Back Online... I think!

Greetings Family & Friends

My home desktop died.  It was working fine, no sign of an issue and while watching a video, it shut down.....POOF!

While I initially thought it was a power supply, after installing a new one and finding that did not help, I kept removing hardware until it was only the motherboard, so then I knew it was a really bad thing.

Debated about rebuilding the thing from the ground up but the idea did not thrill me.  It has been a good couple of years since I did that and as I remember it was a several day process full of much frustration.  I found a motherboard that came with matched processor, fan, memory, etc.  But for just a little more, I could buy an inexpensive, ready-to-go box from Walmart and just plug it in.  So that is what I did.

So now, I am trying to get everything set up like email, web stuff, printer.  It is going to take some time as the new computer is running Windows 8.  It is the newest, but I am not sure the best OS from Windows.  It looks like a Smartphone screen on a desktop.  The usual pathways are not easily found, but I am making my way around, slowly but surely.  But at least I am back online!!  Yippee.

Late Night, Long Night

Late night, Long Night…

I was just about to head to bed last night when my oldest son, Rob, called, so everyone remembered to contact me on my birthday.  And while it was not a big day, it was very satisfying to have been remembered by my friends and family.  Rob and I talked quite a bit.  He and his wife, Kate, had just returned from a cruise with Rob’s father and his wife up the Inside Passage from the lower 48 to Anchorage.  He said it was beautiful although they had rain and some of the glaciers were socked in with clouds so they did not get the spectacular views they were hoping for.  They did, however, have a very clear view of the landscape and mountains from the train from Anchorage to Denali.  It sounded like a fun trip.

It was a long night for me.  After talking with Rob, I headed to bed but found that as hard as I tried I could not fall asleep.  I watched a little TV and had the bed in massage mode which usually works.  Not last night.  I laid in the dark hoping beyond hope that the sandman would arrive and I would drift off to sleep.  Nope, he must have been on vacation.  I turned the TV on again and fired up my TV Stick that allows me to run Android Apps on my TV, downloaded the Amazon Music Player app and listened to soothing music…. nope, no sleep.  Molly finally decided that she needed to go out around 3:30 AM, so she went out and I reclined in the Living Room and watched a little more TV.  Finally, sometime after 4 AM, I went in to bed, turned the alarm off (no church today, I needed my sleep) and drifted off to sleep.  I woke up around 11 AM.  Seem to have a twinge of a headache, so something is going on, but I feel pretty good other than that.

I am really enjoying the colors in my new, little quilt that I finished yesterday.  In the daylight the colors are really fun.  It is the perfect design to use leftover scrap material.  Not a big quilt, just right for legs stretched out on a recliner.  Molly was quite happy to curl up on it in the wee hours this morning.  I will make the next one a few strips longer, but for now I have several other styles to be tried before I do another raw-edge quilt.

Happy Birthday to Me!

A Very Quiet Birthday…….

The end of the week found me making Sloppy Joes for a crowd and then spending time with a friend (Sheila) who was beginning a move into her new home in Ephrata.  I used my van to help take some boxes and pieces of shelving that she needed to get set up for the big push next weekend.  Those of us who were there to assist her helped her clean up the woodwork in most of her rooms and tape off the woodwork so her son could get some painting done before the big furniture is moved in next week. 

I had blocked off Friday (yesterday) and Saturday (today) so if she needed me, I could help out.  But she said there would be lots of family at the house today, so my services would not be needed.  But the food was left behind to feed those who would be helping her tomorrow.

Today is my birthday!  I turned a very young 66 and since I was not needed to help Sheila, I spent a very quiet day at home.  I slept in, watched some TV in bed until my BFF, Marji, called to wish me a Happy Birthday.  She was on her way out to have breakfast with her husband which I rejoiced at seeing as how she had been in the hospital earlier in the week.  She called later today and had enjoyed her time out and about and then came home for some naps before calling me tonight.  This year I only got one card in the mail and one card online, and three additional phone calls from Camille, my brother, Andy and my son, Brian.

I used my extra time to finish my little raw edge quilt.  Molly was not happy that I was not giving her a lap to sleep in, but she is happy now, as I have finished the quilt, washed it once and have it over my lap so he is happily enjoying the soft and comfy quilt.

Church tomorrow and working on another project.  I would like to get it finished before my quilter calls to let me know another project I have with her is finished.

So a good day, another year to begin celebrating.  A busy week ahead and preparations for my trip will begin.  Enjoy the pictures of the quilt.

This is the "raw-edge" side of the quilt.  These are 2 1/2 inch strips.  The front side has the raw edge exposed, the back side is smooth.  I am currently having trouble uploading the other pictures.  I will keep trying and add them in later.

Here is a closeup of the "raw-edge".

This is a picture of the smooth side.

Basically they are two 2 1/2 inch strips with a 1 1/2 inch strip of batting sandwiched in between, then you stitch the assembled strips together keeping the raw edge to the same side.  The more strips, the longer the quilt.  Even up the edges and bind.  Because the batting is already sandwiched in the strip, the quilting is completed as you stitch it together!

Molly likes it!

All Better Today!

A Good Day after a breakdown…..

Yesterday, I had a really bad moment.  I was cleaning off the dining room table after scheduling an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon for July 3^rd.  I was having a friend over this morning for some sewing and I had to clear a place off on the table for her sewing machine.  I was doing really well, I was motivated to get things done when I came across the same watch that had belonged to Rudy that I found in one of the boxes from Maryland.  I was ready for a break, so I decided to take the back of the watch off to see what kind of battery it might need.  I keep a supply of several small batteries on hand and fortunately I had one here.  So I figured out how to replace the battery and found that the watch still worked.  So I set about changing the day of the week and the date.  This was more difficult.  This watch actually has hands and small windows where the information shows and I was trying to get the date to the correct date and the day to the correct day and I was finding that I could do one and then when trying to change the other it would do something to one of the other settings.  I was trying to pull the stem out to one more click to try setting the day of the week and the stem pulled totally out from the watch.  After staring at it for a bit, I broke down and just sobbed.  I had broken Rudy’s watch and I was uncontrollable. After letting the tears flow and calming down I tried calling my best friend just to talk.  No answer.  I calmed down some more and decided I could no longer hurt the watch anymore, so the back came off again and began fiddling with the stem.  I carefully inserted it back into the hole it came out of.  The first turns nothing happened, so I brought it back out and put it back in.  Carefully I turned the stem again and hands began to move.  My heart leaped.  I carefully put the back on and set about setting the watch.  This time more carefully.  I managed to get it set and am wearing it as I type.  It may fall apart or stop allowing me to set it, but for now, I have a feeling of calm I have not felt in awhile.  Perhaps I needed to get to that break to move forward.

Today was a much improved day.  My friend, Nancy Groff, came over to sew.  She enjoys learning to do some easy things.  I met her at the Log Cabin Quilt class.  She was taking the class, too.  We have become friends and she loves getting together with me to learn new and simple projects.  Today we did two of the projects that I am planning to do in North Carolina.  They were quick and simple and she was thrilled.  We talked and talked, she brought me plants for my garden (which I may kill before they get back into the ground) and some asparagus that I have enjoyed for dinner.  I reheated the delicious roast from Saturday.  It was every bit as good as it was then.  It is so fork tender that it would also make a great roast beef sandwich.  That recipe stays at the front of my book.  I found it on Facebook and it is called Three Envelope Roast.  I f you see it, try it.  If you don’t see it, I will happily share it.  Easy, simple and fast to put together.  Tastes like you spent hours!

I spent the remainder of the afternoon working on a quilt I started earlier this year.  Hopefully by the end of the day it will be finished.  It is a quick and simple quilt-as-you-go pattern and I will have it finished and ready to be used either tonight or by the end of the weekend.  I will post pictures once it is done.  I have been catching up on laundry and sorting through some of my packing items in preparation for the road trip.  I have taken several trips last year and each one I had sundries packed in different ways.  So I was consolidating them into more useful configurations.  Making progress.

Tomorrow I am helping a friend begin moving into her new digs.  I will have to go out and sink the seats of the van into the floor, but the van will be used to carry boxes from Sheila’s cousin’s house to her new place in Ephrata.  There will be a trip tomorrow and then cleaning/painting.  Saturday will be more moving.  Then next week is the big push to get her more settled.  I am so happy to be able to help her out.

Next week is the MRI, the week after is my first meeting with the surgeon, then heading out on my trip.  Keeping busy… it is a good thing!

F.Y.I.

Scheduled the MRI for Wednesday in Downingtown.  11:15 AM... Woo Hoo!

Long Time, No Write…

Long Time, No Write…

Hello family and friends…

Sorry, I have not been very good at writing here lately.  I have no reason to excuse myself from leaving you wanting to hear from me.  I just felt like I had nothing to write about.  It is safe to say that when I do not write, that I have fallen into a mind state that makes me feel as though I just have no reason to write as no one really cares what this simple, old lady is up to.

I fell into that state of mind while I was trying to go though the remaining boxes from the house I sold at the end of the year.  I have been doing OK, getting the things sorted and either placed somewhere in the house, given away to folks who can better use them or tossing the things that were beyond the point where anyone would want them.  I have cleared all but two boxes off the deck and I have reclaimed my kitchen.  The rest of the house, not so much but after writing this, I am heading into the bedroom to try to get rid of the clutter there.  I still have stuff in the garage and in the bed of the pickup…. But that is all that is that remains.

The hard part is when I run into something that belonged to Rudy.  Since I was unable to do all of the sorting and packing before the boxes arrived here, each box presents the possibility of coming across something that belonged to or was used by Rudy when we were at Indian Acres.  I was really going great guns.  Boxes on the deck, boxes in the kitchen and then a couple of boxes in the Living Room.  And then…. There they were… a simple, gold Timex watch and a 50 tape ruler (the one that was used to correctly separate the cornhole boxes for parties).  Stopped me in my tracks.  These were items that he always had either on his wrist or in his pocket/toolbox so he was ready to measure, at a moment’s notice, something that needed to be built or repaired.  Stupid simple things, but had tears streaming down my face and I have just not been able to get into any new boxes. 

I have been finding it difficult to remove myself from my recliner (Molly is very happy) and the daily  round of tears have gone from torrents to the occasional glistening, so I am better.  Thank goodness for my ever-growing  list of activities.  I am going to church every Sunday and have been helping in some of the extra activities there.  The Lions Club has me out at least twice a month.  I have joined a Widows and Widowers group that meets for breakfast once a month.  I have also found a quilting guild that meets monthly and I am thoroughly enjoying working with these new friends.  I am still the Secretary for PABA (Parkesburg Area Business Association) and we were in the Memorial Day Parade here in Parkesburg.  I have been sewing some.

One of the things I have done is to hire a lawn service to mow my grass.  I was spending close to an hour and half to just mow my grass.  By the time I was done, I had no energy to do the trimming.  That, plus my right knee is getting harder and harder to do lots with, so the trimming was not getting done and I had tall grasses in some areas of the lawn.  So I hired the Cochranville Lawn Services and every week they come by.  The one mower can unload, mow the ¾ acre yard (hills and all), trim all over AND blow the clippings off the driveways/sidewalks with 30 to 35 minutes.  I should have done that to begin with, but no more buying gas, making sure the tractor is running and finding time when the grass is not too tall is a wonderful thing, allowing me to have more time to work on my other projects.

I am getting ready to go on another road trip.  I will be heading out the middle of July with Molly and we will be driving west.  After a night in Cleveland we will arrive in Lake Villa, IL which is just outside of Chicago.  My cousin, Linda, and her husband, Dave, live there.  Linda is only 6 days older than I am, so we always grew up being compared to each other by our mothers who were sisters.  She has always lived in Illinois.  I have lived in Ohio, Kentucky, Delaware, North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania.  Since becoming adults, we have not seen each other much and when we have, it has been for just a couple of hours or a quick overnight.  This time, I will be staying in the area for two full days.  Linda has promised some quilt shop visits and some relaxing time with wines as we celebrate our birthdays.  Then I will head north to Minneapolis to spend a little over a week with my youngest son, Brian.  I already have boxes started so I do not forget the small stuff.  It will be my first road trip with the van so I will have plenty of room for the things I want to take.  I have a web site that is set up where I will post pictures and descriptions as I travel.  If you have not received the link already and would like to follow along, just email me and I will send you a link.

Upon returning I will be going into doctor mode.  As I mentioned, I am having knee issues.  My right knee is the worst one, but the left is not far behind.  I had X-rays of the right one last week and the report was not good.  It seemed to be a surprise to my primary but not me.  I will be scheduling an MRI, hopefully before I leave for the trip, and then set up an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon after I get back to be further evaluated and see what the next step will be.  I will keep you all informed.  Just as long as, if surgery is in the future, that I am back on my knees by the October trip to the Outer Banks!

So, I am back.  Maybe not daily, but I will try to do a better job.