Procrastination 08-25-18

Time goes by so fast that I am continually amazed at what I have not done!  Ten years ago with the help of my friend Liz, I started organizing my sewing room/studio/catch-all space.  This picture was taken during that process.  All the bags and the big pile of fabric are scraps.  Liz teased me that every other bag, basket, box, and drawer was full of scraps.  I did disperse some of them, but still have way more than I will every be able to use.  Salvation Army in San Diego has a program where they collect fabric and thread scraps and sell them to "jobbers" who eventually sell them to manufactures for paper making, stuffing various objects, making insulation, all sorts of things.  I have checked around locally, but no Salvation Army facility near me has a similar program.  So, when I drive to San Diego next time, I am going to stuff my car with scraps and gift them to the Salvation Army down there.  One year they gained over $50,000 just from scraps.  Hope they will be happy to have them. 

Although my sewing space doesn't look like this anymore, it actually looks worse because I never put things away.  I need to apply myself - soon.  It seems there is always something more pressing, or interesting, going on.  Woe is I. 

If you have scraps you want to do something with you could make some fabric twine to use for tying packages or....  whatever. 

https://mypoppet.com.au/makes/scrapbusting-handmade-scrap-fabric-twine/

#   #   #

Friday Food 08-25-18

Food at home can be as good as, or even better than, restaurant food.  Here are a few examples.

Mary Leakey is an excellent cook, probably the best I know!  Even lunch is an "event".  This is chicken, apple, avocado, celery salad with her homemade dressing.  Mmm!   01-15-11

Mary's husband Joe has a birthday one day after mine, so I have spent a number of birthdays celebrating with them.  This is one of our prime choices:  lamb chops, fresh carrots, baked potato, tomato/radish salad with Mary's special dressing.  

Our choice of birthday "cake" is a Marionberry Pie from the market in Pacific Grove.  

One year when I drove up the end of August I stopped at the farmer's market in Montecito and found wonderful fresh figs.  I bought a box of this special treat for Mary and was disappointed to find that she doesn't care for them.  Poor me, I had to eat them all!

Not only is she a good cook and a good friend, she is an outstanding quiltmaker. 

This is "Oliver, the Parrot" taking top honors at the Monterey Peninsula Quilt Guild show in 2010.

(We'll call this post Food, Friend, Fiber!)

#   #   #

Flowers in a pot 08-24-18

Sometimes I succumb to the flowers at Trader Joe's.  Years ago when I took these pictures I bought this one because I had never seen it before.  Of course, I managed to kill it, but enjoyed it for quite a long time before that sad day.  I was sure I had posted it on this blog, but I just spent an hour going through all the posts with the flower label and couldn't find it.  So, I don't know the name right now.  It may come to me.  I have also seen it with orange flowers.  

The color isn't good on this closeup image, but I wanted to record the intricate center of the small flowers.  Amazing. 

#   #   #

Wordless Wednesday - KoKo 08-22-18

#   #   #

Cooler, but still the lingering heat and drought 08-21-18

  I was looking something up in the labels in the sidebar and came across Underwear Dust.  What on earth?  Why would I write something like that?  It was August 29, 2009.  So, here is your giggle for tonight. 

BEWARE OF THAT UNDERWEAR DUST!!!!  One evening a husband, thinking he was being funny, said to his wife.  "Perhaps we should start washing your clothes in 'Slim Fast'.  Maybe it would take a few inches off of your butt!"  His wife was not amused, and decided that she simply couldn't let such a rude comment go unrewarded.

The next morning the husband took a pair of underwear out of his drawer.  "What the heck is this?" he said to himself as a little 'dust' cloud appeared when he shook them out.  

"April," he hollered into the bathroom.  "Why did you put talcum powder in my underwear?" 

She replied, with a snicker, "It's not talcum powder, it's Miracle Grow!"

And what led to this was I posted that I had discovered a picture of a pair of men's underwear in my picture files.  What?  One of my blog readers explained to me that it probably came from an ad that had automatically download to my files.  She also told me how to stop this from happening, lest something even worse than undies appeared.  I don't remember who it was or what the solution was, but bless her for saving me for the last nine years.  And beyond.  

#   #   #

Sky watching 08-20-18

NOTE: Gale, one of my blog readers, looked the "gizmo" up on the Bernina site and advised me what it is.  See:  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Bernina-Seam-Guide-030-726-PA12-For-Slide-On-Extension-Table-/223085390466
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I have been an on again/off again sky watcher most of my life.  But my memory is not as good as it once was and I have forgotten the names and locations of the planets and stars.  Right now there is a lovely array of planets in the southern sky, so I had to Google a bit to find the names I was missing.   Venus is easy because it is the brightest speck in the night sky, except for the moon, of course.  And Mars wears the nice red hue.  However Saturn and Jupiter were missing from my mental sky map.  I found this image at:

https://www.skynews.ca/this-weeks-sky/

Due to the ambient light of this large urban area I cannot spot anything but planets, but I can see the twinkling stars out of the corner of my eye.   However, the evenings are getting cooler and tonight  KoKo and I went for our walk in the daylight at 7pm and 77F.  It was lovely, except there were no stars or planets out yet.  I know it will be hot again in a few days and we will be walking by star/planet light.  And, of course, street lights.  

#   #   # 

Quilts by Linda Colsh in TCQC 08-19-18

I am attracted by the work of Linda Colsh and there are four of her quilts in TCQC.  Part of the attraction must be the mystery the quilts present.  They depict places and things that I don't recognize and I am always looking closely for a clue to the juxtaposition of the different motifs in each quilt.   I have presented each of these quilts on my blog previously, so you can click on Linda's name in the right sidebar if you want to know what I have said before. 

Linda's website is:  https://lindacolsh.com/

"Ewe Alone"  Linda Colsh  2007   26" X 26"

"Grand Tour"  Linda Colsh  2007  12"X12"

"Gentle Reminder"  Linda Colsh  2008   12"X12"

"Run Bright and Reflect"  Linda Colsh 2015  20"W X 59"L

This was part of an exhibit at Visions Art Museum in San Diego in 2015.  It was one of seven pieces that followed a theme of Linda's walks along a stream at different times of the year.  Below are pictures she took for inspiration.   The stones were actual stones that she traced around and painted onto the white background.  

These were taken near Middletown, MD, where Linda lives. 

#   #   #