Rainy Days & Mondays

When it rains non-stop our septic gets saturated. The house begins to smell. Like a butt. The only one who doesn't mind the odor is the dog. I think he actually enjoys it.
Of course it's fair time. For Cloverdale that means rain. The forecast changes moment to moment. Right now it appears there may be some decent weather Saturday. The weather is actually changing moment to moment too. It's cold - and it's snowing just north of us. I went to the store, and I could see the moon and stars. I came out of the store and it was raining. Karl came home from the gym and said you could see the moon again. As I sit here writing this I can hear the rain beating on the roof.
I am afraid to wash any laundry. With everything so saturated, the toilet begins to gurgle when you are in the shower. It's rather disconcerting.

So hoping that we have some good weather for fair, and so I can wash the laundry and flush the toilet without fear.

I did it!

I pulled out those unifinished Halloween projects and yesterday I sat down and finished them! Well.....almost. I just have to finish the binding on them. I got one completed. I will have them finished this week. What a feeling of satisfaction and pride. I will be keeping at least one of them to use as a table runner. The others I will sell. Or maybe use as a gift. I am not sure yet. But the satisfaction of completeing a UFO certainly feels good.

I have a few more of those projects. I cut out 7" squares from every pair of discarded jeans in sight and my intention is to make a jean quilt for Erik. I have strips of fabric I cut out (several years ago) for a quilt for myself. I am going to complete these projects! Soon.

As I sat in the back room hand sewing the binding on the little table mat yesterday, I watched the leaves falling from the trees and realized that fall is really just a blink away. Our next big adventure will be our Disneyland trip in October and our Fall Pumpkin Harvest Party.

I guess it's time to start that To-Do list!

Skunk!

Our dog provides us with hours of joy and entertainment every day. Every day is a new adventure, every thing a game for him. He digs, barks, runs and plays all day. He will bring home sticks (some of them are really tree branches) and pile them up on the lawn. Of course the gophers are already doing damage to the lawn, but Loki wants to "get them" so he digs. He barks at squirrels in trees and he won't let a bird's talons touch the soil - not on his watch. He is on duty.
And tonight when he disappeared I said to my daughter, "where is your dog?"
Her reply, with a shrug, "I don't know".
When he came in the back door, happier than hell, he just pranced on by me and suddenly I got a good whiff of him. SKUNK!
So off to the bath he went. I don't think he was very happy about having to have a bath. But we were all relieved. My goodness that dog can find more trouble in one day.

So while I was keeping him busy outside, waiting for his bath to be ready, he was certain he saw a squirrel in the tree over the house. We spent the next 10 minutes looking up (yes both of us), and barking (well - that was only the dog). I think it was a false alarm - I think it was a bird. While looking up, trying to locate that rogue squirrel, I saw a couple of bats swooping around over the house. I tried to tell Loki, but he was really fixed on this non-existent squirrel.

Finally it was bath time for Loki and as I settled back into my chair in front of the Boob Tube, I realized that life really is more interesting with Loki around. And because of him I take a few minutes every day to stop and smell the roses (or the skunk).

Dog Tails

So, Loki is almost 2 now. Of course we all love him to pieces and think he is the cutest dog on the planet (just like every other dog owner). When we come home after having been away, he races up the hill just so we can see he is working. Well, I was coming home for lunch on Thursday and Loki came racing from behind a bush, and maybe I was driving a little faster than I should have been and we collided. He bounced off the front bumper of my car (took my license plate off) and yelped. I screamed, of course, and jumped out of the car. I called him over and he was wimpering, and smelled like poo, and was coughing. He kept barkig at my car. He was shivering and I was checking him for broken bones and injuries when Amanda showed up from driving Erik to work. So after she calmed the both of us down a bit, we decided it would be best to take him to the vet just as a precautionary measure. So Loki got to go for a ride in the car.
The vet declared him healthy and fine - saying he might be sore the following day.

It would have traumatized me if I hurt Loki. I had images of internal injuries that would result in surgery (which I can't afford of course) and was very relieved when I got the news that he was absolutely fine.

Silly dog.

August!

Well since my last post I have been working on those Halloween projects that I started last year. It's just so much work. Maybe if I were more organized and had more space it would be easier, but most likely not.
I spent most of my day yesterday working on these Halloween wall hangings/table throws. I must mention again - quilting may not be my thing!
I made another trip to the fabric store where I bought more fabric than needed to finish these projects.
If I were just doing one of them, it would be fine, but no, I chose to do 6. Of course my goal is to sell them in my space at the Antique Mall - but who knows if they will sell. So many of my projects sit unpurchased. I still have cake slice pin cushions, and tea cup candles.....sitting unwanted and unloved.

And on my trip to the fabric store I bought a quilting magazine (because I am a magazine junky) and in it was a hat I want to make. So I stopped at Goodwill and bought a bag of men's ties. But now I don't have a hat pattern. Last night I went through my hats and found one that I like - and from it I am going to create a pattern. (ha ha ha - this should be interesting).

Pretty good at drinking beer

My husband and I just returned from a whirlwind trip to Oregon so that he could attend a class reunion. We took the pick up and we listened to country music the entire way there and back. Those song writers have the best sense of humor.

I just reviewed my blogs and realized I haven't been very good about keeping up. My friend died of cancer, my daughter graduated from high school, and I attended the Soroptimist International of the Americas Convention in San Francisco. And throughout I didn't write about any of it.

So Oregon - We went so that my husband could attend a high school reunion. I didn't go to the reunion, but I had a great time. Bend was having a Tour of Homes, and we visited 4 of the houses. Two of the houses had quilting rooms. Actually one of the houses was a quilting house. What an incredible house that was. Two of the rooms upstairs were designed just for the quilter who had purchased the home. It was inspiring.
I went to quilting stores, garage sales, and visited with friends and family. It was a very relaxing weekend.

May, June, July

today I finished two quilt blocks - May and June. I have been procrastinating. I cut out the fabric over the weekend. Today I managed to sew both blocks and was quite pleased with myself. They weren't nearly as hard as they looked and I really enjoyed the results. Also today in the mail July's Block arrived. But I leave in the morning for SF and won't be home until Saturday. And the following weekend I will be in Oregon. But I will stay caught up this time.
I also pulled out the projects I started for Halloween last year, and I have every intention of finishing them before October. I will do it. I can do it.

In the meantime I have been praying to the spirits that look out for me, and they have been answering my prayers in their own subtle ways. I know that I am responsible for my life.
I remember the mother of one of my best friends, who was always very religious. She was so excited when her prayers were answered. She had asked the Lord to have a yellow rose bloom on her bush, and it did. Even then I thought it was kind of silly to ask for something that was going to happen inevitably. So of course her prayer would be answered. I guess I just really ask for guidance and for things to fall into place. I realize it is my own efforts that make it all happen. The Power of Intention (the doctor who wrote that book - his name escapes me - Dr. Wayne Dryer?). I believe in the power of intention.

And I intend to finish my unfinished projects and not have more than one BOM waiting to be finished each month!