Tougher every year

Greetings!   This Fall season is harder than last, and it gets worse every year.  It's the season my age shows more than any other.  After using the blower and raking, which I love to do for exercise, my damaged knees are killing me, arthritic hand doesn't close, and lower back is miserable.  Ah...Fall.  I hate it.

 

Because of the right hand stiffness, I'm not making much progress on Eliz.  I worked a little last evening and as you can see, found a length of threads that are the same shade throughout!  Got to use the loop and half cross sewing method in the dividing band.  Had to hold the stiff linen down with my pincushion.

 

About the Panera soup....a reader tried that recipe and said it wasn't as good so I searched for more and found another very similar here.  The Panera's website has recipes and I found one for curried pumpkin soup that is also similar (here) and I may add squash to it and give that one a try too.  I don't bother peeling and cubing the butternut squash.  I wash, cut in half lengthwise, then crosswise and put them in a roaster at 425 until soft and scoop out the flesh.  If it has a lot of moisture I let it drain in a colander.  Most is mashed and put in baggies for the freezer.  You can buy it in the freezer section already to go too.

 

Today will be doing my floors and taking a break from outside work except for an attempt to clean up the mess from the tree cuttings.  Two of the 60' ash were at the edge of the woods and we told them to trim off the limbs, and then let the trunk fall since a thick hairy poison ivy vine was attached.  Well they didn't.  They let the entire tree fall and it is a mess with limbs sticking out everywhere and it killed everything in its path.  The second tree, without my permission, they cut down an oak and a maple to allow it to fall.  I am furious.  They should have asked me and if it would have cost more to do it differently, fine.  But to remove two large healthy trees at the wood line was uncalled for. We didn't realize it until all the bucket trucks and chippers were gone.  The small limbs/sticks from the other six trees were raked into the wood line edges on top of smaller trees and growth, killing them and making a real mess.  I will try to remove them in the next few days.  My husband is telling me to let it go since it is done and nothing can change it.  Not always easy for me to do, but good advice.

 

 

Did a little decorating... my heavy as heck new wheelbarrow.

 

Front porch mums.

My front door has no pumpkins or mums.  Empty tub, drab and dull, that's what I like!  I use a length of rebar, pound it into the ground a foot or more, and slide the tied bunch of stalks on.  After all those winds, it's still standing proud.

Did anyone take a look at those scissors?  I browsed a little more - they have a pair with a witch!  Several with a crucifix too.  Never saw those before.  I'm excited that Jane will be arriving soon, but I don't know why since she will just be put with the others I won't ever stitch.  You never know though!  Maybe one day I will tire of smaller simple projects, get an Ativan refill, and go at it.

 

On a sad note, one of the fawns that allowed me to get so close and came twice a day for their food, was killed on the highway yesterday.  I was hoping it wasn't mine, but only one came this morning with mama.

Hope your day is going well.

Thanks for visiting.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

 

 

Happy Birthday Sis

Today Carole is 76 and she is lucky to still be here.  It's already been seven weeks since her event.  There's 13 years between us.

 

 

I was browsing Silent Stitches to order Jane Ballard - the sampler I have always wanted, will never stitch, but have to have.  You can't copy any of the website photos or I would show a few, but if you have a thing for scissors, check out their Scissors page.  I also found a few designers unfamiliar to my aging mind.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

One is The Traveling Stitcher, her blog is here.  I like her Long and Lean A&E and the new M A Badger 1870.  The photo is of the antique and I'm loving the red. 

 

Today is calm and wet.  Lots of wind yesterday and a ton of leaves to blow, but I may end up with the rake since they were pounded into the grass by the rain.  After I make another trip to the Pet Store.  Squeak is eating anywhere from 4 to 6 cans of food a day.  And fussy!!!
 I can't stop craving Panera's Autumn Squash soup and found a copycat recipe but haven't tried it yet.  The recipe is here.  I've seen others but they didn't have the pumpkin and I think that's what I'm loving in its taste.  I've never used curry and bought the small jar of Tone's brand to test it out.  Farmer's market Saturday and I'll grab some butternuts, roast, and freeze them for future soup.

 

All I got today!

Have a great day and thanks for visiting.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Two old men and a sink

After a few mishaps, limb whacks, black eyes, sore backs, and cuss words, the sink is here. 

 

 It's heavy.  My brother needed ice over the lump on his forehead, a bandaid on his torn cheek, and my husband needed the back massager and a few Advil.  It didn't look that big in the woods but it was half covered with dirt on the edge of a ravine.  So here is the cast iron bottom leaning against the tree, still filthy, and almost 5 foot wide.  It has some rust on chipped edges but most of the porcelain is intact.  Two hole high back and good size drainboard.

 What will I do with it?  I can't use it in the kitchen, I don't have an actual laundry room, so we may build a support with wood legs (with casters!) and put it against the house off the deck. The sink can be filled with flowers in the summer, gourds in the fall.  I have no idea how we will lift it onto a base but we'll figure it out.  The dolly did most of the work coming out of the woods and it was slid out of the car to the ground.  I'll scrub it after the tree guys are gone.

 Squeak is trying to figure out what it is while Budman does his yoga moves. 

And that's my sink rescue! 

 

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~

Learning to use overdyed

Good day to you.  Weekend going well?  Mine started early Saturday with the sounds of chain saws and shredders.  Eight of my huge ash trees are dying because of the Emerald Ash Borer.  Too bad our yard is still a swamp and the trucks are tearing the crap out of it.  But I have to say, whenever we need to hire someone for outdoor work, I luck out and get really good looking young guys.  Hard working too. 

 

I don't often use overdyed threads, mostly because I never see them and ordering that type online is a shot in the dark.  When I got Harry Tyler's Lion from Heartstring, I purchased several skeins of the Uniform Blue.  I love that design and really want to stitch it, but every time I pull it out, the alphabet pulls me back.  Maybe that will be the next project, I'll order more blue.  Anyway, since I'm not familiar with overdyed stitching, it never occurred to me that my way of starting a new thread would be wrong.  Well it is.  Now that I have two sewing methods for full stitches, I though that would be all I had to change.  While working on Eliz last night (using two threads on 28 count), I noticed that one end was very dark and the other very light. 

Certainly not the color placement it should be.  How could I get the light to dark variance when they are both in the same stitch? 

 I have always used the loop method when starting a new thread - folding over one long thread, two ends into the eye and then through the loop behind the fabric to secure instead of having tails.  No can do!  When I fold the thread, the shading doesn't line up and it just doesn't work.  Now I will use two single threads from the same piece and the varied shades will line up, the stitches will reflect the variance.  You know what I mean?  Of course you do, but I hadn't a clue.  But of course if I see a piece that when folded, lines up with the shading, I'll use my loop.  I'm set in my ways and do NOT like change!  There's a difference between experienced stitcher and knowledgeable stitcher.  I've been stitching samplers for over 30 years, but still lack many of the tricks, tips, and basics.  I'm still learning. 

On my way back from my injections Friday, I came across a farmer selling dried gourds he found in the barn's attic.  This was what he had left and wanted rid of them, I got a good price.   Their dried skins are still on, not cleaned at all, and I haven't decided if I will or not.  Maybe just a good brushing with stiff bristles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You saw the inside - this is the outside of the finished fridge cabinet.

I also wanted to mention that if anyone would like the Sampler/Antique Needlework Quarterly but shipping outside the USA is costly, you can get the subscription digitally for $21.97 here. Access to two years' prior issues included. You can print the charts or view them on the screen while stitching, even enlarge them. 

 

So that's it boys and girls!  Oh.  I'm sorry.  According to a school in Nebraska, we have to be gender neutral.  No more ladies and gentlemen or boys and girls.  The kids must be addressed as purple penguins or campers, and not line up as boys and girls - instead, by their preferences such as Summer or Winter, bikes or skateboards.  And what if the kid likes Fall?  Or doesn't bike or board?  Aren't you excluding them?  I'm tired of hearing about agendas instead of education.  Just call them KIDS or CHILDREN instead of making the majority feel there is something wrong with them for being who they are. They are also rethinking gender bathrooms and locker rooms. Make one gender neutral and leave the current set up for those kids that are uncomfortable without privacy.  I don't know how an 8 year old would feel, but as a 63 year old, it's confusing ME!!

 

Have a great week purple penguins!!!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A new start

on 28 count natural linen as the original, with Gentle Art's Uniform Blue.

 

 

 

 

 

 

.  Eliz: Laidman from Threads of Gold. 

 

 

 

 

 

And the top of the fridge cabinet with dividers.  I didn't paint the insides of these doors because, well, I'm done.

 

Have a good weekend!!!

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary Spinney arrived

with several rows completed. The Ebay description stated such but I didn't know the extent, and I wondered if I should remove and start fresh, or continue.  Comparing the piece to my samplers, I can see the difference in stitches. But after putting a few in of my own, not noticeable at all.  Mine are just as bad!  The linen is just too open and I can't get a uniform flat stitch (this is nothing new-just thought I'd pretend that it's caused by the fabric).  The top gold band is missing two rows but I don't care.  My very first reproductions were done exactly as instructed but I was young and impressionable.  Now, I do what makes it easier and enjoyable to reach my goal of the early style I like.
 

 

 

Love the olive color of the linen but that's all. The kit states 30 count, another page states 28, and it feels like 25.  Sheer enough to see the lettering on my keyboard.  I don't mind the lower count but I like thicker threads in the fabric. You can't run a tail two stitches on the back without it being very noticeable.  See the thread hanging from the stitches beneath the V in the first photo?  Still glad I happened to spot this when searching for Mary Monier, which I didn't win (it sold for $38). I have several pieces of R&R's 18th Century Sea Glass (♥!) I could use instead but they're 13 x 18 and may be too short.   Although I love these pastels on the green, the more I see it, the more I think I want the Sea Glass 32 count with more neutral pastels.  Why am I never satisfied?  I guess my age is showing.  When I got to the stage that doctor appointments became my social life,  I started to thin out possessions that are nice and I used to love, but no longer want to settle for nice.  I want what I want.  Nice is great but spectacular is better.  I still may continue on this linen as it is, but the thought of the other will nag me.  We'll see. 

Right now I have a tummy ache from a bag of Mounds. I can't pass up a sale! There won't be any candy left by Halloween. This happened last year and started the weight gain of my personal mounds.  I need help.  And after pushing the 200# leaf blower, I need the brace back on my old knee.  They have greatly improved but one spot is still painful.  Oh.  One more thing.  I found a bunch of Santa cards and thought I gave them all away.  I'm sure I mailed to the winners - did everyone get theirs?  I want to start painting boxes for sale and should start keeping records.  In a very large binder.  Fluorescent orange binder.  Taped to the TV.  With brightly colored duct tape. Glow in the dark duct tape.  And a flag.

 

Enjoy your day!

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~