Choose the books you read wisely!

It's amazing how many spam comments I get on the blog, and I delete them once a day. Some days are worse than others, and it's amazing how the robots can pick up keywords in my posts and then provide rogue comments. It would be so nice if those robots could be put to good use rather than create more work for everyone. It's not that there are tons, but probably ten per week. I know -- not a big deal, but still one more unproductive thing to take care of. 

Speaking of productivity, I was at the grocery store again and always use the self-checkout line. It's relatively fast, and I leave the three lines with an actual cashier for people with big carts of groceries. 

Some people in the self-checkout will have one or two items, perhaps a small basket of items, and occasionally, you see someone with a small shopping cart. But yesterday, a woman had a full large cart, which she had parked behind her. I'm not judging her, as she is allowed to do whatever makes her happy in the store. 

What was annoying was her behavior. She turned around to the cart behind her and took ONE item at a time, scanning it and carefully putting it in her boxes. Then she turned and got one more item. It must have taken a LONG time for her to get through the line. 

Meanwhile, I am pretty speedy through the line, although I never have many items at one time. However, the young store employee must have been beside himself as he supervised this area. One step on the opening screen is annoying, and I always try to bypass it. He was over at my kiosk and had touched that button before I could even register that the screen was up! I didn't mind, but he must have wanted to vent some of his frustration at her. 

The other lines were NOT busy, so the slow bagger could have gone to one of them, and they could have checked her out much quicker! 

I must still be fighting something in my body, as while I'm up and about, I don't have the same energy levels as before. Patience—it'll all come back, but in the meantime, I'm getting lots of downtime, which is what I need. I'm not worried. 

I did make it to Studio B, and I completed the machine embroidery that I wanted to get done by tomorrow. So that was a bonus. I managed to sort out some of the crap on the cutting table, and I'll put it away this morning. 

The best news is that I completed loads of paperwork. All that pending stuff was just building up, and most of it required just a few minutes to verify a date, payment, or whatever. And now there is another pile of paperwork that I must look at today. I just can't seem to get on top of this stuff. How the heck does it build up so fast? 

Part of the problem in the office is that the paperwork that never gets attended to is sitting in boxes, and I must deal with it. I'll eventually figure out a system to see what can be done. I try to deal with it as it comes in, but it has built up with being away and procrastinating in the past! In the meantime, I'll keep chipping away at it! 

In the afternoon, I went to the Oakville Fiber Art Show. Oh my --- I've been to the last several shows, and it's good. There are lots of great ideas, and it's the sort of thing I'd like to give a try, but it's not on my radar screen at the moment. 

On my way home, I stopped at Indigo to check out any new stuff. My first stop was the magazine section. Then I decided to check out other stuff, and OH MY --- who ever thought we'd see this in a store again? 

Vinyl!!!

The next thing you know, we're going to spot CDs, or how about an 8-track? Or a cassette? It's amazing how those media didn't make the cut, but vinyl, yes! 

It was another beautiful day, and honestly, I can't bear to be inside when it's so gorgeous outside. So I sat behind my tree on the front patio. It's amazing how this small tree provides a lot of privacy and will provide more as it grows. 

My privacy tree

I don't mind if people see me or if I see them, but the tree provides just enough privacy so that I don't feel like I'm in a fishbowl. 

So, I have a Halloween quilt on the bed, but I dug out my machine-embroidered one as well. It's hanging on a wall upstairs. It took me so long to finish that I'd better get it out and enjoy it! 

My Halloween wall quilt

However, there is one thing about these heavily machine-embroidered quilts—they do not fold well. So I have a tube from a batting roll covered in muslin. The quilt is rolled onto the tube and stored in a closet. It works for me, and the quilt lies perfectly flat on the wall. 

My storage tube for the quilt

So, the audiobook I'm reading right now is not my favorite genre, and I'm not sure how the heck I downloaded it. Oh -- I know -- I was starting my drive in the mountains a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted something to listen to. I did NOT pay attention to the genre, and this one was downloaded. It's a supernatural/horror. I used to like that stuff, but it's no longer my favorite. I'm over half done, so I'll persevere until the end. Next time -- be sure to check the genre!

I recently finished another e-book about someone's journey on the Camino. While I genuinely appreciate that everyone's journey will be 100% different from the next, this one was a bit much. The author is a best-selling author; she has a PhD in something, is a life coach, a spiritual healer, and much more than she claims on her website. 

I also get that many people may be extroverted but are really introverts and put on that happy face on the outside. So she is out there "healing" the world while she's falling apart inside. 

OK -- so she starts The Camino in a total mess. Every day, something spiritual happens to her. If you genuinely believe in the spiritual world, then that could happen. 

But what bothered me was her reference to various locations on The Camino. They were FALSE! She talks about arriving in Santiago and seeing the massive cathedral from miles away. That is false. Because of the lay of the land, you do not see that cathedral until you arrive at it. When you come to Leon, you can see that cathedral from miles away.

There were other instances as well, and I think she just embellished the story and mixed up the locations to make it look like the most spiritual event that could ever happen. This is wrong, in my opinion. If someone walks The Camino and doesn't feel anything, they are going to feel cheated if they think it's going to be like her walk! Or some of us are less in tune than this person. Also, she said she walked an average of 29 KM a day, when in each chapter, she put her mileage, and her average was 22 KM a day. Just lots of inconsistencies. Not a fan of the book. After reading the reviews, I found that many others were in agreement! 

I finished the book, but I was disappointed that she messed up the locations to suit her story. But each to their own! 

Well, it's time to start the day, and the girls are waiting. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

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!!!!

What I did before I left

 As I write this, I see stormy clouds outside the window. The flight is on time and expected to leave in 5½ hours. Let's pray that it stays on time. Last year, the flight was delayed and it was exhausting. But at least I'll be in the Maple Leaf lounge, which helps. 

There are pros and cons to leaving first thing in the morning or last thing in the day. On long trips like this, I'm good to leave at night and hopefully get a good sleep on the plane. So, if all went well, I should be across the ocean when this gets published. 

Just a couple of notes: The internet has always been great on the Camino, but there might be a time or two when I can't find reliable Wi-Fi. If that happens, I won't be able to blog. If there is no blog, don't panic! I have good communication (What's App) with the people I need to stay personally connected to. If I don't put anything on What's App, we all better start worrying!

My plan is to post to Facebook daily—probably in the afternoon after I've arrived at my destination for the night. You'll be able to track me and see where I am, and there will be pictures. I'm unsure how easy it'll be to post photos to the blog. I'm not going with any expectations. I know what I want to accomplish, but the first year sort of squashed those plans. I now know that you do what you can, and if you get to the end, you get to the end. If you don't, there's always another year. 

I have nothing booked except for a flight home near the end of August. Oh, and there is a 6-hour time difference. So when it's 7 AM in Canada, it's 1 PM in Spain. There will be a slight disruption in the time the posts get published, and a day or two might be missed.  

Anyway, it was a good thing I left at night because I ran around like an idiot getting everything done. The bags of mulch were "planted" in the garden in the morning before it got hot. In the afternoon, I spread them as best I could, but not before I had to do some weeding.  

The bags of mulch planted in the garden

The books have been dropped off at the book sale location. They conveniently had shopping carts to get the books from your cart to their office. 

Dropping off the donation books

The ten quilts are also dropped off for Quilts of Valour. There are only two things left in the Pony Express staging area; one will be picked up in a couple of weeks and the other in about one month. I'm impressed that I was able to clear that area. 

The Pony Express staging area

I made a quick trip to the post office to mail off one small item. That was my daily walk. It was short, but I met my walking quota for the day with everything else. 

While I was tidying up the garden, pulling out a few weeds, and placing those bags of mulch, Miss Murphy had a moment. She grabbed one of her teddy bears; he is now a flat teddy bear. 

MOM -- I'm frustrated and the bear gets it!

I stopped and got dog food for her. She goes through the bags of food twice as fast as Lexi. I also bought her a small swimming pool. The other one is in the backyard, but I think it's probably got a hole in it now. So it's now filled with water, and I think Lexi was more interested in it than Murphy. 

MOM -- we got a new pool!!!

I bought two pairs of shorts, but I'm only taking one pair with me. That's to replace the sarong I've worn in the afternoons in the past. I decided I wanted something a little more sturdy, so shorts it is. They are sports shorts and good grief, so many pairs have a liner in them. I don't want that extra layer, and I found two pairs without it. 

I think almost everything is packed in the bags. Technically, I have three - one that will get checked. I know -- the least amount of luggage, and I need to check it. That's because my walking sticks are in there and are NOT allowed in the cabin. Sigh.....  Then there's my little backpack for the plane. This will be used in the afternoon to go to the grocery store or wherever, although I also brought my lightweight folding bag. If I have to have my backpack forwarded, the folding light one doesn't work well to carry my daily supplies. So this small backpack works great to be worn as a small backpack. And it looks a little more elegant in business class than my red nylon bag! 

And then there's my flat waist belt. Together, those three things weigh 14.8 lbs. There are a lot of coins in the waist pack, which adds to the weight, so I plan to spend them first! But I'll be wearing that, so it doesn't count as weight for my back. I'm guessing the total weight in all three (I have to add my phone, glasses, and hat) will be 13.5 lbs. I'm OK with that since it will be distributed, and some will disappear quickly, like those coins. I added my sweater, and the darn three items weigh 14.8 lbs. That's still manageable, but a bit more than I wanted. However, since some weight is in the waist pack, it's not going on my back. 

Packed and ready to go

We had an interesting discussion the other day about how much we carry in a day. Do you use a purse, cross-body bag, or waist belt? I'm all about carrying the LEAST amount of stuff that I can. I used to take a huge bag of crap to work every day in the event I needed something. I never needed it, and all I got was a bum shoulder! The good news is that my rotator cuff is not torn, but it hurts like mad, especially after all the lifting and carrying I did. Pills! I need pills! I didn't get the details from the doctor, only that there is no tear. So there must be a sprain - a strain or tendon issues? 

I'll get the rest of the information when I'm back. 

As I was working in the office, I looked out the window and spotted this squirrel. 

A squirrel aiming for as much breeze as possible

Seriously?? He was flat on his tummy - the same way Murphy lies. I guess he was hot and trying to stay cool. I'm going to miss those two fur babies!! Murphy is just a big goof, and yes -- she was perched on the rocks, and as soon as she let the ball go, it rolled into the pond. Now, how did we know that was going to happen? 

Mom - I'm going to need help!

Well, there you have it --- hopefully, all is well and I'll be sleeping in an albergue. Yeah - bunkbeds!!!!

Have a great day!!!!

Ciao!!!

Where do you store your quilts?

Energy! I'm not sure how much energy I'll have later today. Sleep eluded me last night for some reason, and I'm sure I'll take a big nap later. But that's OK. 

Oh my—these pens do actually run out of ink! This is a promotional pen, but it must be a deluxe one because it really is the best pen around. It writes nicely and feels nice to hold, and I love it. Thank goodness I have several of them, as this poor one is done! There is some satisfaction in having a pen run out of ink rather than losing it! 

Bye-bye pen!!

Do you want to see why I bought a second metal shelf? The first one is going to stay in the garage, and at some point, I need to get in there and start getting rid of stuff, but that's not for this week. As you saw yesterday, the shelf is assembled and upstairs. 

I had been to the dollar store and picked up pieces of foam core, which I sliced in half, and two pieces went on each shelf. 

Foam core sheets on the shelf

Then it was time to load it with quilts!!! Yep, there were quilts in a lot of places upstairs—on the floor and on the chairs—and it looked extremely untidy. So I refolded all of these quilts and put them on the shelf. I could fit a few more on, but this made me happy. 

A rolling shelf of quilts

I don't know how many quilts are on that care, but over 50, so getting them "out of the way" is huge! The fact that the shelf is on wheels and fits through a doorway means I can put it anywhere I want upstairs and it's tucked out of the way!! 

This bookcase was crammed with quilts, some of which are now on the rolling shelf. 

Quilts in the bookcase

Some smaller quilts are sitting in this bookcase. 

More quilts and tote bags

There are still some in one of the closets. 

Quilts in the closet

And a few on the other side of that same closet. 

Another shelf of quilts

And then there are those still hanging on the railing, although I managed to remove a few from there as well. 

Quilts on the railing

I put the quilts in some order for the trunk shows or ones I want to keep personally as they have special meaning. And then there's the rest. I NEVER wanted to give my quilts away—well, never is such a strong word, but I made them as class samples or for a magazine, and there was never any intent other than that to make the quilt. And each one is like a baby—you don't want to get rid of it. 

But as I work on the rest of the house, it's time to get rid of some of these quilts. WOW -- that is earth-shattering! Next thing you know, I'll be selling fabric! In the fall, my goal is to pick ten quilts that I never use in any trunk show or that I want to personally keep, and they will be donated to QOV. I'll probably be starting a pile for Project Linus as well, and I should set a goal of donating ten to each organization before the year is out. I may need to quilt one or two for Project Linus, but those are smaller and faster to finish. 

Here's a mind-blowing thought: If I finished one quilt each week in my Community project pile and my own "to be quilted" pile, it would take TWELVE years to clear the backlog! WOW!!!!! So I'll be scheduling some weeks where I can get five done in a week or something like that. Setting out the numbers is a great motivator to get things done! I don't want those quilts hanging around for twelve years!

Getting that shelf was the best storage solution for the quilts (at least for me), and it only cost $100. Yes, I could potentially have gone through and donated a good portion of them now, but I'm not ready! The storage unit at least keeps them off the floor and is easy to move. One day, I want to arrange that railing so they are not heaped on each other. It's all about moving forward, even if the steps are small. 

Mentally releasing those quilts is actually a HUGE step forward, and I'm quite excited about it. If you didn't guess, the foam core will prevent the quilts from getting indents from the shelf. The sheets don't completely cover the metal shelf, but they do cover enough that I think it'll prevent them from getting marks. It was a very cheap solution, costing less than $10 for the entire shelf unit. The proper shelf liners were going to cost $200!

I got some stitching done at the Virtual Retreat, but not nearly as much as I would have liked. However, I'm happy to report that this is what I accomplished. Again, I could have done more, but I made leaps and bounds, and progress is what it's all about. 

The two deer got done. And there were loads of fiddly bits on these guys!!!

Two deer are appliqued

Look at those antlers!!!! 

Lots of fiddly bits

And the deer on the second quilt are also done!!! 

BOTH quilt tops are at the same stage

That means that all the applique on the big center panel is done. The rest of the applique is on the borders, so turning on the sewing machine will be easier. We have Monday sewing today, and I'll work on one of the borders. I hope to get the one border for both quilts done today. 

We finished up the Virtual Retreat early last night, and I managed to complete the last two deer in one hour. It had taken me all day to complete the first two! I'm not productive on Zoom calls. 

And then I packed the quilt shelf last night after the Virtual Retreat and started to pack for my trip, which was probably not a good idea either. Too much excitement? Anticipation? 

Anyway, I sorted through everything that I had taken out of the closet. Oh, I see that it was exactly the way it was when I took it out of the backpack when I got home last year! Well, the clothes had been washed! 

Here is my meager stack of belongings for 30 days! It's hard to grasp how little there is. I should spread it out on the floor so you can see. Three T-shirts, one sweater, one pair of shorts, one pair of pants, three pairs of socks, three pairs of underwear, and two bras. I hope to buy a pair of shorts instead of wearing my sarong. But it's amazing how little one needs. There is a small bag of toiletries, medical supplies, and entertainment (pages ripped from a Sudoku book). OH -- and the bag of electronics, as I plan to blog when I'm away and need to keep things charged. 

My stuff for the trip

As I pack the various things into the backpack, I'll take pictures so you can see how little there is. 

Yep—and hopefully, it will all weigh 12 pounds or less. That's my goal. 

I accomplished a lot more paperwork in the morning, and there's still more to do today, but I've got things under control. I'm not trying to run around and do thousands of things before I leave later this week. The number is only in the hundreds! Just kidding!!! 

On that note, I'm off to spin class!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!