Amish flowers

 Visited the Amish greenhouse for a few mums.  This place has two huge two story homes with wrap around porches, far from other homes atop a hill.  These are some of their flowers.

Huge and healthy.

The owner, a very nice family, said the trick to blooms like this into September is petunia food every week. They use it on everything, especially those plants that like acidic soil.  I use bloom booster, but will try this next year.   Avoid fertilizer with more phosphorus.  

About that CT scan.  My dad passed in 2001 and I saw a pulmonologist after since I was short of breath.  It was anxiety after watching him suffocate and panic for two weeks when the idiot failed to diagnose a pulmonary embolism.  A CT showed two nodules which required watching (Carole's husband had passed before Dad from lung cancer).  The anxiety level was unbearable while I waited six months for the second scan.  Protocol was a CT every six months for three years.  Every few years or when I had a cough, another was ordered.  Then the incorrect reckless diagnosis of "rapid onset pulmonary fibrosis" several years ago required two more scans.  I don't qualify for the smoker's low dose radiation scan, and he finds them not to be as precise.  The nodules have minor growth over the last few years, along with GGOs (ground glass opacities) which have no guidelines.  Too small and scattered to biopsy unless they develop into a solid.  Scary. It is up to me to decide, insurance approved, radiologist recommends, doctor is concerned that all that radiation may do more harm since I had no change on the last one.

Tootsie is looking for Ollie and I miss that big head in my window.

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Balancing act

I need symmetry in projects.  Many a sampler has had motifs or verse centered or balanced when possible.  I can look at a wood project and tell you if the trim or door is off 1/4 inch, same when studying a chart.  The outline border of these three had me puzzled.

When stitching, I make my routine mistake of continuing without checking the chart, assuming they align.  I counted top, side, angle, thought the opposite was the same.  It ain't.  A frog-o-rama ensued. I patched and corrected the lower right side and bottom to make them equal.  Two stitches need correction on the patch yet.

  So I changed the straight bottom stitch count to match the top, moved the right angle, it lined up with the side. This pushed the angle out two rows and bottom down one, all is aligned now.  I'm OK.

Reduced those bottom angles to two rows (instead of charted three) of the outer outline to match the sides and top which have two rows.  

I see the pumpkin design top is 18 across, bottom is 20, so I will use my amended chart for all three rather than do this for each of the three.  Nothing wrong with the chart, just my own preference for symmetry.

Lungs CT scan is on hold.  Doc said I've had too many, lots of radiation can cause an issue.

Bye.

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Shortcut with color

I received my new chart, and since I have no tears when I cry, had no blurriness problem reading it. But when I realized the background was full coverage, not linen color, my eyes got bigger.  And the Rit came out.

 

Much easier.

I also dyed this amethyst for the needle case from Durene Jones.

I plan to change the blue shades.  Visit to HL proved that the 924 series is indeed, not as warm, not as teal, as the originals.  The change in the darker 924 is not as noticeable as the others.

Not sure if the berries charts, the black cat, the raven I can't find, or these goofy guys will be next.  My right hand fingers are going numb quite often, lasting way too long, can't hold a needle. 

Thank you for your comments about Ollie. Since we could not touch him, or get within three feet without a warning from him, taking him to the ER vet more than a half hour from here was not possible, and he would have run if we approached.  Yet he would always move to a spot closer to me if I was outside.  The trap had been near his shelter for months, but he was too wise for that. Whether cancer or infection, we will never know.  For two+ days we watched him suddenly deteriorate, and we tried to block him from leaving the deck.  I sat close by and talked to him, but when he made his way around the blockade to the woods, we knew he didn't have much longer and we let him go to where he wanted as most animals do when they feel death is near.  But we still stayed close to him until he passed. 

Hope all is well with everyone.

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Ollie

 

I will miss you.

I already do.

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2025 Finish #20

Camera, old tablet, new tablet, all lousy photos.

I had enough 926, thank you for the offers.  Will check HL tomorrow but I'm expecting to find that favorite series to be different.

My first fig.  A small one, maybe they will all be this size.  Sweet, soft, small.

Quite a few on the tree and still more starting.

Going for mums tomorrow (Saturday).  It's early for me, but they sell out quickly to all the Fall lovers here.  If I find more later in the season, I'll get another.

Starting to rehash last September when it all started with covid.  My yearly lung CT scan was missed last year, anxiety about that too.  Next week.  I don't know if I mentioned that my new cardiologist (seen once), is leaving.  I guess I have to go back to my previous.  This test was first ordered in January, and between inept staff and long wait times, then new doctor and her hospital's wait time for testing, it's been a real ride.

Hope your weekend has a good start.

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Pay attention

 I thought some of the blues looked different.

I pulled the used skein out of the bag for next project, and then used the new skein.  I didn't notice the difference.  Until several flowers were stitched, that is.  More frogging!  

I need to check HL to see if I can find the more teal skein, this cool blue 926 does not go with the 920 series.  I hope 924-928 were not changed!

We've had some days in the 70's with cool nights.  Except for two baskets and my impatiens, all else has croaked.  First time ever they did not last into fall.  Visited the Amish mum place to purchase one for my neighbor (just diagnosed) and their calibrachoa and tunias are so full you barely see the green leaves.  Completely covered with vibrant flowers!

Hope the week is going well for you.

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