Done, done, and DONE!!!

Yep—all three presentations are ready to go. All the sewing was completed, the pictures were loaded and sorted, the reminder emails went out, and all is good in the teaching world. 

It was a fun day, and it was so nice to just sit and sew. I had to take pictures, mind you, but still, it was fun to listen to my audiobook and sew. I had to backtrack a lot because I missed part of the storyline. I really need to connect my new noise-canceling headphones. The open earbuds suck for listening to audiobooks while sewing. 

I can't even begin to imagine listening to a book with a speaker! When you are moving around all the time, and the noise of a sewing machine - how the heck would you even hear? 

While lots was accomplished, nothing is available to share with you, but after today, I can share! So fun to start (legitimately) several new projects! I have tons of UFOs to finish, and I had better get my act together and spend some time on those as well. 

Remember the striped fabric I chatted about the other day? Well, here is a picture of the two new ones added to the bucket with the previous ones I purchased! 

Striped fabrics

You can make a very cool quilt with ONE striped fabric, including these. I've made it multiple times. Heck -- I've done an entire series of quilts with striped fabric. I could almost have a trunk show. 

Sigh -- why have one when you can have many! I actually have a wall hanging that I made using one of these batik strips. I still need to do some machine embroidery on the quilt top, and I really need to finish it! 

As I was reassembling the sewing tables for Studio B, I had a chuckle. Remember the days when we thought it was acceptable to put the power bars on the floor? Whose silly idea was that? I'm very happy to have them on the table (yes—it might look a bit messier), but it makes it easier to access the cords. I'll never put the power source on the floor again. 

My power tower ON  the table

I'm surprised that those power towers still work. I have three of them, and the two in Studio B seem to get knocked on the floor every once in a while. The housing is cheap plastic, and I swear one day they are going to stop working. So I try to be careful, but it doesn't always work. 

There is no other way to say this except that I am a dolt! Remember my flying geese for the two winter quilts? Yesterday, while sewing, I decided to use them as enders and leaders. And I was making very good progress. 

Progress on the flying geese

Some time after dinner, I realized I made TWICE as many as I needed! Seriously?? I have no idea what happened. WAIT -- I know what happened. I looked at the cutting instructions, and it said to cut 44 of the little white squares for the corners. So I made the silly assumption that I should double that and make 88 flying geese. In fact, I only need 22 per quilt. I now have extras! 

We had a meeting about our Katimavik 50th reunion, and it was so nice to see a new face I haven't seen in 50 years. WOW -- but we have located at least one other person, and they are deceased. How is that possible? The ratio of the living to the dead is very high! 

Several of us had tried to find a particular person, but her name didn't show up in any online searches. Someone ran her name through Ancestry and POOF—there she was. And then, of course, her name now pops up in the online searches. Perhaps we are missing the others the same way. Her obit was listed in her maiden name. I don't understand how the silly internet works. 

I may have to retire my shorts in the morning—it is getting cooler, and I'm quite happy about that. I don't mind the heat, but I'm not a fan of the wicked humidity we sometimes get. The one thing I will say is I'm thrilled that we installed those ceiling fans, and I often use them at night to recirculate the air in the room. They are so quiet, you do not even know they are working. 

Here's a blast from the past. When I was going through that box of memorabilia looking for stuff on Katimavik, I spotted this autograph book. Did you have autograph books? Of course, it was all the rage when I was young, and my grandmother gave this to me. 

My autograph book

I took a picture of a couple of the entries! How fun to have their handwriting and dates in my book. 

My grandmother

This is one from my great-grandmother. I was in my teens, or was it my early 20s, when she passed. 

Great grandmother

And oh my—it appears I had a nickname I don't remember from high school. 

A friend

Yep --- I was a blusher, and well, I guess I still blush. Perhaps not as bad! 

Remember the signs on the forest indicating the path was going to be regraded?

Work on the forest path is upcoming.

Well, look what got placed at the entrance to the path. 

Serious equipment to fix the path - at last! 

And one more piece of equipment was dropped off later in the day. I suspect they'll rip it up next week. This is much more substantial than dropping a blade and grading it. Hmmm --- what can we expect? 

But as I chatted with a neighbor in the morning, we watched the dump truck and a very long trailer back down our street and around the bend. Let's say the driver was pretty experienced, as he whizzed around the corner with that large trailer like it was nothing. We were very impressed. 

I had to do some pond maintenance in the morning - cleaning the filter. I grabbed a handful of muck from the filter and threw it. Of course I did, and it went SPLAT on the gazebo post. All that open space, and I had to hit the post! Let's just say that I was never good at playing baseball!! I had to wash it off with the hose. 

Seriously??? I hit the post with the muck? 

Of course, my supervisor was sitting there watching me and wasn't very impressed with how silly I was. Actually, she was probably laughing her head off! 

OH MOM -- you are so silly.

I've decided to take Murphy for shorter walks, but twice as many. That breaks up the physical walking for her, and she loves to go for a walk, so she is happy to go for more walks in the day. 

It is so challenging to see a person or a pet struggle. Yesterday was the first day she didn't come to Studio B while I worked. It's so hard to know what to do for her. I'm sure she is uncomfortable or perhaps even in pain. I must see if I can get her some medication without the drowsy effect to help her feel more comfortable. 

We will just keep loving her and hoping we still have lots of time to spend with her. I'm sharing this with you because I don't want it to be a shock to anyone, and I don't want to pretend that all is OK when it's not. She may surprise us all and live for many years, and she is far from death. But slowing down. 

She has a new routine and doesn't want to be left alone on the ground floor at night. So I help her up the stairs and lift her onto the bed, where we have some cuddles, and then she is happy to sleep on the floor for the night. I have to fetch her in the morning for her walk, as I think she doesn't trust herself on the stairs to come down. 

I have some travel coming up, and I'm a bit worried about it all. DH won't provide her with the same care as I do, and I hope she is going to be OK. I'm even contemplating cutting my quilt retreat short, as I have to be away the following week for work, and two weeks in a row away might be more than she can handle. 

The things we do for our pets!

The other day we had chatted about how smart squirrels are, and if you haven't watched Mark Roper's videos on the mazes he makes for the squirrels in his backyard, you should check them out. In the past, a squirrel would never think of entering our backyard. Yesterday, I spotted one on the deck just having a grand old time doing something! Lexi doesn't hear so well anymore, and Murphy doesn't move so well, and the squirrels have figured that out. I may need another guard dog! 

I promise there will be loads of FUN things tomorrow as you get to see my homework for THREE of the new projects. I had to switch a couple of classes around, which meant three new projects started today. That is only a one-time situation - thankfully, as it was a challenge to get all the work done!

Oh -- and we have a surprise guest coming tomorrow! 

Anyway, it's time to get moving!!! Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!