Have you ever been in a bank robbery?

That would be a good question to use for those icebreakers. You know - the one that asks you to write something about you that no one knows! Wait for the story!

Maybe I'll consider some container gardening next year. Cherry tomatoes and maybe cucumber. I'll probably need to put that on my calendar because next spring I'll be excited about something else and forget until it's too late. 

But I agree, gardening and yard work are as hard or as easy as you want them to be. We went the easy route with everything being a perennial, no annuals and replanting for me. We have flowering shrubs for most of the summer, and I would love to take over the front boulevard with perennial flowers that require minimal work but attract butterflies. We get butterflies, but not a ton. 

And I have room for one more shrub in the backyard, and I was thinking of a lilac. I must put my thinking cap on for that. 

But what we have does NOT require watering beyond what we get from rain, and really the only maintenance is keeping the weeds down, which isn't a big deal, and for me, that's about one hour per week over the summer. I can deal with that. When the garden gets to be too much work, I'm not enjoying it. That's me -- I know others love it, but not me. 

As a kid, I spent countless hours hoeing hundreds of trees to build a hedge that eventually saved the house (DARN!!!) from the tornado that flattened part of the family farm. And countless hours planting, weeding, and harvesting potatoes and every other conceivable vegetable you can imagine. Should I even mention the hours spent shelling peas, cutting beans, husking corn, etc. And let's not forget the hours of picking fruit, both wild and domestic. I've done my time with gardening. 

I went to get a manicure yesterday. Just in case there are any close-ups of my fingernails today. I really should go once a month, just to tidy them up. I am not a fan of nail polish, but I do get a clear coat after they tidy them up. I honestly don't know how people can keep their nails looking so good. If I get regular polish in any color, it is scratched or chipped by the time I get home. And then it looks hideous. I could get gel or shellac or whatever the materials are today, but that just ruins my nails underneath. I tried it once and was shocked at the condition of my nail beds after the gel was removed.  

And then you have the decorative nails. They look spectacular, but like funky eyeglasses, I focus on the nails or glasses instead of what the person is saying. I want people to look at my samples, NOT my nails or my eyeglasses. Again --- personal opinion. 

I knew yesterday was going to be "fun" as I set out to get the room set up for the Facebook Live TODAY. Four cameras and my computer are involved, and they all have to be connected to one another through the MAGIC switchbox. 

I hoped to use the areas where my sewing machines sit. I removed all the T-shirts from the temporary design walls and then set up the main camera. DRAT --- I needed a wider angle than this space allowed.  

This area is too small.

So --- I had to set it up in the area where those "current project" tables are sitting. Yep—all that crap on the two tables and a few tubs underneath had to be moved. 

All this had to be moved.

Well, that wasn't exactly a fun task. Let's just say I got a lot of steps in yesterday, and I didn't even go for a walk. But this might be a good opportunity to sort it out before I put it all back and make some decisions. Perhaps I can find a few hidey holes in a closet or on a shelf to make some of that disappear. Wouldn't it be nice if there was NOTHING on those tables? I don't think I can cull it that much, but it's time for an intervention. 

Although this is from a different angle, this is what that area looks like. 

The "film studio"

Let me say that bagging and labeling all the cables was BRILLIANT. It took no time at all to set everything up, and since I've done it a few times, it was super easy. The hardest part was finding the spot to set things up. No equipment or cables were missing - it was a dream. And this is why we declutter, organize, sort, or whatever you want to call it. When I got the new power cord for the switch box, it also went into this bag and was waiting for me. 

Everything was bagged and tagged per camera.

My samples are out, and I have all the supplies I need. I have a few things to set up this morning, and there is one small sample I've been meaning to make, but I didn't, so that is a job for this morning. 

I started rearranging things back in order on the work tables because I'm running out of room with everything turned upside down. Once today is done, I just need my work tables back, and the rest can stay until next week. 

One more presentation is mostly done, but I have a bit of sewing to do first. Once the pictures are in the slide presentation, it's pretty easy to put them in the correct order. Then I go through it at least twice to ensure that the flow is right and to add anything I may have missed. Actually, I had to prep two presentations for the one class because one presentation is about the technique and one is for the pattern. I should have had that technique presentation done years ago, but I always fudged it. Now I'm actually making the presentation, so I won't have to do it again. I can pull the slides whenever I need them. 

And YES—all the pictures and the presentation are in well-organized file folders, so they are easy to find. 

I have one presentation I haven't started, but I hope to get working on it later today, or I might finish this one completely and then focus on the final one tomorrow. I've pulled some fabric this morning, and that is the holdup. What color am I going to make this quilt? 

While I appreciate that Halloween stuff has been in stores for months (hard to believe), I saw this on my walk. OH -- I guess I did go for a walk when I went to the nail salon, which just happened to be in the same parking lot as the thrift store, and it was senior's day. What happens on seniors' day at the thrift store? That information stays at the thrift store! 

Eager Halloween decorators

As I walked the girls in the morning, I spotted this. Again—someone just dumped this pile of furniture at the curb. It is NOT garbage day today, but recycling day. We used to have big garbage day once or twice a year, but now people seem to think it's big garbage day any day of the week. What does the city say about this? 

More big garbage piled at the curb

Look at this pretty girl! She's so beautiful and desperately needs grooming or at least a bath. I'm not sure that she can handle going to the groomer. I might have to break down and take her to one of those self-serve dog wash places. And I could get clippers and clip her myself. The last time she went to the groomer, she had leg spasms when she got home. I think the stress of being there and standing for so long wasn't for her. 

MOM - I know I'm pretty! 

And when you're hot, you just step into the pool to cool your legs and have a drink. What a silly girl. 

MOM - I'm cooling down

Here's that puzzle I chatted about yesterday. The one that belonged to my grandfather, and I suspect he gave it to my Dad, although Dad had zero recollection of it. I have no idea how old it is; there are no indications on the box, but I'd say it's from the 1940s or 1950s. I can't find anything about the Windsor Jigsaw puzzle company. All my searches lead to Windsor Castle. By the way, did you see that handsome young prince on his first day of school? It's hard to believe he is 13. 

My vintage puzzle

The picture is called Lake Josephine, which is located in Minnesota. 

The puzzle name

There are other titles, but again, searching for them online provides no further information. WAIT  - I did NOT ask the question correctly. I asked again ( I just use a search engine; I do NOT use AI). The Windsor puzzle brand started production in 1932. During the depression - imagine that. OMG—I did a more in-depth search (it's all about what you ask and how you ask it). I don't have time to post it all, but this puzzle was published in the 1940s!!! Pretty good guess. My Dad was born in 1933. 

Other titles in the series

This is a note on the inside of the lid in my grandfather's handwriting. I have no idea what he means - some pieces are short on top. Now I have to put it together to understand. 

A note from my Grandpa

But look at the pieces! They are all irregular. And the colors are so dull. It should be interesting, but not on my radar at the moment. I will keep this one. Not sure if M will want it someday, but since she likes puzzles, it might be a fun one to keep. 

The pieces of the puzzle

And I have this folder of random photos, and I should start posting some of them. A while back, I was digging through my two boxes of crap that I've carried with me since high school. And a few other things got put in the boxes along the way. 

Sadly, I didn't keep the date on this article, but it was in the mid-1980s. I was working for the Bank of Montreal at the time, and my boss and I had these two desks in the corner of that huge main bank branch off Place D'Armes. This is in the (at the time) head office of the Bank of Montreal. I did NOT work for the branch, but for another division, but we were overflow and sat in a corner of the main branch. 

We had smoky glass dividers to keep us separate from the branch, and this branch is HUGE. It's one of those old bank buildings with very high ceilings and lots of columns. 

I sat with my bank to the branch, and I remember turning around after hearing some commotion, and it was over in two minutes. Yikes!!! That was pretty scary, but we didn't even have time to register what was happening until it was over. 

So, yes, we were in the same building as the bank robbery, but we weren't close and definitely weren't the target. 

I was at this same desk when I heard the news that the Challenger exploded (1986). 

This was a cute little corner because we had our own private bathroom. Yep—there was a bathroom right beside my boss's desk, and the ladies in our department (around the corner) and the two of us used it. No one else! It was great. My boss spent a lot of time in there as she was also heavily made up! 

The things you remember. I don't need that article, but it did trigger loads of memories. 

OK—here are the links where you can watch the Facebook Live if you are interested. On Facebook, this is the link. 

And here is the YouTube link. OMG -- there's a countdown clock. 7 hours and some minutes to go!

If you open those pages BEFORE 3 PM EST, you will need to REFRESH the page to start the live stream. We typically go live right at 3 PM on the dot, so that's when you should refresh. 

Even if you are not in the market for a new machine and even if you are NOT a PFAFF person, it might be fun to check it out and see what all the fuss is about! LOADS of new technology to share! 

And on that note, I'm out of here. I have lots to get done today, and it's time to get started. 

It's going to be a fabulous day!!!

Ciao!!!!