August

Right in the middle of crab season.  It's when the crabasses start getting meaner as summer fades.  I have a shellfish allergy even though I would have crab legs, lobster, shrimp for many years.  A few hives once in a while.  When a local doctor's wife died within minutes after taking a shrimp from a platter on New Year's Eve (she never had more than a few hives either), I decided it was not worth the chance.  Back in those days of tight jawlines, estrogen, and slim hips, I did not realize these creatures are boiled alive.  Horrible.  Can't they kill them before going into the pot?

Yesterday I made zucchini pizzas.  Saw several recipes online and tried my own method since our zukes are very firm and taking longer to cook.  Maybe the lack of rain?  I cut them thicker than 1/4", let them release their water after salting for about an hour.  Dried off and on a sprayed tin foil, roasted at 425 for 5-6 minutes each side.  Added Ragu Simply,  Kraft Italian blend shreds, and pepperoni strips.  Back in for 3 minutes.  Could not stop eating them.

I mentioned previously about the autistic child that would not wear shoes.  Well, the idea worked.  I attached a tag with a drawn dinosaur that stated they will only fit children who love dinosaurs and cannot be worn by others.  He grabbed them and took them home, has been wearing them!!  But we still can't get him to wear a mask.  Next weekend I hope to have a clear face guard with head band for him, complete with dino stickers.  If that doesn't work, he can't go to school and with no teacher contact at all as has been the case, he will continue to regress.

My friend's DIL has done a great job with the kids at home.  Every week, there is a new skills project.  Started with how to sew on a button, darn a sock, use a sewing machine, tend to a flower garden, cook eggs and pancakes, hand wash a clothing item, banking, and their favorite - writing a letter to someone (mom taught them cursive two years ago).  They have received replies and are continuing this exercise and thoroughly enjoying it.  Others are writing a story, history of WWI and II, types of government and how they differ, and other subjects not taught in their schools.  What a great idea.  They were allowed to use their computers to research and watch how-to videos.  

Surprisingly, Shaker Woods Festival is starting next weekend.  The vendors all have cabins throughout the woods but they aren't allowed to use them.  All wares must be outside which is going to be much more work for them.  But it will also make it easier for people to help themselves to the displays.  I have no idea how they will count people going into the woods, masks are required, and I'm thinking there will be a lot of people anxious to attend.  

Hope the weekend is going well for you.  Cannot believe it's August!  I'm giving haircuts today, outside, yesterday was a much needed rain day.

Stay safe!!

Thanks for visiting.

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My apologies

I mentioned that I did not want my gold threads and if anyone was interested to email.  I couldn't figure out why I had so many requests, so I did a little research.  These are not the current DMC spools for a few bucks that have a twist.  I found this Etsy listing, the same threads as mine.  That price is for ONE spool of gold, the silver is $38.  I haven't found any others so I don't know if this is too high, or because of being vintage and no longer made it is rare.  From what I've read, they stopped adding real gold long ago.  Either way, I gave away several fine gold hanks for embroidery a while ago and I'm sorry I did, so I think I should not make that mistake again.  The stickered price of $4.40 is still on my spools and that is listed on this box from the 60's.  Gold was around $35 an ounce, it's now closing in on $1900.  

I should have bought the gold back then, not the thread.

Please accept my apology but I've decided to hold on to them.

As for Carole, no she is not losing mental capacity, she doesn't take initiative.  She has always relied on others (her late husband and moi) to interpret reports, statement, taxes, instructions, directions, you get the idea.  She called in a panic last week because the appointment notice sent from Cleveland was wrong.  I looked at it, all in order, easily understood, and I made the drama queen read it again.  When you quickly go over information only once, you miss most of it.  Being in so many hospital rooms/baths which all have that red cord, she should have known the purpose.  She does now.  

You can't imagine the mail that I have to interpret for both she and Chris.  I know Chris has a problem and was never diagnosed in school for his dyslexia so getting a second opinion on what he's reading is a good idea.  We didn't realize this until several years ago when a truck imprinted with RSPC was stopped in front of his house.  He said it was SPCR.  Asked to repeat, same thing, and then it all made sense.  His brain works the same way in addition to ADD.  If he hears 350 Forest Lane in Sharon, he will repeat 53 Sharon Road in Forest.  We never understood why he always got things wrong which has really increased with age.  He has felt inadequate his entire life and what a difference it would have made if the school did more than tell his parents he had bad study habits.  Every year, conferences and meetings, the blame was always put on him as a failure. We have no idea if his biological mom was healthy and he has no desire to research.

I did the little birds in the same colors as the larger, but it's too matchy matchy for me.  Trying solid color next.  Should finish this weekend and am contemplating the next project.

Enjoy your weekend! 

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How many times?

I lost count.  First I removed the bird breast because of counting errors.  Then color after color, all of which were too strong.  There had to be some color, otherwise the breast did not show on this linen.  I'm done.

The other two birds are charted in different colors than the large bird but I may not do that.  Surprised?

I took Carole to a lab for blood work and she did not know a urine sample was needed.  She doesn't bother reading anything even though she had the requisition in hand.  So they show her into the bathroom and when the alarm went off, somehow, I knew it was her.  As I said, she doesn't bother reading anything.  That red cord ain't to order an iced coffee!!  Read the sign!!

Enjoy the final day of July.  I complain every year of summer passing too quickly.  This year, more so.  Stay safe.

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Color happy

Pleased with the 3045 roof and 3031 windows.  I'm lightening the mortar color to 3866 since the called for matches the linen.  I'm surprised at the coverage for this being 36 count.  And look how uniform the roof stitching looks with that method!  

Local Michael's is a disaster for floss and I don't believe I will ever get over the loss of Pat Catan's.  The display goes from 500's to 900's to 3000's, to 700's and none are the full range within that row.  900's are in two places, they don't even have a bin for 3866, and surprisingly, not 869 either.  Many colors are missing within the sections and the sections are in such a random order that it takes forever to look.  And after listening to the two employees talk about their jobs and money and departments, I threw my rather large hip to the side and added my hand.  Finally, "do you need help?".  They could not explain the numerical order and told me to bring in the floss itself so they could scan the label as if that would make a bin for 869 magically appear.  Whoever set this up must be a student of the new math taught by one of my neighbors and have no idea of numerical sequence.  

Good thing I was seeing the chiropractor after Michael's.  That hip throw ain't what it used to be.  Bet it doesn't look as good as it used to either.  Younger and thinner it was pretty demanding, now they probably think I need a hip replacement.

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Solid color blocks

Greetings folks.  Not much stitching accomplished yesterday.  Carole called and asked for our help, sudden and severe vertigo again, so most of the late afternoon and evening was spent there until the Meclizine (Rx) kicked in and she was able to get around by herself.  Dramamine (OTC) is meclizine and the newest is long lasting with nausea relief.

I tried 3031 and 420, wasn't happy.  The 3045 seems to be working out well and since the reproduction used 436, this isn't too far off.   My test area -

Doing a block of stitches using the sewing method cuts the time in half if not more.  I've shown this before and it makes such a difference in the uniformity of my stitches which are usually lopsided pulls and tension issues.  Both noticeable when it's a block of one color.  I do the first half horizontally, and then complete the cross vertically.  Such a difference from my wonky stitches.  Plus the sewing method of course makes it so much easier.  I turn the piece upside down every other row with that method.

Hot here again.  Still waiting for a red tomato.  Chiro pretty soon and errands to run including a few floss skeins.  My JoAnn does not have all the colors so I need to stop in Michael's.  I offered those bags of floss with hundreds of skeins, and I have been needing to purchase replacements!  But that's fine because it's only certain colors and I did not need all those others.

We found several places with elderberries!!  None are easy to get to and one is along I-80 but not near the road.  We're watching daily, those tiny berries need to be harvested within a day of ripeness and used or frozen within 12 hours.

Have a good one!!  

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Wasting time on color

Again.  These are the charted colors, 436 for the roof, 3371 for outlines and window trim.  I think the 3371 is way too harsh and dark but I can't find a dark brown that isn't reddish when next to the brick's 869.  Not sure I like the peach roof.

I've narrowed down the roof choice to two, 420, or the lighter 3045.  The outline will be the brick's 869 and I'll give the 3371 a try.  Using one strand in a single row won't be near as stark as the skein looks but I'll probably skip that for now. 

The grass color is Colour & Cotton's Willow, I lightened the critters, and reduced their head size.  I really like the subtle variegation of their threads and they are pretty consistent from skein to skein.  And eight yards rather than five.  Looking at this photo I can see that a front foot is missing.  Light thread on linen is difficult for me, I must not have seen the single stitch in place and went over it with the green.  

Had a pretty rotten weekend so far.  Ate a hard boiled egg Friday that looked fine, but my body didn't agree.  Yesterday, I happened to see a wren leave one of the bird houses and a baby came out with her.  We found it, as big as my thumb and feathered but eyes shut and not yet a fledgling.  We put it back in. Three times.  The box I attached to the pole to catch it before hitting the ground was empty, the baby was five feet away.  We then realized the mother was throwing it from the nest.  I checked several times in the evening and found no other babies so this one must have been ill even though it did not appear to be.  This morning, the nest is empty.  She must have taken them out one by one and dropped them into the high grass.  I held that little squawker and studied his tiny wings and legs, my heart is broken that they all met his fate.  There are birds that will abandon the nest, throw out the babes, kill them in the nest, it's nature.  That bitch.

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