Quazeequilts

Short post tonight.. It's raining but little rain. We had a neighbor's pine tree fall down this morning.. with only mist falling. It had come partially down 2 years ago in Jeanne.. Now it's all the way.. But it feel with a pop that scared the dogs and cats. Of course, Geoff just sat in the Lazy boy.. I looked and finally declared it the tree..

I've work on quilt for Michelle and Vance's baby boy. It is so hard. I want to make them something special. Michelle and Vance are such good friends to my daughter and her husband. Michelle is like Adah's Fairy Aunt.. always there for Adah too and I'm sure Ranen, too..

Sophie is doing better after her visit to the vet. Plugged glands.. Less said about that the better. But, she is eating and chasing her tail again.. I always worry since she had that colon cancer surgery.

Off to walk the dogs in a sucker hole .. May post more later..

I just haven't got the pictures off my camera yet. Took shots of before this storm runs across my yard. There already is about 5 inches of water on half of my backyard from 10 inches of rain in the past week. I've got cattle egrets and some dark gray cranes feasting on who knows what. But, they sure are having fun. The dogs go crazy trying to catch these birds which don't even take off until the dogs are about 2 to 3 feet away. Wet pomeranians, and American Eskimo are so much fun. Hee.. Hee... towels aways wet around here.

Yes, I'm as ready as I can be for a tropical whatever. Got dog and cat food enough for three weeks.. Got extra drinking water enough for 4 days.. More than that and I guess I'm in trouble.. FEMA bring me water.. Got kitty litter pails by the toilets filled with water and a little clorox.. The all important flush when the power goes out. Got canned food... and a refrig full of stuff plus water and zip lock bags of water. Brought my orchards up on the porch out of the trees. So we now sit and wait. I'm trying to get a quilt to binding stage so I have something to hand sew if the power does go out.. Thank God we are not rushing to put the plywood on our windows. I should take a picture of my pile of plywood.... sitting on my porch..
So lets get this little storm over with...

Pictures tomorrow if the electric stays on... Lets hope this posts..

Okay, tropical storm on the way. I can look out my loft window and see the clouds swirling in from the east and being pulled south.. So you know Ernesto is out there pulling all this moisture into his storm. I am ready or as ready as you can be for an unknown storm who has not always behaved the way the computer models told it to behave. Got cat and dog food, got buckets of water for the all important flushing of toilet went the power goes out. The refrig is full of bags of water in the freezer and the refrig has pitchers of water and bottles of water stuck in every free corner. I 've got camp stove and canned food. I'm making a batch of brownies. have to have stress food in case the winds get too crazy. My Katrine rescue Sophie is already hidding under furniture and very causious on our morning walk.. She was really upset with Wilma last year, but that was her third hurricane in two months.. Yes, she survived Katrine and Rita most likely on the street.. I sometimes wish she could tell us her story and find out what happened to her owners. But, somethings in life remain a mystery.

I've walked around my yard taking pictures . I'll hopefully post them later today. Then I will post the wind damage.. Yes, if it comes here there is always wind damage. After hurricane Francis it looked like some on took all the leaves off the trees and made this green mush plastered on the house and the east side of the tree trunks. But, than about a month later my yard bloomed like spring even though it was the first of November. So nature tried to recover itself. I kind of like it when the hurricane or tropical storms come during the day. To see the trees bend and fold in the wind is wonderful.. To hear that in the dark of night as the wind wipes and screams is hard for me. With Francis I was sure that it had only been winds, and some leaking into the house. But, to see the trees in our front yard riped in half and fallen was sad. Our wonderful cedar which was 20 feed tall was laying there sadly fallen.. But, lucky at that time no tree hit the house. My neighbor to the north still has trees that are half down hung up in branches .. I'm sure with any amount of wind they will come crashing down.. Hopefully avoiding the electric lines...

I want to get something done today.. so I have to do hand sewing if the electric goes out.. I should say when the electric goes out.. We are about 1/2 mile from a big sub station and are lucky that we always seem to be the first with power. But, when we lived in port malabar country club after hurricane David.. I think it was almost 2 weeks before we got power. Luckily we spent most of that time in a hotel with power and ate every meal out...There wasn't any help from FEMA for us then or for any of our friends..

Chain saw is ready and I've got bags to start the clean up.. So lets get this storm over with and we can get back to normal..

Hopefully, there is a pic of my black and white cat.. Booker. a pic of my red, white and blue quilt that just got finished last month. I had started blocks for a donation project 4 years ago. Their the blocks that didn't make it into this competition then. There is a pic of this wonderful dragonfly who I found dead one morning on my porch table. I was so sad that I took his or her pic just to remember how beautiful and wonderful it was. Then there is my annual bloom of bromileads. I started with two and it has exploded over the years by neglect. I do just let them go and they reward me every year. I do splash water on them once in a while during drought conditions.. But mostly .. They just grow.. Why you may ask. Because there is a big black indigo snake who thinks it his home. And he is correct. I sure wouldn't bother him. I respect his right to own those plants. Too funny.. It's funnier when he come up on my porch and gets into my hanging baskets or crawls up on the kitchen window outside and hisses and bobs at me. Then he's gone.. But he too is this wonderful black and keeps the frogs down to a reasonable roar.

It has rained tonight and the chores of frogs is getting loader. It is amazing to see them come out of their usual hiding places and make the racket of squeals and screams to mate in the damp puddles that form in our backyard.

Okay, enough of wild life around here. My friend and I went out to lunch at a restaurant / deli called Green Turtle today. It's over on the beachside. High rent area. Boy, for me the food was too expensive and not worth a dime. The deli part may be interesting, but I'm not paying 3.99 a pound for mashed potatoes. Re heating mashed potatoes are never as good as hot steaming fresh mashed potatoes. Why is it so difficult to boil potatoes, splash in so wonderful butter, cheese, garlic, milk , cream .. Or sour cream .. And sprinkle with chives or parsley. How hard is that. Grill a steak and steam some fresh veggies.. Paradise for me. I got their black bean beef chili soup.. Yuck.. I sent it bag and nursed my ice tea. Joyce had ordered smoked chicken ravioli which came swimming in olive oil, a few fresh cherries tomatoes, a couple slices of grilled red pepper and 10 pine nuts then they topped it with some basil pesto. and we both got one roll similiar to the bread sticks you get at Olive garden. $11.00 for 4 ravioli......I would have been happier at Olive Garden.. So I had a pb&j at home. Sad.. It was a great sandwich. I'm too simple I guess.

I've been sewing on my kawnza quilt and the fannel quilt is getting quilted row by row. it wants to stretch so it is slow going. I sew and un pin and then re pin and move on.. I did order on of John Flynn's frames. It should get her next week.. I'll hope to have kawnza ready to quilt by then..Then I have to work on Michelle and Vance's baby quilt for their little one who is what 8 weeks away.. I just am having a hard time selecting the right colors.. and design. But, it will be a surprise..

If I did this correctly.. There is another shot of the wedding ring quilt.

Crazy kind of Saturday. I have been cleaning closets and bagging stuff for the garbage or Goodwill. 4 bags Goodwill.. 1 bag garbage..I've accumulated way too much stuff. I have saved stuff from all my relatives a momentos. One of the re organize shows had a host who said.. Does this stuff love you back. It doesn't so it's gone..Except for the stuff I really enjoy looking at and cleaning.. The cleaning is the big thing. Needs to be easier to dust around this dust old log cabin.. I dont have time for all this cleaning stuff..

No rain.. No rain.. And I love rain, thunder and lightning. At my parents house as a kid sitting next to our old telephone Pop crack and the phone was on firer. I remember my dad throwing the phone out the window.. This didn't happen once but twice. The clock in the kitchen was also hit twice. This old house said on the top of the hill. It sure needed a lightning rod. (You know the one where there are four or five of you on the same line. It rang. everyone knew who's call it was by the ring. ) I sure will continue to pray for rain..

I need change.. I need a challenge.. other than my quilting.. It takes my mind off of the pain of fibromyalgia. I keep walking the dogs.. feeding the dogs..feeding the cats..cleaning their kitty litter box.. cooking...some cleaning and quilting. What a boring existance.

It has taken me 45 minutes to log on and upload this pic. Hopefully it will not crash on me. But of course it did. so we start again.. Yuck.. Why can't my life work better... I'm a good person..kind.. helpful..Oh.. I'm just moaning.

This project turned out so well considering that the 5 of us had never sewn anything together before. What a wonderful wedding gift..stitched with loving hands.

I'm down the home stretch on the butterfly twin quilt.. Hand sewing the binding.. I'm pinning the reverse amish baby quilt. it's all light colors.. I'll post pic of this quilt soon, too..

I would like a dumpster and time to go through my house and put most of it into the dumpster and have it hauled away.. Too much junk here... Simplify.. simplify.. simplify, but then I just walk away and get involved with these quilts..

I hate spiders.. Out walking the dogs and you guessed it.. I got bit by something that seems to be a spiders.. Why me Lord? Is this some kind of trial by spider. It's red, burny and swelling.. I do hate spiders...I truly want a simplier existence where there are not bugs....

Have a good weekend..

Hey I've been busy!

Accomplishing not much of anything other than reading some others blogs. Really more information about the world than I can comment on. Wow to smart people!

Okay so I walk the dogs two times a day. I've made supper every night. I've cleaned up after myself. I've done wash. I've finshed the binding on a queen size quilt and started the binding on a twin. I've vacuumed.. I've watered my flowers.. Trying deperately to say them while it refuses to rain here. 10 inches behind normal. I'm watching my trees wilt and blow in hot gusts of breeze off an ocean that should be bring persipation. I like the color blue ... but some gray..grey would sure be nice and do not forget the lightning and thunder which is humbling. Winds of change will come and so will the rain impatiently waiting...

Tonight we finish the wedding ring quilt.. Three months of group work for a wedding ring is pretty good... Now do I start one by myself.. still thinking this one out. I really want to do a landscape first. maybe some more little baby quilts for neonatal unit.. Off to my do nothing life. of ordinary things.

Good morning Sunday!
Pictures from previous post are of a quilt I made four and half years ago for my grand daughter Adah. So butterflies still fly around here. This pic is French Fry and chloe doing something that my husband caught on his digital..He is the photographer want to be. the Critic ...

I could be depressed today. But, will not let it get me down. I've walked Chloe this morning and Geoff walked French Fry and Sophie for a much longer walk. At 8 am it was already 84 degrees. Too hot for the little one. But, she sure is a character. Chloe went in back yard and worked on her three holes that she is digging. For a little dog she sure doesn't know it. The ant that moved the rubber tree for sure. Two of the holes are bigger than her little 6 pound self. I picked her up after I'd watered my orchards and put her in the bird bath to give her legs and feet a washing. Wish I could have gotten a picture of that one. She is on my lap as I try to do this..

I'm just going to quilt today.. make some tuna fish and poach a piece of salmon for supper. keep it simple for today..Maybe make some basmati rice. I just love it's sweet aroma that it adds to the kitchen.. Do I need vegetable.. maybe a tomato and some mozzerela cheese...
My shamrocks are still growing and blooming her in central florida. Amazing the will to survive..I landscape garden by ignoring, water and a little fertilizer. It's amazing what God lets survive in this ragged little attempts at plant enjoyment.

I try so hard to ignore my fibromyalgia pain, but then there are times when I'd like to curl up in a little ball and tell the world to just leave me alone. I wonder why when my brain has so many ideas to accomplish, but my body puts a halt to the actually accomplishment of completing these things. okay, .. today is a blah.. blah.. day for sure..

Well, what a week
We went to Tally and looked at 11 houses. No luck. The truth be known; we do not know what we really want. I want it all. Geoff wants food water shelter from the storm.. A tent would work as long as it is in the middle of a wooded field by a stream with not sight of civilization around. Me I want the mall, the grandkids, the shopping, the quilting studio, and garden, a place for my dogs and cats, a big kitchen and a corner to sleep in once in awhile.

I have finished the fall challenge quilt for quazy Quilters.. Have no idea for the center block for our fall challenge of a round robin. Haven't been working on my kawza quilt for my sister. But, I like pressure.. 20th of December seems like a good date to finish it and get it over nighted to her. Hee.. Hee..

It has taken at least three days to recover from my trip to Tally. 5 1/2 hours in the car with two dogs is a bit much.. in to do it twice in three days. and spend a good part of Saturday driving around looking at houses.. Yuck.. Thanks I like my house more and more as I look at these properties..

I found my little book of quoto's from Norman Vincent Peale.. Power of Positive thinking.. So I've started re reading it.. Much inspiritation.. also very copyrighted ... So you'd have to check him out.. for yourself.. I forget to be peaceful sometime. Need to remember the power of our spirituality. of our God.. to control our lives.. I've got to let go of this house thing. If it is meant to be it will happen and if not it won't.. Just remember to deep breath and enjoy the gift of today..
So from the land of crazy quilts and crazy pets.. goodnight, may you have sweet dreams and a wonderful tomorrow will many new possiblities.

Hurrah!
I must be getting better at uploading photo's.. It only took 1/2 hour... Not bad.

So what has been happening in the past 6 days. Not much.. I have been machine quilting those 5 baby size quilts.. I am SO slow. Oni has been helping. I'm not getting much help from her on the free motion leaves I attempted on the autumn quilt.. And little donation for neonatal unit is Oni's favorite.. Silly cat.

Cooking remains a challenge. Last night I threw..Together a lentil stew kind of thing. It reminds me of stone soup.. Carrots, onions, celery, garlic, can of tomato soup, little red potatoes cut in quarters, washed of course, cut up leftover grilled chicken. And 1/2 bag of lentils cleaned. Simmered for about 40 minutes or so till everything was tender.. Added salt and enjoyed. Worked out well, because hubby got stuck at work between some 911 call and a thunderstorm that was wild. The thunderstorm rolled in out of no where.. It just built right here and what a fire show.. At one crack of thunder the three dogs where all trying to be onto of me. Too funny. Of course, they refused to go out for evening call because it was still drizzling at 9 pm.. I had to get wet too.. You'd think with all the hair between them they'd be fine..

We are looking for a house nearer to my daughter.. Going to look at one this weekend. That should be interesting...