Another from January 19, 2012

One more picture from a few days ago....I am really beginning to think this is the most snow we are going to see this winter. I don't think it has completely quit raining for over 24 hours. We drover over to the super Walmart in a nearby town, and took some back roads. Water was every where. It looked like regular little streams through some of the fields...fields that you would have thought was flat.
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I chickened out on my computer...I did take all the screws out of the back...and took some little panels off....but neither one gave access to the fan. I have saw a video of how to clean the fan, but not one of how to get to the fan. I have found instructions, but not one single picture is included. And so many things have to be disconnected...if I was familiar with it all I could probably do it. And could probably do it if I had pictures to see...but for now I am not that brave. So far it hasn't quit on me again, so hoping it lasts a while longer.
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I did finish cutting the rest of the strips for Roger's quilt. My friend was talking about pioneer women and what a job it was for them. And wondering how they got enough fabric to make one. I have wondered forever how they did it all. I think back then beds were smaller...when I was young having queen and king sized beds was not the normal thing. Not in our area anyway.

Mom did save every scrap of fabric, and was tickled to death if anyone happened to give her a few. I don't remember it taking her very long to cut out her pieces for a quilt top. She always used a piece of cardboard to make her pattern, and would layer 3 or 4 pieces of her fabric...and she just held the pattern and the fabric together in one hand, and cut around it.

It is a whole different world now...she never went to a quilt shop in her entire life...there wasn't even a good general fabric shop around down there then. I think she only every had one thimble...I bet I have had at least 8 or 10 different styles. I don't know that I ever saw her buy needles...except for me for Home Economics...and maybe some quilting needles. She just kept up with her stuff like that.

And I have said it before, but will say it again...I would love to know how many miles of sewing she has done...both by machine and by hand.

A few visitors...

I happened to spot the pileated woodpecker across the street, but it was slushing at the time and I dared not get my camera out in it so stood on the porch and shot through my wisteria vine. Slushing is my word for when it is the stage between rain and freezing rain...we had freezing rain, rain, slush, and a tiny bit of snow this evening...
Anyway, trying to do a quick post of a few of the birds that came...is the above a white-capped sparrow? Haven't had time to look...will explain that on farther down.
There were a couple nuthatches to visit,
chickadee/s...didn't see no more than one at a time so don't know if it was just one coming back or more than one.
And there were three pair of cardinals out there at one time...not like we used to have at home by any means but it is the most I have ever seen together at one time here.
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So, I couldn't sleep last night, went back down stairs and cut strips to length from about 2:00 a.m. to after 4:00 a.m., came up and went to bed at last...

Have did laundry, dishes, etc and also been back down there a lot in the afternoon till about 8:00....came back up to sit down and rest. I got my laptop and had not been sitting there any time till it just quit....overheated I am sure. So, am hurrying to post this in case it decides to quit on me again.

I have got to take the back off and see if I can clean out dust and that help. I am sure it is full of it...just no way it isn't. I have a couple posts scheduled for my other blog, but if I don't post for the next day or two, you will know what that something is up with this computer.

Edited to add that My North informed me that it is a white crowned sparrow...I had a feeling I might be wrong but couldn't think what else it could be called.

Seen in an antique shop...

I don't know why I have never made one a Dutch Girl quilt...I have always liked them.
Mary and I have been talking about making a bucket list of quilts we want to do...
I don't know if I will ever actually do it. I know I won't live near long enough to do all the quilts I want to do.
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I am still working on my latest project. I have made 16 blocks and need to make 2o more. I have had a few days where I haven't touched it...some because I was busy and others because I wasn't in the mood. For the most part though I have worked some on it every day...sometimes not a lot, but others have been down there for hours. I have started cutting more strips...I stood down there for at least two hours cutting tonight and still have a long way to go.

I am wishing I had a couple more light fabrics in the Civil War reproductions, but will try to make do with what I have. I am a quilter, but am always amazed at how much fabric it takes to make a quilt.
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The plans right now are that we are going to have visitors this weekend...a certain little munchkin is coming. Keep your fingers crossed that nothing happens. She has not been here since before Christmas. I have play dough waiting for her, and another little game.

She is still into 'pink' big time...and still plays dress up most days. Sarah got her the movies Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty...she watched Cinderella 3 times and Sleeping Beauty twice!

Images converted to B&W

This old house above stands across the road from the bottom photo shown in this post.
And the photo below is from right beside the cows in that same photo.

It is a lonely place....but I imagine at one time this old two story home was full of kids....and that there was a lot of living going on here. Did the children get tired of living so far from everything or did they simply want a different way of life than what they had? Or is it possible there were no kids, and the old folks died...and some other farmer on down the road bought the place. I would love to know just how long it has been since anyone lived lived here...I have been passing this place for at least 6 years, and no one has been there.

At least it has not been sold and divided into lots to sell. Yet. I know people have got to live somewhere, but it sort of upsets me to see places that were farms sold and turned into a subdivision.

I go home to Tennessee now, and the places I used to play have homes on them...oh, it is not a subdivision...I/we had a BIG playground. We knew all the people that owned the neighboring farms and were free to roam their land as well as our own, plus the a national park bordered part of our property.

We were not allowed to just run all the time. We all had chores...from a fairly young age. I think I started washing dishes in about 3rd grade...and of course for me there was making beds and sweeping and dusting...though mom was not big on dusting...but the beds were made every day, and the living room and kitchen were swept at least once, and I think the front porch was swept most days....but I cannot remember that for sure.

My brothers all had chores, too...depending on the season....there was wood to cut, and wood and coal to be brought in--first for the stove, and later we had a wood/coal burning furnace. When we got the furnace, I remember really feeling it was something to not have the stove standing in the middle of he living room....

Also, I usually had about three pair of socks to last me a week in school...and I washed them out by hand at night and laid them over the vent from the furnace. Back then everyone wore knee-highs...I don't know about anyone else but me and some of my friends used rubber bands to keep them from sliding back down our legs. We would put the rubber band about an inch from the top...and fold the top down over the band.

Back to the subject...there was work galore on a farm. My brothers did the heavy work...and there was lots of it. We didn't have all the equipment for baling hay, so my brothers always helped other neighbors/friends put up their hay and in return we could use their equipment to cut and put ours up. Usually someone else would run the haybaler...not because my brothers weren't capable, but because their muscles were needed to load and haul the hay in. I can remember one time I think my two older brothers along with someone, maybe my other brother, driving the tractor and wagon...I remember it as they put up 1500 bales in one evening/night..I am saying night also cause they didn't come in till about 10:00 or 11:00...they had worked long after dark.

I am afraid I cannot imagine a 3 boys under 25 yrs. of age doing that this day and age...there are probably a few but sure none that I know. I just remember even back then being so impressed by them doing that. I don't think Neal remembers it, and not sure about George. They had did the field there by home...and the field that belonged to my brothers...so I am pretty sure I have the number of bales right.

Anyway, when we did have time, we were allowed to roam at will...and like I say we had a big area. I was going to get a map from google, but in looking I just could not do it justice on here.

A face in the tree....

Roger noticed this...not me...someone's homemade version of those eyes and noses you buy to put on trees. Do you know the ones I am talking about...go here, scroll and see some samples of what I am talking about. Who would ever dream of making these things and them selling? I have a friend who has a face on her trees, and I have seen other just cannot think where.

I am tempted to get some or have Roger make some to put on the crab apple tree. The same crab apple tree I vow to cut down every year, but every year I let it to another year. Yet it never gives me the blooms that my mom's always had, and even though it is never loaded down with blooms, there are still plenty of the apples to be a mess.

We have two chainsaws and both are hard to start...so hard that I cannot start them. Even Roger has trouble with them. One is a dream to saw with once it is started...it is balanced just right. The other was from Sears....and it was always so easy to start till we let someone borrow it. Ever since then, I have had problems starting it. Prior to that it was a darn good saw, too, and has cut a pile of wood in our younger years.

Anyway, the point of the story is if I had a chainsaw that would start, that tree would have done been down. I make up my mind to do it, but Roger won't be here when I come to that conclusion. By the time he is available, I have put it on the back burner to think about a while longer.

The way....

This is what the roads looked like north of here...we had just come up this road. I stopped to take photos of cattle, and old farm house, and could not resist shooting the road.

We ened up in Covington, a small town north of us about 30 or 40 miles...we ate at a little restaurant there, and went in a couple antique shops just to look. I always like looking at old things...some of them bring back memories for me....while a lot are older than that.

In both shops we stopped at, we talked to the owners...had fun visiting with them.

On the way home...

When we came home from Sarah's the other day, we left while still daylight...but as you know night falls quickly in the winter.
We got to watch a beautiful sunset from beginning to end...I snapped a few shots. they are not the greatest, but still you get the general idea. Oh, look hard at the barn in the second picture has a quilt square on it. It has one on each end...
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I sewed a little more on my newest quilt project. I am relieved to know I figured lengths correctly. Until a few years ago, I would have did that all in my head, and never even questioned it. I guess my head is so full of other stuff, that I have to have a hard copy to focus on!

Peek-a-boo!

This is how Bubbie does my quilts if he gets any chance at all...I usually keep it folded over he rack and pinned in a couple places. I had had it off, and put it back over the rack but I had not put the pins in place. I came in and Roger told me to look...and there he was. He always works and gets under stuff...sometimes it is a throw rug, which always leaves his back end hanging out. Or he will go in the bathroom and pull the towels down and crawl under them.
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We had thunderstorms before daylight and lots of rain. The rain cleared out early in the day, and the wind started blowing. The morn was shirt-sleeve weather but by evening, a coat was needed. The wind felt like it went right to the bone. I only know this from letting the cats in and out, and feeling the cold when Roger came in and out.

I had 3 or 4 days of not working on my quilt, but got back on track this afternoon and finished cutting the dark strips for the main part of the quilt...and even did just a tiny bit of sewing. Let's hope I get back on track with that...

I'm signing off for now...I have a jar of tomato juice waiting on me in the fridge....there is just nothing like home-canned tomato juice....

Prized Sunday shots...

I just love both of these photos...in the top one she is giving papaw lips with her fake lipstick. Any time she sees someone with chapstick, she has to have 'lips.''
We had not seen the Toot since the day after New Years...so were very lonesome for her. Sarah called Saturday night, so made plans to go over there Sunday...we got up early, I fried a bunch of chicken legs, and we were on the road by 8:00...or maybe 8:05.

We got there about 10:00....just so wonderful to see them. Lorelei is just changing so much and saying so many things. I don't even know where to begin. I almost need to make notes when she says them.

She was looking through her little old kaleidoscope, and she says "THAT's GORGEOUS!"...emphasizing just like that... and she said it three or four times when she would change it.

Then later we were sitting in the living room, almost ready to head home. Lo had been sitting with me for a while, then got withher mom, then her mom got up, and Lorelei was talking to me. Well, her mom came back and sat down, Lo ran around to the side of her chair and said, "So, you got something you want to give me?' And yes she said it in the form of a question. Sarah laughed and said what would I want to give you or what do you want me to give you....and Lo says "Candy!" and it is the way she says it...just funny. And she also said 'chocolate.' This is just a couple of the ones that tickled us the most.

I am not kidding when I say it was love at first bite as far as Lo and chocolate are concerned...

Well, I am running late...had company today...didn't feel like posting last night so going to get this posted, and try to get something ready for Time Stand Still...

Saturday at the strip pits...

I ran through the strip pits...and for just a few minutes here and there, there would be this fine snow...making forthese misty pictures.
I couldn't help but snap a few...and I will say it just may be a personal thing with me...you may not like them at all...
And I just love this one. Click and enlarge it, or better yet, right click on it and open in a new tab till you can see the full view of the size I posted. I love how all those cattle on the far hill, are all lined up going in one direction. I could see no reason for them to be doing that, but if you will notice they are all the way across the scene. I could actually see the first cows, but could not really see the tail end of the herd.

Visitors....

There was lots of activity at the feeders today....including cardinals,
bluejay(s), I actually think only one...
nuthatches,
And tufted titmice...
Oh, and here is another view of the cardinal....

Winter has arrived!!!

I say that winter has arrived...and it definitely feels like it. It was so windy and cold today...the wind blew so hard that it was hard to stand still to take a photo during some of the gusts.
We ran through the strip pits just to get out a little bit...on entering we started seeing Northern Harriers right away...they were almost hanging in air with hardly a flap of their wings or anything. Just staying in place....
Other than the Northern Harriers, we saw several swans...I am not sure if the majority of them are tundra swans or trumpeter swans...probably tundra but I really don't know how to tell the difference.
But the pair above are mute swans...you can see if you click to enlarge the photo...

and again, more of the tundra or trumpeter swans...both flocks were too far away to get a decent photo.

So far, we just have a skim of snow...but the cold has settled in to stay it seems. And still are supposed to get more snow tonight, but I will believe it when I see it.

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From a couple years ago...but with any luck, we might see some snow in the next couple of days. I am hoping the forecast is right...we are predicted to get 2-3 inches in our area. It has felt so strange to not have had a snow by now....something more than just a skim.

I spent 4 or 5 hours cutting fabric today....I am close to have enough strips cut to do the center part of the quilt. I got all the lights cut to length today...and got most of the 2 inch strips cut from the darks, plus as I cut them, I also cut one of the lengths. Hopefully will get them cut to length in the next day or two. I have to cut both the each one into 8 different lengths....so it is time consuming.

New beginnings....

The fabric industry came out with all kinds of Civil War reproduction fabrics....I liked them, but told myself I did not need them. But Roger loved them and wanted a quilt from them....so I have been collecting them for a while. Oh, not all I see by any means but a yard here and and a half yard there...and maybe a fat quarter or two the next time around. I have been looking at different quilt patterns and giving him choices of what he would like made...
and today the cutting began. I am using the log cabin block...but will not show what I am making with it till I am done. I first began by cutting the 2 inch strips from my lighter fabrics....and even began cutting them to lengths. But I have a ways to go before they are done. But the majority of that work is done...at least for the lighter side of the first part of the quilt.
Here is just a small sample from my darks...I have also have blues and a green or two and purple....I think I have more darks than I do lights. But that is okay.

It feels good to have the decisions made of what to make....and to have sat down and figured out the sizes I need to cut of everything. Now if I can just keep from getting distracted and cutting wrong...it s so easy to do sometimes. Especially when all three cats come down to see if they can help. I usually use something and mark my ruler, and I very well may do that tomorrow if I get to go back down and work.

It is supposed to start raining, so it will be a good day to work. We are also lonesome for Lorelei...she called me night before last and wanted to come to my house. Or us to come there. You just cannot imagine how sweet it is to hear her little voice...and she will talk to her Papaw a minute but then she wants her Mamaw back...oh, and she is still dressing up every day as a pink princess. I thought the newness of that might wear off but it hasn't.

I guess we will see what tomorrow brings....

Space Bar

This is not just a shiny spot on my space bar...it is an actual dent/worn spot. I had thought it was just a worn spot, but happened to catch it in just the right light and seen it is an actual spot that is worn down. Does that mean the keypad is cheap or does it mean I use this keyboard a lot...I dare say it is the last option. (sorry it is so grainy...and not the best quality...the dent did not show with a flash and had the ISO at 1600, and the shutter speed real slow)
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It was another beautiful day...I just got our heat bill. It gives the average daily temp or the month plus it gives it for this month last year. Our average this year is 37ºF....last year it was 24ºF. Quite a difference I think for this time of year. If I was not too lazy I would go back and see how long it has been since we had temps like this.

I had books to return to the library...I did not want to check any out so just ran them in. (Kindles are wonderful--I never thought I would live to see the day when I didn't want to go to the library, but I don't now.) Anyway, we left there and decided to drop by some family, but they were not home. So we ran to Green Valley and even threw our fishing line in a few times. No hits, though. But so nice to be able to do that.

It is supposed to change drastically Thursday....and supposed to have some snow. I don't know if they expect some accumulation or not. With the weather we have been having, it is hard to imagine any snow at all.

Time...

I am showing these from the strip pits....
I wanted to show them sometime....
I just had not planned on it being today.
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I have just wasted at least an hour on here looking for that little pie chart that shows time spent looking for stuff. Just because of the last few days I have spent oodles of time looking for a pattern, among other stuff. I am talking serious looking time. And I thought it so appropriate.

Then, I realized how much time I was wasting looking for the pie chart. I have used it before and it is somewhere on my blog. So decided to just get to the point and post something...I feel so strange if I don't post a picture of some kind, even if it is unrelated to the post.

It is another pretty day here in west central Indiana...I have a quilt hanging on the line to dry. It is one I keep hanging on a quilt rack, but a certain Bubbie cat goes over and pulls it down, then crawls under it. I usually keep it pinned till he cannot do that, but for some reason had had it off there, and never put the pins back in. It needed washed anyway, so took it down and threw it in the washer and put another little one up there. He has done been over trying to pull it down, but I thought to pin it.

I think I am going to go down and sew some spare blocks I have together and make him his own little quilt. It needs to be big enough for him to crawl under.

Well, I am headed down to sew, hopefully I won't get detoured into looking for something else!

Cox Ford Bridge

This is the Cox Ford Bridge in Parke County, Indiana, built in 1913 by J. A. Britton.
We try to always carry our rods with us...Roger threw his line in but did not have any hits.
This is looking up Sugar Creek...a beautiful place to be.

We used to come here and wade and fish...now there are signs that no swimming or wading is allowed, and inform that violators will be prosecuted.
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I am getting ready to hang out clothes! Supposed to be close to 50º F. today...I had to wash my tennis shoes since I had walked along the sandbar and my feet sank above the top of my shoes. So I always wash them with towels...figured it would be a good day to hang the out.

The cats are wanting us to come outside and play and I am not joking. They won't go out alone, but when I went out to wipe down the clothesline, all three came out to see what was happening.

Life at the strip pits

I ran out to the strip pit area night before last to see what I could see....as you can see by the photo below we have had some cold weather.
If I had to title this photo, I would call it Teepees on Ice...just reminded me of an Indian village if I use my imagination.
There were several geese out as the sun started to set...I suppose they were coming in from the fields.
I am not sure if the above will show on your computer...it is very dark at best. So I hit the auto levels button and got the bottom photo...not your greatest photo but it shows the geese better.
I always wonder what they have seen in their travels to get here.
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It is supposed to get up in the high 50's today...I am trying to make up my mind if I want to stay home or want to get out and go while the going is good. I actually wish I could do both, cause I really feel like staying home, yet I feel like we should take advantage of the nice weather and get out while the getting it good.

Pose! While I take your picture...

Someone got Lorelei a toy camera for Christmas...this is how she has us pose when she wants to 'take' our picture. Sarah has no idea where she got that this is how you are supposed to pose...she makes us lean our heads to the side and pucker our lips! Just so hilarious.
And remember how I told you she wanted everything pink and wanted a pink princess Barbie...
well, how about a pink princess Lorelei...oh, and by the way that is what she calls herself sometimes...
Like any good princess, she loves chocolate!!! I think it so funny, one little taste when she was maybe a year or so old, and she was hooked. Notice her princess dress came off before she was given the chocolate.

She was sick again over Christmas...I don't know if you can tell in these pics...well, the top one was taken January 2....but the other two were at Christmas...I still think it shows in her eyes in the one above.

And the one of her in her princess outfit..she did not want me taking pictures--I took the one and she was like 'no more, Mamaw.' I did not force the issue...but you can just tell that she was not feeling good...normally she loves having her picture taken.

The old and the new....

First I thought I would show you a quilt top for a baby quilt that I made sometime in the past year or so....I really can't remember just when I made it. It might have been closer to two years ago. I had totally forgot making it....it was made with no baby in mind. I did have a couple girls in mind that I thought might be starting a family sometime in the near future, though.

I have a hard time getting a good overall view, so I took a couple pics of it.

And here we have the small 4-patch quilt top I have been working on...over the past fall. I have worked on it here and there...till last week I got serious about finishing it. It is meant to be just a small quilt for the couch....or maybe a kid. Who knows. The 4-patches are 3 1/2 inches square when finished. And the top itself is 49 inches x 59 inches.

We won't tell about the fact that I tried a new pressure foot on my machine...and they were originally going to be 4 inches finished, but due to slight variation in size, I had to resize all the blocks I made. And we won't tell about the hours I spent ripping out seams the last evening or two. More ripping out than I normally do in a year...probably even in two or three years. Not that I don't make mistakes...I usually just catch them before I compound them.

I started making the 4-patches from scraps from other projects...then I got into cutting a few squares from older fabrics that I just want to use up. Still, most of them are from scraps...however the background squares are about half and half. I think I would have liked it better if I had used one main fabric as the background. And I will say that I think the pictures make it look prettier than the actual top is. But usually things grow on me when I quilt them.

I need to get another batting or two...I have a queen sized and I have queen sized tops, but I want to quilt some of these small tops, plus I also have one or two that are skimpy full sized tops.

After I got this last little top done, I have been working on cleaning up my sewing area, and even went so far as to organize some of my fabric by color. I think I could spend all day working on getting my fabric organized. I sure wish I had a place I could organize it all in one spot. I guess I should consider myself lucky that I even have a place to leave my sewing machines set up.