My scarf - the longer version

I got up at 7:30 from a strange dream. I dreamed I was walking to the top of an inclined hallway and only by holding the handrail was I able to make any progress. But at the top was a wall with a 4 inch opening. All the people behind me in the hallway were in line to go through, but I knew I couldn't fit and did not think they could either. So I went back down and followed another path. But I could not tell if I ended up in the same place I would have been if I had gone through the slit.

When I got out of bed, I sat in the diningroom to read e-mail, but had to restart my laptop. I exercised a little, but gently. I drank water, tapped for a bit, and swished my mouth with olive oil.

I read more e-mail, then juiced cranberries, broccoli and sprouts. It was awfully tart but not as bad as cranberries and kale. I cleaned up, and took out recyclables. I got my sewing box from the car. I listened to an audio, read e-mail, ate breakfast, and looked up more service providers. None of them were ones that were recommended to me. So I picked one who specialized in preventative medicine. I was able to make an appt with a GP. I took my supplements, and then went to the fish market. It was so modest and unassuming that it was hard to find even though I knew which strip mall it was in. I bought salmon, shrimp, halibut bones and a red snapper. I wanted fish heads, but she said they all went to the restaurant. When I got home, I ate some of the raw salmon. I raked leaves in the back yard even though the wind was up and leaves were falling all the time. I even laid in the grass with my feet up on a chair, tapping. Then I listened to another audio, and added more crocheting to my scarf to make it shorter. I laid down in the basement to tap some more. All this tapping was to deal with the tooth that might be infected, which the dentists receptionist seemed to think warrants an automatic root canal. Chris came home late, He baked the shrimp with spices and coconut oil. It was good, but spicy. We froze the bones, and the snapper. After supper, he put the salmon in the shrimp baking dish for cooking tomorrow. I finished up an audio and then went down to sew for a few minutes until Chris was ready to watch TV. We saw one episode of Inspector Linley and then he packed for his trip and went to bed.

Stitchin' again

I got up before 9. I read e-mail, and put on an audio. I folded some laundry, then juiced cranberries and spinach. After I cleaned up, I folded the rest of the laundry. I emptied the dishwasher. I peeled almonds to make breakfast, leaving out the chlorella. I read more e-mail, of which there is no shortage. I started another audio. I listened to it as I lay in the sun. But the sun was in the wrong spot. My usual spot was hidden from the sun by a tree. So someone moved the tree, or the sun and it wasn't me.  I had to choose another spot, not as well hidden as my usual one.  Then, because it was too nice a day to go in, I raked a big box of leaves in the front yard.  I noticed that so much of the groundcover is shallowly rooted.  Then I sat on the porch, reading the latest quilt magazines. I noticed the thermometer was dirty, so I washed it. I put on an audio and went down to sew on sri yantra. I came up when the battery ran down. I checked my phone to see if the dr's office called. Nope. I still had trouble seeing the thermometer from the window over the sink because it was dirty. So I stood on a bench and tipped the window in so I could wash it. Not my most brilliant idea according to my back. * I took a box of laundry to the bedroom. I put it in the drawers and laid down. When Chris came home, I asked him for an ice pack. I laid with that for quite a while. Then I got up to have supper. It was almost time for choir practice. I ate quickly and took an Aleve. But at the last minute I had to admit that I didn't feel up to it. So I stayed home. We watched an episode of Inspector Linley, and thought we were going to bed. But while I was writing this blog, Michele and her roommate Skyped us to get advice on baking cookies. After the cookie issues were handled, Michele and I talked for awhile.  She mentioned dressing up like Dr. Who for Halloween last weekend and I asked for a pic, but she did not have one.  Chris went to bed, and soon I will, too.

* Pic taken Monday, but I can't remember whose it is. *

Doctors, doctors everywhere, but not a one for me.

I got up about 9:30 and read e-mail. I called the dr and the dr said... Wait, that sounds like a chant I learned as a child. But this one ends differently. The receptionist said “ the dr is not accepting new patients at this time.” Good thing I'm not a monkey with a broken head. I looked up drs on the preferred provider list who might be accepting new patients. Although, according to the website, they all are. Even him. Oh well. I made juice with kale and broccoli. As I cleaned up the juicer parts outside, I realized what a sunny day it was, so I laid down in the sun for 20 minutes. I was feeling almost normal. With all that activity, you would think I wasn't going anywhere, but I did want to work with the Tuesday group who was making Christmas stockings for the old folks home. Chris put my sewing machine in my car for me before he left for work. So I packed a lunch and my sewing box. I arrived about 12:40. I talked to a lady in parking lot who was leaving. Then I went in to find that they were turning in their stockings and packing up the machines. They said lunch was an hour ago. I gave the rose pattern to Joan to give to Ann. I talked to Beverly, and I got another dr. recommendation, and a pattern for the stocking. On the way home, I stopped at the Asian store for kimbap. I ate that with kimchi for lunch. I read e-mail, and called the recommended Dr. He was on the PP list. But the lady who answered would not confirm that he was accepting new patients and promised the office manager would call me tomorrow. While listening my way through the audios of the day, I worked on a Swansons order, trying to up the total to the free shipping level. I also worked several Sudoku puzzles. When Chris came home, I shut off the audio and watched him make his burrito. Then I made breakfast since it never got made today. I also had a shot of fermented cold liver oil. The bottle came with a blunt syringe. I am not sure how they expect me to fill it. I finished the previous audio and heard one more. Then we went down to watch two episodes of Forever Knight. He laid out his clothes for work and went to bed.

*  This is Carolyn's Steeler's quilt.  *

Back to quilting

Although my back was still tender, I got up easily enough. It was 9:30. I drank a glass of water with ALC in it. Then I juiced a bag of cranberries and kale. I don't recommend it. Then I mixed up a small amount of colostrum (to help my immune system). By then it was after 10. I took a shower, and packed my usual seaweed lunch. I took my fanny pack out of my purse so I wouldn't have to carry the purse. I went downstairs to see what I needed from my sewing box for the day. I pulled out just what I needed and looked around for something to carry it in. I spied a pillowcase from the quilt show. In it I put the yellow hexagon project, the scarf project, and the wonky block project, along with a rotary cutter and ruler. I walked out through the garage so I wouldn't have to climb the stairs again. I went to the church where we quilt every Monday. It must have been noon 'till I got there. I gave the embroidered lab coat to Roberta for her friend, and she gave me the check. I trimmed my wonky blocks, and then sat for lunch with the ladies. After lunch I crocheted the scarf. It was hard to count and converse at the same time, and conversing is more important, so the crocheting took all afternoon. 

I gave Doris' quilt labels to Jody. Bertha showed me her yellow-orange-red quilt, which I have been watching her work on all year. Beautiful, but it gave me hot flashes. She, Carolyn, and Barbara put their scraps in my pillowcase.  It was like trick-or-treating for fabric. I packed up at 4. When I got home, I found that the fermented cod liver oil had arrived. It may sound nasty, but the other thing recommended was fish head stew. Which would you choose? Since I hadn't had breakfast, I took some of the oil (ugh) and then fixed breakfast. Soon after that, Chris came home. He fixed his own supper and I ate some of the chicken and beans. After supper I took a walk around the block to relax my back. I checked online for info about several doctors that have been recommended and decided which one to call based on the insurance they take. Then we went down to watch several episodes of Forever Knight. After one, my back started hurting so I asked Chris for my meds and microwaved heat pack. By the time we were finished, I felt pretty good. Chris went to bed and I returned Cecelia's call. She was so sweet to be worried about me. I stayed up to blog, hoping the good feeling lasts.

I'm on my feet again ...

... sounds like a song title. 

The day started off well. I went to the bathroom unassisted. Then I went back to bed and waited for lightning to strike. When it didn't, I got up to make breakfast. Only that didn't happen right away. I gargled with salt water, and swished with olive oil. (Oh how nice it is to be typing from a sitting position!) I searched until I found my neem oil, which I used after breakfast. I took the magnesium and AL-C. I used the nuts that were soaking to make fermented nut cheese. Tired, I laid down for awhile and listened to an audio from the GMO Summit. Then I made breakfast and ate it while Chris went to the grocery store. I could see our neighbor using a small bull dozer to take down his apple tree. As soon as Chris returned, he joined a game that had just started online. I laid down to read my e-book on the tablet. I read that ancient cultures fermented chocolate into beer. I like chocolate, but not beer. So chocolate beer would take some thought. I read e-mail on my laptop then lay down again to read book on tablet. I read the tablet outside for awhile, barefoot in the grass, breathing fresh air. I lay down to read for awhile, again. Still no lightning. I checked e-mail on laptop, then lay down to read tablet. Chris cooked a sweet potato for me. I ate that and listened to another audio from the GMO summit, and then one on the healing power of plants while Chris continued to game. The game went long, REALLY long. I investigated the rules of food combining and tried to apply them to the foods I regularly eat. Finally I just had to go to bed. And the game went on...
*  from the quilt show  *

First steps

Saturday

                                                                                    I slept well again, and

needed to charge my ipod because it ran for hours after I fell asleep. Chris made me a glass of cranberry juice with watermelon. He needed a slight bit of help assembling the juicer. Then he made me breakfast, mostly without my instruction. There was a rip in the sheet near my feet and my toes kept catching in it. Finally I suggested that he tape it shut temporarily. But he changed the sheets instead, which is a normal Saturday procedure. I just rolled from one side of the bed to the other to facilitate the process. Later he put the last of the kale through the juicer and I drank that. All that juice had an effect. I wet a lot of towels, but Chris was doing laundry anyway. I asked for a wet washcloth and wiped myself down, but what I really wanted was a shower. Later, with Chris' help I was able to walk into the bathroom. I took the opportunity to swish my mouth with salt water before going back to bed.  I watched 2 episodes of The Quilt Show season 3, and listened to all the audios for today. I looked through pics of paraments on Pinterest. Chris was getting ready to play with the voices, so I asked if he had time to give me a shower. I was feeling a little stronger. So he helped me do that, then go back to bed. I read my new e-book for hours until Chris was finished playing. Then he came to bed (ours, not the guest bed like previously this week).
*  pic from the quilt show  *

Just for my own notes, I want to record that for the first three days I lived in frustration at not being able to get out of bed.  Then I had the bright idea of relaxing and enjoying the break.  That worked so well that I did no longer wanted to get out of bed.  Then I felt guilty.
Also, I did not get very hungry, and was not able to finish my meals, even breakfast.  Since I literally could not snack during the day, I ate a lot less than usual.  
After calling the dentist and being referred to a root canal specialist (seems a little drastic), I decided to bolster my immune system, swish with salt water, and do anything else I could to fight the infection and save the tooth.
I listened to some Barry Manilow songs on Youtube and discovered that we have a similar vocal range.  Also, while having my grounding wire wrapped around my right arm, my left hand would get shocked when touching ports on the left side of my laptop.   This tells me that the grounding wire works.  It is attached to a metal rod outside the window.  So I tried it in the diningroom with the wire that is plugged into the wall socket.  I did not get shocked, so I have to wonder if the outlet is really grounded.

A 'Regular' day

Friday

Chris has been wonderful: so helpful and responsive. I slept well Thursday night. In the morning Lisa returned my call. She recommended 1000mg of magnesium, heat, and her chiropractor. Chris gave me the magnesium and a hot pack. I've become chummy with a bag of frozen peas over the last few days, but the heat felt good. The magnesium had a bit of a laxative effect. Chris went back to the drugstore, but the pharmacist told him there are no otc muscle relaxers. So he brought me a banana. I perused quilt pics on the internet and sighed over the seams that might have been. I charged my ipod and mp3 devices. They put me to sleep at night. Chris brought in all my supplement bottles and parceled out a week's worth under my direction. He was not aware how many I was taking. I listened to audios during most of my activities. I researched abscesses, and bought kindle book on healing teeth through diet. I also ordered fermented cod liver oil like the book recommended. I did some tapping while Chris was gaming. I even sat up for a few minutes, but rested my upper body weight on my hands.

*  From the quilt show  *

Another day without touching the floor

I woke up hearing Chris go outside to blow his nose. I was hoping to get up, but couldn't quite manage to transfer my upper body weight from my hands to my back. Then something happened that needed to happen that hadn't happened since Monday. Just FMI. I listened to audios and read e-mail. At least I won't have that to catch up on when I finally get out of bed. I did some tapping with a video, then thought to call the doctor in Pinehurst that originally prescribed muscle relaxers. But his secretary said he would absolutely not prescribe even one without an appt. I tried the drug store, and they were no help. So I called the dentist and told the receptionist that I had a problem with my capped tooth. She suggested it was an abscess and to see an endodontist. I asked for a muscle relaxer so I could get out of bed to attend an appointment, but all she could offer was an antibiotic for the tooth. I declined. I did a Sudoku puzzle, or two. I called the organist to apologize for not showing up. She said Melody could play by herself if I couldn't make it on Sunday. I called Bertha to see if she had any muscle relaxers, which she did not, but she suggested someone who might. I called but there was no answer. I saw Kurt get on skype so I chatted with him for awhile. I did an internet search on abscesses, and one on otc muscle relaxers. One was named Skelaxin, which I remember being prescription. Chris went to the drug store to get it, but they were closed. Then he went to bed, and I stayed up to hear another audio and maybe some medtations.

*  from the quilt show  *

Things are looking up, literally

I did not post for Tuesday because it ended badly. I thought I was doing better in the afternoon, and I read a book. But in the evening the pain multiplied and I could barely breathe. My pain med has expired so it doesn't always work. It was a long night. Chris offered to call an ambulance, but I did not feel well enough to be moved. I wondered if someone somewhere was sticking pins in a Fern doll.

Wednesday was better. I watched episodes of season 3 of The Quilt Show which I have been meaning to watch ever since I got the DVDs at Paducah in April. The only downside was that it inspired me to sew and I couldn't. The pills I took were good ones and the pain wasn't so bad. I had to call the church to tell them I wouldn't be at practice. Pastor said really nice things about the pulpit cloth which had been hung already in preparation for Sunday. By the evening I was able to almost sit up, but then Chris said something funny and the resulting spasm put me back in bed. But it did not erase all the progress I made today. Just the fact that I can type is proof that things are looking up. Maybe it is better that I don't look up because there is a large roach on the wall. Chris!

*  This shows the 6 outer rows of Sri Yantra.  I am eager to get back to it.  *

As bad as ever

Up at 9:30, read e-mail, cleared dishwasher and sink, juiced kale, garlic and carrots. ate breakfast, packed lunch, went to quilting at church, talked through lunch instead of eating, did dead roach imitation because of spasms, I got off the floor and sat, Jodi packed up my stuff, Maryann carried my purse to the car. At home, I left it all in the car. I took off my shoes and walked in the grass. I ate a pepper from the garden. I got a broom and swept the porch. Chris came home. I asked him to get my stuff out of the car. My back was not getting better. I read e-mail as I ate my salad and prepared to lay down for awhile. I never got up. Took meds, Chris put Icy Hot on my back. It gave me chills and I could not stop shaking. Very very bad. He loaded Inspector Lynley episode on my laptop. When it was over, he went to bed in guest room and I will sleep when I have finished typing this.

Kale, kale, the gang's all here

I awoke to the sound of my phone alarm. I did not want to get up because it was so warm under the covers and so cold above them. We may have to think about turning the heat on. I took a shower and then read e-mail and made breakfast. I looked through my closet for something to wear that I haven't worn numerous times to church. I put on a long-sleeved blue blouse and skirt. The pearl came off of my pearl studs and I had forgotten to fix it. But, for the first time since my right earlobe closed up, I was able to get the blue french-style earrings in. Chris said I looked sharp. We went a little early to warm up with the choir. I wasn't wearing my glasses and did not do well. Shannon was still in SS, so the other altos were following me. Ha. During the service, during a prayer, someone's cell phone rang and it took them quite a while to catch it, and they answered it. It takes guts to answer your phone during prayer. I stayed after the service to talk to the organist about playing for the services next Sunday. We agreed to meet at 4 on Wednesday to practice. Then Chris and I came home to change clothes and go to the grocery store. There wasn't much on the list, but we came home with a bunch of stuff. It was not a good day for produce. The kale was wilted, so I put it in some water and it perked right up. I was tempted to go get some flowers to stick in there with it. It was a bit sunny out, so I went out to rake. I also trimmed the four o'clocks and put them on the yard waste pile. After almost an hour, I came in to catch up on e-mail. Then I finished rows 3 and5 of sri yantra, and started row 4, the most complicated of all. In fact I had to cut it up into 7 or 8 pieces. Chris called me when the chickens were done for supper. They were roasted with onions and carrots. He also made sweet potatoes and wild rice. Then we watched two episodes of Inspector Linley. Chris went to bed and I stayed up to finalize a Swansons order.

I am sewing - no hands!

Yesterday I got an article with links to two morning tappings and two evening tappings. I did the evening tappings before I went to bed last night and I fell asleep sooner than I usually do. This resulted in my getting up at 8:30 instead of 9:30, which happens all too often. I looked across the street and saw that the neighbor's car was gone. But when I checked our carport, his boxes were still there. I put on the first audio of the day and started reading e-mail. I mailed the letter written yesterday. I e-mailed Michele. I read more e-mail, exercised, and practiced trombone. I tried the garlic cure, but it kept falling out. I turned on the old computer and walked away. It takes awhile to get started. I found I was tired so I laid down for awhile, not really sleeping. When I got up, I juiced the rest of the sprouts and beans, and some carrots. I cleaned it up and ate breakfast. I sat outside to eat half of a sweet potato and saw the sun for the first time in days. I laid in the grass to enjoy it, until the ants found me. Then I went to the bank. When I came back, I raked leaves in the front yard for about 40 minutes, trying to listen to an audio about neurofeedback. Cars driving by interrupted it. Then I had to make more pads. They look better than the first set. Then I digitized 3 quilt labels and name and copied the files to embroidery card. Chris came home early. We were cuddling when the doorbell rang. It was Mrs. Neighbor-across-the-street coming for the boxes. We finished cuddling and ate supper. I embroidered three of the 4 files. It went very well, only a few thread breaks. Seems it does better without me there watching it. I was able to check e-mail, brush my teeth, find blue thread, etc while it did its thing. Then we went down to watch 3 episodes of Forever Knight. We looked up familiar characters, did not know any of them from previous movies/shows, and went to bed.

*  The thread broke and the machine stopped, just before I snapped the pic  *
**  This is the Friday post, but for some reason it got stuck as a draft and I had to repost it Saturday, so it is out of order  **

A few more things off my to-do list

I woke at 8:30, but Chris was still asleep and I didn't want to wake him, so I stayed in bed for awhile. I was anxious to get sewing, but like every other day, e-mail took all morning. There weren't so many audios, but I can listen to them while I'm sewing. There was a long video, however, on grounding. Interesting, but it could have been a lot shorter. I juiced the rest of the cauliflower, and carrots. Then came breakfast. I spent about 40 minutes raking leaves after the video finished. I had to wear a jacket, but my bare feet were not cold. Then I sat outside and clipped all the jump stitches from the three quilt labels. After that, I got up the courage to embroider a name on a lab coat for a lady I only met once. I called her to tell her it was ready, and she offered me $15 even though I told her I would accept $10. I ate some chili and cheese for supper. Then I worked on sri yantra. I had three rows done, the easiest three. So I finished a 4^th row that was equivalent to the third row. And then did rows 5 and 6 concurrently. I had several setbacks, like running out of bobbin thread, or cut pieces too small. I am using batiks so I don't have to worry about right side/wrong side with paper piecing. I did not finish. I came up to here Chris talking to Michele over Skype. Their game was finished. I got to say a few words, and then she had to go. It is morning over there. Then I skyped with Kurt. He sent me an app file that I was unable to download for myself. In fact, I am still in contact with him as I write. He is waiting for me to finish so he can read it.

*  pic from the quilt show.  Actually, this is the back of the quilt.  *

Quilts from Gee's Bend

I got up at 9:30. I read e-mail, took out the recyclables, and emptied the dishwasher. I had to dry a few items. I washed sprouts, broccoli stems, celery, carrots and something else. I juiced them, drank the juice, cleaned it up, and made breakfast. I dove back into the e-mail and audios while I ate. I wrote a letter, and cleared some room in sewing room. I assembled three rows of sri yantra, but it was harder than I thought. It was 5:30, so I came up to cook broccoli in butter, soy sauce and water. I practiced trombone while it cooked. After I ate, I went to the guild meeting. When I dropped off my orange strips, I found my bag of red strips from last month. I also turned it the fish quilt top. The program was a presentation of Gee's Bend quilting and a QnA with a Gee's Bend quilter. Hearing that they make their quilts from recycled clothing, I was able to make sense of the odd shapes they use.  This particular lady shops at thrift stores to get the colors of clothing she wants.  She donated a small piece to our guild.  I wonder if Chris would let me take his old shirts and make something similar.  When I got home, I almost tripped over 2 big boxes in the carport. I investigated with a flashlight and decided they were for the man across the street. Chris and I took the letter (from 2 days ago) and rang their doorbell, but no one answered, except the dogs. We left the letter on his windshield with a note about the boxes. I asked Chris to carry my embroidery machine upstairs to the guest room, and he did. Then we watched two episodes of Forever Knight. He looked up the familiar-looking people on IMDB and then he went to bed. I stayed up only long enough to post to my blog, which meant transferring the pics from my camera to the laptop and then cropping them to fit the quilts.

Is it time to move yet?

I slept until after 9. I found the kimchi had fermented and run over. I cleaned up the kimchi juice on the floor. I read e-mail, and looked at quilt pics on myquiltplace.com. I did not get through all 23,000 pics. I played an audio, and made veggie juice. I used kale, green beans, mung sprouts, and carrots. The taste was not so bad today. I cleaned up, and made breakfast. I watched a disturbing video which explained how banks and gov't create money and debt. I ate a sweet potato to make me feel better. I jumped on the rebounder, but did not feel up to the rest. I practiceed my trombone. I made a to-do list. I cut orange strips and added them to the Thursday box. I assembled supplements for the following week, and put aside the ones that need re-ordering. I assembled the 4^th rainbow block, using 1.25 strips. When I was finished, it seemed so dark that I wondered why Chris wasn't home yet. But it was only dark because it was raining. I took a shower. Chris came home, and we cuddled. Then we ate supper. I read e-mail until it was time to leave for choir. I got there a few minutes early so I could put the pulpit cloth in parament room.  During practice, I wished I had a better musical tone app on my tablet.  I rely on Shannon for the beginning note, but she has plans to leave and go on the road with her husband.  After practice, the pastor called me aside to say that the nominating committee had come up with my name (never a good beginning) to co-chair the education committee. He wants me to think and pray about it. When I got home, I asked Chris if he got any job offers today. He said to just tell the church 'no'. We watched an episode of Inspector Linley. I expect we will go to bed soon.

*  pic from the quilt show  *

Not as easy as it looks

Monday night I stayed up to make two rainbow blocks for the modern guild. There must have been something wrong with the strips because it warped when I cut, and it warped when I sewed. I starched the second one. It turned out better and I went to bed.

I was awake and up before 8. I read e-mail, and listened to audios. I folded laundry, and cleared some of the items on the dining room table.  I put away the quilts from the show.  I completely forgot to exercise, just like yesterday. All of a sudden, it was time to leave. I grabbed the Lutheran Rose quilt and drove off. It was still before 11 when I arrived at the new guild. I think they call themselves Sew Faithful Quilters. I showed it to the lady in charge because she indicated two weeks ago that she wanted to see it before I turned it in to my church. I talked to some other ladies, but Beverly left before I got to talk to her. On the way out, I met Ann, who asked for the pattern. I promised to bring her one in two weeks. From there, I stopped at the Asian store for kimbap, kimchi, and sprouts. When I got home, I juiced most of the kale, a few carrots, some celery, and a handful of the sprouts. After I cleaned up, I called Beverly. The conversation went longer than I intended and I had to beg off for breakfast. I fixed that next. And I ate the kimbap.  After breakfast, I wanted to listen to an audio outside. The tablet couldn't quite handle that one, so I used the laptop. I raked in the back yard. The sun wasn't so bright as to inspire sunbathing. When I came in, it was 3 o'clock. I went downstairs to make another rainbow block. This time I sewed white strips on the top and bottom before slashing the middle of the block. I am not sure that helped. But it didn't hurt. Then I made a pattern for Ann.  I had already come upstairs to stir the chili when Chris arrived. The chili was ready, so we ate some of it. I also made a salad. I called Sue (whom I have only met once) to get some more info on a lab coat she wants me to embroider for a 3-year old.  Chris put sweet potatoes in the oven to cook for tomorrow.  I was too full to eat one.  I sat and did nothing but digest. Then we watched two episodes of Detective Linley Mysteries. I thought I might get some strips cut before bed, but it was already 10. We put the cooled sweet potatoes away and went to bed.

Too early to go to bed

Sunday night

It was too early to go to bed. So, I took the cashews and sunflower seeds that had been soaking most of the day, and processed them into seed cheese. With some fermented coconut milk to start the process, I left it to ferment. Then Chris looked up a hummus recipe, hopefully the one we used last time. I processed the ingredients a few at a time like it said. I had a hard time getting a quarter cup of juice from a lemon. Took me 2 ½ lemons. Finally it was time to add the chick peas. I did not put them all in at once. And still the immersion blender did not blend them all. And I had to wait for it to cool down to finish the process. When I realized it just needed more liquid, I added coconut oil and more lemon juice. It turned out fine and I put in the frig and went to bed.

    Monday

                   I did not feel like getting out of bed, and Chris was sleeping late, so it wasn't until 9:30 that I got going. I read e-mail while waiting for the water to boil. I juiced kale and carrots and celery. After cleaning up, I made breakfast. I read e-mail while I ate. Then I packed lunch, and a few projects and went to the church. I guess since it was a holiday, many ladies had other plans. The crowd was never bigger than 5. I sewed the comfy quilt blocks. Dinah and I discussed selling on E-bay. She makes vintage-style doll dresses. I gave Rebecca two denim rug backings. At 4:30, I left, leaving Laurie by herself. She said she'd be ok. Chris was home when I got there. I ate the rest of the liver for supper. I took a walk around in the yard barefoot, to enjoy the last of the sun. I practiced for Reformation. I read e-mail, then worked on the charity block for the modern quilt guild. Before I finished, Chris told me it was almost 7. So we drove to the library to return the DVD's and get more. When we got home, we watched the remaining two episodes of Forever Knight and prepared the DVD to return to Netflix.  As I wrote this post, Chris was in the kitchen fixing chili to cook in the crockpot tomorrow. I may sew some more before I go to bed.

 * pic from the quilt show and the blocks I made today.  *

Attended the quilt show after all

I heard my phone alarm ring at 8. I did not get up right away, but when I did, it was a little painful. I took a shower and fixed breakfast, which I ate in front of my computer reading e-mail. Chris was upset that I was going to help with the crafts in Sunday school like I promised even though my back hurt. I told him I would stay home if he went in my place, and he did, which surprised me. I laid down while he was gone. But he came back before church started. He said they only had half the kids they were expecting so it would have been fine for me to call in sick. I got up and dressed in shorts and t-shirt. We both read e-mail. I was wondering how to get him to give me permission to see the quilt show today, as it is the last day. I called Bertha just as she was getting ready to call me. She told me the bed-turning was at 1:30 and that she could pick me up at 1. I was waiting outside when she arrived. Chris did not mind. She dropped me off at the front of the Von Braun Center. I had pay even though I had already paid for the walkthrough. But it was worth it. There were many beautiful quilts. I was in time for the bed-turning which involved quilts from the 1850's to the 1950's. What concerned me was how they dumped the quilts in a pile on a table as they went through. Then I circulated around the room taking pictures. When I had seen them all, it was time to submit a viewer's choice. Impossible. They held drawings, but I did not win anything. I took a walk around the room to quickly view the vendors, and then we left. We'd been there for almost 3 hours. Bertha dropped me at home. Chris and I went to the grocery store. I bought Kerrygold grass-fed cheese. One of the audios from yesterday recommended it. The doctor interviewed eats 70% of his calories from fat, and the other is from vegetables. There wasn't time to get to the library, so I renewed the DVD's online with plans to return them tomorrow. I laid down to rest since I had been on my feet for so many hours. When I got up, I ate some cheese. Bertha came by with my quilts from the show. I read the judges comments. For two of them, it was as expected. But she seemed to think the corners on the third one were not 90 degrees, and that the quilting distorted the quilt. I will have to look at it more closely in daylight as I have never noticed either of those things. Chris and I watched two episodes of Forever Knight and went to bed.

Definite Progress

In the middle of the night, I was able to sit up on the side of the bed and Chris helped me walk in to the bathroom. In the morning I was able to go without his help. As the day went on, moving around got easier, but I did not sign up for any weightlifting contests. In many ways, this latest bout was like a 24 hour flu. It came out of nowhere, symptoms gradually appeared, and then gradually left.

I made my own breakfast and lunch. No exercising, but had no trouble with sunbathing. I read e-mail, but sitting did not go well. I went downstairs to finish the pulpit cloth. I put a dark gray binding on it, and black ties. Chris did laundry, and started his pre-game discussion. He also cooked liver and onions for me. I laid down until it was ready. He apologized that the onions weren't quite done, but he did not want to overcook the liver. It was all perfect. After supper I went back down to work on the college squares for comfy quilts. I cut out three middles, and enough smaller squares for all the points. Most are fussy cut, which may have been a waste of time. I ran out of red and white plaid. I knew I had some in my collection, but couldn't find it. I looked under red scraps, under fat quarters, under random leftovers, and miscellaneous scrap. It was in a miscellaneous pile of smaller pieces. But it did not match what I had so I pieced the leftovers. Instead of sewing the blocks together, I put the pieces in a bag for Monday. I was feeling tired so I took the tablet to the bedroom to play an audio while I rested. Then I remembered my blog and decided to write it now in case I fall asleep while listening.

Laptops are not good in bed

Although I went to bed under my own power, in the middle of the night I needed Chris' help to go to the bathroom. In the morning, even that was impossible because of my back. I was supposed to meet someone at Publix to go to the quilt show. Chris sent her an e-mail to say I wasn't coming, and he called off work for today. He was very patient as I talked him through making my breakfast. He brought me my tablet because it was so much lighter than the laptop and the battery lasted most of the day. However it was hard to read lying on my side because it always flipped the screen to an up-down orientation. He brought me fermented seed cheese on nori for lunch, and two salads for supper. One was avocados and red peppers, the other was egg salad made with hummus instead of mayo. I took a painkiller and Aleve. I must be out of the muscle relaxer. In between reading e-mails and listening to audios, I had time to think. What brought this on? Bertha thinks it is her fault for inviting me to help set up at the show. But that was on Wednesday. Stress? Nothing unusual going on. So I tapped, on and off during the day, and into the evening. When the tablet needed recharging, Chris brought in the laptop. It played episodes from the ABC website, which did not support androids like my tablet. Chris was going to play Battletech in the evening, but he stayed home to play nursemaid, 

*  Desoto Falls  *

The right ink makes a difference

I awoke again about 8:30. I read e-mail, and took out the recyclabes. When carrying them to the street, I saw the man across the street with his. I told him about the boxes and he picked them up. I cleared away the webs at the carport because I haven't seen the spiders in awhile. When I finished my exercises, I juiced broccoli, green beans, carrots and celery. Not so bad. Then I made breakfast. Later I heard a rattling in the front yard. Staples was making another delivery. But this time I was able to tell the delivery person to take it across the street. The sun came out and I laid on my sheet in the grass to enjoy it for 20 minutes. I read more e-mail, then cogitated on how to make a quilt-as-you-go Christmas quilt fast. I looked on Bonnie Hunter's site for ideas. I played an audio while looking up sri yantra colorings. I downloaded a few and made a special folder on my laptop for them. I went downstairs to sew, but saw Chris come home. I came up, went to get recyclable container. Chris came from across the street, saying we had some of their mail in our box. My back was bothering me a little, so I lightly raked leaves for 15 minutes to loosen it. But that didn't work, so I laid down for awhile. It got worse. I could just barely get out of bed. When I did, my phone rang. Chris brought it to me and I sat in the bathroom (since I knew I could get up from there). I talked to Susan from church. She wants me to help with crafts. (There are repercussions for doing such a good job last year) I wound a scarf around my waist and shoved a bag of frozen peas in the back. I made my way downstairs to quilt the lutheran rose pulpit cloth. I have a black pen with special ink that disappears when exposed to heat. It is just the thing to mark the quilting lines. Too bad I had the wrong black pen in my hand when I started drawing the lines. I MAY have said a few bad words. I was certainly thinking them. I used a bleach pen on them, then continued to mark with the correct pen. I pinned and quilted. My machine had trouble making stitches where the bleach was. When it was done, I set the iron on barely warm and ironed the marks away. But they kept coming back in some spots. Then I dabbed the bleach spots to get that out, and laid it on the ironing board to dry. Then I went through my stash of batiks and selected some for the sri yantra project. When I noticed the time, I came upstairs to put the peas back in the freezer and go to bed. Chris was still playing with the voices.

*  Here is another pic from Desoto Falls  *

Hanging with Bertha

I heard Chris leave, and then slept until 8:15. I read e-mail, boiled water, exercised, and listened to an audio. Then I juiced kale and carrots. I did a mock clean up to save time so I could have breakfast and still be ready for Bertha at 10:30. She drove us to the Von Braun Center and parked in the deck. When we got to the room where they were setting up for the quilt show, the lady in charge said they really needed 2 six foot ladders. Both Bertha and I had one, so we left to get them, or so I thought. Bertha went to her son-in-laws place because he had an 8 foot ladder. Getting it in her car was a feat. It went up to the front seat and stuck out the back. I could see 6 feet of space on top of it, so she borrowed a 6 foot ladder, too. I had to sit in the back seat, holding the top ladder in place. We returned to the VBC. At first there was nothing to do. Most of the quilt were still in the judging area. I ate my seaweed while Bertha had her energy bars. Then we picked up another lady and hung the sheets that separated the quilts when they hang back to back. Getting the angles right so all the poles would fit together was a struggle, but we got the hang of it. When the new lady left, two men took over, climbing up our ladders and doing our job without so much as a by-your-leave. They did not know how to do it at first. But I guess they thought their unmatched last pair of chromosomes made them better qualified for the job. Bertha and I helped as ground crew until all the judged quilts were hung. Then we left, exhausted. She dropped me off at home. I ate some meatloaf and cheese. I checked outside for peppers and was surprised to see 3 big boxes on back porch. I did not order it and didn't think Chris had. So I checked the label. It was our address, but another name. I looked up the name in phone book and then on internet. No luck. I gave up. I read e-mail and listen to an audio. Then I played an audio while resting in bed. I stopped the audio when Chris came home. He found another name in phone book, and it turned out that the boxes belong to the people across the street. There were two vehicles in the driveway and a light in the house, but no one would answer the doorbell. Nor the phone. He called several times during the evening. I ate a salad for supper, and went to choir practice. I dropped off the CD's for the sunday school craft. On the way home I stopped at CVS to get prints of some pics on my camera, When I got home, I weighed the prints and it came to just over one ounce. Chris was ready to watch TV, so we went downstairs to see two episodes of Forever Knight.

*  At the VBC, poles are laid out in prep for hanging quilts  *

October Modern Quilt Guild Meeting

Chris went to work at his usual time. I slept in until 9. I read e-mail, exercised and folded laundry. I juiced some kale and celery to drink. The rest of the kale I put in water to rehydrate because it was so wilted. Since it was sunny, I put on my bathing suit and laid out. After that I made breakfast. I listened to an audio while I ate. I put together a Swansons order since I ran out of walnuts unexpectedly. I made up six days of supplements to see what else I might need. I took pics of quilts I have already made and some in progress so I can have pics made at the local drug store. One top was nowhere to be found and I had to search high and low for it. Finally it was time to leave for the farmer's market. But when I got there, the lot was empty. I guess the season is over. On the way back, I stopped at the lodge where ladies were collecting quilts for the show this weekend. I turned in my three. Then I went to Hobby Lobby which was nearby to get more of the green that goes with the pandas. It also goes with so many other things. Of course, while I was there, two other fabrics caught my eye. When I got home, instead of clipping the corners of the fabrics, I sewed across them with tiny stitches. I am wondering if that will cut down on the fraying in the wash. I also cut a piece of denim for Rebecca who wants to make a rug like mine. I went through the last month of my blog to see what I have worked on. Based on that, I assembled three things for show-and-tell tonight: the rug, the pulpit cloth, and the fish quilt top. I took a shower. I found the missing quilt top and stitched the few open seams. Chris came home from work while I was sewing. I fixed a large salad for supper and ate it while talking to Chris. Then I took my show-n-tell items and went to the guild meeting. It was poorly attended. Maybe 6 ladies? The meeting was short because several people were not there to give their reports. Bertha called during the meeting to set up a time to meet tomorrow to hang quilts. I was home before 8. I checked e-mail and listened to short audios while Chris finished what he was doing so we could watch TV. We saw several episodes of Forever Knight, then went to bed.

*  This is Deb's Urban Nine Patch  *

Quilting cut short

It was cool this morning when I got up. I started to think my days of laying in the sun and walking barefoot in the grass might be numbered. I came out to boil water, and start e-mail. Chris got up a bit later. I did only some of my exercises since my back was still feeling a little stiff, then juiced kale, and sprouts, and broccoli. That was followed by breakfast. I folded some laundry, and packed a lunch. I put a few projects in my sewing box and wheeled my cart to the car. I drove to the church a little after 11. Mirna and Laurie were not there, but I did get to see Doris. She approved the quilt label I made for her. Roberta made lunch for us all. She had salad and ravioli. She made the birthday cake, too. I heard it was very good. I worked the wonky block quilt for Linus. Maryann got her one-block wonder all together, and was thinking about borders. Carolyn had her kiddie quilt at the same level of completion. Jody showed the coat she made for her daughter's wedding and had pictures of that event. Bertha invited me to join her on Wednesday to hang quilts for the quilt show. One by one the ladies left early. So I was packed up and home by 3. I swept the porch and mowed the lawn inside the fence. I clipped down the tall yellow flowers that had gone by. I got several splinters in my hands for my efforts. I found a ripe tomato in the garden and ate it. I then read e-mail until after 5, and fixed a salad for supper. I ate it outside. I looked up Tutankhamen to see how much of the book on CD was fact, and how much was made up as story line. Then I watched part of the 1^st DVD of Donna Eden's Energy Medicine. When Chris was ready to watch TV, I paused it to join him downstairs. We saw two episodes of Inspector Morse. I think we'll be heading off to bed soon because Chris has to work tomorrow.    (yes!)

*  This is the view looking away from Desoto Falls  *

Our 23rd Anniversary

Chris woke me in the middle of the night to turn off my phone.  It was making the low battery sound.  I don't know why since I charged it on Friday.  We got up about 9:30. I was surprised that it was so late, and made Chris doublecheck on the check-out time. It was 11. And we just barely made it, taking showers, packing, eating breakfast (he ate the leftover french fries). As I was packing, my back spasmed. Just lovely. I was able to quickly lay on my back to stop it. But I had to be careful for the rest of the day. From the motel, we drove down the street to see Indian Falls. It was a trickle of water falling about 10 feet. Chris saw some scuppernongs nearby and picked them for us to eat. Then we drove to Desoto Falls. It was quite the site. Especially the lady who was sunning herself down on the rocks beyond the railing. I think someone told on her because a park official showed up and she had to leave. While I was taking pics of the scenery, a lady offered to take our pic with my camera. Then Chris returned the favor for her. I am the photographer in the family, so I don't know why people always ask him to take their picture. The rock formations were impressive and I really wanted to climb on them, but not with a bad back. Then we drove home to Huntsville, which took several hours. We unpacked the car and I put a bag of frozen peas on my back. We read e-mail and had a bite to eat. Then we went to the library to return DVD's and get some more. On to the grocery store.

  Chris was walking funny because his Achilles tendon hurt. But we got our usual groceries. Then we came home to put them away. I guess I read more e-mail, and then laid down for awhile. When I got up, it was to cut Chris' hair. He spied a really large cucumber. It was old, but I ate it anyway. It was suppertime so he ate, too, and read e-mail. I went down to work on the pulpit cloth. Chris did a load of colored laundry and threw my new rug in. We watched an episode of Inspector Morse. Chris came up and I stayed down to iron the fabric that came out of the dryer. It was covered in small threads. I guess the rug needed to be washed on its own.

Adventure

I woke up about 7:30. I peaked around the curtain to see the sun. I checked my e-mail and went out to sit on the small back porch. A few other people came out to their porches, they were older people. One kid was playing down below. Chris got up and took a shower. Then he went to the motel restaurant for breakfast. I ate my packed breakfast with chopsticks since I forgot to bring a spoon. Chris came back with a plastic spoon for me. Chris was not feeling well, and asked me to feel his forehead. I did not detect a fever. After my shower, we went for a walk. I had no particular plan, just following my intuition. Should have had a backup plan for the no-plan plan. We found ourselves on the blue path with no idea how far it was. Some hikers came by who had a map. When Chris found out how far it was, he elected to go back. I went with him since I was wearing the wrong shoes and did not have my camera. Besides, it was like going with parents. Don't go there, you might slip, there could be spiders, nothing up there but a big rock, stay on the path, leave the tree alone, etc. Chris lay down in the room and took a nap. I read e-mail and did a meditation. I looked up biogeometry and found a very interesting discussion of the uses of the golden ratio and the Fibonacci series. While he was sleeping, I slipped out of the room with my room key, rugged shoes, my camera and phone. I went walking in the other direction. I came upon Gilliam loop and decided to follow it. I had forgotten the map. At the end of Gilliam Loop was Gillaim Trail, over 3 miles long. I followed it, too. At first I enjoyed it immensely. There were no rocks, only grasses, brush and trees. I picked up a stick to ward off webs, and climbed on nearly horizontal trees. But there were gnats and they thought I was the most interesting thing in the forest. The webs became more numerous and harder to see. When the trail crossed a dirt road, I turned off onto the road. It was obviously used. I hoped I was heading in the right direction. I found pink rock that crumbled easily and thought of calling my dad. After a lot of walking, I thought of calling Kurt to see if he could triangulate my position and tell me where I was. Enough walking brought me to the trailhead, as it was called. There was a paved road and I followed it. I took a break to lay on a park bench and watch the clouds change formation. Then I continued my walk until I saw the lodge and found Chris, waiting for me. We listened to another CD from the book. Then we dressed and went to dinner at the lodge restaurant. He had a reuben sandwich and I got the tilapia. On the way back, we stopped to talk to a foursome sitting outside their room. They were quite interesting conversationalists, and we stood talking for a long time. Then they went to dinner and we to our room. We read e-mail for awhile then finished the book on CD and went to bed.
*  This is my afternoon path and the tree that I climbed on  *

*  pics later  *

Trip to Desoto State Park

We slept late because Chris wasn't feeling well. I made him feel better. He made coffee and I started off with e-mail. Then he got a notification that someone in his office was needed, so he went in to work, after telling me to return the DVD's we borrowed last Sunday. I renewed my book on CD (which I haven't even opened yet) online. I sorted the bag of greens I bought at the farmer's market. Some were not good any more. I juiced the good ones, and added some carrots. It tasted bad, even with stevia. I took an e-mail break, and then cleaned up. I made breakfast for three days. I noticed the sun, and put on my suit. I went outside, but the sun was behind a cloud. I laid out anyway, and the sun made several appearances. I checked the garden for tomatoes, and then noticed the truck from the pest control company. I opened the garage for him. He sprayed and checked the bait traps. He sprayed and checked bait traps outside. After he left, I took a shower, and packed. I sewed the bow back onto one shoe. I started an audio, and renewed the DVDs online so I wouldn't have to drive to the library. I layered the rose top with batting and backing. I pinned it and quilted it in several places. I will probably add more. Chris came home just before 5. He changed his clothes and packed. We ate supper, then packed our laptops. I am not sure when we got on the road. Chris typed in the address to the GPS, but it did not accept it. So he typed in something close to it. We played a book on CD called the Murder of King Tut. It was very interesting. As we drove, it got dark. Chris followed the GPS and we found ourselves on smaller and smaller roads, dirt roads, and finally someone's driveway. The family was outside, enjoying the evening. Chris asked them for directions and they wrote the steps on a sheet of paper. Then we followed the directions. Interestingly, the GPS seconded everything we did. When we got to the lodge, we checked in, and were assigned a motel room. We moved in and set up our laptops. We listened to the rest of the second CD. Then Chris went to sleep and I stayed up to blog.

*  This is the rug I made on Monday.  *

A lot of work

I got up at 8:45, leaving Chris asleep. I read e-mail, and answered e-mail. I started exercising which woke up Chris. I practiced my trombone, and took out the recyclables. On the way back, I raked just because the sun felt so good. I juiced veggies. I timed it from getting the produce out to finishing cleanup and it took me 34 minutes. Also, I threw in a clove of garlic. Although it was better than chewing a clove, it did not improve the flavor of the drink. Ugh. 
I listened to audios, ate breakfast, and kept listening. I took my tablet downstairs to play while I cut out gold curved pieces. Then I ate lunch, and emptied the dishwasher. I also swept floor, trying to figure out the next step. I decided to put glue on the outer edge of the gold pieces to prevent fraying. I put the gold curves under the blue, and pinned them to the white background.  I painted the blue edges with starch, and basted near the edge of the gold.  I took a break to work upstairs on the communion banner. I found that no software I have does everything I need. I returned to the rose. I lined it all with paper and satin stitched the gold and then the blue. I tried several different feet. I liked the edge stitch foot because it kept the stitches from pulling together. But the metal edge stop bunched up the background. When the stitching was complete, I removed the paper.  I had to square up the white, which was easy with a 20.5 inch square ruler. I added the red border strips, pressing them open and being careful not to touch the gold, which will melt (or worse). It was 7pm, and Chris had meatloaf ready. I ate it with a salad. We watched two episodes of Forever Knight and went to bed.

Lutheran Rose in progress

I got up at 8:30. Chris was still in bed asleep. I checked my e-mail, and he got up to check his. I put a check in the mail. I did some tapping. After my exercises, I juiced some veggies. I sprayed the bits off of the juicer parts outside. Then it was time for breakfast. I made another round of supplements. After lying in the sun for 20 minutes, I took a shower. I listened to an audio, and practiced my trombone for Reformation. I took my tablet downstairs to listen while working on a pulpit cloth. The tablet battery lasts longer than the laptop battery. The only problem was that it stopped every 15 minutes, and gave me trouble restarting the audio. I cut out the cross, spraybasted it to the heart and zigzagged it on with paper for a stabilizer. Then I put the heart on the rose the same way. And then the rose on the blue. When I got to the gold, I was stumped. The audios were over, so I came up for a bit to eat. I finished an audio on my laptop, and ate an apple with hummus. I went back down to work on the gold. I had only a scrap, so I drew and cut a pattern for part of the circle and planned to make several. I decided that it would be better to applique the blue onto the gold rather than the other way around. I lost track of time in my sewing room and was late to choir practice. A new alto showed up, which is good because Shannon is leaving and I always follow her. On the way home I stopped for a can of spray starch. Chris wasn't quite ready to watch TV, so I cooked up the quinoa that has been soaking since yesterday. Speaking of yesterday, it was International Day of Older Persons. Chris should have been especially nice to me. After all, I am older. Anyway, we watched several episodes of Forever Knight and went to bed.

Looking at sewing machines

I stayed in bed late, just not feeling like getting up. So finally I did some tapping, and I was able to get up without using any willpower. I read e-mail, and exercised. Chris came home, due to the gov't being unfunded. I left for the Baptist church on Jordan lane. I went to return to Beverly the pages she lent me. I stayed to talk to her and several others. The leader showed me her stained glass quilt. It was amazing. Sadly I did not have my camera with me. She was taking orders for the pattern (not hers), but I did not want to take on another project, especially one so ambitious. After the group broke up, she and I went to a nearby thrift shop to see three machines I had been told about. None of them had cords, but the person in charge said they did. He was unable to locate them. He brought out a 4^th machine, with cord and case. It had a sample of the stitching. I re-wound the bobbin, and re-threaded the machine. The next set of stitching was much better. Beverly was not sure if she wanted it, so I packed it in the case, and we left. It had taken me so long to turn left into the parking lot that I wasn't even going to try turning left to get back on the road. I went home a new way. Chris was playing a computer game when I got home. I juiced some veggies, then took the juicer parts outside to spray off with the hose. I got a little wet in the process. Then I fixed breakfast and ate it. I laid in the sun, and then it was almost time for the farmer's market. I took my supplements and headed out. I bought apples, tomatoes and green leafy something. I read e-mail. I put on an audio and went to the garage to work on Sri Yantra. I numbered all of the triangles on two drawings, one for a master, and one to cut up. Then I heard the Skype beep. It was Kurt. I had to bring the laptop up to plug in while I wrote to him. When the conversation was over, I went back down. I turned my attention to a vesica pisces version of a banner, when I realized that it would be easier with software then with a pencil. So I finished the audio by handquilting Barbara's quilt. Then I went upstairs to the computer. I worked in MS Paint for awhile. I practiced my trombone. We ate supper. I Skyped with Kurt again, waiting for Chris to be ready to watch TV. When he was ready, we watched two episodes of Inspector Morse. He went to bed, and soon so shall I.

*  This is my fish quilt with borders  *