Group sewing day

I got up early to get ready for the sewing event. I did exercise, but did not have much time for e-mail. I packed my sewing gear and selected some fabrics to take along. I also brought a quilt that needed binding. I left about 9. Katie and her mom were the only ones there when I arrived. Deb came a short while later. Gladys came, but not to sew, only to help those who were sewing. I cut strips and sewed the binding on to my purple quilt. Then I started on the group project which was to make quiltlets for Alzheimers. There is a site which accepts them and puts them up for sale to raise money. Lacking inspiration, I cut a 7 x 10 piece from a picture print. I cut and sewed green borders for it. Jen offered us her hand-dyed fabric for backings. It was so lovely that I took a piece and then kept it, using my own fabric for the backing. She also gave me a 9x12 batting. When she realized what I had done, she gave me another piece, much bigger than the first one, and containing all the colors of the rainbow. God bless Jen. I quilted around several objects in the picture and then added binding and the corners for hanging. I think we quit sewing around 3, but I am not sure since my watch died. Only Deb was left by then. I followed her to Thrift Mart. I did not find anything I really wanted. Then we went to the Neighborhood Store (another thrift store), but nothing there either. She then had to go to the library, so I went home on Memorial Parkway. Chris was starting to talk to the voices. He had supper going in the crock pot. I had a bowl of that, and picked some greens from the yard for a salad: wild lettuce and dandelion. I practiced my trombone and googled ways to treat a cold sore. A LOT of people use nail polish remover. Not on my lips. I decided to use hydrogen peroxide, then coconut oil, and later, honey. Suitably 'medicated', I took my laptop downstairs to play some of those hour and a half audios while I ironed the rest of my fabric stack. I finished the ironing before the second audio ended, so I started in on a donation quilt started months ago. I also pried open my watch to find the battery. But it is so small I cannot read the numbers on it. When the second audio ended, my computer told me to plug in or find another power source. What other power source is there? So I came up to plug in. There was a short audio to listen to, and then I decided to post to my blog before working more on the donation quilt.

Sitting all day logging quilts

First thing this morning, I wrote my blog post for yesterday. I forgot to exercise before having breakfast. It had rained overnight, so I took a break from weeding and mowing. After reading my e-mail, I started writing scripts to go with my quilt pics for the virtual presentation to SHQG in April. Steven Skype-texted me until Michele Skype-videod me. I did not know how to text him while she was talking. She had just gotten off of work (whoo-hoo, she has a job! I am so proud) and wanted to talk. She said she was tired, but she talked for an hour. When the connection dropped, I went back to writing and texting. I took a break just before lunch to jump on the rebounder. Later I took a break to practice my instrument. I remembered to call the moving and storage people about picking up the boxes. But they said it was Blue Sky that delivered the boxes. I called Blue Sky and they said they only take boxes on the day they deliver. Say what?!? They gave me a local number to call, but when I called it, they said it wasn't them and they did not want the boxes. So I went back to writing up my quilts. I was writing up quilt #19 when Chris came home. I was outside, sitting in the sun. I like sitting in the sun, but it makes the cursor on my screen almost impossible to see. I finished that one and came inside. I did one more to make an even 20. I wonder if that is enough or if I should do more. For supper I picked a bowl full of wild lettuce, chickweed and oxalis. I added a little spinach and salad dressing. I also took a few pics of the irises which are blooming now. That way I will know what color they are when it comes time to break up the rhyzomes. After that, I went down to clear my sewing room. I dealt with all the piles of fabric on the table except one. Then Chris came down and we watched "The Librarian: the Chalice of Judas". That was followed by two episodes of NCIS. We decided to call it a night because the guild is having a sewing day tomorrow at 9.

Some people have a green thumb...

I jumped on my reb0under, but not as much as I would like. The day I did it in front of the TV left me a little sore. I had breakfast and then went out to roll up as much packing paper as I could and stuff it in a paper bag. I put it out for recycling. I started a new batch of fermented coconut milk, and ate most of the previous batch. I washed a load of light-colored fabric. I watered my tomato plants and the suckers that I am trying to sprout. It was almost noon before the grass was dry enough to mow. I mowed in the back yard and in the front yard. I did not get as much done as I wanted, but more than I expected. Since the grass has now been mowed once, it went a lot faster. You may wonder why I am mowing when I have contracted the mowing to someone else. I just want it to be all the same height so all the parts will need mowing at the same time. I forgot to wear shoes when I did the mowing and my feet turned green. But I did wear my shoes to dig out pokeweed in the back. Then I came inside to practice my trombone and eat lunch. I carried my laptop downstairs to listen to while I iron. I noticed that the washer did not leak, but this time I had the drain hose in the clean-out pipe. I took the fabric out of the dryer and it had just the amount of dampness I wanted. While I was ironing, MaryAnn skyped me. She showed me her roses which were lovely. She said she only meant to talk for half an hour, but we talked for over 2. While I was finishing the ironing, Chris came home from work. I kept going, but eventually I realized that I wasn't going to finish tonight. So I went upstairs for a bit of supper and then came down to watch TV. BBT was on. Chris joined me for the last of it. Then we watched a few more episodes of NCIS, our latest checkout from the library. We could not renew B5 because we had already renewed it once. Can't wait to see those last two episodes though.
I washed my feet in the washbowl before going to bed. Sorry about the pic, but it was a slow day in the photojournalism world.

A good day

Since I went to bed without posting, it was the first thing I did this morning. Then, since I was already on the internet, I read some e-mail. I had an early breakfast and went out to start my yardwork. I mowed until the mower needed a break. I watered the tomatoes, and weeded in the garden, including the poison ivy spotted yesterday. I put away the packing paper that I set out to dry. Can't figure out how it got wet being so far back in the carport. A little before noon I came in and set up my laptop in the sewing area. I started ironing. At 12:30 MaryAnn skyped me. The connection wasn't good, so we had to forgo video. Later, when her son came by, I turned on my video so I could show him the quilt top and possible borders. I took a pic of his final choice so I wouldn't forget. Eventually the call just dropped. Maryann will call tomorrow to see if the connection is any better. I had some lunch after that. Then I got a call from Charlie. He was next door and came over. He said he used to mow this lawn for several years and was hoping to get it back on his list. I told him I'd have to talk to Chris. So I e-mailed Chris and he was amenable. As much time as I spend mowing and raking, it is worth having someone do it for $40 (in an hour and with trimming). I am not a housewife and I don't want to be a yard wife either. I spent another couple of hours digging out poke weed. It gets a long thick root that can be devilish to dig out when it is up against a fence or a tree root. In the process I noticed some more poison ivy. Arggh! I took a shower and then Chris came home. I was only wearing a towel, but somehow he resisted. So I got dressed. We ate supper. I played my trombone, read through the choir music, then went to choir practice. My new friend Doris, a fellow choir member, is into wild plants. She told me about two books I should read. She is thrilled that I am looking at weeds as a food source. She also told me poison ivy is very common around here and hard to control. It is the only plant she will use an herbicide on. When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV. But first he locked the doors upstairs, and found a box of supplements on the front porch. (it wasn't there when Charlie came over just before 3) We watched the first two episodes of NCIS season 1. Chris went to bed while I stayed up to post.

Shuffling the stacks

I followed my usual morning routine. I got started on the yard work a little earlier than usual, which was good since the temps went high. I started mowing, then had to give the mower breaks, so I also raked leaves and pinestraw, watered the tomatoes, and pulled weeds. Yesterday the people who came to get boxes told me I had a nice peaceful back yard. But when I look at it, all I see is yardwork. Anyway, while pulling weeds I noticed more poison ivy. Maybe I'll get to it tomorrow. As I put my tools away, I saw the pile of paper and cardboard in the carport. So I separated it, folding the paper that was dry and laying out the damp ones to air out. I rolled the corrugated pieces and stuck them on a shelf out there. And the padded paper pieces went in a pile, too. While moving some boxes at the very back, I saw a large dark shape run away. Mice! That would explain the shredding of the padded paper. Also found a hornets nest, still small. I guess I should put the regular packing paper on Freecycle to get rid of it. It's just that sorting through all the responses to decide who gets it is not my cup of tea. Anyway, when finished, I ate lunch. After lunch, I took my laptop to the sewing room to play one of the interviews I missed while I worked. I moved the black and bright quilt project to the garage to make room for playing musical fabric stacks. I have to reorganize it all by color. The color coded filing system did not survive the packing and shipping process. I washed a load of new fabric to see if the washer outlet hose leaked, and it did. So I moved the hose to the clean-out and now have to do another load to see if it drains better there. I put the fabric in the dryer. Chris came home and changed clothes. The corned beef and cabbage he put in the crockpot this morning was ready, so we sat supper and then watched "The Scarlet Pimpernel" with Jane Seymour from Netflix. I was brushing my teeth and intending to post to my blog, but my back got this weird burning sensation and I laid down immediately. I wanted to avoid any impending spasms. And then I fell asleep, promising myself to post first thing in the morning.

Outside and in

I never heard Chris get up this morning, just woke up to find him gone. I went to the garage to get the rebounder. I put it in front of the TV. Using it there, I found I got tired more quickly, but I stayed for more rounds. Then it was time for breakfast. As I was preparing it, I noticed the garbage, so I took it out to the curb. I read e-mail both during and after eating. It was such a nice day that I went out to plant the tomato and pepper. There were two plants in the tomato pot and I was going to separate them, but they weren't cooperating, and it wasn't worth risking them both. I could not resist pulling some weeds after the planting. I got out the lawn mower, too. The tall weeds seem to stall it, so I alternated mowing with raking. Seemed to work pretty well. I did under the magnolia tree and part of the back yard. I spent some time identifying weeds but didn't find anything new to eat. After lunch I took all the food waste and blended it into a soup to water the tomatoes. I also watered the suckers that I pinched off and planted in a container to root. I put it in the shade so as not to dry out too quickly. I practiced my instrument a little. Sewing was next on the list. I moved all my multi-colored fabrics to the cabinets in the garage to make enough room in the sewing area to arrange the rest by color. I found some fabrics I hadn't seen before that kind of went with the black and bright quilt. I took some pics of the combinations. Chris came home, fixed himself a salad, and filed our taxes online. I picked some dandelion to go with my salad, and watched some chakra videos on Youtube. There was a knock at the door and a young boy stood there. He and his parents had come for boxes and paper. They took all they could fit in their car. I encouraged them to come back for more. When Chris finished filing, we went down to watch two episodes of B5. All we have left now is the last two episodes. How I wish Kurt hadn't told me how it ends. I wanted to be surprised.

Sunday afternoon stroll

We got up about 9 and had plenty of time to get ready for church, especially since the choir director is on spring break so no need to show up early for warm ups. We had a guest pastor too since our regular one is on break. After church we stopped by Publix for groceries. I also got three packets of seed for the garden. Chris made eggs for lunch but I wasn't hungry yet. I changed my clothes and folded the laundry. Then took the lawn mower for a spin. Instead of working steadily for half an hour, it would stall in the tall weeds. After a few minutes it would start up again. Chris took me to Home Depot to get some plants. I got three tomatoes and a pepper. I did a little more mowing and then discovered poison ivy growing in the garden. I put on some rubber gloves and ripped it out. Chris suggested leaving it in the driveway to dry out and die. There was more of it near the driveway. But I pulled up all that I could find. Then I mowed a little more and did some weeding. I planted two of the tomatoes while Chris did the taxes. I started another batch of sprouts. I listened to another audio and then picked some dandelion for supper. Chris cooked the ground beef with a can of tomatoes. We had supper and I googled a map to see where Faye and I had driven while looking for the caverns. Turns out there are two county road 5's and two roads named College. Had we turned left off of 72, we would have found Fern Cave National Wildlife Refuge. When I finished my search, we went down to watch a few episodes of B5. And there ends the day.

Life after company

I got up really early to see Faye and Kurt before they left. I don't think I actually woke up, just sort of mumbled goodbye. After they left, I went back to sleep, hoping not to sleep too long because I had to meet the Dixon Meats people to pick up my order before 10. I did make it, but not by much. It was way over on the other side of Huntsville. I handed them $50 and they gave me 10 lbs of grassfed beef. Had I realized it was frozen, I might have stopped a few places on the way back. After all, it was in my cooler. But instead I just drove straight home. It went into the freezer. It was sunny so I went out to mow the lawn. Chris kindly put gas in my car. After mowing, I did some weeding in the front and in the garden. The man next door came over to the fence to introduce himself. He has started his garden already. When I went back to weeding, I noticed some poison ivy. Chris confirmed it. I went inside to wash my hands and have lunch. After lunch, it rained. So I put on my bathing suit and scrubbed some more of the deck. But it was a cold rain so I did not stay out long. But there was a hole in my suit and ...... I fell asleep. Later I checked my e-mail and listened to an audio interview. Chris started playing with the voices and it was too loud for me to hear so I took my laptop to the computer room. That worked until my battery ran down. I came back to plug in. Chris offered to plug it in down in the sewing room. That was good because I had a pile of ironing and mending to do. I got that done, and then auditioned more fabrics for the border of the black and bright quilt. Three interviews later, I needed batteries to take a pic. All of my batteries were drained. I had to borrow some from the DVD remote. I went to the desktop to load the pic, but it wasn't cooperating. Restarting it helped, but had to go with Explorer as it was just not Firefox's day. Now that my blog is written, I can go finish the last interview and head to bed.

* This pic is from Wed when they helped me audition pictures. *

Hanging more pictures

Faye was already up when I got up. She was thinking about where to hang pictures. So we thought about it together. I did three rounds of DDR and then had breakfast. After breakfast I put on my bathing suit and scrubbed the deck in the rain. Then I got an e-mail from a lady who needs boxes and I told her to come over when the rain finished. Faye and I hung pictures above the couch and then the hallway. We hung mirrors in the small bathroom and had lunch. The lady came over with two teenagers and loaded boxes from the garage into a van. She said she'd come back for the boxes in the carport, but she didn't. We hung a large picture in the guestroom over the bed and another over the bed in the master. We checked out a few picture boxes that were never opened in the basement. There were some interesting finds, but not ones that would help us make groupings on the walls. The pictures that are left just don't go together. Then we left for Cathedral Caverns. I memorized the roads we needed to take. But somehow what we saw did not match what I remembered. We wanted to make the 3:15 tour, but did not even make the last one at 4. We came back to Huntsville, stopping at Kroger to get some ice packs, but they did not have any. When we got home Chris was already there, cooking supper. He and Faye held up each of my quilts so I could photograph them on the front porch. Sadly, the late afternoon shadows made the photos less than optimal. We put the quilts back in the house and were about to eat supper when Michele Skyped us. It was so nice to see and hear her. Faye got to talk to her, too. She seems to be doing well. Then we did have supper. Faye and I went back to our pictures. Chris went to bed early, and we did not want to wake him. I discovered that I, too, was tired and could easily fall asleep. But having my sister here to help me is great incentive to keep going. Kurt returned from his trip. We talked about that and then the three of us hung the large, ornate mirror in the dining room. As soon as I finish posting to my blog, I am going to bed.

'Hanging' around

I awoke to hear Faye playing the piano. She went to bed as late as I did, why didn't she sleep in? Kurt was already gone. Anyway, it was time to get up, so I did. I spent a few minutes jumping on the rebounder. Faye had already eaten breakfast, so I made mine. Chris left the bread machine open, which is a signal to me that he needs more bread. I accommodated his request. After breakfast we looked through my collection of pictures and made a plan for where to hang them. We hung the ones above the piano first. We were working on the ones above the sideboard when Bob and Colby arrived. Bob brought me a bookcase from a demolition he was doing somewhere else. He and Colby put it in the garage and added some stability with a nail and a shim. He looked where the washer drains, but could not find a problem. He sprayed down the tube with the inlet hose and the water did not back up. So he left. Faye and I put in a load of wash and watched it go through the cycle. The lid is see-through, so we did. It was better than watching grass grow, but not by much. When the tub finally drained, the water gushed out of the pipe and we caught most of it with a bucket. I paused it and called Bob. But by the time he came over, the machine insisted on finishing its drain cycle, and we had to run another one for him to see. He ran his 15 foot snake through the clean out and came up with nothing. He tried putting the outlet hose in the clean-out opening and it worked. Then he put it back in the tube, and it still worked. Why is it working now when he did not find any blockages to remove? Faye and I spent the rest of the day in picture-hanging activities. After we finished in the dining room, we did the space over the Korean chests. Those were harder to hang since they had wire on the back instead of toothed strips. So we arranged them on a large piece of paper, traced them, marked the hanger positions, and taped the whole thing to the wall. We hammered nails in the markings and then pulled the paper off. It was very accurate, but then we decided some of the pictures needed to be higher. We also unwrapped the Korean vases and placed them underneath. When Chris came home, we talked to him while he fixed supper. We ate in the dining room. After a little after-supper e-mail, we retired to the basement to watch B5. Chris went to bed after two episodes. Faye and I watched another one, then went up to mark positions for two more pics above the couch. We are saving the actual pounding for tomorrow.

Need a little space?

This morning I got up a little early to get ready for our 'trip'. Kurt was especially excited. He has been looking forward to visiting the U.S. Space and Rocket Center. And right now they also have the Von Braun exhibit. We took some food and planned to be there at 9 when they opened so we could also go to Harmony Park Safari afterwards. But we had some trouble finding it, so it was more like 9:30 when we arrived. We walked in through the gift shop and bought tickets. There is an IMAX theatre there so we decided to get the combo tickets which include admission and a movie for $25. Kurt chose to see "Space Junk" and Faye and I chose "Hubble". At the front door was a LARGE dinosaur built from K'Nex. But that pic is in Kurt's camera. Sadly, I thought the Von Braun exhibit was all there was so I went through it slowly even though it wasn't that interesting to me. But after Kurt left us to see his movie, we discovered rides and outdoor stuff that was much more interesting. And then all the kids showed up. Must have been a field trip. We rode the ACCELERATOR and then went to see our movie. Kurt was out by then. Hubble was great and of course IMAX movies are always something special. After the movie, we met Kurt near the largest rocket. Inside the nearest building was a duplicate, laid on its side. The three of us rode the SPACE SHOT, which whisked us up to the top and dropped us into free fall. I hadn't seen it running so did not know what to expect. The ride had a bungee effect and we bounced to a stop. Fun but short. After a little walking, we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. Faye and Kurt ordered sandwiches. I declined. We did a little more looking around and then went out to the car. I ate a banana, apple and some seaweed. We were tired and considered leaving, but I wanted to see everything so I wouldn't have to pay another $20 to come back some other time. So we went back to see the last of it. On our way out, we stopped at the photo counter. They took our picture in front of a green screen on our way in. So on the way out they wanted to sell us the picture with a starry background. But it was $20. Too much. By the time we left it was after 4 so we did not go to Harmony Park, just home. Chris had loaded the crock pot with corned beef and veggies. So when he got home, supper was ready and we ate. Faye and Kurt and I discussed where best to hang the large ornate mirror. The discussion went on and on and then must have changed to something else, and then it was time for choir practice. I took my folder this time. The director handed out a lot of new music. We sang through it, and were dismissed. Doris, who is helping me identify plants, brought me a handout and lent me two books on weeds. I gave her the name and phone number of the lady who sells the honey. I got home about 9. Chris was tired and did not want to watch TV, so Faye and Kurt and I watched some CSI and some B5. Then it was bedtime for all of us.

Meanwhile back at the farm...

I heard Faye and Chris talking this morning. I don't know how she got up so early after all that driving yesterday. I was exhausted. So I slept a little more before I got up. I fixed breakfast, then did some jumping on the rebounder before eating. Faye had oatmeal, and then Kurt did, too. Faye and I spent the morning looking at the collection of pictures I have, and trying to decide what and where to hang. Kurt connected the DVD/VHS combo to the TV and we put in a tape labeled "Michele and friends". Great blackmail material. She and her friends are videotaping each other. While we were watching, it was time to leave for the farm. We headed out. I drove and Kurt followed along on a map he downloaded on his i-phone. When we got to the farm, we were greeted by the flock of chickens. Alison enjoyed showing us around and explaining the bees, ducks, chicks and horses. We even got to help groom the horses. She has a strong belief in the power of prayer to heal so we all joined hands and prayed for my mom. Then Faye and I bought some eggs, and she pulled out the collection of soaps and lotions. Faye and I each bought a bar of soap. We visited with the dogs for a bit and then headed home. Faye got a bad headache, so we stopped at Kroger for something to eat and cereal for tomorrow. When we got home, Chris was already there with supper in the oven. Faye set the table and we sat down to pray and eat. After supper was e-mail time, and then we watched a couple of episodes of B5. Chris left us then. So we checked out what was on TV, and the reception was bad. So Kurt hooked up the digital box and an antenna to the TV upstairs. It was able to get more channels than the one downstairs. He adjusted the antenna to get good reception. However, there was nothing worth watching on. But at least we will be able to watch BBT on Thursday. I still had some e-mail to read, while Kurt and Faye explored playing some popular game app on their i-thingys. I think I am ready for bed. We plan to arrive at the space center when it opens tomorrow so we will have time for Harmony Park Safari in the afternoon.

Spring blooms

I heard Chris take the garbage out to the street. I got up soon after that, or thought I did. But the clock read 7:40, and the guys were coming at 8 to fix the stove. I quickly decluttered the kitchen and fixed my breakfast. I had just started eating when they arrived. They took apart the stove top, replaced the burnt out part, and then fiddled and fiddled trying to figure out why the last burner was only getting warm. After two hours, the owner left. Bob stayed behind to check out the water under the washing machine. He thinks the drain pipe needs cleaning and he wants to wait until his wife can order him an electric snake before he cleans it. After he left, I opened the clean-out valve. But it was dark in there and I had no idea what to do next, so I closed it again. I jumped on my rebounder and practiced my trombone. I straightened up the guest room and laid a rug in the computer room. Then I vacuumed the guest room and down in the basement where Kurt will be sleeping. I ate lunch outside and then did some raking and weeding. Just after 4 I decided to get the garbage can and come in. Chris arrived at that moment. They let him go home early since we are having company. We noticed dark purple irises blooming in the front flower beds. Faye called to tell us how far away they were. Since they wouldn't arrive in time for supper, we ate without them. Then we went down to watch B5. We wanted to watch Castle too, but it came on at 9 and that is when Faye and Kurt arrived. Chris made them green tea and we showed them around the house and sat for a chat. Around 11 we dispersed for bed.

Almost finished a book!

Got up to eat breakfast and read some e-mail before church. But I had to leave early to practice with the choir and Chris wasn't ready yet. So I went by myself. He did not show up later. He wouldn't have liked the hymns we sang. They were unfamiliar and hard to sing. There was an announcement about Habitat as if someone was giving a presentation after church. So I stayed for that, but it did not happen. I talked to a few other people though and had a good time. The choir director told me that she is a music therapist. By the time I got home I think it was almost 1. I changed my clothes and we went grocery shopping. Then I ate lunch, juicing up the leftover carrots and celery from the last time we went shopping. I spent the afternoon reading outside since it was a nice day. Chris came out to tell me when the chicken was ready. I picked a few dandelion leaves and came in. I washed and ate them, and then had the chicken and onions. He is such a good cook. Bob called to say that he and Lamar are coming at 8am to fix the stove. Then I took a small bowl of frozen fruit downstairs to watch B5. Chris came too, and we watched "The Librarian: the search for King Solomon's mine" before we watched 2 episodes of B5. Then it was bedtime. Chris gathered up the garbage for tomorrow is garbage day. And he went to bed. Now I am posting to my blog and then doing a little cleaning to be ready for Bob.
* I did not take any pics today so here is one of my project from yesterday *

Dandelion Tea

I got up late, for a reason I am not allowed to talk about. I jumped on the rebounder for a bit, and listened to the morning mp3, then had breakfast and read some e-mail. I practiced my trombone. I took the mower out for another spin. The battery lasted half an hour. Chris says that is why it was donated to Goodwill. I think half an hour is enough in the heat. After a short break, I went back out to rake in the ditch in the front yard. I decided to end that after the second boxful, but on the way to dump it, I passed a flowerbed that needed cleaning. After that, I transplanted some daffodils that had grown outside another flowerbed. By the time I finished, I was hungry for lunch, but i took a shower first. By the time I finished lunch, Chris was thinking about supper. I went down to work on the black and bright quilt. In order to get to certain colors of fabric, I had to move it all around and some of it went to the cabinets in the garage. It was tough to make a decision and I got nothing done, except finishing the Zorro book on CD. Chris was gaming with the voices so there was no 'couple time' to spend watching B5. I did take a break to collect dandelion blossoms. As shown in a Youtube video, I picked off the green outer petals and put all the yellow ones in a tea ball. I boiled it briefly and took my cup of tea down to the sewing room. I had to let it cool for a little while until I could drink it. It was after 10 when I took a pic of the border fabric I would have chosen and went up to e-mail it to the intended recipient. Getting on my desktop however, sidetracked me. I ended up watching two youtube videos, one about some Obama movie coming out this summer, and one about how we have some laws that make no sense. Finally I got my e-mail sent and now I am ready to go to bed.

Ate my weedies today

I started the day by listening to the morning mp3. I exercised on the rebounder (see pic) AND did two rounds of DDR. Then I had breakfast and scrubbed deck 'cause it was still wet. I went through some audios while cleaning the kitchen. I read outside until I thought the grass was dry, then mowed until mower ran out of juice, trying carefully to skirt the protruding tree roots. I practiced my trombone, and picked some flowers and greens for a late lunch, as a salad and as a green smoothie. I sewed downstairs while listening to Zorro on CD. Chris did not come home for supper. I was getting a headache so eventually I came up for something to eat. There was more e-mail to be dealt with. I had my inbox down to 17 before I went to visit my parents. It went up to 60 and now I have it back down to 21. I googled ways of preparing and eating dandelions. Apparently they are incredibly nutritious whether you eat them in a salad or drink the tea. There is also a poultice that is good for the skin (burns, age spots, etc). I wrote an e-mail to my sponsored child, and one as a reply to a Christmas card (no need to rush these things). I looked through the Heritage guild's member directory. Photos are included but there are no black women. None at the meeting either. Do they have a separate but equal guild? Rain started about 10:30. I closed some of the windows. I listened to the evening mp3. Chris came home at 11 from gaming with some new friends while I am posting to my blog.

Quilts and more quilts

Upon awakening, I listened to the morning/ evening mp3. Then I went to my computer to find easiest route to Pinehurst. That is when I remembered that Camden to Pinehurst is not as easy as it looks on the map. Then I called AT&T customer service to find out how to set up my phone to take a message. When I finished, I called Chris to call me, he was able to leave a message and I was able to retrieve it. This ought to satisfy all the people who keep complaining that they can't leave me a message. Finally I went through my breakfast routine and read e-mail. It hit me that today is recycle day, so I prepared a box with recyclables and cardboard for recycling and dragged it out to the curb. I watched several tapping videos while loading the dishwasher. But there were more self development audios and videos; more than I can keep up with. So instead of being stuck in front of my laptop, I decided that my laptop should be stuck in back of me. I put it in a shoulder bag, and hung it around my neck and shoulder. In this way I was able to rake the backyard while listening. Some people would use an ipod, but on the other hand it is better than a carrying a tower. I saw the recycling truck go by. The man looked at my box and then drove on to the next house. When the audio finished, I came inside. The leaf box was full, and it was 90 degrees outside. I was too hot so I drank water, ate frozen blueberries and sat at my laptop to look up places for Faye and Kurt to go when they get here next week. MaryAnn skyped me to talk about the black and bright quilt and we chatted for hours. It was after 4 when I hung up. I practiced my trombone and then jumped on the rebounder. I took out the lawn mower for a run and kept going until it ran out of power. Then I plugged it in in the garage to recharge. It did ok but only on the lowest height. Then I remembered to check to see if the Heritage Quilters were meeting tonight and they were, so I jumped in the shower. After my shower I called Alison to set up a time next week for us all to visit her 'farm'. At 6:30 I drove out to Faith Presbyterian for the guild meeting. The president met me at the door and explained what each of the tables were set up for. Linda came in while we were talking. Since I knew her, we hung out together. I signed up to join the guild and was given all the 'stuff' that comes with membership. Since their year starts in September, I got in for half price. Then we visited the workshop table. They are having Paula Nadelstern in May. It was $40 so I didn't do it. Then we stopped at the comfort quilt table. They had 'kits' of fabric for making the tops and small rolls of batting. Linda said if I made the top she would longarm it. So I took a kit. Then we sat down for the meeting. I have never seen so many quilts outside of a quilt show. First they had a long row of ladies lined up to show challenge quilts made from previous year's challenges. This is their 25th year so they are showing off what they've done for the last 25 years. Then they had show-n-tell, and comfort quilts. Then they had charter members show off their first and last quilts and tell stories about them. That was both interesting and long. The time was almost 9 when it was all over. Linda went home right away 'cause she has a long way to go. But I had a short drive, so I stayed to meet more people. And it was a dark and stormy night. I was hoping the rain would stop. Finally I had to run for my car. When I got home, I was tired and laid down for a bit. Then I got up to write this post. I also certified volunteer hours for the month of February. Chris went to bed. But I'll bet he is still up reading when I get there.

Chickweed juice

I listened to the morning portion of a morning/evening mp3. Supposed to raise my self esteem if I listen for 7 days straight. Then I ate and showered. I practiced my trombone, and listened to an audio while folding clothes. I went outside to rake in the back yard. I noticed that the chickweed is getting older and going to seed. Since this might be the end of it, I picked a lot of chickweed for juicing. I listened to another audio while picking all the debris out and washing it. I juiced it,and drank it. Drink it on a dare, drink it on a whim, drink it for health, but don't drink it for the taste. Blech! So then I juiced the broccoli and radish sprouts because they were getting too big - even worse! So I decided to sew. I laid out the pieces of black and bright quilt. I meant to start it at my Mom's house, but there was no place to lay it out, and it needs to be very carefully laid out to go together right. I sewed for hours. Chris came home and made
supper. I quit sewing to eat, then changed around. I was expecting a friend to stop by at 7, but she did not show or call. At 7:30 I went to choir practice. Forgot my folder. The director let me use someone elses. But when I got home, I found that mine did not have the new music in it. So I can't practice for Sunday. Chris declined to watch TV, so I had to do it myself. I was actually planning to sew, but after turning on the TV for background sound, I spent more time watching than sewing. But I did get all the pieces of the black and bright kaleidoscope together. Now what do I do with it? Chris is in bed, and I am going to listen to the evening portion of the mp3.

First day back

I heard Chris get ready for work this morning, but fell back asleep. When I awoke the sun was shining low in the sky. I fixed breakfast and ate it in front of my computer. I am way behind on e-mail after being away for 6 days. I listened to some of the audios while doing other things like brushing my teeth, tweezing, bathing and dressing. It was so nice outside that I wanted to go out, but it wasn't yet noon and I wanted to be out when the sun was high. So I read more e-mail, which meant that I heard my phone when it rang. First William called to see if we had hooked up the antenna yet. We had, and it gave us three channels. Then another lady called to ask about the dog Claire and I had found in February. She was very emotional, having lost her dog back in November. I sent her the pics I took and she thought one of them was her dog. I told her we had taken it to the animal control center. She hung up to go over there. Then I called Claire who was able to tell me that the dog was not neutered. So when the other lady called me back, I told her the dog we found was not neutered like hers. I was sorry I couldn't help her. I am sure the dogs were put to sleep, but if it was her dog, at least she would have closure. When I was done with all the phone calls, I went outside to rake. I raked up to the ditch in front of the magnolia tree and over by the pine trees. When I put up my rake I was surprised to discover that it was 4 pm and I still hadn't practiced my trombone or exercised. So I picked some greens for lunch, and after eating, played my instrument for a while. Chris came home and changed clothes. Then he asked me to cut his hair. He started the laundry and then went outside. I spent a few minutes jumping on my rebounder and then grabbed the hair cut kit to join him there. He asked for the half inch attachment. Sounded a little short to me, but I used it. Well, not in the front. I needed his bangs to be long so I could cover the parts with less hair. I mumbled things like "Oops, well it grew back last time, hope you don't have any important meetings this week, if I shave your head no one will ever know, ..." For his part, Chris did really well. Usually when both of my hands are busy cutting his hair, his hands get busy..., but today he kept them to himself. I always tell him not to mess with his barber. He ate supper, and I stayed outside to take a few pics of the flowers and to pull some weeds. Then I had supper, too. Then after a little more attention to e-mail, we went down to watch three episodes of B5. It is not even 10 yet, but Chris has gone to bed.
* The pink flowers in the pic are Oxalis. The stems and leaves are edible. The stems are really sour though, like biting into a lemon. *

Virginia to Alabama

Chris set his alarm to go off at 7. He took a shower and I bathed. We dressed and ate breakfast. Alfred and Larry joined us. When the car was packed, Cecily got up to say goodbye. After all the farewells, we went to the nearest gas station to top off, and left for Alabama. The weather was good for most of the way, just a little rainy at the end. We listened to the book "Zorro" on CD. It kept my attention much better than the one we listened to on the way up. Still, I fell asleep more than once. My eyes would hurt and then I closed them and then I was asleep. Made the trip shorter. We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel. We got home around 6. We unpacked the car. The rebounder I ordered was here so I put it together and did a little bouncing. We ate supper, and then hooked the antenna to the TV to watch Castle, but it is not on this week. I looked up BBT, and it isn't on this week either. So we watched the last episode from the CBS website on my laptop. Then we watched a Netflix movie called "Buccaneer's Girl" on the TV. The leading actress is the one that also played Lily Munster way back when. It is only 9:30 but Chris has gone to bed. Maybe I'd better check on him;)

Bridal Shower

The only rooms heated in the house are the den and kitchen and bathrooms. My room was so cold that I had 4 blankets and 2 quilts on the bed. At 6:30 the alarm went off. I gave Mom a sponge bath and dressed her. Helped her with breakfast, and made my own. When she was ready, I took my own bath and dressed for church. I had time to write a list of things to remember to pack, and to start packing. We got to SS early. SS was very low-key, discussion-oriented. Dad leaves for choir. I take Mom in church, park her empty wheel chair out by the door. Faye comes in for the service. She held Mom upright during the hymns. The pastor's wife gave a talk about her trip to Haiti to train midwives. After the service, there was a bridal shower. There was a table full of presents and several tables of food: fruit, veggies, crackers, nuts and cheese. It was a beach theme because the wedding would take place on the beach. Afterwards, Mom, Dad, Faye and I went to the mall. Dad walked for an hour in the parking lot. Meanwhile Faye pushed Mom around the mall and I followed. We even went upstairs to walk. When Dad finished, we got Mom out of the chair and walked her around the mall twice. Then he bought a hoagie to take home for supper. Finally back at the house, I packed according to my list. Alfred arrived. He loaded the mower I bought yesterday in the truck. Dad and I brought out the rest of my stuff to load in the truck. I said goodbye to Mom and Dad. Al drove me back to his home. Chris and Larry had already returned and Chris already knew about the mower and was not happy. But he and Larry figured out how to get it in the trunk. He regained his equilibrium. Cecily cooked corned beef and cabbage for supper. We ate and talked. Then Cecily got Larry's bed ready. Then we all sat in the den to talk some more, telling army stories.

The time, it is achanging...

I woke up after my parents had finished breakfast. The last vestages of a dream slipped from my mind. I took a sponge bath, dressed and made breakfast. I forgot to put the coconut oil in, so I had to eat it separately later. Mom and Dad got ready for the fitness center and Dad put car keys on the divider for me before they left. I was listening to a home improvement show on the radio until 11. Then I took the car and went to one yard sale. Nothing I wanted was there. Then I went to Goodwill to see if they still had the rebounder. It was gone, but there was an electric cordless mower. I called William to check it out for me. He said he only had a few minutes. He fired it up and mowed a patch of clover next to the parking lot. He was impressed with the condition of it. I called Chris but could not get him on the phone. So I bought it and William helped me load it in the trunk. I also saw a light fixture there that would look good in the den and it was unused. William helped me unload the mower at the house, and then took off. In case it would not fit in Chris' car, I called Faye to see if she could bring it down later. But she did not answer her phone. So I called Kurt. He was open to the idea, but said they are bringing Faye's car. Yes, I know. When my parents returned, we made lunch. I cut up the apples and juiced the remaining spinach, along with some carrots and celery. We also had ham and beans donated by Wister Vernon. And some fresh strawberries. I gave Mom some fermented coconut milk, too. I plugged in my phone to recharge. I helped Mom get some cards ready to mail. I replaced a few lines of quilting that my mother had done with half inch stitches. And I checked my e-mail. Dad went for a walk, stopping at Goodwill to look at the light. He did not get it. Faye called, returning my call. Then I helped Dad get supper ready. I juiced up the rest of the celery and most of the carrots. I would love to leave the juicer here for them to use, but Dad insists it is too much work for him. After supper I listened to a podcast with a nutritionist. I skyped with Kurt for over an hour. Then Mom asked to be put to bed. So I did. Then Dad wanted to know where she was so he could give her a bath. I promised him I would bathe her in the morning. Then he wanted me to turn his watch ahead. I suggested he get a second watch: keep one on DST and the other on regular time. He wanted his watch set one hour ahead, but half a minute slow because it gains time. He had to give me a magniying glass to see the markings on it. I left my glasses in Huntsville. Dont' know how I was able to quilt and thread the needle. Anyway, after much fussing with the watch, it was an hour ahead but 1 m 39 s slow. I don't know how I did it but figured more fussing would not get it any closer. He chose to be satisfied with that. He has been rising half an hour early each morning to prepare for DST. I hope he is prepared.

* I did not take any pics today so here is one of the miniature stack-n-whack that Linda made *

Grocery shopping

I had just gotten up for breakfast when Dad asked for help. Mom had made quite a mess and it took both of us to clean it up. We gave her a bath, too. Then I dressed her and put hydrogen peroxide in her ears. It seemed to help her cold. Then I was able to have my breakfast. I was hoping we would get to the grocery store before lunch, but Dad wasn't ready. I can't really say what he was doing. Checking inventory, I guess, but other things distracted him along the way. Regular TV programming was interrupted to show Air Force One landing at RIC. And coverage continued as the reporters waited for Obama to get off the plane, and greet the people, and get into his limosene, and drive to Petersburg. He gave a speech at the airplane engine plant. Ok, so one might want to hear the speech, but the rest was not worth interrupting programming. Oh, and we had to watch him get back on Air Force One and take off before getting back to what we wanted to watch (which by then was over).
Dad cut up apples for lunch. I juiced half a pepper and some celery. It took him even longer to eat lunch today because he was falling asleep between bites. Even with his head down and eyes closed I knew he was still awake as long as he was chewing, but when the chewing stopped... Speaking of chewing, Mom now chews all her pills and capsules. I tell her not to, but she just has to bite them in half before she will accept a spoonful of liquid to swallow them. Is this indicative of Parkinsons disease? Finally at 3:30 he put Mom in the car to go to the grocery store. He had me sit in the middle of the front seats. Then he went back in the house to get her purse and his clipboard. That only took twice as long as it should have. I was suprised how soon he got back. Then he had to move the Oldsmobile. That took about 5 times as long as it should have, but I could not tell why. We stopped along the way for gas. He only drives that car to the store once a week, so he hadn't put gas in it since August. He exclaimed over the price of gas, and I told him that he won't have to fill up again until next August and the new prices will make today's price look cheap:) :( Anyway, he said shopping would take 2.5 hours. And it did. Even with me there and wheeling Mom around to find things on the list. They did not have her regular bread so Dad bought Spelt bread. All the ingredients seemed to be healthy ones. When we checked out, Dad carefully arranged the items on the counter so that the cold and frozen stuff would be in one bag. When we got home, he carried that bag in first. I wheeled Mom in. Dad continued to bring groceries in. It might have gone faster if Mom had done it. He wanted me to fry the fish he took out to thaw last night. They were still a little icy, but I did it. He was not ready to eat when they were cooked. So they sat on the stove while he assembled a plate for him and one for Mom. I took the time to juice carrots and spinach for all of us. Then we ate. Mom eats as fast as she can, as if to get it over with and go on to something better. Dad seems to eat as slowly as he can, as if putting off whatever might need to be done next. So when Mom and I were finished, I picked up my needle and worked on the blue lonestar quilt. Those political shows Dad likes so much came on. They were interesting, but did not say enough about any one topic for me to get a good understanding of it. Mom asked me to find a particular book, but the lightning was dim, so I tried to put a new bulb in. Dad insisted on doing it himself even though I was already standing on a chair with the new bulb in my hand. He had a little trouble with the fixture because it is so old. One socket doesn't work and two of them have stripped threads. He says he has no time to install a new one. I could and would do it, but every aspect of a new fixture and every step of the installation process would be subject to the Earl test, and that would take more time than if he did it himself. On the other hand, if someone got him out of the house and I just did it, then he wouldn't find time to worry about it or uninstall it later. At 10 Mom wanted to go to bed, so I took her through the bedtime routine and put her to bed. Remarkably, he went to bed soon after. Here I sit, in a quiet house, the last one to go to bed.

A slow day

Chris got up and dressed while it was still dark. I thought he'd left, but when I got up, he was sitting in the den, reading e-mail. I sat beside him and read mine. Around 7:30 Larry arrived. He and Chris left almost immediately for PA. I continued to read e-mail because I did not know if I would be able to get online at my parents place. Alfred and Cecily got up and ready for the day. Cecily went to the church for altar guild. I soaked my sprouts for a few minutes before Alfred helped me put all my stuff in his car. We went to the conveniece store for a large jar of kimchi. Then he drove me to my Dad's house. We were warmly greeted. Alfred chatted with them for awhile, and then he had errands to run. I asked my Dad for the mending pile and he gave me a jacket, a pair of jeans, and 2 pairs of socks. I started patching while he was talking. Mom seemed her usual quiet self. I helped her get a birthday card ready for John. Then we prepared for lunch, which was breakfast for me. I looked for edible weeds in the yard, but all I could come up with was a few dandelion leaves. As usual, Dad kept finding another thing to eat after we had finished. It seemed like it was almost supper time before he finished. He did not finish his grocery list. He took the car to get gas, and he walked over to the mall for vitamins and a shell for Mom. I helped Mom write a thankyou card and another birthday card. And when I finished the mending, Mom asked me to work on the quilt. So I did. When Dad got back, he started the supper routine. I cut up the broccoli heads and sauteed them in coconut oil. I also threw in two duck eggs for me. Dad microwaved plates of food for him and Mom. Then I juiced up the bag of peppers we brought and the green pepper Dad had in the fridge. It was hard to do with my little juicer. I think the juicing basket is dull. But the juice was really good. The three of us shared it. Then we sat down to supper. I watched Mom eat, and put kimchi on her plate. Sometimes I had to stop her from eating. She wants to eat too fast. I helped her take her pills. I cleared the table and rinsed the dishes. By then it was 9:30. She and I sat in the den. I quilted while she watched a little TV. Then I took her in the back to get ready for bed. She wanted to wait for Dad to brush her teeth, but it was obvious to me that she was going to wait a long time. So I did them for her. Dad gave her her last pill and we put her to bed. Then he helped me clear William's bed of stuff so I could sleep there. I almost forgot to post to my blog. I could not get my laptop on the net, so I used the one Dad uses. As soon as I finish this, I am going to bed.

Early mornings

Chris set the alarm for 5:30 CST. Way too early for me, and we did not get up right away. But when we did, we were ready to leave by 7:15. I had prepared most of my breakfast the night before, leaving certain things for the morning. It is so hard to pack because I add so many foods to my breakfast and some come in big containers. On the other hand, at least we are living in the U.S and I don't have to worry about getting the liquids through security. I assume Bob and the owner came at 8, after we were long gone. Traffic was reasonable, and we played a book on tape. My mind kept wandering and I had a hard time concentrating enough to follow the story. It was kind of like the DaVinci Code, but a lot more violent. We stopped for food and gas. I ate a package of seaweed and Chris bought two sub-type sandwiches, which he ate while driving. I nearly had a heartattack. I was glad when he finished. We arrived about 6:15 EST. My inlaws greeted us and then took us out to dinner at a steak place that they had recently discovered. I ordered the salmon. It was very good, but the place was very noisy. Every 45 minutes the staff lines up and dances. If anyone has a birthday, they shout it across the room amid cheers and hollers. We came back to their house, and just sat and chatted all evening. I forgot to post to my blog. Chris went to bed earlier than I did because he had to get up early to meet Larry and go to PA for Cold Wars. I went to bed later. I heard him get up in the morning and get ready and then all was silent. I thought he had left, but when I got up (6:15 EST), he was sitting in the den reading e-mail. So I joined him until Larry arrived and then they left together.
* I did not take any pics today so here is one from the Tokyo quilt show *

Kaleidoscope made of leftovers

I woke up early, while Chris was in the shower. There was no sleeping through it or even pretending to sleep. If you have ever heard him blow his nose, you know what I mean. So I got up, posted to my blog, ate breakfast, and read e-mail. I went down to choose items for show-and-tell tonight, but worked on the wedges of leftovers because they were in the middle of the table, calling to me. While I was sewing, Bob called to say he wanted to come over and check out the drains. So I cleaned up the bathroom and straightened a few other places. I went back to sewing, this time listening to an audio. Bob arrived. I showed him how the drain backs up if you let the water run for 20 to 25 seconds. We tried to figure out where the pipes go and where the blockage might be. But what Bob really wanted was to move the boards on the porch. He does not want the owner to see that there is still a problem with the basement flooding. He and the owner are coming over tomorrow to fix the stove top. After Bob left, I packed my small suitcase and made a list of items to pack at the last minute (like my laptop and food). I finished sewing the wedges and made them into a circle. It did not lie flat at first, but I took in the last half of every other seam, and then it was fine. After I finished sewing, I did some raking in the front yard. Two more boxes of pinestraw and a drink can. I came in for another session of DDR and trombone practice. It was a little heavy on the DDR. I am really liking the exercise. I took the items for show-and-tell out to the car. Chris came home, but went back to work for something. I downloaded a pic and then packed the camera cable. I wrote a few notes for my blog. Soon I had to leave for quilt guild. I don't get out much because I always ask myself if wherever I want to go is worth 3.67 a gallon to get there. Usually the answer is 'no'. But I make an exception for guild. Deb brought a van-load of boxes of fabric that someone gave her. We all went through it, pulling out what appealed to us. She had hoped we'd take more. At show-and-tell I was impressed with the miniature stack-n-whack that Linda did. It was very well done, and used a small print. Now I want to do one. Kt did a demo of fun-n-done, a method for making and joining quilted blocks. We talked about making small quilts for the Alzheimer's initiative. Deb liked my leftover kaleidoscope so much that I gave it to her. After the meeting we helped Deb carry her fabric out to the car. I had a hard time finding my way off of UAH, but when I got to Sparkman, had no trouble getting home. Chris was home and reading e-mail. I had a bit of pork for supper. I cleared a few new e-mails, and watched an old episode of BBT. For some reason CBS never posted the most recent one. I went to ABC for the latest Castle episode, but it wasn't up yet either. So now we are turning in early. Tomorrow we have a long drive. Fortunately Chris thought to check out several books on tape.

Birds and B5

I started a new batch of sprouts, then fixed breakfast. I read some e-mail, and did some poking around on the internet. I finally remembered to put a check in the mail, so I prepared it and took it out to the mailbox. On the way back, I saw a new weed. I picked it and brought it in for identification. But I could not find it on the internet or in one of my books. It is interesting that there are so many kinds of weeds and some grow in the front yard, and some in the back. Some only grow under the big Magnolia tree. Some grow really well in one spot and struggle in another. I am looking forward to getting a mower so I can make them all the same height. I came across a Youtube video for lymphatic massage to clear congestion. That was interesting. I called my father to tell him I will be there on Thursday if it is convenient. That made them both very happy. Then, since it was such a nice day, I went out to clean up the garden, pulling weeds and digging out small trees. I took some time to rake in the side yard. I realized that I hadn't yet practiced my trombone, so I set up the PS2. I alternated doing sets of DDR and practicing for a few minutes. When I had had enough, I quit. I had promised myself that I would trim the purple quilt, so I took my cutting supplies into the garage where the large mat was spread out on the pingpong table. I noticed the birds were active. There are some nesting in our garage near the motion sensor light. A bird sat on a wire to watch me. I wondered if it was because it could feel the warmth of the light bulb behind it. I had unscrewed the motion sensor light a month ago because it never went off. Maybe the birds were keeping it going for the heat. I turned off the lights when I finished trimming. Chris was home by then, and having soup in front of his laptop. I fixed a green smoothie and had some soup, too. Then we watched the last episode of B5 season 4. Through Netflix we had Against all Flags with Errol Flynn, so we watched that. Then I had to see the 1st of episode of B5 season 5 since season 4 ended with reports of what happened 100 years, 500 years, 1000 years and 1 million years later. What could possibly be left? I fell asleep on the couch, and went to bed in the middle of the night.

A lazy B5 Sunday

I awoke around 7 but there was no reason to get up so early, so I went back to bed. Chris was not feeling well, so there wasn't much point in staying in bed either. He got up and made his breakfast, then I made mine. I showered and dressed for church, but had lots of time left. I practiced the choral music, played my trombone, and read e-mail. I got to the church early. The choir director had some trombone music to show me for Easter. Then the choir practiced the music for today. I sat at the end of the front row on the far side. It allowed me easy access to walk up to the front for the choir number and to the side door for a quick exit. No sense in passing the peace and 'more'. I went home. Chris was on his laptop, not looking or sounding well. When I came in the door, I realized that I wasn't wearing my watch. I went in the back to change clothes. I checked for my watch at the head of the bed, but it wasn't there. When I came back out, the watch was on my wrist. The explanation is simple. I guess I knew this day was coming. Obviously the reality program is crashing. Must be a Micro-soft version.
I read e-mail for awhile, and watched all the remaining Quantum Jumping videos. Then we went to the grocery store. We bought a big pork roast which Chris put in the oven. We ate leftovers for lunch and then watched 4 episodes of B5. We had pork for supper. I also collected some wild violet blossoms and oxalis leaves for a green smoothie. After supper we watched all but the last episode of season 4 of B5. I know my brother Kurt is hoping we will still have them when he arrives later this month. He wants to watch them too.

Tapping Marathon

The day began with breakfast and e-mail. Later I took a shower while Chris did laundry, and I practiced my trombone. That did not last long because my lip is out of shape. I vacuumed up dust in several corners. The tapping marathon started at noon our time. Basically that just entails a large number of tapping videos by various 'experts' being available for free for 48 hours on the EFT-universe.com website. I took my laptop outside for awhile to tap, but came inside when the battery got low. Chris made chicken soup. I had two bowls for lunch. I did some more tapping, this time in the guest room and for some reason fell asleep. I had to recharge my battery again. My hair kept falling in my face, so I cut my bangs. I also hooked up the PS-2 but did not get a chance to play it. Chris started his on-line game and it was interfering with my ability to hear the videos, so he plugged up my computer in the livingroom. I listened to a few more videos. Kurt e-mailed me about NPR having a program that featured jokes. I used Google to find it. Sadly that window got closed. There were some of the funniest jokes I had ever heard. I meant to save that link. At this point, having already watched the tapping videos that I really wanted, I switched over to the Quantum Jumping series by Burt Goldman. Kurt then started Skyping me. So I went back and forth between Skype and Youtube. When I realized it was after 11, I quit both in order to write my blog and go to bed. No sewing, no B5, and no bed sheets. They are still in the laundry basket.
* The blooms on this tree are getting bigger, in spite of the high winds yesterday *

Tornado warnings

I listened to BWE mp3 on my ipod before getting up for breakfast. After breakfast, I called Bob to tell him we need the stove fixed by March 18th, and the bathroom sink is clogged. As I was reading e-mail, I remembered that I hadn't posted to my blog. While I was doing that, the tornado alert air sirens came on. I went outside to turn over the patio furniture so the wind wouldn't blow it away. I practiced my music for Sunday, then opened my trombone case to practice that. There was a piece of fuzz inside the case that I took to the garbage in the bathroom. Seeing the sink reminded me that I hadn't tried pouring draino, so I did that. Completely forgetting about the trombone, I scrubbed the deck while waiting for the draino to work. Bob calls back, says the landlord thinks he can fix the stove and will be here Wednesday morning. He also tells me the light fixture is spring loaded. After the call, I pour hot water down the drain and it drains much better. Then I go for a DDR workout. I did not like the music on the DDR disc from last time, so I load another one. But it doesn't work. The player treats it like a CD instead of a game. So I play a couple of runs on the disc that works. Then I went down to grab the 4' by 8' cutting mat and unroll it on pingpong table. I laid a couple of books to flatten it. When it lays flat, I can trim the purple quilt. I went to my sewing area to finish a donation quilt top that I started in November. But the table was full of scraps from the green and purple quilt and they distracted me. I heard knocking. When I went up to investigate, a box was waiting on the porch. I went back to sewing. Chris arrived home early. He opened the fixture and changed light bulb. Life is just not fair. I made two cups of tea, and we watched 4 episodes of Babylon 5. He fixed himself supper. I wasn't hungry. I saw Michele on skype so I called her. I showed her my problem with DDR and she said I was using the PS, not the PS2. We had a nice chat. She said she got Faye's package, but not to watch Event Horizon. Chris went to bed. I showed Michele the lightning show outside. After the call, I put sprouts in the blender and had a salad. I tried to watch BBT on CBS but the new episode was not up yet. I watched NCIS instead. And then CSI. While watching, I tried a little DIY guo sha. I came across it on the internet, and watched a Youtube video on it. It is supposed to raise stagnant blood to the surface which releases stress. It felt good at the time, but I don't feel anything now, except tired. I think I'll go to bed.
* I did not take any pics today, so here is one of the blue and white kaleidoscope laid on its background, but not finished yet. *

How to change this lightbulb?

I meditated before I got out of bed. I ate breakfast, then read some e-mail. I put the recyclables into a box, one that had water damage, and labeled it in large letters. I set it out by the driveway. Since it was such a nice day, I raked and weeded in the garden and flower bed. Then I picked some greens to make a smoothie. I cleared out the kitchen so I could mop the floor. I used that water to scrub some of the deck to see if the black marks would come up. I got fresh water to wash the ping pong table and clean out the base cabinets in the garage. I put in the shelves and one of four bolts that hold the two halves together. I could only line up one set of holes. AndI tightened the knobs. The cabinets were a lot cleaner than the installed ones. I tried to change a burned out lightbulb in the basement, but could not get the fixture open. There are no screws or levers of any kind. The glass part pushes up, but not enough to get the glass out of the way. I worked at assembling my kaleidoscope leftovers into another kaleidoscope block. I was able to make one wedge. Chris came home for supper. We watched two episodes of B5. Chris went to bed because he wasn't feeling well. And I started thinking, kept thinking until I realized that my thoughts made no sense. When I finished a sentence, I couldn't remember the subject of the sentence. A clear sign that I am about to fall asleep. Went straight to bed.