Berries

I walk the dogs around the perimeter of our property every day.  Inevitably we pass some berry bushes and I always have to stop.  Wrigley likes them and will eat them right off the bramble.  Frannie is more discerning.  The berry must be absolutely ripe or she won't eat it.

There is one bush that dips into our path.  The berries are big and lush.  A few days as I picked one particularly delectable treat my fingers brushed a soft, quishy something.  Of course I trembled and screamed.  I am a wuss.  But not such a wuss that I did not look to see what the heck was on the bush.

There was a worm that looked just like a twig.  It has been hanging out there for about a week now.   One day when Steven graced us with his presence, I showed it off.   He looked it up in his Butterflies and Moths field guide and found it quite quickly.  It is a Large Maple Leaf Span Worm.  I think that the moth resembles a maple leaf.  

Originally it was munching on a berry.  It moved further into the bush today and I almost did not see it.

WICKED

The Nolting requires oiling every 8 hours of quilting time.  I keep a log so that I know when it's time.  It is so simple to oil this machine.  On the top of the head are four red dots.  One drop of oil on each and that is that.

Well, of course, for me, that is not that.  I had to look inside.  It just seemed logical.  After all I had been using the machine for more than 130 hours and I imagined all manner of lint and dirt building up inside.

I was wrong.  It sure was clean inside.

The wicks were nice a moist.  Just the same I put one drop of oil on the needle bar (above) because I could not resist. 

That one wick is quite frayed.  I imagine over time it will need to be replaced.  Everything was fine, though, nice and moist and no dirt.  No joy, there.

Not to worry.  I found some true crud on a Singer 27 I am listing for sale.  Gotta love that Tuff Stuff foam cleaner. 

This machine was commissioned in 1893.  I love the cabinet but the irons are noisy.  I tighten the nut but it loosens as I sew.  Steven made that nice new wooden pitman and I hate to let it go.  It's time.  Hopefully someone will love it.

INTENTION

I ran into a friend of mine today.   She is sending intentions for a friend of hers.  Intention for healing, for tolerating the treatment, for living in comfort.  I like this idea.  It rings true for me since I don't pray.  But this could be a prayer, without the deiety involved.  Not that there is anything wrong with deieties.  I am not saying that.  Sending intention seems more powerful to me.  With that, I intend to do just that; send intentions to those in need.

There certainly are many in need now, yes?  We can send prayers, intentions, good thoughts to all who are in need.  And those of us who have plenty, should do just that.

I worked on the scrappy quilt today.  Actually I spent a fair amount of time organizing my scraps. then I had some fun with the design board at the Quilt Zoo.  Oh that I had that kind of light in my sewing loft!  Oh that I had that much wall space in my loft! 

When I step back far enough, which was impossible to do in my loft, I see the design and don't feel so dizzy. 

I am liking this.  I reckon I will tweak it so that the centers are more distinct.  Could be a fun one to quilt edge to edge. 

My intent with big block quilt, now on the frame, was to quilt it edge to edge.  Nope.  That didn't happen.  The quilting isn't showing up so well right now.  Once it is finished and washed, I think it will show.  It isn't as dense as some of my other stuff and I am learning more about avoiding stops and starts.  Using the same color of thread helps too.  I do, though, want to just start at one edge and work all the way across the quilt.  Maybe one day.

Really?

I filter all comments.  Occasionally I am amused by the spam.  This is an example:

 I was getting bore since morning but as soon as I got this link & reached at this blog, I turned into fresh and also joyful too


 There was a link attached which I could not delete from the comment so I cut and pasted it here.  I know that businesses are commenting to increase the hits to their sites.  I don't mind that.  I don't have to help them, though.


 

I Like It

 I finished this scrappy quilt and am quite pleased with the result.  The scrappy squares are quilted along the diagonal strips, not in the ditch, not even close.  I wasn't going for perfection.  The flowers are quite "organic."  I did use a ruler for the straight lines.  The quilt wasn't square so I couldn't use the channel lock on the frame.  Lots of starts and stops so lots of threads to bury.   

I like it.  Piecing design and quilting are mine, and mine alone. 

I started sorting and cleaning the loft and found this bag ready for construction.   I put it together.     This design tends to be a bottomless pit, though.  The zipper, while the right color, is the wrong type and doesn't work so well.  I like it, even so.  I am using it.

Not right now, though.  I am using my Fave now because I am traveling.  It is bigger and has pockets outside as well as in.  Much better for organizing.  A very dear friend made this bag for me.  I like it.

(It used to have an "E" button on the front.  Alas, it fell off. I can be hard on bags)

Fashionista

A couple of weekends ago, Steven and I took care of the DGD for two days and two nights.  She is cuter that cute and I had more oxytocin running through my bloodstream than is legal, I am sure.  It felt illegal anyway.  I was JUST SO HAPPY.

For some reason, DGD decided that the tote bag hanging next to her stroller in the foyer was hers.  
 We took a walk Sunday morning before her parents returned.  She insisted on dragging the bag along after filling it with her bunny and her tiger, a bathtub toy and some squiggly spongy thing.  Very important cargo, no doubt. 

 She clutched it in her lap once she climbed into the stroller.  Even when she nodded off and the dang thing slipped, getting tangled in the wheels, she wouldn't let it go.  NO!  MINE!

Remember the Fourth!

My cycling partner lives a half mile down the road and up a hill.  Our DHs cycle together as well and this morning I heard Steven on the phone:

"Oh, yeah,  She's really tired from yesterday.  She won't want to do that."

I put down my book and sternly admonished him

"DO NOT speak for me."

He handed the phone over.  I would like to say meekly, but he's used to me.

S. was at the other end.  "I am going to be lazy today."  So I knew a bike ride was off.  Her back was out from an over exertion at the Boot Camp exercise class from last week.

I suggested a walk and we agreed on 1000 AM.

At 0950 I  started out for S.'s house.  We were meeting part way on the road.  I wanted to set the "calories burned" icon on my new Garmin Vivoactive HR fitness tracker.  It was a gift from VW.  They cheated us you know.  That big, international, multi billion dollar, German car maker.  Turns out the "clean diesel" was a BIG FAT LIE.  VW sent out a Good Will package.  Five hundred dollar gift card.  Like that's gonna make a difference.  I spent mine frivolously with glee.  The HR ate up a chunk of it.

Our road is pretty well traveled and we headed back up the hill past S.'s house and up and up and up the dirt road then down to a junction. Turn right back out to the pavement down another road and past my house.  Turn left and you go up some more. Back in the Naughties we would walk to dogs along this route always turning right.  At my house Frannie and I would go in.  S and and Allie would go home.

Today we turned left.  Up and Up and Up.  Near the top, S. told me that we could make a loop instead of going back.  She hates out and back: on the bike, on a walk.  So we kept going.  

In the end, it was a 6 mile walk.  So much for being lazy.  I walked an extra half mile each way.  Then I spent the afternoon on the couch with my book and the dogs.

So now S. and I have a slogan.  Remember the Fourth.  Which means almost the same thing that Remember the Pfaff means to me and Betsy.