Waning days of July

Won't be long and this month will be gone.  I guess since I was traveling/on vacation for about 10 days the month has seemed to fly by when I wasn't looking.  As usual I was trying to think what I have been up to since I last posted.

I got the binding on my two Prairie fabric quilts--just the machine part though I did trim both quilts and press back the binding at the evening group.  We met on Thursday evening as the church had an event planned and that always takes precedence when the fellowship hall is needed.  I never did get any handwork done but part of that was because I needed to run home for a few things the girls needed.  Aline wanted a print out for Prairie Sticks.  Since I had used two Jolly Bars, the pattern was included in both.  I had promised Margarita a couple of my extra Frixion pens as I had ordered a box of them at one point.   I only live about a mile and a half away from there so no biggie!

Mostly though, Stacy was wanting to make a Chevron quilt for her niece.  Donna had done one using the Missouri Star methodology in blues and white.  While it was pretty, Donna was a little discouraged by the bias edges that method produced and the three of us were mulling over alternative ways to accomplish this.  Half square triangles was one way---I said if she wanted to do it that way she better let me bring her some 4 inch finished triangles on a roll.  That's what I primarily ran home for BUT I grabbed Chevron top that I made for Lily to show her another way that took NO triangles.  I had directions printed off of two different tutorials including one from Happy Zombie with large pieces.  Not trying to cloud the issue for Stacy who is really still learning to quilt but show her there was perhaps a simpler way.    2 rail Super Zig--scroll down to print/download the pdf file.  Stacy said "I want the zig zags to go the other way".  I said that she should turn the paper the other way for the picture especially since she wanted to make a queen sized quilt.  The length given would be wide enough for the queen size and just double it for length.  OR I would draw it up in EQ for her later if she decided to go that route.

On Friday Aline, Jane and I were off to Trussville to the Heart of Dixie Quilt Show.  Jane's husband had offered to take us over.  Unfortunately I had one of those wakeful nights and in desperation medicated with some Benadryl.  Yes, they are saying it might cause dementia but then I didn't give a rip.  I needed to get some sleep.  Well, between the meds kicking in and the sleep mask the next thing I knew it was 0905.  I was supposed to be in Alexandria, about 15 minutes away at 0915.  If Skyler had not been meowing at me from behind the closed door, I might have slept even later!  I put a call into Jane and Hugh knowing they had probably already left the house and quickly pulled on some clothes, fed and watered the critters, grabbed some water and a cereal bar etc.  If they didn't mind waiting about 15 minutes, I would be there or they could go on without me.  They waited.

The show was small but nice.  Our friend Jill who we knew from the Pell City guild had quite a few quilts in the show  I ran off without my camera and tried to take a few with my phone but being too lazy to upload them to the computer right now.   Maybe later.   Jill had a nice bargello quilt that did take Viewer's Choice and had Judges honors as well.  We saw several of our friends from the Pell City group when we arrived as well as a group of 4 from the Jacksonville group.  We went on to Cracker Barrel for lunch.

Saturday Miss Kathryn invited me over for birthday cake and then on to lunch.  It was Paul's birthday and he chose a nearby Mexican restaurant for our late lunch/early supper.  We all went home with leftovers for the next day though fish tacos don't quite re-heat the same, LOL.  I had some tortillas on hand though.

Bama Belles had a Sew Day planned for Tuesday so I was trying decide what block for sure.  Okay, that re-sized version of Four Patch Pinwheel looked like the best bet.  Between that and what to fix for the potluck it was good to finally arrive at a plan.  Initially I was going to do a version of Tex-Mex sheetcake but someone else had said she planned on coming and would bring dessert.  I did Carrot-Craisin salad and Creamy Cucumber Salad instead.  Not without mishap though.  I did the Carrot Salad dressing first in the blender and then rinsed it all out since the cuke salad took something more savory.  Not once, but twice, I had the milk and vinegar mix running out of the blender.  The first time I thought I had not tightened the base enough.  The 2nd time I realized that the rubber ring had dropped off somewhere.  I poured it all in a bowl thinking I would just use the hand mixer but then spotted that the ring had fallen off into the dishwasher.  I had visions of having to track another one down from Hamilton Beach Wave Action to the point of looking for the model number for next time.  Still might not be a bad idea to have one in reserve.   That mess made for an unplanned load of laundry too.  (The only other cooking I seemed to have done this week is roasting some turkey tenderloins and chunking it up for salads this week.  Too blamed hot to have much appetite for anything but lighter fare and re-heating leftovers.  Does a small bread bowl pizza count as cooking?)

I also cut a couple quilts worth of background rectangles!!   Right after I finally put the sewing room quilting set up away, that is.  Only sat that way since Thursday.  You never know, I might have decided to work on binding on that setup.  (Naw!)

This first photo is Aline's Ribbon Candy quilt she was turning in.  That was the block from our last sew day.  I spotted another top of it in the closet that needs to be pinned but yesterday was all about sewing, not pinning!!  Next time it will probably come home with me to add to the stack.

Here is the block output.  37 blocks and 8 of us were piecing.  Beverly has some health concerns that make sewing away from home a challenge but she came for a bit to visit and do some hand work.  Fun day!  Good food, good times with my buddies doing something we love doing and doing so for others.

One of the piecers was Brenda's granddaughter Kallie who I think is 9 or so.  How old are you in 4th grade as that what year she and her twin brother will be going into.   Brenda took a picture of her with the 6 blocks they teamed up to make.   Later Brenda texted me to say that Kallie told her on the way home that "days like today are what memories are made of"  Sweet!

Looking at the blocks from the other end of the two tables.  Anymore and I would have started pinning them on the table drape!  Pretty, huh?  If I make three more blocks, then I have enough to make two quilts of 12 in horizontal sets with sashing and two quilts with the blocks on point.

This week has also been the week that I had to have some of those tests I had postponed in order to leave when I wanted to on my trip.  Monday was the dexa-scan that you do bi-annually.  Today, my annual mammogram and some followup tests to see just where that thyroid function is and adjust my meds if need  be.  I've been busy though.   I'm beat!

 I had decided that I was going to ditch the pink Priscilla curtains in the bedroom in favor of some room darkening curtains but that meant the dust ruffle that matched needed to go as well.  The stuff I had ordered came in a couple days ago but today was the first day I had time to work on it.  Though I had purchased a cafe rod I thought I might use, in the end I took it back as I thought it would jut out too far from the wall and the curtain would not wrap around the side as I had hoped.  I found one Eclipse Room Darkening Wrap Rod that I liked on my 2nd trip of the day to Walmart.  I was going to have to use some wall anchors to mount it though.  Remembering the last attempt I made to use molly bolts on something and then losing it in the wall with a large hole I still need to patch, I ran over to the neighbor's to ask Robert for sure how to do this. Drill, pop the plastic piece in the wall and then screw it it, right?  He got the right sized drill bit, handed me his portable drill and said to go for it.  It is up BUT with only one panel.  I didn't read the small print apparently and only got one panel!  I thought curtains (with an s, plural) meant there would be two panels,  not one.  It at least will cover the window till the 2nd one arrives.  I may replace the mini blinds

I laundered the sheets, old dust ruffle and curtains and had to deal with Skyler.  He would NOT get off the mattress pad.  I tucked the last corner down and let him realize that he needed to move out of there.  I was not playing with him and my attempts to remove him where met with biting on his part.  When he realized he could not get out, he started meowing.  Mean Mama maybe but he was being such a pill!  He got the picture and left before I started with the top sheet and quilt.   I laundered all Oscar's bed/ crate stuff/toys which smelled too much of dog to the point that I replaced the bed pad completely.  He had torn a whole in the foam pad cover I had made anyway so it needed to be swapped out.  He is actually willingly going in his crate today.  Hope that works come bed time!

I vacuumed the whole house including the drilling mess I made putting the curtain rod up.  Oscar was barking at the vacuum again as I could not find him when I started to have him go outside for a bit.  I could not get the filter and cup thing to line up properly at first and a piece fell off of somewhere---still don't know where from---but it didn't affect what I needed to do apparently.  I may go look at the floor model at the store to see what it might be next trip to the store.  The grocery list is mounting so I'm bound to be going back in the next couple days for that.

It has looked like rain a good bit today but so far only sprinkles when Oscar and I walked after supper.  A couple days ago we had a thunderstorm come roaring in and had 2.5 inches.  The yard is green again but some weird kind of grass that took over when the old dried up brown patches filled in.  I told Robert it looked like he had been bailing hay or something when he mowed on Monday.  I don't know if the drought situation has reversed itself or not but I do know it has not been a good year for tomatoes around here.

AND one final item, Baby Emily arrived yesterday morning!  When I told you about seeing Kristine and Lily on the 14th for lunch and relating things about my trip to Illinois, I had said that Lily's sister would be here sometime in the next two weeks or so.  It was the 26th.   Here is my sister Diane with her newest grand!   She also has a grandson on the way, due sometime late next month, going from two grands to four this year. Consensus is that she has a lot of soft hair like Daddy's side of the family and toes like a family trait.  Emily weighed in at 8 lbs. 6 oz and 20 inches long.

I am not making any plans for tomorrow but certainly hope I sleep better tonight than I did last night.  None of the three of us were sleeping well---not Skyler, Oscar or me.  I tried both beds, with and without the cat.  When I got in my own bed and closed the door, Skyler just meowed and pawed at the door.  We tried the other room---no dice.  Let's do better tonight, boys!

Thursday check-in

Yeow is it hot out there! My thermometer hit 100 at one point but may have been about 4 degrees according to my ABC3340 weather app but still, what's a degree or so at that point? Currently it says the humidity is 88% and the dew point is 73% at 77 degrees. I am sure that heat indices are up there.

I DID walk this morning but as early as I could get out there. It was not too bad as the sun was hiding behind the clouds till the last laps. I laid off Monday as I had breakfast out scheduled and a boatload of laundry and errands to do. I also did not go Tuesday or Wednesday but I had read on Facebook Monday evening that the local Fire Department was doing a controlled burn of the old Senior Center building on the park property. They expected this burn to go on through the night so I stayed away. I have a problem with smoke! It was still smoldering on Wednesday when I went by so I passed again, settling for a couple trips in the lane.   This morning there was just littlest waft of smoke but the breeze was not blowing either.  The concrete blocks are all that remain of the building and I assume those will be bull-dozed down at some point.

In spite of the heat I did a little baking yesterday afternoon as Glynda had given me a large zucchini. I am nuts!!  I figured I would at least peel, seed and grate it up to see how many cups it yielded and could always freeze it to use later. I had enough for two batches of Mom's Zucchini Bread but only made two loaves of it.  If you should try the recipe, it makes a very stiff batter or mine did anyway.  I should have used my Kitchen Aid rather than the hand mixer.  Instead I added most of a individual container of unsweetened applesauce to the recipe and next time I'll use some grated apple too.  Since I had just grated up the zuke, I think that it had not had a chance to pull the liquid off and that may have accounted for less fluid in the mixture.  BUT often recipes will tell you to salt it, let stand, drain and rinse it off.  This doesn't mention any of that step.   I shared half of one loaf with Miss Kathryn (and Paul who was over for supper) and took the other half to Glynda and Robert.  The other one is sliced up and quick frozen.

While I was hunting through the notebooks for the recipe print-off, something happened which saddens me.  Oscar was whining and scratching at the front door, a little agitated.  I saw Kit Kit, the neighborhood cat was out there so I figured that was all it was.  He persisted.  Then I spotted what was wrong.  She had moved to a different spot but was obviously in distress and not moving.  The poor thing was drawing her last breaths and not a darned thing could be done for her.  I called Robert since I knew he would have to bury her with Mooch and the other departed dogs in the back acreage.  Miss Kathryn was just getting home from an appointment and I called her next.  The cat had been fine that morning at feeding time and it was just a regular day for her.   Kit Kit was definitely an outdoor cat but Miss Kathryn fed her primarily and she was in and out of her home.  Glynda, Robert and I guessed that perhaps a snake had gotten her or she had gotten into some poison as she was a confirmed bird, mouser, frog chaser/kudzu patrol kitty.  Later I ran into Glynda and Robert at the grocery store and she said their nephew who lives behind Miss Kathryn had hit Kit Kit with his truck (he thought) as she darted under it running away from a dog in the subdivision near us.  The accident could have happened to any of us since she often was under vehicles in the shade and was not afraid of anything.  Meet you, Pippi and Tyson Tubbs and all those good dogs at the Rainbow Bridge, Kit Kit.  She was feisty but a good cat who showed up, pregnant, back in April, May 2014.  We three paid to have her spayed and Glynda found homes for the babies.    I hate that this happened!

Well, on to other things.  While I have plans to do some closet purging in the near term, I'm going to pass on that for the time being.   Yesterday I was looking into some quilt ideas that take some pieced bands.  The quilt group and I are going to have a sew day with a potluck next week.  I've got a pile of used color catchers to use for a base if I chose so.  Railroad Crossing springs to mind as does two quilts from Miss Rosie's Quilt Company called Ashcombe and Grandmother's Scrap Bag.  I see a few of these images on Pinterest but it does not look like the link is active for Carrie Nelson's website.

Another possibility for 2 or 2 1/2 inch strips is a re-sized version of Ann Pahl's Four Patch Pinwheel.  Lois has done one of these and it makes a cool scrappy quilt and would not have to be on point.   Pineapple Blossom would work too.

 
I'm dithering, LOL.  I found that bolt of muslin from Jane in the closet and had I narrowed down what I personally want to do, I would cut some squares for us to use next week.   Leaning most to RR Crossing so that means just plain setting squares.  That quilt I started hand quilting is around here somewhere that I could pull for an example.  HMMM which closet??

I appreciate Jennifer labeling the bags as to how much batting is left after quilting my two quilts.  She also had provided a huge TJ Maxx bag to hold the quilts and I assume put the next one in there for her.  I started to say "that's not my bag but the other one is" when she told me what she does.  Later when I unpacked all the batting bits from the car and the bags I discovered the notations.  Good idea!

Here are the two tops.  Yeah, they look a bit blend-y laid out on the bed but part of that is because they both use the same Corey Yoder Prairie for Moda.  I have Jelly Rolls of the same stuff to make another--that neat Firecrackers Quilt from Fat Quarter Shop.  I love this line--can you tell?  Jennifer paid me a compliment when she said how nice it was to have square and well made tops to work with as I guess she has been working on some of those older, found tops.  I love the loose stipple on both of these as that is exactly what I wanted done with them though I had left the quilting up to her knowing that she prefers not to use pantos.

Since I am still a bit dampish around the edges from walking, I had swapped out the sewing machines and set the tables up so I can put the binding on.  It has been awhile since I've quilted/bound anything in spite of all the recently pinned tops and more to BE pinned.  Try May 2015 when I finished up that commissioned 100 Good Wishes Quilt.  I've always enjoyed piecing for more than quilting, though I love to hand quilt but I have quilted a ton of donation quilts since back in 2000.  Life changed and I can't stay in that sewing room for hours anymore.  I am probably going to have to close the door to keep Skyler off the quilts as I work and hope Oscar behaves himself in the meantime.   I'll have a hand project for the evening group and can leave the machine out of the car a bit longer, LOL.

and sew it goes...............

What a week + some!

The past 10 days or so have quite a week for my family--and I was present for some of it!

Great niece Lily, shown here on a recent visit to great grandma's, turned two.  Low key party since Kristine is expecting Lily's sister to arrive sometime in the next two weeks.

Our little miracle boy Wyatt had his first birthday!  His grandparents and parents had a open house to celebrate and thank their prayer warriors.  According to my sister, they expected maybe 50 people but had maybe 300 well wishers.  Standing room only and people lined up waiting to come in.

This guy, my youngest brother Phil turned 50 making me officially OLD!  The best recent picture I could find of him was on his last trip to Land Between the Lakes, KY.  Yep, he's the fisher person.  Also niece Beth turned 21!  Lots of July events.

AND, DJ's grandson Josh, shown here with his mom LuAnn for the mother-son dance, got married to his long time love Lauren!  I've got a picture of the couple too---later in the post.

That was just the introduction to the post, LOL.  Obviously I have not posted since early in the month and 4th of July weekend.  I was getting the house cleaned up, doing laundry, last minute errands so I could pack and packing, printing off driving directions.  You know how it goes!

I took off about 6:30 on Friday the 8th thinking "Paducah or Bust".  This trip was not undertaken without a bit of trepidation on my part.  I have only driven back to Illinois once in 19 years all by myself.  If I drove, it was switching off with DJ or like in December, go as far as my brother's home in TN and ride the rest of the way up with them.  Mostly I have flown back.   This time I needed to get up to my parent's home in central Illinois but I also needed to be down in Edwardsville, IL later in the week for the wedding.  Plus there was the treadle sewing machine to carry back if possible and a big roll of quilt batting Mom was passing on to the Bama Belles.  I had to have my car this time.  Suck it up, Buttercup and drive!

While the roads are basically familiar to me, parts were not.  I hate driving in most of TN specifically around Nashville though I am not crazy about the I-59/I-24 W exchange as you merge in from the left and I almost got hit there one trip.  Next trip I may try going towards Chattanooga east and then turn around at the first exit to head back towards Nashville, LOL.   I-65 is not too bad till you get up near Franklin, TN and you just feel hemmed in by vehicles.  I can take two lane, mostly familiar roads to get over to the interstate.   This time I took a slightly different road which angled up towards Priceville instead heading into Cullman at a right angle.  It worked out well and put me on the interstate just slightly south of Decatur, AL---about 30 some miles to the TN line from there.

So I drove, and drove some more, white knuckling through Nashville and all the merging and surprisingly, not a lot of road construction.  I knew from my maps to stay near the left lane and just hung on.  I was in Clarksville, TN for lunch--just like DJ and I always did.  I drove right past the Hancocks of Paducah exit and kept driving.  Finally I stopped for the night in Mount Vernon, IL.  450 miles behind me.

Saturday I did the stretch from Mt. Vernon to Lexington.  197 miles though I stopped at my brother's home since he is just a few blocks off of the blacktop you take to get in the back way off I-74.   I had not told them I was coming.  I had only decided what days quite recently, moving two appointments so I could go to see my family first and do the wedding on the way back to Alabama instead of the other way around.  Apparently my parents had not said anything either.  I caught Jen and Laura by surprise then.  She invited us to come back the next day for supper as my nephew John was home from Missouri State that weekend.  He was not going to summer school but stayed down in Springfield to work.  Teddy will be attending there come fall.

Sunday my parents and I went off to my dad's family reunion in his hometown at a local restaurant.  At one time there were 42 first cousins in his generation, now down to 6.  I didn't know anyone there until two of my 2nd cousins arrived with their spouses. Paul and Karen are close in age to a couple of my younger siblings.  Dad was the youngest in his family and my grandpa was the 2nd oldest child.  We never lived close to his family till my senior year in high school.  Visits back did not coincide with family reunions very often.  Large families, lots of cousins you never met or don't remember if you did.  Still, it was fun, the food was good.  The restaurant packed up the leftover chicken etc in carryout containers so folks to take home if you wanted.  Less cooking in coming days!

That evening we went back to Phil's for dinner.  Ted was working at the pizza place and Jen ordered a small pizza just so he would come home to deliver it and we would see him, LOL.  The main menu was grilled hot dogs and brats but she had all the toppings for making them Chicago style or chili dogs if you preferred.  She had watermelon salad, a pasta salad and made my favorite Rhubarb Meringue dessert.   We were playing a sharing your memories type game after we ate and had the best time!  Jen packed up leftover containers for us to take--my parents said she often does this---definitely less cooking!

Monday we went to Peace Meal for lunch and that evening I went down to my sister's for supper.  Filets, baked potatoes, salad and creamy blueberry pie using a recipe she says she got from me.  (It is on allrecipes, LOL from someone names Susan Meyer.  I just sub lemon yogurt for the sour cream is all).

Tuesday I was trying to make connections with a friend for lunch but he came by the house to say that he had to make a delivery out of town and we rescheduled for Wednesday.  At the time Dad was trying to figure out how we could get the treadle machine in the car so we were out on the driveway looking at the car.  The cast iron base and the cabinet were on the garage rafters while the Singer machine was in the attic.  He climbed up the ladder to get up there somehow and used a block and tackle to lower it down.  No way would it go in either direction because of how the car trunk sloped.  I said "too bad the sides won't come off or will they?"  I spotted a couple of screw slots and using a pair of vice grips, Dad got them off and into the car.   This was taken when I returned but you get the idea.

One roll of batting went in the trunk---that machine was not going anywhere!!  I was afraid to open the trunk for fear the thing would start puffing back out from being crammed in there, LOL.

You don't dare take the twine off either for the same reason.  This is 96 wide 4 oz. poly batting, a partial roll.

Two shots of the back seat---the cabinet for the treadle went on the back seat with a 2nd roll of batting in that big yellow bag, tied down and crammed in behind the seats.  I add two more bags on the way back home as Jennifer the long arm quilter had called to tell me my quilts could be picked up the first day of the trip!!  One bag has the two quilts and the other the leftover batting.

I had stuff in the front seat too but not near as crammed full as the back seat!  No way I could have had a passenger or any kind or size!

We knew it was all going to go after packing the car and a few small packages of batting are buried up there atop the cabinet.  I could see out the back mirror easily which is all that mattered at that point.

I tried to get my old wi-fi device hooked up to my parents computer without much success.  The software installed but I must have missed a step or key component.  My chromebook recognized it but then it was the one I used to use but no internet to be had.  I just made a daily stop at the public library to clear my mail and the like.  Thankfully, they provide that service.  I did try though and hooked it back up like they had it.

Wednesday I met Tom for lunch at the local Kemp's Upper Tap.  He would have taken me there last August when I was back but they were not quite ready to open. Good burger!  Good visit with Tom.  That evening Diane, her husband Rick, Kristine and Lily and I were planning to meet for dinner at Schooner's in Bloomington but there were severe thunderstorm warnings about the time we were to leave.  We postponed till Thursday.  We shared their King tenderloin and beer battered onion rings that I crave since I can't get anything like it down here in Alabama.

I went down to Bloomington a little early on Thursday to do the "nostalgia" tour.  I went by the places I used to live and work, minus one stop in Normal.  I even drove out to the mobile home park where DJ had lived for a time. I may have turned down the wrong street at first and was a little confused since there is more housing there than used to be along the route but I found the lot.  I had gone right past the home he had built near Downs when I went through the country to my sister's on Monday.  I picked up a couple of Avanti's gondolas for our supper (and my Friday breakfast, LOL) on the way back from lunch.  

I left for Edwardsville on Friday morning--the wedding was at 5 and the hotel was near there.  I-55 is familiar road after all those trips to St. Louis to baseball games though I had never been in the town.  Josh and Lauren had both attended and graduated from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville last year.  Josh is working on his masters and they were both working at a local restaurant but they are moving down to Florida soon to be closer to his mom and dad.   I got myself all turned around driving to the wedding and wound up several stop lights north of where I needed to be.  I had time earlier and should have made a trial run, kicking myself.  No one knew where the venue was at the two places I stopped to ask.  My phone map was little help and was not talking to me when I messed up either.  I finally spotted it after my 2nd goof-up and could tell the road access was behind the building.  Then I couldn't figure out where the entrance was as the first two doors were locked.  I was not the only one who was 5 minutes late!  We found the correct door together.  (Her husband had a sock snafu so they were running late).  We were seated just before the bride was about to be escorted down the aisle.

I was seated with the best man's parents and grandmother.  I had meet Bruce and Nadine several times over the years but not met Grandma Grace.  Scott and Josh had been best friends since age 5 and t-ball.  Scott and groomsman Cole were friends of Lauren's from school and actually introduced her to Josh at a party when they were 15.  It took!  After 8 years together as a couple, they are now wed.  DJ would be so proud of him and so happy that Josh has a soulmate.   

Coincidentally, July 15 which will be their anniversary marks the anniversary of DJ and I moving to Alabama in 1997.  Yep, the 19 years I mentioned earlier.  Wow!  Where does time go?

Saturday was the big driving day again.  I took some backroads out of Edwardsville to get to I-64.  My parents and I had poured over the maps before I had left and avoided some confusing google directions.   Nashville was huge traffic jam where 1-24 E hits the turn off for I-65 S.  I was going to go back on I-24 to Chattanooga but there are spots where the two routes and even parts of I-40 run together.  Had I known what I was doing and not been in a far left lane I could have exited on Briley Parkway and saved some of that hassle.  It took well over an hour to get past the bottleneck.   I kept driving, thinking maybe I would stop in Manchester or Monteagle for the night.  I hit the "Sammy Snake" section just about 4 miles from Monteagle and it was pouring down rain.  That clinched it!  I knew the windy steep downhill section that followed was best done the following day and I had driven one tenth of a mile shy of 400 anyway and was about 40 miles from Chattanooga.  

Sunday it was just 147 miles to drive---I needed to stop in Attalla to pick up my quilts before I headed home.  I had to laugh though.  Both times Jennifer has had to call me I have been out of town, like WAAAAAY out of town. Last time I was in Florida visiting Tracy and Luann and this time sitting at the Clarksville, TN Steak and Shake.  I hardly ever really go more than a couple county area away but this spared an extra trip to meet up with her.  

 After a quick stop for gas and a few groceries, I was home in time to go to Emily's (my former neighbor/Glynda's daughter-in-law) baby shower that afternoon with Miss Kathryn, Miss Esther and Carolyn.   After the shower, we drove over to Paul's to drop off Carolyn but came in to say hello.  We were joking with him that we were ready for supper and whatever he was fixing, LOL.  It was a joke but next thing we know he is out grilling hot dogs, I'm helping with the french fries and Esther went to get some buns.

Yesterday I met Aline and her husband, Jane and her husband at the Oxford I-Hop for breakfast.  I was able to drop off the one roll of batting at the meeting place and run a couple errands since I was close to the exchange.  The laundry is done, car is all unloaded thanks to Paul last evening.  He is going to refinish the cabinet part for me but we put it in the shed for now since he can't get to it till sometime next month.   Now to re-load the stuff in the car that normally goes in there--what DJ called my quilt shop on wheels, LOL.

Now that I have talked your ear off, I do have some stuff to do around the house.  Some things still need to be put away.  Some paperwork dealt with, etc.  My critters are barely wanting me to get out of their sight.  Oscar was under my feet as I have been sitting at the kitchen table and I kept nudging him accidentally with my feet.  I finally got his little bed from the living room and he sacked out in it near me.  Skyler is being exceptionally meowing and clingy too.  I'm guessing they missed me a bit but then I missed them too. I am thankful to Glynda for tending them so I could make this trip and they can stay in their own home.  

Till next time-----

And now it is July

Think this is what they mean by dog days of summer?

Oscar seems to have fallen in love with his little bed in the living room.  Wish he felt that way about his real bed!  Last night he managed to not only move a yard away from the wall again but also made a left hand turn while he was at it.  I think he wore himself out with all that rocking and rolling around 2 a.m.  I put ear plugs in and did not give in to let him out or scold him.   He has been napping a good bit of the day, snoring softly but it really is a bit warm to be out.   ( 95 to 98 range at the moment.)  Yesterday the temps were a bit lower, the humidity was down as well so it did not seem too bad.  The a/c would actually shut off for a bit.   We'll go walk when the sun gets down closer to the tree line and shady areas can be enjoyed.

Not to be outdone, Skyler was keeping me company on the couch.

He is not fooling me though.  He wants to be ON the bag of knitting as there are several washcloths in there that I need to work the stray ends into the piece and it crinkles!  The pattern is in a sheet protector in the bag.   This little booger decided to hop in the dryer when I was doing laundry earlier today.   Just because it is empty and warm does not mean you do silly things like that!

Nothing to see here!  I feel a bit lazy like these two.  Don't feel like sewing --though I did get the 2nd arm on the stack of Layer Cake Lattice blocks earlier in the week, they still aren't pressed or up on the design wall.  I had appointments and quilt groups this week so haven't just been parked on the couch.  Typical errands and home tasks.

Baking, of course, is out and really any oven time to speak of.   The most "exotic" thing I've managed to cook is a crockpot of black beans which took about 3 times longer than the recipe stated, even with soaking overnight.   I am considering doing a pizza crust sometime this weekend but that only takes about 12 mins plus pre-heat time.  Or not.  Ambivalent.

 I binge watched Seasons 1-7 of Inspector Lewis on Amazon Prime over about 6 day period because there was a deadline to do so.  The final season will air on PBS come mid August.  Some I had actually seen, at least parts of them, though I may not have released just what I was watching when I tuned in.   That's where some of the knitting came in.

Mostly I've been piddling about here at home though.  I've been reading but still have an Mary Kay Andrews book to get through ahead of the bookmobile stop on Tuesday.  I renewed all three books last time but surely I can finish up in time!

Nothing really planned for the 4th.   Still, that is better than LAST year when I was prepping for a colonoscopy, LOL.  Some jerky neighbor has already been shooting off some of his fireworks--like, 4 days ago.  I do not look forward to this as it upsets Oscar, akin to thunder to him.   I know the general direction it is coming from but not which house is involved.  Since the county is in moderate to severe drought,  conditions are dry enough in spots for grass fires.   Occasionally the debris travels into MY yard and then I get to pick up their mess.  They also keep at it till after midnight.  I know I am off in the county but you would think there would be a cutoff time for disturbing sleep regardless of address.  SIGH  Happy Birthday, America.

So I hope you have a safe holiday weekend especially if traveling.  Guess I'll go unload the dishwasher and switch over the last load of laundry.  Boring but necessary, LOL.