Frosty weather and cozy quilts

We have had a couple of really frosty days and nights here in our part of the state. Now the wind is blowing so that will complicate traveling for those who are on the highways and byways. I couldn't resist snapping this picture of or long needle pine whose branches are encrusted with frost. Everything was just so pretty! I also finished this quilt which is a reproduction of a 1930's vintage sampler. So as the weather outside continues to be sub-zero, I can curl up in this quilt. I still haven't figured out how these pictures get posted so my text doesn't always quite appear as I would like it. I got a couple of comments on my kitchen 30's cabinet color from a couple of people whose opinion I really respect and both felt that it should be painted a cream color so I will put that on my "to do's" list. Erica, this quilt is the one we discussed when I visited you last. All fabrics were from my scrap stash which would have been as the original quilter would have done. I am not fond of pinks, but they used what they had as did I. Even though we have had some beasty weather, it is so nice to be able to go out for something we need rather than try to wait for good weather and open roads. The streets here are plowed so we don't have to worry about being able to do something. We took the dogs to a new vet today for their shots so we can board them and it was such a nice clinic. Of course, the beagle needs to have her teeth cleaned and a spot removed from outside her right eye. I have started two more quilts which will involve some handwork and I love having something to do in the evenings when I am watching TV. Will post pics next time. I am back at updating my recipes on the computer also and this weather inspires me to bake. I made Banana bread...Amy Grant's grandmothers, and kraut burgers tonite, and a new biscuit recipe a couple of days ago. All of the bread recipes need to go in the computer as they were all yummy. (Did I say I like bread?) That's my weakness....we were raised on lots of it with fresh butter. I spent all day Saturday with my good friend Sal here in Cheyenne and we found an antique shop, mostly primitives which I had not discovered before....3 floors Bonzerelli, so when you come again guess where we go first. We are in for a few more days of this cold blizzardy weather, but our larder is full and our home is warm and cozy!!!

The promise

As you can see, the Mr cut a hole in my table and put in a piece of plywood for support. This allows me to put my machine level with the table surface
which in turn makes it so much easier to work on a quilt. Being short on one end (me, not the table), it also is much easier on my arms and shoulders. The contraption below the machine is a knee lift which makes lifting the presser foot possible without taking my hands off the quilt. Janome has become a very popular machine and models are available for all skill levels. I am not endorsing the product exactly, but this little baby will sew 1600 stitches a minute and is a work horse for sure. However, it is a straight stitch only machine, so my little Singer is still a necessity. Because it is a professional model, it will also stitch through leather, at least garment leather and as you can see, it has a wide space between the needle and right side which allows a larger amount of fabric to pass through. I love it!

We have a new president! If you listened to his speech, and listened to both the left wing and right wing critics, there was a huge differences of opinion as to the delivery of the speech. Determine for yourself. Did it have spectacular content or was it a disappointment?

I am a list maker. For as long as I can remember, I have been a list maker. Lack of self-discipline and being forced to be a multi-tasker as most women, who are mothers, wives, coaches, chauffeurs, members of the work force, etc., it was the only way I could get anything accomplished. In fact, I think I was a list maker from the time I was a teen. For some reason, it gives me great pleasure to be able to cross an item of a list. Sometimes I have several lists going on at any one time. Not only do I make lists for myself, I make lists for the Mr. (He is even more undisciplined than I.) For us, it works! With the new year upon us, we have already crossed things off the new lists! Yeah!!

Yesterday, we headed out the door with the dogs for a trip to the big home improvement store and the Mr. noticed a nail protruding a couple of inches out of the passenger rear tire of the truck. So, he jacked up the truck while the tire was still inflated, and pulled out the nail. From that puncture air immediately began to escape. We went on our errand in the little HHR and this a.m. woke up to another flat tire on the other side. What are those odds? Both tires are back on the truck but the repairs, just small punctures, cost more than I used to pay for new tires for my old '66 VW bug.

We have these two dogs. They stay in the basement at night because one of them now piddles at night. We put down a puddle pad and it gets used so there isn't a big mess to clean up, but we haven't been able to determine which dog is the culprit. We tried separating them and they somehow managed to switch places. Tonite, we found a puddle and when the Mr. brought it to the attention of the dogs, they both had guilt written on their faces. The beagle came running into the office, hid immediately under my computer desk and hid her face. She wouldn't even look at us! (We could hardly contain our laughter.) It is funny but it is not. She is an old dog and the other skinny bitch, bless her heart, doesn't have room for a very big bladder so it is still a mystery. As I age, I have learned to have lots of compassion for the elderly and that includes the canine old ladies too!

"Old age ain't no place for sissies." ~ Bette Davis

Promises

I now have a Face book page and honestly, I am not sure why. Because I can, maybe. I spent a little time searching for people from my past I might find, but reality set in when I realized my old friends (those who are still living) might not be interested in such things and are probably more concerned with their social security checks arriving safely. I may not have a choice in getting old, but I certainly don't have to mature. The cabinet now has a coat of paint. Input please!

Today, many thoughts crossed my ever shrinking brain. First of all, my good friend, Pat, from Colorado lost her mother this week. I mentioned in my last blog that she was ailing and unfortunately she passed away on Sunday. A tough German woman, at the age of 93 she broke her hip and actually had a replacement which in itself is remarkable. However, she developed an infection in the incision. After being hospitalized for that, apparently her poor heart just wasn't strong enough. I thank her for her daughter who is a very special friend of mine.

Secondly, I had a phone call from my daughter, Erica, and my goodness, we must have chatted for an hour or more. Sunny days here make me anxious for spring and all that warm weather brings to the garden. Erica was ordering seed catalogs and I really need to work on this yard in the way of plantings, but I have a blank canvas so with input from my garden guru buddy and my daughter, I will arm myself with hoes and shovels and go forth to battle. I need catalogs!!!

This next Tuesday we will officially have a new president! It will be a tough job for him, for anyone, considering the state of our nation. We all hear the promises our politicians make and determine our votes based on those promises for the most part. But years of experience have proven to me that promises made by politicians are made to be broken as well as promises of anyone. Intentions are sincere mostly, when a promise is made but in reality, circumstances determine whether or not promises can be kept. Congress is a large obstacle to overcome in order for a president to be able to keep a promise. We will see. One very important lesson that I learned from my father (another to add from the previous posts) is that you DON'T make a promise that you can't keep. This he stressed to me many, many, times. So he rarely made a promise of any kind to anyone. "You are as good as your word!" He would tell that to me constantly. I don't put a lot of stock in promises; too many to me have been broken, as few people have the kind of ethics my father possessed. As we have been made aware recently, many politicians today are lacking in ethics.

Kudos to the pilot who saved so many lives! We are not eating enough geese I guess. They are huge birds and they seem to be everywhere. How about a Valentine Day goose, an Easter Goose, etc? I am sure enjoying my new quilting machine! My craft room looks like a sweat shop. I have a Simplicity serger, a Singer sewing machine and now this wonderful Janome pro. I will post about it next time. I PROMISE!

"We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress.~
~ Will Rogers

Flea market find

My good buddy Bonzerelli, who spent last weekend with me helped me lug this great find home! The Mr. had given me money for Christmas (after 45 years, he knows what I like best), so I didn't feel too guilt ridden for spending a little and it made my spree so much fun! It is a cabinet from the 30's which would have been in a kitchen along with a hoosier I suppose, as it has two small drawers and 3 metal-lined bins for storing staples like flour and sugar. Except for a small repair on one leg, lack of original handles and a lousy paint job it is in relatively good condition. The original wooden wheels are very much in tack and roll well. I removed the
mismatched nobs and painted it the color of my
dining room (will post later) as I am having 2nd
thoughts about the color. As I was sanding it, I could see under the white, a cream and original green color, which I am thinking it really should be. Green, that is. It has such great storage and with the wheels, it can be rolled out into the middle of the kitchen for additional counter space. My first thought was to use it as a sort of island, but there is not enough room to leave it out on a permanent basis. Input?

On Thursday, after our friends left on Sunday, my other very good friend of 38 years, came and spent until Saturday evening with me. We had 3 glorious days of chick fun! The Mr. had come down with the epizudic of some kind, (a cold which I have now gotten) and he was content to stay home and rest, so we shopped and ate until we dropped. Places I hadn't gotten to explore yet, and always good eats, which are priorities kept us busy all three days! There are about 4 really good friends I treasure and everyone should be so lucky! This particular gal has seen me through a lot and I remember holding her hand when her youngest was sick a time or too. (That was in the early 70's). I have made reference to two of those good friends here, and spoke on the phone tonight to another who lives here and is close enough to call when I need a "friend fix". The other is in Colorado, but close enough to get to in a short car ride. She has been dealing with an aging parent, and I spoke to her recently also. There are others also whom I communicate with and feel I could call, for support although I don't see them as often. If you have a good friend, you have a treasure indeed.

"However rare true love is, true friendship is rarer."~La Rochefoucauld

Floors and more

First things first. These two pictures show my pretty new floor in my kitchen and dining room. In previous posts, I showed the horrible parquet and the difficulty in removing the ugly stuff. The Mr. spent days removing it and several days installing this oak laminate. It is wonderful! Even Hojo approves! We spent the weekend here with guests from Sinclair. Not only were they guests, but they are very dear friends. It was the Mr's birthday and as he ages, he has self diagnosed himself with CRS (can't remember shit). After assuring our friends that this past weekend would be a great time to visit, he remembered that he had a team pool tournament. This started Friday evening and lasted until Sunday. His poor buddy got stuck here at the house with the dogs and the cat and the TV for company while the birthday boy played pool. Of course my friend, and the kid and I had a great time with the flea markets and the shopping and the eating. This dear friend also brought me a bed coverlet and skirt that didn't work for her and I put it on my bed and it is perfect. Thanks Bonnzerelli! I also scored a cabinet at a shop here which is from the 30's I would guess. It is a smaller version of a Hoosier...in that it has a metal top, 5 drawers, 3 of which are metal lined bins and it sits on legs with wooden wheels. Pictures to follow in a later post. Later this week I am expecting a visit from another very special friend....a buddy of about 38 years and we have been unable to get together since I moved. I can hardly wait!! The Mr. and I have been blessed with such good friends! By the way, his pool team took 2nd place and the prize money wasn't too shabby either. With a new year ahead, we always wonder what it will bring. Changes for all of us ahead I am sure, but the constant in our lives in spite of our moves and other unforeseen events, is our friendships we have developed over the years. Even as time passes and those dear friends find it necessary to move on, we have managed to stay in touch and cherish the memories. Each new day is a new adventure..don't sweat the small stuff...(a reminder from Brian)...don't make promises you can't keep...(advice from my dad).