from reading. 

A while back, I removed some of the boxes of junk from the office and put them in Studio U. It's a great space to work in, and I was doing very well, but then I got busy, and some stuff remained behind. It's been sitting on the floor under a table. So, it's time to get that done!!!!

I grabbed a pile of papers (the worst) for me and started to pitch and purge. Actually, the more you do this, the easier it becomes. 

A pile of papers to deal with

I found some interesting things that I've kept. I will reference them in the blog from time to time, and then they will likely go. 

Here's an engagement calendar from 2002. 

A diary of quilting

Oh, gosh. I started to write about what I worked on that day and included a snippet of fabric. I lasted until February 6, and that was only with the gluing. I'll hang onto the calendar for the moment because of the interesting quilts in it, but one day, it will go. 

I found a letter for a swap—like a chain letter. Good god --- I know I got put on the list, but I never sent it anywhere, so the two squares of purple are in the purple scrap box, and the letter is gone. 

A chain letter!!!!

And as the day passed, the pile got smaller. There is very little left for today. Hey -- it's very mental work to get rid of paper!!! 

What was left by lunchtime

I know I'm going to have quite the challenge when I get to the office, but I've already been working on it, so I don't expect it's going to take forever. 

The more junk you process, the easier it is to let go and the easier it is to know what to do with it. I feel so energized knowing that the end is close. Other than what's left upstairs, it's only the office. And when I want to clear a new area (like the fridge), it's only going to be a small job; the huge stuff is almost out of the way!!!!!

Still to sort in Studio U

This is what's left upstairs. Don't worry about that big box—it's a giveaway box with stuff that is ready to go. So there is not much left up there. Then I will have absolutely no excuse not to work in the office. 

I don't really care what gets worked on - I'm just happy to be getting rid of stuff. And so much of it is junk. I could work faster, but I could not be doing anything at all. My speed works for me. 

Then, it was off to the long arm to get some quilting done. This is a jelly roll quilt, and it's now quilted and trimmed. I'll attempt to put the binding on later today. I don't have time today to tell you the story of this quilt, but I'll try to remember to tell you tomorrow. 

Community project quilt - DONE

I got lucky with the top thread!!!!

Almost didn't have enough thread

The next quilt is loaded and ready to go this morning. It's going to be a challenge to quilt, and I'll share with you why tomorrow. It's one of the community project quilts, and the quilt itself is fine—the backing is just barely larger than the quilt, but it can be done!!! 

If I weren't such a strong walker, I'd be using these scooters. One is at the end of my street. 

MOM -- can we try the scooter?

These were on the way to the grocery store. It appears we have scooters for rent from Uber and the city. I just need to train the girls to sit on the platform, and we could go places!

More scooters

Look what Miss Lexi did—that clumsy dog. She got up quickly from under the table, ran into her dish, and spilled it. The food could have sat all day in her dish (which it had), and Murphy would NOT touch it, but spread it on the floor like this? Murphy was charging in while I had to pick it up. 

MOM -- I'm a klutz!!!!

And look at that lazy girl!!! At least she is calm in front of the TV. Murphy went wild when a TELUS commercial came on with dogs and other animals. 

Mom -- just chilling

OH -- I didn't take a picture, but I spent a LOT of time doing machine applique yesterday. That Cabin in the Woods is almost like my last day on the Camino. I want to finish it, but it's a massive pile of work. It will NOT get done just by looking at it, so I plunged in. I got an audiobook set up, and away I went. Let's just say that, like the last day on the Camino, I shocked myself at what I could get done. 

NO - I didn't finish the Cabin in the Woods quilts, but I made a huge dent, and it proved that I CAN DO THIS!!!! 

So my toes aren't perfect—one looks pretty ugly as it's a hardened mess of skin, and the other has an annoying little blister on it—but I think I'm good. My knees feel great, and I'm not quite back up to my usual walking distance, but I'm close. 

On that happy note, I'm out of here. I have lots to do today, and I can't wait to get started. 

Have a super day!!!!!

Ciao!!!!