More Flying Geese Made

 Yesterday started out cloudy and then became sunny and warm. The high got to 25C (humidex 27C). This morning it is a mix of sun and cloud and 14C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 26C (humidex 28C). 

Lifestyle

After puttering around tidying up, I headed out to get groceries before it became too warm to be outside. I got everything I need for several days. I am trying to use up what I have in the freezer at this time. 

Once home, I took the quilt over to my friends so she could see it before it is shipped to daughter. She was thrilled to see it. She is working on a quilt that looks pretty. I am hoping she will show it to me when it is done. It is going into a display at one of the quilt shops. 

I headed home as daughter-in-law called me. She was sitting in the house cooling off. She let me know that our plans for next week are off. The windows for the in-law suite will be installed. We talked about what type of windows are being installed. Most are crank opening with one being a European "tilt and turn" window. If I was to have windows put into a house, I would be putting that style in. I love how they tilt in at the top when you want some air flow and that they open wide into the house for full air flow. They are easy to clean on the inside and out. 

We looked at the plants on the deck. The tomato plants are going to have a lot of fruit on them. The cucumbers are growing rapidly and the pepper plants are showing buds. The onions in the vegetable boxes are getting huge. I had to water the deck pots in the afternoon as they were dry. Especially the tomatoes as they require a lot of water for growth. 

Sewing

I was going to make a reusable bag this weekend. It didn't start off well. I had it in my mind that I would make a 2 x 4" flying geese block using the fabric I had. I couldn't as the cut squares were too small. I had to make 1.5 x 3" geese. I made 24 of them and am happy they are smaller as they look great on the fabric I folded into the size of the bag. 

There is one strip for each side of the bag and I will have to put a brown piece at each end. Daughter wants dog print fabric on it which was shipped yesterday. New plans for this bag. I now have it all folded up and put away until the box arrives. 

Knitting

I knit on the socks last night. I got the foot of sock # 1 done. 

I did knit on the foot of sock #2. I got about 1/3 of it done. 

Thoughts

    It wasn't as unbearable outside yesterday. The humidity was still high but the wind wasn't hot. It was cooler feeling. This morning it is lovely outside. The windows and the back door are open cooling off the house. I have been out on the deck this morning enjoying the cool air. 

    The deer are roaming into yards at night. I sprayed and they are staying away. I need to spray again. I noticed they have nibbled at the neighbour's tomato plants next to the house. They also ate the marigolds in a pot. They haven't touched my marigolds which is surprising. I am sure they will. I am glad that I am moving to pots on the deck.

Today

I am out shortly to make sandwiches at the community hall. Once home, I want to do some housework. This afternoon I want to clean the sewing room so I can start new projects. I may do some hand sewing on the purple bag. Tonight I want to knit on the socks. A quiet day for me.

Until the next time........................................................................

A Quilt Is Finished - A Bag Is Planned

 Yesterday as another hot and humid day. The high got to 28C (humidex 35C). We had a thunderstorm and rain last night. This morning it is foggy and 16C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds, and showers with a high of 24C. 

Lifestyle

My first job of the morning was to do the balance sheet. No problems at all with it which is unusual for me. June is balanced and all the receipts are put away. 

I was tired and sore yesterday so did not attempt to scrub the floor on my hands and knees. What I didn't realize was -- there was a weather system moving in. The heat and humidity were creating thunderstorms coming up from below New Minas. It started here in the early evening with a few rumbles of thunder. Then it got dark and we had a good rain storm. The heat warning disappeared and an extreme thunderstorm warning appeared. All was done in a couple of hours. 

I did a bit of the family tree but wasn't overly focused on it. I did a load of laundry so I would get up and move. I cleaned up the kitchen which was another get moving tactic. I just puttered at everything and nothing. 

I slept well last night and had a hard time waking up. I went into a deep sleep just before I woke up which is very unusual for me. I sat on the side of the bed for a good 10 minutes waking up. 

Sewing

I finished hand sewing the binding onto the dog quilt. It is done (Hurrah). 

I have designed the next bag and am ready to cut out the pieces for it. I have to make 20 flying geese for it. I may have to buy interfacing as I am not sure how much I have in the stash. I need to look at what I have. This bag will be shipped with the quilt on Monday. 

Knitting

I did knit last night. I have half of the foot done on sock #1. 

I will admit that it was a hard knit as I was tired but I am wanting these socks done so I can start the next pair. I love these socks but I need to knit a lot more socks this year. 

Thoughts

    I had 2 anxiety attacks yesterday. One took a while to get over and the other was short as I directed my attention to the family tree. I know one attack was caused by reading the news but one stood out. A community I know well burnt to the ground in 2021 when a huge forest fire swept through the community. The community has finally rebuilt only to have another fire raging near the community. It brought back a lot of memories which triggered the attack.

    I checked my tomato plants yesterday and I have a bigger grape tomato on the middle plant. I was shocked to see it as I thought that plant was behind the plant I have been watching. I swear that the plants are growing an inch or more a day. 

Today

I am going to try and scrub the kitchen floor this morning and then go out for groceries and take the quilt over for my friend to see. This afternoon I want to start on the reusable grocery bag and try to get it partly made. Tonight I will knit. 

Until the next time............................................................

Binding The Dog Quilt

 Yesterday started out cloudy and wet and turned sunny and hot. The high got to 29C (humidex 37C). This morning it is cloudy and 18C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 29C (humidex 37C). 

Lifestyle

After puttering a bit looking to see if I needed fabric (nope) I headed to New Minas to get the quilt. My first stop was Walmart to pick up 4 things. When I came out of the store, the temperature had risen as had the humidity. It made me feel almost ill. 

I went to the quilt shop for the quilt. I picked it up, looked for the apron pattern which hasn't arrived, paid for said quilt and left. I was heading home to get fluids in me and to cool off. 

Once home and cooled off, I did a load of laundry and checked the plants on the deck. I put the cucumber plant back onto the trellis as the rain knocked it down. I noticed there seems to be buds forming on the pepper plants and the tomatoes are healthy and loaded with blooms. They are enjoying the heat and humidity. 

It remained hot and humid all day and I stayed inside as much as possible. No one was outside at all even in the evening. No one walking or riding their bikes. 

Sewing

The quilting on the dog quilt is beautiful. I love the design the lady chose. 

The design shows up beautifully on the back. 

I got the binding sewn on in good time and sat in the cool basement and started to hand sew it down. By 5 pm I had half of the binding done. 

Once it is done, I will make a reusable bag out of the scraps and put a band of flying geese around it. I am sure it will be go well at a silent auction. 

Knitting

I knit last night as the house was cool and I was feeling good. I got the gusset on the 2nd sock knit. 

I am now ready to start the foot part of the socks. 

Thoughts

    It cooled off enough this morning that I have the a/c off and the door and windows opened. It isn't muggy which is nice. Today will be another hot humid day with chances of thunder showers. It is suppose to be cooler tonight and then just hot with cooler nights. The humidity was so high for 2 days that I had to empty the tank on the dehumidifier yesterday morning. I had the dehumidifier going on the heat pump along with the semi useless dehumidifier going on the air exchange system. At one point on my way to New Minas you could see the humidity fog over the area. 

     I had very little pain yesterday which was nice. It allowed me to move about easier and to sleep well last night. This morning I am still having very little pain. I enjoy the days I can do things without a lot of pain. 

Today

I have to do the balance sheet, pay some bills, and clean up the kitchen. I want to scrub the rest of the kitchen floor. I hope to finish hand sewing the binding down on the dog quilt this afternoon and knit tonight. I do not plan on going out today due to the heat and humidity. 

Until the next time................................................................d

A Doll Size Apron is Finished

 Yesterday was a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 29C (humidex 36C). This morning it is cloudy and 21C (humidex 27C). Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds, and showers with a high of 30C (humidex 37C). 

Lifestyle

I folded laundry yesterday morning and cleaned off the dining room table. It was a mess of stuff that I had put on it and ignored. I put seeds into the garage and will deal with them later on. It was too hot in there to do anything. 

I went to do a load of laundry and the washer said it needed to run on the clean cycle. I did that instead which takes nearly 4 hours. 

All the plants got watered well. The deer have been in and trimmed the three big tomato plants in the vegetable boxes. My experiment of marigolds and onions in the boxes did not work. I sprayed deer deterrent on all the tomatoes plus the plants at the front of the house. I am not too worried about the tomato plants in the boxes as this was an experiment. There will be plenty of tomatoes on the plants I have on the deck. 

I was over to the neighbour's for July 1 dinner. We had hamburgers, fries, salad, and carrot cake. It was a delicious meal with lots of good conversations. I was home early as I was sore. 

I am not sure what caused me to be so sore yesterday afternoon. I sat on heat when I got home and it didn't help at all. I went to bed and woke up before midnight. I started to stretch and roll my SI joint in bed. I had a good 6 or more cracks and pops in the SI joint and spine area. I rolled over and went back to sleep for 5 hours. No pain except for my usual muscle. 

There was fireworks last night and I heard maybe a minute and fell asleep. They usually keep me awake but not last night. The fireworks were in the 55+ community. There were none close by like in previous years. The family that coordinated that have moved away. 

Sewing

I finished the rabbit's apron. I spent a lot of time hand basting around the finished edge to get a sharp press on the seams. 

It wasn't a hard sew. It was a fun sew and I did enjoy making it. 

I have to set sewing for the rabbit to one side as I pick up the quilt today as I need to bind it right away. 

Knitting

None done last night. I hope to get back to it tonight. 

Thoughts

    Our heat wave has been extended through to tomorrow. Though the temperatures will remain in the mid to high 20's after that, the humidity must be going down. It was between 46-59% yesterday afternoon. You could feel it when you walked outside. The air and wind were moist and warm.

    Canada Day was very quiet here. Many people stayed home, visited with family, or were at their summer cabins. Most stores are closed with restaurants and gas stations open. Highways took Monday off and worked yesterday. That was strange even though we knew it was going to happen.

    As I am writing this (7:45 am), the clouds came right down to the ground like fog and it is pouring rain. We needed it as everything is so dry here. It is a short lived rain but it was heavy enough to make large puddles and have water running off the road. 

Today

I have to go and pick up the quilt in New Minas today. I will get a few items from Walmart. I want to be home in good time so I can put the binding on the quilt this afternoon. I really want to knit tonight. 

Until the next time.....................................................

A Tiny Apron Started

Yesterday was warm and humid. The high got to 26 (humidex 30C). This morning it is clear and 14C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun, clouds, and showers. This high is to get to 28C (humidex 34C).

Lifestyle

It was out the door to make sandwiches first thing. I was the filling mixer yesterday. It was different but I now know how to do that job. All that is left to learn is how to do the sweet trays. 

After sandwiches, I visited with daughter-in-law and we are going to scrub tables at the hall next week. If we can, we will also scrub the plastic chairs. 

Once home, I sat and worked on the family tree. As of now, the one branch is completed. I found two extra children that I didn't have before plus found a brother and a sister married into the same family. I am done working on the family tree for now. 

I cleaned out the little fridge and had to throw out some items. They got crammed into corners and I didn't see them until too late. I have been so busy that I haven't been able to think about the fridge. 

Later in the afternoon, daughter-in-law and I went to New Minas to get curtain rods and curtains for the hall. We still need 4 more panels and will look for them in Sackville. When we got home, I was really tired due to allergies and sore from the barometric pressure dropping. I am also not sleeping very well which is annoying me. 

Sewing

I had about 45 minutes to sew yesterday so I decided to make an apron for the rabbit. This is a test to see if I can make it with no instructions. The outer fabric is a fat quarter I got given to me at the March retreat. The lining is a fat quarter I had in the stash. I cut out the pattern and sewed on the pocket. I also started to pin the outer fabric to the lining. 

I am not sure what I will do with the scraps but at the moment they are in the donation pile. I will see what I can make with them. 

Knitting

None done last night as I was too tired to think about the gusset. 

Thoughts

    We are in for a few days of warm weather. The nights will be warm also. I will need to make sure the plants are watered daily unless it rains tonight. 

    My sleep habits have been horrible due to doing too much,  the tariff dispute, and house being too warm at night. I need to stop overthinking things and try to get some quality sleep on a regular basis. 

    Today is Canada Day and there are activities going on throughout the province. There will be fireworks tonight which will keep me awake as I know some will be close by. I am staying home for most of the day and going across the street for dinner. 

Today

My plan this morning is to fold laundry, clear off the table, and do some cleaning. This afternoon I would like to finish the little apron and the top stitching on the big apron. I probably won't knit tonight as I will be out for a while. 

Until the next time..............................................................

Apron Completed Before Power Outage

 Yesterday was cloudy and showery. The high got to 18C. This morning it is cloudy and 16C. Today is supposed to be a mix of sun and clouds with a high of 25C. 

Lifestyle

Let me say I was exhausted yesterday and my energy level ran from low to empty all day. Not a lot of fun. 

I started the day working on the family tree and eliminated a person that I had done a lot of research on. I now have to rebuilt that branch. At least it is easy to do with a lot of moving between windows and writing in my notebook the information I need. But, it was a stupid move which I did when I was overtired. 

It seemed as if Nova Scotia power was having lots of issues yesterday. We had the power go out for a couple of minutes in the afternoon and then it went out around 4:30 pm. This was a big outage with over 9,200 customers affected. The reason was transmission interruption. In other words a transformer blew up.  They said we would get power at about 11 pm but it came on at 7:15 pm. I also read there was another huge power outage near Lunenburg earlier in the day. There was also a lot of smaller power outages in the province. 

Sewing

I spent a lot of time sewing slowly yesterday. I checked and double checked before using the sewing machine. By late afternoon I had the apron made except for some top stitching on the waist band. That was too tricky for a tired person to deal with. 

Having made this one and figuring out a way I enjoy making it, I will use this pattern again. 

I have a Japanese style apron pattern for the rabbit and am going to try to make it out of a fat quarter. It is a trial and error as I have no instructions other than the human size pattern at the moment. 

Knitting

None done last night. Too tired. 

Thoughts

    Reading the Facebook comments on the power outage was a good laugh. We rarely get power outages in our area so people weren't complaining. They were just having fun. The power outage map showed less than 5 people in our area without power and that got a few comments. It took a while for the map to be updated. 

    We are to have a few warmer days this week. I am sure it will be humid and muggy as it is supposed to be cloudy. Summer is here and we can expect it to be humid. The rain we had yesterday was lovely and everything is reviving. I did enjoy this rain as it was gentle and cool. 

    Everything is in bloom right now and I am suffering from allergies. This year it seems as if all plants and trees have a huge amount of flowers on them. My Japanese lilac is full of blooms. The most it has ever had. 

    Tomorrow is Canada Day and I will be staying home unless I go for dinner at daughter-in-law's house. It will be just the 2 of us and only if we can find a restaurant open. Most everything is closed tomorrow. 

Today

I am out this morning to make sandwiches. Once home, I will pace myself. I will alternate between doing housework, resting, sewing, and knitting today. I have no reason to go out  for anything. 

Until the next time..............................................................

A Busy Day Outside The House

 Yesterday was cool and cloudy with some rain. The high got to 16C. This morning it is cloudy, windy, and 13C. Today we are supposed to have rain this morning and showers this afternoon. The high is supposed to get to 18C. 

Lifestyle

I was out first thing to make sandwiches at daughter-in-law's house. We were done in an hour and then she and I sat and chatted for a bit. We then left with all the supplies and went to the hall. We covered the tables holding the food with plastic table coverings. 

Once home, I rested as I was tired. I even went to bed for a couple of hours as I was going to be out late helping at the bar at the wedding at the community hall. It was good to rest before being so busy in the evening. 

The wedding reception was very interesting. I was out 3 times to the liquor store and to two grocery stores to find limes. We served a lot of liquor but they had a no drive policy; a taxi was on call. 

This group of people are dancers. Before people started going home, they had a circle dance which they all knew the steps. While they do the steps, people will go into the center and dance. Even a 6 year old took part. This is the first wedding I have seen since moving here. I will see more weddings this summer. 

I helped do some clean up. I gathered up dirty bar glasses and some dishes. I ran three loads through the commercial dishwasher making sure all the hall's dishes were clean. I left one tray for daughter-in-law to do when the rest of reception was over. 

I got some sleep but was up with leg cramps during the night. The cause was being so busy for 2 days. I will survive it with a day or two of resting. 

Son and grandson are keeping us updated daily. They attended a soccer game last night and said the first half was great. They have shown what parts of Montevideo look like. Grandson's promotional video has been handed around to a lot of people and he has been invited to train 2 days a week with a higher level team starting July 1. We wait and see where that takes him in the world of soccer. 

Today

I am resting a lot today and drinking a lot of fluids. I hope to work on the apron and try to knit tonight. I know I won't be a ball of fire but I don't want to do nothing. I do know it will be an early night tonight. 

Until the next time..........................................................