Tradeschool or university?

 Although yesterday was our Monday sewing day, I didn't spend much time with the group. I had a doctor's appointment. Why? 

Well, I think I cracked/dislocated/broke a rib. I know—what a silly thing to happen. But the way it happened really worried me. I was at the physio, and I was on my tummy and getting some compressions on my back and POP - I heard something, and I felt something so strong that my leg flew up in the air as a reflex. 

I thought nothing of it until later, when the pain would NOT go away. I totally get that there is nothing to be done about rib issues - you just take meds and wait for it to heal. BUT I am worried that if it was a break or a crack, my bone density is suffering. 

I had an X-ray yesterday and will get results tomorrow. Then I'll book a physical, and I'll get a new bone density test to see if I'm improving with the dreaded medication! I feel OK, but then I'm on Tylenol 3 twice a day, and it's still painful at times. Sleeping is the worst - how do you get yourself up without pain? I have figured it out, so I'm good. 

I tried to book a physical with my doctor yesterday, but I'm not really free until November. I am, but I don't want to deal with it until November. She said it's way too early, and they always have room within days of calling. How many patients does our doctor have? 

The second thing that happened yesterday was this. 

The Odyssey - IMAX 70mm

DH has wanted to go to this movie ever since it was released, and it was extremely challenging to get tickets, especially in IMAX and even harder in IMAX 70 mm. Movies aren't my thing, but with Dillon's help, I got the IMAX 70 mm tickets. I just needed to know when to book them because once they are released, they go quickly, and I am NOT sitting in the second row from this giant screen. The movie is almost 3 hours long, and I was worried. Would I fall asleep? Would I be able to follow the storyline? 

At some point in my life, I read The Odyssey, and I thought they did a great job of portraying the story. The theatre was full, and everyone kept their phones on silent or dark. WHAT????? At one point, I thought I heard the person next to me's phone vibrate, but it wasn't a big deal. There was no pre-show entertainment as with other movies. There was ONE trailer for Dune (we already have tickets in IMAX 70 mm for Christmas Day), and that was it. The movie started. I think some people expected it to start a bit later because a few stragglers arrived after the movie started. 

I have to say that I was OK with the movie. Would it be my first choice? No, but it was a much better experience than I expected. And I think we convinced M to go, as Dillon wants to see the movie again! 

I'm leaving again today and have finalized the rest of my plans for this month - thank goodness for that, and I have a breather between trips. I was so worried about getting home from this trip next week and then taking off immediately. This way, I can space out my homework prep!!! 

I'm sure my groups just roll their eyes - I have dates scheduled, and then I have to change them because my work events change things. I swear scheduling dates, and such is NOT my forte. However, what I had to move were NOT classes people paid for; they are really just opportunities to touch base, so I'm not worried about that. I try very hard to NEVER change a class that they have paid for, but sometimes it happens. 

The two groups involved have already been notified, so if you didn't get a notification, then don't worry. 

Fall is definitely coming. The forest floor is even more littered with acorns. Not all of them seem to be empty -- did the squirrels leave some goodies behind? I spotted a couple of squirrels trying to take some small leafy branches up a tree. Perhaps they felt they needed more insulation in their nest for winter! Wouldn't you love to see one of the squirrel nuteries? 

The ground is littered with acorns.

I am not a fan of squirrels and chipmunks, and I find them becoming quite aggressive. They are crawling all over the roofs of houses trying to find a cheap way to live this winter! They're even more aggressive in our backyard. However, Miss Murphy was on duty yesterday trying to keep them away. 

Mr. Squirrel --- STOP right there! 

She might not be able to run as much as she wants after them, but one big bark should do the trick! I'm very happy to report that we have all settled into a new routine with her. Shorter, more frequent walks, helping her up the stairs, and so on—it's all working out, and hopefully she will continue to be herself for a few more years. Nothing has changed her enthusiasm for life! 

It's kind of like dealing with aging parents. Once you get over the shock that their physical capabilities have changed, then you learn to adapt and move on!!!!

One more sign that fall is close is the trees changing color. I love watching these trees change color, and these ones will become brilliant red. 

Leaves are changing color.

Oh - back to the movie. I splurged on a large bag of popcorn, which I didn't finish because it got very salty toward the end. And I had a bottle of water, which I didn't drink all of so I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom. 

Snacks for the movie

Speaking of the bathroom, here are the tiles at the theatre, just in case you were wondering what they looked like! That could become a quilt, but it has a bit too much black for me; it could be changed!

Tiles in the movie theatre bathroom

Oh my gosh—I spotted this on my social media, and I haven't stopped laughing! Yep—that pretty much sums up my life: I solve all my problems with quilting! 

Too funny!

I seem to be getting a lot of words-of-wisdom-type posts these days, and I'm OK with that. I love this one, which was focused on sewing. 

Mistakes are your friend!!!

I cannot stress enough that almost everything I have learned comes from experimenting (which people are afraid of) and making mistakes (which people are terrified of!). You need to put those emotions away and embrace experimenting and making mistakes. The materials cost for both is minimal. Have you ever thrown out a cake that flopped? What about a plant that died? 

It's kind of like going to university. I think university wasn't about learning facts. It was about learning skills. You learned how to research, write, manage your time, and many other things. YES -- you learned facts, but none of them are relevant today. But knowing how to research and write are lifelong skills. 

EXCEPT in the face of AI, those skills matter less. So why do we go to university? Personally, I think trade school is a far better choice, and while AI can assist in the trades, it cannot take over. Job security? I'd go with a trade! 

Imagine going to school and getting a Bachelor of Commerce degree with a major in marketing. Hmmm—where do you even begin to find a job? And the chances of you keeping that job are likely slim. So then you spend more time looking for another job. 

But let's say you go to school to become a plumber. You are always a plumber! You join the union, you apprentice, and then you are a plumber for life. It doesn't mean you are a big, uneducated oaf, which some people associate with tradespeople. These trade skills are changing because of technology, and the technology they deal with is often more sophisticated than what people who went to university use. 

Do NOT underestimate the power of the trades, nor their knowledge. They are smart—and they earn a very decent salary. If you have someone in your life looking for something in life -- encourage them to learn a trade! For the average person, which most of us are, they will be much better off. 

Office jobs are more likely to be taken over by AI, while trades will be assisted by AI but won't completely disappear. 

It's funny, I was talking to someone who has worked in logistics for many years, and they said that unloading a truck, sorting the packages, getting them on the beltways in the warehouse is NOT something that AI can do. I forgot to ask how big the crew was, but they have up to 30 trailers to unload in a night. Can you imagine? Those are 53-foot-long trailers, by the way! 

Yeah -- the day has come!!!! The Villager puzzle company, which seems to be pumping out puzzles faster than you can count, has released this new one. This puzzle will only be sold on the Villager website OR the gift shop on the BC Ferries. I am so tempted to take the ferry on my next trip just to buy the puzzle that way. I still have time to decide, and you know what? I may do that. It just takes a lot of time to take that darn ferry! 

Cynthia's latest puzzle with Villager

Even better news: this puzzle is artwork by Cynthia Frenette. Cynthia drew the puzzle for M's wedding. I love what she creates, and this puzzle is called Coastal Hiking. How cool is that? I swear - jigsaw puzzling is booming right now!! 

I spotted this a couple of days ago. While I consider myself lucky and have a lot of people around me that I trust, there are a few people in my circle that I do NOT trust. 

I don't need to reveal who they are, but I know who they are, and I take what they tell me with a grain of salt. What people don't realize is that if you think keeping your information "secret" is good, then you can think that. But other people know of your story, and that gets back to me! Don't worry—it doesn't involve anyone who reads my blog—well, maybe that person does! That would be hilarious! 

And information is golden! If something goes wrong, I go straight to the right people and let them know something awkward/bad happened, like the iron and Maureen. If that got back to my boss, she likely wouldn't care, but by letting her know immediately, no one can hold that over me!! And I think everyone had a laugh about it. I'm laughing about it - such a silly little detail, and I never thought of it! That's what bugs me more than Maureen outing me on it! 

Well, the laundry is done, my bags are packed, and I just have to finish off the blog and walk the girls, and then I'm off to Montreal for Salon Quebec. It is held in St. Hyacinthe, which is about 45 minutes east of Montreal, so if you are in the area, be sure to stop by our booth. And yes—I'll lift that silly suitcase carefully. I can lift - I just have to be careful. 

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

Ciao!!!!

Make rules - take CONTROL!

It's another day! Of course it is. Well, if I take the book I'm reading into account, who knows what day it really is. It's called My Husband's Wife by Alice Feeney, and — well —it's bizarre. At first, I thought it would be boring, but then there was a plot twist, then another, and then another. And I'm now so turned around - well, I'll just have to listen to the last 5 hours to see what happens. 

I have a road trip today; however, I have company, so I won't be able to listen. That's OK -- there's always tonight. 

As I surveyed the mess on the floor in Studio B after moving the tables filled with "current" projects, I came to a conclusion about how to solve the problem. I also found another hidey hole on a shelf, so that is three decent-sized spots to put things. 

I made a few rules so I could take control! If the project is listed on the Visual To-Do list, then it stays on the tables. If it's one of the "less than one hour" items, it stays on the tables. Anything else will find a home in a storage spot. It's going to be a challenge to do that sort, but really it shouldn't be - it fits in one category or the other, or it doesn't. It sounds simple!!

I may need to make a few more rules along the way, but I can get it cleaned up! 

The main thing here is that I am taking CONTROL of the situation, because otherwise it's driving me mad that I never make progress on what's on those tables. The other plan is to take one small project a day OKK - that may not always work out that way) and actually finish the darn thing. Seriously? Do I expect someone to stop by in the night and do the work? 

So when I get home this afternoon, I have a few things to tidy up, and I'll continue with my sorting. 

Let's start with technology because technology is never far from my mind. The first issue is the CD-ROM drive. I have no idea why my computer won't read the darn thing, so I headed off to the library to see if theirs would work. 

I had checked before, and there was no need to book a computer - there were lots available. I spoke to a person at the desk and asked if they had a CD drive, and he said no. So I was hoping mine would work. On the way there, I realized I needed TWO USB ports to connect the CD drive AND my hard drive to copy the files to. 

Thankfully, the computer had two open USB ports, but it was a challenge to connect them because they were hard to see. 

I attached my CD and external hard disk to the computer.

I took FOUR machine embroidery patterns with me, and I got them all copied into the appropriate spot on my SEWING external hard disk. I swear that breaking my files up onto three external hard disks was the best thing I ever did. It's easy to travel with them; no need for USBs and then transferring to the computer when getting home. It's brilliant. 

Transferring files

There were a lot of files, and it took quite a while. The first two groups were fast, but then the system slowed down. Anyway, while I was working, the person from the desk came over and asked how it was going. I said fine, and he said they do, in fact, have a CD drive, so I could use that in the future. That is good to know!!

So those machine embroidery files are now usable, and I should keep going to the library once a week or so to transfer the files I need. It's a nice walk to the library, so on a day when I have no other errands, I might just do that. 

Hmm—I should always do that on a Tuesday, and then I'll have no excuse to go to the thrift shop. Oh good grief—I noticed a sign the other day—the Mississauga Symphony Used Book sale is this weekend, and they have puzzles, books, games, etc. Should I go? I always find a treasure or two, and it's supporting a good cause! 

My other technology woe right now is my Google Drive, which is FULL. I got a notice yesterday that if I don't do anything, I will lose the ability to get email in 29 days! Yikes!!!! The first thing I did was turn off the photo backup on my phone. I do NOT need a backup of my photos, so I have no idea why that is there. And can you believe that when you start to clean up, it helps you! Here's a look at my BLURRY pictures. 

What Google defines as BLURRY pictures! 

Yes—there are a LOT of photos my camera takes on its own, including a couple of long videos taken from my pocket. So I'm getting rid of those, and I also tackled my email. I do not know why it is taking up so much space. A simple email shouldn't consume a ton of space, but I suspect it is all the emails with presentations/pictures attached. I need to delete everything that is no longer relevant. I've done that in the past, but I've never seen my email storage decrease.  

And I don't know why email does funky things. It's been keeping a duplicate, or almost a duplicate, of everything in an "important" folder. For heaven's sake - I don't need that. Again - it's going to be a matter of taking control and just deleting stuff instead of thinking that I will one day have time to read some of the stuff. 

I'll figure out a solution, but I need to take charge NOW!! Some of the backup photos I'm coming across are at least 10 years old. Why is all that there? I move all the photos from my phone to a hard disk, and then everything gets deleted, but it doesn't get deleted from that damn drive. Why? Because then they can sell me more storage instead of me dealing with it. I don't need more online storage. 

We discussed this the other day at lunch. Technically, why would you want ANY online storage? I'm certain that the big companies use that data for whatever purposes they deem worthy - training Google to detect blurry pictures, or identifying other things. We are so afraid of having a presence on the internet, yet if you let Google back up your photos, EVERYTHING you take is online! 

And don't worry—if you don't use Google, I'm sure Apple has all kinds of crap in its cloud. I also don't get this new trend of tracking people! Why the heck would you want that? I know several people who track family members or friends. Seriously? That is an invasion of privacy - I don't care if you are my mom or my sister - it is NONE of your business where I am at this point in time. And if I can track you, then everyone else in the world can track you as well. It's just darn creepy! 

Now -- if I were a risk because of mental health or whatever, then it may have a place, but in the unlikely event you are kidnapped, the first thing they are going to do is take your phone away, so what's the point? And your phone is constantly pinging a cell tower, so if you were kidnapped, they would use that to help locate you. 

I struggle with the overload of data as it is - I certainly don't want more! 

Back to the email - I'm going to try and eliminate everything except my current projects from online. NOTHING needs to be backed up, and nothing needs to be shared with anyone. Then I'll be in charge of my data, and my storage costs will be cheap! 

It was another fabric sorting session last night. I need some batiks, so I sorted through my batiks to see what I had. It's part of the road trip today. Thanks to a friend who gave me small swatches of the fabrics needed for a certain quilt. They were VERY helpful!! 

Sorting batiks

While searching through the basket of red fabric the other day, I spotted this rather large piece of fabric. That would make a great backing, so I measured it, labeled it, and put it on the shelf. 

One more backing

A customer's quilt got quilted—it was a big one, but it went very smoothly. You can't see the whole quilt because there isn't room in front due to all the project boxes on the floor. 

Customer quilt - DONE

And I think I now have the magnet situation under control for one side of the backing. It freaks me out to think it's just some magnets (albeit strong ones) holding the tension on that quilt. But no fabric slipped through, and it was pretty quick to remove this side of the backing when I was done. 

The magnets holding the quilt backing in place

I must work on the leader for the other side of the backing. But that's a project for another day. I have a couple of customer quilts to finish, and I still have FOUR of those community project quilts I want done! ASAP!!!! But I have to make backings for them, and since I'm using scraps, it takes time! 

I went to the gym yesterday, and as I was walking down the stairs, I spotted a beautiful rainbow in the sky. Why a rainbow since we hadn't had any rain! I went to my locker to get my phone, and by the time I got back, it was fading. But it was a full, bright rainbow. 

The rainbow

I had to zip into the rock climbing area to get that picture. I've never done rock climbing, and I don't think it interests me. I don't have the upper body strength required. 

Rock climbing at the gym

But that brings me to something else. While I was doing my stretching on the floor, I saw a woman - maybe younger than me, but not super young who was doing push-ups. The full-blown ones from her toes. Hmmm --- that looks hard. So after she left, I tried to do them, but only from my knees.OKK -- that wasn't half bad! I think we are aiming for a 90-degree bend in the elbow, and I was able to do a few more than 10 with not quite a 90-degree bend. 

Last night, I tried from the toes, and while I can do 10, I don't dip too low. But I can add that to my repertoire and see what happens. It's a good measure of increasing strength. By the way - a woman in my age category should be able to do 10 push-ups in one set, and I'm assuming those are from the toes. 

The other thing I've been working on is the ability to get up and down gracefully, or somewhat gracefully, from the floor. I do pretty well, but I was curious what the difference is between me and someone else. So I watched and AHA—it's the added use of the arms. I can get up very well, but I use my arms to assist. Younger people do it with just their legs. I am determined to turn back time - I already have by going to the gym. 

I have to tell you the story of the car and air pressure issues. We have the sensors in our tires (both winter and summer) that indicate when the air pressure is low. I don't know how much the pressure has to drop before the sensor triggers. Like most passenger cars, our tires need 32 PSI per tire. The driver's-side front tire started acting up about 6 weeks ago. 

Now we all know that sometimes on a cool morning, the pressure is lower than later in the day, and so I waited a few days OKK - weeks) to see if that made a change. It did not, so I went to the gas station and put air in the tire. It costs $2.50 to get air these days! 

The sensor stopped registering a problem for a few days, but then it came back. So I waited a week and booked an appointment to get the tire checked. Then I filled the tire with air again. 

This time the silly sensor did not come on, but I went to the appointment anyway. I explained the situation to the service intake person. He asked me where I put air in my tires. Hmmm --- isn't there only one place? The gas station - I certainly wasn't going to use my bicycle pump! Aha, he said - you can't trust the gauges at the gas station. 

DUH -- I know! I have my own gauge, and I check the tires from time to time. 

My tire pressure gauge

That still didn't faze him. He told me about the cool mornings. Yep -- I know about that too. The damn sensor was on, and I was pretty sure we had a leaking tire, but they temporarily fixed it the last time when I had the tires swapped in the spring. 

I totally get his point of view, since I bet MANY people don't have a tire pressure gauge in their car, and if they do, they have no clue how to use it. Mine is older, but it seems to work just fine. 

Anyway, he saved me some money. But dang it all - I had bought a fancy tea, and I had my computer with me, and I was going to clean up files while I waited! Alas - it wasn't to be. So now I'm going to watch the tire pressure and see what happens. Sigh.....................

And he didn't log that I was in the shop because I got a call later in the day asking if I made it in. No invoice, no appointment! I explained what happened. 

Here are my words of wisdom for the day. 

We had this discussion at lunch the other day, too. If you are in an evacuation alert, what do you pack? It's a very hard question to answer! 

I must run, as I have to pick up my passenger at a specific time, and I don't want to be late. 

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

Ciao!!!

It's a BIG news kind of day!

 ACK --- that's why pictures tell a thousand words! To clarify the pressing, here are the tips again. 

Here are a few tips

• Press the just-sewn seam from the back to soften the fibers and make them more malleable. 
• Use your finger before pressing (with the steam) to get the fabric going in the correct direction. 
• Use STEAM WISELY (I ALWAYS press with steam). 
• I put a towel on my ironing board for better grip. 
• Press from the FRONT, never the back. 
• I use a regular inexpensive iron. 

Step one is to warm up the fabric, so take the two pieces you just stitched together and place the iron on the seam. Since you haven't unfolded the fabric, you are technically "pressing" from the back, but really, you're just heating the fabric to make it softer and easier to fold over when you press. This is especially important for those hard-to-press areas, like the tips of flying geese. So even when you have to press back against a lot of seams, pre-warming the fabric can make a huge difference. 

Sorry for that confusion. I should actually clarify all those steps. Let me attempt to take some photos today because pressing is very important. 

It's amazing how things cross your path when you are in the midst of some situation. Read number three!! Isn't that what I talked about yesterday? I didn't even write my email in anger because what is the point? It was sent to me in anger, but if I retaliate in anger, that gets us nowhere. Then, as I thought about it over the weekend, it became such a trivial thing, and I had the choice to let it go, which I did. No regrets about that, and I should try to do that more often! 

Number Three is VERY important.

Here is another word of wisdom which fits in with my retreat planning. While numbers 7 and 8 are very valid, number nine is too. I have a few small things in a container that need to be fixed - some sewing and some not. So those are going with me to the retreat to fix. 

Number nine—make a list and get fixing!

Our big news of the day is this. Bear was back to sitting in the window guarding the house. And he did a great job. The other dogs were running to his side every time he barked, which was about every 20 minutes. DH was on the phone, and I was trying to keep the girls quiet. Let's just say that it was a crazy day with the new guard on duty! 

GIRLS -- be alert! People are walking outside the house!!!

And when I got up this morning, I had a bit of a panic attack. I could NOT find him. Where the heck did he go? Because he usually sleeps on top of the duvet. OH -- here he was, right in the middle of the bed, UNDER the duvet. That little devil!!!

And when he wasn't in the window, he was in DH's office, asleep in his bed. 

Grandma -- I'm supervising Grandpa!

Typically, our girls don't care what's happening outside these days. But both were quite alert to what was happening outside because of Bear!

Lexi -- you are not standing up tall enough! 

And Lexi is NOT leaving anything in her dish because if she does, Bear will eat it. And of course, Murphy has to inspect all food dishes once they are empty and make sure they're actually empty!

Mom - just to confirm - Lexi ate all her food. I licked the empty bowl to ensure no crumbs remained.

These girls and the boy are very helpful in getting things done in the house! I swear, with all their antics last night and trying to get them all fed, it took me at least an hour to eat my salad!

There are now two things that I am missing in Studio B. One is a bright project (Jackqueline de Jonge)  -- I have the pattern, but where is the project box? And there is a small cushion that I embroidered. I was going to change the way it went together, and can I find that? Nope! We need a search intervention! I have a couple of other spots to check. 

But while I was checking, I did discover TWO relatively large areas in the storage closets, and I'm going to fill them with things that were on those current project tables. 

While I was looking for that, I spotted this box. It's another vintage jigsaw puzzle from my Grandmother. 

Vintage jigsaw box from my grandma

Actually, there are no jigsaw pieces in the box. No idea where they went, but the box contains a cathedral window project my Grandmother started. Alas, I've had it for years, and it's nowhere near finished. 

No traditional puzzle pieces - the bits for a cathedral window quilt instead

There's even more great news. I accomplished a lot of sewing during Monday Sewing, and I won't share it with you until next week. 

And there's even more news! This quilt got quilted. It's been so long since I quilted anything; I wondered if I would remember all the steps. But yes - it all came back! I've done so many with the computer that it's just like riding a bike - you don't forget. The magnets worked just great, but I don't think I loaded the quilt properly - well, the way I put the magnets on. I must watch a video to see how others do it. It felt so loose compared to what I typically do, but it was fine and perfectly even at the bottom. The leader could be rolled tighter, too. But you know what? It works, and I hope to get a customer quilt done today. 

Community project quilt - done

That quilt is part of the 11 quilts I am doing as a favor. I think there are four more, and I dug out the fabric to make the scrappy backing for the next one. Actually, an idea just popped into my head for my scrap class, so I must write that down before I forget it! 

I have a wee technical issue. Of course I do. I was going to get to work on some machine embroidery designs, but they are on a CD, and I need to transfer them to my computer. I dug out my portable CD drive and attached it to my Windows 11 computer. The disk appears in the file directory for a second, then disappears.  

I tried my desktop - no go. I could see the CD drive and tried to open it, but it said it couldn't. Then I dug out my old Windows 10 laptop; it went into hibernation mode, and I couldn't get it working again. 

I have no idea what the problem is, so I'm off to the library this morning to see if they have a CD drive I can use. And this should be a lesson to me—get ALL your files off digital CDs and disks and onto a hard disk. 

Another one of my tasks for the year may have just moved up the priority list! 

External CD drive

We had our very own film premiere at the house last night. By the way, it's the Toronto Film Festival this week, and over 250 films are premiering. M and Yagana came over, and we got to see the wedding video. We had seen the trailer a while back, but not the full video. WOW—the photography crew did an amazing job, and there were so many drone shots. Who knew there was even a drone at the wedding? No clue. 

The premiere of Earth Meets Water.

I hope I got the name correct. I'll try to get a screenshot of the title and more information tomorrow. Running short on time. 

It is so fun to go back and relive that very happy day, and I think M must look at it every day. Which was pretty obvious from Bear's reaction to the video. Bear had a star role in the film, but he didn't care! He looked so handsome in his white shirt and green bow tie that Grandma made for him! 

MOM - not again!! 

And of course, there are tons of photos, so I must go through them and pick out a couple of my favorites. That is going to be a very hard task because there are so many. 

Upon reviewing the photos and watching the video, we all commented on how nice it was to have such a small, intimate wedding. Everyone got to chat to everyone else, and it was so beautiful. The couple is so in love and so happy, which makes me happy. We got to see some behind-the-scenes candid moments with the bride and groom. Things I didn't know happened! But so beautiful. 

And the weather that day? It was literally the most perfect day I could imagine. Never mind that the beach at Wickinnish Inn is absolutely stunning. But then so were the bride and groom!

Here's one last picture - this was how Bear took control of the household pretty much as soon as he got up yesterday. I got his stairs out of the closet so he could go up and down in the big dog bed in the window, and he definitely told the neighborhood that he was back!!!

ATTENTION - I am back, and I am in charge! 

And yes, M is staying with Yagana. It's like when I go home - I no longer stay with my parents, and that's a good thing. While we love our parents, who wants to be with them 100% of the time? So I totally get that she stays with her longtime friend - our adopted daughter! 

I'm going to be a bit late getting to the gym and I even contemplated not going. But I must! I didn't have a great sleep - and definitely not long enough- but when my alarm woke me up, I knew I wasn't going to go back to sleep. So I might as well go and get that done, and I can have a nap this afternoon. 

I see that my Google Drive is FULL, and I have 29 days in which to clear out photos or email, or I'm in big trouble. So I guess I'll be doing that today. Wait—I have to take the car in to get a slow-leaking tire fixed, so if I take my laptop, I could do some cleaning then! Good plan. 

On that note, I'm out of here!!!

I could say, "Have a great day," or I could say, "Today is going to be a wonderful day." But what if I say this? "I choose to make today a wonderful day!!!!"

Which statement is the most powerful and puts me in control? And if something happens, only I can choose how I react to make the day good or bad! 

Ciao!!!!

Out of sight - out of mind!

OK—let's see if the pictures load this morning. 

Success!!!! It took a wee bit longer than usual, but that's OK - the pictures are loaded!!!

I don't know what is happening with the squirrels, but they seemed to be having a party on our front step. The funny thing is that there are NO oak trees anywhere near this area. They are in the back in the forest, but not in front. Hmmm—someone called a party, and no one told me? 

The morning after a wild squirrel party

I think everyone knows that Michaels in the US and in Canada is bringing in fabric. Fabric has been in some of the US Michaels stores for several years, and it is slowly being rolled out to all Michaels in Canada. I have seen it a couple of times. I zipped off to one of my local stores (yes—there are THREE within about a 6 KM distance, which seems a bit obsessive to me). 

The fabric styles have definitely improved since it first started rolling out. Will it ever replace a full-blown quilt store? No. But you can find some nice pieces. I found this vintage map piece, which had to follow me home. If you are a crafter or need limited prints, this is a good place to start. If you are a quilter, it won't be enough. 

My find at Michaels

When I was prepping Studio B for the Facebook Live, I had to shift a few things around, and I spotted a shelf on the bookcase that had been hiding behind the temporary design boards. OH MY -- this shelf was a "to be sorted" shelf, and I had completely forgotten about it. I found a bunch of binders that need to be gone through. Mostly filled with patterns, but some great ideas for the upcoming scrap class. One more thing to add to the list. 

Folders to deal with

Of course, my trusty helper was with me. The poor thing - like all aging people or pets, she has good days and bad days. But I will say she seemed to take a downhill turn a couple of months ago, and she isn't going to recover. I swear she is depressed now because of the lack of mobility she has. But we are going to love her forever and will enjoy all the moments she has. 

MOM - I just supervise from the floor now! 

She can make it down the stairs no problem, but going up is a whole different ballgame. So I was alone during the Facebook Live, and she was outside in the backyard. I left the barricade open at the top of the basement stairs so she could come down if she needed to. I was praying that if she did come down, she would have to be content staying down with me, since I wouldn't be able to help her up!

And she decided to come down very near the end of the presentation. There were a lot of cords behind the scenes, and wouldn't you know it, she came to me, got caught in the wires, and sank to the floor. If you watch the video near the end, I had to bend down to disentangle her from the cords. 

Murphy got caught in this cord.

It was a tight space behind the sewing machine, but it all worked out. 

The space behind the sewing machine

While we were downstairs, it was quite windy, and this bouquet of cut flowers I got for my birthday got blown over. It was on its last legs, which is why it was outside. The glass vase didn't break! 

The flowers got blown over.

So yesterday was a new day and more work to be done. I'm happy to report that the sewing for the second class is done and the pictures have been uploaded into the presentation. I just need to sort them after writing the blog. That will make two of three presentations complete for tomorrow. Oh my --- one of the classes involves paper piecing, and let's just say that I've invented (not really) a brand new way to cope with finicky paper piecing, and once you wrap your head around it --- it's kind of fun! 

That's for the My Kinda Town class, which is only four classes this fall. If anyone is interested, you're welcome to sign up. 

You can check back to this blog post for more information. Just note that the first class is tomorrow at 1, not next week as originally planned. I love how the work turned out!! And of course, I'll share later - not the technique, but my work. 

So something else got unearthed in the stash room. Oh shoot—I didn't take a picture of the shelving, but the room has shelves on three sides, which means there are corners, and the things in the corners aren't readily visible. 

Wait—I just had time to sort the slides in the presentation and found my missing photo. Wrong folder!

Hidden corners in the stash room

I needed to dig out a bucket of fabric from beside the corner the other day. 

A bucket of striped fabric

I'll explain more about this basket another day, but remember those two striped fabrics I bought the other day? 

Two striped fabrics I recently purchased

Well, there are a few more colors from this collection in that green bin!!! 

Removing that big basket revealed another basket in the corner. Hmmm -- what's in here? And OMG --- what a treasure I found. 

What's in this hidden basket?

This is a basket of T-shirt bits that I have saved over the years. The T-shirts have already been cut up, and I had plans to make a T-shirt quilt from them. Oh my—yes—I have another group of T-shirts I want to make a quilt from. I'll have to squeeze them together and maybe make a backing from the other bits. 

I already have one T-shirt quilt. How many does one need? I love them because they are heavy!

BUT, I found something that I swear I still had, but didn't know where it was. 

I may have mentioned that next year is the 50th year of our participation in Katimavik. And we are attempting to locate as many people as we can. And oh my --- it is a very hard task. Of the 51 people in the group, I think we have located 20, 8 of whom have passed. That is a very scary statistic. 

During the program, or it could have been after, but likely during, we had some T-shirts made, and I wanted to find them. Well, when I spotted that basket, I knew what I was going to find. Well, I was hoping. This is when the hoarding tendencies of your mother come in handy. 

I found both of them!!! 

Katimavik T-shirt number one

The official Katimavik T-shirt

The bottom one has the official Katimavik logo. I also found my military beret and ascot! 

OH MY GOSH --- those T-shirts are almost 50 years old! Well, there are only bits of them, as you can see; I totally hacked them from the T-shirt. We have a meeting today, and I haven't done much searching for missing people, so I'd better put in a bit of time this morning. 

Our premier took away all the speed cameras in the province, stating - I have no idea what his rationale was- but he vowed to have more police checking on speeders in school zones. Hmmm -- the cost of an officer and a car versus a speed camera? Which costs less? Which catches more people? 

Anyway, on our walk yesterday morning, there were two cars, and it was easy peasy for them to catch people speeding through the 30 KM zone. I think one officer should have stood on the sidewalk with the radar gun and pulled speeders over, while someone went down the line and wrote out tickets. 

It's just a shame that no one respects the speed limit, especially in a school zone and right at school drop-off time. Well, shortly after, some stragglers are probably coming in. 

Of course, DH and I had a big discussion about which method was more effective to make people stop speeding. Do we ever agree on anything? How many schools yesterday did NOT have police presence? 

Oh my—there is a new long arm from APQS, and it looks pretty spiffy. I got a notification yesterday about trade-ins. I have to chuckle because the trade-in machines start from the year 2013. My machine is from 2006!!!! I definitely won't qualify for a trade-in. And it looks like when I am ready to downsize, and that machine can't come with me, I'd better just call the 1-800 Got Junk people and load it up! 

From time to time, our online Monday sewing group gets together for lunch. A few of us are close enough to make that happen, and sometimes people come in from a distance. We were five. DH was supposed to have the car yesterday, so I planned to ride my bike. The restaurant isn't that far away. He didn't end up using the car, but I still rode my bike. 

Super fun!!! I need to get out more often, and it was one of those days when it was windy on the way there and windy on the way back! I'm riding my townie bike with only three speeds, and my legs -well, they aren't used to riding out in the real world. I found it a challenge with only three speeds, but overall it was good. Great bike paths for about half the distance. The rest? Not so much!

There were only five of us, and you know what? It was nice. If there are too many people, you can't talk to everyone! We told the organizer she should cap it at 6 in the future!!! Can you imagine? That would be bad, but it is fun to visit with a smaller group. Which is why I like retreats with smaller groups. And there is little danger of anyone taking sides! 

Remember what we talked about the other day - about toxic people and choosing sides. 

OMG --- when I was walking Lexi in the forest, guess who I met! Yep—the very person I was thinking of when I posted these!!! There was no way we could avoid each other - we had to pass each other. I politely said, "Good morning." She responded, and we kept walking. I had so much I would have shared, since we had some great conversations back in the day, but then I remembered my stand and wouldn't cave!!!! She chose, and she didn't choose me, so I'm not going back. 

As close as we live to each other, it is very rare that we bump into each other, which is probably a good thing. 

As I sit at my computer, I can see the neighbor's house. The top half is wood siding, and it's never been touched since the house was built 30 years ago. They are doing some major work inside and outside - I wonder if that is for them or if they are prepping to sell? Anyway, they had a new deck and gazebo built in the backyard. Now they are trying to paint the back of the house and have to set up complex scaffolding to access the wood that is behind the gazebo, which is set very close to the house. 

I'm not a fan of their music, and Murphy is doing a great job of not barking her head off, so we are all getting along, and all is good. 

On that note, I'm out of here! I need to get a lot of work done today, and I would love to have an extra day!!!

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

Ciao!!!!