What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Even though I was at the retreat all day and had no other commitments, I did NOT seem to accomplish much, and that's OK. While we are at a sewing retreat, it's technically a vacation, and I'm free to do whatever I want!

When I first arrived (it seems like ages ago), I spotted a stack of jigsaw puzzles. Some of the furniture has been moved around, with a nice table beside those puzzles. After a quick perusal through them, I pulled out a 1000-piece puzzle. None of these 350 ones for me! 

I started by laying ...

The days are marching right along, and it's almost the middle of October. How the heck did that happen? 

I had a great day yesterday, and I'm happy to report that I have my old energy level and motivation back! That took some time, but it wasn't surprising considering how much time I "slacked" off in the summer months. I think the temperature change (season) has helped a lot, and a few deadlines as well. 

I wonder how I would cope in a climate without that temperature change or where it always stayed warm? I'd be ...

Well, I won't say I didn't accomplish anything -- let's call it a mental health day! Or perhaps it was a lesson from the Camino day! 

I spent some time visiting with a friend in the morning, which was great. You see people on Zoom, but it's different, and it's so nice to visit in person and not worry about over-talking!!! We sat outside and enjoyed the beautiful weather and her lovely backyard. 

Once I got home, it was lunchtime. Since it was such a nice day, I sat in the gazebo. One thing led to ...

There must have been some residue from the solar flares the previous day -- yep, more technical issues! But I worked around them. 

First, DH came to get his keyboard back! What??? No, that was the keyboard from the computer he uses every day. He was just loaning it to me for the evening. OH! But he happened to have a wireless keyboard to his other computer (yep -- we are NOT just one computer per family member!). So I had the joy of installing that, which was easy. 

However, it didn't work. Then I noticed THREE large white buttons. Apparently ...

My neighborhood isn't the only one going to "hell in a handbasket" with unkempt yards. It was noted that even if they are NOT rentals, they are poorly maintained. Why? The beautiful landscaping that some of these houses had has just gone to weeds. Sigh.............   And on that note, I'd better keep after the weeds in my garden! There's a story there, but not today. 

I spent a good part of the afternoon on the phone. Long overdue phone calls were much lengthier than planned but extremely interesting. And I sat in the gazebo while on the ...

So what's with the coyotes in the neighborhood? I haven't seen them in months, but every once in a while, they have a howling fest in the forest, and last night, they were in fine form! It took me a while to get back to sleep, so I'm grumpy this morning! The coyotes always howl in the night - never in the day! 

I KEEP ADDING THINGS while I'm getting things done on that to-do list! How does that happen? At least, it's all on paper - I'd never be able to remember all that, and ...

 AHA --- I'm not the only Harry Potter fan out there! Let's face it --- those books introduced many young people to the joy of reading, and if they loved it, then who are we to take that away from them! I'm not usually a big fan of rereading a book, but after 20 years, I've totally forgotten the stories! It's like reading a new book! I finished the second book yesterday, and now I want to watch the movie, but I had no time last night. Perhaps tonight. 

And the big question is -- should you watch ...

WOW --- it feels great to be away in a very casual setting and have great friends to chat with! Yep -- I think I'm in quilting heaven, and that's OK. 

It took a while to get here as I had to wait for my 1:30 appointment for the ultrasound. And can you believe I was almost at the clinic when I realized I had left my wallet at home? And my health card was in my wallet, and so was my credit card to pay for parking. DUH!! I didn't have time to go back, so I ...

 Well, there isn't much to show for what got done yesterday, but I accomplished MUCH!

The first thing on the agenda was the two UFO Zoom classes. The UFO Club will undoubtedly continue in 2024, which is partially why some of the other stuff must go. I'm continually struggling to get anything done, and it's not that I don't want to contribute to the donation fund; it's that I want to get working on these UFOs. So there will be less NEW and more focus on completing the UFOs!

I'm thrilled about that! 

Once ...

Where did yesterday go? After Monday's sewing, I went for a walk, then got stuck on the computer with the support team from Microsoft. 

Can you tell me why this happened? My e-mail got stuck on my desktop but worked fine on my laptop and phone. I got an error message to delete some files because I exceeded my limit. OK -- I get that, but then I couldn't delete anything. So why is that? And why was it working fine on the other devices? 

I never got an answer to any of those questions, but they did something ...

I'm starting to think there's something seriously wrong with my feet. Those new sandals? They feel great, although I wouldn't be able to wear that pair on the Camino as they will be too small after one week of walking. However, I noticed a wee twinge in my heel as I walked, and when I came home, it was to discover a hot spot forming just below the neoprene strap at the back. How the heck is this happening? 

The skin is not damaged in that area; there were no prior blisters. But I appear doomed with ...

Sounds like I'm not the only one traveling! Just go with the flow -- life is too short to get upset at anything! 

I was hoping to get more done yesterday, but that didn't happen. I got a quilt loaded on the long arm and hoped to get it quilted, but I couldn't muster the energy. I was going to do paperwork, and that wasn't happening either. So then, at a very early time this morning, I was awake and got some paperwork done. 

The problem is that I'm back on a plane tomorrow, and there ...

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Gosh -- I totally forgot it was Mother's Day; thankfully, I got a text from Spain to remind me. 

DH is still away and wished me a good day and hoped the girls would bring me something nice. Nice? I don't want anything but peace and quiet. And we all know that's not going to happen. 

Murphy is PERSISTENT with that ball of hers. I throw it, but it's never enough. I try to hide it, but she barks. And then this happened. 

MOM -- I needed a bath

She dropped the ...

OH, NO --- should I buy Murphy a special bed to keep her out of the flowers! I see them at PetSmart, and well, I don't know about her and an outdoor dog bed! It might be something, but I bet she'll be back in the leaves before I know it! I'll ask her what she thinks!

OMG --- I just checked, and you can buy FOLDING dog beds for outdoors. I better keep her away from the computer, or who knows what she will want. Maybe she wants one with a canopy? 

Meanwhile, on hot days, there is ...

I got a chuckle when I went to pick up my new glasses earlier this week. Remember, I went to Lenscrafters but didn't want to pay much money, so I opted for one of their "packages" that was locked in a drawer. The frames are very nice, and I liked them instantly when I put them on. 

The lady handed them to me, and I tried them on. Yes, they are awesome, but they seemed slightly crooked, so I asked if she could fix them. She did it, but she didn't look at me with the glasses on ...

Have you ever noticed when you go to anyone in the medical field, they basically tell you the same things? Stretch, moisturize, eat well (or better), lose weight, stand up straight, tighten those pelvic floor muscles, get lots of sleep and drink water. 

If we followed those rules, we'd all be in amazing shape. I'm doing not too bad, but I swear, I need to stretch more. I know that and I believe all the aches and pains (not many) that I have are due to a lack of stretching. And if you don't use those muscles ...

It comforts me that I'm not alone in daily life's "time-wasting" minutiae. It appears we all need a "wife" to do all the follow-up for us. Can you imagine how freeing that would be? I would love it - so if I ever won the lottery, I'd hire an assistant! 

Life got back to normal yesterday - as normal as it can be around here. The girls are not behaving normally - Murphy is so needy, and Lexi is being Lexi. I think they are out of sorts with DH being away, and they better get used to it because ...

OK -- so where has our warm weather gone? It feels like March! Rainy and cool, but that is better than snow, so we shouldn't complain, and it provides me ZERO temptation to be outside in the gazebo while I have quilts to do! 

Here's the latest customer quilt. This is the Green Tea and Sweet Beans quilt I ran as a sew-along last year, and while the colors in this quilt are NOT my choice, I love the quilt, and it makes me happy to look at it. 

Customer quilt - DONE

One minor issue with the quilt. OK ...

 I literally fell into bed last night. I hadn't slept well the night before, and at one point, I needed sleep! Thankfully, it was at the end of the day! But I had a great sleep, so I'm ready to go today!

It's my Dad's 90th birthday!! He is the hardest person to catch on the phone, as he is never home when I call, so I'll try and catch him later today. Happy Birthday, Dad!! Oh gosh --- it was only when I went to open the picture file that I realized his birthday is ...

After the UFO clubs yesterday morning, I did NOTHING for the rest of the day, and while a slight tinge of guilt hit me a couple of times, I didn't care! I needed that break because I have lots to do this week, and it was just nice to sit in the gazebo and do nothing. 

OK - so I've sat out there a wee bit these last few days because the weather was so nice! I couldn't help myself. But today, I'm back to work. 

However, it wasn't all about just sitting -- I was learning ...