Goodbye, September

One more day in CDT and the month of  September will be gone with the wind.  We are getting a taste of more fall like weather this weekend but the overnight temps have been a bit lower.  I actually had a quilt pulled up past my feet for the first time in forever last night.  Almost a shock to see the hallway thermostat read 73 degrees this morning.  Bring it on, I say.

Like every other week in my life the week has whizzed on by since I last posted. Earlier in the week Marilyn had asked if I wanted to go with her and a friend to the Lick Skillet Show on Friday morning and then to lunch.  Then I popped that crown and needed to get in to see the dentist.  She was right--he was closed on Fridays but I had told them to go ahead without me and I would probably catch up to them.

Thing is my friend later asked me out to lunch again on Friday.  He lives about 45 minutes away and hoping to spare him the extra 15 minutes to my house, I said I would be in Oxford (it is on the way) at noon at the quilt show.  He could call when he got there and I'd come out.  What ended up happened is the phone rang as I was driving south and he left a voicemail  "I'll be at the front door shortly" an hour and half earlier than I expected him. At my house?? Turned out he was at the quilt show, paid his admission and maybe was walking through looking for me, not sure.  Then he met me at the door, paid my admission and walked through with me!  Oh, atta boy points for that.  I didn't get to the vendors at all but that might have been a good thing after the field trip day and AQS show the previous week.

Of course, we were running into all lot of people I know from Belles, JOY Guild and some from Friendship Guild in Pell City and introducing him.  At one point Wendell our JOY group prez and his wife were in the next group of quilts from us.  He stuck out his hand to shake and says to Charlie "we think a lot of your wife's talents" or something like that.  Charlie didn't say a word, I probably looked like a deer in the headlights briefly till I recovered and said "uh, we aren't married" but left off the part that this was only our 2nd real date!  Oh boy!   I felt embarrassed for Wendell  and I didn't really what Charlie's reaction was.  Charlie and I were laughing about it at lunch.  Later I thought had I wanted to "play" with Wendell for the gaffe I could have said " oh we aren't married---at least not to each other"  but that would have been 1) a lie and 2) mean even if it did strike me as a little funny.  Honestly, I thought he knew I was widowed but perhaps forgot.

Saturday was Bama-Kent State football day so he picked me up to go to Paul's to watch it.  The game was quite early so we all went to supper at Lone Star Steakhouse.  I had hoped we would see the National Anthem performed.   Susan from Patchwork Reflections' granddaughter Madison who is a student at University of Alabama was performing with the Million Dollar Band but doing it sign language.  It was International Sign Language  Week as well as Parents weekend.  I saw video later but not on network.

I saw Charlie again on Sunday afternoon fixing some Cubano sandwiches for supper.  (I scrapped the idea of going to the chamber music concert, LOL.)  Unfortunately right after we finished the meal my missing crown tooth kicked in with shooting pains into temple and jaw and it was bad.  He did what he could to soothe me and it finally let up but not before see me at my worst.  I didn't scare him away, I guess as I saw him Wednesday afternoon (yesterday) for lunch after our mutual doctor appointments.  I think we can assume I am definitely dating and having fun.   Oh, Oscar loves him, jumping all over him and giving doggie kisses.  I almost think he likes him more than he does me.  I rarely get doggie kisses.  Keeps trying to jump up right between us, LOL.  Since we met in Paul's living room last season, I messaged Paul that Cupid must surely come dressed in red Bama boxer shorts (or so I've been told, LOL), a big belly, Bama cap and hunk of chaw.  I don't know if he gave Charlie a nudge or not but suspect possibly.

Donna and Margarita came by Friday evening after the quilt show to pick up the guild donation comfort quilt as Margarita wanted to test out her new thimble and I had gotten the binding on it for her.  Also she wanted to see my sewing room set up.  I waited to set up to quilt the challenge quilt till today since I thought Stacy might come on Tuesday but frankly, I didn't have time to get started on it till today anyway.

I couldn't get in to see the dentist until Tuesday.  It was aching but thankfully, no more bad spells like Sunday evening.  I had to leave the Belles meeting to go and told the girls to go on to lunch without me as I doubted I would be able to chew for a bit.  BUT after talking with the dentist and taking an x-ray, I had a small abscess developing.  If we put the existing crown back on, there was not much bone to attach to and it would slough off and it needed a root canal.  No thanks---I'm getting it pulled this next Monday.  Way back molar anyway.

I had two of my quilts to pin and had left one of them set up on the table half done with Bev's help.  A quick text to say I was on my way back got a response that they were at Olive Garden, come on out and we'll wait to order.  Brenda and Bev were doing hand work at the meeting and I was helping Margarita a bit with a Dandy Quilt block she was making for her QOV retreat block.   Between Belles and the Tuesday evening group she got it all finished up.

I wasn't at Tuesday evening group terribly long but was in full mentor mode I guess, LOL.  Donna wanted go start on a Tree Farm quilt block for the guild Christmas block exchange but was having a little trouble understanding the instructions.  Got her going.  I had brought Stacy the resized idea for the Sweet Life quilt but she was looking through my Simply Retro book and liked the Framed almost as much as I do.  I told her I had one all cut out and that it is one I hoped to work on at the upcoming retreat, LOL.  It certainly will work for her wonkily cut Kaffe Fassett layer cake.   She had a stack of other fabrics and an idea she liked so we all had suggested of what colors to put where from her selections.  Margarita also needed some help with her stack of RWB fabrics for a quilt for a family member, "which color to use where" sort of thing using Ami Simms' Twisted Sister ruler and pattern.  Turned out she was a little short of what she needed for the block center choice.  I told her to just come by and see if I had something she could use as I have quite a bit of red in my stash.  Hopefully the one we pulled out will work--we swapped for some of her black and white.  Janice was doing just fine without me, LOL working on her block of the month that Donna is helping them with.  Her fabric choices are wonderful and she was doing two blocks rather than one.  Donna had wanted a star with a pinwheel center and to have the girls work with flying geese/quarter square triangles.  I found this one called Sarah's Choice on Quilter's Cache that fit the bill but she needed me to print it off for her.  The two guests came again so maybe they are going to be joining in regularly.

Wednesday off to the endocrinologist.  For once I was out of there in a reasonable amount of time.  My thyroid stimulating hormone is finally back in normal limits so I won't have to go back for another 6 months.  However, my scan showed the nodule is a bit larger than it was 6 months prior but still small enough that it does not need to be biopsied yet.  That will be repeated along with the labs.

I managed to get 5 of the 7 rows of my challenge quilt quilted today but have no clue what I want to do on the borders.  I am happy with the progress I did make so I can play a bit tomorrow and not feel so stressed about getting this thing done in time for the retreat.  Charlie is coming with his 3 yr old granddaughter so we'll go to the park and I already told him I was hungry for pancakes so maybe IHOP.  Will see what Abby wants, LOL.  Bama plays at 6 on Saturday and Paul says hamburgers before it starts.

And so it goes------crazy life lately but a happier one in many ways.