Weds check-in

It has been quite a week and some of it not particularly heartening.  Combine this with another string of colder, wet and/or damp days and one's mood begins to be affected.  First my friend's husband's funeral and visitation which makes me cry because it reminds me so much of my sweetheart's passing. I feel so bad for her.  Second, my little 6 month old great-niece Lily is having some other problems that meant another specialist and consultation yesterday so worrying about my family members.

Then I went to Belles yesterday which was partly fun and partly not.  We met for the first time in a month which has seemed like forever ago.  I even got to sew a bit for also forever ago.  Chatting with my buds, talking quilt and catching up.  More on that in a minute............ BUT I check my phone and find out that I need to pass on word from the Friendship Guild president that one of our long time members and a dear woman had succumbed to her long battle with cancer. (I am the newsletter person, co-webmaster and also responsible for flash emails as I have the email list)  Just two days before, word had been that she was going home and hospice care.  She never made it home except to her heavenly home.  Another memorial service to attend this weekend.   Then one of the gals says that another mutual friend and occasional Belle has been diagnosed with breast cancer and will be beginning treatment.  There were a few other things as well with friends' family members.  Man, the hits just seem to keep coming.  Hard not to feel a bit down.  I need someone in my circle of family, friends and acquaintances to share some GOOD news for a change or have some good news of my own to pass on.  

  This is a quilt that Bev made with her dog Molly testing it out.  She said that someone had given her the road race fabric and the checkerboard stuff was originally a valance that she picked up from a garage sale.  She used a heavy plaid fabric on the back thinking that a young boy with a matchbox collection might like it as a play mat.  Cool, huh?

Elsewhere Lois had a couple of tops to pin but first we had to open the large box of batting and unroll some of it.  We buy a couple boxes of the lowest loft poly batting from Nu-Style Quilting in Stover, Missouri.  The shipping costs way more than the product but these are 48 wide rolls by 66 yards,  it lasts awhile and is wide enough for most of our quilts.  Target range is 40 x 60.  Anyway, when you tear into the box, the stuff starts expanding like a huge marshmallow.  You can't really use a box cutter either as it is wrapped in a huge garbage bag.   I need to use it store the rest of the roll here at home.  There is not enough room in the closet for the entire 66 yards and the other stuff we keep at the church!   Lois and I got that dealt with and by then she had pinning helpers.

Marilyn was cuttting 30's repros for a quilt---Emily's something or other from a magazine.  Two alternating blocks and when joined a circular vibe could be seen.    Not a Tennessee Waltz quilt but that sort of thing.  Donna was using the big board to press fabric for her niece's quilt. Valera was laying out flannel squares for a raggy throw, deciding on an arrangement.  Bev was working on a label for her donation quilt.  I believe she was at the pinning table too along with Jane.  Jane had brought our friend Terri. Also Teresa came to show us some purses she had made recently.  Me?  I had to re-read that zip zip bag pattern to figure out just where I left off with it forever ago.  I've got part of it done but found I should have packed some black thread.  I still need to press the binding for the one I had started (stuff for two of them came in the kit). Valera said I should be sure to bring them once I am done.  I hope I CAN get them done as I want one for my small tablet and the other for a purse, I think.  Between some of the gals coming over to my table to chat and trying to get the pattern figured out, I may not have gotten as much done as I hoped but you know what?  I don't really care.  I was thrilled to have the company and bonus, get to sew.

                                                                                     
I know I have to keep explaining why I am not getting much stuff done, even the opthamologist asked me about it this morning.  My elderly Oscar pees in the house.  I have to watch to see if he heads to the utility/laundry room to signal a need to go out.  One door goes out to the carport and the other, the backyard.  Goes to the front, he thinks it is time to walk.  Goes to the back, he needs out to do his business.  Sometimes, I go to the door---he climbs in his crate because he doesn't want to go out in the cold, damp, wet.  I pick him up and make him go.  But still he is either marking things or just has an old bladder.  I cannot trust him to be unsupervised and head to the sewing room though he has been a lot better the past 5 days, for some reason.

When talking to Donna about this yesterday, she said I should try a Belly Band and related that she has problems with her sister's dog when he comes to visit.  She ties a bandana around him with a sanitary napkin.   HMMMM

So today I tried that.   Oscar does not look too happy, does he?   You know how doxies waddle when they walk?  Well, it was worse than that as he was extending his back legs to the point where he could barely move.  Run to get his toy??  No way!  He just looked at it and me, like YOU go get it.   I did order one of the official belly bands and hopefully it will work way better than this makeshift deal.

Also a friend that works with the Humane Society suggested using a black light to see just where they have peed so I can do what I can to clean it up from the carpet.  I can smell something near the couch but see no obvious spots on this dark green carpet.  I probably need to look into a professional carpet cleaning crew at some point. The things I don't know but am learning about dogs!

We are sneaking up on last "walkies" for the day.  Last time we were out it got cut short and he did some yard time as there were three dogs running around loose down at my neighbor's property.  This same bunch was hanging around about two weeks ago---one looks like a doberman but red colored and at first glance I thought it was a small deer.  Then there is a black dog that I have not seen up close enough to guess at the breed. The third looks like a pit bull mix and an older version of my former neighbor'a dog who had said someone stole from the yard.  I hate any dogs running at you since I got bit on my upper thigh in back while delivering my paper route as a teenager.  Oscar and I can tolerate the three chihuahuas down the lane as they  come running at us but they are mostly barkers but I still don't like it.  See if the coast is clear now.

Till next time---------