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July 11, 2026
Time to pass the Secret Sewing on from Romany Quilting

These two latest memory quilts, using by brother in law Dennis's clothes,   have taken a while,  and finally I have met up with my late sister's family to pass them  on.  I had previously made a quilt for Adam using his grandfather's flannel shirts.

Adam's memory quilt

With Adam's quilt out of the way, I realised there was plenty of clothing for two more quilts.  So I have been working on two more memory quilts, one for my niece Lisa and one for her daughter, my great niece Kate, using their beloved Dad/Poppa summer ...

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July 7, 2026
A Feel Good Day from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was another no-sewing day, but it was a good day just the same. Matthew and I met up to walk the Eastbank Esplanade in downtown Portland. The weather was perfect. It was also a day for testing out the capabilities of my new camera, starting with the morning's sunrise.

Matthew and I walked this same route back in April. It’s a distance of just under four miles. Back then, I took a lot more pictures of the landscape, the bridges, and some of the buildings. The pictures from yesterday's walk were mostly ...

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A Feel Good Day from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. It was another no-sewing day, but it was a good day just the same. Matthew and I met up to walk the Eastbank Esplanade in downtown Portland. The weather was perfect. It was also a day for testing out the capabilities of my new camera, starting with the morning's sunrise.

Matthew and I walked this same route back in April. It’s a distance of just under four miles. Back then, I took a lot more pictures of the landscape, the bridges, and some of the buildings. The pictures from yesterday's walk were mostly ...

read more
July 4, 2026
halfway through… from Count it *all* JOY!

How is it July already?!
But here it is, four days in, celebrating Independence Day, here in the good ol’ USA! Weather permitting, we (as in me and the Merkel crew) plan on taking the boat out for an afternoon of swimming and an evening of fireworks on the lake. Boom!

I’ve done some fun things this year. After signing on to be the 2nd VP of Programs for my guild, I decided it wasn’t as bad as I’d worried it would be. In fact, I really enjoyed getting speakers, managing programs, and writing blurbs for the ...

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Cherry Pickers from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And so it begins. The cherries are ready to become pie filling or else cherries in simple syrup. We'll start with pie filling today. Here's how we harvest cherries at the Three Cats Ranch. 


My job was to sit in the tractor seat and raise the bucket up and down. It can also be tipped up and down, giving Mike a level and flat surface on which to stand. It’s safer than using a ladder by a long shot.


After I while I hopped off the tractor and picked whatever I could reach ...

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Cherry Pickers from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And so it begins. The cherries are ready to become pie filling or else cherries in simple syrup. We'll start with pie filling today. Here's how we harvest cherries at the Three Cats Ranch. 


My job was to sit in the tractor seat and raise the bucket up and down. It can also be tipped up and down, giving Mike a level and flat surface on which to stand. It’s safer than using a ladder by a long shot.


After I while I hopped off the tractor and picked whatever I could reach ...

read more
June 25, 2026
Slow Ahead from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. The past several days have been luxuriously slow. Somehow I ended up without a single to-do on my calendar unless I put it there voluntarily. I've added a few things, but mainly, things I've wanted to do anyway. Today will be such a day. Tomorrow will be a little busier. Still, with several days of leisure, I feel ready to pick up the pace again.

We had another pretty sunrise this morning. 

It's been hot the past couple of days, and we've been running our A/C during the day. It's ...

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Slow Ahead from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. The past several days have been luxuriously slow. Somehow I ended up without a single to-do on my calendar unless I put it there voluntarily. I've added a few things, but mainly, things I've wanted to do anyway. Today will be such a day. Tomorrow will be a little busier. Still, with several days of leisure, I feel ready to pick up the pace again.

We had another pretty sunrise this morning. 

It's been hot the past couple of days, and we've been running our A/C during the day. It's ...

read more
June 22, 2026
First Full Day of Summer from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to Summer...that is, if you're here in the northern hemisphere. Sorry about you southern hemisphere folks. On the other hand, maybe you're happy for some cooler weather. In any case, James Taylor...you take it from here.

Summer's here, I'm for that
I got my rubber sandals, got my straw hat
I got my cold beer, I'm just glad that I'm here

Summer's here, that suits me fine
It may rain today 'cause I don't mind
It's my favorite time of the year and ...

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First Full Day of Summer from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends, and welcome to Summer...that is, if you're here in the northern hemisphere. Sorry about you southern hemisphere folks. On the other hand, maybe you're happy for some cooler weather. In any case, James Taylor...you take it from here.

Summer's here, I'm for that
I got my rubber sandals, got my straw hat
I got my cold beer, I'm just glad that I'm here

Summer's here, that suits me fine
It may rain today 'cause I don't mind
It's my favorite time of the year and ...

read more
June 21, 2026
Fleet of Foot from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And if there are any dads out there reading...then, Happy Father's Day to you!


And, wow. I am feeling so much better this morning. It was good to have my energy level back yesterday. I went a whole 24 hours without once using my inhaler. Things are definitely looking up.

The morning started with a few things on my to-do list. For the route I was taking and the order of tasks, it made sense to just have a little walk around first. The flowers are wowing me just now. This is the variegated ...

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Fleet of Foot from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. And if there are any dads out there reading...then, Happy Father's Day to you!


And, wow. I am feeling so much better this morning. It was good to have my energy level back yesterday. I went a whole 24 hours without once using my inhaler. Things are definitely looking up.

The morning started with a few things on my to-do list. For the route I was taking and the order of tasks, it made sense to just have a little walk around first. The flowers are wowing me just now. This is the variegated ...

read more
Teddies, and a Giant Moa from Romany Quilting

 At our last Sew Wot get-together, Heather had a table of free stuff she wanted gone.  I swooped on two teddy bear cushion panels that took my fancy.  Just the thing for a couple of cushions for kids in care, I thought. These are now layered with batting, and pinned up, ready for me to do big stitch quilting around the motifs.  

Two cushion panels from Heather, ready for quilting

I've made a start of Father Teddy sitting on the window seat, reading his book.

Father Ted

I've also hand stitched a label on two secret quilts I ...

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June 18, 2026
A Little Sewing from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. By day's end yesterday, this is how I felt:

Looking back over the past several days, I realized we began to pack for our "star party" one week ago today. There was more packing the next day, then driving, then camping, then enjoying the stars while coughing nearly to death, then more driving, then several hours in the emergency department, then unpacking, then surgery, then post-op visits, then (and this was the good part) dinner last night with Erik and Mae. It was a mix of good and bad, and it was a full week ...

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A Little Sewing from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. By day's end yesterday, this is how I felt:

Looking back over the past several days, I realized we began to pack for our "star party" one week ago today. There was more packing the next day, then driving, then camping, then enjoying the stars while coughing nearly to death, then more driving, then several hours in the emergency department, then unpacking, then surgery, then post-op visits, then (and this was the good part) dinner last night with Erik and Mae. It was a mix of good and bad, and it was a full week ...

read more
June 17, 2026
Late Post from ... Cat Patches

Good afternoon, my friends. I'm slow on the switch this morning, but I have a good excuse. A whole lot of water has passed under the bridge in the last 24 hours. Mike had his second cataract surgery yesterday afternoon. We got lunch afterward. Then this morning we were up at the butt crack of dawn to see the doctor for his post-op appointment. We got breakfast afterward. I started a load of clothes before we left home this morning, and the last load is washing as I'm writing. There are a couple of easy housekeeping chores on ...

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Late Post from Cat Patches

Good afternoon, my friends. I'm slow on the switch this morning, but I have a good excuse. A whole lot of water has passed under the bridge in the last 24 hours. Mike had his second cataract surgery yesterday afternoon. We got lunch afterward. Then this morning we were up at the butt crack of dawn to see the doctor for his post-op appointment. We got breakfast afterward. I started a load of clothes before we left home this morning, and the last load is washing as I'm writing. There are a couple of easy housekeeping chores on ...

read more
June 16, 2026
Normalizing from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast again this morning. There have been too many write-fast mornings lately if you want to know the truth. Today I'm writing fast because Mike is having his second cataract surgery today, and I'm the driver. Poor guy can't eat anything until after his noon surgery. We'll get some lunch afterward. Fortunately, these surgeries don't lay the patient low afterward, but he's still not cleared to drive until after his follow-up appointment tomorrow. Tomorrow's appointment is earlier, and so I'll probably write tomorrow's post ...

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Normalizing from Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. I'm writing fast again this morning. There have been too many write-fast mornings lately if you want to know the truth. Today I'm writing fast because Mike is having his second cataract surgery today, and I'm the driver. Poor guy can't eat anything until after his noon surgery. We'll get some lunch afterward. Fortunately, these surgeries don't lay the patient low afterward, but he's still not cleared to drive until after his follow-up appointment tomorrow. Tomorrow's appointment is earlier, and so I'll probably write tomorrow's post ...

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June 15, 2026
The Best of Times, The Worst of Times from ... Cat Patches

Good morning, my friends. Don't let that title scare you. We're back to what passes for normal around here if, by normal, you're talking about controlled chaos. But that's beside the point. I just want to say straight out that there's nothing to worry about. The worst is all in the past. I have a lot to tell you this morning, and a lot of pictures to show you. If you're planning to read to the end, now would be a good time to refill your coffee cup. And if you're not planning ...

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