KoKo, again. 05-13-22

Today was haircut day.  For KoKo and for me and a trip through the car wash for our car. 

KoKo yesterday, about six weeks after his last haircut. 

KoKo tonight after a bath and a visit to Peter, the groomer.    He looks like about half the dog he was yesterday!  And he isn't a stinky dog now.  

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KoKo time again 05-11-22

Yes, it has gone beyond "indulged" and is straight up SPOILED"!  But I don't really have anything else to do, so I let him call the shots.  He is basically a good boy and listens when I tell him to do something.   Although we are working on "STAY" again lately.   He is smart enough to remember where the nut grass grows and not step off the sidewalk.  If he gets one of those little land mines in his foot he stops and holds it up off the ground to tell me he needs some help.  I can usually work the burr out of his fur, but have considered carrying scissors with me!  

  What a smart dog! 

I think this is his favorite position, laying on my legs with his feet at my feet and his head on my thighs.  All four feet in the air. 

When he is on his chair he frequently has Froggy support his chin.  Froggy is pretty ratty now, but I keep sewing up his wounds.  I was going to post a video showing how mean KoKo is to that poor frog, but I can't make it work.  Maybe later. 

 

He spens a lot of time washing Froggy or chewing on him. 

He has three beds now.  This is the smallest - he just fits. 

When he wants to sprawl he uses the larger bed.  He keeps a squeaky ball close by so it is handy if he gets tired of Froggy. 

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Surfside Quilters Guild meeting 05-10-22

A great meeting today in San Clemente.  Good attendance and six new members!  This was the meeting where we transition to the newly elected board and these ladies have it together.  New in many of the offices, still getting used to our new meeting place, and the church has redecorated the room, moving furniture and adding artwork since last month, the new "crew" made it work as if they have been doing this every month forever.   Congratulations to all.  Part of the transition is presenting the outgoing president with the quilt the members have made for her, including hand quilting.  The quilt is set up in a frame at several member's homes and everyone who wishes can go and hand quilt and gossip and have refreshments and lots of laughs.  I love doing it, but can no longer hand quilt due to my old worn out hands!!  

The theme for Mary Arter;s quilt is "California Dreamin'".  The dedication strip is a tradition with changing "scenes" and, of course, the name and date.  The finished size is about 50" X 50". The blocks are 5" finished and we could chose our background color and, naturally, the design - some are original, some traditional, and some are patterns.  I usually do a hat for my block and this time it is just below the "Quilters" in the dedication strip - right next to that great VW van!

Our Philanthropy group is very active and meets once a month to measure, cut, sew, plan, etc.  Last year I think we gave away about 600 quilts, pillowcase, placemats, and assorted other projects.  At each meeting we have a Philanthropy Parade of completed quilts.  Here are a few from today's meeting.  

This is almost a scrap quilt as there are at most three fabric repeats. Simple piecing, good color and about 60" X 70".

Of course I like this one, it is blue and yellow!

Don't know if this is a pattern or something the maker thought up.   

What a great fabric!  

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TCQC - Auction quilt - Canyon Quilters Challenge 05-08-22

I do enjoy a quilt auction and this past week I have participated in two.  SAQA' s Spotlight Auction was held in conjunction with their annual conference which was an online event this year.  The quilts up for auction were tiny - only 4" X 6", or the size of a postcard - but they are presented in a 8" X 10" mat and enclosed in a plastic sleeve.  I have purchased some at previous SAQA conferences, but I remove them from the sleeve/mat and usually have to finish the edge.  This time I was high bidder for four little quilts which I will show you after they arrive here.  The other auction was sponsored by Pokey Bolton and her Craft a Life website and benefited the World Central Kitchen which is providing meals in Ukraine.  These quilts were all different sizes and went for higher bids.  I won one by Jennifer Sampou which is a little different but has trees in it.  I bid high (I thought) for a lovely bouquet by Terry Grant, whose quilts I greatly admire, but at the last minute someone almost doubled the bid and will have that lovely quilt hanging on her wall.  Bummer.  

The quilt I am showing tonight was part of the Canyon Quilters of San Diego Challenge and Auction last fall.  The quilts went on to hang at Visions and were returned at the meeting last week when I was the speaker for the meeting.   Of course, another bird quilt - there wasn't a Toucan in the Collection before.  This one is 14" square.

"You Too Can" Judith Peters - San Diego  2021  14" X 14"

Cotton fabric, Machine pieced and quilted.

The Challenge fabric is in the bottom two corners and appliqued in several places.

The back is one of Kaffe Fassett's fabulous, colorful designs.

A hand lettered label which I can hardly read.  With magnifying glass I see it says:

"Canyon Quilt Challenge 2021

Judith Peters, San Diego, CA

My first Challenge"

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Catching up! 05-05-22

Oh, my goodness, I haven't posted for a week.  Not only do I not do much of anything, I also don't have any energy.  We do our two walks a day, but sometimes, like today, I come home in the morning so weary I have to take a nap.  Have an appointment with my primary next week and hope she can help.  Or I'll have to look for a new doctor and most of you know what that is like.  

I have been eating out.  Too lazy to prepare food myself.  Last week Carol and I went to Fish in a Bottle for the first time in forever.  I had Salmon Sashimi which was as delicious as it always is.  Carol had Tempura, which she shared, and it was also delicious.  I will have to go more often.  Unfortunately, our favorite waiter no longer works there and we missed him.  Hope he has found a better place.   On Saturday I was invited to dine with one of my neighbors whose wife was out of town, along with another widow lady.  I think he just doesn't like to eat alone as he has asked us before.  Rembrandt's is a local steak house which is very popular, probably because of the bar.  The place is sort of a barn and the tables are bare, not even a placemat, and it is very noisy.  I chose the blackened Diver Sea Scallops on Parmesan Mushroom Risotto. Tasty if a little salty and the presentation was lacking - even a few sprigs of parsley would have helped.  At any rate I could only eat half and had the remainder for dinner the next night.  

Scallops with Risotto

Guess I got in the mood for avoiding my kitchen and took KoKo out for breakfast on Tuesday.   There is an old and popular breakfast/lunch spot that has several names.  I think of it as Two Sisters, which is what it was called when I first came to Placentia.  They have some outdoor seating so I took KoKo's pad and we sat under the eave and looked out into the parking lot.  The outer patio was added with the Pandemic and takes up about ten parking spaces.  Bummer.  

I people watched, of course, mostly this lady who was decked out in sparkles.  You might be able to see that she has rings on every finger, both hands.  Also a sequined blouse and this light jacket with silver threads throughout.  I know I am being old fashioned, but all that glitz at 9am?  Shocking!

I mainly went for pancakes which are quite thick and large, filling the inner rim of the plate.  They were very tasty and very filling, so I had to leave these last few bites.  Their coffee is good and I relaxed and enjoyed the different view.  KoKo was very good and was happy to let people pet him, but mostly just laid on his pad and watched everything that was going on. 

I've managed to put off grocery shopping until I have no bread, no eggs, no veggies, no fruit, ...the cupboard is almost bare.  MUST go tomorrow.  Anyway, I was forced to go to In & Out Berger tonight.  I guess I go about every six weeks, mostly so I can have French Fries!  They are one of the few places that don't use precut potatoes which are kept fresh with Sulfites, to which I am very allergic.  In & Out starts with fresh potatoes, peels, and slices them on site, so I don't have to worry.    So, that has been my "gourmet" week.  As far as accomplishing anything at home, it is just the usual - laundry, watering, cleaning the bathroom... you know, all the unexciting things we do. 

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Quiet life with KoKo and Froggy 04-27-22

I just don't have anything to say because I am not doing anything.  We go for our two walks a day (9am and 7pm) and we talk to neighbors sometimes, so there is a little human contact!  This week has been doctor week, visiting my primary and seeing the periodontist.  I am reading Katie Couric's memoir "Going There" (2021}  - because one of my Book Group members was passing it on.  I have never watched anything she has done that I can remember, I was never a Today follower.  It is interesting what goes on behind the scenes, but I find her a little too frank and very flip.  Since I don't watch TV anymore I have no idea what it is like now or what she is doing.  

KoKo is being the perfect dog, but keeps wanting to go see Donna where he stayed while I was at Empty Spools.  Maybe he wants to see the cat?  He is always interested in a cat, but has never made friends.  It is time for more major surgery on Froggy.  I am amazed that KoKo still is so attached to him.  I try other toys, he has a bunch, but he just goes to find Froggy. 

  

We did go to PetSmart to visit the Easter Bunny on April 9th.  KoKo seemed bored with it all.  The Easter Bunny was huge...... 

...and KoKo looked so small.  

All that is on my May calendar is Surfside QGuild on the second Tuesday and several more doctors to see.  They are all specialists - soon we will have a specialist for one's left arm and another for the right arm and one for the right eye and another for the left.  It is so time consuming and stressful. 

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Friday Food + Showing TCQC quilts 04-22-22

Breakfast at a restaurant always seems luxurious to me!  I don't understand why, maybe because my family never went out for that meal.  When my sister and I traveled by train in the late 40s from Portland, OR, to Los Angeles going to the dining car and having fresh squeezed orange juice  and silver covers on our plates was just too sophisticated for words.  When I was in San Diego this last  Monday/Tuesday I had breakfast at Farmer's Bottega with my friend Andrea.  We ate on their charming patio and the benedict was delicious along with tasty fresh fruit.   But it set me up for another visit to Toast in Brea on Thursday with friend Carol.  Their benedict is the best, this time with avocado.  I was much too busy eating to take pictures.

 

I was in San Diego to do a program for Canyon Quilters, showing quilts from the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection (TCQC).  It had been about three years since I did a program due to Covid and I worried that I wouldn't remember how to do it!  My friend Liz, who has helped me since I started doing presentations, is ill and unable to help.  I was really exhausted from getting the quilts down, "packaging" them for transporting, and then setting up at the meeting.  But the members pitched in to help and all went well.  I did remember how to do it!   I tried to take quilts that I didn't show when I visited the guild in June of 2014, but there are some that are just too interesting to leave out.  Ruth B. McDowell's "A Rash of Flamingos" came to me after the original owner died and her heirs contacted Ruth about it.  I feel so fortunate that I could add this treasure to the Collection.  It is a prime example of Ruth's masterful machine piecing and amazing eye for fabric selection.   One of the members took this picture of me in front of Flamingos. 

 

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