Best/Worse/What did I learn today? Spring is on its way, come sit awhile and chat..newcomers always welcome!

Congratulations on the 2 new puppies Deb. Can't wait to see photos of them.

Congratulations on the 2 new puppies Deb. Can't wait to see photos of them.

28 f here this morning but wow 58 by this afternoon! That is exciting, know I will not be up to major work but I can pick a few branches..

Sharon,I’ve got wheel barrel, frozen into ground as is the trailer that goes behind my lawnmower..it is rare really to be looking to doing major cleaning in March. I went back last March and April..were a few sunny days but then snow was back..clean up mid May and wasn’t until 1st weekend in May did I clean pond and have to purchase new water feature... so easy does it it for me..look forward to your photos once you can locate them

Karen, how are you feeling? Not overdoing I hope.

As of Monday 8am I can register for the AZ vaccine, so controversial, doesn’t fight new variants but think I will take it..something is better than nothing.

“M” I seem to recall you got your vaccine??

Was thinking of Liz and Judy, they would so make me laugh..Judy with her stories, bet she has a million re the grands and her MIL.

Heather, could you tell us about your life in Texas and gardening efforts.

Breakfast time, I need 2 more dishcloths to finishing sets I’m giving away for Easter pressies. Will keep me out of the gardens this morning while it’s cold.. hard finding quality t-towels you can embroider on..I still have 2 light green ones.

This message was edited Mar 21, 2021 5:07 PM

Betty, please don't over do things in your yard. Set your pace, and only do a small bit at a time. 15 to 30 minutes max.
Beautiful dish cloth.

Played with my mega hoop and the designs i want to use on the baby quilts. I think I will be able to do this. Had to do a refresher course in what some of my buttons do, but got it back in my head.

Karen, it's been over a year since I touched the rented long-arm. I am thinking it would be wise to pay for a quick refresher!! Use it or lose it applies to knowledge as well as physical muscles!

Had a lazy day. Two walks with th dogs and chatted with a few neighbors. During our first walk I saw a small coyote in the greenbelt just walking up the sidewalk. I called the guards and thy sent out a patrol unit and tracked it down and chased him slowly back down the greenbelt to the golf course. When he got there he went under the fence. We paid extra money to have that fence footings dug deep and strong. Going to be windy the next two days so I will go down there on Wednesday and see what I can determine needs to be done.

Betty, I am glad you found something for you to do that may keeps you inside.

A friend dropped off some corn beef and cabbage and I added some cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus. It was very good.

Hugs to you all. .

That's a pretty bold coyote coming up near people.
Stay safe.

Karen, glad you think you have things figured out. Can't wait to see your results.

I'll be OK as long as I can get what is in my head into my machine.. LOLOL

Coyotes ARE BOLD!! Just ask people in California. We used to have one cut across our pasture everyday until my mare had her foal. My horse would no longer tolerate the coyote in her territory with a newborn present.
As we have pushed the coyotes out of their nature habitat, they have adapted to living near people and have lost their fear of humans.

I live near a golf course and there are many coyotes that call the golf course home. And many rabbits do the same. Why they come into the neighborhood is beyond me. We are surrounded on all borders of Canyon Fairways (name of our neighborhood) by golf course. We are also in a canyon so they just come down the canyon and wander over. Two weeks ago a neighborhood above us had a mountain lion just walking down the middle of the street.

weather is good and temps are moving up. Will hit 80s early next week and then the race is on. Plumeria will come out of the garage next week.

Handyman came and went and only fixed one thing. He will be back tomorrow to finish.

Putzed all day but did not get much done. I did get the coleus in the garage watered and the succulent cutting. Walked the dogs and had many neighbors that stopped by when I was in the front landscape.

Walked the front gate area with another female board member to come to agreement what we wanted to do to dress up the front. I just let her have her way. I gave her different ideas and she chose one of them.

Sharon, sounds like the board member can't go wrong since she is picking from your ideas!
I am working on making a dozen doll sleepers to fit all the odd size dolls that Marie has been dragging home. I can't wait to get these done and return this babies for her to store! LOL... I just want all these odd dolls OUT of my sewing room. She said we have 38 of the 18" dolls (and that does not include what I have, & what I bought new and put in her Conex. We have WAY more clothes already made than what we need for the 18 inch dolls. We are not as well stocked for the Cabbage Patch.

I would be so afraid with all those wild critters coming so close.

Betty, where are you? Everything ok.

Afternoon, sun sure is a blessing, I was out for an hour today, felt so nice taking in the rays.

Sharon how could she not pick one of your ideas, every area in your yard is magazine ready..

Pat, think its time to start putting in sets and get a head start for Christmas, remember you will have family living with you and not as easy as it is now.

Karen, did you try a piece of juju quilting yet?

Yesterday ted and Marie my neighbours saw me struggling with putting birdhouses I had taken down for the winter, before I knew they had the birdhouse up and saw that the door t very back of property I had made birdhouses for and painted all white was laying down..down but not for long, got a 2x4 and voila, waiting fir flowers to grow.

He had made a cradle for his son’s girlfriend daughter, thought I’d repeat the kindness and made a little quilt for it, well the only fabric I had for a doll quilt was already cut up in little sections, worked on it for a tad then set it aside..was glad I did because when I asked what the little girl’s name was he couldn’t remember, after her walk Marie came over with the child’s name...don’t think she knows much about children, know they are new to family, 2 boys,1 girl but when I said how old she said she thought 12, doubtful that it’s a 12 year old, don’t think that age group are into dolls??

Tuesday, Greg and Mel will be here shortly

salad and steak
Potatoes/glazed carrots
Onion and peppers sauté in a maple syrup sauce
Dinner rolls just out of the oven
Cocoanut cream pie this morning

So all is done except put steak on bbq, I’ll wait till they get here before I cook them

Took all I could to peel potatoes

Hope you are enjoying your day..

P.s. if none of this makes sense likely drugs I’ve taken for pain... grrrr

Betty, yes I did start the Juju quilting. It was going well when suddenly the hoop quit working as it should. I stopped right then and took it to the Bernina shop today. Jason was out to lunch so I left it and said we would do the same and return later. All fixed when we got back at no charge. Jason said he thought it maybe wasn't right to begin with. I don't know as I didn't notice it being wrong. Tomorrow Jess and I will be going to Sam's so will be Thurs before I can get back at it.

We are inside probably for the rest of the day. Windy and scattered showers. Dogs will not understand. Handyman came back this morning and welded the slat that had broken away from the side gate. Culligan man was here early to install ordered part. So that is all I am expecting this week except crew to return patio furniture to their places on the patio.

I am going to Costco tomorrow to take a friend that does not have a membership. I do not need anything but i am sure I will find something to buy.

Pat, my plan was to have several ideas I liked and make sure she thought it was her idea. Unfortunately, she wants everything to look like my garden and that is not possible.

Betty, your dinner looks wonderful.

Karen, first a long arm and now a hoop. Foreign language to me.

You all have a wonderful evening. hugs, Sharon

You can always find something at Costco wether you need it or not
About to fall asleep and doctor called

Funny how we know our bodies better than doctors at times, he just called, bad blaster infection, will send meds for pick up tomorrow.

He apologized for the mix up, I told me when he was here for my shots about 4-5 weeks ago and said he would send requisition for urine sample..I went for it, no requisition, couldn’t get through to his office until Wednesday, dropped specimen Friday.. told him it was a lot better than a few weeks ago when my bottom was raw and blisters..grr

Sun is shinning but strong wind.
Sharon dropped in this morning for 1/2 hour then I went and picked up meds..did apply to shoppers drug mart, they will notify me of appt date if any at closes shoppers that give vaccines, I’d say it will be a Toronto appointment talking big time about shortage of vaccines ....the set up is easy to navigate but does not allow a person to book mor more than self which makes it difficult if both Sharon and I want to go together....here is hoping we hear something.

I received a call with regards to working on statistics Canada Census..not sure..keep thinking it would cover new floors and baseboards lol

Hope you get your vaccines soon.
What does Canada census have to do with flooring?

$$$$ without having to go to savings.,they pay $17.83 an hour, you work your own hours from home, some drop offs at peoples home. Would start mid to end of April

Oh, NOW i get it. Betty, you would be hired to work on Census work & get paid --- and go towards those new floors you want!!

Yes, Marie & I are going to start bagging doll sets now. Likely we have more clothes for the size 18 inch than we need & likely doing "Ok" on larger Cabbage Patch but these darn Disney dolls are killing me. They are 100 different sizes and I need to make the patterns and adjust for each size. Unfortunately are the only dark dolls that we usually can find are usually Disney although we do find baby dolls sometimes. .

Last week there was a fire in the kitchen at Wing Stop where Adam works. They expected the restaurant to be closed for a few days. He was sent home early and no work for a few days. Yesterday Adam to stopped by and wanted to talk to me about the Dakota... apparently Andrea had a deer jump out and hit the BACK of my pickup. It broke the tail light and put a small dent in the back rear quarter. Andrea is a driving magnet for accidents.

I applied and was hired to work the Census here. When I went to the training class, I was told there would be apartment buildings with a lot of walking carrying a heavy case of paper work. I said I didn't think I would be able to do that. I knew I could drive to houses no problem but apartments would be too difficult. I was still paid for the training class and my travel time there and home. Decent money too.

That is pretty good pay per hour Betty. It would also keep you from hurting yourself and let your body rest. Your Dr. needs his butt kicked. You would think that you and Sharon could book an appointment together. Fill out the form as married.

I spent way to much money at Costco but got Vern's son Brian a bunch of food. The crew came by this afternoon and put my patio furniture back. I watered all the pots that were next to the furniture. Everything looks like they made it. And my lettuce and turnips have finally sprouted.

Wind was here again today and it am getting so tired of it but that is our normal March. My neighbor's pine trees are throwing out yellow pollen everywhere and next is the seeds. It is a good thing they give me great shade.

I have a meeting in the morning with the landscape crew to relay what we want done. Fred is suppose to be here. We will see if he comes. He knows he is in deep ****.

Pat, sorry about your truck. My DIL borrowed borrowed my SUV and drove it to Utah and while there had a tire problem and had to replace all 4 tires. Of course, with my nickle. Pat, those dolls are going to wear you out.

Betty, I hope the meds make you feel better.

Morning, light rain all nights, still have the wind though...won’t be able to burn again till it dries up, no rain today but more to come over next few days

Pat, hear of so many deer/vehicle accidents, thank goodness Andrea wasn’t hurt, not so good for the Dakota though..don’t know how you don’t get bored with this so worthwhile project, you’ve sewing patience of a saint. Hope Adam soon gets back to work.

Karen, I’m not quite sure how it will be this year with Covid, my girlfriend joanne is supervisor for this region, not sure if I will be under her wings. The call led to an immediate email getting me to give ok to check if I had police record, credit bureau to see how stable I am financially (not sure I agree with their needing to know that) sent all my I’d so pretty sure I’ll get the job..need something different in my life..
Like Sharon said, will keep me out of the gardens. Was it this year you started training for it Karen?

Is it today you get your embroidery machine back?

Sharon just knew that you would find something at Costco, so many choices but much in bulk. As for the Covid shot indigenous and Métis people get the shot right away..in my family tree book I received for my birthday last year I am from First Nation blood but never registered for Métis card and that is many generations ago, might be worth a try..

My poor truck was an Orchard vehicle it's NOT an eyesore, but it won't win any beauty contests Other than the broken tail light, It's all good. Nobody hurt (well, OK, deer probably suffered broken leg and is dead somewhere) and the vehicle is drivable.
Karen, you think they would have made those physical expectations CLEAR in the application process. I can tell you some of the home I went to for work were becoming a problem. LONG winding stairs into an elevated home with NO hand rail, etc, etc, or apartments with steep cement steps (although at least they had handrails!) . I am happy that those work days are behind me. I hear my former coworkers are going back to the office 2 days a week beginning in April.

On the road to see son Dana & wife Carrie. I have my cat sitter starting tonight. I am NOT taking any sewing projects with me. I am going into withdrawal as I type!
Later friends!

Betty my training was last fall. Census was supposed to be done last year but was of course delayed. Has I been going house to house I could have handled that.

My embroidery machine wasn't in for service. It was the Mega hoop. I dropped it off, went to lunch and then it was fixed. As I said my tech is super awesome.

Pat, have a safe trip. I'm so ready to have one. As soon as I get these baby quilts done, I'm off for my hugs.

I have a new project I'm doing (as well as the alpaca shawl). I'm putting a stone finish on our kitchen, then our bathroom, counters.
Here's the before - the blue didn't suit anything in our kitchen.
We're going to add trim around the counter, and also put a block around the pipes at the back of the corner.

Here's the "in process" set of pictures. It's the base coat.

This is "step 3" where I've applied the coating, and it has to cure for 2-4 hours before I can sand, then apply the sealant. The sealant has to cure for 24 hours.

Pat, enjoy your trip. You will find something to sew while you are visiting. Hope Stanley understands when you leave. My animals go into deep "Where is my Mom" attitude.

Susan, your counter will look nice. Yes, the blue has got to go. Glad to see you are doing things you want.

Betty, are you feeling better now that you have the needed medicine. We had wind again today but no rain. Sounds like you are taking it easier and that is a good thing. Just a little slow down will give you an enormous return with feeling better. Easy for me to say, Right....

I did very little today. I did some HOA Board work with the landscape crew just to go over what we wanted done. Tomorrow the dogs go to the groomer and I will drop by the garden center to see what I cannot live without.

Good morning everyone.
Sounds like everyone is busy with spring projects.

Last night I got a phone call from one of the quilts husband. He told me that their mobile home burned to the ground night before last. My dear friend Vickie, his wife was rushed to San Antonio burn unit. She has 2nd and 3rd degree burns on her arms and legs. No one knows what happened yet. She was at the house by herself. He left the house to go get a few groceries. Then got a call from his daughter.
Vickie is 82 years old. She will be in the hospital for at least a month.
Please say a prayer for her and family. Has to be so hard, starting over at their age.

Linda Kay - sorry to hear of their loss - prayers for them both. Yes, tough to start over.
We had something similar happen to an elderly couple in our neighbourhood. Their home blew up and luckily they, and their adult son, got out with just having to be admitted & released. The son got burns the side of one foot where he tried to block the bottom of the door. Started in the attached garage. I've heard since that the son had flammable stuff in the garage. They have kicked him out.

Here's the next step in the redo of our counters. He'll be adding trim to it, and I'll show you those pics when it's done 👌

This message was edited Mar 26, 2021 9:39 AM

Rained heavily last night and just easing off a tad now, one of those cold dark dreary spring days..just what we needed though to wash all that dirt away and live seeing all the greens..I cannot believe all the ivy growing on once side of the pond over the rocks, how an ivy survives winter months in extreme cold and yet I kill them inside the house while offering them tender love and care is beyond me.

Pat, safe travels, Stanley is sure to miss his mama..it will be nice you getting with family, always worry though as you hear of tragedies when all one wants to do is be with family!another area family other than Helene and her family are facing same situation..as simple as meeting on the deck p, no masks enjoying a sunny afternoon.

Lindakay that is terrible news, can’t imagine losing everything..let’s hope your quilting friend heals without infections..I would have to think the worse is fighting fire burns and to have to do so at 82 is beyond thinkable..am sure community will come together,

Sharon, if I take it much easier I will be at a dead stop.

HOA boards must have a difficult time trying to please all the owners..I imagine you enjoy it as it occupies quite a bit of your time

Heather, Deb, Debbie what is going on in your neighbourhoods?

Wow Susan, I’ve seen similar kits and the outcome unbelievable..quite an undertaking you are doing..hardest part is waiting for each process to completely dry..I wouldn’t do well with that project. Anxious to see final outcome

Karen, how is the hooping?

Dianne, are you also getting all this rain?

Ted that lives next door in rental apartment are so helpful, he and Marie are always looking for ways of helping me, he has already been cleaning the troublesome ditch of debris, if Marie (Mary) doesn’t see me around she comes to the door to make sure I am ok, brings recycle bins to the house, little things but major to me.. ted made a doll cradle so I made a pad/blanket and pillow out of scraps, if it stops raining I’ll bring it over to them

Not too ambitious for sure, cream of potato/bacon soup and hot rolls will do for lunch and supper, then maybe a bit of knitting..might even look for a baby pattern to knit or crochet..

Quilting in the hoop did not work well for me. My embroidery machine is older and even though it said it would take that hoop, it was not playing nice with it. I have sent them to my friend in MI who said she would quilt them for me. Andrew is back on active duty and very busy with that. I will list the hoop for sale next week I know I can get what I paid for it as the price was a bargain.

There you go again Karen, talking a foreign language.

Betty, a few days undercharging is good for your body. In the long run your body will thank you. How are your ears doing. Your soup sounds absolutely delicious. I say the same thing when it rains here. It washes all the dust off of everything. And in the SW desert we have dust. You can just about hear the trees breathing a sigh of relief.

Susan, your counters look great. Such a big difference.

Linda, that is so sad about the couple and their home. And burns hurt so badly.

The dogs are at the groomers. Cecil lost 2 pounds now weighs 19.6 and Emma lost a pound, weighs 20.6. Trying to get them both below 20 lbs. Cecil is so much better with the weight loss. They were both pushing 22 lbs.

I purchased very few plants at the garden center. Did buy two light bulbs that are guaranteed to last 12 years. Why do I care, I will not be in this house in 12 years.

Hugs to you all. Sharon

Susan, I love those new counter tops. Great job.

Betty, it's nice to have neighbors like that, willing to help you, and you do favors in return.

Karen, it’s something I wasn’t interested in trying, at least you tried and now it’s out of your blood and if you can regain funds you put out for hoop that is a plus.
where is Andrew on duty, nearby?

Sharon, must be weather, the couch has been my best friend today and just climbed into bed where I am back listening to the pump starting every 2 minutes. Grrr
Have you changed Cecil and Emma’s diets? Had to chuckle, same here when buying something and they let you know the life expectancy which far exceeds our duration lol. Did you not buy plants as there were few you wanted or poor quality and varieties?

Lindakay, the other day the helped me do a few things in the garden that I’d not have been able to do, always say they would be glad to help with yard but you know me,I say I’m fine .. there is a long line of trees this side of my property, on their side where they park their car is about a 10’ span, they asked if they could build a wooden raised garden structure..told them to go ahead, guess she likes planting veggies.

Was in the tub, phone rang but I was too late to get at it..see on my messenger Sharon posted she was at palace pizza at my corner and was going to come over ooops

I'm not exactly sure where Andrew is . He was active in the army for many years, then reserves and is now active again.

Quilting in the hoop was certainly a new experience. One I now know is not for me. I will try to think things over a bit better before I just jump willy nilly into something new. Especially something that is costy.
I will now get started on Payton's grad quilt. and then finish up a few other quilts that need binding and such. I also a kit to make a tuffet and a few other kits that need seeing to. There is probably enough to keep me busy for a year or more if I really start going through my shelves. Oh yes I did start a quilt for my self too.

Dull day, 34f with a high of 46f..might be able to get my 1 barrel of garden debris done..

Hard not knowing where Andrew is..

Oh Karen you should join Sharon in the finishing of 2 projects a month challenge, working great, she is a new beginner so likely only has a few more month to finish here’s, for me likely 2025

Good morning.
I think most us quilters have several projects waiting to be done. And a long list of things we would like to do.