WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Encaustic painting..

2012-01-27T15:18:00.002-05:00

That's new to me Rosey but I can see the attraction, both in the "doing" and the "seeing". Love the colours . For me it represents the corner of a garden ! Blurred colourful images, just like my garden ! Thank you for posting the photos. they do liven up the page. Talking of "livening up" I need a bit of that myself. I've been staying up far too late this week watching the semi-finals of the tennis (Australian Open) .

Thank you Jane for the book revues. I was on my way to the library the day you posted, so made a point of asking for books by both authors. To my surprise they had several by each, all but one were out on loan. "The Cruellest Month" was there so that now is in my possession and I'm up to Chapter 6 already. It's Saturday here today and, if I have my way, I should have time to find a quiet corner somewhere this afternoon, and sit back and enjoy !

DH has been busy in the garage this week, making a table. A few years ago he set himself up with some wood-working tools but, after the initial novelty of it wore off, they have remained idle. Last week he broke the outside table, it had a glass top, he miscalculated the position of the hole in the middle, where the umbrella went... Wow ! Did that make a mess ?!? The glass shattered into a million bits . It was everywhere. He was very cross with himself and decided there and then that he would make another table...(he is no carpenter...) He has had some hardwood here for awhile (acquired from the Power Board....taken from old power poles...)_It's all looking good. VERY heavy though, and will take an army of men to move it. (a bit like Bee's son and the shed ..) Watch this space ! I will post a photo when it is finished.

Enjoy the w/end.

Marion.

Post: Rosey

2012-01-26T08:17:00.002-05:00

On the week-end I bought a very small encaustic painting. It is 6"x6" painted on board with inch and a half wooden frame surrounding the edges so that the painting is thrust forward. Not sure if that explains it but you can't see the edges except viewing it sideways. Andrea Bird, an encaustic painter in our area, is someone whose art I've been following for several years and have taken a workshop with once or twice. Encaustic painting involves the use of pure beeswax mixed with oil pigments. The technique is interesting too. Layers and layers of colour are laid onto a board and a heat gun, blow torch or dry hot iron is used to move the colours in the wax around the surface. Having done this briefly I can assure you that not only is it fun but unpredictable insofar as what you end up with. The more skill, the more control, I'm sure of that. This painting was done by Andrea's husband, Daniel. It was hung horizontally with the red image lying sideways. I saw it straight up and down, vertically as the horizontal image reminded me of a canoe. I like it both ways actually but have hung it vertically as I bought another of his paintings, similar in colour but a more horizontal composition. Just thought it would brighten the board with colour.

Sara, I know what you mean with the dolphins gracefully leaping in a curve out of the water and going back down in and repeating this motion across the landscape of the oceon surface. Such a beautiful sight.

Today in Ontario, Canada it is grey. Such an achromatic month colour-wise. Worst winter for ice in the 23 years we've been in the country, too. Not much snow so far. I long for a good old fashioned snow storm...of course, while I'm safe at home and not on the roads.

Rosey

See post above, no room to write: Rosey

2012-01-26T08:15:00.001-05:00

Dolphin spotting

2012-01-22T19:00:00.002-05:00

I saw a dolphin in the water, very close in by the beach yesterday while at the beach condo.
The unusual thing is that he was swimming around in the same spot for 5 or 6 min. Usually you just see them one, then just the fin, and they go ahead with their trip. There was a shrimp boat nearby, so I'm thinking shrimp were running and he was getting his share. I was cleaning windows --a much needed project.
Has anyone used a "sewezee" or a travel table like it? Many in my guild have it and swear by it for classes and retreats. I'm thinking about it, but wondering if it is the only thing on the market.
Marion--I saw an HGTV show with the shipping containers used as offices, but this is the first used as shops. An excellent idea! I think they are also used for the homeless as small homes.
OK, football is on,
Sara in Fla.

BOOK REVIEW

2012-01-22T12:57:00.004-05:00

Before I get to the aforementioned subject, Marion, those pictures certainly speak beautifully of the resilience of your fellow New Zealanders.

The book which is the subject listed is The Cruelest Month by Louise Penney. I believe it was Rosey who first recommended it or at least the author. I downloaded it to my IPod to which I listen when on the road (it's a full half hour just to the nearest grocery store). It was a real gripper involving murder, quirky characters who are lovable and otherwise, multiple suspects and political intrigue. What more could I, a great fan of well written who dunnits, ask for. Ms. Penney is firmly placed among my list of favorites.

Speaking of authors I enthusiastically recommend a Canadian author, Alan Bradley, who began his series at age 70, a retired engineer, and fan of English style mysteries as am I. The chief sleuth of his work is Flavia de Luce, age 11, irreverent, precocious, and very funny. She lives with her widowed father and two older sisters. The sisters think she is something of a disgrace and she entertains herself with pulling their chains. Father is the descendant of the old landed gentry who is having trouble maintaining the manor house in its traditional elegance in the mid fifties. Give yourself a treat and a smile reading this series. As with all series it's probably just as well to start with the first one, Sweetness and the Bottom of the Pie.

Jane

Another photo of the CBD !

2012-01-20T01:26:00.002-05:00

The containers make surprisingly good shops ! I wouldn't mind having one at home to use as a sewing room !

Marion.

Central City Christchurch !

2012-01-20T00:36:00.002-05:00

Today I took a deep breath and decided it was time to look at the central city ! It was a strange experience. Only one familiar building remains in the main shopping area. On the cleared ground these buildings and gardens have appeared. In another area shipping containers have been painted bright colours and turned into shops. Not many people around and the shop keepers seem accepting of the fact that most of us were there just to check it all out. The hanging baskets in the photo,were all donated by a garden group. They looked very pretty. Another area was covered with large sun flowers. There is a Buskers Festival on at the moment, so there was entertainment to enjoy while we sat in the sun and sipped coffee. We figured that we would be a safe there as anywhere else, in the event of another quake... ! That possibility is never far from the minds of Cantabrians... Anyway. It was an interesting day, full of emotion as we remembered how it was and all that had happened there last year... I have another photo showing the shipping containers, I don't seem to be able to post two at once (!) so will send that through too. Half way along the street there are barriers to prevent you going further. From there you can see the cranes and the rubble. What a HUGE job. It's hard to see how the city can come back from this. We looked through the windows of a restaurant which was fenced off, and the tables still had cutlery and china all over the floor. It looked as if the quake happened this morning..

I'm relating all of this in the hope that it may be of interest to some of you. Not many of us have this experience. The headline in Tuesdays paper read. "500 days.......9,500 quakes" which approximates to 1 quake (magnitude 3+) felt every four hours since the Sept. 2010 quake which started all this business !! No wonder we are getting used to them !

Lovely sunny day today, I hope you've all had a nice day too.

Marion.

NORTH CAROLINA QUILT SYMPOSIUM 2012

2012-01-18T10:09:00.002-05:00

SARA, I'm inclined to sign up for the layered landscape or the Joen Woolfram class (excuse the spelling) because I've always admired her use of color. Ever since that damned accident almost four years ago I've become less active. The guild has grown to about 160 members most of whose names I don't know. My pal and perennial roommate at retreats and I have agreed we should separate at meetings and sit next to someone we don't know. Anyway, we will no doubt share a room unless I decide to commute, and if we can add a third party we save a few bucks. There are so many younger dedicated members who have been working their tails off for more than a year setting this affair up and I'm afraid I haven't been one of them. I did my bit for many years though. If I can get a sit down job I'll pitch in one day. If I'm on my feet, especially on a hard surface like concrete slab things start hurting in fairly short order.

Gotta get moving here. The pups haven't had a walk this week and we, all three of us, are in serious need of same.

PS to the rosearin, who are you? I could almost smell those lovely roses. They look like the old fashioned kind that smell soooo good.

Jane

N.C. quilt thingy in June

2012-01-17T06:10:00.002-05:00

Jane-I looked at all the list of teachers-wow there are so many. How on earth to make a decision?
I'm not at all sure I can go to it, but in the "what if" stages.
DH and I have 2 airline tickets that we have to use before June 25th or we will lose the $$, so may be doing something on the bucket list.
Are you taking any classes?
Sara in Fla.

Just for fun

2012-01-16T20:20:00.002-05:00

Amidst the much appreciated greenery, which is a balm to my eye at this time of year, I searched through my files and came upon a photo that the Nunavut Tourism people allowed me to download for my talk on the Inuit and Nunavut. Never having seen an iceberg close up, I've always liked the colours and the image in this photo.

Talk about tires reminds me that we have to pay for our air, do you believe that? No complimentary tire fill-ups anymore.

Rosey

Green scenery

2012-01-16T10:16:00.003-05:00

Here is my own contribution to the green scene. My rose bushes this past May..... It's so helpful to see green right now. Our winter has been rather mild, as forecast by the color markings of the wooly worms we saw this past autumn, but we have our grey, wet, dreary days, nonetheless. This is a "landscape" rose called Carefree Wonder. Very hardy, own root, lovely scent.

Sarah in FL - My current car has a "check tires" type alert on the dashboard, as well. How on earth these cars know the air is low, is beyond me. Mine once told me a tire was low on air. I drove immediately to my local mechanic and took care of it. Sometimes the technology is beyond my imagination.

I have the most generous DH. (not!) Last week he had a terrible cold, and gave it to me. Why am I not grateful? It has hit me harder than it hit him. Ack.

Grace in ONT - How wonderful that you're walking in less pain these days, after your surgery!

back home from retreat in Toccoa, GA

2012-01-16T09:43:00.002-05:00

It was a long drive home.
The Fri,Sat and 1/2 day Sunday quilt retreat for the Quilts of Valor was much fun, and I met some great women from Ga, NC, TN, and 2 from south Fla. Never seen so many variations of red, white and blue. Gosh! Two women had their long arm machines there and set up, and they quilted like mad getting some quilts done. I'll find out later in the week how many quilts were finished, but I'm thinking about 30. I finished the top of mine and turned it in. They need 85 for this month for a returning heros ceremony, and 5 for flight nurses in Afganistan. I think these numbers will be met. Hope to see some pictures and be able to post them here soon.
It was 27 on Fri. morning--burr.. This Florida chick isn't used to that cold, and with wind.
I drove to the nearest McDonalds for coffee that morning and the "check tires" light came on in the dashboard. After putting air in all 4 tires it was still on. When we were about 30 miles west of Savannah, GA. the light went out. We are thinking that the air pressure & cold weather don't like each other. Even the tires on the SUV are liking warmer weather.
DH and the 2 dogs lived without me for a few days. They did miss me, which is a good thing.
I'm signed up for a Scrap Therapy class at my local quilt shop on Fri. maybe I can use up some of the red, white and blue scraps.
Funny of the weekend-- on Sat. night about 6 women in their PJ's and bathrobes were watching the only TV there to see the Denver Bronco vs. N.E. Patriots game. Several people there were rooting for Tim Tebow and the Denver team and one woman from Boston for the Patriots. About the 2nd quarter 15 or so men came to join us. They were in shock to see women doing quilt binding rooting for football. Unfortunately the Denver team lost badly, but we all had a fun time.
Sara in warmer Fla.

Is this green enough for you Rosey ?

2012-01-15T15:06:00.002-05:00

This was taken in the Spring before the trees were in full leaf. Since we acquired the new computer, I haven't been able to download any recent photos...I'll keep trying !

We've had some lovely summer days lately, DD and family are camping so I hope they are getting the same weather pattern..... Yesterday we went to an outdoor, free, musical event in the beautiful Botanic gardens in Christchurch. These are held every Sunday afternoon throughout the summer and are very popular. The music was good and "people watching" was fun too ! All ages there, toodlers dancing to the music, young ones flirting, the elderly sitting in the shade under the lovely trees.. some with picnics others with drinks, all very relaxed and enjoyable. The council seem to have read the peoples mood perfectly. Cantabrians want to be out and about but are scared of large buildings and crowds. Sitting there in the park was the perfect answer to that....

Another nice day today by the looks of things. We are still enjoying a relaxed,"holiday mood" month and have more friends coming around for a meal tonight. We are ignoring (as best we can) the nasty shakes which are continuing .www.christchurchquakemap.co.nz will give you some idea of what's going on down here.!

Have a good day.

Marion.

From the Frozen 'north'

2012-01-15T14:02:00.002-05:00

It's about this time of year that I'm pestering my more southerly friends for pictures of GREEN. Or, I can go into my collection and pull something up from last summer. This was taken by one of our B&B guests last year. It's of our front porch. They sent the photo back to us after they'd returned home to Ohio. Our winter has been one big icicle, literally. Not much snow and what there is, is covered in layers of ice. I'm longing for one good old fashioned snowfall. It's a good time of year to hunker down with a quilt project.

Annie, the pup, is one year old this coming week. She's a hooligan. I've never had a pup who was so into everything she shouldn't be nor one who sauced me back (barking) when I discipline her. I think she's in her horrible teen years. Hard to get mad at her; she's irrepressible.

Rosey

I'm me with new parts.

2012-01-10T19:57:00.003-05:00

I am home again and walking. I am taking it easy today as I learned my lesson yesterday. Don't ask, I'm sure there are more of me out there. Today I mostly sat and watched movies , dozed, and took Tylenol at regular intervals. So at this point in time no pain and I hope it stays that way during the night.enough said.

Surgery went well , it should because I was home in two days.and I am walking with less pain that I have in the last 6 years. AMAZING.

I have read way back down and saw Rosey wood truck. Most of our wood comes that way too and also from Algonguin Park and we have been doing that now for the last 25 years. We have been able to cut down some as we do not use the big wood furnace anymore so instead of three of those truck loads every three years we now just one a year. We have enough wood stock piled to last us for the next three years. This year we hope to cut some of our own wood and we wont need to pay for any, That will be a big treat. The pictures are ( that was the year DH made a statement with the beard.) of the wood just having been split. DS #3 works with a wood cutting group and they have a machine that cuts and splits the logs all at one time. Sure is a big help for DH. He then only has to pile it in rows.

Thanks to all of you who sent messages and best wishes for my hospital stay. It was appreciated and thankfully I was home real quick. By spring I will be raring to go.

Okay the picture and back to the lazy boy chair.

Thanks all

Grace

The movie, "The Guard"

2012-01-09T20:41:00.002-05:00

We're just been to the 'white-toppers' Monday Night at the Movie ...movies that are chosen specially throughout the year (other than summer) which would not normally come to our small town. This one, The Guard, is one of the most humorous movies I've seen in a long time..the Irish accents sometimes hard to understand...himself, who is getting hard of hearing (and I suspect me too) said that if more movies came out like this one, he'd get a hearing aid just to hear all the good lines spoken by the cast. It's a story of "An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1540133/
The use of the F-word is so prevalent that one overlooks it and it becomes part of the humour of the movie. If you have a chance to see it, be prepared for some pretty raunchy language and behaviour but it's very clever and we all came out smiling and laughing. The white-toppers are us older folk, with white hair, who go to 4;30 pm movies so that we can get back home to have our suppers and get to bed at a decent time.

Rosey

Such a handsome dog !

2012-01-06T21:34:00.002-05:00

Here's Holly, intently watching the birds on the bird table, hoping that they will drop a morsel of food for her..

Fran, good to get news from you. Can't imagine how uncomfortable those temperatures would be !. When it gets to 30 here, I tend to give up on any activity other than trying to keep cool ! So pleased that you enjoyed the new "little people" in the family. I can imagine your heart melting when an almost 2yr old called you Nana for the first time.

Rosey, thank you for the photo and the information. What a lot of wood. My DH has just filled our tiny wood shed and tells me that it should be enough to last for us through two winters... That tells you a bit about our respective winters I guess !

A muggy day here today , very hot when the sun comes through. We have had a quiet day at home pottering around the garden. We had friends over for dinner last night and ate too much...So easy to do at this time of the year isn't it ? It's left us feeling sluggish today and not very motivated. Another bad night of shakes didn't help... The experts all met in Christchurch yesterday, to try to come to grips with what is happening and what might happen.... The meeting was interrupted by two shakes a 3.5 followed by a 5... The meeting continued on... ! Not much left to fall now and most places where people meet together have been well checked out. The outcome was that this could go on for decades, not months, even though the likelihood of anything more than a 5 magnitude shake is slim...

I read an interesting article in the paper today, written by a young woman who described herself as a "Luddite". She says that the concept of new technology does not come naturally to her. (!) She was quite proud of her low-tech life until she realised that there is nothing so ageing as refusing to engage with technological developments... (I've got news for her !!) She gave herself a week to "engage" The first day she gave herself a migraine, the following days made her aware of the fact that she needed more sophisticated equipment to be able to down load all the things that she didn't need . By the end of a very trying week she had downloaded a few apps (what on earth are apps...?) and felt very proud of herself. She decided that Facebook and Twitter were not for her, as they "take up time I'd rather spend doing something else". She felt less intimidated by technology because she had forced herself to try to understand what it was offering, but she also thought she really wasn't missing out on anything and would probably resort to her old ways . My sort of girl !

Time to get dinner. Just a light salad tonight I think !

Marion.

woops!

2012-01-06T18:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the sizing - working on Word

Me too, Rosey!

2012-01-06T18:21:00.000-05:00

It was very interesting to see the photo and read about how you get your logs, having read your previous posts over the years about the days you (or he/they) spend cutting them up. I had never thought about where you'd get them from or how many you would actually need for a winter! I still haven't 'suffered' being snowed in or even snowed on, although not for the want of trying! We have travelled through some 'iced up' terrain in the Sth Island of NZ in late winter once. My Swiss friend suggested we visit them at Easter time, when they should still have lots of snow up in the Alps, but Easter this year was late and their thaw was early so all we got to do was stand in a patch of ice and snow for a while vbg.

Oh, and I love your rooster design!

SARA: Have a good time at your quilting retreat, snow or no!

Our Christmas Day was in the low 20s (C) but we've since had a heatwave with 2 days at 40 and 41, so well over the F century. Thank goodness for air-conditioning or I'd have one very grumpy DH. There are still people who do it rough with none, especially in rental accommodation, including DS#3 in Melbourne.

Speaking of......he has just been accepted to do his PhD in Atmospheric Physics. Hopefully we'll learn a bit about the field over the next 4 years, whenever he finds a moment to tell us what he's been doing at any particular time.

GRACE: I’m thinking you must be undergoing your knee replacement sometime today. All the best for your recuperation.

MARION: Hope R can find something to ease his sciatica. I have bursitis in one hip that is causing me grieve but am learning to live with it. That was a lovely photo of Christmas lilies - they look quite delicate compared to some others of the species. I can't imagine the feeling of continually going through so many aftershocks all these months and wondering what extra damage has been done to the city, its suburbs and the surrounding countryside each time. I hope there's an end to it on the horizon.

BEE: How's things?

The day after Christmas I had the heartwarming feeling of being called Nana for the first time by a sweet little boy not yet two. I could eat him all up! His big sister (5) has decided to call me NannyFran and that sounded good too DS#2 is obviously enjoying his new role as a dad.

A belated Happy New Year to all.

Life at home in the Country

2012-01-06T09:02:00.002-05:00

I love seeing pictures of flower gardens at this time of year, Marion, the lilies are lovely. I also love all four seasons of the year that we have here in southern Ontario, Canada. Winter has not yet really come and it's January already. By that I mean whirling dervishes of snow flakes piling one on top of the other to leave a three or four or six inch blanket upon the ground. I miss a good old fashioned snow storm but then, for those who need to commute from here to the city, this winter has given them a break, so far. I have been carrying around this photo in the car for several months. Himself says: if you had a digital camera you could upload all these pictures for your website and be done with it. I said: then I'd miss going into town and teasing the owner of the Copy Shop who is always complaining about being broke. Yesterday, when I had two photos scanned and sent to my computer, I tipped him one whole penny. Made his day and mine with laughter. So, here is how we heat our home in the country (we do have an electric furnace but the cost is great and while himself has the strength and interest to saw up all these logs, we've heated with wood for twenty-two of our twenty-three years here). For me, it's an exciting day and I think so, for himself, too, when we see this big truck pull up over the hill in our laneway and head down towards the house. We can hear this truck from the corner, some distance away, as he makes his turn, then into our laneway, more engine noise as he pulls this heavy load up the hill and down. The logging is done in Algonquin Park, a natural reserve (not too far from where Grace lives) where the loggers are given certain areas in which to log trees and clean out areas that need doing according to the forestry experts who look after this area. These trees were just cut this summer and will not burn as well as trees left a year to dry out but we had no choice in the matter this year. Thus, it takes a bit of doing to get a nice hot fire going but with a woodstove in the back of the house in the family room and a fireplace insert in the livingroom at the front, both airtights, we manage quite well. We also dress warmly all winter as well. Just thought it might interest the likes of Marion, Sara and Bee who live in warmer climes what can go on in sourcing out our winter's warmth indoors.

Rosey

Sciatica

2012-01-05T23:18:00.002-05:00

Marion in NZ - what beautiful Christmas lillies! Thank you for posting the piccie. I imagine my nerves would be terribly jangled if I was living in the aftershocks, after everything else NZ has gone through.

About the sciatica . . . the only thing that has helped my sciatica is doing a piriformis muscle stretch. When I do it faithfully (daily) I don't have any sciatica pains. There are many different causes for sciatica. After doing extensive "Google" research, I found a site that said piriformis muscle can also be a cause. That was the right answer for my case, but everyone is different.

Musical chairs...

2012-01-05T19:03:00.002-05:00

A busy evening here. DH didn't take to lying on the floor for his TV viewing so tried sitting on the computer chair....later he tried another chair and finally the settee... Hardly a restful evening for either of us ! He has visited his Dr over his sciatica and came home with exercises to do, cream to rub in and painkillers to take if needed. He hasn' t done the exercises but he does rub in the cream and take the pills when needed. He walks most days . He is delighted that Jane and Sara care enough to give him advice (!) Thank you ladies. He thrives on attention and obviously, doesn't get enough from his wife...

Jane, don't worry about your double posting ! You are in good company here !!

Marion.

OOOPS

2012-01-04T20:13:00.003-05:00

I don't know how I managed to post two identical comments on Marion's post. Furthermore, I don't know how to delete one of them. Oh well, I know I'm slipping into my dotage and you folks will just have to put up with me.

Jane

Christmas lilies...

2012-01-04T16:01:00.002-05:00

Inspired by the "personality plus chickens" which Rosey down- loaded to brighten up the BB. I thought you might like to see my Christmas lilies. They are at their best just now and their scent is wonderful. Too strong for people who have hayfever but fortunately not for any of our family.

We have enjoyed some warm and sunny days down here in the Sth Island. It's been wet and cold further north, so we have been fortunate. We had a lovely picnic in the bush (forest) area on New Years Day and enjoyed the smell of the trees and the lovely birdsong. A nice start to the year. The following morning we were woken by a series of shakes, around 1am and again at 5am. We had two over 5 and nine others... This morning we had a 4.8. The "experts" have no idea what is going on. Some say this is the last of the "after shocks" from last years quakes, others say it's the start of another series. People are jumpy, tired and disappointed that they are continuing.. I'm sure the latest round will see some people reconsidering their commitment to staying in the Christchurch area.

DH has sciatica...he met a man (not a medical man) this morning who "knows all about it " (!?!) He told DH that ,if he was spending his evenings sitting in front of TV., on a "lazy-boy" chair, (how did he guess ??) that was the worst thing that he could be doing. He should be lying down on his tum...??? DH came home and removed the offending chair.. We could be in for an interesting evening...!!

Best wishes to all.

Marion.

A new year...

2012-01-03T20:25:00.002-05:00

I always like to start a new year, like turning over a new page in a book, buying new calendars, looking at a whole year of days...and thinking, I'm blessed to be alive to see 2012 and hope to see then end of 2012 in as uneventful a year as my last. This does not always happen, as some of my close friends know...lol.

The picture to the left is taken from a quilt made for a friend whose mother was dying of cancer and wanted to leave her grown daughter a quilt. She chose my Canadian Folk Art quilt design and this is one of the blocks from this quilt. Just thought it would add some cheer to the board in what is, here in southern Canada, a bitterly cold night...so cold the rafters are snapping in the attic and Annie, unused to the cracking noise, is busy barking at it.

New Years was thankfully quiet...a friend in for supper, some laughter, a glass of cognac and himself returning from the airport where he picked his son up flying in from Costa Rica and a holiday. Just the usual stuff and nothing special.

The beginning of each year is a slate wiped clean and I wonder what life will write on our slates. Hopefully, it will all be positive for us all and hopefully, the land down under in New Zealand will stop jiggling under Marion's feet. The stress there must be all pervasive with the aftershocks and earthquakes.

Rosey, who still remembers who she is on the board...some days it gets hard to remember just who I am...!!

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-01T09:26:00.002-05:00

... to all my BB Chat friends.

DH and I went to a late afternoon move ("Mission Impossible") with two other couples, and then on to dinner afterward. DH and I went through two bottles of Pellegrino (sparkling water). We were home by 9:15 p.m. and fast asleep by 10:30 p.m. We are such party animals. LOL Nothing like we used to be in our youth. Ah, old age! ;-)

As for the movie.... it was suspenseful enough but not believable. At all. More like science fiction. But the guys chose it and we ladies went along, as it was the better of all the choices. DH and I could not remember the last movie we went to see. There is very little at the cinema that appeals to us, these days.

It's warm right now, 60°F but a cold front is moving through during the day and the winter will return.

DH and I are going to a NHL hockey game today and it would be nice if our team wins. They have very little clue about how to set up a shot properly or score, and if not for their superb goalie, wouldn't win any games at all.

Hugs to everyone!

All the best for 2012.

2011-12-31T15:26:00.002-05:00

I suppose that most of you are still up and waiting for midnight ! It's 9.30am. here on New Years Day and I have only just surfaced. ! We saw the New Year in with about twenty friends last night, sitting outside, around a fire and enjoying the beautiful night sky. It was a lovely evening/night and we put the worries of 2011 behind us for awhile. None of us had traveled far,we were on a rural property, we had lot of neighbourly fun, lots of laughs, good wine and tasty nibbles. Only a ten minute drive from here and no other traffic on the road, perfect.

It's a fine day today too so we will be going on a picnic with friends shortly and then they will come back here for an easy meal tonight. Sounds good. Just hope that we have a day (year....lifetime...) without shakes. Yesterday we had a 4.8 jolt which was not at all nice..

Sara, I wish I could look forward to some quilting retreats, they don't seem to happen here. I hardly did any quilting last year, but I hope to this year. I've got a heap of fabric to use up !!

Here's wishing health and happiness to all and courage to face the challenges which will no doubt come ! Thank you to the regular "posters" . This page has become part of my life and I really enjoy hearing about your lives. All the best for your op. Grace. A friend in England ended her Christmas letter with " I"ve had hips replaced, teeth replaced and a hearing aid fitted this year, so I'm all set and ready to go for 2012 " !! Aren't we a lucky generation ? ! ?

Cheers.

Marion.

happy new year to all

2011-12-31T14:13:00.002-05:00

WE are now past the new year and a wet one it was. Very humid and soggy, so glad the water runs off my section or we would be swimming. Very quiet here only the dog losing the plot when the fireworks went off. He has pills but they don't seem to work must need stronger. The news so far seems quite good not too much mayhem, the rain kept it down this year. David still has his garage open and the shed in front of it, he will probably have to undo all his hard work to move it.LOL LOL His partner and I kept our mouths shut yesterday ,with great difficulty, but we made it. We all hope this year will not as bad as last, so many different problems around the world, I think prayers for the whole world would be a good idea both for peace and also for Nature to keep on the straight and narrow.I hate seeing the news, all doom and gloom, not trying to be funny here it is too serious for that. Poor Christchurch is still having aftershocks and the children and elderly are so worried, I personally can't imagine the problem but my DS1 has a man working for him who has been away from the 'quakes since Feb,the big one,and his 5 year old is still having nightmares. He doesn't think he will ever be able to return to Christchurch not while his children are small any way.
My new year wishes to all , those who are having new knees, those with health problems, those whose loved ones are sick, and all I think of as my friends. Happy New Year, Bee in NZ

2012

2011-12-31T08:34:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to come along and say Happy New Year to all.
Not doing anything special.We had some family members just leave yesterday morning and I am scheduled for my second knee replacement on Jan 6th.
Should be starting the New Year with a bang. Watch me go after this. LOL. Going to get some prepared meals in the freezer for recuperation days.
Wishing everyone all the best of health and enjoyment of life for the new year
Grace

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T07:32:00.002-05:00

Is it only me, or are the years going by faster? Happy New Year. I guess the DUGS will be celebrating first. I hope ya'll have lots of quilty fun for the year 2012, go to lots of quilt shows, and retreats. As for me, I hope the good weather holds out for Jan. as I'm paid up to go to a retreat in Toccoa, GA. for the 13-15th of Jan. This is on the top of a mountain (for the east coast) so it could snow, etc. I'm praying for nothing under 45 degrees.
In the back of my mind I want to go to Jane's area in June for that retreat/show also.
This evening getting together at a friend's house for dinner at 6:00PM. A few people have head colds so will not attend, but should be about 10 there. Planing to be back home by 10:30 or so, the doggies hate the fireworks.
Sara in Fla.

A typical male !!!!

2011-12-30T03:31:00.002-05:00

It ha been raining today really hard and David, my middle son, decided to put his shed up!!!! He found it somewhere and it was exactly what Janna wanted to keep her things in, it took him 3 hours to pull it down and today was the day to put it up. As the grass was so wet he decided to remake it outside on the concrete,he of course needed to leave the garage door up so he could use his (Fathers!)tools. After about 3 hours again, much harder to put together than take down, he had the long side together then realised it was VERY VERY heavy in fact he couldn't even move it. So he has been left with half a shed, an open garage and a very cross partner. His mother and brother are laughing heaps. Hugs Bee in a very funny and wet NZ This is why we have kidsLOL

Safely home.

2011-12-28T03:26:00.002-05:00

Sara, so sorry to hear of your sadness. It's always tragic when a young person dies, especially at this time of the year. How very sad for your daughter and for the adoptive parents. My heart goes out to you all.

Thank you for your concern re. the earthquakes in Christchurch on Dec 23rd. We watched the news unfolding on TV. from our daughters home in Auckland. We were in total disbelief. We thought it was an old news item running. The last few weeks had been comparatively quiet, we had really allowed ourselves to believe that they were over. We were wrong. The after shocks are continuing. We returned home today , we are not in the worst hit area here but the quakes have certainly left their mark. Lots of photos, ornaments and Christmas decorations down. Nothing broken and no real damage that we can see. Once again, we have been fortunate. There will be those who will be feeling very discouraged ,it's over a year since the first quake in Sept'10 and nearly a year since the one which took 189 lives in Feb'11. We'll be hoping for a more settled year in 2012.

Our time with the family was fun. The weather was great and we had two days out on their newly acquired boat. The grandsons enjoyed the fishing and we all enjoyed a BBQ on a remote and deserted beach. It's a boaties paradise up there. So much water to play on. Lots of boats out and about, but plenty of room for all. The next time we go up it will be to greet the Volvo Ocean Racers. They are due in March. The boat that my nephew is on (Telefonica) has just won the second leg. All very exciting. The Auckland family will be amazed when they see how small these boats are and how many men live on them for weeks at a time, in very difficult conditions ! Not my idea of fun. I just hope that they all get around the world safely. I also hope that my nephew will make this his last round the world race. I think this is the 4th or 5th time that he has done it...

The unpacking is done and the washing is out, so I think I'll take myself off for an early night. We've got the New Year to deal with next and then we can all settle back down to "normal life" again . I like January. It's usually a quiet, sunny month with time to spend with friends. Here's hoping !

Keep safe.

Marion.

merry Christmas to all

2011-12-24T13:21:00.002-05:00

Christchurch, the 'quakes were not as bad as the last ones only a little damage and only a few injuries, none serious. Most of the unstable buildings have already fallen so these just added to the mess the poor people have to put up with. The liquifaction is bad again mostly where it was before.They are still having aftershocks and this will continue for ages. Christchurch was a really pretty city and I don't feel it will ever recover, a lot of the old buildings have gone. My heart goes out to the people of Christchurch, they will never relax again.Away to make fresh fruit salad then DS1 is collecting me for the day.Love and hugs to all Bee in NZ.

Misc

2011-12-24T09:18:00.002-05:00

Sara, I'm sorry for the sad news you and your family have had this week. As others have said, though, how wonderful for the adoptive family to reach out to you. Hugz to you all.

NZ - here's a link that Marion had shared after the earlier earthquake:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/christchurch-earthquake/6186421/Damage-from-quakes-psychological-PM

Rosey, thank you for posting that Marion and Russell weren't home. I'd been worried for them. All the shakes and aftershocks must be incredibly wearing for people!

Wishing everyone a lovely weekend and a Merry Christmas!

Hugz, Mary in Oregon

NZ and all

2011-12-24T08:46:00.002-05:00

Thanks for all your comforting words. I hate to burden anyone with sad news, but as someone said, death is a part of life. DD called twice yesterday, it was a hard time for her. They are going to Grand Forks this evening to spend the night and serve meals at a homeless shelter tomorrow. They have been doing this about 4 times a year, and the grand boys love to do it. It will be good for her to get out and do it too.
We have had very warm weather here for a few days and it has helped to get out of the house, takes dogs for long walks, and then go to beach. DH gave us an early Christmas gift of beach cruisers (bikes) about 4 PM yesterday, so we had to go try them out. They have no speed, fat tires, and wide handlebars. It will take a bit of getting acquainted with, as different from the other bikes, and riding on the sand is different. It made him happy to give them, so I'm happy to try it out. :) I've learned over the years not to throw cold water on his happiness.
Was trying to find more news of N Z earthquake, but haven't found any yet. Will have to do a Google search.
Blessings to all, Merry Christmas, and please drive safely.
Sara in warm Florida

2011-12-23T13:55:00.002-05:00

I don't know which to respond to first. Marion and husband, Russell, left, I believe two days ago for the north island to be with their daughter and family. She will be devastated, I know, but I hope, she's safe and sound in Auckland. What a time Christchurch has had over this past year. Thanks, Mary, for posting this, I'll go on the internet to see what more I can find out. I haven't been watching the news of late in any great depth.

And Sara, how heartbreaking for you to hear this news and how wonderful that the adoptive family sought fit to contact you about this terrible accident. What a tragedy. How is your daughter coping with the news? The parents must be devastated.

Rosey

Earthquake in NZ

2011-12-22T21:51:00.002-05:00

I just saw a news flash that showed the Christchurch area of NZ had another earthquake. Poor people there! Marion, you and yours are in my thoughts.
Hugz, Mary in Oregon

Sad news, esp. this time of year

2011-12-22T19:20:00.002-05:00

I'm usually upbeat and happy when I post, or at least "just venting". This time not so.
We received a phone call on Tues. afternoon from the adoption agency in Orlando where my DD placed her baby for adoption 20 years ago. Thanks to the generous hearts of the adoptive parents, we were informed that the 20 yr. old girl was killed in a one car accident going home from college on Sat. night the 17th. They know the car swerved and rolled over.
From that tailspin we learned her name, the hometown, etc. The funeral will be held tomorrow at St. Andrews Presbyterian Church, Columbus, GA. The girl's name is Meredith Avery. We really wanted to attend the funeral, as that is why they called, to invite us. However, it is a 7 hr. drive and DH couldn't take the time off from work. He didn't want me to drive that far alone.
The obit report was in the Panama City News Herald, as her grandparents live in Panama City and she will be buried there. If any of you have 5 min. and want to read the story you can get it on line.The write up is beautiful. It says in part, "Meredith Fara Avery, 20, beloved daughter went to her heal Home with her Savior where her spirit now soars, following a single-car accident.
My heart was just crushed when I read this, but I'm better now.
My DD couldn't go, as she couldn't get a flight.
Sara in Fla.

Tandia

2011-12-22T14:28:00.002-05:00

Hi Kathi, I have this book somewhere and when I find it will post to you. Bryce Courtney has written lots of books and used they are quite cheap. I have already purchased a couple(new) and know I will enjoy them. One is for DS1 and I will have to borrow it as soon as he has read it. Fran , what were you reading when you were here ,I meant to ask when you were here but time flew. Out to buy strawberries for Sunday,if I eat any more I am going to look like one . Hugs to all and enjoy Sunday whatever you are celebrating. Hugs, Bee in NZ.

Power of One

2011-12-21T18:01:00.001-05:00

Thanks, Fran. I checked the site, but unfortunately all of the books except this one are currently unavailable. I've bookmarked the site, though, so I can go through it at my leisure.

I've asked Meredith in Calgary to keep an eye out up there, too.

Kathi

Power of One

2011-12-21T17:08:00.003-05:00

KATHI: Try www.bookdepository.co.uk for more of Bryce Courtenay's books. The follow-on to the Power of One is called "Tandia". The prices aren't too bad compared to Australia's but the good thing is that postage is free to anywhere in the world. Bryce was born in Sth Africa so writes 'from the inside' so to speak. There was also a "The Power of One" movie which can be bought as a DVD. It followed the book quite well although it left out several important characters as far as I was concerned. Hope this helps.

We had a great time staying with BEE in Auckland and didn't really want to leave so soon. Gus and Graham got on famously! Unfortunately we seemed to have brought rain with us and it stayed the whole time we were in NZ, fining up the day we left! We were there to help one of his brothers, (who lives in Whangarie, between Auckland and the famous Bay of Islands), celebrate his 60th birthday and his wife her 50th. She's Filipina so most of the guests were from the Filipino community and it was great to see how much they love dancing and singing. We stayed with another brother and his family.

MARION: We were planning on ringing you while we were there but didn't manage it, I'm afraid. Hope you have a great Christmas with the family.

When we arrived home we found that the town had suffered an horrific hailstorm three nights earlier. 55 mm of rain fell in half an hour as well, which is pretty significant seeing that Whyalla's average annual rainfall is only about 320 mm (12.6"). A friend's solar hot water system's glass cover was smashed, as were those of 2 of her near neighbours but thankfully we had no damage at all to come home to.

All of our sons and their partners will be here for Christmas this year, or at least the day after We have suddenly become step grand-parents of a 5 yr old and a 2 yr old and will be welcoming their sibling and our first grandchild in mid April, so there will be young children around the house for the first time in years. We're really looking forward to it.

Must be off. DH has lost some paperwork. A very happy Christmas to all.

Hugs

Fran

A question

2011-12-21T15:41:00.002-05:00

I've just finished reading The Power of One by Australian author, Bryce Courtenay. Apparently this is the only one of his books that has been published in the US. Are the others readily available in other countries? Particularly Down Under? Do any of you know of a source for paperback books by him (used would be wonderful)? Anything I find on Amazon is terribly expensive.

Kathi

Christmas Wishes to all

2011-12-21T03:35:00.002-05:00

Hi my friends, nearly time for the white haired gentleman to come, I don't think my 3 1/2 year old DGD will make it she is so excited.LOL I have finished my baking and all shopping and now to relax. I had Fran from South Australia staying for a couple of nights. Both she and her DH are so much fun, we laughed a lot, unfortunately the weather was wet and cold, they are used to about 10 degrees warmer than us and it was really cold. Things have now warmed up and they would have loved this sun over the last few days. I will be going to my oldest son's for the day and taking the usual food, I do dessert and fruit mince pies. No kittens so far they will be coming in the new year, Gus is not amused and the cat will leave home again. Not much quilting right now I am trying to declutter and I think I am winning. my plan is to sew a little every day.
I have been reading about different problems some of you are having ,just wish I was near enough to help, but you are in my thoughts and prayers. Keep warm my friends, Hugs Bee in NZ.

Merry Christmas and safe travels

2011-12-18T18:21:00.002-05:00

I know many of you are traveling this week, so I thought I'd wish you Merry Christmas now.
Last week I mailed off the quilt for DGS #4 along with another package. As of today's phone call they had received the other package, but not the quilt. Hopefully it will arrive in a day or 2. DD says the post office is really stretched thin, and sometimes the packages take a few extra days. I did insure it for quite a bit of $$. It always makes me nervous to mail things such as quilts.
Today was DH's 63rd birthday, and we decided to sloth around. His friend from H.S. and college left early this morning, so DH requested an egg McMuffin from McDonald's as his breakfast. After reading all the paper we got dressed and drove over to the beach, it was about 65 and sunny by then. The center of town area has done a nice job of Christmas decorating, wreathes on life guard stands (stands painted various colors). I took a few pictures.
We are watching the Denver football game to see if Tim Tebow will do another last min. victory. So far it doesn't look good.
Not doing anything quilty this week. I have a few fleece blankets to deliver to the local mission once I wrap them, and some baking to do. Otherwise just going to relax and enjoy the Christmas music on CD.
Sara in Fla.

Wednesday

2011-12-14T22:01:00.003-05:00

We just returned from dinner with DS and DDIL, finalizing Christmas Eve and Christmas Day plans. I have some more presents to wrap, a few more decorations to put out, and then I'll be done. We'll be having twelve for Xmas dinner, but they'll all bring a dish so I'm not in a panic. Martha Stewart I am NOT. (ref: the cake I baked last month and forgot the flour!)

Rosey P. - There were not many instructions to the harness, other than just be sure to have it fit properly. Sophie is getting used to hers, and doesn't give it the stink eye when she sees it coming. (LOL) One day, I let her wear it for several hours around the house, and that was a mistake. Her fine, silky hair got matted up horribly in the front. She can't pull anymore when she wears it, which is wonderful. I have given up "training" her becuase she is so hard-headed, and look upon this harness as a "workaround." I'm keeping my finges crossed that she does NOT figure out any ways to pull while wearing it.

IT was warm here today! Got up to 70 degrees F and I played golf in it. Sun was shining, which everyone needed. The past week has been grey, drizzly mist, fog, etc. Rain returns tomorrow but that's okay. We had our reprieve today, and got our cheerful sunshine, which goes a long way.

MARION

2011-12-14T09:29:00.002-05:00

Some day before I die (at my age that could be next week) I am going to land on your doorstep. I heard from an airline pilot when I was a kid that he'd been all over the world and that New Zealand is by far the most beautiful country. The idea of being right next to serious mountains and the beach at the same time is just tantalizing. Love the summer pictures all winter long. Keep 'em coming.

Speaking of pictures, when I get some of the gotta do things done I am going to add to the parade of doggy pictures. It's hard to catch Rocky being still enough although my grandson took a great picture of him sleeping on the sofa before I shooed him (Rocky, not Peter) off. Actually I think I may have already posted that one. Kit is tough to photograph because she's very leery of the camera as she is of many things but I've made many attempts. She is quite beautiful. As a field bred Springer she has more of the bench bred beauty than most.

Fighting a severe case of blues right now. My doc, trying to solve an unrelated problem, cut my anti depressant in half and I've had some cpap adjustment made and more about to be made so I'm really in the dumps. The primary doc is inaccessible at the moment as he's having a rotator cuff repair done this week and he's a sole practitioner. In the meantime I've gone back to the earlier dose of clomipramine and hope I don't feel like a wet blanket when I get to Rochester to be with DD and the grands. I'm heading up there on the 20th and my faithful neighbor is dog sitting. He's made a project of getting Kit to bond and has gotten within about two inches. That is, she has gotten within a couple of inches of him.

Sorry about the whine. You guys are such good sports and I had to say these things to somebody. The resident therapists are demanding a hike up the mountain and that's always a mood lifter.

Jane

well, well well......

2011-12-13T22:13:00.002-05:00

Seems that it wasn't a naughty elf after all. Just "Himself" thinking he knew what he was doing ! We have now got yet another system in place and it has taken ages for this to transfer to the BB page. However, at least I can see what I am posting ! This photo was taken way back in the Spring. I'll take some more current ones when I have a moment. The roses are past their best though now.

Time to get dinner !

Marion.

If only....

2011-12-13T14:27:00.004-05:00

Rosey, I'd love to post some photos of the garden , it's looking so lush and colourful. Alas....I don't seem to be able to even find the photos anymore, much less browse through them and post them. I'm beginning to wonder if we've got some naughty little elves doing things on the computer when we go to bed !! We're not very clever about naming photos or putting them in folders so when we now go on the page in "documents" we just see numbers, not even dates and there are thousands of pictures there... just another frustration on a hot, pre-Christmas day !!!

One bit of good news though...I was in the quilting shop yesterday and , low and behold...there was the quilt pattern for the nativity quilt I posted earlier in the week (before the elves visited..) It's an Art to Heart quilt, 2004 Nancy Halvorsen. www.arttoheart.com I haven't checked the web site out yet but it should all be there. I think it was Joleen who wanted to know...

Just another two days of "end of year" dos, then it's all over for another year ! A bit cooler today. yesterday was very hot.

Enjoy our day.

Marion.

Yesterday...

2011-12-12T18:29:00.003-05:00

we had the fund-raising breakfast for the "On Eagles Wings" ministry, which sends Bible-school teachers (missionaries) to the Northwest Territories each summer, then church, then an Italian Christmas fellowship lunch. Then in the evening, we had the 13th annual Ring & Sing, followed by a reception. I have had way too much food...
This is in the Parish Hall, as we are expanding our sanctuary. We'll all be glad to have more room!

One more...

2011-12-12T17:50:00.002-05:00

Just found a picture of Hope when Annie the pup was delivered to us at a predestination spot. If that isn't a hang dog look, I don't know what is.

Marion, it's about that time of year for you to post 'green and colourful pictures...isn't it?

Rosey

an early start...

2011-12-12T15:31:00.002-05:00

I think the neighbourhood birds were all camped in the tree by my bedroom window this morning ! The noise of the "dawn chorus" at 5.15am was unbelievable ! If birds could say" I'm so excited, this is going to be a great day" that's exactly how they would sound ! I was not impressed, far too early for me ! Once awake, I could also hear the milking machines working in the milking sheds next door... Such a peaceful life, here in the country !!

Had some friends in for a meal last night. It was a perfect summers evening and we were able to sit outside. The garden is looking so pretty at the moment, the roses are particularly good this year. We had a very wet spring and this seems to have set the garden up well for the summer..

DGD Phoebe was 16 yesterday. She Skyped last night, it was lovely to see her on her Bday, we'll be up there with them all, this time next week. The Boarding school grandchildren in UK.are returning to HK for the holidays. Two of them are already there the other two follow next week. DGD Lucy, had a front tooth broken in half by a hockey ball last week (her mouth guard was in her pocket...) so that's the first thing that will have to be fixed !

Looks as if the day is going t be hot. Yesterday I had the sheets washed,dried and back on the bed in twenty minutes !

Enjoy the day.

Marion.

Would you believe, Doris....

2011-12-11T17:43:00.002-05:00

I am now the proud owner of one Easy Walk harness and now comes the hard part...reading the instructions. Thank you for mentioning it...the odd thing was that I met a woman at the dog show who owns a pet food and grooming store and who also owns three if not more of my good cyber friend, DK, of Arrogant Aussies in Indiana. I admired the harness she strapped on her male and she arranged to have her husband bring one to the show this morning from Stratford, Ontario, where they live (about an hr. & a half from here). There is no way Sophie can finagle her way out of that harness as long as it's tight enough on her. This lady fitted Annie out and now we practice because it is clipped to the leash on the front and there is no way the dogs can move beyond it out front. Reading instructions is never easy for me but there are lots of pictured diagrams so that is good. I just need time and patience now to do it.

I love the pictures, too, Sara, it helps to feel that I know people better, too.

It's turned bitterly cold here in Southern Ontario, Canada, the real start of winter for us but we've been lucky so far...we've had grand weather up till now. The temps are due to go up some this week (above freezing), so we may loose some snow but it won't last. Time to hunker down with a good quilt project, which fortunately, I have. Need to go to the library to stack up on some books and I'm all set for winter and snow storms.

Rosey

Dogs (!)

2011-12-11T15:04:00.002-05:00

ROSEY - Last week, I finally caved in and bought one of the Easy Walk harnesses to use on Sophie. She loves to pull, has no interest in walking nicely if there are other stimuli around, and I am at the end of my rope.... er .... her leash.

http://www.premier.com/View.aspx?page=dogs/products/collars/easywalk/description

The harness has her completely confused. LOL! She walks perfectly on it, so far, because she hasn't figured out a way to rebel on it, yet. Because it clips in front of her chest, when she pulls ahead, her front end is turned 'round toward me. Oh she hates that thing and gives it the stink eye when she sees it. LOL Our little diva, Miss BossyPants, is completely discombobulated by this harness, and it is such a simple device. What is really nice, is that all the raw edges of the webbing are sewn down on the *outside* of the harness. No rough edges on the "dog" side to bother them or mat the hair. So far, it has been worth every dollar I paid for it.

Loving all the dog/cat pictures

2011-12-11T11:21:00.002-05:00

Those pictures are really great. You just feel like you know someone better when you see the pictures of the pets. I did go get Santa pictures with the girls and hope to use them in the Christmas cards that I have yet to send.
Last night we went down to the historic area of town for a 5 K run. A GF and I walked/jogged, and the husbands walked around looking at people. It was cool, about 55 with a light wind and a bit of spitting rain. Glad I was wearing the Santa hat. People had their baby joggers decked out with lights, dogs with "ears", and all sorts of elf costumes. About 300 or so ran, another 100 or so in the 1 mile fun run. I'm sure the area restaurants got lots of business. We had a great meal afterward of BBQ/I had catfish and veggies.
Going to sloth this afternoon, as it is rainy, windy, cloudy and generally yucky. Maybe watch TV and nap, then go to church this evening for the bell choir and kids singing. Love to watch the kids this time of year, since they are not mine I can laugh at all the stuff they do besides sing.
Some friends game me poinsettias so I have planted them in the front of the walkway, hope they will live a few months. They do look really pretty.
Will sit down in the morning and compose something "Christmasy" for a short letter. No big news this year, no trips or anything exciting, but we have been happy and healthy, so that is a good thing.
Sara in Fla.

You know those forwards that people send out....?!

2011-12-10T18:18:00.002-05:00

Just received one which said: hope you aren't too busy with Christmas but....I have to forward this to twenty people...(I noticed that I was the only one in our 'school' group to be so honored)...and you will get a flood of recipes back if you sign your name and put up a recipe...(now that I think of it, my friend must have thought I'd have a recipe or two running a B&B)....so, declining politely I explained my day, which included a run to the pet store to replace the deer antler that Annie is so devoted to and which I wish I'd known about before she chewed through my kitchen cupboards and my expensive antique daybed replica....but I placed her deer antler somewhere and for the life of me, can't remember where...so $28 incl. tax later, she had another deer antler. I continued to list my exciting life here in the small town and country...running around town doing my chores, going to Curves where five other women and I shouted obsenities at each other around the circuit (actually, we were hooting in laughter), then dropped into the Credit Valley dog show...one of the last on the CKC circuit for this year...and a big one. I took Annie into the show, leashed (that means she was constantly straining at the leash and not walking as a trained show dog would), where she promptly sniffed the butts of every manicured, perfume-sprayed dog she could find to come into contact with while their handlers looked on in horror, or she was jumping up at passersby (why, I don't know other than there was a building full of dogs yapping and she was a tad overexcited). I kept apologizing and saying: she's just a puppy...well...she's nearly a year old but...puppy sounds better...) and so when I thought about my day and whether I was busy or not and wanted to join in on exchanging recipes with multitudes of other people whom I did not know, I declined. Am I busy...well, I'm not on a social whirl of cocktail parties, I can tell you that. Having to put pantyhose on was something I did twenty three years ago when I moved up here and haven't done since.

So here is Annie around five months of age. She's a great kisser. Actually, she was sniffing to see what I'd had for lunch.

Rosey

snow

2011-12-09T17:49:00.002-05:00

Yes we got snow. Fortunately, it did not stick, as we were in the middle of the state mandated tests. It's a nightmare if anything messes with that schedule! The snow totals for this year are ridiculous...

Re:Season

2011-12-09T09:13:00.002-05:00

That a beautiful quilt Marion. What a lot of work.
I am so late this morning. I'm in training to sleep later in the morning and it was a successful one today.
We have three more singing engagements and then it will not matter so much,but today. OHHH.
Yes Celia, I miss your comments very much.
Must say that when we drove through N.B. this summer you where constantly on my mind
Hope all is well with you.
Got to go now. Catching up
Grace

2011-12-09T09:05:00.003-05:00

Marion in NZ - your Xmas wall-hanging is lovely! Such a perfect place for it, since you don't use the fireplace in summer.

LAURA IN AL - Did you receive any snow on Wednesday? It fell in large flakes, but thankfully did not stick anywhere.

CATS - I have never lived with a cat, but enjoy others' cats. Rosey, thank you for posting the pic of Celia's tortoise shell kitty. She is gorgeous.

It's so much fun to see the dogs and cats of the WWQP Chat Board. :-D They are all such beauties. I don't have any recent pics of Sophie, and I think you've all seen this one of Sophie, the Predhead:

It's the season....

2011-12-09T04:21:00.002-05:00

(Shall we could run a competition to see who can come up with an amusing end to that statement? I can think of a few myself !?! )

This is the first time, since we got the new computer, that I have been able to post a photo. I'm so pleased it worked, wish I had chosen a different photo now, but it was all trial and error and I didn't think it would happen ! At least it's seasonal ! I made the quilt years ago and it just fits the fireplace, so that's where it went last year.

Celia, I'm sure you'll be reading the BB page to see your lovely cat featured ! We do miss you. Isn't it time you came back to us ? I can admire your furry friend even though I'm not a cat fancier at heart !

So pleased that it's Friday. It's been a very busy week and I am looking forward to a "sleep in' tomorrow morning. We have to help somebody move house over the w/end. Just hope they don't want to make an early start in the morning ! I'd like a hour or two in the garden too. The growth out there is amazing. The lady who helps me occasionally has only been twice since Sept. and it shows ! The sweet -peas are lovely though. I have a large bowl near the desk and their scent takes me right back to my childhood.

Enjoy the w/end.

Marion.

With Celia P's permission

2011-12-08T17:02:00.003-05:00

Here is Autumn, Celia from New Brunswick's beautiful cat who she adopted from the SPCA in Oct., of 2009. She had been found abandoned, starving and pregnant and was in foster care until her 6 kittens were born & weaned, then she was spayed and brought back to the shelter. That very day, Celia went in looking for a companion for the naughty Molly. Celia says she is the most gentle, affectionate little thing God ever put in a fur coat. Celia lost her beloved cats to wild animals several years ago so Molly & Autumn are indoor cats but Celia's DH built a clever arrangement whereby the cats can go outside a special door into a large two story outdoor caged in area where they are safe. Coyotes are awful marauders of small animals; we lost our cat MacDuff who was somewhat the same colour as Autumn though not as pretty, when he was 11 and insisted on going outside at night. I walk outside now with all our animals and Miss Annie is leashed at night. Living in the country, these things happen.
Rosey

PS: I can't resist a crack here Celia.....some wives may object and think they were the most gentle, affectionate little things their husband's ever put into fur coats......(bad Rosey!!) I can't help myself. Celia needs to come back on the board. I miss her British sense of humour.

What? Dog pics?

2011-12-07T21:28:00.005-05:00

You know you can't say that without me posting pictures of Alex Chickasaw Dykehouse,
the joy of our lives! First a picture I took of him the other night with a cool setting on my camera.
Then the real Alex with his big smile! Still working on a Christmas picture since he didn't enjoy
his Santa visit. Just so the cats aren't left out, a picture of Bruiser, aka The Big B, our feral cat that
has been visiting indoors a little during the cold weather (he's in heaven)

More puppy pix

2011-12-06T19:11:00.005-05:00

Just got back from a few days with DD in California. This is Ruger, the Rottweiller pup. He's just over a year old and has discovered that if he gets right in front of the automatic garbage can in the kitchen, he can make it open up long enough to check what is inside. They have had to turn off the automatic opener.

This one of Murphy was taken just after a visit to the vet over Thanksgiving weekend. He had a cut foot, and the vet jokingly said that if he didn't leave the bandage alone, we could put him in a full body cast. Murphy took that to heart and immediately came back to the cabin and put his "owie" paw higher than his heart. He's normally also one of those ADHD dogs...half Lab and half Chesapeake. Fortunately at age two, he's finally beginning to be rational.

Kathi

Love the dog pictures!

2011-12-06T09:58:00.002-05:00

The dog pictures are great. What's with the cupcakes? Was he looking to eat them, or did he already have some?
I took my 2 to get pictures with Santa last Sat. morning. They should be ready on Tues morning. Found a mobile groomer who is good, she came over yesterday to give the girls a trip and a bath.
Working on cutting fringe on polar fleece for blankies for a nursing home that several of us are visiting tonight. One of the GFs works there. We are providing decaf coffee, goodies, and hopefully getting the ladies to tie the ends of the blankies together. The polar fleece really dulls the rotary blades quickly. Luckily got several last week when Jo-Ann's had a big sale.
Other than that decorating the house. It is taking much longer this year. Some of the lights in the artificial tree are burned out, I'm trying to figure out how to get more on it, or rearrange the ones there. Very warm here, over 70 or 75 for the last few days.
Just checking in, it's been a few days since Comcast would let me sign on. I missed the yoga class today, so think I'll go do 30 min. on my own if the dogs don't jump in with their own "downward dogs".
Sara in Fla.

dogs

2011-12-05T18:03:00.003-05:00

I love the dog pictures! I can't remember if I posted this one last year, so here goes... The black lab is Schuyler (sky-ler) and the labradoodle is Lucy. FYI, the stories about labradoodles being ADHD is true... The dog books call them "high energy." DH calls it AD ooh squirrel...LOL Schuyler, on the other hand, is the "good" dog. If I can make him understand what I want, he energetically and perfectly performs it :)

You'll notice, Doris, Stain is a blue merle Aussie

2011-12-05T14:36:00.002-05:00

And does he look just a bit guilty?? or not??

Here is our Geordie, at 14 1/2 years. He's now over 15 and in pretty bad shape but still breathing...and still able to go outside to do his required business so as long as that is in place, J, who will be making the decision with this one as to when to put him down, does not want to let him go and I can't blame him a bit. They are buddies. But the Aussies are full of mischief in their earlier years and full of energy too.

Another rainy day here in Southern Ontario but it's better than snow.

Rosey

Stains the counter-surfing dog

2011-12-04T20:50:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture --- the expression on this dog's face is half the fun. LOL

Coming up for air !

2011-12-04T14:29:00.002-05:00

It's a busy time of year ! Not helped here by some very hot days, but most of the mail has been dealt with and most of the parcels wrapped..

What a treat to see those beautiful photographs on the page. The one of the mountains is spectacular, and the one of "Annie no" showing her on her on her best behaviour, made me smile ! We have got our friends Beagle, staying here this week, the two dogs are having a very busy time chasing imaginary rabbits and hares around the property. No need to take them for a "walk." They are exhausted at the end of the day.

We went to a performance of Handles Messiah on Saturday night. It's almost the traditional start to the Christmas season here.. It's usually held in the auditorium at the Town Hall in Christchurch. With that facility "munted" in the earthquake, this year it was held in a school hall..It was a very hot night, no air conditioning there and the seating consisted of school benches.. ! Must have been even more uncomfortable for the choir and orchestra, all dressed up for the occasion , but they put on a great performance and were rewarded with a long, standing ovation, at the conclusion.

Bee, say "hi" to Fran for me ! She was one of the first BB members to contact me too. That's going back a bit ..! I hope their trip goes well. We'll be up in Auckland for Christmas but I think they will have left NZ by then.

Busy with "end of year" things this week. Most groups take the month of January off so Dec is full of morning teas, lunches and evening BBQ's. All need baking for or buying for so that's my focus today. Looks as if it's going to be hot again but, hopefully, not around the 30 deg that we had over the w/end.

Have a good week.

Marion.

Gus and food

2011-12-03T13:47:00.005-05:00

about the only thing I can trust him not to do. I could leave anything, probably not chicken, and he would not touch it. This from a street kid is not too bad. Mind you this is the only thing I can praise him for. He had to have a bath yesterday, what a wimp, afterwards he was so pleased with himself he ran round jumping with joy. I have Fran and Graham arriving from Aussie on Tuesday so thought he had better small sweet, I know he will mug them, he just loves people. They haven't met Gus yet so that will be a treat in store for them. I have given up trying to make him be quiet and act his age, he is an idiot and nothing will ever change that, Actually he is such a clown he really makes everyone chuckle . I was at Brett the vet with him the other day and there was a 6 months German Shepherd behaving so well while Gus did his thing screaming into Brett's consulting room with a hiss and a roar. As Brett remarked it is quite a change for an animal to want to see him. We still have idiots letting off fireworks at night and my brave dog is a super wimp around them, I don't like to drug him but he is in such a state he is losing his hair poor dog , the sooner we stop fireworks the better, we will only be able to have special evenings put on for charity. Must off now and find something to show Fran in the quilt line,she does lovely work so will have to pull mine into shape. They are only here for two days so will have so much catching up to do, I am so looking forward to seeing them, Fran was one of the first to contact me when I started on WWQW . Hugs for now Bee in NZ

No, No, Annie...

2011-12-03T13:47:00.004-05:00

I'm hearing Annie getting scolded by J. right now..."You are not to chew up paper" repeated several times...I know who he's talking to...

This is a post I placed elsewhere this week:

"I confess to having avoided reading Rita Mae Brown's Mrs. Murphy series feeling that animals who talked to each other was 'kinda' dumb and gimmicky. Of course, having read one and now many of her books, I'm completely hooked given that the two Aussie girls here in the house manage to get into all kinds of mischief themselves. So last night when these same two Aussie girls came tearing out of the pantry looking very sheepish, I wondered what they'd been into. I could almost hear them saying: 'holy cow, did you see that darned thing snap at us? Boy, we're lucky it didn't bite us'....and the other one saying, 'well, it almost got you, you got in there first and tried to get that bacon off the hook; serves you right for being so greedy, bubblebutt......'.

If Aussies had tails, they would have both been between their legs.

The rat trap had been too tempting.
.................................................................................................................

Jean, I'll remember the baking sheet trick...Annie is so agile that she stretches up onto Aunt Grace's desk (J's great aunt) and puts her nose down into Geordie's bowl of food. At 15, getting him to eat is an ongoing chore. So maybe that's the place for the cookie sheets.

I'll have a look at the site, Doris...

Annie is an adorable monkey and one step ahead of me all the time.

Rosey

Counter surfers

2011-12-03T11:30:00.001-05:00

Both Gucci and her new friend Coco were terible counter cruisers, but of course they never did it if anyone was watching. They were both cured within a few days with my favourite really mean trick. I have tile floors, so it is noisy when things fall. I put cookie sheets and baking pans on the counters, positioned so they hung out a couple of inches over the edge, and put the bait food behind them on the counter. Left the room. Waited for the almighty crash when the dog's nose or paws tipped the pan onto the floor. Laughed quietly to myself. Even the terrible Coco no longer steals from the counters -- although she is pretty hard on the cat food if no one is watching. :)

Jean, enjoying the sunny days and off to a craft fair, pet photos with Santa, and a visit with a dear sister-in-law...

dogs that are counter surfers

2011-12-03T10:55:00.002-05:00

dogs that are counter surfers
ROSEY P - Here is a good chucke for today; a link (safe to click) to a youtube video clip from the popular show "It's Me Or The Dog." Copy & paste, since the add-a-link feature is not working today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTuOr2vlC-c

It's very brief and gives the essense of the the episode about a dog named Stains (LOL), learning to leave people food alone. This program is my favorite, and the Stains episode is on ther "top ten favorite episodes" program as well.
Enjoy. ;-)

Annie

2011-12-02T13:31:00.002-05:00

Rosey P - Ha! Annie and our Sophie may be soul mates. Sophie only comes when she feels like it, and she truly would be a counter surfer if she was tall enough. I've never seen such a dog like this,,,, what a scavenger! She loves the dark black mulch that people put by their shrubs on the curbs. She picks it up on the street and eats it, when we go walking. I think it is the nature of her breed, as they're always trying to con their humans out of more food than what they need.

I'm busy making more placemats. It keeps me off the streets and out of the mall. LOL

Annie, ten mos. & maturing

2011-12-01T18:01:00.002-05:00

Getting Annie to sit still for her 'portrait' is a chore. She's a moving target 80% of the time but she is maturing; she is learning the words 'stay, sit, down, car ride & let's go'. The command 'come' is still, much of the time, at her discretion, not mine. She's full of personality, a counter cruiser at times and when scolded, she talks barking back. She's lots of fun. She went to her second dog show where she got to stand on a grooming table and have someone else trim her hair and nails. Progress, slow for sure but coming.

I think Kathi's photo is one of the most beautiful I've seen. We had snow here in Southern Ontario over the past two days but it is melting at the moment and may disappear just as quickly as it came. Winter is a good time to get quilt projects under way and a time for slowing down, at least here in the country.

RoseyP

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-11-28T22:43:00.005-05:00

....and it's only just past Thanksgiving. Thought I'd share a shot that I took the other afternoon at the cabin. It was well below 0*F most mornings. I figured that it was -23*C on Friday morning (for those of us who live north of the border). The cloud formations were unlike anything I'd seen. High winds aloft and clear, clear air. It was cold enough that the bald eagle who usually sits in the tree across the river from us decided that he had best hide out in his nest most of the day.

Kathi

For Grace

2011-11-26T09:59:00.002-05:00

I know that I can add my comments to Grace's posting but forget and reach for the sign in at the top of my tool bar...so, here goes...Grace, thanks for the update on J's health issues and I agree that you must all feel enormous relief to have a reprieve with his good health. Also, too, a reminder that some of us, me in particular, are reaching an age where strokes, even silent strokes, can happen so easily.

At a quilt meeting last week, I met up with an acquaintance who is a friend and inspector of my husband's glider each year. They don't live far from us here in the country. Her husband, retired from his regular job, services and repairs aircraft, motorized and glider planes. His workshop, a huge barn-sized building is full of every imaginable part for an airplane and the tools to fix it. His wife has given him an ultimatum...clean out your workshop.... which she fully believes he will ignore because once something is thrown out, Murphy's Law means it will be needed the following week.

I keep thinking we need to pare down ourselves and heaven help us...we've been here 23 years going on 24. My husband is a collector of mechanical things to say nothing of our garage, basement, his workshop in which resides at least forty old fashioned extension cords. My studio is mild compared to his workshop and besides, any respectable quilter would have my studio cleaned out in a flash if I corked off before dealing with it.

Gloomy day here in Southern Ontario, Canada...the focus for today is to wire up the outdoor Christmas tree which was liberated, not stolen, from a field nearby ours...our evergreens have grown far too tall to be used in this manner....we have to wire the tree to the house, put it up outside, with tiny lights on it and it stays there until April when the snow melts. It helps brighten our lives in the long dark winter months ahead. The wind on the Niagara Escarpment will take the tree off in no time unless we attach it to the house with wires...

Miss AnnieBelle is beckoning with a voice that would challenge the best of opera singers...she wants OUT.

Rosey

Some fairly good news

2011-11-26T08:18:00.002-05:00

I posted this on the wrong page, I apologize.
Well after almost a month and a half of a lot of guessing and wondering DH has finally finished with all the medical tests and checkups(and there were a lot), and they have giving us some final results.
First of all he is fine.He is in excellent medical health, but he did have two small strokes, one after the other. There seems to be no remedial bad results, except the short term memory loss.We can learn to work with that. ( It is actually a little different than the way we seem to forget thingsLOL)
We were extremely lucky in that we got him to the hospital in time and the really fast treatment there.So lucky.
The anomaly to me is, that some one who is in such excellent health, can have two strokes( even small ones)
Lots we have learned here and life continues, and so does winter. We even had a little covering of snow. I am trying to convince myself that that was winter . ( Don't believe it)
Back to the season getting ready.
Later all . Be happy.
Grace

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T15:52:00.002-05:00

Yummm-- Just got back from Cracker Barrel where we had our Thanksgiving dinner. I will say their pecan pie is just as good as mine. They served it warm.
Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. If you don't celebrate, as in the DUGS, happy Thursday.
I have hit a snag in the portrait quilt, and will give it a rest for a few days.
Going to watch football, nap on the couch.
We did manage to get in a bike ride about noon, and talked to the DD and DGBoys on the phone this morning. We always watch the Macy's parade, and they were watching it too. Someone stole a pair of new snow boots (we think) from the boy's unlocked garage last week. Or, they could be hidden in the many piles of laundry waiting to be washed.
There are no dishes to wash, but I'm thinking of making an apple pie later. Using Comstock pie filling, so not much work. It is good for breakfast with coffee.
Sara in Fla.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

2011-11-23T19:07:00.002-05:00

I am just posting to wish everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving. If you're not from the US, have a blessed day and weekend.
My plans for the day have changed. DH is sick, probably with the flu, and he didn't decide that he was sick soon enough for the tamaflu to work. I may have had it last week when I thought I had a bad cold and a sinus infection, or I may be just about to come down with it any day now. His symptoms resemble mine from last week, so maybe I just spread flu all over the high school... In any case, I'm not risking exposing his mother or mine to flu, since neither has had a flu shot yet.
There are only 3 more weeks of school for us before our Christmas break. Our state-mandated end of course testing (for two of my three courses) is December 7th. The next week we give exams, but anyone required to take an end of course is not being required to take an exam this year, as their EOC score will count the same amount the exam would. So I get to find something for them to do for a week...
Laura in Alabama

Home Dec Fabrics, Thanksgiving, etc.

2011-11-23T09:29:00.006-05:00

Sara in FL - Calico Corners and Hancock's in Paducah are expensive, when it comes to Home Dec. fabric prices. JoAnn's Home Dec fabric is expensive, also, unless you have a coupon or catch it on sale. Here is a link to a site that has much more reasonable prices. I ordered from them a year ago and was very satisifed with the prices service:
http://www.housefabric.com/
HouseFabric.com
You might like their Tommy Bahama selection - island flavor without being outright "beachy".

I took a class at my sewing machine dealer on placemats last week. I was amazed over how easy and fun it was! Now I'm busy making some more with Xmas/winter fabric for gifts.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING to all our U.S. BB Chat ladies. :-) I'll be making three different dishes today that will be carried to my sister's house tomorrow. NO cake will be baked, so I don't have to worry about forgetting the flour. (LOL)

fabric

2011-11-22T09:29:00.002-05:00

Thanks Rosey:
There is a small Calico corners here in town. I had forgotten about them.
I drove over to the yoga class today, oops, the only one there. Guess everyone is taking off for Thanksgiving. Will go across the big bridge to the other Jo-Ann's in a few min.
We decided to go out to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving dinner this year. (did I say that before?)
Only the 2 of us. I am thankful!
Sara in Fla.

sara

2011-11-21T16:17:00.001-05:00

Calico Corners...but that's way down on the other side of Florida for you...in Osprey south of Sarasota. However they have a website with fabrics on it. I've bought almost all of my curtain fabric for my home here in Canada when I've been down in Sarasota. Don't know if there is a Calico Corners on the east side of Fla.
Rosey

Fabric questions

2011-11-21T10:45:00.002-05:00

This isn't really a quilt related question, but at least fabric.
I've been searching internet sites for drapery fabric. So far just Mary Jo's and Hancock's of Pad. for some drapery fabric. This is for the beach condo. There is just so much out there.
Any suggestions for web sites? We don't want anything to "beachy" no star fish, etc. But not too conservative either. I'm thinking of stripes in aqua, teal, sandy colors. There is so cute Tommy Bahama fabric out there, but expensive. These will have to have lining, and the one space is 11 1/2 feet across, 8 ft. high. So, will take lots of fabric. Will have to have them professionally made, I just don't have that type of work space. and wouldn't want to do them anyway.
The bedroom can have something different, maybe more like palm fronds, or something tropical in feel.
I'm open to ideas! Will check my local Jo-Ann's also and there is one Designer fabric store somewhere in town. I think they have sales in Jan.
OK, going to go to a girlfriend lunch today for someone's 52nd birthday, or maybe 53rd.
She says that she is forgotten as her birthday is before Thanksgiving, so we are all taking her out, about 6 of us.
Sara in Fla.

cell phones

2011-11-18T09:14:00.002-05:00

After getting my haircut yesterday I went next door to Radio Shack and asked about hands-free devices. Bought DH one you attach to the visor of the car. I'm not sure how it works, if you put your cell phone into it, or what. Will make it his Christmas gift. The radio shack person said I could return it or exchange it if he didn't like it.
So, one Christmas gift down. Ordered a "winter car survival kit" for SIL. It has the space (mylar) blankets, energy bars, a reflective triangle, tow rope,flash light, and other things in it. He already spun out once during the first snow of N. D.
Treating myself to a pedicure today. It is very windy here and temp. dropping.
Sara in Fla.

Cell Phones

2011-11-16T04:44:00.002-05:00

Hi everyone, we also have a law about using phones in a moving car but lots take absolutely no notice and I have never seen anyone pulled over and stopped. I find the nearer to Christmas we get the faster the cars go. I am so pleased I use buses. It is becoming warm here and we are supposed to have a hot summer. I don't do heat very well and have already put the fan in the lounge. Now I have to move the dog away from it, he thinks it is for him!!! At the moment I have 3 little skinks in my lounge( little lizards) compliments of my Ellie, she has two bells on her collar so no birds but I understand skinks are deaf and can't hear her. They are so fast trying to catch them to put them outside is really hard but I am getting quicker. Now I am on my own I have decided to buy myself a Christmas present to me and have ordered a lamp for quilting at night . I am so looking forward to it arriving I am like a kid watching for the postman. Not much sewing here as I am decluttering the house. Both Harry and I used to be unable to throw anything away but I have now decided to start throwing. I am giving a lot of my fabric away as I now find it easier to purchase packs with everything in them. The quilt shops are becoming few and far between and without a car it is much easier to get it all at one shop.I think we all know the feeling that we must have bit of that fabric and then it sits in the cupboard for ages waiting to be used. I may even have empty shelves LOL. Hugs to all and keep warm, Bee in NZ.

It's been awhile...

2011-11-16T04:08:00.002-05:00

Good to see a few of the "regulars" keeping the board alive. There's been too much going on in my life just lately and when I have been at home, I have been too tired to post ! Lots of sad things happening to close friends. Stress, illness and the aftermath of the earthquakes continuing to take their toll.... demolition orders on homes and the ground that they are on, deemed to be unsafe for rebuilding . Fights with insurance companies etc . All very tiring. We have been so fortunate ourselves , somehow that makes us feel even more sad for those who are affected. People aren't thinking straight and they are finding decisions difficult to make. It's a time for friends to "be there" for each other.

The unsettled spring weather has continued on into early summer. The growth in the garden is unbelievable and the weeds are impossible to keep up with. The colour out there is wonderful though , it's a very pretty time of year. So refreshing to come home to.

A friend has just had a skin cancer removed from her nose. A very painful operation but what a clever surgeon she had. It's only a month since surgery and you can hardly see any evidence of his handy work. Another friend has just had breast cancer confirmed so she is now anxiously waiting to hear what the next step is for her. Getting older isn't for wimps is it ? DH and I keep reasonably well but people around us seem to be falling like flies. !

The council has arranged bus trips through the red zone in the central city (still cordoned off) There has been so much demolition there that people were feeling that they wanted to see for themselves before all remembered buildings had gone. We went on Sunday afternoon. It was a sombre affair. Before we left, we were told that we would be going into an "unsafe area' and that, in the event of another earthquake, we should follow directions...The buses ran every ten minutes , quietly and slowly, through the wasteland. It was really hard to remember some areas they were so changed. They have fenced off the main shopping street (where only one shop remains) and imported 24 shipping containers which are now being used a temporary shops... It's a statement I suppose, that Christchurch is determined to rebuild, but I thought it all looked very sad and very temporary.. When we arrived home after this outing, I found the kitchen full of smoke....I had left eggs on the stove to boil so that I could add them to a salad for our evening meal....The smell was ghastly but, being a fine evening, we were able to have all of the doors and windows open and it wasn't too long before the smell was bearable. (It's just about gone now, three days later)!! A sick feeling inside though, we could have come home to a pile of ashes.....

My sailing nephew is back doing the Volvo Ocean Race again (his fourth time) They left from Spain earlier in the month and are now heading for Sth Africa. They should be in NZ in March so I am looking forward to that. I check on the web site every morning and sometimes there are recorded interviews and videos with him which are so clear that it's like having him in the same room. Technology is wonderful when it works isn't it ?

Time for bed now. Most of you will be waking to a new day, I hope it's a good one for you.

Marion.

for Laura

2011-11-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

For some unknown reason I couldn't add a "comment" to Laura's post. Google was taking me down rabbit trails.
Laura--I thought Florida had the worst public schools, esp. our county. Seems like they are bad all over. I blame most of it on the parents, and the "experts" who try social programs out for something "new" each year. Many of my teacher friends says they can't wait to retire. One teacher friend said that the hours in school are the only "normal" times some students have. She has kids that come from the same Mom, but each has a different Dad, move constantly, no way to reach a parent for meetings, etc. Some families just don't value education.
Hang in there. You may be the positive in a child's life and make the difference for them to continue in school.
I'll get off my soap box now. My GF who was going to give me computer/camera lesson forgot over the weekend, and will try this week.
Sara in Fla.

Tis the Season

2011-11-13T20:51:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd give you all a little laugh & share Alex's visit with Santa. Our wild,crazy fun loving dog was scared to death of Santa! Now I know how those parents feel when they get their kids all dolled up for family portraits only to have their kids kick scream & frown. He was primped & wearing his Harley bandanna and almost wet his pants! I have a treasure trove of great pet visits with Santa, like Dyna cold cocking one of Santa's helpers in the lip with her huge head. Ah pets, you gotta love 'em.
We have all of our police force and that of Salem's downtown trying to rehome our "Occupy Portland" contingent, now that they have destroyed and putrefied one park time to get them out. We drove by last night on our way home, unbelievable! Jill

ugly fabric

2011-11-12T22:16:00.002-05:00

Hi Kathi and Rosey, Actually the only pretty fabric was the cream tone on tone.
The two browns and the beige are really "Different" when you see it is yardage.
It sure is not what you would pick up in a store and drool over.
Not like some of the ones I saw today.
The day was fantastic , a whole lot of fun and I did some serious damage to the funds.
Going to bed now as it was an incredible early morning and I am beat
Grace

checking in

2011-11-12T17:17:00.002-05:00

Due to new text books, new state and federal laws affecting teaching, new ridiculously "tougher" standards, new requirements for students to take math courses that are beyond their training and interests, end-of-course and ACT testing for students who will never go to college (and don't want to), and teaching as many different courses as I have classes, I have been stressed out to the max this year. I am sorry I haven't posted more, as I know the numbers of posts have really dropped lately. I'm hoping to do better once the end-of-course testing is over for this semester, as next semester should be somewhat better. I can't remember if I've come any closer to wanting to quit a job forever than I have this year. Mind you, it's not the fault of the school, the parents, the administration, or even most of the students, and I'm not saying that just because this is a public forum.

Anyway, what caused me to post is this...over the last 4 years the county has had at least 5-6 students killed in traffic accidents. A cell phone was involved in all but one of them, including one where the mother was driving. Please don't drive distracted....
Laura in Alabama
PS. I still read with interest, love looking at the quilts, and hope to rejoin the conversation when I can.

Nov11

2011-11-11T19:10:00.002-05:00

Hi all,

Just cruising along here. Just loving the weather so far. No slipping or sliding going on here. Sure hope this stays for awhile yet. I know that sooner or later winter is going to come, but maybe it can wait.

Not much going on here and getting very little sewing done. Maybe I just do everything a lot slower. LOL. I will try and post the picture of my ugly fabric quilt. No the quilt did not turn out ugly in fact it is one of the nicest ones I have made. The fabric in yardage is ugly.

I am in the process of making a new quilt for one of DH's grand nieces who will be having a baby in the near future.

In fact tomorrow is the much waited for bus trip shop hop and buying the backing is on my list.

So all is well here and I hope so for most of you all too

See you later

Grace

Cell Phones

2011-11-11T10:08:00.002-05:00

Rosey, I think most jurisdictions have laws against using hand held devices while driving but the normally law abiding folks just ignor it. I suspect your liability insurance carrier wouldn't be too happy to find out if one was in use in an accident. In my old age I pull off the road to change radio stations! Except on the most winding of roads around here I have the cruise control engaged too. I tend to continue to increase my speed as I go along otherwise. I'm lucky to be alive after that accident in '08 and if I hadn't been rescued by a super annuated Eagle Scout (no lie, he really is) I would never have survived. That accident was due to just a bit too much speed and a moment's inattention.

Just back from annual quilt retreat in Toccoa, GA having made some serious progress on DD's wedding quilt. The 2nd anniversay was this past August. I ate like a pig and the beasts are campaigning for our hike so I'd best get going here.

Jane in chilly Appalachia

Cell Phones, etc.

2011-11-10T12:36:00.002-05:00

Sara, we have a law here now that you cannot talk on a cell phone while driving the car. My husband has to pull over if his cell phone rings while he's on the road; I have a Blue Tooth. But the fact is, even with fines if caught, people still read their Blackberries and talk on cell phones whilst driving. Sad lesson to learn was the fact that a year and a half ago one of our local bed&breakfast owners died because he was consulting his Blackberry and drove through an intersection getting himself t-boned by a big truck. He died at the scene. It scares me when I see how people are so occupied looking down at those hand-held devices when they are driving and walking along the street. There is a whole generation of 'heads-down; thumbs rotating' people these days.

Guess it's not worth fighting some battles. Some people have to take charge, not compromise, not communicate and then there are others who........do not. And, whoops, here comes the rain, better run and get my laundry off the line.

Rosey

Men!

2011-11-10T11:45:00.002-05:00

I think I'm going to hide in the quilty room for a day or two.
Yesterday we had a big argument about the kitchen/condo/etc. The traffic in town was all stalled by an accident on one of the main N/S roads (for 7 hours) A tractor trailer turned over and hit several cars, spilled his load of beer cans everywhere, etc.
So, on the way to the cabinet maker's shop we had to take a detour-got lost, the GPS in the truck didn't have the right info. Etc. You get the picture.
On arriving 1 hr. late at the location we played nice, but there were some real hurt feelings on my part. I've decided that he can make those decisions on counter tops, bath fixtures, toilets, etc. This place isn't supposed to be my "home" so it's just not worth the energy to argue over it.
On thinking about it like a lot of men DH doesn't allow any time driving for slow traffic, lights, detours, etc. He gets angry behind the wheel, talks on his cell phone on the interstate, etc. Trying to "fit in" these decisions and little trips during work times, etc. Really, he hasn't been the same since the Proton treatment for the prostate cancer. Low energy, gained weight, mild depression.etc.
I'm thinking about making an appt. with his proton doctor to talk about it.
On the good news, it is sunny and about 65 today. I took both dogs to the doggie park this morning and they had a great time, needed to run around.
Sara in Fla.

2011-11-07T20:55:00.003-05:00

Sara, you might also consider a Corian counter top.

I remodeled our kitchen about three years ago and found granite too heavy in appearance for what I wanted. But you need to consider your overall appearance. The white Corian helped carry out a less heavy look to my kitchen and it's easy to maintain. Dishes are more likely to break on granite and quartz due to its harder surface than on the Corian. Just a suggestion...it may not go with your concept of what you want for your own kitchen.
Rosey

Ready to stay home a bit

2011-11-06T18:58:00.002-05:00

Hi Yall- Ive been going up and down, round and round, and am ready to stay home a bit. Was gone somewhere 4 out of 5 weekends in Oct. My Mom is out of rehab and at home. We are having a person stay with her this weekend while my brother attended a wedding in N.C. He should be here in about 2 hrs. so I'll catch up.(Driving back to So. Fla.) It is his youngest daughter that got married. Since DH and I went kayaking this past week I didn't have the energy to get in the car and drive to N. C. by myself.
The Rainbow river is just beautiful. South of Ocala, Fla. outside of Dunnellon. We rented a house for 4 nights with another couple. The day we chose to kayak was sunny, but a bit windy and we paddled against the flow and the wind. It took 2 hrs. and didn't make the mouth of the river, but got to see enough. There are lots of Ibis, Egrets, Otters, in and about the river. It was fun to sit on the dock and watch the otters come out about 5:00 PM. About 5 or 6 looked like they were playing. The next day we rented a paddle boat for 1/2 day and did the river again. It was a good time and lots of good crab cakes at the local restaurant.
I have gotten behind with my class on Quilt University, but will hopefully catch up this week.
Tomorrow night a GF is coming over to give me a lesson on computer/camera work. I only hope my mind can remember.
OH-we did close on the beach condo. Now it is gutted and we are having a contractor built it back. Took down 3/4 of the kitchen wall to open it up. Re-configuring the master bath to make it bigger, and having a dressing area/closet. The old closet was huge, and a tiny bathroom. The old sliding doors to the balcony didn't slide, they were so old and broken. That is on the list.
Cha-ching. At least I got to pick out a new tub and the vessel sinks for the bath. We are trying to come to an agreement on the kitchen--he wants granite counter tops I want quartz. He wants stainless appliances. Etc. This isn't a place we intend to live in full time, but still we have to agree on some things.
Jane-I'm hoping to go to Toccoa GA. in Jan. for the QOV retreat put on by the No. Ga. guild. I'm only going if I can get a GF to drive up there with me. I imagine it will be very cold there in Jan. Scope out the rooms, etc. for me please.
Enough for one night.
Sara in windy Fla.

DOUBLE OOPS

2011-11-06T12:58:00.001-05:00

I just edited the URL for Batiks Unlimited shop.

Who's getting old?

Jane

OOPS

2011-11-05T12:12:00.002-05:00

Left out Carol's web site. It's http://www.batiksetc.com/ . You can't find a bigger selection of batiks anywhere. They are top quality and pricey though.

Jane

GOOD DAY FOR A LAUGH

2011-11-05T11:42:00.002-05:00

ROSEY & DORIS thanks for the day brightener. Doris, the incident thirty years ago should serve to assure you that the flourless cake is not a sign of creeping dementia. Same goes for Rosey. My doc, about fifteen years ago pointed out to me as I expressed concerns about my memory, that when I was sixteen I walked into roooms and couldn't remember what I was there for. The difference between then and now is that I didn't worry about the implications back then.

Good time to read cooking fiascoes. I hope to get the college cookies made and packed for sending as I get ready to head out Monday to the annual quilt retreat in Toccoa, GA at the Baptist Conference center. I hope to make serious progress on a bed quilt I started there about three years ago in a class taught by Carol Britt. Carol is a great teacher by the way and very funny. You can mail order from her, especially a huge collection of batiks. Her shop is in Wytheville, VA and I always make a point of stopping there going to or from Rochester. Wytheville is at the intersection of I-81 and I-71

Domestic demeanors...lol

2011-11-04T19:51:00.003-05:00

Doris, I can just imagine the panic when you discovered the flour still sitting on the kitchen counter. That cake batter must have been awfully runny. I expect we've all done absent minded things like that.

Years ago when I was first learning how to roast a turkey, my mother told me to wash and dry the inside of the bird. I ran cold water through the bird then put a tea towel in to dry it. Left it soaking inside the bird and walked away to do something else. When the turkey was on the table waiting to be carved, there were no comments about the roasted tea towel instead of turkey dressing. That was still sitting on my kitchen counter.

Rosey

checking in ...

2011-11-04T08:16:00.002-05:00

Sara in FL - You and your Mom are in my thoughts and prayers.

Rosey P - We don't have as much trouble in our area with wood peckers, as we do the European Starlings. They'll make nice round holes on the side of a building, and build their nest inside the walls. Shouldn't your woodpeckers have migrated south by now?

Jane in NC - the Hardie plank siding is supposed to be the best. It's been quite popular in our area.

Martha Stewart I am NOT. Have you ever baked a cake, two 9 x 13 size cake layers, and completely forgotten to add the flour? And realized it only after the cake was half-baked? {raises hand....} Aaack!!!
This isn't my first cake-baking blooper. Some thirty years ago, I baked a cake from a CAKE MIX and after it came out of the oven looking rather strange, I realized I forgot to add the eggs. To a cake mix. How sad is that?! LOL
I am always in awe of caterers, wondering just how they do it!