Not looking forward to tomorrow

I got up a little before 8:30. The sun was shining in the guest room so I sat in the sun and read a book. Then I read some e-mail, and hung the second cushion cover out on the porch. I put the wet cushion in a laundry basket and slid it out to the porch. I read more e-mail, and put on the first audio. I found a pot in the closet to simmer the bones. When that was cooking, I refilled two gallon tubs of coconut oil from the 5 gallon container. I called Chris before and after, just in case my back went out like it did in May during the same activity. Chi gung was easy to do while listening. I juiced celery, carrots and two red peppers. Then I made and ate about half of my breakfast. Later I raked leaves and pulled seedlings under the tree. The air was warmish, so I went barefoot, but the ground was still cold. I thought the piles of leaves thrown there would discourage seedling growth, but apparently not. I listened to another audio – then took a break to vacuum the floor. During another audio, I worked on the fish quilt. I was going to work on shortening the sleeves on one of Chris' shirts, but it was already done. I wasn't happy with the result but it looked better than the patch on his other shirt. I told him about it when he came home, but he disagreed. I tried to explain how difficult it would be to move the cuff and placket up on the sleeve. But he got angry when he did not understand. My limbic system went into fight or flight. He calmed down and we talked and I had to go tap for awhile. Then I went down to make a tuck all around the cuff as he envisioned it. He was satisfied with the result so I did the other cuff, too. I tacked down the tuck along the placket and it did look ok. That being taken care of, I turned off the burner under the bone broth. I poured myself a cup and added pulp from the juicer. I ate about half of the soup in the cup.  Chris brought in the wet cushion (it just won't dry) and I brought in the cushion cover, quite dry.  After eating a square of dark chocolate, I brushed my teeth and we went down to watch an episode of Inspector Lewis. Chris told me he was going to take his car in for service, and I told him I had to funeral to attend. Then I cried. I still cannot believe she is gone. It is like a bad dream that I can't wake up from.

*  This is from Carolyn's house last Friday  *

Sewing and washing

I woke up before 8:20, having a dream. I felt slightly congested so I put hydrogen peroxide in my ears and gargled with the stuff. I listened to an interview from yesterday and started ones from today. This week there are 12 posted per day and I just can't fit them all in. I rinsed the cushion cover from yesterday and put the second one in to soak. I used the water from the bucket to unclog the toilet, making a mental note to buy a better plunger. I sat in the sun in the guest room, then realized that the interview playing was going into a meditation. So I sat in the den and meditated. Afterwards I read in sun. I heard the big truck go by and realized that I'd forgot the recyclables. I juiced most of the veggies we had left. Then I made breakfast, and swallowed a packed of the strong vitamin C. It did not taste good, but was strangely satisfying. There was more listening and clearing of e-mail. Then I raked outside for 45 minutes – missed solar noon but not by much. I was able to clear the last leaves from the ditch. When I came in, I filled the tub with warm water to soak the first cushion but the cushion would not fit flat in the tub. I stood it on end to drain. I added coconut water to the new batch of coconut milk, and drank the rest of the water. I drank a glass of vitamin C, and pulled soup bones out of the freezer to thaw to make bone broth. I took my laptop downstairs to work on the fish quilt. Not quite sure how to proceed, I took a break to add layers to some pads. But then the laptop low battery sound rang and I grabbed it and ran upstairs but not in time to plug it in. I had to restart it. I finished the interview that was playing. It was about fermented foods – not all have probiotics. Nine-tenths of the cells in our bodies are bacteria. Then I went down for more sewing, but without anything to listen to. I came up when Chris came home. I put the bones in the refrigerator, and brought the cushion cover in. I went back down to sew and came up later for supper, which consisted of chicken vegetable soup, a salad, then hummus. We watched an episode of Inspector Lewis. The guy who plays Inspector Linley had a part in it, but under a different name. Since it was only 9 when the episode ended, we read e-mail for another hour. Then Chris went to bed, but I stayed up to listen to an interview about thyroid health.

Usually on Thursdays I sew with Stitchits, but because of the slight congestion and not being able to open the garage doors to roll my machine out, I did not go. 

*  look closely at this pic and you might see the hot air blowing out of the new heating unit.  Is it supposed to do that?  *

Clean

I almost forgot the Miconazole last night, but I remembered it while I was tapping before I went to bed. I got up before 7:30, read e-mail and and listened to audio interviews. I scrubbed the juicer basket which had been soaking with baking soda and vinegar. Although it did not come completely clean and took a lot of effort, nothing worked yesterday and now it is almost clean. I made a loaf of bread for Chris. I went through the chi gung stretches and range of motion movements. I swept kitchen floor with broom and then with the hoover. I washed and dried the kitchen floor and the part of den floor with dried coffee on it. I boiled water for breakfast and tea, then exercised so I would be ready to juice. I juiced broccoli, carrots, and spinach. After scrubbing all the juicer parts, I made breakfast. I raked pinestraw and pinecones in side yard from before solar noon to after solar noon, about half an hour. When I came in, I sat to meditate and noticed my fingertips burning from the cold. Then I read e-mail, finishing an audio and starting another one. I vacuumed the new couch with the Kirby. I washed one cushion cover in a bucket in the tub. I used a uv wand to kill bacteria on both cushions, and the armrests. It was a slow process. I did some tapping, and checked e-mail again. I meditated again since a short one came through my inbox. I took a shower and dressed. Chris came home late. He had stopped at the post office and the post library. We fixed our suppers – bean stew in both. I listened to an audio until it was time to leave for choir practice. It was Korea cold outside and I wore my warmest, bulkiest coat. We spent an hour practicing songs. I used the tablet but discovered that it lost sound after the screen went to sleep and the app had to be reloaded. When I got home Chris was ready to watch TV. We saw an episode of Inspector Lewis. And now we'll probably go to bed.

Snow

Before going to bed last night I applied some Miconazole 3. You don't need to know this, but I might need to remember it. I did not tap, but I must have slept well anyway because I got up soon after 7. As usual, I started the day with reading e-mail and playing one of 12 interviews posted yesterday. They are posting 12 a day. Bob called to say he and Nick were coming over to fix the garage door. So I got dressed. The first interviewed Dr. recommended a diet high in good fats and low in carbohydrates. Grain carbs are particularly bad for Alzheimers. Health and disease both start in the gut. When I went out to spit the swishings, I saw that it was snowing. Bob and Darren came over to inspect the garage door and the fallen ceiling. They were talking about when to do the work (maybe not today because of the chill) when Bob got a call that the sheriff was on his way to evict a tenant. So they had to run out and meet him. I tried to open the other door for them, but it got stuck too. I guess both doors need fixing now. I started a new batch of fermented coconut milk just in case the batch was compromised. I cut up vegetables for juicing, then remembered to exercise. After juicing, I poured boiling water on juicer parts to get the brown stain off. Then I tried lemon juice, and finally baking soda and vinegar. I left it to soak and made breakfast. MaryAnn Skyped me until she had to leave for an appointment. I emptied a tea bag and refilled it with loose tea. I folded laundry. I continued listening to audios as I mended two pairs of Chris' pants, and one of my sleep shirts. I also serged a stack of scarves for the church on Whitesburg. My goal is to get all the 2013 projects out of the way so I can start something really new. I worked on the second fish quilt, drawing it out on graph paper and trying to fill in the gaps with blue fabric. I heard Chris come home but kept sewing. I ate a bowl of bean soup, and some hummus with garlic. I put my laundry away. We watched Tales of Earthsea, an animated film from Netflix. Unlike other Miyazaki films, this one made sense. Then we found out that his son directed it. Chris went to bed. I will follow.

Getting a late start on quilting

Amazingly I woke up before 8. It was 7:45 when I found a clock to read. I boiled water for nuts and to sterilize my toothbrush. I read e-mail with my HappyLight. I swished with coconut oil and took a probiotic. I listened to interviews waiting for the rental agent to call at 9. She called after 10 while I was doing my chi gung. She said the foundation specialists recommended their special sump pump and trenching in basement. There were a few other things the renters need to fix. I found myself shivering so I made some hot tea and put on a wrap. Then I juiced kale, broccoli sprouts and carrots. I ate half of my breakfast. It was after 12 and I was in a mental fog. Eating some kimchi helped. I had trouble deciding what to take. I put Barbara's quilt in the car, and went back for hand needles. I decided to take all the sewing stuff. I opened the garage door but one of the rollers got off track because the metal corner it was bolted to was ripping off of the door. I did not want to leave with the garage door open. I thought I might swing by the church and come right back. But then I saw an old broom. I used the handle to shove the roller back on track long enough to shut the door. But my sewing machine et al was still inside. So I left it there and just took the quilt. I was warmly greeted when I got there. Rebecca was ready to try some handquilting. So I showed her how, and then Glenda wanted to see how it was done. They decided to go shopping for thimbles, so four of us went to Patches and Stitches. Rebecca tried on lots of thimbles. She got some other stuff too, I was the only one who did not buy anything. When we got back, the group seemed a lot smaller. We chatted as Rebecca practiced her handsewing. She took it home with her to work on for the next week. By then it was almost 5, so I went home, too. Chris was already home and fixing his supper. I finished my breakfast and had some chicken. I told him about the garage door and he put in a work order for fixing it. I put a bowl of fish soup in the toaster oven to heat while I emptied and refilled the dishwasher. At 7 I brushed my teeth and we went downstairs to watch The IT Crowd Manual, followed by episodes of Star Trek.

*  I did not take any pics today so here is one of the beautiful quilts at Carolyn's house  *

Sharing can be overrated

I got up at 8 to shut the alarm off. I felt a bit congested and thought about not going but did not want to leave Margery without a craft person. I boiled water to sterilize the nuts and melt the coconut oil. I took shower and put hydrogen peroxide in my ears and gargled with it. I ate half of my breakfast, then stirred in the coconut oil and left it on the counter. I took some high-powered Vit C, and got dressed. It took longer than I meant to and I left without my watch. I arrived there at 9:20, and church was still in service. I set up in the craft room. Joanie helped me make copies. I sat in on the opening (attendance, verse, prizes) with Cecelia. Then four kids came for crafts. One would not sit or make the craft, insisting his mother told him he did not have to. Another one came late, but his mother stayed to help him cut and paste. It went fairly well and I handed out coloring sheets for those that finished early. Sadly I did not get a picture.  Shown here is the one I modeled the craft on, letting the kids decorate white paper triangles with markers for the kings robes.  I gave the prototype to Margery because she wanted to do the craft with her weekly classes. She must work at a private school. I cleaned up the table and put the supplies away, leaving the projects on the table for the kids to pick up. Then I packed up to leave so I would not infect anyone else. On my way out, man in a robe shook my hand and said he was there to preach about giving food for the hungry. That must be why the first service went so long. I hope I did not 'share' with him whatever was congesting me. When I got home, Chris's car was gone and I figured he went to church to meet me. So I called him but he did not answer his phone. I changed my clothes and finished my breakfast. He called and found out I was at home, so he came home. Then he went grocery shopping. I meditated and did some chi gung and lymphatic massage. After we put the groceries away, he started soup on the stove and put chicken in the oven to roast before cutting it up for the soup. It was just after solar noon, so I went out to rake in my bare feet. I could hardly believe it was 60. I told Chris that I had prayed for divine guidance and was hearing that we were enabling our tenants to live in a house they cannot afford with property they cannot take care of. He didn't say much. I read my e-mail, and typed some notes for my blog later. I listened to an interview on sound healing in bed with headphones. When the low battery ding came, I got up right away to plug it in, but it shut down before I could get back to the cord in the diningroom. I ate some of the chicken chunks that did not go in the soup. I also had a bowl of the soup, and finished the interview. I checked Friday's blog to see if the puppy video was playable, but discovered that it hadn't published. So I published it, but the video would not play for me. Mirna called to get confirmation on a design to stitch on my quilt top. I went downstairs to sew pieces from the stack-n-whack. Because of the print and the way I cut it, all the blocks are going to look alike. I was disappointed. I repaired the torn shirt Chris left on my sewing chair. I was not so pleased with the way it came out, but he thought it was just fine. I googled ways to repair a rip, not finding anything helpful. We went down to watch The Gamers: Hands of Fate. Chris loaded it on my laptop and he plugged the laptop into the TV. It was very interesting, both intellectually and emotionally. Chris had to explain how the card games worked. It was very escapist.

Carolyn's house, and then the puppies (Friday)

I got up at 7:45, thinking it was later. The thermometer read 0, the lowest I have ever seen it. I read e-mail until 8:22, then I sat and read in the sun in the guest room. I exercised to music, then showered. I juiced the last of the celery and some carrots. Finally it was time for breakfast. While I was eating and reading e-mail, I noticed the mailman stopping in front. I felt bad for him in such cold weather, so I ran out and met him halfway. Strangely, it did not seem that cold and all I was wearing was a long sleeve shirt and an apron (and pants and socks). He handed me mail and a box. When I opened it, there were 2 jars of ghee. I put them in the fridge and started watching an episode of The Quilt Show (TQS). Bertha drove up around 11. When I saw her, I paused the video, grabbed my coat, purse and the quilt, and got in her car. We went to Carolyn's house. She gave me the job of greeting people and hanging up coats. It was every bit as elegant and well put together as Carolyn herself. She showed me her sewing room and it was as beautiful as any quilt shop. Her whole house was lovely. Her many quilted works of art hung all over her house. She and other ladies were in the kitchen getting an elaborate buffet lunch together. When it was ready, some people sat in the dining room, and we later ones congregated in the sun room to eat. The view was enchanting. I don't know why she would ever want to leave her house. After lunch there was a modified quilt show as we viewed a bunch of Linus quilts and chose 6 for Barbara's grandchildren.  I showed them the quilt Barbara gave me to finish quilting by hand and asked them if we could finish it as a group.  Many of them agreed.  Then we broke up into small groups as one by one, the ladies left. I am not sure when Bertha and I left. We went to her house to see the puppies that she is fostering and her quilt works in progress. I gave her my opinion, which is guaranteed to be worth every penny paid for it. When she dropped me off at home, it was a little after 5. Chris had fish soup on the stove. I made and ate a salad, and finished watching the TQS episode. I ate the fish soup with the last of the raw fish thrown in. I watched part of another TQS episode. Then we watched “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” courtesy of Netflix. Chris checked his e-mail one last time and went to bed. I checked mine, and posted the day's events to my blog.

Preparing for Sunday School

I woke up about 8:30, but I had a reason to stay in bed until later. When I did get up, I read my e-mail, and decided to forgo juicing because there wasn't enough left to make the clean-up worth it. So I went straight to breakfast. I ate half of it before putting the coconut oil in. I saved the rest for half an hour later so I could get the probiotic effects of the fermented coconut milk and nuts. By then I was reading about a homemade laundry detergent that Pinterest thought I would be interested in. It sounded good and all but one person who commented had a great experience with it. Reportedly it was half the price (or less) of store-bought detergent. But for us that amount would last 1.5 to 2 years. I drank my vitamin C and took the last prepared daily dose of vitamins. Then, because it was solar noon, I went outside. I swept under the carport for a little bit, but wasn't getting a lot of light in there. So I raked in the side yard by the magnolia tree. It did not really need it, but there was plenty of light. My hands got cold, so I came in. I wanted to make up another week's worth of supplements, but wondered if drinking lemon juice counteracted the cranberry capsules. I chewed up a plaintain leaf to cover the spot on my forehead. The plaintain plants are having a hard time surviving this cold weather. I called Denise for her opinion about the lemon juice versus cranberry and decided to suspend the cranberry. Then I assembled the supplements. I looked up three kings crafts and decided what the kids could do tomorrow. I looked up VW transmission problems. It is a sealed tranny so I can't check the fluid level. I ate some chorizo stew that Chris made. I put a bowl of fish soup in the toaster oven and went to Hobby Lobby for crown stickers (looked at fabric, too). I came home to eat the fish soup. I read more about DIY cleaners. Chris was gaming, so I worked on drawing pieces for the kids to cut out, and cutting out some of the pieces for the 3 year olds. When I finished, I checked my e-mail again, and got lost in a blog about how to clean different things. At the mention of baking soda, I got some from the cupboard and sprinkled it all over our new couch. The previous owner had a dog and from time to time I can smell it. I realized that I hadn't eaten my raw garlic clove for the day, so I got out the hummus and took care of that. Then, since I have been saying to myself all day that I would rather be sewing, I went downstairs determined to make at least one stitch. I took the blue zigzag fabric and tried to line them up for a stack-n-whack. But it must have been stretched on the bolt because the stripes would not line up. So I got another piece of blue and white from my stash. I made a few decisions and cut 10 pieces from it. Since it was so late, I stopped there and came up to write my blog. But Chris had finished his game and said it was a good time to catch Michele on Skype. So I did. I got to hear all about her new job, or at least as much as she knows about it so far. It doesn't start until February. While we were talking, I snapped a Skype picture. It's always good to see her and I like to show her off in my blog.

Cold and getting colder

I got up at 8:30, like yesterday. I started reading e-mail with the HappyLight, but noticed the sun shining, so I read in the sun coming through the guest room window. I forgot to swish. I exercised to some disco. I played it on the desktop because the Flash player on my laptop kept crashing. I rebooted the laptop, and had to wait for it to recover. I juiced broccoli, and a large cucumber. I plugged in the tablet to recharge. While writing my blog post for last night, I got to the part about recyclables and suddenly remembered to run them out to the street. Then I finished the post. Chris sent me a weather report calling for sub-zero temps in higher elevations tonight. Are we still in Alabama? I packed up some fabric for making a cross, and the diagrams which I drew last night. I drove to the church on Westmoreland. It was quite cold. I talked to Charmaine, and Lu. I found a seat, and worked on the cross. It was difficult because all of the pieces are on point so there are a lot of sqrt 2 measurements, for which my rulers are not accurate. Pat could not believe I was old enough to have a child of 22.  Melissa brought the fish quilt to show me how it turned out.  (see last Thursday's post pic)   I packed up and drove home before 3. The garage door got stuck half way up and I had to push it. I hope we don't have to put in a work order to have it fixed. By the time I made breakfast, it was after 3. I read some e-mail, and then tapped until I thought Chris would arrive. But he was late for some reason. I put together a salad for supper, and after Chris arrived, ate some hummus with a clove of raw garlic. We watched several episodes of Star Trek downstairs. Chris was falling asleep, so he went to bed pretty quickly after that. I stayed up to make sure my blog post got written and published tonight so I won't get any comments tomorrow. You know who you are.

*  This is Jodi with her rainbow jellyroll quilt  * 

A sad day

I got up at 8:30. I drank some water, and did my daily swishing. I read e-mail with the HappyLight. I tried to replace the light fixture covers with the ones I bought this weekend, but they did not fit. I listened to some disco while exercising. Yes, I like disco. This morning's juice was kale, carrot, and cucumber. Then I made breakfast. I was reading e-mail, and Bertha wrote that Barbara died this morning. I could not help crying. It was hard to believe she was gone. She was fine, then got pneumonia and the flu and now... I had to tap and meditate. Then I went outside to get light. It was after solar noon. I swept leaves and such. My fingers got so cold that I had to come in before the job was done. I made a list of things to get done today. I emptied the dishwasher, made nut cheese, ate some salmon, juiced 10 lemons, and made hummus. All but the eating were on the list. I cleaned up in the kitchen and took a shower. I looked up Boris Pasternak (author of novel Dr. Zhivago). There were lots of parallels to his life. Chris came home. He put sweet potatoes in oven. I separated the recyclables into bags and put them in the recycle box outside, hoping I would remember to take it out to the street tomorrow. Chris pulled a sweet potato out of the oven for me at 6:30. It wasn't quite done in the middle, but with melted butter and cinnamon, I didn't care. After eating it, I grabbed my choir folder and tablet and headed for the church. I used the new music app and my old headphones to play the notes I needed to stay in tune. With bifocals on, it was hard to see the tablet and my music and the director. But it worked. The app and the piano were not precisely in tune, but it was close enough. The director told us how her son was sick at Auburn University and she couldn't be there to take care of him. She thought he had the flu. I did not tell her that I knew someone who just died of it. When I got home, Chris was ready to watch TV. He had a blue-ray disc and he used my laptop to play it. Or that was the plan. I watched him futze around with it down by the TV. Then he took it upstairs while I stayed downstairs trying to think of pleasant things and be in my happy place. Then he came back with my laptop. It just would not play the disc. But fortunately there was a regular DVD in the box, so we watched that in our regular player. We huddled under quilts to watch Red 2. Another cold snap was in progress. After huddling and him coming after me, I decided to just turn in and leaving posting until tomorrow.

*  this is Maryann's qiuilt - a one block wonder  *

Finishing and Cleaning

I got up at 8, or thereabout. I read e-mail with the HappyLight, and exercised to some 70's tunes on Youtube. I made two cups of veggie juice from broccoli, carrots, kale and celery. Then came breakfast. When I read that Barbara's family was thinking of having her ventilator removed because her numbers are slipping, I prayed, and then cried. She's still alive, but the end seems so much more likely now. 

I decided to meditate. I plugged the speaker neck pillow into my tablet. First I meditated to an mp3 on the tablet, but it was designed for headphones. So then I used something directly from Youtube. Useful site. I had intended to go outside at solar noon after reading that most people are light deprived. But I missed it. And the temperature was low and dropping. The postman rang the doorbell to deliver a package – supplements. I took down the dusty curtain scarves in the mbr. Then I made drapery panels to cover the windows, both to block light and to block sound. I went to the seafood market for some fresh wild Alaskan salmon. I ate some before putting the rest in the fridge. I put the scarves in the washer. I finished the wonky block Linus quilt and took a pic of it. I cleaned out the dust bowl of the vacuum cleaner. I did it outside, but still got dirt on me. Then I swept up the dust behind the bed and end tables. Normally I wouldn't bother, but since the old heating unit was apparently blowing dirt through the system and now we have a new unit, I thought maybe dusting would actually accomplish something.  I put the burgundy scarves over the new blue panels.  The red ones look like they are trying to eat the blue ones. I decided to worry about that later. 

 Chris came home while I was cleaning. He heated up the fish soup for us. I put some fermented cod liver oil in mine. I cleared more e-mail. I searched for a suitable craft project for this Sunday. Just this one Sunday. At 7 we went downstairs to watch the second half of Dr. Zhivago. It was extremely cold outside, which matched the movie perfectly. I am curious now about the book it is based on. I snuggled close to Chris and we watched two episodes of Forever Knight before going to bed. Well, he did anyway. I need to tap so I can relax and go to sleep.

More comfortable seating

I am not sure when we got up. Before 9, I think. I read my e-mail, did a little exercise, and sat reading in the morning sun coming through the guest room window. Then I made breakfast. There was nothing to juice. I packed my lunch and two projects. I rolled my sewing cart out to the car, but there was a pest control truck in the driveway so I could not leave. I walked around the house until I found him; he was checking out the new HVAC unit. We talked for a bit and then he left. Then I left too, for the church on Whitesburg. We had a good turn out for quilting. I worked on creating a quilt backing from yardage. Bertha got the latest text about Barbara and shared it with everyone. When the discussion turned to hair cuts, Carolyn looked at mine and brought me outside so she could trim it up. Her mother was a hairdresser. She brought pizzas for lunch. While the rest were eating, I ironed my quilt backing. Then I got out my lunch and ate with the rest. After lunch, I worked on my second fish quilt. I had bordered fish scraps with yellow, green or orange. I finished two more, then worked on putting them together. No two were alike in size. I laid them out on the table and finally found a configuration that I liked. I took a pic, then measured them and wrote down the dimensions so I could plot them on graph paper. At 3:40 Virginia's son called to say he'd be over in half an hour with the couch. So I packed up and went home to clear some things from the livingroom to aid the exchange process. Chris was home since today is Martin Luther King day. He went grocery shopping and cooked a large pot of fish soup. That was the first thing I smelled when I came home. I moved the lamps and pillows, and Chris moved the end table. When the men arrived, they took out our sofa and brought in Virginia's. One of the men remarked on the fish scent and Chris gave him a bowl of soup. I noticed that Virginia's son looks like Robert Downey Jr.  We gave them the chair that matches the couch (the leg was broken in the move) and I wrote him a check and the two men left. After putting the livingroom back in order, I ate two bowls of soup and then got very drowsy. I dozed first in the den, then back in the bedroom. I did not let myself get comfortable since I had to go back to the church. The sheets were in the washing machine and the blankets in a pile. Around 7, I felt more energetic. I laid out the backing on the pingpong table and covered it with the quilt top to make sure it was the proper size. Then I put them in a bag and drove to the church. I could not get in so I waited for Mirna, but not long. When she drove up, I met her in the parking lot and we walked inside the church so she could pick up another quilt too. When I got home, it was 8. We went down to watch the first VHS tape of Dr. Zhivago. It made me glad to have a warm home, and to not have to share it with dozens of other people. It also reminded me of a friend's husband who looks like Omar Sherif. I think she looks like Reba McEntire. Cute couple.

Have you 'herd' of my little pony?

My phone alarm went off at 8. Chris asked me why I didn't turn off the alarm permanently. He got up first and I got up later, took a shower, then Chris took his. We talked to Neale and April while watching Emmy bounce around playing with her little ponies. As you can see, there is no shortage of ponies in their house.  (They have 3 cats too, but the cats do not play with the ponies.)  Like the Power Rangers, different version of the ponies are constantly coming out.

 I ate my second prepared breakfast. Then we packed the car for the drive back to Huntsville. We listened to the rest of the book on CD. We stopped at an Arby's for Chris to have a sandwich. They did not have salads, so I ate a few sunflower seeds. Headed north on 431, we passed a Korean restaurant, so we stopped there.  The window dressings were made of black fabric with bright peppers on them - almost the same as my purse which I made in Korea.  The menu on the back was in Korean with the sounds translated into our alphabet.  I had to say the names without looking at the spelling to figure what they were since they used different spellings than in Korea.  I ordered the bulgogi (beef) special. It came with yaki mondu and a visit to the kimchi bar. The cucumber kimchi was the best of the bunch. We had a good time talking to the owner.  Then we completed our trip home. We thought Virginia was coming to exchange couches, but her son could not get anyone to help him. I unpacked most of my luggage and yardsale finds. We read our e-mail, and I ate some frozen blueberries with a pair of chopsticks. I put some neem oil on that spot on my forehead that just won't heal. We discussed how and when to plant the flower seeds from the estate sale. They are mostly varieties of zinnias, with some impatiens and marigolds. The #10 envelopes are marked '92 and they were harvested by hand so I am hoping they are heirloom varieties. I looked up 'solar noon' on the internet to find out when it is in Huntsville. That is the brightest time of the day, and the best time to get the most daylight.   We finished the evening by watching three episodes of Forever Knight. Or at least I thought so.  I had a little trouble with the computer, G-mail, Firefox and Blogger when trying to post and add pictures.  My, what a labor-saving device this is! (ok, not so much)

Buying bargains (used stuff) with friends

Chris' alarm went off at 7. He got up to take a shower. I did not feel like getting up, but when he got back, I took my place in the bathroom. When I got out, we grabbed what we needed for the day and headed to Silvia's house. Chris went on to the hotel where the tournament was being held. When I got to Silvia's house, Mary and Linda were there. We got into Mary's car and went to two estate sales. At the first one I negotiated for 10 spoons, matching. They were the right size for breakfast. I washed one and used it to stir my pre-made breakfast and eat it on the way to the second one. The second one was in a really old house. It had good bones, but the peeling wallpaper was musty and dated. The lighthouse circular steps were kind of fun, but picking through the stuff strewn about up there was a little daunting. Silvia was really into it, so I followed for lack of anything else to do. I found a pair of pants, envelops of old seeds, a bow makers, and a length of ribbon. I was charged a dollar.

Then I amused myself at the keys of the player piano. It was not for sale. The picture above it was great, but too large for any space in our house. 
Then we went to an ice cream shop to use the bathroom. We visited a number of thrift and consignment stores. We dropped Silvia off at her house. Then three of us went back out shopping. I was looking primarily for a clear glass butter dish, which I did not find. I was also looking for casual cloth flats, which were not to be found, at least in my size. I did find 5 matching globes for the chandelier in the diningroom. Hungry, we went to The Garlic Clove, an Italian restaurant in Evans. They got the soup and salad bar, and I had a spinach-cranberry-goat cheese salad. For a long time after we finished our meals, we sat talking. I called Chris to see where he was and what he was up to. He and his friends were deciding where to go eat. I thought he was going to call Neale to see if they were home and call me back. When I did not hear from him, Mary drove over there and no one was home. So I called Chris and he said they left a key for me, and that he was eating at Pho Bac.. By that time, we wer visiting the new library. It was not open, but there was lots of outdoor stuff to see. Mary told me about the farmer's market in the warmer months and showed me the stone pillars and arches rescued from Evans Middle School. Then we saw the outside of the new fitness center. Finally we went to Pho Bac. I went inside to get car keys from Chris. I put my new treasures in his car. Then we ladies said goodbye and parted. The day was far too short and we agreed to meet at a warmer time, hopefully the fourth of July weekend, to do it all over again. On my way into the restaurant, I was stopped by Joe B, whom I haven't seen in years. I met his son, too. Then I sat inside with Chris and Greg. Greg, being a history/government/sociology teacher, had a lot to say about federal government influence in education. A lot. After the group finished eating and paid their bill, they went outside, where the cold was cutting. Greg continued his treatise in a way that kept him warm in spite of the temperature. When Chris could barely stand the cold any longer (he was in short sleeves), we bid them goodnight and drove back to Neale and April's house. April was home, having just put Emmy to bed. She watched Chopped (a cooking competition show) while Chris read his e-mail and I wrote two days worth of blog. April turned in, then Chris went to bed, and soon it will be my turn.

Friday - Together again

The alarm went off at 8, but we were late getting up. He had breakfast while I juiced before having mine. I checked e-mail, and packed a suitcase, hoping I didn't forget anything. We got on the road about 11. We did not have any books on CD from the library, so Chris grabbed one from the shelf. It was a self-improvement book by Byron Katie. We listened to it most of the way to Augusta. Chris gave me directions on a piece of paper for navigating. They did not agree with the GPS. Somehow we made it to I-20 from Huntsville. We had no trouble driving through Atlanta. After finished the 4^th CD, we discussed it for awhile. I called Silvia to tell her we would be in town soon. Chris dropped me off at her house, and went to have dinner with Neale and April. Silvia and I caught up together. Then Dennis brought Linda over. The three of us chatted while Silvia cooked dinner. Halfway through dinner, Mary came over. The four of us had a wonderful time reliving old times and catching each other up on recent times. In fact, it wasn't until 11 that we got around to opening gifts. Chris called to find out what I was doing. I told him we were almost finished, so he came over to get me. The four of us agreed to go to estate sales at 8. It was almost midnight when we got to Neale and April's house. It was dark. Understandably they had gone to bed. We changed into pajamas and went to bed.

Show and tell

I got up at 8am, which seemed plenty early for what I had to accomplish. I read e-mail, and tried to find good deals on schizandra extract, and ghee. I had to call Swansons because they had not given me a discount on my last order. She offered to rebate the difference, but had trouble calculating it. I disputed her figures and finally she just gave me 15% off of the entire order. I forgot about the recyclables until after the time at which they were picked up last week. I also forgot to mention that Jehovah's Witnesses came by yesterday. But the woman who usually leads them was not present and so they accepted my 'not interested' far easier than she would have. I was a little chilly and since the new unit is so much more efficient than the old one, I turned up heat a degree. Chris left the bread machine open, so I made a loaf of bread. I took my project in progress to the Thursday sewing meeting. There I finished the project, and started a star block for tonight. Mary said her quilt was accepted into the Lancaster show, and in our discussion of Lancaster I mentioned Cold Wars, and the lady next to me told me about the Forbes exhibit of toy soldiers. I left at 2. I made three breakfasts, and ate one. I checked my e-mail, and finalized an Amazon order for ghee and B-12. I forgot about the schizandra. I went down to finish the last project and side projects, and two star blocks for the guild meeting. Chris came home, and fixed turkey burgers for both of us. I just had time to eat two and leave for the meeting. The parking lot was packed, as was the hall. I turned in the strips and the two blocks. I gave Mirna her part of the Swanson's order. When the blocks were raffled, it was announced that 18 were for the raffle and only 9 of them had been turned in for making charity quilts. I would think that the 300(?) people who showed up could do better than that. I did one of each. There was show-n-tell, which is my favorite part, hence this picture. Then for the program, Barbara Black gave a talk about the Houston quilt show and things you might like to know before you go. It went long. Some of it was interesting, but what I really wanted to see were pictures of the quilts. She cut them out because the presentation was going too long. I walked out just as she was finishing up. I think she was about to do a raffle, but I wanted to be home by 9 and avoid everyone rushing for the door. Some people had left already. When I got home, Chris was reading e-mail. We watched another episode of Sherlock. I haven't figured out why the episodes were so far apart in the first season, but are so close together now. Chris went to bed and I am waffling between some last minute sewing and tapping, or going to bed now.

Warm AND quiet with the new unit

I got up around 8 when I realized that sleeping in wasn't helping. I read e-mail, exercised, and took a shower. Then I trimmed my hair now that it has grown out a bit. I juiced kale, broccoli, celery and green beans. Then I made breakfast. It wasn't even 11 yet. I found a tape measure and a wrench in the yard by the air conditioner. I arranged the sheet metal nearby to hold the plastic down in the most efficient manner. I folded 2 baskets of laundry. I cleaned up around the house. There was no snow, or even any hint of it as was predicted.  I used the sunny day to sweep leaves out of the carport. I arranged the gold tablecloths on the table, and then went down to choose fabric for the last project. I came up to meet Denise when she arrived. We chatted and did some EFT together. It helped her headache if nothing else. After she left, Bob arrived. He arranged to meet the HVAC man here for payment and paperwork. I showed him the fallen ceiling in the garage. After their exchange, I asked him about the faucet in the kitchen and there was no good answer. I worked in the sewing room, choosing fabric, cutting and getting ready to sew when I heard Chris come home. He heated up the beef and barley soup for supper. The doorbell rang and there were two packages: a filter, and more supplements. We watched Sherlock, then came upstairs. It was only just after 8 so we went back down to watch 2 Star Trek episodes: Errand of Mercy and Catspaw. Chris looked up one of the actresses for me, and then went to bed. I stayed up to clear some e-mail and do some tapping.

*  This is Mirna's orange tabby quilt  taken Monday  *

Real heat

I got up a quarter after 8. The house was so quiet without the heater rumbling like an overgrown garbage truck on it's last legs. The thermometer read 55 (inside). I read e-mail until 9. I called the rental agent and she said we should have at least the heat portion of a new unit by tonight. I asked for duct cleaning, but she sounded doubtful. It was a sunny day so I opened the windows on the sunny side of the house and put a fan blowing out through a shady one. I worked out to some tunes on Youtube. I juiced broccoli, celery, carrots and kale. There was not time for breakfast. I grabbed my project and thread and a needle. I drove to the church on Jordan Lane. It was after 10:30 and the group was breaking up. But several of them showed interest in my project and thought it was cute. I talked to them, and got some sewing done. I finished after they left and turned the lights off before I left. I stopped at the Asian store to buy kimbap, seaweed, and kelp. When I got home, I ate the kimbap with kimchi. It was soooo good! Then I wasn't hungry for breakfast. I glanced at my inbox, then at the sunshine. I got a fan from the garage and an extension cord. I set the fan to blow on the wet board that directs roof water away from the house. I left the garage open as well as the door to the basement. Nothing like a little fresh air. Then I took off my shoes and raked barefoot. It was a good day for it. When I finished, I washed my feet at the hosebib before putting my shoes on. I checked e-mail again, and ate my breakfast. Then I worked on my project until I heard vehicles in the driveway. I asked them not to block the path to Chris' spot in the carport. And they didn't, but when the truck with the new unit arrived, it did. First they unscrewed and pried the old unit away, leaving ductwork exposed. Then they used a dolly to roll it away, and roll the new one over. I took the chance to sweep the cement pad with an old broom. It was full of nut shells. Then they slid the new one in place. I returned to sewing, which was very close to where they were working. I could hear them and it seemed to take a long time to line up the openings in the new unit with the existing ductwork. I came up when I heard Chris walk in. He had to park in the yard. As spongy as the ground is, the tires will leave marks. He made supper for himself and I was not hungry. I wanted to watch TV at 7, but he wanted to wait until the men were gone. One of them installed a new thermostat in the hallway. The darkness descended and the temp dropped. I shut off the outside fan and put it away, closing the garage door. I loaded the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. I cleaned the countertops under stuff I don't usually clean under. And I washed the dish drainer. They got the heat going by then, but had cosmetic stuff to do to seal it all up. I asked for the old sheet metal so I could hold down the plastic coverings on the boards which redirect roof water. I felt so bad for them as it got colder. Finally they finished up, and let us know that one of them would be back tomorrow to check the job and see if any tools were left behind. Then we watched the last two episodes of Forever Knight on the disc and called it a night – a warm night. Chris checked his e-mail and went to bed. 

*  This is the wall heater in the basement.  I find it a little scary.  But it puts out a lot of heat, and quickly.  *

The cold is getting old

I am not sure what I was expecting when I woke up – maybe something like the scene in Dr. Zhivago where the inside of the house is covered in ice? But no, it was just cold. The outside thermometer read 48 and the inside read 56. Humidity was 39. It was kind of like waking up in Dad's house except there was no heat in the bathrooms. A hot cup of tea was just the thing to get my day started. I read e-mail, and listened to an audio on how agricultural practices generate more co2 than burning fossil fuels, and how to change the practices. The HVAC man showed up with a friend at 8:55. I was thrilled to see him because I was worried that the rain might keep him away. They left soon after, hopefully to get a new unit. I saw that Michele had posted to Facebook that she got a job. No details. I went downstairs to check for water because of the rain. Then I worked on my project, cutting pieces and placing them in my sewing box. Finally I came up to exercise to songs on Youtube. I juiced a long cucumber, and ate breakfast. I took my sewing stuff to the car, then came back to grab something for lunch. I drove to the church and found plenty of ladies already there. First I cut 7 strips of purple for the guild exchange on Thursday. Then I finished putting the blue borders on the scrap quilt, but there wasn't quite enough blue. I cut the yellow strips to go around the blue. I sewed them to the blue that was there, leaving extra for when I piece in the missing sections. Then I worked two iterations of my project. I stitched the squares together, turned, pressed and top-stitched. I did the side seams too, but could not go further without the ribbon. That was around 3:30, and constituted the last of the work I brought. So I went home. It had stopped raining. I looked out the diningroom window to see the new unit, but it was still the old one. Apparently those guys never came back. I checked my e-mail and one was from MaryAnn, so I skyped her. We talked for two hours. During that time, Chris came home. He heated up bowls of soup and sweet potatoes for us. It was good to have a hot meal in a cold house. I read e-mail, then printed a few things in the computer room, which was colder than the family rooms. Then Chris and I watched several episodes of Forever Knight, courtesy of Netflix. We turned on the wall-mounted heater down there, not knowing what condition it might be in. It did help warm the basement, but since our bedroom is over the garage, we won't feel it up there.  We turned it off when we came up. Chris went to bed (to warm the covers for me), and I want to stay up to tap, but the temp is dropping so that probably won't last long. If we get that snow someone mentioned for later this week, I may have to stand in front of the open refrigerator for warmth.

* This is Mirna's quilt *

There's a quilt for everything

We heard Chris' alarm go off at 9, but I could not bring myself to throw off the warm covers to face the cold air. Chris got up to fetch me my robe from the bathroom. On his return, he reported that the thermostat showed a whopping 60F, and that the heat was 'on'. Obviously it was not, and when we did get up, he put in a work order to get the heat fixed. I showered first, then ate breakfast. He showered later and got dressed. I grabbed the big quilt from downstairs and we went to church. I just missed warming up with the choir. But it was an easy song. Doris was unsure of her part, so we went into the garden room to use the piano there. Then I sat with Chris for the service. They had a part where everyone lined up to go by the baptismal font and dip their fingers to draw crosses on their foreheads. After the service, Chris brought in the quilt and we draped it over the church's piano. It just fit. Then I spoke to the pastor's wife about the craft in two weeks. And I talked to Jeanne. She told me that hospice has been coming to her house to bathe her husband twice a week for 18 months. When he became bedridden, they came twice a day: to get him up, and to put him to bed. And Medicare pays for this. I thought of my parents and how it would help them. While we were talking, Chris got a call that the HVAC guy was on his way over to our house. So we drove home. I changed my clothes and had a bite to eat. Chris left for the store but the truck pulled in at that moment. He spoke the technician, and continued on his way. It was such a nice day that I sat in the sun, barefoot in the grass. If one has to be without heat, this was the day for it. The tech showed me the engine that had seized and the blower motor which was rusted. He said replacing the two would be $1600, so he recommended replacing the whole 21 year old unit. He showed me where rodents could get in and how he could seal it off if allowed to replace the unit. He called the rental agent who had to check with the owner. I opened the windows to let the warmth in. Chris came back from the store with groceries. He put bacon and sweet potatoes in the oven. I went to the stitching group at the storage unit. I took Barbara's quilt to work on. We had a good time chatting, even those who were reading magazines instead of stitching. Denise came with her hexagons. We discussed heat and rental problems in general. She said in Texas our renters could be put out in three days. She thought we should fire our rental agent, too. In fact, she got so upset she had to leave.  Oops. The others mentioned turning on our oven to stay warm at night. It was dark and cold when we left there. But my car soon warmed up and when I got home, I hated to leave the car for the house. But it wasn't too bad at 62. Chris had hot soup on the stove for me. The sweet potatoes were only lukewarm, but I stuck one in the toaster oven. Then I put on my housecoat and we went downstairs to watch TV. Chris brought my laptop, which was strange, AND I had been having trouble with it, losing my toolbar. But as we sat on the couch, he plugged in a thumbdrive, retrieved my toolbar, and hooked up the TV to it. To my surprise, we watched the latest Sherlock Holmes movie, where they show how he faked his death, and draw the viewer into the next edition. Chris' phone rang. The rental agent told him the unit would be replaced tomorrow and that no one needed to be home. So our being without heat will be over soon. As uncomfortable as it is, I can't help feeling far more sorry for the people who live in unheated houses. Maybe that's why I make quilts.

New life for an old quilt

We stayed in bed late, together. Then he made his breakfast while I read e-mail and exercised. Then I made my breakfast and read e-mail while he started a game where he was NOT the GM. I investigated some PIN sites suggested in the Pinterest e-mail. I came across a series of videos on hexaflexagons. They were so cool that I had to post to Facebook. I want to make one in fabric with stack-n-whack triangles. But what do I do with the seam allowances? There was also DIY Magnetic silly putty, and frozen bubbles.

I looked through the fabrics in the garage for my project. I found water in the corner of basement near where I keep the yellows. I opened the garage doors and swept out the water there. I had to put on my housecoat to keep warm. When it warmed up, I ate lunch outside. I wanted to staplegun the shower curtain to the board that redirects water away from the house, but the board was wet, so I left it alone to dry first. I picked up sticks in the yard and then in the ditch. I cleaned the leaves out of the ditch. Then I pulled up tree seedlings growing in the leaf piles under the trees because the ground is saturated right now. Finally I swept the leaves out of the garage and closed the doors. Chris made a beef stew with veggies and I had that for an early supper. Then I went back to choosing fabrics for the project. I made quite a few decisions, but it was tough because the project is cut on square but folded on point so the print cannot be directional. I got to thinking about the church needing a quilt for their piano, and I found our old kingsized comforter from years ago. It was either the first or second quilt I'd ever made, back before we could afford quilting fabric. It is made of drapery remnants, which bled when I washed it.   It seemed to be in one piece. Since it was only tied, I decided to baste through some major points to give it some strength. It was too thick to quilt. It was almost midnight when I finished. Chris had already gone to bed, and I was too tired to stay up and tap.

No more naked windows

Even though I tapped until close to midnight, I woke up before 8:30. I read e-mail for awhile, then danced to a few Youtube songs. I decided to juice what was left of the veggies, but left out a little salad for later (or tomorrow). While I was juicing, Mirna came over to deliver 10 lbs of walnuts. I was very happy because I am almost out of them. After she left, I made breakfast. I did an internet search for schizandra berry extract powder at a good price. When I finally found one, Internet Explorer froze up so I couldn't order it. I used the vacuum to clean up leftover dirt under the livingroom window, and hung the burgundy scarves on each side. That is when the missing nail showed up. Grrr.

It was an overcast day, but not too cold, so I raked leaves for almost an hour while listening to an audio. After checking my e-mail again, I cleared the clean dishes from the dishwasher. Then I meditated in a dark room. Chris usually comes home at 5, but was out for the night to play Battletech. So my meditation went long. After it was over, I cooked some Korean fermented soybeans. They already had garlic and salt in them, so I only added lemon and some leftover tongue. I ate some of that for supper, and put the rest away. Then I went downstairs to sew. The most important thing was to choose fabrics for a project coming up, but I procrastinated by working on the Linus quilt. I cut blue borders for it and sewed on two before it hit me that I should save it for Monday at quilt group. But I procrastinated again. I finished another row of the scrap quilt and sewed it on. And I procrastinated a third time: ironing the two gold tablecloths. Then I cleared my sewing table of large and small scraps, sorting them by size. When I finally got around to choosing fabrics, it was almost too easy. I chose one focus fabric for each project and put the coordinates off until daylight tomorrow. Then I sorted through my projects file, grouping everything into bagsNtotes, quilt-related, and other. THEN I found my project notebook which I have been looking for for quite a while. I paged through it, looking at projects I haven't seen for so long. I heard Chris come home about 11. So I finished it and put it where I could find it next time. Then I came up to greet him. He was reading his e-mail, and then went to bed.

No more blueberries

I woke up at 8:45. I read e-mail, and danced to songs on Youtube instead of my usual exercises. I started a loaf of bread for Chris. I juiced, and drank. I separated the recyclables and took them out, but none of our neighbors had their box out, and the one down the street was upside down. So maybe I was too late? The important thing is that the stuff is out of the house. I made and ate my breakfast, then went to a church for quilting. There was one seat left. Some of the ladies were getting back from their lunch run. I sewed while they ate, and talked to the lady next to me about her low sugar, gluten-free diet. I told her about the raw salmon I bought and she asked what kind of wild Alaskan salmon it was, since she was from Alaska she knew the different kinds. She wondered how the fish market could have fresh wild salmon when the salmon only runs during a certain season of the year. When I finished my last seam around 2, I packed up to leave. When I got home, I found a piece of the ceiling in the garage on the floor. It was a section of cheap paneling. When I picked it up, it fell apart. I wondered if it was sign of some kind of trouble. For lunch, I ate the rest of the fish and some pickled vegetables. It was warm enough that I could rake leaves with one shoe off. However, my foot was kind of numb when I finished raking. I cleaned up the dirt on the livingroom window sill and on the floor around the speakers. I looked through my nail collection to find some the right size for the hardware. I climbed on a bar stool to hammer the hardware in place. I ironed some Christmas fabric and folded it for storage. Then I ironed the quilt top that I finished earlier today. I draped it over my sewing table and lined some of the edges with the blue fabric that Beverly gave me. I went upstairs to meditate. When I heard Chris come home, I stopped and plugged the headphones in to recharge. I told Chris about the garage ceiling. He said we shouldn't fix it, that it is the landlord's responsibility. He helped me hang the curtain rod on the hardware. Then he made a burrito for supper. I put a sweet potato in the toaster oven, and had some bean soup. I googled how to get blueberry stains out. The tablecloths were soaking in a bucket. I boiled some water and poured it over the stains. That seemed to help. Then I soaked the stained parts in a dish with half glycerin and half warm water. Still not enough, so I used the Chlorox bleach pen on them and threw them in the wash. Chris came down to watch Forever Knight. We saw 3 episodes. He checked his e-mail again and went to bed. I pulled the tablecloths out of the washer and checked to see if the stains were gone. I thought so, but wasn't sure, so I laid them out to dry rather than use the dryer. I stayed up to tap since it is helping me get to sleep.

First choir practice of the year

Before going to bed last night, I did a lot of tapping. As per a suggestion in one of the many e-mails I get every day, I decided to make 12 one-month resolutions instead of one or more year-long resolutions. Of course, tapping is at the top of my list and it shouldn't be too hard to find 12 subjects that need tapping on. I went to bed after tapping, and realized about 11:55 that I hadn't finalized my Swanson's order. Naturally I got up to do that because the current offer expires at midnight. HOWEVER, this morning they sent an e-mail extending the offer for a week.

I must have slept well because I got up at quarter of 8, which made me very happy. I sat in the sun and read for 20 minutes. Then I printed out a letter and put it in the mail with the two from yesterday.

I juiced the rest of the kale, broccoli, and celery. After drinking that, and cleaning up, I drove to Alison's farm. She told me about the hawk picking off her chickens and ducks. I bought soap and lotion bars and a dozen eggs. She gave me an aloe plant. She blends them in her smoothie's, skin and all. I left when the horse-shoe-er came. I made breakfast, read e-mail, and started cleaning up the dirt from the curtain fall. I still can't find the nails – they probably went down the heat registers. Mirna came over to see my stash and to get a check for organic walnuts. After she left, I ate some of the raw fish, resisting the urge to finish it off. I was meditation when Chris came home and made his supper. I accidentally got blueberry juice on my 'new' tablecloths and had to wash them, and find a few other things to round out the load. Then I took a shower, which was not the best idea when the washer is drawing its water. Then I mixed some hummus with a fresh garlic clove and some fermented cod liver oil. I prepared a week's worth of supplements and put the nearly empty bottles by my laptop for reorder. Seems like there is always something to reorder. I grabbed my purse and coat for choir, but couldn't find my glasses. I went down to check my sewing box. I found them there and put the tablecloths in the dryer. Then I drove to the church. I checked my box and found offering envelopes and a craft page for the last Sunday in January. We practiced 2 pieces: the first one was pretty easy and the second one pretty hard. We are supposed to sing the first one on Sunday without the sheet music. Sadly I forgot my tablet, which would have come in handy for finding the right notes. The other altos said they were listening to me. I usually listen to Shannon, but she is gone now, possibly for good. After practice, our director and organist were placing quilts over the piano. They said it was to protect the strings from temperature changes which make it go out of tune. The quilts were not big enough so I said I might have one that was. When I got home, I measured my piano to see how big a quilt was needed. 98 by 60. I think only our kingsize bed quilt is that big. Then Chris and I watched 2 episodes of Forever Knight.  I stayed up to tap.

*  What is important about this picture is what isn't there.  *

The bitter cold

I remembered to do situps in bed to wake up. But I fell back asleep. When I was able to get up, it was 9:30. Late, but better than yesterday. It was bitterly cold outside but the sun was warm on the windows. So I sat in the guest room in the sunshine reading a book on sleep. Then I read e-mail with the HappyLight. I got a phone call from Mirna. Then I searched the house for my address book so I could mail a check, but it was nowhere to be found. Then I remembered that the address was stored on my computer. As I was writing on the envelop, I saw my address book on the diningroom table, in one of the places that I looked for it. It wasn't there then. I prepared 2 items for the mail, but it was too cold to post them. I noticed that the entire windowdressing on the livingroom window had fallen and taken several houseplants with it. I wonder if it fell during the night. I remember hearing something fall in the wee hours, but thought it was something in the bathroom. The nails in the hardware came out and everything dropped. I only found one nail. I juiced arugula, broccoli, celery, and carrots. Then I made breakfast. I put together a load of laundry including my purse, windbreaker and several homemade rugs. I tried to go outside for yardwork, but was back in 5 minutes because of the cold. I dug out my heavy coat from Korea.  I hadn't worn it since we moved back to the states.  I drove to the fish market for a piece of fresh salmon and some fish bones for soup. She packed the salmon in ice which made me smile. When I got home, I ate as much of the wild salmon as I could. Then I went out to pick up sticks. I was warm enough in the heavy coat, but my fingers froze so I came in after 20 minutes. There was more e-mail to read and I put the wash in the dryer, except for the rug with the rubber backing. I called Mirna to see if she wanted something from Swansons. Chris came home at the usual time, and fixed himself supper. Later I had a bowl of bean soup, and a sweet potato. I hunted up the toaster oven from the basement to reheat it. I watched an episode of TQS, and then we went down to watch Ghostbusters on DVD. We also saw all the special shots on the DVD afterwards. Chris looked up the voice of Gozer for me. She had also done the voices of Flotsam and Jetsam in The Little Mermaid. 

*  Since I did not take any pics today, here is one from the tacky lights tour.  *

Be wary of wonky blocks

Chris got an automated call last night that there was a 2 hour delay at the arsenal because of weather conditions. However, I think he got up at the usual time. I heard him shutting off my tablet which decided to replay an audio before 6am, seemingly at random. He took a shower and went to work. I went back to sleep. I put off getting up because it was so warm in bed and seemed so cold out of bed. But when I did get up, it wasn't bad at all. But it was after 10 – yikes! Lucky for me I knew exactly what I wanted to work on at quilting. I did some exercising and juiced sprouts, a cucumber, and celery. When I went out to dump the solids, the porch was covered in ice. I skimmed my e-mail by the Happylight. I got a call from Rebecca about lunch. I stuffed a scarf in the front door to block the cold air coming in at the side. I ate some aloe and rubbed the rest on my face and hands. I hung a muffler on the back door to block cold air there. Then I packed the Linus quilt blocks in a box, and headed out the garage door to quilting. There were lots of cars in the lot but few quilters because of the cold. Bertha, Carolyn, and Victoria. Maryann showed up in time for lunch, which was Brunswick stew from Carolyn. When Rebecca came, she and I went to Panda for lunch. I was going to try the seaweed salad, but they let me read the ingredients on the box of salad mix and it contained high fructose corn syrup. So I got the salmon roll instead. I did not eat the wasabi or the ginger after reading an article about both having artificial flavorings and additives. After discussing New Years celebrations around the world (and how ho-hum the ball drop in Times square was), we paid our bill and went to Michaels. She bought a die-cut there, and then we went back to the church. She left then to go grocery shopping. I worked on the Linus quilt, using the design wall to lay out the blocks. Victoria was gone and Bertha left soon after. Then Maryann came by for awhile. Roberta popped in, but not to sew. And Lauri stopped in to chat for awhile. Everyone was concerned about Barbara. When only Carolyn and I were left, the pastor came by to report on Barbara. He had visited her and the family. She was sedated in the ICU with pneumonia and H1N1, and making quilting motions in her sleep. After he left, Carolyn and I packed up and went home. It was just as cold as this morning, under 20F. I hoped the porch would still be covered with ice for a picture, but most of it had melted in the sun. I fixed the breakfast that I skipped this morning. Chris came home and made himself a burrito. He put sweet potatoes in the oven to cook. Then we had a big discussion about whether or not I watched him do it. After clearing a few more e-mails, I went downstairs to try something with a large zigzag print. When Chris came down, we watched multiple episodes of Star Trek. If only I could watch them with the same wonder and believability I had as a child, instead of seeing them as actors on a TV set. 

Chris dug out his Korea cold weather coat for tomorrow and went to bed.

*  These are my wonky blocks - never again  *

GPS backup

I heard my phone alarm go off at 8. Chris did not get up, so neither did I. I guess he was waiting for his phone alarm, but it never rang. So we missed church. We read e-mail and had breakfast. I searched the internet for light therapy devices that hang on the back of a door. I did not find one other than the one advertised in an e-mail. At 1:30 we went to Publix for groceries. After we put them away, I programmed Beverly's address into my tablet. She wanted some fabric I had and asked me to bring it over since she was sick. I wasn't sure I could find it, so I had the tablet as backup. I pulled off the road just before the last turn to see if the tablet knew where I was. It did, and a minute later showed that I missed her house. She welcomed me in, and her two little dogs rushed forward to greet me. She had some fabric pulled out for me to choose from. I selected a blue one. She showed me some of the projects she is/has worked on. As I was leaving, I showed her the tablet, and one of the dogs ran out. She and her husband came out to catch it. Then I drove home, not needing the tablet to find my way. It was still daylight, but overcast. I went out to rake, but raindrops fell. Mirna called about a good deal on organic walnuts. Then the rain seemed to pause, so I picked up a few sticks and moved them to the pile before it started again. Chris made bean stew with chorizo, but it wasn't ready yet. I folded laundry, and put mine away. I took all the lemons out of the fridge and washed them. I juiced them in my citrus juicer. I poured some in my tea and put the rest in a bottle in the fridge. I looked up small sewing projects on the desktop computer, but none of them seemed right for what I wanted. Then the soup was ready. It was so good that I ate 2 bowls. I put together the beginnings of my next Swanson's order. When Chris had eaten, we went down to watch Star Trek episodes. I told him my nose was cold. He asked what he could do about it, and I told him to take me to a warm place like Thailand. At 10, we finished and he went to bed. I stayed up to look up actors from the episodes.

*  This is one of Beverly's projects from a class.  I think she said it is from Hoopsisters.  *

Chocolate chocolate everywhere

We slept late and got up later, like 11am. I read e-mail. Chris found a box sitting on the front porch. It was my 20 lbs of raw cacao nibs. I did some exercise, and then we stuffed my car with beer bottles and jars. First we went to WalMart for a new teakettle (one that whistles). Then we went to the recycling center to drop off the glass. Anyone watching would have thought the beer bottles were from a massive New Year's party, but it was just a long accumulation of one bottle a day. When we got back, I finished my exercises. Instead of juicing, I put sprouts and carrots through the blender. Then I made and ate my breakfast. It was midafternoon by then, so I went out to rake and soak up sunlight. I finished the leaves under the magnolia tree. So then I stirred up the food scrap pile with a pitch fork and added some leaves. I cleared the porch and patio of leaves, and then came in. I had a bite to eat and read more e-mail, and watched the video on Fluff and Stuff machine quilting. Chris started the usual Saturday night game with Michele and some on-line friends. I put some butter on a cold sweet potato and used my hair dryer to melt it. I emptied the dishwasher and put the dishes away.  I got out every empty container I could find and filled them with raw cacao nibs.  That's about a year's worth.  I sat at the desktop computer to print out a paragraph for a letter, and to write something else. Then I went downstairs to work on the Linus quilt. I finished three wonky blocks for a total of 20. But since there were 9 of one kind and 11 of the other, I decided to make another of the 9 kind. I remember looking at my watch and seeing 10:30. The next time I looked (only a few minutes later), it had jumped to 11:30. Must be a time warp in my sewing area. 

*  This is the box the cacao nibs came in  *

So clean you can see my reflection

It was after 8 when I got up. I read some e-mail and one of them contained a meditation mp3. So I went back to bed to meditate. Later I took out the recyclables that were sorted yesterday. I watched a long David Wolfe video on super herbs. I paused it so I could juice what was left of the veggies. I cleaned up the sink and yesterday's bowls. I made breakfast, and finished the David Wolfe video. I felt inspired to clean a shelf of the refrigerator, and then a drawer, and another shelf. The bug man came to spread roach poison. He left rodent bait in the cabinet under the stove top. I finished the inside of the fridge and the front. Why the sides are textured not to show fingerprints, but the front is not, is beyond me.  I found the little red vacuum to sweep up dust, but it would not turn on.  Well, I certainly got my money out of it after all these years. So I had to use the blue one, and it was in the sewing room.  Then, to take advantage of the last of the sunlight, I raked leaves in the side yard. Chris came home and got the mail. He brought my phone out when Mirna called. I came in later, and looked up organic walnut prices with Bing. They were all higher than what she paid. I called Alison to see when I could visit to make a purchase. I had a bite to eat, and made a batch of hummus. I read part of a quilting magazine that came in the mail, waiting for Chris to finish his game. I read part of the TQS newsletter e-mail. I worked on the Linus quilt, then watched “Star Trek: Into Darkness” with Chris. He went to bed, and I see no reason to stay up any later.

Still catching up

I heard it rain during the night, figured that meant no raking today. Probably because the skies were gray, I did not wake up early, and did not get up until 10. I juiced the long cucumber and the rest of the beans. Then I ate breakfast. I had planned to attend the Thursday quilt group, but there was too much to do here. I folded two baskets of laundry and put the clothes in drawers. I took a shower, and cut my hair. I figured that if I scooped up hanks of hair with a brush, then cut along the side of the brush, I would get an even cut. But that did not work out well. Then, I thought that by combing my hair down the back of my neck and pulling the collar of my bathrobe over it and cutting along the top of the collar, I could cut the back straight. That did not work either. Looking in a hand mirror with my back to the wall mirror, I evened the ends out, and then shaved my neck. The result wasn't too bad. I took Chris' shirt (which I promised to fix last year, i.e. Monday) downstairs. I cut a rectangular patch on point and sprayglued it to the inside of the arm where the rip was. While letting it dry, I ironed fabric, and sorted my blues to find a matching piece for Beverly.  Then I stitched around the edge of the patch, and zigzagged the rip itself.  Chris came home at 3:30. I read e-mail, and meditated. I cleared some old e-mail and ate supper. I sorted the recyclables for tomorrow. Then I watched a TQS episode. I listened to a tapping audio while Chris ate supper. But he was so into his computer game that it was late before we started watching Star Trek. So we only saw two episodes before he went to bed at 11. I have to wonder: what do Vulcans do when they get insomnia? Can they self-nerve pinch?

*  Here is Faye giving Mom new shoes for Christmas  *

First day of the rest of the year

After being up so late, we stayed in bed longer than usual. I got up at 11:30. Since my laptop was in hibernation mode, I took the opportunity to scrub the keyboard more vigorously with the old toothbrush. Then I powered it up to read e-mail. After exercising, I juiced green beans, broccoli, and celery, forgetting to pick kale from the garden. Then I made and ate my breakfast. By then it was 1:30. I tried meditating again, and this time the file played all the way through, but my full stomach kept me 'awake'. 

 It was a marvelously sunny day. I raked leaves and pinestraw in my bare feet. Then I had a bite to eat, and drank the broth from yesterday. I worked a whole bunch of Sudoku puzzles, ripping the completed ones out of the book, working backwards, so they get easier and easier. Chris did the laundry, placing two baskets by my feet, ready for me to fold. After he ate supper, we watched multiple episodes of Star Trek, TOS. I have to wonder, how is a fierce Klingon warrior threatened by a mere upset tribble?

Moon Pie drop = Happy New Year CST

It was at 9, that moment when dreams have subsided, the daily rush of thoughts has risen, and I realized that I was awake. I read e-mail, exercised, and tried to meditate. The meditation mp3 kept ending after 2 minutes. I compared the prices of chia seeds on Swansons, Amazon, and Nuts.com. It took awhile as there were so many options to compare. The doorbell rang, and it was the postman with the APQS quilt calendar. I took down the old calendars and put up the new ones. I juiced arugula, celery, carrots and kale. Yuck. Then I made breakfast. I tried to find a Christmas sing-a-long on Youtube, but almost all of them were Disney. I came across several flashmobs, and then put on a Christmas playlist, hoping it would be songs I knew. I made nut cheese from the soaked nuts, and prepared a week's worth of supplements. I put in a nuts.com order, mostly raw cacao. I put the beef tongue in a pot to boil. Chris came home just as I was getting dressed. I was listening to Christmas music on laptop. I left him in charge of watching the tongue while I raked pinestraw. When I came in, it was done, so I ate some, and put the rest away. I cleared some old e-mail, especially tapping ones, and ate some artichoke hearts. I scrubbed my keyboard lightly with an old toothbrush. At 6:45 I dressed up a little, and we went to a party with folks Chris works with. We had a little trouble finding it since his GPS did not know of that street. I did not bring my purse, but did have my glasses for reading directions. They had a very nice house. Several of us played a phrase guessing game. There were other games going on, and general chatting. We watched the ball drop in Times Square at 11. Judy took pictures of couples with her phone.  See above. The ball drop in Times Square made me wonder what happens in the Central time zone at midnight. So we stayed, and saw the moon pie drop in Mobile, Alabama at midnight, then went home to bed.