Under the needle-panel of barns

front – full of barns.

 

back –  farm life.

I missed DS’s birthday – today.   but we are under the needle getting the BARN sandwich quilted.   I sent a pic to him with my NEW (to me) smart phone.  I always got a flip one, but DD#2 got a “deal” and now I have to grow new brain cells or kick out some old stuff in my head to make room for new stuff.     So far I’ve learned to make calls, send pictures and take photos.    I think that’s enough new stuff for awhile.   I at least can keep up with MY social media crowd.

(as long as a crowd means no more than 3 people)

 

 

max is up and going

2 weeks after his back injury…

I started massaging his back legs after the swelling went down (7-10 days)  and he started walking again.   He continues to improve and   is running free now.   There is some dragging of those back legs as he walks, but otherwise, He hasn’t slowed down.

On may 23, I fell and broke my left wrist.   I’m healing “like a 20 yea old”.   It is great having a cast that you can take off and put back on!!  So I massage it like I did for Max.. and taking a shower is so nice!!   It’s 4 weeks and I really want to get rid of this thing, but will see what happens at my next visit to the doc.   June 10th.

 

Beginner beware quilt

This quilt looked so neat when finished and labeled “good for a Beginner”…

 

Looked simple and I had this Jelly Roll (42 strips that were 2.5 wide)  perfect color.. and there was some extra 10×10 pieces of matching fabric.. I was all set!!

2.5 x 2.5 cream squares for the cross road pattern thru-out  then the various lengths to make 12.5 inch blocks.    Lots of math and figuring, dividing and just getting all the blocks the same size??   Nope, not me, I just “winged” it.   And would trim all the blocks to the same size before sewing them together.

Do NOT trim …. NO!!!    All those cream squares have to match seams.. and if you trim them, you will never get them to match..  I had to recut a block or two, but lesson learned.   Do your math, test out a few blocks before cutting all your fabric…

Not all blocks are as simple as they appear,   but I got thru putting them all together, without trimming up each block.. just a few snips and stretches here and there to get the seams to match.   And I had my quilt top!!   Not a perfect one, but it will do… You know why I say that?   Here Is My Secret- I KNOW that I can quilt out quite a few little puckers.

End of summer 2018

Whew, where did this summer go?

  I just got my flannels off and now it is time to think about where I put them.    Lots of unexpected events happened this season.  Not all good, but not all bad.

I am just now getting back to playing in my sewing room.

here is a finish for  this quilt.. ” A river runs thru”

Mac and Cheese follow me everywhere.. so I have a bed set up for them in my sewing room   Mac had re injured his back and has trouble getting around.   Here he is all spaced out on his medications.   Pain, muscle relaxant & steroid.   He is walking, but not climbing any steps.   As soon as the swelling goes down, I’ll be doing some PT with him.   Mainly massages.

 

Two finishes And Delivered:

The Great Grandbaby’s quilt got finished and off to the proud parents of their little boy.

And My Grand Daughter loved this curved log cabin quilt.. It arrived just before their 1st year Wedding anniversary.

 Garden News:

Season is wrapping up for my raised garden beds.   I didn’t get much planted so nothing to brag about with the tomatoes and cucumbers this year.   I tried planter potatoes and didn’t get much of yield , thus I won’t be doing those again.  I just do the “hummm, maybe I’ll try this”, type of garden.   Hit or miss, it gets me outside and into the sunshine and fresh air.

personnel news:

Wed. 29th, I have a test to go thru before the doc can decide if I need further surgery.   My fundal ligation came undone.. and I have a lot of acid backing up in my throat.   He thinks He can redo it, but I have to jump thru all these hoops to get my insurance to cover it.   Pending news on this to follow.

Got my tricycle out and new battery for the motor.. tested it out and whew, independence time for me!!   I was wheeling and dealin’ around the neighborhood.

Keeping the Faith here… and enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.   Make some time for yourself  each day.. It’s a good mood lifter!!

 

Life happened

Baby quilt done and out the door before the little one turned a year old.    Got a lovely thank you from the mom…

Winter is finally losing it’s battle to hang on.   Today it was actually sunny with temps in the upper 70’s F.    I went thru the doldrums of lack of sunshine with temps below 50.   It was 40 one day and the next it jumped up to the 70’s.   I had just given up hope for a nice day outside to work in my flower beds.   Now if  it will just stay in the normal temperature range for Spring.   April is suppose to be lots of showers,,, and I could handle that if the temps stayed up there where they belong.

DD#2 is doing ok with her current CA treatment.   Meds and tests every other month to see if the “pills”  are doing what they want.   So far, her blood work is great.. and she hasn’t had any “germs”  grab her when her immune system is wiped out.     But the “man of the house”  has been fighting a bad cold.  He sounds like he is coughing his lungs out at times.

I had a weird  bunch of symptoms that led me to the ER   then to have a MRI.. of the brain.   No Significant Changes.. was the results, so whatever those symptoms were, they weren’t life threatening…   and just a few days after the MRI l had an ear infection..  ran a temp, dizzy and lots of pain in the left ear & throat.   A round of antibiotics and I came out of it.    It’s really tough to get old.. even the symptoms are mis-leading..

A riot of color with this bag of scraps… all batiks from ends of rows of fabric.   A friend from MSQC  sent me her ORPHANS… and this batch of goodies sparked my interest.. so I have been sewing together the pieces and trimming/squaring them up.   Almost have a twin size top made… tomorrow I will have it finished and ready to go to the quilter  for the Abuse Center.

Next I need to finish up this “granny square”  top.   It is MINE  and I just can’t wait to get it done, pick a backing fabric, then get it quilted.   I am thinking I should have chosen a different color than White, but all the squares are done, I just have to get them sewn together.

Purple windmills is done and was sent off to the LA quilter to finish and then it goes to the Abuse Center.    AND

Another baby quilt is finished and heading out the door to a Grandson who is having a baby… He loved elephants as a child, so  there is an elephant.

I’ve gotten over a lot of the displeasure with our government…   Just needed to vent and express my opinion..  Altho there is a lot of news to distract us from what is really happening with our country.   Life does go on  –  sometimes not very smoothly and sometimes really rocky.

Enjoy the dull days,    we are in for a rough ride during this political period.

News media & politics

The Florida Shooting aftermath:

It’s a bunch of BS the way the politicians are responding to the victims and  survivors.   There is little common sense or caring.  Compassion  is gone and Money seems to be the culprit.      I am so ashamed of our government.   Top to bottom, it doesn’t make any difference.    The politicians don’t have “the people”  ‘s  needs in mind .. just how they can improve their office and rise in the ranks of  political power.

It all comes from the “donations” to the campaign – thousands to Millions of  dollars coming from corporations and individuals who have their own agendas to use the people who have to work and live from pay check to pay check.   The corruption  comes from having all that money to use to get elected and sneak away into off shore bank accounts for their own personal use.

We all know it is done, but we can’t change any of the laws, since we don’t have any power.

It isn’t until we unite and protest… and then we are attacked.    We can’t even believe in the News any more since the owners of several broadcasting networks are out to “sell” and “influence” their opinions  on the public..  There is NO COMMON SENSE   and NO MORALS to those who are in the Political Arena.

God help us all.

 

We got sun shine

 

working away on getting this quilt quilted… I lost my mojo around last Thanksgiving and it just now is showing up… seems like it happened when the temps dropped to freezing.   Yup, that slows me down   and I feel like hibernating.

 

Soon!!   Mine will look this good,,, Soon.

Warming up the Janome 9500.. love that extra light.

 

 

 

Blizzard here

Whatever happened to Mama Nature this Winter sure left her in a lousy mood.  It’s been so darn cold and wild snow storms since I last was here.

DD#2 is going thru another round of treatment for her cancer.  A spot showed up on her liver so the medication she was on wasn’t working.   New and stronger drugs then scans… repeat if working,..  And we do pray it is working.   She has continued to work thru this past year.     And It helps to keep her moving forward.

Just before Christmas 2017   Max injured his back and his back legs were paralyzed.. lost control of his bowel & bladder.. and was looking pretty sad since he was such a jumper and active little guy.

He started wagging his tail.. and getting control of his bowel & bladder in late January.. He still sits with his back legs straight out.. but he stands!! He walks!!  and he wags that tail!!     We still need help going up and down stairs,  But that is why I am here.   He’s come a long way since his accident– jumped off the porch.    (6 vertebra are calcified, but not frozen/fused together)

I’m not handling the cold so well.   Every joint in my body hurts  so I try to stay warm and keep active.   But tonight and tomorrow  — it is snowing!!    It is Blowing!!    I swear Mama Nature is having another fit with a Blizzard thrown at us!!   Move over Boomer,,, I need to hibernate.

Just catching up….

Added these two Mini-Pins to the family July 1st.   Mac N Cheese.  Mac is the brownish red 12 lbs.. Cheese is the black N tan 5 lbs.    This is what happens when you volunteer at a No Kill shelter.  Both are male, fixed and litter mates.  Never been apart in the 4 years since their birth.   Mac has his baby teeth with No “fangs”.    Cheese’s front legs are bowed.     I found out what Puppy Pad trained means….. NOT HOUSE BROKEN.    so the saga of training adult dogs begins….

August found me hunting pyrex, fire king and Norman Rockwell.   I had to have a few  little “extras”.. Love My Glass goodies… If it sparkles, I gotta have it!!

 September found me in Elephant Butte, New Mexico doing  “tourist”  with my Cousin.. we turned another year older and had to do something NEW..  I had my first experience on a jet ski.   We played music together  and did the tube down the Rio Grande river.   It was a 2 hour ride roped together on inner tubes.

No trip near the water is complete til you throw a line in the water and catch up on life with your Sister/Cousin.

And– Mac N Cheese haven’t had any “accidents” in the house for a month.   That was easier than I thought….   

 

Farmers Market Baskets

We have gotten a bushel basket of spring garden each week these past 8 weeks.  And I have had to relearn how to “save” them.    There is dehydrating,  blanching and Fermentation  besides canning to consider now.    Leafy greens ( Kale, Arugula, Beet tops, and Spinach) do the best with blanching and freezing.   Fast.. one hour time invested and done.

Fermentation…. Radishes, turnip, cabbage, beets.. and just about any root crop will handle the process and surprise you with wonderful tasting goodies… Actually this is my favorite process for storing root veggies.    I still have to try some pickles.. cucumbers, onions, beets- just to name a few.  Just need to have a large enough jar to cover (and keep covered)  your veggie with a brine ( salt and water).    Make sure you have weighted down the veggies during the whole process.   

All the Herbs we get, I run thru the dehydrator.   Then put them in canning jars.. Pint size.   I guess I could crunch and munch them all up to fit into a smaller jar, but I used what I have and save time by skipping the crunching.   Psst.. looks good on my herb & spice shelf, too.

I am anxiously waiting the next round of Farmer Market goodies.   The Summer & Fall Baskets!!     The challenge is how to preserve everything.   Nothing goes to waste!!   At least I try not to let anything go bad… I hate throwing anything away that has cost us good money.. hard earned money.. time invested paychecks.

Do you hear YOUR granny talking??   Just saying, there is a lot of ways to save $$  and eat good too.