about time?

Yes, I know.  Been a bit since I updated again and I bet there are a few of you anyway that might be checking in periodically to see if I have posted.  I've been busy mostly around the house, running errands, walking as has become my routine.   Seems like I am always washing something---me, the dog, laundry or dishes! Lots of sweaty clothes and wet towels to deal with.   It has been so hot and sticky with heat indices in the low 100's a good bit.   UGH!  I repeat, I did not move South for the summers.   I could sweat just fine in Illinois, LOL.  Picture spotted on FB recently----it seems true!!!

I should be drummed out of the Quilter's League at this point. It is not that I don't have things I should or could be doing. I barely go in my sewing room and when I do, it is to use the desktop. ( That's rare too though I have had to do some updates on it.  Love my Chromebook!)   Ordinarily in a creative drought like this, I am at least thinking about my next project(s) or looking at quilt books or old magazines, browsing Pinterest.  Nothing!  I'm not knitting or embroidering either.  Reading, yes.

I DO have some hand finishing to do on the binding of the guild's volunteer raffle quilt.  Aline passed it on to me to finish up.  She put the binding on and has already done two sides.  Yeah, I know--me and binding but this is what I can do to help.  I do a good job doing it but just not my favorite part, by a long shot.   Those that work on the guild opportunity quilt or this one too(?) get their name added to the pot.  The quilt is virtually identical to the opportunity quilt, I believe.   I'm dragging it with me to quilt group tomorrow and get started on it anyway.

Look who came to see on Sunday!  I got a call Saturday afternoon from my sister, Diane telling me that she and her husband Rick were heading down my way and going on down to the Florida Gulf Coast.  Was I going to be available for a visit?  Yes!  I happily took the day off from walking though Oscar and I did a lap around the park after lunch.  Bonus--my niece Kristine who happens to be the precious Lily's mama and great niece Lily were with them this trip!   Her Papa took the pictures while her Mama was doing funny things behind her dad to get Lily to smile.  Must have worked on me too!   Isn't she adorable channeling her inner Pebbles?

I had been looking up at the ceiling fan that badly needed dusting and down at the kitchen floor that could use some attention not 30 minutes before the phone rang.  It is too hot and I'm too tired to clean now, I thought!  Well, I put it in high gear.  Diane had said "we aren't coming to see your house"  and "we're taking you to breakfast so we won't hardly be in the house"   Still, it needed to be done and I wasn't so worried about Lily scooting around on the floor.    They arrived a bit before nine.  We visited here for a bit and left for Oxford I-Hop for breakfast though I drove down with my sister in my car so they would not have to backtrack.  Just hop on the I-20 exit and Birmingham as I assume that was still the most, non-two lane or divided highway route to Panama City for most of the trip.

I've never been down there though years ago DJ and I had vacationed down in New Orleans and took I-10 out to Biloxi, MS and then on to the Mobile area.  We took a side trip to Bellingrath Gardens in Theodore, Alabama.  When he asked me if I wanted to drive on to Pensacola "just to say we were there" I turned him down.  I wanted to get OUT of the danged car and walk down to the water and at least dip a toe in the water.  He, on the other hand, always made driving his job for the day.  Oh, we'd stop for meals and bathroom breaks as needed but doing the tourist-y sight seeing thing?  Not so much.  Although I wanted to, we never did get down to the Gulf area again though we did spend a few days in Montgomery for our honeymoon trip.  Trips were usually back to Illinois to see our family.

I've also been tending to the neighbor's dogs as they too have been down on the coast though on the Alabama side of things.  Glynda's mom (who is also my neighbor)  has been tending the small girl poodle mix dog.  I've walked her over to play in the fenced backyard with the two dachshund boys several mornings.   The older alpha dog  Mooch is a bit of a hog and I've been worried that the younger one Pup Pup is not getting anything to eat.  I've separated the two of them a bit or let the other one eat what he wants first and then get Pup Pup back in there.  The little flirt is wanting to play, pee on all the spots he normally doesn't get to or wanting to see what I'm doing.  Anything but eat though he did settle in to his bowl a little bit better.   He is a cutie, black with brown eye brows and wanting to snuggle up with me.  Have to check my legs for little dirt paw marks though.   I've been chatting with Miss Katherine as well, get the mail in, drag the trash cans out on pick up day and drag them back.  Yesterday we both got caught in one of our pop up afternoon rains yesterday while talking out on the car port and had to move the conversation indoors when it really started pouring and blowing. I would have gotten drenched had I tried to hurry home.  We got almost an inch in about 45 minutes.   At least Oscar was not with me at the time!  I guess they managed without me.

This was the recent view around here.  Oscar was using his Froggie for a pillow.  Skyler meanwhile can be found either in front of the door or up high.  He never goes on either of his perches in the bedrooms lately but I guess he doesn't have to when he has a "window seat" at the door.  DJ hated this storm door and had always wished he  had gotten a Larsen instead but we did the right thing for Pippi and Skyler with the glass pane all the way down, I guess.  Oscar came after DJ's passing so he didn't plan for him.  I really should clean off the nose smudges though!

Mostly I've been spending more time on  Facebook than I should but it seems to be the update center about my little premature great nephew Wyatt though the texts and phone calls have been coming as well.  I call Mom  "get on the computer.  Randi posted some new pictures of the baby"  Or his parents have taken them too.

Well, he had a set back late last week in that the heart valve that had closed with medication opened up again.  If matters did not improve on their own, the doctors in MT said that he might have to have surgery to correct it.  Spokane, WA was mentioned as the site, read:  another two states away from their Colorado home.  I guess at some point someone said "well, if he has to be med-evac'd for surgery, how about getting them back to the Denver area".  That is what happened.  He and his mama were LifeFlight'd on Friday afternoon.  His daddy drove back with one parent in one car and the other in another arriving from Missoula sometime Saturday (14 hour drive approx.)  Wyatt DID have to have surgery Sunday morning.  By the time I got home from breakfast with my family his Nana had text'd the procedure was over, succesfully so posted his Papa. They are now closer to family on both sides, friends, their support systems, though about an hour from their homes and probably not eligible to be in a Ronald McDonald House, across the street.  That part is not so ideal but he is in a Level IV NICU facility with an excellent reputation.  Please keep Wyatt, Greg and Amber in your prayers along with his aunties and grandparents?  There some other family concerns that I will not get into; the Good Lord above knows all about those.

Oh I tried a new recipe a few days ago---Pineapple Fluff.  Nice and cooling on a hot summer day.  Half of it is up in the freezer and I gave a bowl of it to Miss Katherine who passed on an ear of grilled sweet corn that her son had done up as part of her evening meal.  Next time I think I'll play up the Pina Colada idea and add some rum extract.  Brandie of the Country Cook says it is a take off of Orange Fluff, sorta.  That uses jello and ugh, cottage cheese ordinarily.  The Pineapple version uses a pudding base.  I could only find the cook and serve version of the coconut cream pudding so used vanilla.  I thought it was good, and different.  Stiff enough that it could be used for a graham cracker crust pie too.  Yeah, more calories, LOL.

Guess that's it for this round-up.  Hope you are staying as cool as possible in your locale.  I know my power meter is spinning like a top and the bill was about 35 bucks higher than this time last year.  I don't care--the a/c is staying on, set a degree or two less than where DJ put it and augmented by fans in whatever room I walk into.  Works for me!  THX for stopping by------