Learning to be creative!

It was a positively boring day yesterday! The third-level Microsoft support called, and she took about 5 minutes to poke around my Outlook setup, then decided it needed to be escalated to a higher level! Yikes!!! But Microsoft and Google don't seem to like talking to each other, and there's an issue with syncing. Now I understand why it takes so long for my email to sync - that's always been an issue, but I never thought much about it. If Microsoft is willing to spend time on it, I'm happy to oblige! I have another call window this afternoon - maybe the problem will be resolved? BTW, I believe Microsoft will support the Classic version until 2029.

In the meantime, it was so nice to send emails to my groups, and I switched between Outlook versions as needed. There is a lag in the syncing, so hopefully I got everyone's pictures. 

The knee is progressing nicely, but I'm still not pushing it. Pushing it for me is different from pushing it for others - I get that. I did almost 9 KM yesterday. And my knee felt much better during and after the walk. I'm still applying heat, but no meds are required.  

The engineers got back to me and said they will look into the beam issue, but not the roof issue. There is no attic, so no place to investigate. Hmmm—have they ever considered that the drywall has to come off to be repaired, so they will have a wide-open space to investigate? Maybe I need to say the drywall is gone! I'm going to contact another company, and then we'll see. The ice is mostly gone from the roof, and everything has settled down. 

Like I said -- positively boring and I'm OK with that! 

I spent the entire day running around, taking and editing pictures, and putting together today's presentations. The two of them are ready, and after this morning's classes, I'll spend the afternoon prepping the UFO presentation for tomorrow. That one should be easier, as I just have to get the pictures from email and a few pictures of my stuff. 

OH -- as I was doing my research, guess what I found? Yep -- a printout of the distribution list for the jacket class!! I guess I'm not as silly as I thought I was. I had a physical copy of my two big lists. 

My jacket class distribution list

I did a lot of research yesterday, both online and in my resource library. 

Doing research

It also necessitated getting out the User's Guide for my sewing machine. GASP!!!! Yep --- that is one of the most valuable tools you can own. It's a shame more people don't use it!

The User's Guide

I can share what I was looking for another day. But I felt like a detective as I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong! 

Well, as I was digging through that stack of Threads magazines, I glanced over to see Miss Murphy sleeping on her mat under the current project tables. It's like a little den for her, surrounded by tubs on two sides. I decided that we needed some quiet time together. I got on the floor, and we had a good cuddle. 

MOM - I LOVE when you cuddle in my space!

You know something? I'm glad I'm still able to do that. Because of all the stretching, getting back up isn't a big deal anymore. YES -- instead of letting my body continue to regress, I'm fighting back to keep myself limber. It took a wakeup call, but I listened. Should I be blessed with grandchildren one day, you bet I'll be on the floor to cuddle and play with them! 

At least that's what the quote in my tea told me to do - listen!!!!

Listen!!!!!

Getting up may not be as graceful as a ballet dancer (I've said that before), but at least I can do it, and it doesn't feel awkward! Even with a bum knee, so yes - the knee is much better. 

But while I was browsing one of the early Threads magazines, I spotted this article on COMPUTERIZED sewing machines!!! 

Hmmm -- how to buy a computerized sewing machine

There was a comparison chart of the various brands. The prices were under $2,000, although at the time, that was probably a lot of money for a sewing machine. 

Comparison chart of sewing machines

Here's a close-up of some of the top-of-the-line models. These are NOT embroidery machines; they are simply sewing machines. 

The Viking 990

There was no Husqvarna at that time. 

PFAFF Creative 1471

HMM -- at some point, Pfaff became all caps, and Creative lost its capital C. 

Bernina 1130

Brother Compal Galaxie

New Home Memory Craft 6000

This later became Janome. 

Shoot, before I put it back, I should have looked at the features, but I was in a bit of a hurry, so I didn't want to stop. 

Here's the cover of the Threads issue, so you can tell it's a bit dated. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what year this was? 

One of the early issues of Threads

There it is -- August/September 1987!!!! And look at the price—$3.75. This is an amazing magazine, and I think I have every issue. Don't ask! I noticed that when I looked for three particular issues, they were NOT in any order. They were, but then they got moved. So it really is time to organize that resource library. 

Aug/Sept 1987 issue

Speaking of the library, I got two recommendations for Libib to store books, but I already have a paid subscription to one online, so I might try that one first. I can scan the books - I just need to figure out how to set up a second database. The first database contains the books I have read. I refer to that VERY FREQUENTLY, so I might as well use it for the quilt books since I'm already paying for it! 

As part of my preparation, I had to find two items I needed to photograph. One of the items I had been looking for a couple of weeks ago, but didn't find it. Well, that's because I didn't look hard enough. Both items were on the pegboard. There are loads of things on this pegboard that probably don't need to be there. But all my specialty rulers and odd notions are stored there. It works for me. 

The messy pegboard

And what about the girls? They have become extremely vocal these days. When I go for a walk with one, the other one protests while I'm gone. Last night, Murphy would NOT leave her ball alone, and when I took it away, she made a loud protest. The only way I can get peace and quiet when reading is to go upstairs, which I don't want to do! Eventually, they settled, but not until they had a play fight to entertain me!

MOM - we NEED YOU NOW!!!

Oops—I forgot to get a picture of that painting. I'll try to remember today. But I'll chat about the two books I'm reading. The audiobook is The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. I think I have taken this book out of the library a dozen times and never got around to reading it. I figured I'd "force" myself to read it by listening to the audiobook. While it has a lot of good information, I don't think the book is for me. 

The premise of the book is to help people become creative. Help artists who are blocked to get back to painting, writing, creating, making movies, or whatever. It also encourages people who are NOT doing what they would love to do, to take that giant step and do it! Lucky for me, I took that step back in 1998 and haven't looked back. 

She has a ton of lists, and some of the items on them I feel are just fillers, so she can get to 20 on each. But hey—if one of the items piques someone's interest, it needs to be on the list. Now I almost need to see the physical book to review those lists! But I digress. 

I got a chuckle because the first thing she talks about in the book is the Morning Pages. To help open the floodgates, she recommends that you get up each day and write three pages longhand. It can be whatever you want --- and if you can't think of anything to write, then you simply write, "I don't know what to write" or something to that effect. 

These pages are just for you -- you don't need to read them or share them with anyone; you just need to write! 

On that note, I couldn't agree more! And I'm going to equate my blog with Julia's morning pages. I get up and just write. I don't think of a topic - it just comes to me. Can you believe I've been writing the blog for almost twenty years? At first, it was sporadic, and then it became a daily thing. 

I chose to use the computer because I can't stand handwriting with a pen. My hand just cramps, and the writing isn't pretty. I much prefer a keyboard. I put it online because a then-friend encouraged me. But it's the process of writing that is important. Why? Because I said I was going to do things and wrote it down, I now have to follow up. Because I struggle with issues and I write about them, it becomes less of a struggle. Because I share my successes, I feel more successful, etc. 

So while you may feel motivated, inspired, mad, or happy when you read the blog, it's really a brain dump of my thoughts, which helps me clear my head and move on for the day! I'm going to call my blog my morning pages, and I will continue doing so for as long as I can. I'm also a storyteller, in case you haven't figured that out, and as long as I can continue to tell stories about the day, well, I'll be writing. 

I'm sure DH is thankful for the blog because he already has to listen to many ridiculous, nonsensical, and meaningless stories from me. Imagine if he had to hear them all? It keeps me young and brings lots of laughs to our house! 

But reading that book alone would NOT make you creative. There are loads of exercises that Julia recommends you do. Writing my blog can take up to 1½ hours each day, and I actually look forward to the process. So if you want to become more creative, do the things you have always wanted to do, but were afraid to, take a look at the book. But it will take WORK and COURAGE to get there. 

Speaking of stories, I didn't tell you this one. Because of my knee, I am taking a slightly different route with the dogs. I don't want to slog through the forest with a dog on a leash, even sweet Lexi. That requires me to cross a busy street during school drop-off time. As I was crossing the street to return home, a car started turning left towards me. He was in a rush to get ahead of the car that had stopped to his right. 

Turns out that was an Uber driver, and DH was on his way to the dentist in that car. He had to shout at the driver to not hit me! Can you imagine the headlines for that one? 

So many drivers just care about the cars and not the people. The sad thing is, this happened very near an elementary school shortly after drop-off, when there would still be lots of people around. Sigh.......

I'll have to tell you about the other book I'm reading tomorrow. I've got to get moving!

Here are the links to the Virtual Retreat this weekend. 

Saturday, February 21 --- starts at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, February 22 ---- starts at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The best of both worlds!!!!

OH MY!!!!!! When I sit down to write the blog, I have to come up with a title, and some days that's a struggle because nothing super exciting happened. But there are days, like today, when I have many titles! I called it "The Best of both worlds," but "Happy Dance," "Exciting update," and "The email saga continues (part two)" would have worked as well. 

It was a good news day all around, so I'm excited. 

The knee update is all good. I did a short walk with the girls in the morning. While I feel perfectly fine at home, prolonged walking doesn't make my knee feel great. I managed to walk 9 KM yesterday, so it can't be all that bad. I'm walking slowly outside to be mindful of the ice and to take it easy. Who would have thought that was possible for me? 

Anyway, I've never been good at telling if my "fat" knee is swollen, so I'm going to assume it is based on feel. But it seems to be fine once I stop walking. So I'll stick to shorter walks, take it easy, and see how it goes. Hopefully, I'll be back to normal and can get to the gym next week. But I have taken full advantage of using that gym wisely in Studio B. 

Now let's check in with the email saga. OH MY GOODNESS - I have to give Microsoft credit. It had been arranged with the second-level escalation guy (Christian) that he would call within the 12 to 2 PM window yesterday. He might be on a call, so we set a window for the callback. He called at EXACTLY NOON. That was impressive. 

The issue at this point was that the emails only populated into the inbox, while anything in the subfolders was still missing. That's an issue.  

I was on the call with him for two hours. We were both patient - hey, he was helping me, and there was no need to get upset. Life is life, and we are talking email, not life and death. 

Here's what I learned about the NEW Outlook:

1. This is the icon
2. This version of Outlook is free for anyone to use - you do not need a license.
3. It does not use an address book that you can view. It retains the email addresses you have sent to, so it will autofill as you start typing, but there's no place to see them. 
4. It uses the contact list on your cell phone. So if you are a Google user, like me, that's the list that you can see. OK—that's good, but why would I want to see that list in Outlook? They are NOT the same. 
5. New Outlook is targeted at a different end user. I'm not sure who that is, but if I Google it, it says it's for personal accounts and small and medium businesses. I would assume that many personal users do not use distribution lists, or, if they do, they add those people to their contacts list. If they are a small- to medium-sized business, they likely use a third-party mailing service for their lists. 
6. New Outlook is OPTIONAL. Even though Windows 11 computers come with the New installed and the Classic is nowhere to be seen, you do NOT have to use the New. Thank goodness for that! 
7. It is a WEB-BASED app!!!

And here's what I know about the Classic version of Outlook

1. This is the icon—pay special attention to the differences. They are slight, but absolutely important - I'll tell you why in a second. The old is squareish, the new is rounded! 
2. The Classic version uses an address book where you can create, edit, and delete distribution lists using Autofill properties. You can include all kinds of information about your contact, including addresses, multiple phone numbers, etc. Perhaps you can do this in contacts, but not the way I like it to happen. 
3. This version is part of the 365 Office License, or you might be able to get a standalone version, but it is NOT free. I'm good with paying - the cost per year for the license for the entire personal version of 365 Office is around $100 CDN. You get FREE support with that. It's an amazing deal if you use tools like Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. I use three of the four tools daily, though I'm not a heavy user of Excel. My friends all think I should use it more! 
4. An actual Windows program!!

I almost wept when I saw my distribution lists on the new computer!

My beloved distribution lists are back!!!

OK --- so that's a recap. Wait --- I'm getting to the good news, but I know there are others out there that are confused by this, so that's why I'm writing it down. 

So here's how my computer is set up right now, and I might just keep it this way. I have BOTH versions of Outlook installed - that's why understanding the different icons is ESSENTIAL. I can go to Classic when I want to do anything related to distribution lists. YES --- Christian helped me migrate the data from my old computer to the new computer. I learned a lot in that process, and I'm going to take that same database and install it on my laptop. It will be as current as the distribution lists are now, but that's better than not having access to them when I'm away. They don't change much during the year. 

I asked about putting that address book file on OneDrive so it would always be up to date on both computers, and while it's possible, he suggested against it. But I think it was more of an issue that if I ran out of room, it wouldn't be able to update. Running out of room is no longer an issue, so I might resort to that at some point. Technically, there's no reason why you can't do that, and I know someone who does that. 

If I want to use the FOCUS email feature, I can read my email in the NEW version. And currently, all my emails in the subfolders are in the NEW version, so I have to use the two versions interchangeably at the moment. No big deal, now that I understand!

Part of my issue (and I confessed this to Christian) was that I was confusing those icons! I just ASSUMED (and we all know what happens when we do that) that opening the ICON would take me to the version I had installed. WRONG!!!!! I have to use the CORECT icon. DUH!!!!!

Where do we go from here? The case is being escalated to Level Three! I should be able to have access to all my emails in the subfolders in the Classic version, but they have a known issue with Google accounts. So they will arrange a call in the next couple of days and see what we can do about that. 

The bottom line is that I may have to retire my old computer now, since I won't need it, as I have access to my distribution lists on the new computer! 

There is another issue I need to resolve, and it involves the printer (Scanning), but I'm not going there at this time. So it stays for the moment. 

I see that Microsoft plans to roll out the New version to their corporate clients starting in April this year. Oh boy --- that's when the crap hit the fan! I should try to find out the plans for the end of the Classic, but they had better not do that before they completely fix the New. It is NOT mandatory to use either, but one day.............

Phew!!!!!! You can't imagine how good I felt after that call. Christian was so patient, and he was obviously in a different country because he wasn't sure what day it was here. I don't care - he was good, and he was a very good representative for Microsoft support. By the way, he tried uninstalling all my Microsoft products and then reinstalling them -- manually, which is what took so long. 

BUT WAIT --- other things happened at the house. 

Well, this didn't happen at the house, but I had to go to Indigo to pick up a magazine, and yes—they had another puzzle on the table. 

A jigsaw puzzle on the community table at Indigo

It was appropriate for the Olympics, as the puzzle had a winter sports theme. 

The picture of the puzzle

I didn't stop to put in a piece because I was on a tight schedule, trying to get all the homework done and into a presentation for tomorrow. I've almost completed the work on one and need to start on the second one. No need to panic! 

I also spotted these books of paper, so if you are into making junk journals or any kind of paper project, these books are filled with all kinds of wonderful papers and cardstock. I was tempted, but I decided they would still be there when I actually had time. Now that my days are less busy, I could perhaps work that in, but not right now. See how good I am? 

Books of paper at Indigo

I have so much "free" time that when Miss Murphy came to see me at the sewing machine for one of her many cuddles, I took her to her mat in Studio B, and I lay down on the floor beside her, and we had a good cuddle. She was pretty excited about that! And heck --- if all the work doesn't get done? Who cares? Well, I will get the work done, but it's also important to give her some time. She's getting older, and she won't be around forever. 

This morning I was looking in the bookcase for a particular book. While I didn't find the book yet, do you see what I spotted? 

OH MY --- who knew!

Yes -- there are TWO identical books. I've never noticed that before. What are the chances of them being put on the same shelf? The books are NOT in any particular order at the moment, but as I was going through them, I thought to myself, "Wouldn't it be so much easier to look through these books if they were organized?" So you can see that might happen next week. I am getting tired of searching. And I might try putting them into a database. 

OH GOSH -- do not tell my Excel fanatic friends about that because I bet they want me to put it in Excel. WAIT -- -there are apps for that that are totally automatic!!! I'll see. 

But of course, as I was looking through the shelves, who should appear? 

MOM -- can we lie on the mat again? I need a cuddle!

I've been doing a lot of reading these days and typically have an audiobook and an ebook going at the same time. Well, not at the exact same time, but you know what I mean. It just so happens that both of them are SELF-HELP books at the moment. And I have to say that I'm doing OK. I'm running out of time this morning, but I'll chat about both tomorrow and get the painting of the dogs that Cynthia painted. A LOT is going on, and it's hard to keep up. 

But here's an amazing quote about books. This is so true!!!!!! I designed this based on the quote and using my Creativate Machine Embroidery software. 

A great reading quote

I also need to dig out some stuff to photograph for Monday sewing and one class tomorrow, so I'll be busy with the camera today. 

Before I go, I would be remiss not to mention the girls who were back to their shenanigans while I was trying to concentrate on a book about my brain!!! They are so entertaining and just need to be there! I was eating an apple, which they don't like! It's all about being with Mom when she wants a quiet moment! Do not feel sorry for Lexi in the least, as she is the one who instigated this!

MOM - Murphy is trying to bite me!

I'll post the links for the Virtual Retreat today and get yelled at by the Zoom robot for doing so. It's a privacy thing!!!

Saturday, February 21 --- starting at 6 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89610782501?pwd=7dCrhiL5t8Xa4TVwZPvhL6cOymbcjK.1

Meeting ID: 896 1078 2501
Passcode: 148311

Sunday, February 22 --- starting at 3 PM

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89869001291?pwd=h57kT9axwTnd2xtJvuO0z2UOmUo45w.1

Meeting ID: 898 6900 1291
Passcode: 136711

By the way -- I REFUSE to give in with the Outlook situation. It's a thousand times better after yesterday, and I learned so much about it. I need to understand how things work, and now I feel better. I'm not in control -- I get that, but I feel better. 

On that note, I have so many great and exciting things to do today, so I'd better get started. 

Have a wonderful day!!!!

Ciao!!!!

The email saga continues

For the record, I do NOT give my dogs people food. Currently, three adults live in this house, and TWO of them think it's OK to slip them the occasional tidbit of food, including veggies. I'm OK with the veggies, though some are not safe for dogs. And for this reason, those two dogs hang around those two people waiting for the tidbits. Trust me, I have repeatedly said, DO NOT FEED the dogs people food, and it falls on deaf ears. Thankfully, it's not a lot of food, but I keep repeating the message. 

Since this behavior is learned, the dogs think that all humans in our house will give them food. So they sit beside me, and then quickly lose interest when they realize that Mom doesn't give in to those puppy dog eyes. When I have cucumbers or carrots (both safe for dogs), I give them a couple of pieces, but it's rare. 

It drives me crazy that the people in my house will NOT listen! I've made such a big deal about it lately that I think they have backed off. 

So no - Murphy and Lexi did NOT get any grapes. Thanks for the reminder! 

I'm happy to report that my knee feels a whole lot better. I did not walk the dogs, but I took a slow walk to the grocery store later in the day. It was NOT a fun walk, but I needed to get out. Then I used ice and heat and stayed off it for the rest of the day. OK -- I was sewing, so I had to stand and cut, but I wasn't walking. It's feeling a whole lot better this morning. 

I will take the girls for a short walk each and see how it goes. 

No word from the engineers, so I'll call them later today if I have time. It's crunch time for the weekend classes, and while I'm making great progress, I'm a couple of hours behind. But I'm OK. It's not a due or die crunch - just scheduled time!

However, you are not going to believe the update on the Outlook story. I'm stunned. I did a little research before calling the support line. Can you believe this? Read the first two lines, and that should tell you all you need to know about my problem!

You read that correctly! There is no ADDRESS BOOK in the new version of Outlook. What?? I don't get that. So when I chatted to the support people, I asked. By the way, I was very calm and collected during the almost TWO hours in total I spent on the phone with them. While I know the support people won't have that information, they did mention that Microsoft is targeting a different user with the NEW version. WHAT? A different user? I don't get that. It's totally useless, although the split between Focused and Other emails is really handy. 

You can bet that I'm going to provide feedback. I've thought ot sending the same message through the Microsoft Feedback channel every day, and I'm going to suggest that anyone else (you know who you are) will do the same. This is utter nonsense. You'll find the FEEDBACK tab under the HELP tab in Outlook. Use it wisely and use it OFTEN!!!! 

Anyway, to keep the details short, it took a long time to switch back to the Classic Version. Why? Because new computers don't come with the Classic version installed, forcing you to use the New version. OK -- this is getting weirder by the minute. So the support guy had to download the Classic version, and then switched me back. 

All would seem good, right? By the way, the call had to be escalated because he had trouble reconnecting me to the server. That resulted in him deleting my account and then reinstating it. Then my emails started to populate the inbox, and I thought we were good. 

Now it appears that ONLY the inbox got populated. The remainder of my very detailed file structure is EMPTY!!! Yep—there are no emails in any of my class folders. NOTHING!!! I'm not panicking - I'm laughing because I wonder how much worse this is going to get, and what the heck good it will do if I get mad. NOTHING. 

Thankfully, the escalation guy and I have an appointment today to see how the repopulating went, so he had better call me today, or I will be calling them back. 

What was funny, though, was that at one point my computer automatically switched back to the New version, and that wasn't going to do. I couldn't find the switch to move back, so I had to call again. I am ashamed to say that I got a woman on the call, and my past experience has not been good. But I kept my mouth shut and let her do what she needed to do, and within ten minutes, I was good to go. 

So the saga continues. OH -- the distribution lists have to be moved manually, which I knew, and I need to do that this morning before the escalation guy calls me back. If I have trouble, then he can help me. I know there are other options, but I'm stubborn. I've paid for this darn thing, and I'm so used to it that I'm going to get it working, even if I die trying!! LOL. 

OH - and when I was working on the homework for Color My World, guess what I found? A printout of the distribution list! That is going to make it so much easier to re-enter them, if I need to. Yeah!!!!

The printed distribution list for Colour My World

And one other thing: I really like how the Classic version saves pictures. The New version sucks at that, so I'd better remember to include that in my feedback. 

I'm making my Colour My World from batiks, and this was the ironing board as I prepped for the weekend class. It's all tidied away now, but it was very colorful! I'm loving this quilt, and while it is a lot of work, it's so worth it!!!

Prepping the homework for Colour My World

And OH MY -- I had to get the hammer out because at one point in the day, KU was pressing something and I don't know how hard she was pressing, but that board jumped down a notch or two! Nothing fell, so all was good. But I'm going to tip that board upside down today and see if I can jam the notches in place, and if I need to use a hammer, then so be it! Personally, I think that one bar needs to be straightened. 

While I was sewing and cutting, I also had the embroidery machine running at full speed with this project. All twenty of the blocks are complete! That was a ton of work (OK - it wasn't, but it was noisy), and now I need to figure out how to assemble them into a quilt. Be sure to mark your calendars for my Facebook Live on March 11. 

My machine embroidered quilt block

It's very hard to get good help these days! Murphy just wants attention, and so I stop to give her some loving. As a result, my chair moved backward. When I went to sew, she was still lying on the floor, and my foot was a long way from the foot pedal. What a silly girl!!!

MOM -- I need loving, more than you need to sew

How many keys does your key ring hold? Mine has been sitting here staring at me for a couple of days, and I got to wondering. Remember how we used to have oodles of keys. What did we use them all for? I have three keys on that holder. By the way, don't you love the personalized band? A friend made that for me, and it's fun because it has my name on it, so there's no danger of getting it mixed up with someone else's. THANK YOU!!!!

My keyring

There is a house key on it, but we never use it since we have a keyless lock on the front door. Still handy in case the battery dies, though I get plenty of warning. The mailbox key, which I use every time I get the mail. There is also a smaller key on it, which I have no idea what it unlocks. I suspect a lock for the bike rack!! I must check that out since I want to sell the bike rack. I have zero need for any other keys. WAIT -- the car. That's a big fob, and I keep it in my little pouch. Again, our car is keyless for everything, but you need the fob on your person to do anything. 

I spotted this on Instagram yesterday. Hmmm—I'm not sure I could focus. I think I'll keep those activities separate! 

Doing a puzzle while walking? 

I have to tell you about this audiobook I'm just finishing up this morning. It's one of the ones from that Globe and Mail list from March 2023. OH MY!!!!! If you love a thinker mystery with loads of details, this is the book for you! It's called Malice by Keigo Higashino. It's the first in the Detective Kaga series, but wow!! Actually, the list mentioned his latest book, "A Death in Tokyo," but since it was a series, I had to start at the beginning. 

There is a murder, as is usually the case in a murder mystery. And unlike other books, you get to know the murderer pretty early on. But the why and the how are uncanny! It's like a cat-and-mouse game between the accused and the detective as they both unravel the details. It's quite interesting, and I'll definitely be reading more of this author's books. He has some standalone books as well. 

You need to stay sharp on your toes to understand the nuances of the book; there are plenty of side diversions. Oh shoot—I see I can download the next audiobook in the series. NO --- Just say no - I have three other books in my audiobook reader to read first!!!!

Well, I guess I'm off -- I have so many things to do, but very interesting and exciting things on the agenda for today. I've got some patterns to design, embroidery designs to continue, a huge variety of things to sew, and it's just going to be a glorious day. If Microsoft can find the rest of my emails, that will be the icing on the cake. At this point? I'm not hopeful. I think they got lost in the save when they deleted my account. They might be on another computer, or they should still be on the server. 

I guess that would be a good way to get rid of a lot of stuff! It will be annoying as all get out to find what I need since the ones I wanted to keep were in the folders! But the most critical thing would be the UFO emails, as I had not processed those photos yet. Sigh.............

However, onward and upward!!!!

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!

PS -- Forgot to mention --- there is a Virtual Retreat this weekend. Saturday - starting at 6 PM EST and Sunday at 3 PM EST. I'm not going to post the links until Saturday because Zoom has a fit about posting them on a public blog. So I'll only do it on Saturday and then on Sunday. 

Updates and bad news

I'll get the bad news out of the way first thing, so you don't have to wonder what's going on. I've been extremely careful on the sidewalks all year. I'm watching for ice patches and have had a few minor slips. Yesterday? I was walking Miss Lexi, so I can't blame powerful Murphy for this one. But I slipped. I didn't break anything - PHEW!! But my left leg (of course!) went out in front, and I swear I looked like I had just thrown a curling rock, which isn't bad, but I seem to have twisted/wrenched my knee in some fashion, and it's not happy. 

I felt and still feel that pain all the way from the glutes to the ankle. I am not at spin class this morning, which is very unusual for me. I'm going to cancel my appointment with Brooke for tomorrow. And I'm contemplating NOT walking the girls this morning. It feels better this morning, but do I want to make it worse? That just sucks, but it's not the end of the world, and nothing is broken. I just have to take it easy for a day or two, and I should be OK. 

The good news about it is that I didn't fall! And even in that awkward position, I think I only likely touched the ground with one hand. Good balance! LOL 

OK - I know this was silly of me, but I decided to walk to the library yesterday afternoon. I was also going to pop by the thrift shop. The walk to the library was plenty long enough for me! Even I have limits!

Here's the update on Outlook. I didn't get a chance to call Microsoft yesterday, but I did speak with someone who uses Excel for their distribution lists. AHA --- I get it now. They have a list of people in Excel, and when they want to send a message, they copy the email addresses from Excel and enter them in the TO, CC, or BCC fields. They are NOT having two distribution lists. That makes sense, but it feels like an extra step, and the names in Excel need to be formatted (not a big deal) to make it work. 

Granted, they have 100% control of the distribution lists and where they are saved, but when I already have access to their emails in Outlook, that just seems like extra work. And often I need to send an individual email to someone on those lists, so if their emails aren't in my contact list, I have to open Excel? So, at least I can say that I explored that route, but it's not for me because it's nowhere near as convenient as just opening Outlook, selecting one group contact, and sending the email. I get it that it's not a big deal to open a spreadsheet and do copy/paste, but my way is simpler. I just have to deal with Outlook!

On the agenda today: call them.  

As for the roof, lots of things happened there. The roof crew was going to call me before they came, and they called at about 1:15. 

This was the state of the roof in the morning. The snow was finally starting to melt as it had been plus 1 overnight. You could finally start to see the rafters through the snow. OK - that sounds ridiculous because we have shingles on our roof, but you could see the impression of the rafters through the snow. Note that you cannot see the rafters through the lower section on the right. That's where the cathedral ceiling is in the house. That's all about insulation, and I'm not going there. I've circled where the ice dam is in blue. 

The state of the roof at 9 AM

Note the clear blue skies! The temperature reached 8 degrees, and when I went out to chat with the crew, I was in a short-sleeved sweater and NOT cold. A good portion of the snow had melted by the time they arrived, including the area where the ice dam was. There was actually space under the gutter that runs along the roof in that area. NO -- that is not causing the ice dam, because my neighbor has the same roofline, and her ice dam is much larger, and she doesn't have a gutter. It might not help, but it's not causing the issue. 

The state of the roof at 3 PM

We decided that it didn't make sense for them to steam off what was left, as Mother Nature was doing a great job all on her own. This was taken about 3 PM, so I'm sure there is even less snow this morning. 

The roofer suggested cleaning the gutters in the fall, then installing heat cables in the gutters and along the roof. A friend of mine who also had water issues with her windows earlier this winter had her son install heated cables, and she was fine through the recent snowfall. I still want to hear what the engineers say, because I would love to have something structural done so it is no longer an issue, but I don't think that will be cost-effective. I had wondered about putting metal in the valleys, but that would cost a lot, and as you'll see about metal on the roof in a minute. 

I'm still waiting for the engineers to get back to me. 

Someone else had suggested that a metal roof would melt the snow faster, and this issue wouldn't exist. Hmmm --- so over the last couple of days, I checked and found FIVE metal roofs in our neighborhood. Sad to say, all of them had ice-dam issues. It seems the problem isn't the roofing material you have, but the valleys in the roof. There are other factors, like whether the roof gets any shade, that can cause that freeze/thaw cycle, which then causes the dam. But one of the houses I spotted had the same view of the sun as our house, no trees, and still had an ice dam. 

Trust me—I took many pictures; I'm sure people were wondering what I was doing. I'll find a couple to share with you. 

This house has a metal roof, and it faces the same direction as my house. It was taken at 3 PM yesterday, so it was bathed in direct hot sun for many hours. I will say that if the roof is plain with no valleys, a metal roof will probably melt quite quickly. But what this tells me is that the valleys are the killer to melting snow quickly from a roof, not the material the roof is made of. There is also a tree in front, which may provide some shade, but I don't think it's a major factor on this roof. 

A metal roof with snow trapped between the valleys

Here's a second house with a metal roof, facing the exact same direction as our house, and it had been exposed to the direct hot sun all day. It also has many valleys, and it is NOT melting quickly. So I would never get a metal roof, hoping I would never have an ice dam. As a matter of fact, if you look closely at the left of the bump out, you can see an ice dam!!! Remember—this picture was taken yesterday at 3 PM. Now, I'd guess the tree is shading that roof, and even though there are no leaves on it, you would be shocked by how much shade those branches provide! 

Another house with a metal roof and ice dams

I'm learning so much about roofs, and all I had to do was walk around my neighborhood, observe, and take pictures. 

Update on the veil. I only have to embroider the veil, which is a plus, though there are a ton of little stars on it. How am I going to do that? My question is: how was this original veil made? I need to check the source, but it's probably a mass-produced fabric in the Orient, then assembled into a veil. I'm in the process of drawing the center moon and the lines, then I'll stitch a sample and send it out next week. I found a pattern with the constellations for zodiac signs, and I'll stitch those, and I guess I had better stitch a couple of lines of stars! Thank goodness, I have all the tools to make that happen!  

The veil I'm trying to recreate

And I finished the appliqué for the final block of the quilt backing. 

The last block is appliqued.

Then I moved on to the weekend's homework. I didn't quite accomplish as much as I would have liked because I was dealing with the roof and helping KU finish something. Today will be heads down to make this all happen. I have a goal for today, and it's going to be a lot of work. I'm keeping the PowerPoint presentations updated as pictures come in and as I complete sections, so it won't be a mad rush to get them done. That saves a TON of time at the end. 

I also fired up the embroidery machine and ran close to 250,000 stitches yesterday, which ate up a lot of time. I suppose I could share the pictures with you, but it's for a Facebook Live in a couple of weeks, and I need to get the quilt made to advertise the event. I should be able to finish that off later today. 

And in the midst of all this, I want to start a jigsaw puzzle!! OK -- I confess that I went to the Puzzle's Canada Warehouse last week. I had to pick up some prewound bobbins for the long arm, and that place is just around the corner from the warehouse. It's a warehouse where the public can shop inperson or order online. Free shipping in Canada with orders over a certain amount. 

I got six neutral thread colors, and so I should be good. I have ordered one more, and it's on backorder. I need to open these and see if I got what I wanted. I thought I had ordered more colors, but it doesn't matter - this will get me started. 

Prewound bobbins for the long arm

When I arrived at the puzzle warehouse, there were huge banks of snow (I was standing on them when I took the picture) and this huge pile of puzzles in the parking lot. That was going to be an interesting afternoon for the staff! And it was starting to snow!

Oh my -- what's in the boxes?

This is what it looks like inside! I'm standing in a corner and looking toward the front. It is floor-to-ceiling puzzles! Sorted by brand, and you just want to say -- I'll take one of everything! They have some of the giant puzzles, but the biggest one I have is 4000 pieces, which I've been carrying around since I left home. By home, I mean the farm MANY years ago. I need to crack that thing open!

Inside the Puzzles Canada warehouse

I went to the puzzle place with a specific mission in mind. I follow an artist, Cynthia Frenette. She is an amazing artist who paints and creates graphic designs used for many things, like cards, puzzles, mugs, pins, etc. You name it --- her designs go on a lot of things. She painted a picture for us when Sparky and Sammy were crossing the rainbow bridge. I should share that with you. And I have some bead artwork that hangs in Studio B. I should take a picture of that as well. 

I saw on Facebook that she was designing jigsaw puzzles, and well, I caved. So this is what followed me home. Not one, not two, but THREE new puzzles. Two are 2000 pieces each, and one is 1500. What was I thinking? She also has a sewing room and an art studio, but they were sold out. 

Number One

Number Two

Number Three

You can check out her puzzles at this link. This is what she has designed for the company Pieces and Peace. She's done puzzle artwork for a couple of other companies as well. One of them, I think, will be available at Wal-Mart Canada, but I haven't made it there, and I certainly won't be walking there today. 

We were chatting about storing fabric the other day, and I wanted to remind everyone how I store my quilt backings. They are folded freehand (no rulers involved), and they look pretty even. But the most important part is that they are labeled with how much is there! 

My quilt backings

Without that simple little label, finding something appropriate would be a disaster. I'd have to open each one up to see if there are 4½ yards or 5 yards. And I try to go for as close as I can to what I need. As you can see from my quilts, sometimes the backing is skimpy to load onto the long arm!! This labeling (also for batting scraps) is one storage idea I would NEVER shortchange myself on. I save a huge amount of time by having things labelled. 

I just put the girls out in the backyard, and what do I hear? Freezing rain is falling. We will NOT be walking this morning. I was contemplating going to the end of the street and back, but I can't afford to slip with this knee. They will just have to be patient, and we'll go for extra walks when the weather and my knee are in better shape. 

But speaking of the girls, they are just silly. Why does Murphy insist on sleeping in this bed that is way too small for her? Typically, she curls up in a tight ball, but I guess she was too hot, so the back half of her was on the floor! 

MOM - -I'm comfortable!

And then when I went to read last night in the living room, the two of them came in because they thought they could share my grapes, and then they had to rough house and finally just lay down together on the blanket. Not side by side -- OH NO -- that will never do, as they need to be able to see each other! 

MOM -- we're here for you!

Well, I don't feel so bad about the rain, knowing that the gutters are clear and water is flowing. I'll get myself to work a bit earlier this morning—OH—I have to create two distribution lists —wait—FOUR distribution lists for the weekend. Perhaps I'll do that instead. And then go to work at 9, which is my usual time. 

Have a wonderful day!!!

Ciao!!!