Math and sewing

I started reading my e-mail first thing in the morning now that I had posted some pics from Paducah, but no one had commented.  I went out to water the plants and take out the garbage.  There was no audio posted yesterday, so I listened to songs from The Happiest Millionaire on Youtube.  I hung up Chris' shirts, then made bread, fixed breakfast and read the rest of my email. I felt like working on the star quilt project so I took the drawing, some paper and a calculator outside to do the math.  It was a beautiful day. I found all the angles, then went to work on the sides.  But as it turns out one can't assume that all the wedges of the star are alike.  Two of them are shorter than the rest which throws the rest of the math off.  I tried measuring with a protractor.  It may be that the only way to do it is to enlarge it and paper piece the thing.  But, do I really want  a 10 point star with two smaller points?   It is not obvious in the drawing but might be when done up in color.  Making all the star points the same size would throw off the secondary design.  I took a break to rake magnolia leaves.  I can hardly believe how fast they are falling.  I cleaned up my sewing room for a bit, then worked on my demo for Tuesday night.  I gathered the materials and put them in my car so I won't forget them.  Then I sewed more s-n-w blocks.  The man who was supposed to fix the heating system called to say he couldn't come until Thursday.  I thought that I really should finish up the black and bright quilt, so I made progress on the binding while listening to something on the internet.  Chris came home and we ate the corned beef that he put in the crock pot this morning.  It was REALLY good.  After more e-mail and binding, we watched a movie from Netflix called "The other end of the line".  It was another great choice by my husband who seems to do pretty well at choosing chic flicks I like.
Since there was nothing worth photographing today (except maybe the first morning glory blossom I've seen) I will post a pic from the Paducah show.

Paducah to Huntsville

We were awakened at 5:45 by the loud voices of people getting up to check-out early.  But then we slept in.  When we did get up, we tried to make breakfast, but our food was frozen in the little fridge.  I had just enough water left for my breakfast bowl.  But then I had to hold my jar of icy fermented coconut milk between my legs to soften it so I could eat it.  We took showers, dressed, and packed the car.  We checked out about 10:30.  It is a great little resort and we will remember it for next year.  Jen stopped at Hardees for biscuits and then we headed for Huntsville.  We got to my house about 1:30.  I introduced her to Chris, and we all chatted a bit before she had to leave.  I gave her money for the lodge and gas.  We agreed it had been a great weekend.  She lamented about how much fabric she bought and I had to resist telling her that I bought more on just about every trip I ever made to Dongdaemun.  I have much better control here in America because the price is higher.  Chris started vegetable soup for supper and then I repaid him for all the fabric he bought me.  Wasn't it nice of me to pick it out for him?  He reminded me that I had said I didn't need any more fabric, but I have used up some fabric since then.  Steven's quilt, the kaleidoscopes, the stack-n-whack...it all took away from my stash.  However, most of what I bought were batiks because my stash is so delinquent in them. 
Anyway, I did some unpacking and ran through my e-mail. I went outside to water the plants and rake a box of magnolia leaves.  I noticed that the lilies are showing buds, and two more tomato plants have tiny tomatoes hanging on.  I brought up a box fan from the garage because of the heat.  I had often wished for it in Korea but never dreamed we would have needed it so much there, or that they were so hard to get there.  If we ever move overseas again, I will take a fan (or two).  We ate soup for supper, and some thawing carrots.  I wrote a draft of my blog, and then we watched an evening of MASH episodes.  Chris went to bed, and I downloaded the 100+ pictures I took in Paducah.  I think I will add photos to my two previous posts.

Quilt show and much more

Hancocks

We ate breakfast foods that we brought, showered and dressed.  We got on the road about 9.  Our first stop was Hancocks of Paducah.  It was big and we started in the back with the remnants.  I got a set of Tonga 10 inch squares in a variety of purple and yellows.  Then we looked at sale batiks.  I bought 8 of those.  Then I took some pics around the store while Jen picked out a few other things.  There were some really nice quilts hung around.  We paid for our fabrics, then parked and walked around downtown.  There were lots of little shops to see.  Some were non-fabric shops but they had a few bolts to entice quilters to come in and look around. Jen bought two sets of longarm DVD's.  She wants me to use her Innova.   We found Eleanor Burns store and went inside.  All of her fabric was priced at $5.  I only bought one piece (because it had numbers on it) but Jen bought more.  We stopped at the car to get our lunch food and sat on a bench by the river to eat.  Then we went to the convention center to look around a bit more.  We talked to the people at Creative Curves and got into quite the discussion.  I really liked their multi-angle wedge ruler, but did not want to pay $27 for it.  So Jen bought it and said I could borrow it.  We visited Ricky Tims booth and got our picture taken with him.  We sat in front of the AQS giveaway site.  At 2:45 the AWS guy showed up to present Jen with the sewing machine that she won in the drawing yesterday. A photographer took their picture.   A lady noticed my purse and asked if I made it.  She said she had the same pattern, 20 years old.  Jen went to get her car, and we put her new machine in it.  Then we went to the quilt museum.  We looked around the lobby and gift shop while I deliberated whether or not to buy the $10 admission ticket.  I decided I would rather see what Eleanor Burns was doing in Carson park.  Luckily we did, because she had just started her last show, dressed in an antebellum gown, talking about old president's wives and showing period-style quilts.  She had two TV's going to add more visual interest, demonstrate techniques and hold sing-alongs.  She was very entertaining.  Then we went into the tents set up nearby to look at more of her fabric.  When we got to the building, it was full of books, rulers, instructional DVD's, more quilts, and Eleanor herself, signing books and letting people take pictures.  At that moment, the camera told me it's memory card was full and I had to delete pics so Jen could take a photo of Eleanor and me.  What a great time we had! As we left, one of the helpers told us about the warehouse, but it closed at 6.  By then it was almost 6, so we headed to Whalers for supper.  One of the local highschools was having a prom and there were gaudily dressed teens everywhere on the street and in the restaurant.  We didn't care, all we wanted was food.  I was feeling faint by then.  The place was busy so it took awhile to get served, but at least we were sitting down and drinking water. I ate every scrap of food on my plate except the roll and the croutons.  Jen did not want her salad, so I ate that, too.  For an entree, I got shrimp and she got crabcakes.  When we left, we walked back to the car and headed toward exit 4.  We passed Hancocks on the way, but it was closed.  It would have been tempting to stop in again.  By the time we got to our lodge it was dark.  We carried our booty up to our room and examined each others purchases.  We thanked each other for a wonderful weekend.  Then we got dressed for bed. Jen watched TV as I wrote my blog and once again wished I hadn't forgotten the cord that downloads pics from my camera to the computer. I'm so tired I could fall asleep.  Every time I close my eyes, I see images of fabrics and quilts.  But it is all over now.  We are heading back in the morning.

First time in Paducah

I woke up when Chris's alarm went off.  I had trouble falling asleep due to excitement.  I got up when he was in the shower.  I put on the latest audio and fixed breakfast.  I did do one round of jumping, and some chi gong to stretch out my back.  I watered the plants one last time.  I packed the cooler with ice and food. I finished the audio while reading some e-mail.  Then Jen arrived and we put my stuff in her car and took off for Paducah.  We stopped at several rest stops.  When we got to Paducah, I navigated to the river side of the city.  We parked and walked to the convention center.  I picked up my pre-paid name tag while Jen bought her wristband.  We walked into the exhibit hall and decided on a method to see it all.  The quilts were beautiful and I took a lot of pics, but it was interfering with my enjoyment so I decided to just buy the book, and only take close-ups of the ones I liked best.  Would you believe Alex Anderson was there?  Well, I hadn't thought about it until I saw her.  She was very nice and let Jen take our picture.  I was way too excited.  Me and Alex!  Anyway, when we finished that hall, we did the next one, and the one upstairs.  We stopped at one vendor to try gel insoles.  We looked at longarms, and rulers.  I bought a short one, just to see if it is as good as they say it is.  My camera memory card ran out of room and I had to delete a bunch of pics.  We stopped to eat at the food court outside.  I had left my food in the car.  So we each got a small thing just to keep us going.  Then we went to the pavilion to see a few more quilts, but it was mostly vendors.  We each bought some scissors, but there was quite an array of products, fabrics, and patterns.  It rained heavily, but stopped by the time we left.  We walked back to the car and passed a place advertising a fabric sale.  They were closing soon, but we found enough time to get a few batiks.  Then we went back to the car and headed to the hotel.  However, before we got out of town, Jen got a call that she won a new Janome sewing machine!  She was so excited that she drove all over town, missing all our turns.  We finally did get on the interstate, but then had to stop for gas.  I pulled peppers and an apple out of the cooler and ate them.  It took about 45 minutes to get to the lodge.  It turned out to be a very nice place, with a marina on a lake.  We took some pics, but I forgot to bring the cord to download them to my computer.  Fortunately, my computer was able to get on the internet so at least I can post, and handle e-mail.  Jen and I talked a lot before we went to bed.  But we were both exhausted and looking forward to another fun-filled day.

One day 'till Padukah

I sat down at my laptop and started the next audio.  Instead of jumping, I cleaned the kitchen and bathroom countertops.  I brought my bean sprouts in from the porch and saw they were covered in gray fuzz, so I threw them out.  Then I fixed breakfast and was able to eat it before Sharon and Bob (the builder) came over.  I gave them the list of things that needed fixing around the house (drains that don't drain, heat that isn't hot, burners that don't burn, etc.)  They addressed all the issues, mostly by promising to call someone to fix it. Bob showed me how to use the battery tester to see if an  outlet is grounded.  After they left,  I found podcast to listen to, one about parasites, and how they are increasingly common, but doctors don't think to check for them.  I watered the plants, and weeded the
flowerbed listening to yet another audio.  Taping interviews with famous people in the self-help field is REALLY popular right now.  But there just isn't enough time in a day to hear them all.  Chris came home about 4:30.  I was in the garage working on binding and waiting for a lady from Freecycle to pick up my old juicer.  I told Chris everything Bob had said, then the lady showed up.  After she left with the juicer, we ate supper.  I made a list of foods I wanted to take along for lunches and went to Publix to pick them
up.   Chris told me to plant the moldy bean sprouts, so I dug them out of the garbage and buried them in the garden.  They'd better not infect the tomato plants.  Then I washed the sweet peppers to take along tomorrow.  I also washed apples, and made three baggies of breakfast 'mix'.  I cut up the bar of organic cheese, and put the slices in a baggie for protein at lunch.  I filled the water bottle with filtered water.  Then I packed a small suitcase with two changes of clothes for the weekend.  I can hardly believe I'm going to Padukah!  Finally.  After all these years of drooling and dreaming, I am going!  I hope it will still be as impressive after seeing the Tokyo Quilt show.  Chris and I watched a few episodes of MASH together, and now it is time for bed.  I just hope I can sleep! *  I didn't take any pics today (did you really want to see the moldy bean sprouts?) so here is one of my new haircut. By tomorrrow I should have some nice quilt pics for you, if my laptop will communicate with a strange router.  *

The haircut

I put on the current audio, it was Symeon Roger.  Instead of jumping, I jogged on the rebounder.  Then I  folded  laundry, and had breakfast.  I read some e-mail, but it was such a nice day, that I went out to water the plants and wait for Charlie to come mow the lawn.  I noticed the  pots were dry, so I brushed them off to take to the church yardsale later.  There were lots of ants under one pot so I put out a bait.  I went in to ck my phone.  Charlie hadn't called, but Claire did.  She left a message that the salon academy was giving $5 haircuts.  So I called the salon and made an appointment.  Can't resist a bargain.  I called Charlie and he was right around the corner, having had tire trouble.  I wrote him a check and he arrived soon.  I took a shower and dressed.  By then he had finished mowing and was weedeating in the front yard. Good heavens, he's fast.  I left early for the salon because I had never been there and did not know how long it would take.  I turned too soon, and came in the back way.  Kaitlyn cut my hair, and did a great job.  I may have paid $5 for it, but it was not a $5 haircut.  She is very close to graduating.  She let me take her pic so she must not be in the witness protection program.  Ha.  Claire was there getting her hair cut, too.  I told her I was so glad she suggested it.  Then I went home for lunch. I found another interview audio to listen to while reading the latest e-mail.  Then I sewed the binding on front of Steven's quilt, and started on the back. Chris came down to kiss me when he got home.  I had some supper,  and then went to the church.  I parked around back to carry sale items into the multipurpose room.  I was quite surprised at how much stuff they had.  All the classrooms were full, too.  They said they got more stuff last year.  I distributed my items as requested and then went rummaging for myself.  I bought a fry pan, just like the one that broke last week.  And my lid fits it!  When 7 pm arrived, I went in to choir practice.  We sang a number of songs and I found out that May 27th is our last Sunday to sing before summer break.  Afterward, I returned home.  It was still early enough for us to watch 4 episodes of MASH.  Then Chris went to bed while I stayed up to write this post.  He made me an offer but fell asleep before I could accept.

Procrastination

I played the audio from last night.  While listening, I jumped on the rebounder, prepared breakfast, read e-mail.  I showered, but purely for the procrastination of it.  I was putting off writing 20 questions.  I even emptied the dishwasher and restacked it. I got out the textbooks, looked up the concepts.  I opened the program and tested it out.  Reading through the content, I found myself working out all the problems at the end.  I tried to write some questions of my own, but the XL program kept changing it to what it was expecting.  It was sunny outside, so I took a break to rake the leaves under the magnolia tree and mow it.  I also mowed inside the fence, and watered the vegetables.  I thought about how little time I would have to do these things if I accepted the job.  Writing questions is harder than I thought.  I browned ground beef and went outside to dig up a garlic.  I was so looking forward to the garlic taste, but even though I used the whole thing, it wasn't very garlicy.  (Spellcheck doesn't like that word).  Anyway, the lady called to get me to reconsider, even offered to let me check problems for accuracy.  But I remember the tax problems associated with doing freelance, so I said no.  Chris called to say he'd be home late.  So I gather together the things I want to put on the church yardsale.  In addition to 'stuff', I packed two bags of bags, one of grocery-type bags, on one of larger bags.  I also collected and folded a nice stack of packing paper which they might need.  There were flower pots, too, but they were wet, so I separated them out to dry.  Then I went in for supper.  I watched the latest Castle episode on ABC while finishing up the purple quilt.  CBS has still not posted the latest BBT.  Chris came home in the middle of Castle.  When Castle was over, we went down to watch more episodes of MASH.  We only have the first season checked out.  I wonder if the library has all 25 seasons.  We could be busy for quite a while.
* I did not take any pics today, so here is one from yesterday *

Good friends don't post pics.

I brought the rebounder upstairs where the ceilings are higher.  Jumping under a low ceiling gives me a headache.  I watched TV while I jumped.  Then I fixed and ate breakfast.  I put the chewed up paper from the carport in the garbage can.  Reading e-mail did not take as long as usual.  So I fixed the binding abnormality on the purple quilt, put another row of stitching on the binding of the baby quilt,  and made 3 more blocks for the stack-n-whack quilt.  I put another light bulb in the garage over the pingpong table.  I was able to trim Steven's quilt on the ex-large cutting mat.  Then I laid out the hexagon blocks to see how they should be arranged and what colors I needed. I made two more blocks.  At 1 Jeanette called to say she was coming over to get packing paper.  This must be my lucky day because she took it all AND the padded packing paper which I was going to throw away. Hurray! I spent another 45 minutes on new e-mail, then went back to sewing.  I wanted to spend some time outside, but it was cool and the wind was blowing hard.  I planted some broccoli sprouts, very carefully.  Then I brought in the empty garbage can, and watered all the plants.  I picked as much dandelion as I could, and few other greens.  I put them in a bowl of water to wash.  Then I got a phone call from the lady who wants me to write test questions.  She wanted to know how much I would charge per question.  That is quite a question in itself.  Chris came home and we had supper.  I complained about the sink not draining.  Chris called Bob's wife and she said she would come by on Thursday.  I am starting to think Bob forgets these things.  I pureed the greens that I had soaked, then poured it into popsicle molds.  I juiced up some veggies from the fridge to make enough for all the popsicles and added some Stevia to make them taste better.  Then Maryann skyped me to talk about Steven's quilt.  I got to see her husband, too.  She does not know I took a pic of her on skype.  Well, maybe she does now.  Chris and I watched "The Thomas Crown Affair" from Netflix, the 1996(?) version with Pierce Brosnan.  They showed his butt!  I declined Chris' offer to rewind at that point.  After the movie, we watched the pilot episode of MASH.  Then Chris went to bed.

It Works!

We were late getting out of bed.  I rushed through breakfast, leaving the last few bites in the bowl.  I hurriedly dressed and ran out the door, leaving Chris in the shower.  The choir was already practicing, and I only made the last page of the choir anthem.  Elaine and I both needed more practice, so we found a piano in a classroom and played through our parts while the congregation was gathering for church.  Chris rang my phone to find me.  I met him in the fellowship hall and we walked in the sanctuary together.  We had a guest pastor give the sermon. He told us we should be so full of the power of the
resurrection that we can heal the sick, make the lame walk, etc.  He did not say if he had done any of those things.  After church I talked to Elaine, and Brenda.  Brenda told me about a sewing group that she belongs to that needs a teacher.  I also talked to the youth> advisor about their yardsale fundraiser next Saturday.  I can't attend because of Paducah, but can contribute packing paper and plastic bags, not to mention some 'stuff'.  Chris went to Publix, but I went home.  I watered plants until Chris came home.  We carried the groceries in.  I ate something, then we went outside.  I trimmed up his hair, but he would not return  the favor.  He says he earns enough money that I can pay someone to do it.  I put the ingredients for a loaf of bread into the machine.  Since I substituted a cup of rye flour for the wheat flour, it doesn't rise as well.  To counter that, I put it on the dough setting first.  When that setting finished, I reset it for the mix and bake cycle, thinking the extra rise will help it.  Nope, it came out smaller than last week.  Chris installed the scanner/fax/printer unit that I bought on a yardsale.  I watched.  It took the place of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang's twin.  It works great, but we may need to buy a new cartridge soon.  Still, it is the best $6 I have spent.  I started reading my e-mail. Chris went down to watch Blade, a movie he rented on post yesterday.  I found a really old copy of my resume and updated it (adding 20 years).  I e-mailed it to the lady who is looking for someone to write test questions, at her request.  I got the urge to watch the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang movie.  Or at least listen to it.  I put it on the TV downstairs and enjoyed the familiar music and dialog as I trimmed the baby quilt from Saturday, then folded the backing to the front and stitched it down.  I also appliqued the label on the back.  I had just started checking the purple quilt for binding abnormalities when Chris came down and asked if I wanted supper.  It was 8 already!  So I fixed a plate and brought it down so we could watch TV together.  Tonight's selection was "Babylon 5: A Call to Arms". When it was over, Chris took out the garbage and took a last look at his e-mail.  As did I before we went to bed.

Stack-n-whack class

     Up at 8, I was glad to see it wasn't later.  I thought I could make the class at nine.  I skipped exercising and went straight to breakfast.  I read e-mail while I ate, then took a shower and dressed.  My sewing stuff was all packed and ready to go from yesterday.  I quickly put seedlings in a cup for the Freecycle lady, then put my stuff in the car and took off.  It was 9:01.  It may seem silly, but I prayed that I wouldn't be late.  I was there by 9:15.  When I walked in, the teacher was so glad to see me because no one else had shown up.  Was that the answer to my prayer?  Not much later, Deb and Jen came.  So there were three students.  I was surprised, thinking Stack-n-whack was a very popular class.  Lisa was a good teacher, and sadly I was a bad student.  I did not follow directions.  (I always think I know more than the book).  She worked on her own quilt top, so it was fun to see how different each quilt was turning out.  IF Forest Gump had been
there, he would have said Stack-n-whack is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to get.  I wish I had brought my camera to take pics of the other quilts in progress.  Lisa brought a salad for lunch, I brought seaweed and nuts, the other two went out for take-out.  Linda stopped by to drop off two quilts - one for Steven and one baby comfort quilt.  I gave Jen my phone number so we can hook up on Friday to go to Padukah (!).  She packed up early.  The rest of us stayed later to get more done.  I was the last, leaving at 5pm. When I got home, Chris was playing with the voices.  I went out to pick a salad.  I filled my bowl with wild lettuce.  The next door neighbor was out in his garden, and he gave me some lettuce, swiss chard, and turnip greens.  He showed me the trap he uses to catch the possums under his porch, and the fishtrap he built.  I brought the greens in to wash and cut for supper.  Chris made an outstanding pork roast
to go with it.  After supper, I listened to another audio, but in the bedroom, away from the noisy game.  But my battery ran down so I had to put it back in the family room to recharge.  I went downstairs to continue working on the stack-n-whack.  The outlet was not working.  I flipped the breaker, but it didn't help.  I had to get an extension cord and use another outlet.  I noticed that the fabric was pulling to the left, and skimping on my seam allowances.  I wonder if my feed dogs need rotating?  Ha.  At 11 I resolved to quit at the end of the next block, which took another 20 minutes.  Chris finished his game, and put clean sheets on the bed.  I noticed that he did the laundry today.  Now I am tired and ready for bed.  (Chris is already there, warming it up for me.) 
*  Did I mention that I left Google (who now owns Blogger) some scathing feedback last night?  I did.  *

Blocks, improperly cut

As I listened to the current audio (by Ann Taylor), I dressed, jumped on the rebounder for 15 minutes, and fixed breakfast.  After breakfast, I read my e-mail, responding appropriately.  When the audio was over, I decided to record parts of it.  I used the Neuroprogrammer software and a mike on the desktop to record it from my laptop.  There must be a better way.  I also laid out the squares I got from the quilting guild last night.  I realized that they are not properly cut even though the ticket that came with them is a pattern from Accuquilt.  Then I went outside to water the plants and put time-release plantfood on the vegetables.  I did not hear back from the people I called yesterday about the seedlings, so I called two more people today.  I found myself very angry at Bob for not fixing the plumbing or replacing the wall in the basement.  How long will I have to look at a dirty sink because the water drains out so slowly?  So today I replaced the wall
myself.  It was tough to do because it was cut to fit tightly BEFORE the tile was added to the floor. Then I vacuumed my sewing area.  I went out to pull weeds until a lady came for the seedlings.  Then I picked greens for supper and went in.  I tried to watch the latest episode of BBT, but it wasn't up yet so I watched Castle and CSI instead. I read some e-mail.  Deb sent a link to a site having a sale on quilt books, so I checked them out. Then I found another audio from another series featuring Gary Douglas, the founder of Access Consciousness.  I listened to that while I packed sewing supplies for the class tomorrow.  Then I cut strips for a quilt that I started before I went to Korea.  I could not sew them because I had already packed up my machine for tomorrow.   Finally it is time to blog and go to bed.  It is after midnight and Chris is not back from playing Battletech.  But I have to get up for class in the morning.

* If there is no pic associated with this post, it is because Blogger has just done a total change, and I haven't figured it all out yet. *

April monthly meeting

When I woke up, it was quiet so I assumed Chris had already gone to work. When I found out he was still here, I went back to bed. I listened to few meditations on my ipod. Then I got dressed, put on the latest audio, and took out the recyclables. I also had time to jump, and to fix breakfast before a lady showed up to get cucumber seedlings. Then I had time to eat, and process some e-mail. I got in some more audios while ironing. I went to the carport to pack my car with cardboard and boxes. One of the pieces had a spider on it, which I did not notice until later. I saw a chipmunk run out of the pile of cardboard and wonder if that is what is chewing up the paper. I don't know why, but I would rather it were chipmunks than rats. I was going to head directly to the recycle center, but a lady called for seedlings so I decided to wait until after she came. I raked 2 and a half boxes of leaves from under the magnolia tree. She arrived and took 6 seedlings. Then I headed for recycling. When I got there, I unloaded the cardboard and paper, hoping the spider went with it. I asked for a home recycle bin, but they told me I had to go to their commercial building. So I drove over there. They gave me a bin, and told me that they were behind, still working on February. I couldn't help mentioning that I had ordered mine in January. I will try not to draw any conclusions. I took the bin home and left it in the carport. I left the windows down to air out the car. I found another e-mail from someone who wanted seedlings and one from a lady who was supposed to come, but now she doesn't feel well. I try not to draw any conclusions from this either. I've had 6 responses so far, but people change their minds, I guess. Chris came home...and we fell asleep. When I got up, it was time for the HHQ meeting. I went by myself since Linda couldn't make it. I picked up another quilt top kit for a comfort quilt. During the meeting the program was a slide show of a quilt exhibit of red and white quilts. It was spectacular. We also had show-and-tell. The meeting broke up about 8:30 and I hung around to meet a few people. When I got home, Chris and I watched B5; The River of Souls. Martin Sheen makes a cool soulhunter. As soon as I arrange a pic for this post, I am going to bed.

Lots of chores

I listened to an audio on my laptop. It ran while I washed fabric, ironed fabric from yesterday, and bounced on the rebounder. So I had a late breakfast. I read e-mail, then spread out the cardboard to dry in the sun. There was a gecko-like creature hiding on one of them. My tomato sprouts were growing in size so I figured they had rooted. I planted them by the fence. I also planted nasturtium seeds, and some of the bean sprouts from my last batch of sprouts. Hey, if they grow, I may sprout all my seeds before I plant them. The cucumbers were growing a second set of leaves, so I thinned them, again. I posted the extra seedlings on Freecycle but the post did not get approved by moderators until 6. Around 3:30 UPS delivered a large box with a pitchfork in it. I called William to tell him it had arrived. At 4, another audio came on, and it was one that is only aired live, no replays. So I let it play and did more ironing. Chris came home. I checked my e-mail, finally got some replies to my Freecycle ad. I responded to a few of them. I showered, ate supper and practiced my choir music before going to church. When I got home, Chris was playing with the voices, but the game was almost over. Then we watched the last 2 episodes of NCIS season 2.
* This is a pic of Mom's birthday cake. The shadow is caused by the monitor. It's almost like I was there. *

Rainy day

I found myself awake early, earlier than usual. I wasn't ready to exercise, so I started checking e-mail. When I remembered that I hadn't posted to my blog, I did that next. I played the audio from last night while jumping, and fixing breakfast. After breakfast there was no need to water the plants because it was an overcast and occasionally rainy day. I wrote checks and took them to the mailbox, but there was mail in the box already, so I brought them back. They will have to wait until tomorrow. I put all of the washable rugs in the washing machine. MaryAnn skyped me. When the rugs were done, I hung them out on the porch railings to dry, taking MaryAnn with me. She didn't seem to mind being in the laundry basket. Later it started raining and I had to bring them in. I also washed a load of fabric from Dongdaemun. I ironed most of it while listening to my ipod, but then it ran out of power, so I had to plug it into the dock. That was when Chris came home. He warmed up the leftover chicken in the oven and boiled the quinoa in a pan while I ironed a few more pieces of fabric. Then we ate supper. We watched 4 episodes of NCIS, and then it was bedtime.
* In the absence of anything photoworthy today, here is a pic I took at the party on Saturday. *

Recycling center, here I come.

It must have been a normal morning because nothing stands out in my memory. There wasn't an audio to listen to first thing so I watched TV as I jumped on the rebounder. It seems to be giving a nice shape to my legs. After breakfast I wiped the countertops in the kitchen, swept the floor, and folded laundry. I also put quinoa in a bowl to soak. It wasn't a sunny day, it kept threatening to rain and a few times, it did, but not much. A company in CA has been asking me for sample lesson plans for some digital book they are writing. I finally got back to them. Then I went out to load the car with cardboard. I took a brush to sweep the dirt and leaves off. I knew it wouldn't make much of a dent, but the carport does look better. I piled it as high as I dared, then drove to the recycling center. The sky cleared up when I got there. I unloaded the car and took a pic of the sign which tells what they consider recyclable. Wet cardboard is disallowed. Some of mine was a little damp. On the way back, I stopped at BBT to cash a check. When the teller asked for ID, I automatically handed her my Yongsan base pass, then thought she might want my driver's license. She was ok with the base pass. I felt so good on the way home, having finally gotten rid of some of the boxes. To continue the feeling, I swept out the carport and laid out the wet pieces to dry so one day I can carry another load to the recycle center. I was cooking ground beef for lunch when Chris came home. He wasn't early, I was late. After supper we watched 4 episodes of NCIS and went to bed.

Doubles as an ironing mat

Even though we got up in plenty of time to make church, somehow we walked in while the pastor was making announcements. I was horribly embarrassed. I apologized after church. Then we went to Publix for the usual groceries. After putting them away, we went to Home Depot for ant bait, which brings me to a new word that I learned on game night. The word is formication. My guess was that it referred to putting a Formica topping on a table. But no, it is the tactile hallucination that bugs are crawling all over you. That did not sound right, so I looked it up. Yep. Then I looked up formicate. It means to crawl like an ant. Well, I do get the sensation of ants crawling on me, but it isn't a hallucination. That is why we bought ant bait. After setting out the bait, we ate lunch. I went outside to spend an hour in the sun raking. When I came in, William called. Of course he was at Goodwill. He must go there 7 days a week. Then I went down to finish the iron caddy. When I got to the part where I had to handsew the binding, I came up to have supper. Chris cooked leg quarters in barbeque sauce. I sewed while watching an old MASH rerun in the TV upstairs. When he was finished with his e-mail, we went down to watch NCIS. I kept sewing until I finished the binding and put on the buttons. When we'd seen everything on the DVD, we called it a day, and went to bed.

Iron caddy and neighborhood yard sale

I woke up at 8, which was kind of early considering how late we were up last night. I skipped the bouncing, and went straight for breakfast. I found time to water the cucumber sproutings before digging some up for Deb. I also put in a few black-eyed susans. I loaded the sewing stuff into the car, along with the cup of sprouts. I passed numerous yard sale signs on the way to UAH, arriving about 20 minutes late. The iron caddy class was already in progress. Jen had bought kits for all of us. All we had to bring was the cover fabric (and basic sewing supplies). She had the pattern in four pieces, so I had to tape them together first. Then I used that to make a pattern on a sheet of packing paper that I'd brought. The next step was to pin the paper to the stack of focus fabric, batting, and heat-resistant fabric. Well, it did not pin nicely, and I wanted a smooth product. So I sewed the center rectangle, but basted the other lines before sewing them. Then I removed the paper in pieces. The pattern was ruined, which was why I had copied it first. The others were ahead of me and had packed up and gone home by then. So I called it quits too. That was about 12:30. On the way home I passed a neighborhood yard sale. I stopped here and there. I bought some fabric before I remembered my vow not to. But at 8 yards for $1, I am not going to beat myself up for it. I also got a printer and scanner/printer for $6. When I got home, I replaced my printer with the 'new' one which was the same model. It worked perfectly. I had a bite for lunch, then went out to get some sun. I started weeding the garden and couldn't stop. I came in about 5 for supper. Chris was watching Hellboy II in the basement, so I sat and watched it too. Then he put fish in the oven for supper and discovered that the voices were gaming without him. But they let him join in anyway. I read e-mail and followed links until Kurt called to tell me I was wanted on Skype. They were celebrating my mom's birthday. So I got to join in vicariously. I took her on a tour of our house. We sang Happy Birthday, she ate cake and opened her gift. I asked Kurt to pick up a bouquet of flowers for her. Faye arranged it in a jar, so it was kind of from all of us. When the party was over, I signed off. When Chris' game was over, Michele Skyped me and we had a nice chat. She is doing well and likes her job at Craftworks. I only ended that call because it was so late and I have to get up for church in the morning.

Gaming night

I woke up in the middle of the night and stayed awake for quite some time. So I got up late. The house was cold even though Chris turned on the heat last night. He asked me to call Bob. Bob said he'd have his wife call someone to fix it. I never heard back from either of them. I put on the latest audio, bounced, and had breakfast. I went through a bunch of e-mail, then watered the garden and uprooted a mess of weeds. I assembled my sewing items for tomorrow's class, plus the materials for Steven's quilt. I thought about loading my car with cardboard and driving over to the recycling center, but it was more than I could do before 4pm. Chris came home early and fixed cheeseburgers. I took a shower and dressed in nice pants and a top. We drove to Claire's house with a container of tea and a board game (Big Bang Theory trivia). We were the first people to arrive, but not for long. While I was washing avocados for Claire, Joy and Paoulo came by. He did not stay, but she did. Others arrived and Claire made mohitos for everybody. I had a sip of Chris'. It was very good. Claire gave me a glass of her homemade kombucha tea. It was good at first, but then was too strong. Many of the attendees were gamers, so I let Chris do most of the talking. We were definitely the oldest couple there. We all gathered in the family room to play Balderdash. It was actually fun. Then we retired to the dining room to play Apples to Apples. That wasn't as much fun, but by then most were well lubricated. One couple left at midnight. When I realized what time it was, we left too. But we had to turn back for my handbag. Now it is late and I have to be at sewing class by 9 am. Sorry, forgot to take pics today.

Raw milk

It was another cold and chilly day. I had to wear a jacket to water the garden and flower beds. Still no sign of the spinach or peppers. I listened to another audio while watering, bouncing, ironing, and preparing breakfast and taking out the recyclables. This one had more content than the others, so when it was over, I queued it up again. The speaker was using Access Consciousness techniques. I cleared as much e-mail as I could. I called Claire and she said she'd be over soon. I started gathering items for Saturday's class (sewing an iron caddy). She arrived about 12:35. I got in her car and we went to downtown Huntsville. We found a farmer selling frozen meats and raw milk from big coolers in the back of a van. Claire knows him. She bought beef, bacon, and milk. I got ground beef and milk. He was very interesting to talk to. I'd like to see his farm sometime. Claire dropped me off at home. She did not have time to talk because she had to get her food home. I put my items away. I looked up how to make cheese on google. I also called Mom, but her info did not sound reliable. I think she gets things confused. Anyway, the consensus of all I read seemed to be that the milk gets heated, you add lemon juice, it curdles, you strain the whey from the curds and voila, cheese. So I put the gallon of milk in a pot and warmed it up. I squeezed a lemon and kept stirring. And stirring. Finally I put in another lemon. More stirring. Only a few curds. Chris came home. I added some vinegar. More stirring and no more curds. Chris said he thought it had done all it was going to do, so I decided to put it in a jar. He tried to pour it in, but that did not work. The curds went in the sink. I spooned the rest into the jar and put it in the fridge. I cooked the quinoa that I soaked since yesterday. That was supper. We went down to watch BBT at 7. I watched part of a B5 movie called "Third Space". Then we watched another BBT episode at 8, and finished the movie. I had a headache and was tired so we both went to bed.
BTW, I tasted the milk. It was very good. It reminded me of how milk used to taste when I was a child and the milkman delivered it to the house in glass bottles.

One perfectly mown and trimmed yard

I had trouble getting to sleep last night. I kept hearing sounds from the closet, like a large bug or small rodent. But I must have fallen asleep at some point, because I awoke to the oddest sounds: one piano key being struck over and over, very faintly like from far away, and a moaning sound. I went to the window but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary. In the morning I swept out my closet to see what was there, but all I found was dust. No droppings and nothing chewed. I put on the latest audio and stuck the laptop in my sachel so I could listen while I watered the garden. I also jumped on the rebounder. Then I noticed the sound of a lawn mower. It was Charlie, mowing our lawn, driving like he was in a race. I prepped and ate breakfast. He finished mowing and fired up his weed eater. When he started the leaf blower, I went out to make sure he did not blow the dead poison ivy vines into my dandelion patch. We chatted a bit, then I wrote him a check. When he finished our yard, he did the neighbor across the street. He did a great job, but cut down a few things I would have left standing. I finished as much e-mail as I could stand. I wanted to sew but it was a sunny (but cool) day and I just couldn't face being cooped up in the basement. Charlie had mentioned spraying the far back yard with roundup. I don't like poisons, so I went back there with a shovel to dig up all the little saplings. Eventually I got to the garden and dug and weeded there. Spent hours. At three I came in for lunch and to read the latest e-mail. I swept the bathroom. I took my laptop and a timer down to the sewing room. I set it to go off at 4. Then I followed a link to a live call about brain function. It ended about 5 when Chris came home. I had finished cutting all the alternate blocks, and sewing them together in rows and had only one seam left. Chris fixed himself a burrito. I picked some dandelion and added spinach for a salad. I took a shower, and dressed for choir practice. I sewed the last seam and took a quick look at the choir music. I wanted to call my Mom and wish her a happy birthday, but I knew they were already at choir practice. I went to my car and put the back seats down. I flattened some cardboard, and then it was time to leave. I went to practice at the church and got back about 8:30. Chris and I watched 2 episodes of NCIS, then he went to bed. I hope the closet will be quiet tonight.

Comfort quilt

Emerging slowly from a dream, I realized I was in a good state for a few hypnotic suggestions. I don't remember which ones I chose. I called up yesterday's audio on my laptop and listened to it while folding laundry, watering the garden and bouncing on the rebounder. I fixed breakfast and cleared e-mail. I made another Swanson's order when I found that the 'new' can of protein powder was an old empty one. I went out to rake up magnolia leaves, two boxes worth. The neighbor had a visitor with a dog. The dog came over to say hello. The sun wasn't out, and then it started to rain. I came in to work on the comfort quilt. When I got the blocks made, I went upstairs to find out what the dimensions should be, but somehow got sidetracked between my inbox and the suddenly sunny outdoors. I went out to lie in the sun and read. But I did not read. I ended up weeding instead. Just can't resist. I weeded until almost 6. Then I came in, browned hamburger meat with the leftover fresh garlic. I ate that for supper with some veg soup. We watched a B5 movie and two episodes of NCIS. Chris went to bed, and I changed the batteries in my camera so I could take this pic.

A new color

I did not toss my salad last night, but did discover that poke weed is as good as Ex-Lax. First thing this morning, I sent out a few e-mails that I meant to send last night. I called Mom and Dad to wish them a Happy Easter, which I also meant to do last night. I bagged the garbage and wheeled it out to the curb. I filled the watering can and watered the veggies and seedbeds. I photographed a new color of iris that just bloomed there. Then I bounced to an audio in an e-mail link. It continued as I fixed and ate breakfast. The interview was all about the importance of sleep. Finishing e-mail took a little longer. Then I raked under the magnolia tree. Since the leaves kept falling, I decided to mow it while it was raked. I mowed it high so as not to disturb the dandelion leaves. Mowed back yard just for fun and to run down the battery. I ate lunch, and then got to sewing. I worked on a comfort quilt made from a fabric packet gotten at HHQ last meeting. I cut little squares featuring either a tiger, a zebra, or a bear, and surrounded them with a dot fabric. My Swansons order arrived on the front porch. Then I got a call from a lady on freecycle who wanted to come for paper. She did not take very much when she got here. Chris came home from work. I gathered greens for supper - wild lettuce and dandelion. I pureed the dandelion and added spinach to the lettuce. I topped it with a few pieces of fresh garlic and salad dressing. After supper and clearing more e-mail, I washed my feet and cut up some red strips for borders on the blocks inside the comfort quilt. When Chris came down, we watched 3 episodes of NCIS then retired for the night.

Easter sunday

I was a little nervous about how things would go for playing in church so I had some trouble sleeping. I awoke before the alarm went off at 6:30. I skipped exercise, but showered and fixed my usual breakfast. I went through 4 outfits and 3 necklaces to get dressed for church because I did not iron the dresses that came out of storage. We walked into church 10 minutes early. There were not many people, kinda like a warm-up service. Afterwards lots of people walked up to thank me for playing. I hope they thanked the other players, too. The organist asked me to play again sometime. A man asked me if I can ad lib to Dixieland music. I wish I could. Between services was a breakfast put on by the youth. I ate fruit. Several people stopped to talk to us. i learned one thing: don't mention Korea unless you are willing to hear their stories of being stationed there. The choir director handed me a thank-you card. I was surprised to find a check in there. A man came up to Chris, handed him offering envelopes and said - Happy Easter! It's like the Easter bunny handing out empty eggs, wanting us to fill them and give them back. Ha. The second service was full. Lots of music was scheduled for communion but it still wasn't enough. After the service, a nice lady chatted with us and gave us one of her lilies. Then, we went home to change clothes. We went to Publix, but it was closed, so we proceeded to Kroger. Then we had lunch. I watered the plants and noticed the cucumbers were up. I had to thin them, so I gave some to the next door neighbor who was working in his garden. He had to thin his turnip so he gave me some of those. He told me how to harvest poke weed. So I did, along with some wild lettuce, washed it all up. Chris gave me a massage and we fell asleep all afternoon. Then it was suppertime. I picked some dandelion and made a big salad with the poke weed leaves. I ate some frozen fruit, read some e-mail, and sketched out my blog entry. We then watched the last two episodes of B5. What tearjerkers they were! If I had known I wouldn't have wasted my time. Then I had to clear my mind with an episode of NCIS, second season. The neighbor recommended a song called Poke Salad Annie, so I called it up on Youtube. Pretty good. But now I don't feel so good and wonder if it has something to do with eating the pokeweed. I took two capsules of activated charcoal hoping I won't have to toss this salad. Let's see if it helps.

Annual conference blocks

I got up early, surprised how cold it was. But it was warmer in the basement where I exercised. I fixed and ate breakfast. I was watching a video on Youtube about how sheriffs could take back the country because the federal gov't has no constitutional jurisdiction over them. Had to leave before it was over. I grabbed my trombone and stand and headed for church. I was there on time, the trumpet player was early, but the tuba player was late. The director showed us all the places in the program where we had to move, since we are only supposed to sit up front when we are playing. I realized that I should have practiced more, because my lips hurt afterwards. I stopped at a yard sale on the way home but did not find anything. I e-mailed some people on Freecycle to get someone over here to pick up the paper. But no one responded. I raked in the backyard for an hour, then had lunch and ate it outside. It is so nice out that I wish I could do my e-mail, but it is so hard to see the screen. I added block side borders to the quilt top and stretched it out on the dining room table to photograph it. Then I tried to print the stats for the Annual Conference block to design it downstairs. But the printer refused to cooperate. Even Chris could not make it run. One of the themes suggested for the block was Midwives for Haiti. So I got out every box of scraps in my sewing room, but could not find any pieces with babies on it. I ended up using some baby fabric left over from the Yongsan quilts. I printed the church name in ink because I did not want to drag out my embroidery machine and do the design from last year, or digitize a new one. Eventually I finished the block but was not very satisfied with it. Should I do another one, or just check it off the list and go on to the next project? Deb, the leader of the quilt group here, finishes all kinds of projects in addition to doing major yard work, and running her own website. Chris did laundry, fixed a vegetable soup, went to the library, and started gaming before 5. When I showed him my block, he thought it was ok. I ate his soup and drank some of the leftover mint tea. I took the supplements that I forgot to take this morning. I decided to sketch out my blog entry for later, then make another block. The center was simple. Then I tried several borders, and decided on the one showing the lady being of service. It fit the theme of the conference. Hopefully no one will know it is actually Red Riding Hood's mother.

Good Friday

I fired up my laptop to get an audio going. There is a new one everyday and each one lasts
about 100 minutes. Who do they think has that kind of time? I listened to it while I bounced on the rebounder. Then I had breakfast. I offered my packing paper one last time on Freecycle. But this time I got responses, at least 4 of them so far. Instead of going outside where yard work could get a hold of me, I went down to cut and sew narrow borders on Steven's quilt. Then I had lunch outside and did some meditation. I came in to watch BBT and Castle on the computer. So glad March Madness is over. Claire called to tell me where I could order and pick up raw milk. Maryann and Steven Skyped me just as I was about to go back out for one last errand. Steven showed me the pics he took at an anime convention - mostly cute young women dressed in costumes. Chris came home early. After Skype, I picked up the dead weeds from yesterday. We ate an early supper. I practiced my trombone one last time, then took a shower and dressed for
church in dark blue pants and a pink shirt. I had a few minutes, so I cut and sewed on a wide border to the quilt top. We left immediately for the Friday night service. There were enough people wearing black that there must have been a memo that I didn't get. The choir sang three times. The third time we were singing in the dark, having memorized our parts. The congregation left in silence. When we got home, Chris tried to contact Michele, but she was not responding to Facebook, e-mail, or Skype. I went down to iron the last two seams on the quilt top. Chris came down and loaded a movie in the DVD player. We watched "Letters to Juliet". It was very romantic. And now it's bed time and I have to find a pic to post with this entry.

I don't want to see any more poison ivy

Thursday is 'recycle day' so my first activity was to gather up the recyclables in the kitchen and a paper bag. I filled the bag with the lowest grade packing paper from the carport and put everything out by the road. Then I came in to start another audio. I listened to it while rebounding and moving stuff around in between sets to clean up the room a little. Then it was breakfast time. After breakfast, I read some e-mail. I noticed it had rained so it must be 'pull weeds' day. I armed myself with long pants, footgear and rubber gloves to pull out poison ivy. After I finished the ones I knew about, I went looking for more; a twisted version of an Easter egg hunt. Better maybe, because following the root leads you to the next emergence. By 10:45 I had finished pulling, cleaning the tools and washing up. Looking for poison ivy, I had come across a number of dead sticks and branches. So I went on 'dead stick' detail, even pulling them from trees when I could reach them. Then I weeded the front flower beds and uprooted small trees attempting to grow there. I read some more e-mail and looked at my blog for December to see the names on the moving trucks in the pictures. I called one of the companies to ask them to take the boxes away. They said they only do it on the day they are there IF I had asked for them to unpack the boxes. I asked them why they can't pick up the boxes now since they are a local company. They did not give a good answer to that so I promised to file a complaint. Claire arrived while I was on the phone. She brought me specialty flours, several kinds of beans, quinoa, rice wraps, etc. She does not eat these anymore and was kind enough to give them to me. We talked for some time, and looked around outside. She left after Chris came home. Chris and I fixed salads for supper. Chris made some salad dressing. He also stopped the smoke alarm from beeping. After supper, they sky darkened and rain poured heavily. We went down to watch more episodes of NCIS. At 10 he went up, but I stayed to watch the special features on the DVD for season 1.
* This is a random pic because I did not take any today. Can you tell which one is Michele?

Meeting the neighbors

I set my laptop to play one of the audios, and listened to it while jumping on the rebounder, and while fixing and eating breakfast. I read e-mail until the audio finished. Then I wrote some checks to put in the mail. When I walked out to the mailbox, Barbara was at her box, so she came over to talk. She had some interesting info on the plants between her property and ours. Then the man across the street from her came out, so we walked over there and she introduced me to Clint. His wife had just died in the last week or two. They both think it will be a bad summer for bugs. After that, I watered the seeds I have planted. I also picked up sticks that I don't want Charlie to run over with his mower next week. I sat for a while with a stack of plant books trying to identify one in the flower bed. No dice. I took some closeups of irises for later use. I came in for a veggie popsicle and several Sudoku puzzles. Then it was 5, so I took a few minutes to practice, and then it started to rain. I put on my bathing suit and went out to scrub the deck. At first it was uncomfortable to have cold raindrops on my back, but then I worked up a sweat and it felt good. Even though I did not need a shower 'cause I was already wet, I took one anyway and ate supper. I went to church for choir practice. We practiced for the Thursday service, the Friday service and the Sunday services. When I got home, Chris and I watched two episodes of NCIS before he went to bed.

Finally it is done.

I woke up really early because I was cold. Chris retired the thick comforter last night, and the charm quilt I made just isn't as warm. Anyway, I got up to put on my bathrobe and went back to bed. I fell asleep and had an interesting dream which reminded me of Seuss's Bartholomew and the 500 hats): I was getting ready to take a bath by disrobing, but no matter how much I took off, I was still dressed. Any idea what that means?
It was almost 9 when I got up. I did a set of bounces on the rebounder, then put on one of the interviews while I prepared and ate breakfast. I dealt with as much e-mail as I could while listening and taking notes. When it was over, I went outside to water what I have planted. I pulled weeds around the tomato plants and on the western side of the garden. I dug up some more dirt from under the grate and put it in the flower bed. Charlie was mowing across the street and came over to shoot the breeze. I gave him a glass of tea because he looked so hot and tired. After he left, I planted some spinach there by the brick wall, and some in the bed behind the house. I planted cucumbers in a mound by the fence. These things need to be watered regularly now and I just hope I can remember where all the seeds are buried. Ha.
I took a shower and dressed casually. I picked some greens from the yard and put them through the blender. Then I got out a bigger juicer than the one I have been using, which I think needs to be retired. I juiced up the carrots and celery from last week and added it to the green juice. I poured it in popsicle molds and placed them in the freezer. I don't think I have to worry about anyone stealing my popsicles. Chris got out the leftover chili. I had just filled a bowl when there was a knock on the door. Chris answered it. As soon as I ate, I had to leave for quilt group meeting, so I never did find out who it was or what exactly he wanted. I brought a box of fabric that the group placed in my keeping back in November. I turned in the quilt top I made from fabrics in the box. See pic. The group was small tonight, and most had no items for show-and-tell. Sadly I did not have my camera for those who did. So we discussed plans for future meetings and workshops. Jen gave me more leftover batik triangles from a quilt she is making. Then those who wanted fabric went through the boxes and we carried the leftovers out to Deb's car. On the way home, I stopped at the Asian market for natto. He did not have it on the shelf yet, but went into the back to get it when I asked for 4 of them. I was thinking of the 4 in a package, but he brought me 4 packages. Oh well, it doesn't go bad. Then later I passed a Dollar General and picked up a watering can and a vegetable brush. I was home by 8:30. We still had time for 2 episodes of NCIS before Chris went to bed.

Maybe I am a yard wife

I heard Chris roll the garbage can out to the street, but then I fell asleep again since we were up so late last night. Later I got up, bounced on the rebounder, and had breakfast. I read e-mail and put on one of the recorded audio interviews so I could listen to it while folding laundry, putting away the quilts from the other day, clearing unwanted stuff from the livingroom, etc. I did a lot of little chores too, like watering the tomato suckers, hanging a picture in the guest room, practicing my trombone, etc. I went outside for some fresh air and sunshine. It is only supposed to take an hour, but as usual I kept going. I irrigated the seed beds in the garden and weeded the flower beds by the patio. I dug out some small trees. I picked up branches to add to the branch pile. I watched the sun to see where to plant spinach so that the midday sun won't scorch it. I carried out a box of fabric to go to the guild meeting tomorrow night. At some point I had lunch and started mowing the lawn. When the mower needed a break, I worked on a donation quilt, then went back to mowing until the mower ran low on juice. I know I arranged for someone else to do the mowing, but there is something almost hypnotic about mowing lines and patterns in the lawn. Chris arrived home when the mower quit. I finished sewing the borders on the quilt top, then went up for supper. I picked a bowl of wild lettuce and wild violet leaves. I read the latest e-mail, then went down to iron the border seams while waiting for Chris to come down for NCIS. He quit watching at 9:30 t0 go to bed. I photographed and folded the quilt for tomorrow night. I guess I'll go to bed, too.

Palm Sunday

I left for church by myself since I had to be there early for choir and Chris wasn't ready. I wasn't too happy about it, but I forgot once I was at church. I saw Doris there and we talked about edible plants. She had two more books for me. Because it was Palm Sunday, everyone gathered outside with palm branches before the service. Chris walked up just before the minister got started and I was surprised to see him. We processed in and up to the altar to put the palm branches in a vase, then took our seats. Everything else went as it normally does. After church I went to Target to get my watch battery replaced while Chris went to Publix. I found out that Target doesn't do that anymore, however the man at the camera counter was able to identify and sell me the correct battery. I put it in myself. When I got to Publix, I searched for Chris and found him in the organic veggie section. After adding lemons and frozen fruit to what was already in the basket, we checked out and drove our respective cars home. We carried the groceries in. I changed clothes and we put them away. I jumped on the rebounder for a bit, then had lunch. I read e-mail and watched a live interview and demo with Jack Canfield. I did not see all three hours of it, and I do not feel the worse for it. Later I went out to mow in the fenced in area, and in the front yard. I gave the mower breaks by doing some raking. I found poison ivy in another spot, near the twig and branch pile. When the mower finally gave all it could give, I put it away. I finished raking, and went over to the garden to plant pepper seeds and cucumber seeds. Since the cucumbers need a hill, I used the desiccated leaf dirt from the grate in front of the car port. I hope it is good for planting. I put away the tools and counted out about 30 sheets of packing paper to put in my car for Tuesday. Someone wants it for a class pattern. Then I picked some lettuce and dandelion for a supper salad. After the salad Chris and I shared a bag of frozen tart cherries. Then we went downstairs to watch multiple episodes of NCIS. Gotta go to bed now as it is after midnight.