How well do you know your neighbors?

Wow -- it was so warm yesterday (plus 2) —it was obscene! We had a little bit of snow in the night, so I got that shoveled when I got back from walking the girls. 

So here's a question for you—how well do you know your neighbors? I'm pretty observant, and because I walk daily, I get to see things as they change. Like the neighbor who is now retired because they shovel their own snow rather than have a truck come and do it. 

However, I am not as good as I think I am!! There is one house on our street that has been vacant for several years. A shame, but that's the way it is. The owners had rented out the house, and that was a disaster; much of it had to be redone. The place was painted, and they are currently putting in new floors. I'm not sure what else was done - I never saw the inside. 

So that driveway isn't being shoveled, nor the sidewalk plowed, but with the new sidewalk plow, that's not an issue. 

However, there is another house on our street that is not very good at keeping its property tidy in the wintertime. I mentioned yesterday that there was a plow in there the other night. Was it the city or was it private? That homeowner was outside yesterday while I was shoveling, so I stopped to say hello!! I figured they were away for several months in winter, as many people do. 

OMG -- you will not believe this, but it was the city that plowed his driveway. That was NOT the shocking part of our conversation. He said, "You know, we don't live in the house." WHAT? Yep - they live in BC and come home occasionally because their three kids live in towns nearby. OH - when did you move? I asked. I almost fell over when he said 2017!!!! 

It's hilarious because we saw them frequently enough to believe they lived in the house, but they were only visiting! HOLY!!!!! The blinds are always down in the room over the garage, with several cameras installed, just as they are in our room over the garage. Because of the curve in the street and the house's design, the front door and living room window are not readily visible. 

In case you are wondering why I keep those blinds closed— it's very cold in that room, and my baffle blinds are meant to help keep the heat in, and I don't want the sun damaging the MANY quilts hanging out in that room. 

I had a good laugh. Anyway, Steve is thoroughly enjoying the beautiful weather in their "new" home, which I have visited before - the city, not their home. He fishes every day and asked if I would like some salmon. YES please. So later, he brought over some salmon, and I have a new friend who doesn't even live on our street!!!

What a hoot!!!

I also chatted with another neighbor about cycling - he's an avid cyclist and has offered for me to cycle with him and his group in the spring. I don't think I'm ready for that. I need to go out on my own a few times. Anyway, I asked him if any of his friends wanted an indoor trainer. I have one that I need to get rid of. Does anyone close to me know of someone who wants an indoor trainer for their bike? The person he thought of doesn't have room. 

And so I have new phone contacts with my neighbors!! That's what happens when the weather is warm!

Another silly thing that happened when I went to the bank. I had three things that needed to be done, and I was halfway there, when I realized I left my bank card at the house. DRAT!!!! They are NOT going to let me do what I needed to do without a bank card, so I had to walk back. Thank goodness it was a warm day!

I need to be on my toes for the recycling pickup. We have a new company picking it up, and WHOA!!!! They came much earlier than the previous company. Thankfully, our recycling was already out! Oh yes—remember the issue two weeks ago. They didn't pick up on the right day, and I had to run to get the cart out in time. Now they pick up earlier in the day. Hopefully, all will be worked out in the next couple of weeks. 

The new recycling company

By the way, the street looks less snowy this morning because of the warm weather, and in just ONE day!

I also stopped at the thrift store since it was Senior's Day. Oh boy -- the craft books have been relegated to the bottom shelf. And it was mostly puzzle books. Why don't they have a separate section for puzzle books and one for crafts? Anyway -- I didn't find anything exciting, but I managed to snag some yarn (I know!) and a couple of jigsaw puzzles. Sigh...................

The craft books are on the bottom shelf.

Before I had left, I had the embroidery machine all set up and ready to go. I went for my walk, came back, and pressed Start. Since I had to use a very large hoop, I ensured my chair was well out of the way. I'm happy with the results, though two things kept it from being perfect. One thing was a small error on my part, but it's a good lesson I'll share with my embroidery group. The other was a piecing error that would have been hard to fix. But if you look at it, you may or may not notice. Perhaps only the most observant would, and since that's no longer me - I'm OK with it!!! 

Lots of room for the embroidery hoop

I still have several UFOs to work on before our session this coming Sunday, so I madly pulled out some fabric and started cutting. I will have to put my scrappy half-square triangles on hold, because I now have to make a TON of them for this project. I don't think I'll get it finished for Sunday, but at least I'm making a huge effort, and that is all that counts. Let's just say that my motivation was because I put this project on the UFO list. If it were left up to me, the fabric would still be in the stash room! Making commitments and putting them on a list rule. It's how I roll. So that's how I will continue to work. 

Using the projection system on the PFAFF creative icon 2 makes sewing the half-square triangles a breeze. No marking lines!!!! 

Using the projection system to sew half-square triangles

And I have one small section done. It took me forever in EQ8 to design that block the correct way, but I needed to do that so I would know how many squares of each color to cut. The worst part is over, I think, and I can sit and sew some of those units each day. 

Making blocks from half-square triangles

Oh -- as for the progress on the Cherrywood Challenge, I finished all the machine embroidery, so that was good. Today, it's some hand stitching, and then I start the quilting. I'm on track and giving myself three days to do the quilting, since it will be a mix of hand and machine quilting. Then trim and bind and take pictures! While I'm at spin class this morning, I'll work out the logistics of the stitching. 

Last night, as I settled into my chair to read, look what happened. I was having some yogurt as a snack, and there was one yogurt container and two dogs. Do you think they are trying to tell me something? 

MOM -- Can I lick the container? It's for ME!!!!!

When they realized there was nothing for them, they decided to "fight" each other. 

MOM - SHE ruins everything!!!

And now that I've moved the large quilt back onto the living room floor, Lexi has claimed it as a sleeping place, a place she's used for years before I moved the quilt. I don't even remember why I moved it into the family room. But last night, Lexi got up for something, and guess who just plunked herself down? Lexi was beside herself, and I had to get up to shoo Murphy away. Those two are like toddlers whenever I try to get myself organized to read in the evening. It takes a long time for everyone to get settled, and then I can have some peace and quiet. 

But you can't deny that they are a hoot to watch. 

Well, I'm off to spin class today. I debated going because my knee was so sore yesterday. I think it was the worst it's ever been. Stiff and quite painful, but it seems to be OK today. Perhaps I'll take it easy! And I can't wait to get outside and see if the car's windshield needs scraping. That's a good warmup before going to the gym - it sure gets my blood going. And that is a story for another day!!!

OH MY GOSH -- I just checked my messages, and I got one from M. Wait until you see what she has asked me to do for the wedding. ACK!!!!!!

And on that note, I'm out of here!!!

Have a super day!!!!