Bowls & Beads

I am drawn to bowls.  Is it the emptiness of the bowl?  The open bowl ready to accept whatever we wish to put into it?  Waiting.  And the beads.  I have enjoyed cutting strips of paper and winding it onto a toothpick with a few inches, at the end, with glue to hold it all together.  I like making small beads. And I like to see the homemade beads tumbling around in a bowl.  I didn't make these in the photo.

I had quite a time of it trying to string my homemade beads onto elastic cord.  My "crimping" beads were too thin to accept a double strand of cord.  So I had to use a different string and kept mis-measuring my hand, which the bracelet  had to pass over, to arrive at my wrist.  And, I lost count of how many times all the beads slipped off the string.  Onto the floor.  All over the table.  I, eventually, made one bracelet.  And then I took all the supplies and returned them to the art supply cupboard.  I don't have time for making another right now.  One will be enough for right now.

We had another "snow storm" yesterday.  It didn't snow very much.  But we had very icy cold wind, and still do today. A wind blizzard.  But today the sun is shining.

Downton Abbey is finished for the year.  I had read, by accident, what was to happen so I wasn't as shocked as you all must be this morning.  When they wrote out the contracts, they expected to be finished in three years.  Now, due to good ratings, there is a fourth year.  Some don't want another year so they had to die. I like to watch because I like to see beauty on the screen.  I don't like most of the characters.  The action, if we were to call it that, is very slow at times, and then too quick at other times.  I did enjoy the look of it all last night on the new television.  In high def.  Scotland was dreamy.

I have work to do today.  I think.  I had best get to it.

Love That Dog

It took awhile and lots of snaps on the new camera, but I finally got a picture of Riley's very expressive eyes.  What a sweetheart of a dog.  And me, not a dog lover.  Until I picked Riley.  And isn't he shiny?

We had a bit of light snow this morning.  Yesterday we ( G, Riley and I) sat out on the back deck sans coats to enjoy the sunshine and almost 50 degree weather.  Riley, being black, was flat out on the deck soaking in the heat from the sun.  He also had a good walk in the woods with G.

I made a few more beads last night.  Watched a few more episodes of "Life" on Netflix.  Dinner was house fried (by me) corn tortilla chips, layered with tons of cheese, baked, and served with big bowls of chunky salsa (by G). Nachos. A day late but a good Valentine's dinner just the same.  It got to be too late, so I didn't get to eat my avocado chocolate pudding (a lchf dessert).  I can only eat chocolate at lunchtime-otherwise I can't sleep at night.  I think chocolate has a bunch of caffeine.  Today I have a 6.5 pound pot roast going into the oven.  Served with a nice mushroom cream gravy.  Good stuff.

I have laundry to do, cooking to do, already had a shower and breakfast, so I have to find more stuff to do to fill the day.  It's only Saturday.  I woke up thinking it was Sunday.  More beads?  Stringing beads into a bracelet?  More writing.  Clothes folding.  Desk Straightening.  Bill paying.  An ordinary day. Which is nice.  Just a day.  Enjoy it.

Some Valentine Work From Before

Long ago, I was interested in all things crazy.  Crazy quilting.  But mostly the thread work and embroidery on top of the crazy patchwork.  I made this heart for a customer.  And then she didn't want it.  I can't find the others.  I looked but they don't want to be found today.  The felt heart was made during the twice a month mini quilt group I had with 5 friends, so long ago, I can't remember when it was.  I was given a heart like this (only seamed with a second plain heart and stuffed) which could be used as a pin cushion.  This is a sample I made to teach people at the library how to make them.  Buttonhole stitch around all the pieces.  I have the bag with all the supplies.  I can finish all of them.  At the bottom are my paper beads.  I rolled more on Wednesday night before we discovered how to get Netflix going.  I ran out of the paper I used.  So this is truly a "limited" edition of beads.  I think there are enough for a bracelet.  With tiny red beads from my bead box.

I liked the buttonhole stitch so much, I started a wool suiting table runner with wool felt flowers buttonholed on top.  Sigh.  I was really "in" to all this 1800's style work.  So far away now.  Like a dream.  I even have acid green, yellow, and red Civil War prints for a set of blocks.  And the patterns. Do you ever feel like you are time traveling when going through boxes of old things?

I can see why we all have unfinished projects.  We changed.  The work stayed as it was.

In other news:  My blog post titled "The View From My Back Deck" continues to be the most popular one I have ever posted.  I think the title invokes something.  I should have titled my blog this way and then I could be selling ads in the sidebar and living the good life.

I have to settle in to write and re-write my lecture on Roses.  I found an interesting article on speaking to a group.  Seems they don't remember much of what they heard but they do vividly remember emotions that the talk evoked as they listened.  I find this to be true in my own listening experience.  If a speaker evokes the desire in my mind and heart to follow the topic and use it in our own lives--then it is remembered.  A good story is remembered if it creates a memory or an emotional response.  Think St Jude Hospital ads.  I have to create an emotional image or response in my lecture on roses.

My classes, at work, on Seed Starting and Vegetable Gardening are always popular because I am so emotionally involved in these two subjects.  It shows.  People hear it and see it.  And they want to experience the joy as well.  If I had to say who I am,  it would be "teacher".  I have always thought I would say "artist" but I don't think I communicate as well with art.  But perhaps I haven't tried hard enough to say what is in my heart with art.

Thank you again, dear Readers, for giving me the time and space to think these things through.  To learn about myself in these pages.  Even when I use the delete button I learn things about myself.

Happy Valentine's Day

I am going to be away from home all day--so this quick note before I run off.  Whatever you dream of having today--I hope it comes true.  Flowers, cards, candy.  Someone to hold your hand.  A smile.  Any sweet thing that makes your day a happy one.

We managed--with a call to tech services--- to get Netflix to work on the TiVo last night.  Smile.  We really have no technical skills.  And we managed to watch 7 episodes of Life.  About a policeman wrongly convicted of murder and in prison for 12 years.  You can imagine all the horrible things that happened to him in 12 years.  And then he is exonerated and released.  And he wants to return to work as a detective.  Everyone on the police hates him.  Of course, it is well crafted, a delight to the ear and eye. And was cancelled by NBC.  I think there should be a category named "cancelled by NBC".  Perhaps there is.  Prime Suspect last fall.  Cancelled and well loved by many viewers.  But Smash goes on.

After the seven episodes we had no idea how to turn Netflix OFF.  Really, we are dinosaurs.

Another Placemat & Art Club

This one using red scraps.  Tonight is the February Art club meeting and we'll be making Valentines and paper beads.  I will collect any supplies I think I will need for these two pursuits and also bring my journal with the, as yet, unfinished doodle I began at the December meeting.  I like the women who come to these meetings.  They are open, generous (sharing materials always) and the chat while we work (or just sit) is ever changing and illuminating.  This, and the 10x10, are two new things I am trying this year.  And I am quite happy about both.

I found a blog post with a "how to" on making an eternity loop scarf.  I also liked the way the scarf was styled with a belted blazer and denim shirt.  Now I will need to go shifting through my stash looking for 1.75 yards of suiting wool or two 31.5 by 22 inches pieces.  I am considering cutting up the velour skirt in the scrap bag and making a silvery, aqua scarf as well as a wool one.  Perhaps a visit to Goodwill? For a skirt? But I remember having a wool calais (is that correct) skirt that no longer fits.  It's soft and was very expensive in 1988.  It would make a lovely scarf.  This blog always gives me the time and space to think things through.  I hope I can find it and that there is enough fabric.  I was much smaller then.

I have only one more of the time travel romances to read.  Last night I read my second favorite, Iolante, and it wrung my heart just as it did the other few times I have read it.  Such a strong and well written piece. I have my most favorite on the table.  Margaret of Falconberg.  I woman who could best most knights with her sword skill.  At least in fiction.  She didn't want to settle for a woman's role in life.  In the 1100's or earlier.  She was relentless.

Still haven't watched any Netflix.  Where do people find the time for it?

We closed our main checking account.  Had it since December of 1991.  They were charging us $25 per month to write less than a dozen checks now that our investments had been transferred to Merrill Lynch.  Of course, when we went in to close it, the bank accounts rep had a multitude of ways in which  future checking would be free.  We said no.  What I wanted to say was "why did you wait to offer us these choices?"  They should have been offered when the investments were moved.  Does anyone understand how to do customer service these days?

I go out of my way to make sure any customer I speak to at work, leaves with some information to answer their questions.  I offer alternatives and easy how to instructions.  I don't always try to sell them anything.  And guess what?  They come back and ask for me.  Not because I am the smartest or most informed person they talk to but because they can see I actually want to help them.  And every so often I get the answer right.  And they come back to share their success.  That's why I love my job.

A Man Who Loves His Dog

Will stay outside for another hour to snow-blow paths in the back yard for the dog.  When G opened the back door, Riley was expecting to find the deck and then those deep drifts.  Imagine his delight when he saw the paths?  Riley fairly bounced out the door and ran all over the yard.  The paths go from the house,  to the right, around the veg garden and back up, past the shed and to the door.  The snow is up to my waist.  About 2.5 feet.

The sun is shining and it's about 40 degrees today.  I might just go sit on the deck and get a dose of suntan.  I took these pictures with the new camera-- It was too bright to see what I had actually snapped but they came out pretty nice.

This next picture is of one of the placemats that I finished up last week (with a bit of shadow on the lower edge from me).  It's just scraps of fabric laid on a precut felt "batting" with a backing fabric underneath.  I add and subtract bits of stuff from the wastebasket.  I may cut things to fit but usually I don't.  Very wabi sabi.  All the bits are tacked down with invisible thread and a zigzag stitch.  I may have added straight stitch quilting on this one.  I like the blue ones best of all.

When I was program director of a quilt chapter, I had everyone (who would) make a block a month for charity quilts.  I gave them a selection of colors as a theme.  All of the blocks I made for the challenge were made this way.  I did seam them together but this is how they looked.  Not like the others.

I am trying to decide what to make for dinner today.  I have Italian sausages (hot and not) so we could have sausage and peppers.  Or a sausage ragu with pasta (G).   I have a recipe for the pork ragu our favorite restaurant makes.  The chef uses Italian sausage to make the ragu.  I think I should look for the recipe.  I know it calls for fresh fennel, but perhaps a few fennel seeds will be okay.  I don't want to leave home.  Where did I put the card?????

After The Blizzard

The snow is very deep.  Yes, I was wrong.  It snowed.  G had to dig out the back deck so Riley could go out.  He went out.  Into the deep powder and floundered like he was drowning in water not snow.  Back in the house.  Not going back out.

G is trying to make his way from the garage to the street with the snowblower.  The wind is whipping the dry snow back into his face. The street is plowed as is the neighbor's (across from us) driveway. No cars.  No newspaper.  No mail today.  Feels like a Sunday.

I awoke several times last night.  The sound of the wind woke me.  We never got the heavy wet snow. The deep snow is good for the shrubs and gardens.  Rain on Tuesday and 44 degrees.

I'm going to find my book and a third cup of coffee --- after I finish the dining room table cleanup.
We're safe and warm.

Waiting

It doesn't look like this yet--close.  But Riley has already been for his daily walk in the woods with G.  I was reading my journal this morning (for last February) and there were daily notes on MY walks with Riley in the woods.  In the cold and snow. I am so thankful that G is doing the walking this year.  Its nice to see everything covered in clean, white snow.  No grass showing.

The snow is steady but thin.  Dry.  Light.  Champagne powder.  Skiers love the stuff.

I spent an hour cleaning.  I chose the dining room table as my first project.  When we emptied the desk in the kitchen a world of odds and ends landed on the table.  Now I am trying to find good homes for what I want to keep and the recycle bin or garbage can for the rest.  I found art supplies I had lost or forgotten I owned.  I found important receipts I should have filed.  I found recipes.  I added a few things to my son's Valentine box (I try and mail things to him) and I found a few things from his college days, his high school days and even middle school.  A Bento Box of treats.  My next job is the desk right here under my finger tips.

G has gotten us signed up for all sorts of online accounts.  SS, Medicare, the bank etc.  I checked late last night to see if my unemployment check had been deposited.  We aren't getting mail lately and I hadn't gotten the usual confirmation.  Medicare has returned 2/3rds of my overpayment.  I still haven't gotten any SS. We also signed onto Netflix for a 30 day trial.  Never had it before. I took the "like/dislike" survey and when I was finished I got a note from Netflix that they had ZERO recommendations for my viewing pleasure.  Sad but true.  I know there are at least three new-ish movies I want to see.  Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Now I am going to put the wet stuff in the dryer and start my dinner prep.  We had roast turkey breast last night.  It was very good and we ate it all.  I had hoped for a few leftovers.

And The Weather Man Says- Blizzard

I am on the fence.  It's extremely cold today. Clear blue skies.  Sunshine.  And a blizzard is predicted for late tomorrow.  Our local liar --oops, weatherman-- says we'll have 24 inches by Saturday morning and 60 mph winds.  Which, here in Maine, means no electricity.

I am seriously sad to think of the added misery to be inflicted on New Jersey tomorrow.

So, I went to the library for books.  And the grocery for food.  Like everyone else here in my small Town.  We have plenty of candles. We have plenty of clean clothes and underwear, but I may just do a load of clothes, in case.  I remember the 6 days without power during the Great Ice Storm.  I remember worrying about clean underpants.  But mostly, I just wanted a hot shower.

G is getting excited about the new generator power box.  He wants to see, exactly, what, besides the furnace, is hooked up to the generator box.  It's a SURPRISE.  If you hear of a house in Maine exploding-- that may be the surprise.  He is hoping the furnace, garage, bathroom lights and refrigerator are powered up by the generator.  Some of the living room outlets are powered by the garage (really, don't you wonder about the original electricians?)  so it's possible we will have television and internet.  It's going to be interesting to see what works and what doesn't. He and the electrician (spellcheck had electron which is funny) installing the box tried to figure out what powered what.

G wanted the garage on the new box so we could open the garage doors.  And the bathroom with the shower so we could see when we showered as there is no window.  Very dark.  The refrigerator because we need that when the power goes off in warm weather.  Winter, I just move everything to to garage steps.  Nice and cold.  If the living room outlets work (or even another one in the kitchen) that would be neato.  Then we could make coffee and use the toaster oven.  Possibly the microwave.

I do know that the electric stove is not going to work as it takes too much power.  I think I will be cooking a bunch of things tomorrow (all day) and then just need to reheat food for the duration.  However long or short it is.

IF IT SNOWS.  

A Rose By Any Other Name

I am working on writing my second gardening class.  On Roses.  I have all the research (well, enough to begin writing) and ideas of where I want the class to go, but getting there is sometimes a struggle.  I have been "writing" paragraphs in my head all week.  Some sounded terrific but lost their sparkle when I tried to get it down on paper.  Improv is always fresher. But terribly dangerous in front of an audience.

It is also best to have too much information, rather than, not enough.  Sigh.  The writer's life is not an easy one.  Most of all I need to get from point A to the end in a steady progression. Moving right along.  Making sense.  No side trips.  So, I work on that, mostly in my head.

Just like last night watching Smash.  Ivy, Ivy, Ivy is the better Broadway actress and singer.  She belted that song out at the end.  Karen (is that her name?) couldn't even keep up with Hudson.  She whispered.  The duet in the bar should have been with Ivy and Hudson.  And I am tired of Debra Messing. (Debra Mess) Ugh.  The ratings were very low and I think it's due to their choice of Karen over Ivy.  We watch to hear good SINGING.  I may not watch anymore, unless Karen gets hit by a bus or something.  G missed Vegas.

We have no snow cover here in Maine.   G took the lawnmower in for servicing.

I am thinking of going into the half empty workroom and making binding for two more placemats.  I was trying to remember how to attach one strip to another.  Amazing.  I seem to have forgotten everything I ever knew about quilting.  I know that the invisible thread will flummox me no end.  It always does.  If I can make and sew the binding to the placemats (already made) then I will have some hand sewing to do this evening.  Than would be nice.  Tomorrow I get my haircut.  Needs it.

Furnace man is here to clean the furnace.

An Update:  I had, somehow, top zigzagged, all the placemats (but the orange one) at some point in the past 12 months (I have no clear memory of doing it) and in my drawer of "loose ends" I found enough binding to do all four mats (I quickly dug around in the wastebasket for orange things to finish mat number four).  While I love my never ending supply of "just the right thing" in the wastebasket, today I am more in love with the "drawer of loose ends".  How clever of me to save all the extra few feet or even yards of already made binding.

Everything Is Changing

It seems that every time I open this blog--it's different.  Today my pictures were in a new spot and it seemed like there were new pictures.  I remember taking this one last spring.  March I think.  All the pansies in the pot were different.  Made me smile.  The page I'm working on doesn't look the same as it did yesterday.  I don't embrace change.  I kick and scream and hate it.

I have to close a checking account we've had for over 20 years.  My Social Security for January hasn't been deposited.  We have overpaid for Medicare but I don't see a refund being sent. I thought I was getting the flu yesterday and I spent the day on the couch in my pajamas; reading, sleeping and just staring into space.  I don't have the flu.  I get my haircut on Thursday.

I never made that "To Do List" I usually make for my winter break.  I don't have a list of things to do. I could make one--but I can't even think of things to list.  Things I would actually do.  I can list stuff I will not do.  Sometimes the negative is a good place to start.

I don't think I will scrub all the baseboard trim.
I don't think I will dust and polish all the bookcase shelves or the side tables.
I don't think I will wash all the windows or mirrors.
I don't think I will sand and repaint the trim in the living room.
I don't think I will hand scrub the bathroom floors.
I don't think I will empty and vacuum out the kitchen cabinets.
I don't think I will clean the oven.

Well, now that I have those things off the list.......

What February Should Look Like

Snow covered ground.  A nice, watercolor deer.  Cardinals fluttering around the garden looking for seeds and berries.  I LOVE the simplicity of this card.  A few strokes of wet paint and you have a deer or a tree or a bird.  Not too much.  Just enough.  So very hard to learn when one is practicing watercolor painting.  As I was supposed to be doing this winter but haven't even begun.  The card is from Unicef.

G is out walking Riley.  I waited at home for the replacement window to arrive and be installed.  Five minutes-tops.  The next appointment will be the annual furnace servicing and I don't think that is until Wednesday.

The few 50 degree days we had last week---- delightful in that the furnace hardly kicked in at all for about 48 hours, saving us a great deal of money.  I hope.  The bad news is that all the shrubs outside are being tortured with drying winds.  And very cold temps.  With no protective snow cover.  The Groundhog says an early spring.  I remember in the first 20 years of living here in Maine, early spring meant May. Late May. And even then we would hit solid ice if we tried to dig a deep hole.  Now an early spring is anyone's guess.  Wouldn't it be a great kick in the pants if Maine actually had four seasons?  Last year I spent my time at work--in April --- trying to hold gardeners back while they shopped in shorts and flip-flops..  Not yet, I kept saying.  And early June was horrible.  Wet, cold and the kiss of death to cucumbers, peppers and tomatoes put out too early.  An early spring?  Careful what you wish for.

To celebrate the Super Bowl yesterday, I mashed up two avocados with diced red onion, lime juice and a pretty snappy jalapeño.  I cut a few 100% corn tortillas into wedges and fried them to make about 18 chips.  I selected corn tortillas that had only one ingredient.  Corn.  No wheat flour.  If I have this again (and I might because the avocados are loaded with good fat) I will fry the wedges longer so they are very crispy.  I stopped too soon.  My new "diet plan" allows me to have a small amount of a few things that I haven't eaten (much or any of) in over 2 years.  Potatoes.  Corn.  Not the vegetable corn but the ground dry corn.  I am also allowed popcorn with lots of butter.  I bought some organic bulk popcorn but haven't made it yet.

I know my diet sounds ridiculous to most of you reading, but I try and make most of my food myself using whole foods with few, if any, additives.  I don't make dessert, cookies or muffins out of strange ingredients (like a chemistry experiment)  I had tried that and hated the taste of the food and usually felt hungry after.  My food is quite tasty, sugar and wheat free.  I finally stopped trying to add cereal into my diet (bran flakes and bran buds) and I feel so much better.  It took a LONG time to finally let those two things go.  I also don't make pancakes or GF waffles. I think it's best to just not eat these things.  Not make crappy substitutions.  To get chocolate into my diet (I miss it) I add cream and a few tablespoons of good chocolate powder to full fat ricotta (1/2 cup).  A little packet of Splenda and it fulfills my desire for something creamy, sweet and chocolatey.  Makes a lovely lunch or late breakfast.

I am going to the library today.  To return books and hopefully find something good to read.  I do have a fall back position that I am enjoying with wicked pleasure.  My time travel romances.  Lynn Kurland is the author.  Pippa is now safely married in 1241 to Montgomery and Tess (her sister) is about to meet Montgomery's twin, John.  A guy from 1241 in 2006.  I don't know which "travels" are the most amusing.  The ones going back in time or the ones going forward. Do you have a secret reading habit you won't admit to?

New Month, New Dish Pattern

The Polish Blue dishes exchanged places with the Franciscan Apple for the month of February.  I have always like buying dishes.  I bought three sets while we lived in Germany and managed to give away one.  This month we talked about what set to use.  The Petite Fleur (sticker dishes) have never actually been used.  Maybe next month.   While moving all the polka dotted Polish dishes--I was amazed at one: how heavy they are and two: how many I have.  Too many.  Some of these have never been used.

I bought these Apple dishes while waiting for a plane at the Orlando airport.  I love them.  My brother and his wife had them and I loved visiting so I could see them.  Had to have my own set.  My daughter would take these to her house in a heartbeat.  Whenever she sets my table--these are the dishes she uses.

We left the house today to do what have become "the usual errands".  We added Petco today as Riley needed a replacement collar.  He lost his training collar running in the woods a few days ago.  He "listens" better on the leash when wearing it.  Heavy metal links.  $25.

After Petco and Bed, Bath & Beyond (I got wood floor cleaner), we visited the library and then did the grocery shopping.  G always needs bagels, milk, juice and yogurt (didn't need cereal today).  I always need eggs, bacon and heavy cream.  I bought salad for both of us and all the supplies so G can make ham and cheese Panini sandwiches. I forgot I had wanted to go to the bank to check and see if my Social Security had been deposited.  No news on what has happened to the double payment of my Medicare B.  Will they send the extra three months back to me?

My computer is having operating issues and will probably stop working before I hit publish.  I have had to manually save what I have written and reboot.  G says it's not because of his iPhone and iPad being linked to my computer by the "cloud" but I think it is.  G "travels" around the internet, opening everything with no concern for the mess it makes for me.  I had double downloading the picture I took also.  Tried four times.  Got the rotating ball.  If the problem is the new camera, I will be reboxing it and returning it ASAP.  I had intended to figure out how to make the color more saturated in the programing part of the camera.  Personal preference.  There are blog authors who use a very vivid saturation of color in the camera itself.  I want to be one of those.

Dinner will be leftovers or sandwiches.  I am not cooking today.  I didn't sleep well last night because I forgot to take my allergy tab.  I got up at 3 am to take it and finally fell asleep--woke up at 8:48.  My eyes feel dry and burning.  I wish I was the sort of person who could nap. But I am not. Even as a baby, I wasn't a good sleeper.  And never napped.  No wonder my mother disliked me.  I didn't cry or fuss.  I just didn't sleep.  Perhaps I needed an allergy tab?

End Of January Thaw

We are in the 50's for the second day in a row. In Maine. It rained all night and most of the snow we had is now gone.  See the green grass?  In January.  This picture was taken with my new camera.  I got close.  And it stayed in focus.  That was one of the things my old camera was finding it hard to do.  Focus.  The foliage behind the orchid branch are Paperwhite leaves.  I cut the flowers off.  Too fragrant (stinky) for me to enjoy.  But the leaves?  Yes, please.  I just keep the roots well watered and I have foliage for weeks and weeks.

The bananas were almost brown enough, so I made banana bread today.  I also mixed the zucchini shreds (salted and squeezed dry-ish) with a very generous "cup" of shredded mozzarella and an egg. Made what the original recipe writer called "dough" but is actually just a mess that I form, on parchment, into a flattened rectangle.  Pressed and straightening the edges and flatten etc and then I bake it at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and let it cool a bit and then peel off the parchment, turn it over , back on the parchment and back in the oven to bake again.  Nicely browned, not burnt.  And it serves as a lovely GF pizza crust.  Later, when I bake G's pizza I will add toppings to mine and bake it again. I bake it twice so the crust is stiff.  The original is squishy when baked only once.  Let it cool before adding toppings.

I searched the internet after I posted yesterday and found a British site with Jamie Oliver's mushroom risotto and I had everything (we opened a bottle of white wine) for the recipe, so I made it.  I think the rice could have been cooked a bit (just a bit) longer.  It was al dente.  Which I think it is supposed to be.  I added plenty of butter, some nicely fried sliced fresh mushrooms and Parm at the very end (as Jamie directs).  It looked good.  G ate it and even had seconds.  And he had a very large salad which he enjoyed.  I added honey to the olive oil and Balsamic dressing.

 Never having eaten proper risotto, I have no way of knowing if it was well prepared.  And I only tasted a teaspoon for reference.  Arborio Rice (from Italy) is not on my diet plan.  Yes, I had some in the cupboard.  I also had a packet of dry Porcini mushrooms.  If you like risotto, Jamie's recipe (30 minute meals) is very easy and will take about 30 minutes.  I made the salad after getting the risotto cooked.  Next time I would make the salad first but dress it after.  I had salad and the take-home part of my Italian restaurant dinner.

Wednesday is a very piss poor evening for watching television. I finished the two books I had from the library.  One day for each.  And I didn't start reading until after 4 pm and was in bed by 11.  And I watched television.  They just don't write books like they used to.  Now I have two more and one is very thick and has lots of words.  Elizabeth George.  I rarely make it through one of her books.  I get tired.  Any reading suggestions????

I finished writing one of the gardening classes.  The second is the harder of the two and I need to do more research.  Another trip to the library or more research on the internet.  Roses.

The New Camera Has Arrived

And we had to go out (last night) and buy a memory card for it in order to try it out.  Still haven't tried it out.  So I don't know if it's a keeper yet.  It's the same Fuji FinePix as my old camera.  The little icons look the same.  And it makes movies.  Not that I will ever do any of the special things this camera can do.  I will point, shoot, download and delete.  But now I can get closer.  So much closer.

I'm not a picture saver anymore.  Though I am thinking I would like to see my blog posts (with pictures) in a book format.  Not all of them.  I would have to sort through and from what I gather it's quite a bit of work.  You know how I feel about computer work.  Not a fan.

I have two gardening classes to research, sort, write and type into a nice presentation.  Sooner.  Much sooner than I want it to be. Being a Master Gardener isn't all fun and games, there is the annual 20 hours of volunteer work. Where does my pajama winter go??? And I haven't even begun to procrastinate on the taxes yet.

I have considered starting on the painting of the window trim in the bedrooms.  Primer at least.  And I was also thinking of repainting the ceilings in the living room.  They have that new paint now that goes on blue so you can see any spots you miss.  I used the wrong paint last time I painted the ceilings. Not flat enough.  And all the living room trim needs a repaint.  In bright white.  Or a brighter white.  To contrast with the Faux Italian finish I gave the walls so many years ago when I actually did things like paint the walls the week before a huge party.  I used a technique I had never tried before.  The first wall and the last are very different.  And are next to each other.

We had dinner out last night.  G's favorite Italian spot. He had veal saltimboca with a side of penne carbonara.  AKA: heart attack on a plate.  Then cheesecake.  He wants me to make mushroom risotto  for dinner tonight.  I have never made risotto of any kind.  He saw it on one of the Jamie Oliver 30 Minute Meal recordings I have on TiVo.  Jamie made it look easy.  I already made pizza dough for tomorrow's dinner (G's) so I have time, after writing and typing one class, to make something for today.

It's 50 degrees or warmer today.  The weather fluctuations here (and everywhere else) are quite alarming.  This is two very unseasonable periods in one month.  Sixty degrees plus about 2 weeks ago and now this. Very, very bad for our plants, trees and shrubbery.  At least the furnace isn't running.

Well, I have things to do and less time than I need so I am going to say farewell for today.  Wish me luck with dinner.  At least there will be a green salad.

And Then, It Snowed, Again.

My deck chair.  Coated in newly fallen snow.  I have used this photo before but it expresses my feelings this morning better than a new photo of the few inches of snow that fell last night.  And I am anticipating the arrival of the new camera. New photographs.  Soon, I hope.

We have a new flat screen.  Samsung 32 inch.  Beautiful picture clarity and G has managed to tone down the colors to suit me.  All the advertised products look exactly like they do in my fridge.  I rewatched my TiVo'ed copy of Eat, Pray, Love last night.  It did look nicer on the full screen.  I know G would prefer the screen to be larger.  That's the way men are built.  The energy ticket we peeled off the television says the annual energy cost will be $7.  Our 1988 Sony could heat up the room with an evenings viewing.  Yes, we were watching on a 1988 set.  Still worked, good picture, why change?

Are you watching the new Fox program, The Following?  We are.  It's not as scary as I thought it would be but it has possibilities.  Good villain.  And Kevin Bacon.  I have all of this season of Fringe to watch.  I am saving it in case I get the flu.  Sad to think it is finished.  BBCAmerica has been a disappointment with only 4 to 6 episodes of any of the evening Dramaville programs.  Luther was excellent.  The Hour was pretty good (sort of the 50's version of Mad Men in style).  Ripper Street is awful.  I had big hopes for Law and Order UK but I watched too much of the American version and remember the plot by the first commercial.  And the wigs........ not a fan.

This year, 2013, is turning out to be a year of many NEW things.  Retirement.  Medicare.  Social Security.  Refrigerators.  Flat Screen Television.  Camera.  And it's still only January!!!!!  My daughter is also experiencing this "change" with her NEW television, a NEW exercise video, NEW camera and a positive view of taking our old desk cabinets and countertop for re-use in her kitchen.  She even, really, liked the rolling restaurant cart in my kitchen and is buying one (in white) for her kitchen to slide in alongside HER fridge.  Amazing.  I am waiting to hear from my son.  See if he has something NEW to report.

G has also reunited with the little espresso machine we bought while living in Germany.  He is making a nightly cup of espresso to have with his sweet.  He finished off (last night) the candy coated pretzel sticks our daughter makes him for Christmas.  White chocolate coating with tons of candy sprinkles.  I still have Reeses cups in the freezer until the bananas are dead enough to bake bread.

I have several recipes to try in the next few weeks.  A low carb almond bread, flour less chocolate cake and perhaps a cheesecake all made without wheat flour or real sugar.  I never did start in on any of the fabric projects I thought I would work on this winter.  Yesterday I sorted my seed packets.  Time to start my onions and fennel.  I'm thinking of sprouting some seeds in a canning jar.  And I may try to get one of the seeds from my avocados to set roots.  The Christmas Amaryllis are sending up flower stalks but it's a long way to seeing any flowers.  Perhaps a Valentine surprise??  What are you doing?

The Future Is Banana Bread

I bought two bananas with the intention of baking a loaf of banana bread for G's evening snack.  He finished up the snack sized carrot cake with cream cheese frosting last night (Downton Abbey) and the pan of Brownies I made last week is empty.  I'm just waiting for the bananas to be "good and dead" as the recipe asks.

My recipe box is about 18 inches long and filled to overflowing with 4 by 6 index cards.  I go thru it when I can no longer wedge a single new card into the box.  I try and sort out recipes I know (think) I will be needing in the season (winter) and stand them on end at the front.  I have ABC files but the most used recipes are always in the front of the box.  And I have decided to file by S for soup instead of by ingredient.  Banana bread is easy. Either way, it's B.

Here it is.  The absolutely Incredible Banana Bread Recipe.

4T of butter, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
3 dead bananas (nicely freckled with brown)  But feel free to use two if that is what you have.
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup yogurt, cottage cheese or sour cream.  Only one of the three choices.

2 cups flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
3/4 t salt (less if your butter is salted)
2/3 cup of optional raisins, walnuts or chocolate chips  ( I add the walnuts if G doesn't want our daughter eating any of the bread)

Mix all the wet stuff together with a spoon or a hand mixer.  Mix all the dry together and then add to wet.  Pour into a greased 9 inch loaf pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for one full hour.  Cool on a rack about 10 minutes and then turn out onto the rack to cool completely.  Gets better with age.

Yesterday G helped our daughter select and purchase a new flat screen television and a new camera.  she had also wanted an iPad mini but they didn't have what she wanted in stock.  Then G helped her set up the new television.  Excellent picture quality and the DVD player worked--everyone was delighted.

G had also purchased a new flat screen for us.  Thirty nine inches (bigger than the one our daughter had purchased).  He set it up and the picture quality was awful.  All the faces were either squished from the top or smeared on the screen. The faces were a terrible pink color with no definition. And the movement of anyone across the screen made me queasy.  I know there is a ratio of screen size and distance from the viewer.  I am certain the screen was much too large for the short viewer distance we have.  If the screen had been in the next room, I am sure it would have looked great.  G packed it all up and is returning the set this morning.

I had the beginnings of a migraine (which I haven't had in nearly 15 years) from just that 20 minutes or so of looking at the screen.  I felt nauseous. My temples ached.  I couldn't even read.  And Downton Abbey (on the old television) look smeary as I was having trouble with my eyes focusing.  It could also have been the odor of the unboxed new flat screen.  Very toxic.  To me.  G admitted that our daughter's new television had an excellent picture.  Ours did not.  Same brand.  Only larger.  The difference
between 32 inches and 39.

I am absolutely distressed when G brings home something he is very keen on having and I don't like it. I want to like it for his sake and have often just gone along with his purchase--never really pleased with whatever it is but wanting to keep him happy.  But this time, no matter how I tried to make it work, I couldn't get past the headache.  And I was so looking forward to Downton.  I really have very simple needs. Even though G says I am very difficult to live with. I don't need extravagant things.  I make do with whatever I have as long as it functions properly.  Twenty years with a terrible fridge.  But it worked.  But I want whatever I LOOK at to be clear, in focus and not incorrectly colored. I enjoy seeing things clearly. And not stretched sideways to fill the screen.

That being said.  I am cranky, crabby and extremely fussy when things aren't going my way or just don't "feel" right.  I have bought and returned any number of lovely things that did not make me happy.  Or didn't function properly.  Or really had no place in my life when I had them in front of me, at home.  I have returned jobs because I knew going to work "there" would make me more miserable than I could stand to be.  I tried to return my new husband after a week of marriage.

Remembering Vacations In Wisconsin

My husband's family has a cabin in Wisconsin.  When the kids were little we would drive up there from our suburban Chicago home for a long weekend.  Apple picking in an abandoned  orchard, bike rides, fishing.  Evenings and long afternoons spent reading books on the double log bunks on the screened porch.  The bunks made up for the lack of indoor plumbing.  Not.

I saw this picture on someone's Pin Board and thought I would add it to my blog and just remember those happy days spent with G's family.  My son loved to go fishing with his grandfather and my daughter loved reading almost as much as her grandmother did.  G's parents were very loving and sweet to their grandchildren.  Never forgetting a birthday. G's mom even made a ball gown birthday cake for S, with a Barbie like doll nestled into the center of a cake baked in an angel food cake pan.  And decorated in pink flowers like a fancy dress.  And to make that year even better-- G's aunt had handmade Barbie clothes for sale and I purchased all the pieces she wanted.  Cute sweaters, skirts and jackets and a ball gown or two.

I am pretty positive the log bunks are still up at the cabin.  The memories are here, with us.

I am now going to answer two questions:

What happened with Riley's hot spot?

Riley did indeed have what is called a "hot spot" and amazingly we did exactly the right things.  The Benadryl to stop the itching and distraction to stop the dog from licking until the pills took effect.  G took Riley to the vet as soon as we could.  And the vet, new to the practice we go to, called us on Friday to see how things were.  She didn't want us to head into a no service weekend with a problem. I was very impressed.  Riley licks there once in awhile but we know what to do if it gets to bothering him in the future.  And the anti bacteria cream was another good thing we did (and not letting him lick for 45 minutes while it soaked in).

Why don't I offer my work for sale?

My blog is a personal blog.   I am not using this blog to publicize or commercialize what I do as an artist.  I may have mentioned my entry into the 10x10 Art Auction but I did so knowing none of you would be in attendance trying to buy my piece.  And you had to actually be there with your hand on the frame in order to buy it.  And I mentioned it to let you know I was "trying new things".  It is easy to slide into turning your blog into a "business".  That's okay.  It's just not me.  And it's way too much trouble.  I did sell a number of quilts that I had on display at the library, when I worked there.  People asked to buy them and if I wanted to let them go--I sold them.  But when people started asking me to MAKE items for them, I said no.  That sounds too much like hard work.

I have a job where I do hard work and earn money.  I have art to make myself happy. Art is not my job and never will be.

That being said, if you see something (art or not) on the blog and you want it (and don't mind waiting a long time to get it Dee), then email me and ask.  We'll talk.  But not Riley.

Rolling Barn Doors

This was published as a cheap "do it yourself" barn door treatment.  The reason I like this?  Well, I don't have any flat, tall walls for a design surface in the upstairs sewing room (where I have been intending to move for almost 2 years now) and I had thought that a rolling design wall instead of closet doors would be interesting.  The doors here would be flannel covered wall boards in my room.  Of course, that means a structure for the flannel boards to be attached to.  I like the little wheels at the bottom.  Instead of the many hundreds of dollars the real barn door hardware costs--this was made from stuff in the plumbing department of Home Depot.  Pipe.  Hooks.  I don't think I would need the door handles.  Roller feet.  And I can still get into the closet to choose fabrics.

The ceiling in my future workspace dips south around where the guitar and bookshelf is in this photo.  BUT. The closet continues, behind the drywall, into the dip.  Wasted space.  I think we could open it up and install book shelving there.  Or deeper shelving to hold the big storage containers of fabric.  Dry wall is the one area of construction that G and I have never touched before.  In 44.5 years together.  Another potential hiccup, the deep pile carpet we had installed in this room.  We'd need big enough wheels to roll over the carpet.  I'm thinking only one panel.  Not two.  And the pipe system could extend onto the ceiling.  Because the closet wall ends on the left side of the closet.  As I said.  I have no full walls to work with.  No full ceiling. Lots of windows.  Skylights.  Half walls.  It's an attic room.

I do have tons of natural light, a full bathroom and cable.  The only unfortunate element in this new workspace is the dog.  Riley doesn't like me going upstairs --to stay.  He does like going upstairs to get something and bring it back downstairs.

I am supposed to get my very first Social Security check in a few days.  And yet another edition of my Social Security card.  That makes three.  All this paperwork must keep seniors on their toes.  G had a doctor's appointment this month, before our Advantage Plan takes over in February, so he used his Medicare card for the first time.  No problems.

I thought I would give you a report on our first month of retirement.  All the bills are paid and I have some money left over.  Most of those funds were carryover from G's pay checks.  We have done a number of household projects (the kitchen cabinets, the flooring, the office cleanup) with no expenditures.  G feels he would be better occupied if it was warmer outside, as there are things to do outside.  We eat a large breakfast whenever we get up and then another meal around 4:30 to 6 depending on what we are doing.  I have been doing all the cooking and even though the credit card bill I just paid had five restaurant meals on it, we haven't eaten out in the past three weeks.

 I have calmed down and realize we will be just fine.  We had learned to live on a lot less while G was working as a McD's restaurant manager the past four years.  A lot less.  So the hard part of the transition had already occurred without me noticing.  I had imagined we would have to live on a lot less than we were used to, but that isn't true.  The unknown is often scarier than the actuality.

We aren't getting on each other's nerves.  I haven't gotten much done besides looking for work for the unemployment Work Search.  That's almost a full time job in itself.

Scrap Fabric Collector & Late Night Shopper

Those of you who have paid attention in the (is it 7?) years I have been blogging know I am not a big fan of piecing.  Even though, in my terms as Program and President of my quilt chapter, I had the thankless task of sewing together many (mis-sized) charity blocks made by the members.  I even sashed them.  It had been my idea to have the members make a "monthly Charity Block" and I felt we had to actually do something with them.  I think we made 6 or 7 bed quilts out of them and some dear sweet person quilted all of them on her long arm.  I have one, a favorite of mine, bundled under my worktable basted onto a very puffy poly batt.  It's the brown and beige one.  Each month had a two color theme. In November we each made and donated two hand made potholders to the Elks Thanksgiving Baskets.

Twice a year we had an all day (Saturday) Quilt-A Thon.  We brought food in crock pots, snacks in bags, lots of candy and all of our projects, ironing boards, sewing machines, cutting mats etc etc.  It was like a shelter for homeless quilters. I usually baked a huge pan of cinnamon rolls and brought them warm from the oven to have with morning coffee.  I usually sat at (or near) the table where Wendy, Carol, Kathy S, Karen and Kathy B sat.  They were always laughing.  Wendy was also always making postage sized quilt blocks out of 30's fabrics or cowboy fabrics.  All the pieces for the half triangles in the above piece were collected from Wendy's "cut offs".  The centers and sashing is from my little (at the time) stash.  This is about 18 inches square-ish.  I also made two smaller doll bed quilts from 1 inch or less bits.  This is where I got my reputation for making things out of the wastebasket.  Waste Not.

I still have little quart baggies filled with little bits of fabric.  I could never throw them away.  I should have made these things in a rectangular, placemat size so I could visit with them at dinner time.

The women at that table made, and STILL make, the most gorgeous quilts.  Wendy's have won prizes all over America.  They knew everything about everything.  Taught me how to make and attach binding, straighten the sides of blocks and how to miter a border onto a quilt.  I perplexed them with my hand appliqué of a very large gay Rooster.

G is cleaning out his dresser drawers.  He's down to that.  Yesterday he finished off his office.  This morning he has found 7 pairs of glasses frames including the ones he wore the day we got married.  And he found the beautiful watch I purchased for him in Germany with the phases of the moon on the face.  We thought that was lost forever.  He also found something that needed batteries.  And an antique Nintendo Game Boy with one game which I wrapped and stuck into the box I am filling for my son.  I also found Fire.  If my son is reading this, he is now very happy.

I was just "passing through" the channels last night and came across a one hour special price deal with 7 minutes left.  A Fuji FinePix camera for less than $160.  I dialed.  In 3 to 7 days I will see what I bought.  The camera I am now using is a Fuji FinePix purchased about 7 years ago (also late at night from a shopping channel).  I love it but it is getting old.  The features on the new camera I saw last night looked familiar.  And it was a "black body" camera.  I was going to say it makes movies, but the one I have can do that--but I have never used that feature.  In fact, all the accessories and video are still in the original box.  All I wanted to do was take pictures and post them on the internet.

My husband's roommate from college works for Fuji.  D sent me film once.  That was nice.  And I still own Doug's old black body Nikon.  I LOVE that old film camera with adjustable everything.  Nothing automatic at all.  We got it in the mid 60's and it was already old by then.  And very heavy.  I am hoping this new Fuji is wonderful.  I'll show it to you in 3 to 7 days.

More Country Baltimore Blocks

This block has the sawtooth sashing added.  I just wanted (at the time) to see what it looked like and if it actually fit on the block.  I like how the corners would make a star.   I think this was one of the pattern blocks.  I guess Country or Primitive meant plain as well.

 I made this one from a few different patterns.  I don't like the fabric I selected for the bird bodies and the birds are just floating with no branch or twig to sit on.  It doesn't work with the other blocks even though two other blocks have these same birds.  And the wide expanses of green leaf doesn't work for me either. Perhaps I could cut the leaf open and do reverse appliqué veins? I don't think I knew how then.

Two of the buds have a bit of pattern on them which gives a bit of "sparkle" to the surface.  Only two.  Why didn't I recut the parts for the other two?  And the yellow.  By the time I had gotten this far, I was tired of the solid fabrics I had chosen (and the greens) and I had started adding "new" fabrics which wasn't the best of ideas.  I actually like this block.  It fills the space and has lots of elements to keep the eye busy.  In real life this yellow is much paler.  Lemony.  And the red is more red not so orange.  I do like the red being more orange and wish I had actually USED orange.

It's cold today and we are going to the grocery store.  G is out of all his breakfast supplies.  I made a very large pot of chicken soup yesterday and I have one more big bowl of the tomato kale soup.  I used the wrong tomato (frozen garden cherry tomatoes) and it's too sweet and the kale is a bit stinky.  Or I just don't care for it anymore.  I am having problems finding good low carb things to eat that are warm and wintery.  I just want to eat starchy, hot things out of a bowl in the winter.  Usually, we ate tons of pasta.  I think I will buy ground beef or a few pounds of chuck and make a large pot of chili.  No beans.  And eat it with cheddar and sour cream.  And avocado.

Watched Eat, Pray, Love last night.  I had read the book long ago.  It was okay.  Not great.  Movie was the same.  She still came across as terribly whiny.  Did I mention how cold it is?

Country Baltimore Blocks-1999

I designed this one myself.  Using pictures from quilt books and mixing and matching elements.  Notice the untraditional background fabric.  My love of all things dotted.  I chose brilliant colors (though the yellow isn't what I wanted--not golden enough) and traditional Civil War greens because I wasn't as sure of myself as I could have been (now) to go with the acid greens.  I can see the influence of Canadian Curling here also.  (ed: the red is reading as an orange on the screen)

I believe this block was made from the commercial pattern.  There were patterns for 6 blocks (which I purchased) and an eight inch wide appliquéd border.  I was learning to do needle turn and these were my first ever pieces.  I took to it like a duck to water.  I went to class with a friend once a month and we learned to do the stitches for each of the blocks.  The designs were meant to be primitive and not elegant as are the designs I made later from Ellie's Baltimore books.  Silk ribbon roses and couched velvet.

I think the finished 4 block by 4 with sashing and border measured at over 100 inches.  More like 116. There was no way this was ever going on any bed in my house.  My husband didn't like it.  The original was supposed to be a twin sized bed quilt.  Six blocks plus a border.  Once I started making new blocks, my husband I made quite a few 60 mile trips looking to match the red, greens and mostly the yellow and blue and the background.  I THINK I have enough to make all the sashing but not enough to make the wide borders.  And certainly not enough to do the heavy appliqué. I bought the very last of the dotted background from three quilt shops.

Another original design (meaning I took elements from a few patterns and mixed them up).  I see the need for some stem stitch to join the grapes to the stems.  I think all the blocks could use the added design element of some stem stitch.  Like Bemused.  I used the bias stem and leaf design in my friend Beverly's round robin.  Only I had the bias stem curve over the mitered borders.  Eight repeats of 27 leaves.  Wider bias and larger leaves.  I did each section in one night of watching television.  I am very fast and my stitches hardly ever show.

I also am (was) in the process of making a hand turned sawtooth sashing to attach the blocks.  I saw it in an 1800's quilt book and thought it was the perfect design element.  I think I had 49  eighteen inch strips to make and I think I made it to 29.  One of the blocks I photographed has the border sewn on so you will see it tomorrow.  The pattern for the sawtooth had to be handmade by me.  All that 9th grade geometry came into play.  Good thing that was the ONLY math class I excelled in.  Is geometry the most artistic of the maths?  My sawtooth looks very primitive and uneven.  From the looks I got from 30 year hand piecing veterans--I was certified crazy to even be making it.  They would have pieced it but NEVER would have appliquéd them.  Beginners are nothing if not fearless.

As usual, I enjoyed the challenge of this project.  The learning.  The search for fabric.  The making of patterns.  The tracing of said pattern onto freezer paper.  But once I got close to the finish line, it was all just repetition and knowing I would never USE it--well, I lost interest.  Would I do it again.  I don't know. As I never finished, it's hard to say I would ever begin again.  It took a long time to get all 16 blocks to this stage.  IF I actually have all 16.  I should go back up and count.

Any Baltimore I made now would be of the elegant, very detailed ones.  Ships with sails.  After making this I did make a few elegant "starts" and then transferred my love to crazy quilts.  And then I began teaching applique and crazy quilting.  Stay tuned.

Retrospective/Introspective Sunday

I was upstairs in the unused guest master suite, going thru boxed up quilting things.  Twelve rather large and heavy containers.  While I did that, riley threw up his lunch.  So I also had the thrill of cleaning the carpet.  I had intended to select a few Baltimore style needle turn blocks to photograph for the blog.  Something Fiber Or Art.  Instead you get the Dancing Crows.  Never quite finished needle turn though I have the border fabric and some gold braid that I had planned to use.  I'm thinking all this is pre-2002.  If I had it to do over I would have a more shaded background, not so flat and one tone.  And the crows don't have their eyes.  And why aren't the legs level?

The Baltimore blocks look awful.  I DID love them in 1999.  If and when I go back up and get a good picture I will share them with you.  Not today.  The combination of old fabric and carpet cleaner has shortened my breath.  I am having some problems taking a deep breath.  It could be an allergy or perhaps a cold or flu.  I didn't take my usual Benadryl before bed last night.  So, I am thinking allergy. This house is very dusty.  Especially, upstairs.  (I am better now)

When I considered the title for this post--last night, I had several really good ideas about what I was going to write.  Pithy.  Or so I thought.  Now, I can't remember anything.  Perhaps there isn't enough oxygen getting to my brain.

I do want to mention that looking through the 12 boxes of fabric and projects was sad.  I remember taking so much time and effort in selecting and buying those fabrics.  Those patterns.  And hardly finished (or started) most of them.  The fabric and the patterns are bundled together.  It's like I became someone else while they waited for me to start (or finish).  Today?  I might use the patterns but with much different fabric and with a better eye to how to use the fabric to it's best.  My interest in the Civil War/American Primitive was fueled by the other 5 members of my Mini Quilt Group.

Another container is all about Depression/Feed Sack with genuine 30's quilt tops I intended to quilt.  Another is Kaffe Fassett or however you spell that.  And there is a container of felt and an unfinished wool runner with appliqué felt flowers buttonholed in place.  I also have "candy" fabric I intended to use to make a Gingerbread House quilt.

One of the flowers on the best block I could find of my Country Baltimore (to show you) had a bud with the perfect placement of pattern.  The other flowers did not.  The block failed.  Did I see it at the time?  Why didn't I fix the other three????  And so many blocks had birds on them.  I try not to buy anything with a bird on it these days.  Perhaps that is why the Dancing Crows never got finished.  I can consider cutting the block in a few spots and inserting something.  I like cutting up useless blocks.

I know that our color choices change every 7 years.  Our fashion styles run on a ten year cycle and we are recycling 1980 right now.  Bigger shoulders and hair.  Skinny legs.  Long coats.  Dresses.  But I hadn't thought our fabric for quilts changed all that much.  I know quilters who chose the 1930's and are still there after 30 years of making quilts.  Others are still working the Civil War.

Where am I?  Well, there are only 12 containers.  I already donated an equal amount to Project Linus. Stuff I knew I would never use.  The 12 containers are what I couldn't part with--yet.

I did bring down an armload of black and white fabric.  Why did I put it into a container?  I love black and white.  And had been thinking I had given it away.  I can finish up the last of the four new placemats I am making for daily use.  Which means making binding.  UGH.  And stitching the binding to edge.  Double UGH.  The hand sewing.  Now that I do actually enjoy.  I also found the bundle of browns my son selected for a quilt.  All stars.  Center square with half square triangle star points.  So long ago.  He has waited long enough I think.  I could make the half squares by hand.  Evenings.

That trip upstairs for something to "show you" has led to many memories.  Many false starts and dead ends.  And a few things that I can actually work on.

I wonder if traditional quilting was ever "what I really wanted to do?"  Or was it the price of admittance  to a wonderful group experience.  Fellowship and friendship.  Two things I miss having in my life.

Thank Goodness They Didn't Have My Size

I found these delightful shoes on a blog I was reading.  Regular price was $325 and sale price was $175.  They had already sold out my size (and that was the largest size they came in) and the description mentioned a tight fit.  I don't like tight shoes even if the maker says they "stretch when worn".  How do you wear them when they are tight?  I already have ballerina flats that I try and stretch while wearing socks with them.  Not working so far. I do have a pair of shoes that I bought last Winter.  Have never worn them.  Not exactly what I wanted but nice looking with tights and have a low heel.  Comfortable.  Why haven't I worn them???  Oh, because I never had anywhere to wear a skirt and they are too old lady to wear with jeans.

I have straightened out all my Unemployment papers and got a partial payment for that first week.  I had gotten about twelve different mailings since Wednesday.  And yesterday I got a batch from Social Security.  Remember me mailing a big check to Medicare for my Part B?  Well, Social Security notified me they are taking out Medicare Part B from each monthly check.  So I will have paid twice from January to March.  I hope they figure it out without me having to make phone calls.  My check is smaller than I had hoped.  And will be even smaller after they take out Part B.  But, as G says, its more than nothing.

This year I am widening my possible job search.  To include possibilities I hadn't considered.  Jobs where I have no experience.  Because, my greenhouse job (that I love) is a job where I applied with no experience and it has turned out very well.  Perhaps there is another job out there I would like as much or more?  Faux painting of murals as an example.

I made a 5 pound pot roast yesterday. It was on sale this week.  The house smelled wonderful as it roasted away in the oven.  We had mashed potatoes, baby green peas and cole slaw with the meat and gravy.  I also made pan of brownies for G to have for dessert.  He's eaten all the chocolate cookies I baked before Christmas.  I made SF jello for myself but didn't have any.

I find, when trying to save money on food, that shopping the perimeter and buying whatever is on sale is the least expensive.  So I bought a huge pork butt roast and had them cut the pot roast for me.  Next time I am going for a 6 to 7 pound pot roast.  Bigger is better.  More leftovers to work with.  Russet potatoes were $2.48 for a large bag.  Grapefruit was on sale.  Carrots were 3 pounds for $2.  I read that buying things "by the bag" is always cheaper.  I tried the store brand of bacon and it is even better than the brand I was paying more for.  Do you have any ways of saving grocery dollars?

G is trying to match, cut and install the crown molding on the dish cupboard.  The last bit of finish work on the kitchen "re-do".  He has been up and down from the kitchen to the above the garage workshop (it's very cold today) and is bundled up.  Many trips.  Lots of measuring trying to get the complex cut to match.  We only have a limited amount of usable trim pieces.  Front piece is being nailed up as I type and the side piece is next up.  It looks good.

What I See

Here is the view from the dining room.  The rolling cart is where that built in desk unit was.  The side of the new fridge.  My frying pans, cast iron casseroles and the largest of my All Clad pots.  The empty jars were being stored but now I can fill them up again with all sorts of wonderful things.

My new computer desk.  Across from the couch where we watch television and read books in the evenings.  You can see a tiny corner of my ottoman.  The desk belonged to a former employer at the Little Traveler in Geneva, Ill.  One of my favorite jobs.  I was in the Cookware/Kitchen Sales Room.  I got to wear an apron and serve at the daily luncheon.  He was upgrading to a larger desk and they put this one on sale in the antiques room.  It took several pay periods for me to pay for it but I have enjoyed having this desk in my homes for many many years now.  And finally it is being used.  As  a desk.  And those are my file containers under the desk.  The large gray box is for taxes and the smaller open box is for current bills and papers I may need.  I put anything I thought I might need in that box and that thought has been a life saver during all this mess.

Here's a better view of my rolling cart and the new fridge.  See how shiny it is?  You can also see the repaired flooring.  Eventually the sun will make those new pieces as dark as the others.  Cherry is very light sensitive and darkens with exposure to light.   I like having my kitchen items handy.  It's nice not to have to get the step ladder every time I want to use something.  Sometimes the thought of getting the step ladder kept me from even using these things.  I love shopping at a restaurant supply shop.  Those plastic containers (with red lids) on the top right come in very handy when making pickles or grape jelly.  If I was still baking bread, they would be handy for letting dough rise also.

I found the tapioca flour recipe for waffles.  I read the comments and around 25% of the people who tried the recipe made a mess rather than waffles.  The others raved about the wonderful waffles.  I also found another recipe that used almond flour and potato flour. These also had a 25% failure rate.  I wonder what happens?  GF baking isn't for the faint of heart.  It also isn't the best tasting product.  You have to REALLY want to eat a waffle--any waffle, to want to eat these.  I am not at the point of wanting to eat a bad waffle.  Now, if I had an allergy to gluten products or a child of mine did--I would try these recipes in a heartbeat and try and make them delicious.  But I am not sensitive to gluten.

I ate an entire bowl of cooked wheat berries.  My tummy hurt a bit as the wheat berries moved along into my intestines but that is expected if you are stupid enough to eat so many at one time.  After they traveled, I was fine.  I learned to love cooked wheat berries in Germany where they were offered in the salad bar at a Health Restaurant.  You filled your plate and then had it weighed and paid.  Salad, vegetables, wheat berries and a boiled egg.  A very good lunch.  My second favorite German lunch was a  dense sour wheat loaf with thin sliced ham, cheese and a very sharp German mustard.  Breakfast was German rolls, good butter and apricot jam.

I never gained weight in Germany (I walked everywhere and lived on top of a steep hill) but was easily recognized (from behind) by my rear end even as a size 12.  I am a very wide bottomed pear.  Perfectly shaped peasant stock for birthing a dozen babies in the field and not missing a minute of work.  (laughing)

I Went For A Ride In The Car And Feel Better

I sometimes think I get house sick.  Too much time here in the house.  Not enough time in the outside world, breathing different air.  Not a lot of air.  I don't want the flu.  I can't remember if you have seen this kitchen before?  I like the island a great deal.  And those hanging lamps.

My fridge is now "balanced" and "level" and working less and producing no frost in the freezer drawer.  I gave it a little pat and rubbed off the fingerprints that marred it's shiny surface.  We're happy again.

We went to the library to return books and pick out a few new ones.  As usual, by the time I got home, there was an email notice that I had a book to pick up.  I asked while there and it didn't seem to help.

Yesterday, I received 6 letters from Unemployment.  And in each letter 2 full color, glossy flyers relating the joys of unemployment fraud and the joys of prison.  This is how they choose to spend money.  All the letters come from the same office and each has separate postage.  Two said exactly the same thing.  Two contradicted each other.  Two were Work Search Logs for two different addresses. I have no idea which one to fill out.   What I would enjoy getting is prepaid envelopes.  So I could send all the flyers back to them.

My head hurts today.  Sinus pressure.  I think a low pressure weather system is coming into Maine.  Its' supposed to be very cold tonight.  We had about 6 inches of snow yesterday.  Today the roads are black and the snow is melting.  All the clean snow is already dirty.

I stopped at the health food store to buy some tapioca flour.  I think there was some sort of recipe that uses it.  Can't remember. Waffles? I skipped the coconut butter for a loaf of bread I saw on the internet.  Coconut butter, eggs and macadamia nuts.  About $16 a loaf.  I don't want bread that badly. And what if it's terrible?  Most of these "science experiments" are awful. I bought organic pop corn and nutritional yeast for a Hippie Pop.  With lots of butter it could be fun.  I tasted the yeast and it's sort of cheesy.  The blog the popcorn came from suggests dill and the yeast.  Sort of Little Lad. Which I don't like. I also fell under the magnetic, mind altering spell of Swiss Mueslix.  God, I love that stuff.  Someone told me to eat a cookie.  My "cookie" would be Mueslix and cream.  It's now in the cupboard.  Last time I bought some I waited 5 or 6 weeks before actually opening the box.

I think a bowl of heavily buttered popcorn will be enough of a treat for this week.  One new food a week.  Last week it was butter fried potatoes.  And that may not have been a good idea as I got a look at myself in the mirror at Goodwill.  No matter what my family says--I look fat.  My pants are swishing around me giving the impression I am not fat.  But a mirror doesn't lie. Awful.  I did buy the cutest little sleeveless summer shift.  It zipped but not without a great deal of effort.  But I would NOT want to try sitting down in it.  It is going to be my new "test" clothing item.  When it fits.  I will be happy.  Maybe. But if (when) it fits I will have something to wear when everyone else is wearing a little cotton dress this summer.  The dress reminds me of the dresses I wore in 1968.  I would have loved this dress in 1968.  With a little cream cardigan.

I may go up into the attic and find the needle turn appliqué blocks I stored up there.  I am thinking I should finish that project.  Or just look at it and perhaps share the blocks with you.  You'd like that.