Another one bites the dust

Laptops.  Damn.  I can't believe another hard drive died.  All I do is browse, shop, blog, and email.  This Dell refused to complete backup/restore the last several months so I've lost my patterns, contacts, and photos.  Between that and summer's end, I'm as crabby as can be.  I indulged in one of my favorite comfort snacks, cinnamon/sugar toast.  Lightly toasted, smeared with butter, loaded with cinnamon sugar.  I don't know when to stop so comfort became uncomfortable according to my waistband.

Let's see.... then there's the rash/poison ivy that is driving me nuts along with flea bites.  I have a tremendous reaction to them and Mark has not one bite.  But of course, no doctor can see me for a few months.  By then my hands, feet, and ankles should be healed from the bites and scratches left by three ungrateful cats.  Another round of hit and miss flea meds.  When I snipped the top off the vial, it squirted onto my shirt and a drop flew into my eye.  No ill effects.  Let's continue....my brother found another indoor kitten that someone threw away (or out) with a damaged hip/back leg.  Of course, no agency would take it, most wouldn't call back, the shelter as usual refused another cat, and his three are chasing it.  All of his were strays with problems, just like mine.  He finally found a woman that deals with Erie PA shelters (about 2 hours from here) that will help in a few weeks. The fourth kitten she was taking in after rescuing them from the hot pavement at a mall, died, so she has an opening for this little guy.  So friendly, so playful, uses the litter box, about 6 months old.  I am so tired of having local agencies that never ever help with strays.  We don't have one vet office that helps them with reduced costs either.   And finally...."did you get a car yet?" is asked every day by both siblings.  NO!!!  Dammit.  It's hard to spend that kind of money or make a decision on something you really don't want or like.  I think the only solution is getting her a lease, but she doesn't want a small car.  Her back problems, you know.  Can you tell I'm not in a good mood?   My emails on the tablet are labeled in categories and GMail needs it's own app - won't come through my other account like on the computer.  I have no idea what I'm missing currently, anything prior to today is lost forever, so if I was to reply, it ain't coming.  Sorry. 

 

It's time for a trip to the basement where the Dove is stored.  AND.....speaking of the basement.  Our electric bill has risen dramatically in recent months.  Bumping our heads trying to figure out why and finally remembered that we changed the pressure switch on our water tank from the well.  That wouldn't do it but the dates were lining up.  For some reason, the ballast in the tank deflated and the well pump was running for every drop of water.  He put the tire gauge on the valve - nothing.  So we pumped the air in and inflated the ballast to the proper pressure and now it's back to normal.  Who would have thought?  So glad we found the problem.

 

Sorry for the crappy post.  I won't be back for a while and don't know if I will replace the hard drive or get a new Windows 10 machine.  Until then, stay safe and enjoy your stitching.  Make some cinnamon sugar toast and a cup of tea.  Fall is coming.  Dammit.

 

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It's over!

Hello people.  Labor Day.  The holiday that I associate with summer's end.  I will be sticking around the house whining.  Hoping you will be participating in whatever you choose for the day. 

 

I am drug sensitive.  Doctors don't believe me and think it's a fallacy.  I knew the loss of balance with dizziness was coming on so I took less than one half of a 25 mg. Meclizine (Antivert).  I can not function, wake up, concentrate and this is day two.  Normally I am groggy for a day and get over it but the last two times have had prolonged effects.  When I had a biopsy that took 20 minutes, I was out for hours after the "conscious sedation".  One OTC Benadryl tablet knocks me out too.  Two days of antibiotics and I am doing the seated cha-cha (yeast infection). I think they better start believing me!

 

 

Progress is still slow on Sally's house and honestly, I have not been in the mood to stitch for some time now.  I am moving forward, but I am losing interest.  So why the hell am I still seeing charts and wanting to purchase them?  I made an error on the lower windows and front door because I was not paying attention to the chart.  Once I get the pattern in my head, I assume the rest is the same but this is so not true in reproductions.  The windows flanking the front door are to be one stitch narrower than the rest and I failed to check that, so instead, mine are the full width of the others.  Instead of removing those stitches, I took two stitches from the door's width to keep the design around it the same as the chart.  This messed up the over 4 rice stitch at the entrance (green) so I only did rice at the edges.  I also thought the X's (to signify rice) meant to use the color assigned to that symbol (DMC 3371) and had to remove it all. 

 

I have another kitcheny thing to show you.  When we had the standard sink base we had the tip-out trays behind the false fronts at the top.  Since we no longer have that style, we installed the thin, removable and washable trays inside the doors.  Very handy and thin enough to not interfere with the doors.  They are low cut and don't hold a lot, but having the brushes and scrubbies handy is nice.

 

And in all the years of gardens, we have never had the fawns eat the large zucchini leaves and also the zucchini themselves.  So surprised to find them inside the fence since the rest of the garden was terminated by them months ago.  The plants covered this area and we had three zukes left before this.

 

 

That's it folks.  Hope you're enjoying the long weekend. 

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

 

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The sink base

Hello people.   It's been a while since I bored you with kitchen stuff so I thought it was about time to do it again. 

 

Not sure if I showed you the finished sink base.  It was a standard base until we easily modified it to accept the soapstone farm sink. 

 

 

This color is SW's Curio Gray, an old historic color that they still have in their fan deck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The other cabinets are a little lighter and very neutral.  Behr's Riviera Beach.  I did a dark Minwax walnut stain on the edges, then a coat of dark cranberry.  You can see the red through the chips and the stain on the edges.  The same stain that covered me and half the kitchen a few days ago.

 

We went to Volant for Amish farm goods and stopped at the antique shop and James Creek.  I found this 8" wide x 34" old wooden oven peel.  The tapered end is delicate and so very thin from use.  I needed something long and narrow for the side of the fridge and this is perfect. 

James Creek looked very nice, better than a month ago, and the shop was filled with Fall colors.  Since Homespun Weavers have changed to a more limited and modern line of wovens, I grabbed several small pieces at 40% off.  When she told me a month ago that the colonial lines were discontinued, I should have grabbed the larger cloths then.   

We stopped in River's Edge to see Wendy (Judy), who worked at JC for many years and was a joy to visit with.  I have always called her Judy since that's exactly what she looks like to me.  A Judy. 

 

And speaking of discontinued, I'm sure you've all heard by now that Sampler & Antique Needlework Quarterly is finished.  The fall issue was its last.  I just renewed for two years.

 

That's it.  Still car shopping, narrowed down to another Escape or Subaru Forester.  The Escape comes in a wild gold called Electric Spice.  That may be the deciding factor since I am used to, and want, a car easily seen in the parking lots.  I've helped many elderly folks that I found roaming the lots find their vehicles and am not ready to become one of them.

Have a good week.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Sewing method

After a number of emails asking about the sewing method, I tried doing a little video to show how I do it. Unfortunately, my Samsung tablet takes lousy videos and my phone is the $7 a month flipper you saw last post.  I don't see any adjustments for clarity on the device or in the program but will do some research.  Certainly can't see the over two linen threads but you can get the idea.  I will try other settings and distance to show the full stitch method.  There are other ways also but I've been a bonehead for most of my life and always go back to what I know. 

And according to many sources, I know everything.

 

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Little Robina

Backed with dark greenish brown uncut corduroy with a hanger of the same linen, attached with a pin so I can change my mind and throw her in a bowl.  ME???  Change my mind?  Nah.

 

Needlework Press reproduction done on R&R Sea Glass linen with a walnut dip.

  

 

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Slow stitching

Greetings!  I keep seeing posts and pages of early Fall decorating, many excited about the onset of their favorite season.   We had nothing but cold and rain all of June, a nice July and part of August, and I've had a heater on for a week.  Six weeks was about all I got this year of my favorite season.  My house is 64 degrees and I need a sweater in the evening.  Morning shoppers have jackets on!  Ridiculous.  High temps coming this weekend but it's too little too late.  It's over and I'm about as crabby as I can be. 

 

My fingers are numb again from my neck after a chiropractic treatment.  Hard to hold a needle between the numbness and cold but I'm plugging away at the house.  I do the first half of the stitch horizontally using the sewing method, and then the second half vertically.  Big areas like this end up looking like corn rows if I follow the same route.  A few houses in prior samplers have obvious "rows" going two different directions when I did large horizontal sections and then narrow vertical ones, like between windows.  The method works very well for my tension.

 

The kids have been giving me trouble.  Tiny little Missy Midge took off after the baby turkeys, even though big mama bird was right there.  Nitzy has spit out and drawn blood three times during a worm pill fiasco.  Still didn't get it down.  The pill plunger is all the way back but he makes sure he hocks it up every time.  Filthy dirty Bud will not leave me alone and obviously the flea stuff isn't working.

 

The fawns are not around as much but the turkey moms and poults are.  Probably because of the very wet and cold spring, they must have lost their first brood and had another because they are very small for this time of year.

 

 

The squirrels are happy that without the fawns visiting, there is more bread for them.

 

 

No decision on the car yet.  I am kind of upset that I am losing my bright yellow Escape.  2003 and it's been perfect, still is.  Carole always got her cars from my Dad and he was always upset at what they looked like a year later from neglect.  I am already feeling that.  I am still considering leasing a mid size sedan for her but what about after the lease ends?  One of us may be needing a new car then and I can't do two payments.  I hate decisions.  And you know I can't make them. 

 

  

 

 

 

And this pic is for friend Krissy B.

 

 

Have a nice calm relaxing weekend!

 

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