busy busy but not quilting

Pippi is no doubt wondering if it is safe to stay out on her perch. I have been busy cleaning for two days straight but finally finished the job about 3:30 this afternoon. Since my work involved the vacuum cleaner AKA kitty eating machine she stayed under the bed most of the day. Poor kitty---I've been calling her "Poodle Paws" with those shaved spots on her front legs. I notice it more when she is standing up. This angle is making her look chubbier than she is right now too---she has lost about 3 lbs with this condition she has and it really bony in her back.

I cannot show you how the patriotic row came out and that is the nearest I had been to piecing anything late last week. Kept changing my mind about what blocks I wanted to do. One involved a star on a big circle so that challenged me and amazingly, turned out well. I had thought about doing a Sky Rocket block as shown( below). I still like this one but decided I would be better served to just get the work done in the interest of time. I really was having a harder time working with such a limited palette of colors more than anything--Betsy makes Quilts of Valor so I had told her she is welcome to some of the leftovers. One last project is coming. The "reveal" is scheduled for my birthday weekend along with a 3 day retreat next month. Should be fun.

I had told DJ that once I was done with the row obligation I intended to give this house a thorough cleaning. I was tired of looking at the clutter I had been piling up in the sewing room and in/on my desk. I was tired of looking at the dust and it was just time before I start quilting or piecing again. Of course he asks "who is coming to visit?" No one, but I want it clean for US. He, of course, could care less but did vacuum part of the hall and living room for me. What I really wanted him to do was mop the kitchen floor but NOOOOOO. I may tackle that tomorrow.

I cleaned out the desk, the stuff on the desk, the TV stand that holds quilting stuff, all the bookcases in the entire house, save one (he can clean his own room and bathroom). Boxed up some books for library donation and went through all the stuff on my sewing room shelves today. Tossed some but not much. I am beat!

My husband has a goofy way of running the a/c. It has to get to about 80 in here before I can turn it on or 1130 a.m. or thereabouts. It goes off at 10 p.m. regardless of the house temperature. Just stating fact---I have gripped about this incessantly over the years. It does no good to try to tell him this is less than efficient way to run it. He's the one paying the bill and I have far more um, "insulation" than he does so the heat bothers me more than him. Well, today it didn't matter. I turned it on all right but it was not cooling we discovered about 2 hours later. Sure enough the fan unit outside was not working. He could not reach any heating/air conditioning guy to come out, this being Sunday in the Bible Belt. It was miserable---outside temps 88 and inside the same and me, trying to get my work finished. I was just about ready to get in the car and blast the car a/c. At that point I was dressed in the coolest thing I own (my nightgown) and had my too short hair yanked back the best I could, sweaty, sticky, gritty, dirty and no way could I remotely get out of the car anywhere. Shower first and then consider it. Finally an afternoon thunderstorm came blowing in and that provided some cloud cover and about 5 degrees of temperature drop. Another reason for Pippi to lay low--thunderbumpers. We didn't get much in the way of rain though I suspect that other parts of the county did.

The other thing---I probably killed the vacuum cleaner. I got a little tingle in my finger when I was doing the final vacuum in the sewing room. I must have vacuumed over the cord and it chewed through to the wire. Third time one of us has done that but this time was worst. I don't know if he can fix it or not but the thing sounded like it was on its last legs. More expense even if he can replace the cord.

And so it goes at my house----I am going to be happy to get back to the walking trail tomorrow since I felt I have worked harder with housework than walking 2.2 miles.

Happy Canada Day to the bloggin friends to our North though I guess this being Sunday it will be observed tomorrow instead?