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Familiar ground for this week's Hike Lake County walks.   On Wednesday, Ethel's Woods (named for Ethel Untermyer who led the effort to create the Lake County Forest Preserve District in the 1950's).   Today, Lyons Woods (named for Isaac Lyons who settled the area in 1843).   

The monarch stayed still long enough for several snapshots.   

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 Hike Lake County 2026 is underway.  Each year the Lake County Forest Preserve District marks 1.5-2.5-mile trails in 14 preserves.  Participants have from mid-August to the end of November to walk, run, or bike 7 of them to win a commemorative medal.   Though HLC began in 1999 we started in 2020 (with Stevens 'guarding the parking lot' while I walked). Thus this will be my 7th year.   

It rained all day Saturday--nice and gentle, no wind.  I puttered around indoors.

 Stash report for July:  fabric IN 41.75 yards, $70, average $1.67 per yard.  Fabric OUT 71-5/8 yards.    Year to date:   fabric IN 233-3/4 yards, $307, average $1.31 per yard. Fabric OUT 451-5/8 yards.   That's a net decrease of 218 yards -- hooray!

Hopscotch Butterscotch is a flimsy.  I think the border piano keys should have more ...

First, let's get the pictures of the community project quilts straight! Here is the first one, which you saw yesterday. This came from a book whose name I can't remember at the moment, but the cover is pink, white, and black! That sure helps - doesn't it! 

Community project quilt - Number One

I indulged in a little retail therapy and a short walk at Half Day Forest Preserve.   (Water lily, wild morning glory, and bladderwort.)

In 1990 Amelia and I celebrated our June birthdays in Northbrook.  I was staying at my parents' for the ALA conference and Amelia and her mother (my sister) were home for a visit.   Amelia greeted me at the door excitedly:  "Nann!  Grandmother and I baked you a lemon cake!" 

WOW --- what great stories of coincidences!!!! And, amazingly, our brain makes these connections! It's an amazing tool, and we need to use it or listen to it a lot more than we do!!

Good progress was made at the retreat house. I moved another bag of finished projects to the car last night, leaving one bag of projects and my knitting bag! We are here until Sunday, so I should be able to touch most of the stuff I brought. Well, let's see, since some of them are small, but still -- despite my panic packing at the end ...

Linking up with Wednesday Wait Loss

No change in the numbers.

I started quilting the beach runner this week.  It’s not complicated and shouldn’t take long.

I moved back to that project because I can’t figure out how to quilt K’s top.  I’d hoped something would come to me while basting it, but not so much.  I browsed several of my quilting design books, and nothing jumped out at me.  I’ll spend a little time every day auditioning designs until an idea steps forward.  One always does.

Fabric Added: 1.375

Fabric Used:  4.625 yards

Net Fabric Used:  3 ...

No change in the numbers.

Work continues on K’s quilt.  All the components are made, and I am sewing the top together.

I also basted the beach runner and REALLY want to start quilting it.  I pulled some coordinating threads.

I hesitate to start quilting because I won’t want to stop until it’s done.  The other quilt has a deadline.  I sometimes struggle with finishing projects on time and don’t want to get in a crunch situation.  My work days don’t always go as planned and evenings can be a bad time for sewing.

We ...

You are all too funny, but the bottom line is that you catch more or accomplish more with sugar than with being rude. It's not sucking up in the least, but simply respect. If I could change one thing in the world, it would be for everyone to have more respect for everything, not just people, but property, the earth, animals, and each other. 

Well, it was an interesting day, and as usual, when you ask if there is anything that needs fixing or doing, the answer is no. Then, as the day rolls on, OH MY --- the little ...

I chose the purple batik for the sashing almost without thinking.  I used nearly all of it (just 4-1/2" x 18" left over).  I auditioned a couple of batiks for the setting, my limitation being what I have in yardage (rather than FQs and scraps). The peach won out.  I made the float extra-large. I'm going to keep it that way and skip an outer border. 

5-3/4 yards used for the flimsy.    I still have 1-1/2" scrappy HSTs and a lot of 1-1/2" squares.

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An epistolary novel is one written as a series of letters ...

The amaryllis will bloom while I'm away so I took it (and some produce) to Mike and Jen, the neighbors who will watch the house.  Not only do they have the house key but they also have the car keys because if the house is burning the cars need to get out of the garage. 

I was determined to finish The West Wing before the trip.  I watched four episodes Wednesday night (got through Matt Santos' election) which left me with five episodes for Thursday.   All that TV time meant sewing time. 

←This is Patience she measures in right now, before borders, at 64" X 78". She has all but emptied out my bin of 3.5" square scraps. Hallelujah! This was a great stash/scrap buster! Fifty 8" squares of every shade and hue. Im glad that I stuck with this one, it makes me happy. Patience has a baby sister, too:This is Prudence↑. She's made with the leftover HSTs from her big sister; she

←This is Patience she measures in right now, before borders, at 64" X 78". She has all but emptied out my bin of 3.5" square scraps. Hallelujah! This was a great stash/scrap buster! Fifty 8" squares of every shade and hue. Im glad that I stuck with this one, it makes me happy. Patience has a baby sister, too:This is Prudence↑. She's made with the leftover HSTs from her big sister; she

 I left for Florida (see Monday's post) with 18 9-1/2" crumb blocks on the design wall. By the time I got home on Friday I had a good idea what I'd do with them.  (Surely I am not the only quilter who mentally designs quilts as a way to fall asleep.)  

The supermoon as seen from the back yard Thursday at 5 p.m.  

Tuesday:   Zion Woman's Club luncheon at a local restaurant.  We exchanged "festive food" -- a useful alternative to white elephants which are too often a way to get rid of one "dustable" and in turn take home someone else's dustable.   I brought some of my Christmas tablecloths to set the table. 

The boys are back! 

The nutcracker collection began with a gift from my mother shortly after we were married.  She gave us two or three more.   I've acquired the rest at TJ Maxx, estate/rummage/garage sales, and thrift shops.   They're all German.  

I made Good Cheer in 2013 from swap blocks.

Just as forecast, it began snowing at noon Saturday and continued all night long.  This was the view from the front door this morning.  9" accumulation.  

I shoveled the front stoop and ...

There wasn't much left when I went to Stiles, the produce/flower stand just over the border in Wisconsin. Susan will close up next Sunday.  She takes the holidays off and will get back to the greenhouse in January.   

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In ...