Fall is falling....

 This photo was taken at least a week ago...maybe longer.  I just went and checked...October 2...so yeah, it is over a week old.  Can you see the 4 guests that it has.  One of them is a bit hard to distinguish but it is there.  I actually thought there was a 5th but I was wrong.  Anyway, I love goldenrod...

It has rained a bit today.  You would not believe the big old leaves that are on the ground.  Last year, they literally disintegrated while still on the trees from all the dry weather.  That will not be the case this year.  While the only tree we have in our yard is a dogwood, our yard has the most leaves of any place around. 

We went to our daughters' houses yesterday....there were so many beautiful trees along the way.  I so  miss being able to ride shotgun and take photos along the way.  Normally I can still sort of do that with my point and shoot because there will be spells of no traffic.  Not so yesterday.  I was behind someone all the way there and back yesterday, or if not behind someone, leading the way for others.  But mostly, behind people. 

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I wish I had the energy to start my other blog again but I am beginning to wonder will I ever get back on track.  Roger is still doing pretty good, but in some areas he lost ground and just does not seem to gain it back.

We are making a big life change, or in the early stages of it.  IF I can live through it.  If we succeed, it will be a while down the road.  Either way, at some point I will tell what it is.

I will leave you with a little video I just found:

Lucky pups

 Oh, to be able to relax like this!  

And below is a couple shots, showing then and now....the day they brought them home and now.

Above is Wilber. and below is Gus.

They sure have grown.  Sarah has come up with an acronym for them...LDFL...Lap Dog For Life.   

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I finally chose a fabric for the sashing strips for my crumb blocks.  For those of you that don't know, the sashing strip is the strip of fabric that sewn between the blocks to separate them.  Sometimes you use them, but you don't have to.   I chose this fabric simply because I did not have to worry about having enough of it.  I have probably done cut two yards of it.  The sashing pieces are 1 3/4 inches by 6 1/2 inches.  And that is not enough to finish the quilt.  I have been sewing some to the sides of the blocks but have not take a photo.  

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Roger is not fully back to  himself, but he is still better than he was there for so long.  This may be a new normal for him.  He has no interest in even going out to eat and that was always a fun thing for him.  He has had a headache this evening and that always scares me.  But his blood pressure was fine.

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The other day I went through my books and selected a bunch more to donate to Good Will.  I had a few by Pearl S. Buck, and Harold Bell Wright, and John Fox, Jr.  I doubt anyone here has heard of the last two.  I keep trying t get rid of things.  I wish I had the nerve to do a yard sale, but once I decide to get rid of things, I want them gone.

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A video I came across...I think you will like it.

Tired boy!

 He likes to exaggerate everything...including how tired he is.

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Just wanted to pop on to tell that we saw the dr about Roger's kidney function.  It was our first time meeting him.  We both really liked him.  He introduced himself and shook hands, then set down and ask Roger a few questions.  And started going over his meds.  I pulled out the antibiotic the ER doctor had given him and told him Roger had been on it for a few days.  

He asked if it was before the labs were done.  I told him yes, and he reworded it and asked again.  I told him yes.  He said that it would have caused the bad results, and asked if he was taking it now.  I told him no.  The dr. said that Roger should recover!   So we are thanking God, and feeling a bit lighter in spirits.

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I started this day before yesterday....intending to add to it, but I just cannot seem to get it done.  So will post it as is.

Living the life

 I had a good title for this post because of this pic, but now I cannot remember what it was.  As you can see Copper has it made.

When my daughter came back from taking a shower, this is what she saw.  I told her she was lucky they allow her to sleep in their bed.

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I now have 171 of these  blocks.  Each one is 6 1/2 inches square. I will make a quilt top of them, but just not sure how I will sew them together.    I wish I could stop making them but in times of stress, they are not precision based, can sew and then cut to fit.  They give my mind a rest from everything else.

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Roger is feeling better.  I cannot say he is 100% better, but he is eating more normal, and looks so much better through his eyes.  According to some of the numbers from the labwork, he now has stage 3 kidney disease.  We see a dr. on Thursday.  I am hoping he will repeat the labs because one other time the numbers were bad when he was feeling real bad.  When he got to feeling better, we repeated the labs and the numbers were within the normal range.  

I have had a cold...felt horrible for a while, but have come to the conclusion that I will live...LOL  So far Roger has not showed signs of getting it.  

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The video today is long...it is not funny or heartwarming.  But I found it  interesting. I showed it to Roger and he enjoyed it.  I did not know chainsaws came with blades as long as the one used here for slicing the tree into thick boards.  Whoever thought of doing things this way is a genius...but it does make me think of something Roger would have come up with.   

Future Gymnast

 I hope this plays...it is so quick if you blink twice you will miss it.  It is the far corner of the couch you want to watc.

Also, below is the Christmas quilt that is finished.  It is 67 inches x 76 inches.

The blocks on point were given to me by a blogfriend, Mary, years ago.  I could never decide how  I wanted to use them. 

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I am sorry not to be commenting more.  It has been a stressful time.  Roger is all over the place with how he is feeling, things that are happening.  He was starting to come around to more what is normal now after the last episode when I called the ambulance.  He went down in the basement and stood for an hour or two working on something when I was gone.

It set off more strange things.  So long and involved it will make your head spin.  And the thing is sometimes it is like flipping a switch from on to off or off to on..  After the standing down in the basement, and his wrist started hurting, the second day after that he got up with his hand swollen.  I took him to the emergency room.  The doctor did not tell me what it was, but to another dr. he called it cellulitis.  He put him on strong antibiotic.

I kept him on them...his hand got better, but he is still not normal.  But the antibiotic may have been too muc.  We have been to NP and she is doing a repeat of some labs to compare to last time.  I have not heard about them.  But she said they gave him way too much of the antibiotic.

He will feel absolutely terrible, may nap, and get up and be a lot more normal.  But it is never two days in a row.  And he may be what seems fine for a bit and turn around and there is just that terrible strained look in his eyes.  He still teases some...not a lot.  But more than he did with the last episode.

I hate coming on here just to sing the blues...

'Fur' your viewing pleasure....

Above, as you can see, Will has decided that he makes a nice centerpiece.

The pups at their finest...notice that Will is a blur of motion...could not have captured it any better if you tried...

Here they are resting with Jeremy.  

I don't think there are any pups anywhere that are luckier.  They are so loved and enjoyed.  I just want to hug and hug them, but when we saw them they were too alive to be still for too long...I did get to hold Will some.  But did not get my fill.

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A recent make....

And I will leave you with a little video.  Be sure and watch the end part in slow motion.  It is not even two minutes long.  Also, if it comes up that you can't watch it in your country, try typing in the title in the Youtube search box, I have found several times when I could not watch a video, if I type the title in, a version will come up that I can watch.

Smile, or maybe laugh out loud...

 I am going to show you a few pics of the pups from the past few days....

All tired out...

Gus cracks me up...he must play soooo very hard

Wilbur seems to sleep in sane positions...

He just wants a quiet place to rest.

But this one below of Gus,,,

It had me in tears from laughing so hard....then Sarah said he was Bubbie reincarnated.  In the past year or two of Bubbies life, he slept with this head rammed into things...not quite this bad, but more on purpose.

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I have did very little sewing this past week.  The Christmas quilt is just as it was when I last posted.  I do have fabric to make the binding.  And cleared off my cutting table till I can cut it.  It won't take long to make.  I had had a lot of stuff out...looking through things.  Trying to find that perfect fabric.  

It is pouring the rain tonight..a bit of thunder but not real loud or anything.  It rained last night, too.  But there was big, loud thunder that shook the house a time or two.  

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I have a video to share...a feel good video.  Going to attempt to embed it...

Cuteness

I think they might be tired puppies!

Lorelei sent these to me...they make me want to giggle.

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I have been free motion quilting my Christmas quilt.  That part is almost done, but I don't even have the binding made.  Most of the time I make the binding at least before the quilting is done.  A lot of the time I make it before I even start the quilting.  The quilting could be better.    But then it could be a lot worse, too.  Hopefully I will have it finished in a week or two.  It should have been done long ago.

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Here is a feel good video for you:

New kids on the block....

 Above Lorelei is holding Gus and below is Wilbur...they were going to call him Willem but Lorelei and Jeremy decided they like Wilbur better.  Wilbur is the name the rescue place gave him.

They were made to be hugged.

They are just so cute 

and loveable...  

We did run over to meet/see them this weekend.  Above, Gus is actually sleeping like that.

Above is their first night at home.  

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Thought I would post another happy post.  Stitches came out Friday.  You just would not believe how good my face looks compared to what it looked like right after the surgery.

Little update

 I know it has been a long time since I posted....life finally feels like it is somewhat back on track.  It did take a while.  I will begin with Roger.

I am not sure what made his sugar get so low.  Normally if he is sick, it is high.  He did not feel like eating, did not joke around at all.  His cardiologist/NP had increased two of his meds.  The one was doubled, then doubled again.  One for cholesterol.  And the other was magnesium.

So I started playing with his insulin and oral meds for the diabetes, and got him to our NP in a few days.  (I got him in as soon as I could but it was 4th of July weekend.  They did call and talk to me...) She said I had done exactly right with the reduction in the oral medication and the insulin, and even reduced the insulin more.  And when she saw the cholesterol meds, she was almost what you would call upset.  Wanting to know why he was on so much.  He is on two different pills.  I told her it was from the cardiologists office.  

She was going to have me eliminate one entirely, but I said how about cut back on the one.  So she said fine.  After doing that, in 24 hours he was some better.  Still he was not himself.  I gave it about 10 days or two weeks, and then cut it back to the original dose...that did the trick.  He is back to joking and teasing and being hungry.  

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I had MOH's surgery Friday...the first time showed no more cancer.  Hopefully it will not show up in that spot again.  This last time was just about exactly in the same place the first one was in years ago.  I am so thankful to God that there was no more.

I have tried to get up the nerve to post a pic but it might gross you out...it is not a good pic but it sure is not fun to look at.  You look at it and say OUCH!  And maybe even 'ooooh, gross!'

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In the middle of this we had a major plumbing issue.  It is too long to go into.  Sarah came and got her day for a couple nights.  We had the drain back up late one evening.  I went to take the plug out of the sewage line to see if I could run the little snake and get anything to move.  When I went to twist the plug, the whole line broke!  

They fixed it in about an hour the next night... a couple of good, decent working guys.  After dealing with the one company for all the hail damage a couple years ago, I am always so thankful for people that try to do a good job.

I am not sure when or if I will be blogging again...I have to get stitches out either in a week or so.  Can go next Friday or else wait till Monday and I do dread it because the last stitch is so close to my eye.

I am going to put a video here below...one that I came across just a few days ago:

 She came for a short visit the other day and I have not seen her since.  She honestly seemed as excited to see me as I was to see her.

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I had to call an ambulance for Roger yesterday morn...I could not get him to get up.  He would say what, when I was trying to get him to get up to take his meds.  And say okay...but would just go back to sleep.

You cannot imagine how stupid I feel...in my own defense, I will say I am ever looking for something that points to another stroke.  But he is diabetic.  Can you guess where I am going?  Yes, his blood sugar was extremely, extremely low.  I am amazed he was not in a coma.  The EMT gave him an IV that brought his sugar back up and had him eat a peanut butter sandwich before they would leave.  

And my biopsy was more basal cell....right now another MOHs surgery is scheduled for Aug 12.  The other option is radiation.  25 treatments.  Every day.    They both scare me since it is about an inch below my eye and close to my nose.

Still in progress....

 I am still working on it.  I could call it quits here as far as the quilt top is concerned, but I want to add rows of the 'strips' all around the edge.  I have a couple rows made, and others started for the ends.  It is just a matter of making myself take time to go in there, even if I take a time to remind myself I have to go or do something else in a few minutes.

One of my daughter's childhood friend's grandmother passed away last week while our daughter was in Florida.  I just happened to see it.  Then after daughter got home, I got on line to get the link to the obituary to send her, and this same girl's dad had died.  He died the day before the service for the grandmother.  Our daughter spent so much time at their house, and their daughter was in and out here.   Anyway, Sarah ran home this morn to at least go to the visitation.  And Roger wanted to go, because he and the dad really got along good.

He said he could walk in, but if it had been 10 more yards, I don't think he would have made it.  I was hanging on to his arm, or I feel sure he would have fell at least one time.

He is not feeling good right now...nothing I can really put my finger on.  He went to bed half an hour/45 minutes earlier than normal.  We were up and gone to the visitation at 9:00....so maybe it was just the long day today.  But he really has not been himself the past few days.

I am still waiting on the results of the biopsy...

Will I ever finish it???

 I worked on this a couple or three days last week, and want to work more on it.  Last week, the AC slowed me down.  We will see about this week.  I have not decided quite how I feel about it.  It is sort of wild, but I am just using scraps.  For the most part.  I bought the gray snowflake fabric to use to set the blocks on poing, and I bought the red fabric to put a strip between the rows.  To give it some consistency.  I have four of the rows of blocks on point and will have five of the others.

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Thought I would share a new photo of a dragonfly.  Saturday was the first chance I had had to try to capture any.  I know some of you do not look at my other blog so will share one here.  This seemed to be the only kind at the swamp at that time.  Usually we see a couple more varieties.

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I had a dermatologist appt today...had three places I was worried about.  One of them she did not think was anything to be worried about, but in looking at my main concern, she saw two more place close to it.  One she was not concerned with , the other she was  a bit concerned.  Said she would freeze it off for now and see how it does.  She also froze the other two that was close to it.  The one I was concerned about I could feel...not something I look in the mirror and see.

So she looked my face over good, and looked at the other two places.  One she was not worried about, but the other she took a biopsy so will have to wait to see what it says.  It is maybe an inch below my eye.    If it is cancer, she is going to recommend another MOHS surgery...I am not sure how I feel about it.  I don't know if it is the shot to numb or what, but my eye went all weird for a few minutes as I was leaving.  I could see out of it but it was blurry.  And just felt so very strange.  It is hard to explain.  

So now I wait...just deal with it as it comes.  See what I can do in the meantime.  I have tons to do.  Just a matter of doing them.  I have lots of stuff to sew.  I should go sew some now.

We have Air!

 The repairman came back yesterday evening late.  He checked the pressure and said he might could put a little bit more freon in.  He said you have to be careful because if you put too much in it, it harms the unit.  But first he decided to go down and look at things in the basement.  He pulled out the filter and looked.  It did not look bad, but decided to change it anyway.  (Our filters are those big thick ones--you only change them every three months)

He gave it a moment and went back outside to check the pressure and it had come up 10 degrees.  I could feel a difference in the air coming out.  So he said he would leave it and see how it did and if I needed call him back this morn. It ran and ran last night, and never stopped cooling.  Finally around midnight it kicked off.  And got up this morn to the normal temperature we keep it. 

I wanted to wait till this morning to do an update to be sure it was still working.

I will leave this video:

Update

 I did do a post last night, thinking that the AC was really beginning to cool things out...it had not been posted very long at all till I realized that the AC had stopped putting out really cool air.  It will cool a while, then stop putting out much cool air at all.  Then I turn the AC off and run the fan an hour, turn the AC on and it will put out pretty cool air for a while.  Repeat, repeat, repeat.  We are waiting for the repair guy to come back by.

I should have did this update right after I took the other one down.  I am sorry that I didn't and wasted your time looking for it.

It is 99º outside now.  but the house keeps the heat out pretty good.  It is not terrible in here...77º right now.  If worst comes to worst will go to a hotel.

Waiting

 I thought while I am waiting I would pop in to tell you to say a prayer for us...our AC is not cooling.  It stopped last night.  Was cooling fine till some time in the late evening.  After the heating and AC place had closed, of course.  I was in and out doing a few things outside, or attempting to do so and it had been cooling fine all day. 

Then late yesterday evening, I noticed it was not cooling.  so have ran the fan all night long to circulate the air. And Roger has the ceiling fan on in his room. It is supposed to reach 100º F today.  And the humidity is terrible.  I have called the AC place and have been waiting on a call back.  The answering service answered earlier and said someone should contact me in half an hour...or to call again.  I have been calling and getting no answer.

Roger is okay right at this present moment, but am not sure what to do.  Thinking about getting a hotel room, but I think he will fuss about that if I do.  And even that will be hard cause there is not one here close...so will just wait and see for now.

bits

 I swung through the strip mining area, and came out a back way and saw this chicken.  I don't recall ever seeing one just like it.

I saw this snake racing across the road while in the strip mining area.  It was not very big...maybe a yard long.   As fast as it was moving, I was lucky to get a photo.  It must not have liked the sun.

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I do not had much to tell...I have felt like no matter what choice I made about some things, I was making the wrong decision.   Do you ever do that?  

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I am still working on the Christmas quilt in odd moments.  If I had a design wall big enough I would put what I have done on it to show you but right now it has stuff hanging on it waiting for decisions.  So there is no room to hang up what I have done.  

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I am going to share a video with you.....it is longer than I normally share, and is not good quality but we still got so tickled at some of the answers.  If you listen, tell me your favorite answer.

I hope you enjoyed it half as much as we did.  One of my favorites was when Art Linkletter asked the would be pilot what he would do if all the engines quit....he bowed his head and started saying the Lord's prayer.  And then there is one where he asks a little girl what would make a good husband... and then ask her what she was going to be.  

Little Mama aka Sweet Pea

 Just 12 seconds of entertainment...you may not find it funny.  It may be one of those things you had to be there to appreciate.

We were heading out this morn, only to find a ruckus in the neighborhood.  Three squirrels were chasing each other...I first thought it was the babies.  And I still think one of them might have been one of Sweet Pea's.  But they were out in the street going in big circles.  When I saw the grown one I thought it was her, and say Hey! ....and I have no idea what I call her but I use this baby talk voice.  I have no idea why I revert to that.  

I thought it was coming but I thought it looked a bit big for her.  about that time it took off and then I thought I saw her zooming by.  I yelled again, and waited...in just a second here she came running about as fast as she could run.  I usually carry some walnuts/pecans in a plastic bag in my pocket.  Roger was already out and headed down the steps.  He just sat down on the edge of the porch and I sat at the picnic table and she was up beside me in a split second.  She was eating in my lap.  When I am about out of nuts, I always empty the last few onto the bench.  

She was gobbling them down....and the one squirrel came back to the edge of our yard and she kept eating but kept barking at him while she was eating.   She stopped before she was done and took off after it/him.  I could not get to see good but I am pretty sure it was a him.  I am assuming courtship, though at first I wondered was she trying to keep him away from her young ones...they are getting up in size now.  

Just a bit of this and that...

First a photo looking out under the wisteria!  It is loaded down with blooms this year.  And below is a close up of one of the blooms...it was windy the day I took it.  And I did take this with the phone and was so surprised that it is a half decent shot.  Usually photos with things moving with wind do not turn out good.  Specially on my phone.

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Can anyone guess what I have been doing?  Or rather did one day last week?  I am not proud of myself...I should have did this long ago.  I worked on clearing out Roger's closet.  Since his stroke there were so many things he did not wear any more, a lot of things that did not fit.  Some things he just did not like.  I did keep a lot of it, but packed it away.  Just in case. How many times do we keep stuff just in case but never need it.  But I have two huge bags of stuff to take to Good Will, too.

 Anyway, he still has what he wears all the time, and there are plenty of those things.  Picture ease and comfort.

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A couple quick videos....they both make me laugh.

Now the one below is a bit longer, but I laughed and laughed.  Just watch how part of the time when they jump off something they give that extra little kick in the air.  Just the joy of being alive!  

A finish of a different sort

Remember, you can right click and click on the photo to view in a new tab or window and get a bigger version to see. As you can see the wolf is made of a gazillion different photos.

 I have told the story before of this puzzle...well, actually this is not the one given to me.  My friends husband sent the original and on a note in it, he said to work it or burn it...he did not care which.  Which tells you it was hard.  He always had a puzzle out on their pool table for his spare moments.  

Anyway, I had the original out several years ago, and the door to the bedroom got left open and the cats got on it, chewed up some pieces.  I have no idea why.  But they were beyond use, and knocked pieces everywhere.  Some fell behind the piece of furniture and I just could not move it at the time.  So I put it away and don't know what I eventually did with it.

Needless to say, I ended up getting on Amazon later, and ordering a new one.  And it has sat for years waiting for me to have the time to work it.  And a way to work it without the cats interfering.  I knew if it took my friend's husband a while to work it, it would take me a good while.

I am usually a pretty quick puzzle worker...but I have had this out since I think in February...the last half.  But there were a few weeks when I barely touched it, as in maybe one 20-30 minute session.  And I still had to keep it covered so I could not just pass by and search for a piece.   I did get serious about getting it finished after I finished Lorelei's turtle and spend a good part of my spare time this past 10 days working on it.

I don't know why, but I can do just fine working the lighter parts of the puzzle...but I know it took me at least twice as long to work the dark portions.  But it is done at last.  And I feel like a bird that has just been set free.

Finished...

I cannot remember when I first actually started this.  I know it was in February when I got the request to make our granddaughter a 'turtle.'  It had to sit and simmer in my mind...and then I had to sketch it out and decide how to make it.  Lorelei is happy with it.  I have mixed feelings about it...I think that is why it took me so long to finish it.

Edited to add:  This is not full sized quilt.  I did not think to tell but it is a wall hanging.  I am not even sure of the size...around 16 inches wide and maybe 18 inches up long.

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We had a lot of rain/overcast days this past week.  The coming week is supposed to be sunny and bright every day, with temps near 90°F some days.  I look forward to the warm days and sitting on the porch to read a few minutes sometimes.

I saw that my hibisus are both coming up.  I am very relieved.  My red one is much farther along than the pink one.  I really was afraid the pink one was not going to pop up.   I need to pull more weeds, and need to get some tomato plants to go in my pots.  I look forward to have a fresh, home-grown tomato to eat one more time.  

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I have to include a pic of Delta and Copper...they are taking care of Lorelei when she is spending time with her Aunt.  

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I tried to leave a youtube short, but I cannot find a way to link to only mine.  And depending on when I click on the link they provide there are things I just don't like to see at all.  It is a video of the squirrel coming to me.  If I figure it out, I will post it later.

a pink world

I wish there was a way to share the feeling of standing under the dogwood tree.  It is almost as if you are living in another world.

For some reason I have not taken near the number of photos this year.  so I thought I best take a few more before they begin lose their petals.

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And even with this iris....I took a photo of it over a week ago but forgot to post it.  So I took another one today.  I don't remember how I came to have this color.  I may have got a mixed bag of bulbs. 

The sun was bright and shining today...I did a bit of weeding, and tying up of the iris blooms.  Before I started to work,  I sat on the porch a minute, and tried to call the Little Mama but no luck.  Did not see her anywhere.  When I got done, I sat a minute to cool down, looked across the streed and there she came.  So I got to visit with her a little bit but I did not take any new pics..  I should have though.  I had a bright coral teashirt on and could see it reflected in her eyes.

I hope that all of you have a good week ahead.

She comes running, almost

 She came again this morn...such a sweet little mother.

She even sat in my lap a couple times.  I talk to her constantly when she is with me.  To get her familiar with my voice.  I think she already knows it, though.

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I have not been accomplishing very much at all this week.  I did go to a small quilt show in Arthur, Illinois yesterday.  I am not sure how may quilts were on display...I would think around a hundred.  there were some beauties, but the place the show is held in has to have the rows so close together, one cannot stand back and get a good photo.

Below is a portion of one of my favorites...

The above is really a simple quilt to mke, but the arrangement of colors make it look harder than it is.  Though on second thought, my brain would probably explode trying to keep the colors where they should go.

and the above was a faorite, too.  There were several that I loved...just could not get good pics.