What a memory!!!

OK --- I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face, and I can't help it. They are tears of joy, but still. And even when I got ahold of myself and then came back to edit, these pictures still bring tears to my eyes. 

I just had a quick peek at Facebook before I started writing, and I spotted this post. I knew my nephew, who recently got his pilot's license and bought a small plane, wanted to fly from Winnipeg to visit with my parents in North Battleford. It's about 840 km. 

When I talked to Mom yesterday and asked if anything new was happening, she said that Devin and his girlfriend were there for the weekend. 

And here is Devin taking my Dad for a ride in his plane. My Dad would be tickled to the ends of the earth with this, and I just can't stop crying when I think of how much this would lift his day, his week, his year!!

Grandfather (my Dad) and his grandson (Devin)

One of Dad's buddies (best man) lives in Edmonton and used to fly small planes, and Dad talked about it all the time. Going for a ride with his grandson in his own plane will have him over the moon. And they flew over the farm, which is even more special. I bet the neighbors were wondering who the heck was in that small plane!! 

What's left of the family farm

Gosh -- if it weren't for the blue roof on the old garage, you wouldn't even know there was a farm there! Almost everything is now gone, but you will notice a long line of debris in front of the blue-roofed garage. That belongs to my brother, who is in total denial about being a hoarder, just like Mom. He is a hoarder of old trucks and cars. While he's in the process of getting rid of it, there is still a lot of work to be done. But that's not my problem! 

OK - I think I've settled down now! WOW --- what a thrill of a lifetime for Dad. He'll be talking about that for years! I might have to get those pictures framed for him! 

My news for the day is pretty tame compared to that. I'm so not used to having NOTHING to do on the weekends that I'm positively becoming a slug! Well, that's not true, but I didn't get done nearly as much as I would have liked. But you know what? That's OK. 

This was my quote in my tea in the morning. How fun, and it's so true whether you are quilting, getting from A to B, or anything in life!! I try to "enforce" that when I'm teaching a class. I am not a fan of teachers who dictate how something must be done. There are a few rules in my vocabulary when I teach - I have my preferred way, and I like to state why that is my preferred way, but honestly, does it matter if the students do it slightly differently? Not at all!

Quote for the day

The three of us went to DH's golf club for brunch. It was a beautiful day, but it was cold, and when that wind starts up, it's even colder. When I walked Murphy in the morning, it was without mitts, but when I walked Lexi, I got mitts. 

It was a wonderful buffet, and we had a great lunch. I only took pictures of the best part! Dessert! They had yummy cupcakes. 

Mother's Day dessert

But the best part was the creme brule!! Oh my --- the portion was tiny, so I did sneak a second one, and it was so creamy and heavenly. A great way to finish off a wonderful meal. I'm sure DH will be happy when his sister moves out! So much talking and frivolity at the table! He's used to my one-sided, idiotic conversations, but to have someone respond to me -- well, I'm sure he's getting tired of it. I think it's hilarious and loads of fun!

Creme brule to die for!

I had not been out to the club for several years, and I used to ride my bike in that area, but the roads have all changed now. I almost got lost! 

So what did I do once we got back home? That darn puzzle was calling my name, and I just couldn't resist. After all, it was Sunday, and Mother's Day on top of it, so I resisted the weak pull of the sewing machine and sat down to work on the puzzle. Those buildings were a challenge since there were loads of windows, but there were small figures in them, and, well, it all came together. And this is more like me—finding a home for all the pieces I have selected. 

Progress on the puzzle

Then I covered the puzzle and said, "No more," but I couldn't resist, and before I knew it, I was back to working on the puzzle. And this is what it looked like when I shut things down last night. I think you can now tell the city it portrays! 

Great progress on the jigsaw puzzle

And while I loved getting the information, I didn't need to know there was a second puzzle store in my area!! I looked at their Facebook page, and it looks like a wonderful store in Toronto. It's called PuzzleNerds, and it's about 30 minutes away by car. Hmmm--- I may have to take a visit, but they have a very good website, so one could just look online and order! Lots of great independent puzzle makers with some amazing pictures!

I spotted this puzzle, which I need to get. It's called Soaring Over Tofino, and since that is the location of the next wedding, it's a must-get! It's out of stock at both puzzle stores!!! The Villager is a Canadian company. Yeah!

Soaring over Tofino jigsaw puzzle

Anyway --- it was fun not having any pressure to get something done, and working on the puzzle was amazing. I LOVE doing jigsaw puzzles. 

However, I did accomplish some quilting things. The customer's quilt was finished. 

Customer quilt - DONE

I just have to join some batting pieces for the community project quilt I'll work on today, and I'll switch back and forth between these two categories to finish them. It's time I got back to the long arm! And I have some learning to do, and this would be the perfect time since I don't have much pressure from classes. And can you believe? This coming weekend is also empty!! I MUST get my bike tuned up, so I can get out for some rides!!

I also traced all the applique shapes for that winter seasonal quilt I'm working on. I didn't get any sewing done, and I'm OK with that. Tracing the applique is a boring process, and it's all done!

Tracing the applique shapes onto the fusible.

It's Monday sewing, so I hope to get all the fusible on the back of the fabric scraps and cut them out. Then, when it's time to do the applique, all is prepped. I have some other applique stitching to do, and today might be just the perfect day to make it all happen. While it's OK to slide a bit, I don't want that to become the new norm. I like sewing and have so much I want to do. 

I'm off to spin this morning. Notice I didn't say "class." I'm going to hop on a bike in the main area and watch the TV without sound. I'm OK with that. I just need to get back into my routine, and I really, really miss the spin classes. 

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

Have a wonderful day!

Ciao!!!

Much ado about jigsaw puzzles!

I went for a long walk yesterday morning, and I swear there is something about the air here. The temperature was below zero C—I know—I know, I'm repeating myself. But I put my hat and scarf on and went out. While not cold, I was happy to have those items. By the time I was done, hat was off, jacket open, mitts off. The temperature rose quickly; my body was heating up. The air is dry, and it's uncanny how different it feels. 

By 9 AM, I was out walking in my sweatshirt, sleeves pushed up! Go figure!!!!

The good news is that I found the jigsaw puzzle. I started in the laundry room, where there are a few boxes of things, and I looked in a couple that they would have easy access to, but nothing. Then I looked in a box standing by the front door. It was a long, skinny box with no top, but it was leaning against the wall, and VOILA—there was the puzzle. 

Now, what is very worrisome is that they both vaguely remember the puzzle. That's common for Dad, but not so much for Mom. She usually remembers everything. But after I found it, she says she was the one who put it there. So did she remember that? Or did she just say that? Based on some of the discussions this week, I'm a bit concerned about some deterioration of her memory. 

But this puzzle threw them for a loop. The Museum has posted some pictures of gift shop items on Facebook. Knowing I was coming, I decided to buy one of the Indigenous Art puzzles, asked Dad to bring it to the apartment, and said I would get it when I got here. That threw them both for a loop as they didn't get the premise that I was buying it for myself and would pick it up. They are very easily confused, which is highly concerning. 

But here is the one thing to remember. If my parents completely understand what is happening, they remember. If they don't, they are confused and can't remember the details. I try to leave notes and send emails with all the details. I must remember to be even clearer in the future. 

I have planted some seeds and will ensure that, next time, we make a few changes. I think we are good to wait a couple of months. I know --- that statement has come back to bite many people, but I seriously think we are OK for the moment. But the bottom line is that we found the puzzle, and they won't stumble upon it and wonder what the heck it is. 

I have to laugh, and it's totally serious, so I shouldn't be laughing, but that is going to be me one day. I always joke that I don't like change. Well, I can see where that comes from. My parents resist all forms of change. However, I'd like to think that I am somewhat flexible. I don't mind new things, but I hate change in some things in my life. 

And yes, I'm working on the fact that the next visit will be a downsizing one. It has to be, as I can see the writing on the wall. It is not going to be easy, but it's going to be necessary. I don't know how much time we have left on that one, but it's coming. 

There is always a jigsaw puzzle set up in the common room downstairs, and they have this great puzzle board to put it on. It has four drawers that slide into the sides of the board that the puzzle sits on. And the pieces are meticulously sorted by color into the trays. 

The current puzzle in the common room

I have not seen the guy who works on the puzzle, although I think there are two of them. I have to stop every time I come in or go out to see if I can put a piece of two in. I don't think anyone has been around much, because it hasn't changed much in the days I've been here. But yesterday? I was on a roll—I think I put 5 pieces in at one stop. Then I had to slap my wrist and get moving! 

Not much change in five days

Oh my gosh --- I am leaving tomorrow and had a quick look at the app for my upcoming flights, and my next one is two weeks from today, and I am so not ready for that one. I don't have an outfit for the wedding (not my daughter's), and I'm supposed to make one. When I get home, I have two driving trips and three significant events to pack or prepare for. Where am I going to get the time to make a jacket? Yikes ---- I worked myself into that time constraint!!! I'll do what I can, and in the worst case, I can wear a pink T-shirt and shorts to the wedding. 

It's a wedding— who cares how the guests are dressed—it's the bride who counts. I am probably every bride's nightmare guest. I don't get the dress (color) code of weddings anyway. I guess that is why I am stalling. Why the heck can't I wear what I want? Especially since this is a destination wedding, and I really don't want to take something fancy or bulky on the plane. I travel light!!!! I have until the 14th (the day after my event) to decide whether I'm making that jacket. It's light and won't wrinkle, so I think I should bite the bullet and make it. 

Dad and I went clothes shopping in the morning. I know --- he's all spiffed up and has new jeans, and then he got a couple of new work shirts, a jacket, and a shop coat. He does a lot of welding and grinding, and works around a lot of grease and such, so his shop coat was falling apart. Literally—at the top near the front, it had huge holes that had migrated to his shirt, which has corresponding holes in the front.  

All of a sudden, he's worried about how he looks in public. WHAT??? Does he have a lady friend that we don't know about? Anyway -- I helped him get all set up with that, and then he was off to the Museum to work on his own for the day. Based on how long he has worn the previous shop coat, I think he is good for the rest of his life. I'd be tempted to put a patch on the underside of that spot that gets all the wear and tear, but if necessary, it's easy enough to buy a new one. The existing one was at least 15 years old. 

It was interesting to find a shop coat for him. The only one I could find was at Mark's, and it was polyester/cotton, which you wouldn't think would be appropriate for a coat that could come into contact with welding sparks. I guess they figure if you are going to be a serious welder (he is not), that you have a cotton or leather jacket. So we didn't buy the shop coat we spotted. 

Then I followed him to the Museum to look at his existing coat, and it was the SAME one at Marks. So I went back and bought it for him. He's going to get his name embroidered on it (there's a shop here that does all that kind of stuff) and then he'll have a new shop coat to protect his new shirts. I told him to ditch everything old, and I think that will happen. He's OK with getting rid of stuff -- it's Mom who doesn't like to do that. I think he even sneaks stuff out of the house. 

But the problem is that Mom never leaves the apartment and rarely leaves that chair of hers, so she has a good view of everything that comes in or out the front door. 

Here's a picture of Dad at the milling machine. He is always excited to share what he's working on with everyone, and while I could never do what he does, it's fascinating to watch. And there are so many similarities between the metal work and what I do. Precision work, using multiple tools to make something happen. 

Dad and the milling machine

Since I didn't have the quilt to work on anymore, I dug into my bag, where I have three small projects. I pulled out the first one, which consists of some larger hexies, and decided I needed an iron to turn the edges. I only have one cardboard template, so glue is out of the question, and the hexies are too large to use thread. I figured out how the hexies would be positioned on the background and put that away. I have 20 hexies to turn by heat when I get home!!!

I'll work on the small hexies another day, and the third project is these hearts, which need to be stitched to the background. 

Myappliquée project

I am so anal when it comes to hand-stitchingappliquéé. The thread is 80- or 100-weight, so it's very thin, and my stitches are small. Notice how the needle is parallel to the edge of theappliquée!!!! That is key to making those stitches disappear. 

Keep the needle parallel to the edge of theappliquée

And the stitches are short and mostly parallel to the edge of theappliquée. If you look closely at the left edge of the shape above, you cannot see the stitches, and that is how handappliquéé should look! 

The stitches on the underside of the project

A heart is a great shape for learning to stitchappliquéé because it has a point, an indentation, straight edges, and two curves!!!! These hearts are being needleturned - I'm turning the edge as I stitch, and I need these for one of my upcoming events next weekend. I almost got one done, and I should be able to get the second one stitched in place. I have four in total, but if I can get two stitched down, I'll be happy. 

One heart almost stitched in place.

Here is the jigsaw puzzle I purchased at Robinson McNally the day I arrived, which seems so long ago!! Beautiful hand-drawn artwork. They didn't have one for Saskatchewan, or I would have gotten that one instead. Actually, I'm lying; there was a prairie sky puzzle, but I preferred this one. They have some beautiful designs which you can check out here. Let's just say I found some items to fill the suitcase in place of that large quilt!!

My new puzzle

Well, I should get myself moving for the day. I've got to work in a shower and a walk, and I'm trying to get some work done on a computer file cleaning while I have some downtime. Today is all about more visiting and flushing out some details for another wild trip sometime soon -- maybe next year. We need to do these things before it is too late to make them happen!!!

A sad finish to the Men's World Curling, but hey --- all of the games I watched were nail biters. And Canada put up a good fight yesterday, and I think they did an amazing job. They came home with a silver medal, which is nothing to sneeze at!! I have one question—will Canada let them cross the border with that huge hunk of cheese? 

Before I go, have a look at this beautiful display on the shelf outside the neighbor's apartment. Isn't that cute? Happy Easter!!!!

Little display outside the neighbor's apartment door

Have a wonderful day and Happy Easter!!

Ciao!!!!

Travel day to Saskatchewan

 The blog is late this morning, and that's OK. Why? Well, I had borrowed a book from the library (an ebook on Libby) a month or more ago. It's by Riley Sager - Final Girls. His books are creepy — when you look up 'psychological thriller' in the dictionary, his books should be listed. Anyway - it got a bit too weird for me, so I let the book lapse. 

Then I decided to retrieve it and continue. Well, after having a nap on the plane because I had been up so early. I started reading on the plane. Oh my, I wish the flight had been a whole lot longer than it was. Then I had things to do, and it wasn't until I arrived at the hotel last night that I could read some more. But after driving for part of the day and the very early morning, I didn't read much. But I've been up reading. I don't have time to finish the book this morning, but it definitely fits into the psychological thriller genre. I didn't see this twist - many twists coming. And how many more can happen in 135 pages? 

As for travel, everything went smoothly. Although I struggled a wee bit with my suitcases. Well, after I got out of the Uber (had a great chat with a fellow from Sudan who has lived in Canada for six years), there were no luggage carts to be had. Hmm --- it's a bit hard to move three suitcases when you only have two hands. 

That was easy - I put the two big suitcases together, and piled the small third one on top, and I was good to go. Who needs a luggage cart?

The new (well, not new anymore) check-in terminals at the airport work just fine, and I noticed that the labels for the suitcases are specific - there is one for your checked (carry-on) luggage, while the other two are for large cases. No problem. I put them on the appropriate bags and all was good. 

However, the automatic drop-off didn't like the size of my carry-on, so I assumed I had made a mistake despite my taking notice this time. That didn't work, so I had to get an agent to help me. But after that, all was good. Getting through security with the priority card is a breeze. Dump everything into the bucket, walk through, and on the way to the gate. 

The only lineup was at Tim's, where I got a tea. I arrived at the gate just as the boarding process for Zone 2 was starting, so I literally walked right onto the plane. Don't worry -- I was there before all the required check-in times! But no need to be there hours before! And I don't know why DH covets the lounge so highly. Even if I had free access, I never have time, although he travels more and his flights get delayed, so it works for him. 

I received the notification that my bags were loaded onto the plane, and everything was in order. The plane was full. Actually, it was oversold by 4 seats, but I missed all that drama as I was in the Tim's line. I wasn't giving up my seat, so I didn't really care. However, we were told numerous times, as the plane was boarding, to put your wheeled bag in the overhead bin and to put the rest under the seat. It's incredible how many people ignore that. 

They even pulled one backpack from the overhead bins and asked whose it was, and no one claimed it. So, they were going to offload it. I assume the person spoke up when they threatened that! 

The airport in Saskatoon was busy. There's a huge event happening at the same time I am here - Ag in Motion, and it's massive. Getting a hotel room was a bit tricky, but even after waiting until later to book it, I still managed to find something decent. I had to wait for a car at the airport, as I had reserved one - see, I have reservations and everything! However, I had ordered a car because it was cheaper than an SUV, but I ended up with an SUV because everything else was sold out. I don't mind. And it was the same price. 

However, I got into the vehicle, and Hmmm — how the heck do I change gears? AH -- I found this paddle thing on the steering wheel. I'm not a fan, but I'm getting used to it. 

The gear shift

Then I was off to Robinson McNally. You just can't pass up a visit to a great bookstore! 

Oh my goodness — I didn't know this was such a big deal. Actually, there is a huge games section, as well as a large selection of EXIT Games, which we haven't explored in a long time. Our schedules have been too topsy-turvy. We used to play crokinole as kids. 

Crokinole anyone?

I browsed the magazine section, which is still pretty healthy compared to others I've seen. And there are still decent quilt magazines out there. Just not as many. 

Then I went to the quilting book section. This one seems to have a decent selection of books, but nowhere near what it used to be. There used to be a wide range of scrapbooking and multimedia options, but all that is now gone. It's likely being replaced by social media accounts, which is OK. 

I found two quilt books of the type I would select for one of my ongoing classes. However, I had a quick peek at them and put them back on the shelf. I don't need any more ideas. I don't know why it was called Alice in Wonderland unless it was made with an Alice fabric collection. But seriously? It's just a group of 6-inch blocks!!! I'm so over these small sampler quilts! 

A sampler quilt, anyone?

This book provided a new block for every week of the year, which is much better than one for every day. But the blocks are such a hodge podge, and again, you can pick your favorite blocks, or add in some orphan blocks, and you have created your own quilt! 

A block a week quilt

And then what's with this? I totally understand that some books will come with a plastic wrap on them, but who would buy a book like this? It's a hard cover and wrapped in plastic. Nope -- I'm not spending money on a book that I can't preview. I guess it's not worse than buying online, but still. 

Hardcover wrapped in plastic

Then, in the car, off to North Battleford. I passed the location of the Ag in Motion show on my way. Yep -- it's enormous, and because of the twin (two-lane) highway and the need to turn left off the highway to this location, the speed limit is reduced from 110 to 80 for miles to prepare people for that turn. 

I stopped at the Western Development Museum in North Battleford because that's where Dad works! Yep - he works, there's no two ways about it. I caught him at the welding station. I just hope he continues to be able to move around and drive for a long time! Although I can see him sitting in a wheelchair in the shop, directing the others to do the work! He's one very lucky man as he had a mini stroke a while back and that sapped some of his strength, but not his mind! 

Dad - setting up to weld something

And they have their museum days coming up - History in Motion, so they were busy getting some stationary engines running. They couldn't get the pump to pump water from the stationary engine and discovered that a leather gasket had disintegrated, so they retrieved a piece of leather to cut a new one. There is no option to buy replacement parts online from these guys, unless they can't make it.

I spent quite a while at the museum, just watching. So, if you ever wonder where I get my curiosity or energy, you need look no further than the picture above. He got it from his dad, who lived to be 100 years old. 

So what's the weather like here? Well, the high yesterday was about the same as the low back home. I think the highest it reached was 20 degrees. This is the temperature when I woke up this morning. 

OH -- that's cool

Yikes -- but it's smoky here. Not too bad, but it looks pretty hazy this morning, and you can smell the smoke. 

Well, I must go. I'm going to get out for a walk and find some breakfast, and then I'm off to work today. 

Have a great day!!!

Ciao!!!!

Two halves make a whole!

Thanks for the tips on magazines! And yes, while I love them, I rarely make anything from them. Not that I don't want to, but in the quilting circle of life, I do NOT need another project on my plate. I'll leave those for the newbies!

So, I downloaded the most recent Quick + Easy Quilts issue onto my iPad (through the Libby app) and browsed. OK—so I did NOT browse. If I'm going to read a magazine, I like to read it cover to cover. Don't ask me why, don't ask me to change. If I'm going to indulge in a magazine, I want to enjoy the entire thing! I even look at the ads and check if there is something interesting. 

Reading a magazine on my iPad

I learned two things, and I'm only a third of the way through this issue. First, the magazine is now a quarterly publication, not bimonthly. Hence, the extra pages and the extra cost. The second thing I learned was a tip. I'm sure some of you do this, but it never occurred to me in all my years of quilting. 

When you change your rotary cutter blade, mark the date on a piece of tape and stick it to the handle. Last night, I watched a video about the tools you need to get started. It's in French, so I'm listening to it—trying to get a better grasp of the lingo. They talked about changing the blade after every project, but that's a bit much. 

OH—remember how I said that I would love to live in Montreal for six months to improve my French? You should have seen DH's face when I said I could move into my ex's house (yes—I have an ex) while he and his current wife winter in Florida. Now, wouldn't that be a good solution? 

Back to the cutters. I know I don't change the blade often enough, and I currently have four rotary cutters on the cutting table. So I should do myself a favor later today and put two away, keeping the 60 mm cutter and one of the 45 mm cutters. Change the blades in both and mark the date. That would be a good deed!!

I'm not cutting like I used to—well, I haven't had a large project to cut in a while, but I also know that it's been a very long time since those blades were changed. 

Later today, I'll return to the iPad to finish reading this magazine. Since the price of all of them has increased, I suspect that those issues by that publisher have all gone quarterly. 

The other thing I "like" about a digital copy of a magazine that doesn't belong to me is that I can read it when it comes in and not have to deal with it many years later. 

This is where the larger iPad comes in handy. It's as large as the print page, so no pinching or expanding is required. In fact, it's easy to enlarge slightly to get a better view of some things. OK, so I'm hooked, but what is going to fill the spot of going to the store to check the magazines out in person? 

A very bad thing happened last night, and I am NOT to blame for it. I could NOT get to sleep, and it was all because a "friend" (she knows who she is) suggested an EXCELLENT idea to me earlier in the day. I could not get it out of my head—so much so that I had to get out of bed and work on the idea for a couple of hours. And it didn't help that she was sending me messages late as well! 

Who needs enemies when you have friends like that? Honestly, the idea is fabulous, and I want to see if I can bring it to fruition! 

You'll learn about it at some point, but it spurred me to do something that I've wanted to do for a long time. I might even put it out as a poll for you to vote on! This project could be developed in several directions, and I have to think about each one carefully before proceeding. 

I've meant to finish compiling the list of "$10" quilts I taught since 2003. In the beginning, there was only one quilt a year. Some years, I think there were five. I've never missed a year. Does anyone want to hazard a guess at how many there are in total? 

If I remember, I'll tell you at the end. Let's just say that I started a list a few years ago—OK --- ten years ago. It was two pages because of different stores, and the pages got separated over time. I found one recently in the office, but I didn't have the second half. I might have found that on the computer since it was in a typed chart. 

Then, while teaching a machine quilting class a couple of weeks ago, I found the second half. Now, where the heck is the first page? I knew it wasn't far away in the office, so in the middle of the night, I was shuffling papers, and guess what? I FOUND IT! The two halves are reunited! 

Oh my gosh—what an amazing journey it's been over the years. Some of the people in those classes have come and gone in my life, but some are still very much a part of it. Many friendships, with me or amongst other members, blossomed and grew because of those quilts. 

I should mention that by $10, we took a somewhat daunting quilt and broke it into manageable pieces over one year. 

My blog helped me fill in the gaps. And then I went to bed and to sleep! I should have gotten up a lot earlier to do that. 

So here's a question: Did anyone take this style of quilt from me at Sew Sister's in Toronto? There is only one quilt that comes to mind and it was called Northern Lights by Marti Michele and used her templates. I taught other classes at that store, but I think there was only one year-long one. If I'm wrong, let me know. elainetheriault@gmail.com

It would be amazing to see how many of those quilts got quilted and bound! 

I might ask more questions about some of the other projects, and I'll certainly publish the complete list once it's in better shape. 

Oh, this might be hard to read, but it's all the quilt magazines that come up in our library's Libby when I type in the word "QUILT." There are twelve titles, and I suspect that a couple of them only contain back issues—like the Sampler Quilt. 

List of quilt-related magazines on Libby (at my library)

That is plenty of reading material, and I do NOT need to buy the ones on the list. OK—I'll confess, there are a couple of other titles that the library doesn't have, but I'll check it more thoroughly, as there is more than one resource, and see what I can come up with. 

I got all the fusible tricot onto the backs of the T-shirts, which are cut out. I LOVE this 20½" square ruler. It's the best thing ever. I don't use it every day, but when I need to cut large blocks, it's perfect. I sorted them into three columns and washed the flannel to go with the T-shirts. 

Cutting the T-shirt blocks

And there's the community project quilt. I'm a bit behind on that goal for the year, but there'll be loads of time between now and the end of the year to complete the ones on the list. 

Community projects quilt

I know that you are laughing when you read that statement above. I have a potential of four weeks of travel or being away from home before the end of the year. Two are guaranteed, and two are maybes. I just need to be productive with my time, and I'm back on track, so that's good. But now I've added this other project and need to work on a project for my Mom. It must be done! It's not just for her - it's for me. 

I chatted with my Dad for a long time, and he told me the story of two people who came to the museum where he "works" and asked for information about the Baljennie Cemetery. Well, one of them was a long-time manager at another branch of the museum, and the other was a complete stranger. My Dad, whose nickname used to be Roadrunner, hopped in his truck on two different occasions and drove the 30 miles to Baljennie and gave them the tour of their lifetime! So much has changed over the years, but my Dad knows where everyone lived even if the house is gone and the homestead is now in the middle of a field. 

When I return, I think it's time for one more road trip before it becomes impossible. The guy is 91! He is fiercely proud (and rightly so) of all that he has accomplished. He never talks about farming—I think he did that just because it was a way to earn a living. His accomplishments are his tinkering and making. And he makes a darn good tour guide! 

I don't even know how you would capture something like that to treasure - it's a memory that will live on in my head forever. 

OH -- and this is how strange things can get. The great-grandparents of the museum manager used to live in the area, and she wanted to see their graves, for which my dad made some markers. They ended up at my parents' apartment for lunch after the tour. My Mom had a small powder box that belonged to this woman's grandmother, and my mom gave it to her. Can you imagine how blown away this woman would be? My Mom had it because it was gifted to my grandmother when the lady died, and my mom got it. One less thing to deal with!

It's tough to see in this picture, but that guy in the white sweatshirt is "walking" his dog. 

How to walk a FAST dog

He's on a motorized skateboard with ONE WHEEL, called Onewheel, and he's moving! I've seen him on numerous occasions, and I keep my distance because I'm afraid of him failing off and hurting himself or the dog. He is moving at a pretty good clip! We've seen him in the forest and on the streets. Yikes—I can't imagine, but the dog seems happy and is well trained to follow along. The dog is on a leash, so that makes it even trickier!

I see my sleepless culprit is up as well! I'll have to bounce more ideas off her today. I'll also write the project out so that it will NOT keep me up tonight. I think a nap might be in order today. 

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!

The end is near!

Thanks for the stories in the comments. I've mentioned this before, but I'm not alone in dealing with hoarding issues. I hate to say that it runs in the family since my parents both have issues. All three siblings have hoarding tendencies, and I see it in M. I found an interesting article about hoarding—check it out because it's interesting. 

Hoarding is now being labeled as a branch of mental illness and is widely discussed, and some companies will come and get rid of the stuff, etc. But it's only recently in my world I've come to realize that we are not alone. It is embarrassing when I look at their apartment, but I realize now that it's not intentional. 

I know my brothers, at least my older brother, still grapple with my parents' issues. What's interesting is that it's like the kettle calling the pot black. He can see their issues, but he can't see his own. 

I'll openly admit that I tend to hoard, especially when it comes to craft stuff—I'm right up there. As my cousin said the other day, " If things have a home."  Imagine that coming from a 50-something-year-old single man! I was shocked! The fire departments use a scale of 1-10 to gauge the severity of a situation. I'm not a 10, but I'm not a 0. And it really depends on the area of my house. I won't have much time when I get home as I'm off on another adventure, but I plan to start tackling more stuff. That office really needs to be completed. It is NOT a hoarding situation, but it's about 2 on the fire department scale. 

There's a little glimmer of hope as Mom asked me yesterday if I wanted any ribbons. She pulled two tubs of ribbon off the shelf, and I went through them. Now, I misunderstood—I thought she didn't want any of the ribbon, but no—she just wanted to get rid of some of it. That's OK—most of what she wanted to get rid of was used and stained—stuff that she dare not throw out because it could be useful. 

I took each piece of ribbon in my hand and she said "yes" or "no". She said that!! Do you know how monumental that is? I've never seen it happen in my lifetime. I quickly got a bag for the rejects, and it's in the car. I will sort it again as some would be useful to a crafter, one or two that I'll take with me, and the rest will be trashed as it should have been years ago. 

I asked if I could consolidate the two bins into one. OH NO—that will never do. So, we still have issues, but there is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. 

When I was cleaning up after dinner, I noticed huge stacks of empty margarine and yogurt containers under the sink. Hmm—that needs to be dealt with. Those are precious, so it might be a struggle to get her to see the light of day on that one. 

When I return here, well, as mentioned, we'll be tackling parts of the apartment, and I think we'll be able to deal with the scrapbooking stuff, which will be HUGE. She even admitted that she bought way more than she should have. So all this is a positive, and it's all baby steps!

Even though it was Mother's Day, I spent much of it with Dad. We had to drop some stuff off at the Museum, and I saw the plasma cutting table he built. When I see all the little gadgets and things he's made or that he has fixed, it's hard not to be impressed. More importantly, he's surrounded by like-minded volunteers and employees at the Western Development Museum, so he's happy at "work." And at 91, I bet he could work circles around many people. Maybe not physically, but ethically, he could. 

I didn't take pictures of his setup at the Museum, but trust me -- he's pretty clever. 

For people who call Saskatchewan boring and flat, you haven't been to the area where I grew up. It's on the banks or close to the North Saskatchewan River. We had gone to the farm to do something—I'll tell you in a minute—and on the way home, we took some detours to check out things. 

Pictures never do justice to the pitch of hills, but some of the hills in the coulees are incredible. 

Two steep hills - one down and one up

It was fascinating as we drove because he knew everything about the area. This is not a place that I would usually drive. I certainly wouldn't take my car, as there were a few soft spots and mud!

There are a lot of gravel pits in the area (which are extremely valuable), which would have been left behind by glaciers. So we took a detour to see the newest one. There were so many backroads, but it was a fascinating detour. We saw four coyotes, one fox, and ONE tick, which I discovered on the side of my nose under my sunglasses. The bugger!! 

We stopped at the small local cemetery, where Dad made the gate. It's called Beyond the Sunset. 

Dad and his gate at the cemetery

While Dad didn't make these particular markers, he arranged to have some metal markers made for the unmarked graves in the sparsely populated cemetery. 

With Dad's sense of humor, he made this for himself. 

Dad at his future gravesite

We got back to the truck, and then I thought - DUH -- take a picture of him by the sign, which says "Future home of Stan Mills." I think it's pretty funny, and when I took the picture, he asked if I wanted him to lie down! Ah, no -- that's OK.

I did not know this, but apparently, there are huts in this area where hunters come to hunt in the fall. What do I know about that stuff? Anyway, here's another shot of the crazy roads we were on. I think there were two coyotes in front of us, but you can't see them in the photo as they blended right into the road. 

Backroads of Saskatchewan

So why did we go back to the farm? Well, I had brought in a pile of crocheted cushions, and Mom and I rescued them from the foam pillow forms. These are not-so-nice cushion forms, and I wanted them out of the house, so we trudged them back to the farm. While there, we wanted to get the remainder of the cushions to rescue the yarn, which Mom will crochet into something. It's a good thing—it keeps her busy, and she will donate them. 

I guestimated there were twenty cushions on that top shelf. HA! I was totally wrong. There were close to forty, if not more, and I passed on a couple since they were made of Phentex. 

Cushions to deal with

I removed the forms from several, but they are either sewn or crocheted together, so it's not like we could just open a flap and remove the form. It makes no sense to bring all those forms in and then take them back. I'll go back tomorrow to rescue the rest of them, and I want to look for one more small thing. Then, I'll close that chapter of my life forever. 

One good thing about all this cleaning is that I'm getting to spend some time with two of my aunts - both like to sew or quilt. So that has been a bonus of all these trips, and I'll continue to visit in future trips, but we won't be dealing with crap at the farm. 

You may wonder why this took eight years. There was NEVER a need to empty the house; we just wanted to recover stuff that we felt was useful to someone else. I struggle with that myself—there is NOT much value in what we own, but it might be useful to someone else. Most of it is junk! It took years for Mom to release her claws on stuff and years for us to feel comfortable getting rid of stuff. 

My younger brother is happy to sell anything for a few bucks, but is that the best use of his time? It works for him, but I can't be bothered with small stuff. 

Could we have cleared the house in one day? I don't think so, but if push came to shove and we HAD to clear the house, we could have done it in a week. But that would have meant getting a dumpster or digging a pit so you could literally clear it. We didn't go that route so we just took our sweet time. 

I cooked dinner for the family, and my two brothers and SIL were there, so Mom had all of us around for Mother's Day dinner, which hadn't happened in a long time. 

After things were tidied up, I went back to the hotel. It was early enough that I could go for a walk—my Fitbit will be going into cardiac arrest soon! There is a small trail near the hotel. 

Walking trail near the hotel

So I wandered on that for a bit and headed out to get a geocache. It was a tricky one and well-hidden, but I spotted it in no time since there wasn't much else around. 

The geocache

On the walk back, I got to see a gorgeous sunset. 

Beautiful sunset

I'll stay in town today as I have some things to do. We're back at the bank, where I have many questions and am not happy with what they did. Before I go into a big rant about that, I don't have the answers yet, but I think they took advantage of my parents and certainly did NOT follow the instructions, nor did they do what they said they would do. I'm not sure it can be undone. So, I'll wait before I rant on that issue. 

I have some stuff in the car that I need to sort and find homes for today, so it'll be all fun and games!

On that note, I'm out of here!

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!

Makers are going make!

 

It's going to be a glorious day! I'm making great progress in Studio B in getting some of those silly little things tidied up. I'm going to be making a list of the additional samples that I want to make. Nothing that'll take a long time, but it would be nice to get some of those basics out of the way. The cutting table is not completely clean; however, it's looking great. 

The cutting table in better shape

Oh, it's Monday sewing today, and I've got a pile of projects cut and ready to sew. It amazes me how little time we actually spend sewing compared to prep or clean up time. 

Sewing projects for today

The best news of all? The arcs for the Double Wedding ring are all trimmed! At least, the B arcs. Now to get to work on the A arcs, but that's in two weeks when my presentations die down. I think I have 11 this week. Yikes - I'll be hopping, but mostly everything is prepped. 

The last of the Double Wedding ring arcs are trimmed

I've got to get the last set of instructions out for Christmas Fig - one of our online projects. I prepped the outer framing required for some of the blocks, and it's ready to sew today!

Frames for a Christmas Fig block

The white scraps are being moved to the Long Time Gone project box. Yep - nothing like getting totally organized and keeping everything neat and tidy. It's all possible when things have a home. If they sit on the cutting table or the ironing board because they don't have a home? Well, that's clutter, and clutter is not good! And the reason there is so much scrap leftover is that I used 5 or 6 different whites. 

All the scrap from the Christmas Figs quilt

I was chatting with a lady the other day who teaches at an outdoor school. How cool is that! She teaches the younger kids, and they go out to various areas in their neighborhood (properly dressed, of course), and by revisiting the same area every day, the kids are taught to notice their surroundings. Hmm - that must have happened to me. 

So this is what I saw in the forest yesterday. The garbage bin was tossed over again! Why?? And it looked like someone had tried to put the bike in the garbage bin. Meanwhile, the real garbage is still strewn all over that area. I just don't get it. What's the purpose of this? I'm not about to pick up the garbage when I have Miss Murphy with me, but I should grab a pair of work gloves one afternoon, pop over and pick it up. I'm just afraid that if I do, it'll be all over again the next day. 

The garbage bin is over once again

And then this. Seriously?? Someone light a fire in the middle of one of the paths? Do these people not have anything better to do? It drives me crazy. 

The remnants of a fire in the middle of the path

Now here's something interesting. I spotted something white in the middle of the forest, and I was with Miss Lexi this time. So we had to investigate. Hmm - a laundry basket on little sticks. What's that all about? 

A leaf catcher

Well, after reading the sign, it's supposed to be a leaf catcher. However, not sure if someone took the leaves out or the leaves choose to not go in the basket. But there were no leaves IN the basket, but plenty around. I read the sign attached to the basket - some kind of leaf study from a local university. I wonder if I should e-mail him and let him know that there are no leaves in his basket. 

The sign on the leaf catcher

That brings up an interesting discussion that we had yesterday. After a harrowing 24 hours when we first got Lexi, and she escaped, both dogs wear a dog tag with my phone number and our address on it. Yep - Miss Lexi got driven home one day after she got her new tag. Apparently, a worker in the backyard hadn't shut the gate properly, and she decided to take a walk in the neighborhood. By having a phone number and an address, it was easy to get her back. The first time, we found her through Animal Control and Kijiji. Long story!

So someone just recently got a cat and wants to put a tag on a cat collar with her phone number on it. Someone else suggested that she get the animal microchipped (yes - good idea, but I believe the cat is already microchipped). So here's the controversy. If you spotted a stray animal, would you take it to the vet to see if it was microchipped? NO - I know that I wouldn't. I'd call animal control and have them come and catch the pet and let them deal with it. But if the dog or cat came right up to me and I saw a tag? I'd call the owner. 

I came across something very interesting on my Virtual Walk across Canada. It's absolutely fascinating to see the landmarks, hotels, parks, stores, etc. along the way. Well, I left Thunder Bay a week or so ago, which brought back a lot of memories. When I was on my REAL cross Canada bike trip in 2013, two people were killed the day we visited the Terry Fox Memorial just outside Thunder Bay. They were killed close to Nipigon. I'm in Nipigon right now. As I approached Nipigon, I noticed that the area where they were struck by a car has been twinned!!!  Yep - I'm not sure what the double highway's length is, but it's in that very area. It looks to be about 20 KM. 

Which is a good thing. I vividly remember that day, and it was awful. After waiting for a lengthy time at the campground and knowing that something bad happened (sirens screaming down the highway), we rode our bikes to the local truck stop - the Husky. We were treated like lepers by the truckers as that entire MAJOR highway was shut down for hours. And if you're a trucker, time is money!! It was a bad stretch of road, and so it's nice to see it twinned. At least, traffic could still move if something else bad happened. 

It looks like the construction is just finishing. RIP Bob and Irene. I'll never forget you, and that awful day is embedded in my mind forever. 

The new twinned highway outside Nipigon

The dot in the bottom left is the campsite where we were supposed to stay that night. The Husky station is the first blue dot on the left. I know you might think this is morbid, but I need to write this. It makes me feel better. It looks like the highway twinning stops right at the campsite. 

The map near Nipigon

And now onto some fun stuff. We had another amazing EQ8 class yesterday. I'm amazed at how well we can work something like this into Zoom. But oh my! I wanted the class to have a specific fabric grouping, so I created a file with the FABRICS only and sent it to them. Well, I got a few PANIC e-mails and texts. Yes - they had received the file, but it was EMPTY. No quilts, no blocks. Well, of course, it is - that was their job to make their own quilts and blocks! I had a good laugh about it!

But here's some more of the show and tell that I received. 

Wendy sent me this medallion quilt that she designed. Wow - I love it, and wouldn't that look nice as a real quilt!

Wendy's medallion quilt

Here's a table runner by Helen Anne. That is very cool and was her first attempt at bringing in a fabric. 

Helen Anne's table runner

Diane was recreating a Tree of Life. I believe this is a large quilt, not a block. Looks amazing!!!!

Diane's Tree of Life quilt

Janice used the Christmas fabric I sent in my file and made a Christmas quilt. Very cool. 

Janice's Christmas quilt

Susan is obsessed. She is recreating the blocks from an online sew along and incorporating them into her quilt. Impressive!

Susan's new obsession

Kathi played with various techniques, styles, and blocks, and this is her quilt design. 

Kathi's sampler quilt

Ronda sent me two files with the fabrics we played with yesterday. Simple, but simple can be good. 

Ronda's Christmas quilt

Here's the second panel that we played with. 

The bird panel quilt

And Shelly sent another version of the Santa collection. Nice mitered corners and a great diamond border!

Shelly's version of the panel quilt

It is SO EASY to create quilts in EQ8. We have one more class where we'll delve into some more creative tools, and we've barely scratched the surface of this program. After the classes are over, most people will put EQ8 away and not touch it again, which would be a shame. So I'm starting an EQ8 club in January. It's going to be open to anyone. You'll get an assignment each month, and we'll do a show and tell each month and figure out if there is a better way to design the blocks/quilts. 

It's not going to be a learn to use EQ8, but it'll be good feedback on designing and keeping them motivated to use the program. If anyone is interested in the club, let me know, and I'll add you to the list. It'll be $25 for the six-months. We'll meet once a month on Zoom. 

I read Louise Penny's newsletter yesterday, and she had this quote, which I love. 

This is so true. I had a very long chat with my Dad yesterday. I walked for over an hour in the cold wind, and we chatted up a storm for most of the walk. I just want to thank my parents for giving me the outlook on life that I have. My two brothers are the same way. We are all very creative; we can do anything we set our minds to. My Dad is in his 80s and has recently had a couple of health issues pop up. He normally volunteers at a Museum where he creates tractor parts for old tractors because some of the old parts no longer exist, or he putters with engines. 

The Museum has shut down their volunteer program since COVID hit, BUT he got contracted to return to make some items for their Christmas light display. I told him to send me photos, but he likely will not. He's already made a pair of spectacles and is currently making three pieces for a mini train that will be 20 feet in length. Seriously? This guy is in his 80s and is excited about each and every day!! I want to be like my Dad when I grow up!!

Just remember that only YOU can make a better life for yourself. I just hope that I've instilled some of that philosophy to M. It would be a shame and a total waste if I haven't done that. Like that kid needs to learn to sew!! Just kidding - she has her own talents! And she has Bear, so she's a keeper!

I do have one little pet peeve about my Dad. He talks about how his Dad, himself, and my two brothers are always inventing little things and knowing just how to make things happen. Well, Dad - so do I! But because he doesn't see it or understand what I do, it's hard for him to appreciate that! But that's OK. 

Well, on that note, it's time to get bundled up and go for a walk. It looks cold out there. 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!