Checking in

Another week plus has gone flying by.  Not sure what I have gotten accomplished if anything.  As my sister-in-law asked me recently "if you are not sewing, what do you do all day?  No offense".  I get up and the next thing I know it is 9 pm and I am getting into my pj's is all I know.

One thing:  I have discovered the Word Chums app and have enjoyed beating the tar out of chumbot Floppy playing way too much but working my brain,  Puzzles are supposed to be good for that.  My sister introduced my parents and I to Jumbline 2 when we were both back at Christmas time.  I don't know if I need to thank her or not, LOL.  I often have 3 letter combinations of letters running through my head unbidden.  are/ear/era for example.  Now I add words that use X or Q to the nonsense floating through my mind--  "aqua" "exit" "axis" "quip" and quiz if you get stuck with the Z too--- and the list goes on.

It has been a mostly cold and dampish week.  I know, I know--it is January and what do I expect?  I expect not to feel so cold but I am developing some delayed empathy for my poor DJ and climbing under that wool throw that normally just makes me itch but he and Skyler with cuddle under or on.  By golly, he was right! It IS chilly back in that corner where his recliner sat next to the fireplace.  LOL, I actually thought about baking something just to heat the kitchen/living room a bit and warm up!  I've lost a bunch of my insulation too and I never spent a whole lot of time in the living room but back in the sewing room without vaulted ceilings and things like irons, lights and desktop putting out some heat.

Actually I have the note that DJ had written the summer and winter thermostat settings on.  It was on his dresser and I tacked it on my bulletin board.   He said 72, 71 for winter and summer 79 with 80 crossed out.  I pitched a fit about that one and he dropped it a degree.  BUT, he turned the a/c off at 10 pm and it went back on once it hit 79 or his wife started complaining too much.  We never agreed about this tactic.  Now, I dispense with that--set the winter thermo at 67 or 68 and summer, 77 and leave it on.  I've been tracking the utility expenses just to see if it was more expensive to do the a/c like a "normal" person.  My gas (heating) bill has been running about $300 cheaper or about 30 bucks/month on average.  The power (cooling) was about 70 bucks high and only $5/month on average higher.  Interesting!

 I've been forcing myself to get out to walk but it has not been much fun.  Muscles don't like to exercise much, or mine don't anyway. Stiff and slower.  The other day I actually drug out my thermal "long johnny-o's" as DJ and I just to call them and piled on an undershirt, a regular long sleeved t-shirt and then a thermal shirt over that and STILL my Dickie hoodie (sweatshirt with a thermal lining).  It took till my 6th lap of 8 to actually get warmed up to sweating.  Look like the Michelin man too, LOL.

Tonight we are in for the possibilities of thunderstorms and some parts of the states flash floods in the north and tornadic activity in the south.  Then Friday there is a winter weather advisory with possible 1/4 inch to 1 inch of snow or rain, sleet, ice before that.  You know the South does not have salt trucks or snow plows like is the norm for other parts of the country.   Ice worries me more than snowfall.  We'll see!  I am as prepared as I am going to be and really don't have to go anywhere.  Hope the power stays on.

I've mostly been trying to update the computer(s) and get a pile of various paper pushing details dealt with the last two days.  Both Windows products were about to drive me around the bend yesterday.  Opening a folder to get at a quilt pattern was met with repeated "not responding." Admittedly, that folder is mega gigabytes and I would finally get it opened only to meet with the same response on the sub-folder.  Whatever was running in the background yesterday must not be an issue today.  Thanks for that!  I kept having to run back and forth from the desktop set up to the kitchen where I was using the HP notebook.  Oscar eyes me going through the gate and I swear he is plotting to make a dash up the hall.  I accidentally left it open behind me the other day and he was hiding under the bed awhile.  A few days later he followed Skyler up the hall while I was indisposed and in my rush, didn't get it pulled closed but he turned around promptly when I hollered at him.

 Looks like a little angel, doesn't he?

I had hoped to get the quilts turned in last week numbered and refolded for holding in the storage closet.  They need to be numbered on the labeled and entered in the document.  I already have the names and the picture number part done.  The computer sure wasn't going to let me get the document yesterday.  Also I would have to put Skyler out of the room as he would want to sit on the quilt or run in the closet in search of strings to chew,  I have a couple completed top and some backing yardage in there too.  Trust me, he HAS sampled it.  I have to leave the door open and use a step stool.  I could get it done a lot quicker without kitty help.

Sky was doing something cute on the pass through.  I tried to get a picture but he, of course, moved.  Still a cutie patootie.

I did get the design wall set up re-hung moving the rod down from the elevated position for the quilt that was hanging there.   It is not easy trying to hang a rod evenly without someone holding the other end.  I had the level out but it is about 2 foot short of the length of the rod I need to hang the flannel sided vinyl table cloth.  One of these days it may get used for its intended purpose.  Here are the two quilts that I needed to take pics of at home.

Aline's bear wholecloth quilt

This was Donna's challenge quilt piece.   We had been given a bunch of Debbie Mumm fabric of several different types and colorways.  Donna chose the patriotic stripe.   She used a quilt Bev had made that looked like a gift and had a large appliqued flower where the "ribbon" meets, patterned after something she spotted on Pinterest, I think.  The star choice was perfect!

The sewing that was done this week was to sew labels on these two quilts.  Neither of the critters was cooperating but then I probably should not have tried to do the job seated on the couch.  Off to the kitchen and nosy critters with me!

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On a more personal note, we are coming up on what would be our 17th wedding anniversary next week.  On the 1st of February I will be marking two years since he left this Earth.  I know it will be a hard time emotionally.  It is NOT that I am planning on being saddened by this or crying.  That just happens and sometimes, it comes out of the blue. Most of the time, I'm okay but sometimes, you are blindsided and other times, it is the occasion or a little memory of our time together. Or it could be a story he told me.

Yesterday on Facebook my daughter-in-law tagged me as her uncle had sent her this picture.  It is one taken of the country grade school DJ went to.  DJ is 3rd from the right in the first row, bowl haircut and all.  Other names were mentioned in the post---friends and neighbors he spoke about, reminding me of stories I had heard over the years.  How the Joseph girls taught him how to do butterfly kisses and hunted golf balls at the nearby course.  Getting in trouble for letting Ronnie ride his bike or ride on the back of his bike.  Ray the guy who posted it told me another story about their friendship.  Don't know if this worked or not!

 "He was visiting one day and it was getting late, so my mom told him he probably should be getting home so his mom wouldn't worry. He told her he would tell mama that the devil pershed (pushed) him into the ditch"

I was blessed to get a call today from a friend of his.  Sandy and I had a good visit.  She knew him from the late teens-early 20's age.  I had the version about double that and on.  We each had out own insight into the man he was (the cute guy with the crew cut and pink/white Crown Vic) and would become, the man I loved for 34-35 years.  If you don't see a post next week, you will know why and I'm struggling or not fit company.