Just Another Day

My Tablecloth (because I have no pictures to share this time)

 Its cold and crisp and clear here again today. The temperature is in the -30's but the sun is shining. I do have to admit that knowing it is that cold outside and knowing I don't have to go out is as wonderful as I always dreamed it would be in all my working years. Retirement is awesome. My heart goes out to those who have to go out in the cold. Those who spend their days outside working and women going to work in Ladies dress pants ( those suckers are the coldest things going!!) especially. I feel so blessed to be able to snuggle into my house and stay warm.

As always not much going on around here. I did finish a book last night. Only the third I have read since the pandemic but my interest in reading is starting to pick back up again. I am working my way through the Cardinal Series by Giles Blunt. I just finished the second book. I am going to take a break and read one of my Christmas books before I start the third in the series. I watched the TV series and really liked it. So far the books are not disappointing. 

I have run out of white material so work on the current quilt has ground to a halt. I have 30 of the 48 clocks made.  I will order some material today. I also need to order some yarn for a project for my niece Miss Mouse. I am also going to get groceries tomorrow. I am really looking foreward to that as I will once again have coffee. I ran out a few days ago and I have been using tea. I love tea but it fails to give me the kick I need first thing in the morning, Coffee does that for me and I am looking foreward to having some in the house again.

Laundry is chugging away in the machine, the kitchen has been bossed back into order and I am still working on my tablecloth now and then. I have decided to spend part of my day, each day, putting things back in their proper place. One of my big downfalls is that I don't seem to put things away when I am done with them. It was the bain of my Mother's existence for all of my childhood. She did her best folks, but I failed to learn. Now at this ripe old age I am finally figuring it out.

I don't even have any pictures to share this week. Aw well, it is what it is

Take Care

Toodles,

Linda

Very Late or Very Early

I know, I usually post on Sunday or Monday but its Friday and I am just getting to it. Its because I am not overrun with blog material. Its like when people ask me "what are you doing?" I cringe. I am doing the same things day after day. A little housework, some crafting, some tv watching and the odd visit from a friend. Nothing earth shattering and nothing surprising and nothing out of the ordinary. I leave the house to get groceries and for the odd appointment and that is it. I am not complaining, its just that its not great for making an interesting post.

Finally all the stuff made it to the basement. The Banker stopped in and I put her to work. I could have done it but it would have taken me a month. She did it in a matter of minutes and its SO GOOD to have it put away. My house is a constant work in progress but it is getting done.

I have started to work on a new quilt. Its a scrappy one that will hope to make a bit of a dent in the stash. I'm not sure what I will do with it but I saw the pattern on Instagram and thought I would like to try it. Thanks to the wonderful tutorials on the Missouri Star Quilt Company YouTube channel I am learning more and more quick tips. I have been making quilts since I was 13 years old. I am always thrilled to find out new stuff.

I will always make quilts, I will make them until my hands fall off so I need to find a way to make use of them once they are made. My family and friends can only use so many. I have some ideas but I need to give it all some more thought. Donations? Selling? Etsy Shop? Facebook Market Place? I will figure it out and until then they can just pile up in the spare room.

I am working away on my tablecloth. Its so pretty and I am loving making it. Its something I have not done for a very long time and its nice to get back to it

I used my Indigo gift card that The Pilot gave me for Christmas and the books arrived yesterday. My heart flutters at a bunch of new books. When this pandemic hit and I retired I moved away from reading. I have only read two books in all these many months. Its just recently that I have started to want to get back into reading. I now have eight books in my "to be read stack" and I am itching to get at them.

So its quiet days filled with ordinary miracles. I am loving the fact that I am retired (in case I had not made that clear) that I can do what I wish without having to be at work. I feel so very very blessed.

So today will be quilting, crocheting and this weekend will be scrapbooking. Oh my its a hard life!!

Toodles

Linda

Onward and Upward

 So except for the things that have to go to the basement and the lights on the veranda, I think I have all the Christmas stuff back in its Harry Potter rabbit hole under the stairs. I do have to say it went back into place a lot quicker than it came out.

I am sorry to see it all go away, I like all the knick knacks and Christmas themed things about the house. Naked Christmas trees look sad. 

All the stuff makes the house look cozy and festive. I guess if it was up all the time I would not appreciate it as much as I do when it does all come out. 

We are still in lock down. We will be until the end of the month. This really has been a long drawn out affair. I am so grateful for the visits I get from friends. One person at a time and we take care to not get within 6 feet of each other and I have disinfectant on hand for clean up before and after each visit. So far we have stayed safe. I know we are only supposed to have one person to visit but I could not choose. I am vigilant about the other rules and no one is ever here when someone else is. Call me a rebel but its how I choose to roll.

I tend to be a solitary person normally so being home alone is not the worst thing in the world. I do have to admit that after these many months I so enjoy having a visit from an actual live person. Texting, Facetimes and phone calls are wonderful as well.How would we manage without them??  I am so grateful for each and every one. My heart goes out to those social butterflies that love to have people around them all the time. This must just be such a struggle for them.

I think I have my sleep pattern sorted out and I have gotten back to more normal. I am grateful for that. I have also started to read a bit more lately. I almost stopped reading when I retired and Covid hit. I find this odd because I finally had lots of time to poke my nose into a book. I also should mention that I LOVE to read, always have.  However I seem to currently think that YouTube is the best thing ever and I have been watching a mess of videos. Lately I am getting back to the books and trying to limit my time with the videos. I have a series of good books to read so I am happy with this turn of events.

Its rather hard to blog these days. When your life consists of staying home and being on your own its hard to find fodder for a post. Especially if you want to make your posts even remotely interesting.  I have some mending jobs to do for other people, so I have not started any new craft projects. I have a list of them but nothing to report about at the moment.

I still struggle with this meal making thing. I have no idea what my problem is. Well part of it is I am a lazy cook and the other thing is I can be as hungry as can be but not be wanting any specific thing. Its so weird. Today I have it figured out for supper (ham and scalloped potatoes) breakfast is never an issue but lunch is a major problem today. Sigh. I need to make some bread and then that would help a little with the problem. I cannot tell you how much I annoy myself. Other people I talk to are always making interesting things and have plans for what to have for a meal and I flounder. I am a mystery unto myself. I cannot figure out how I managed to create lunch everyday when I was working. 

Well I suppose I should go and see what I can scare up for lunch. I will leave you with this picture for no other reason than I think these little guys are the cutest things and make me smile everytime I see them.

Toodles

Linda

2021.... Here's hoping for a better year

 2020 has passed but the effects still linger on, Nothing dramatic changed with the ticking over of the clock at midnight. The pandemic still rages, we are still in lock down and the situation has not changed dramatically. The best we can hope for is that things improve, restrictions loosen, the curve flattens and we start to move toward things getting back to some sort of normal. I think we are all hoping for that to happen.

New Years was quiet around here, it always is. This has never been a big deal for me. I like to have some nice food, watch some good tv and stay up to let the new year in and let the old year out. I did all that and then I was tucked up in bed by 12:15. All in all it was a normal, pleasant evening for me. I spent a lot of time watching Star Wars movies and crocheting on the table cloth that I started for myself.

My sleep schedule is still all over the map. I either am hardly sleeping at all or I am sleeping like a teenager. This morning things are more normal than they have been for awhile. I slept most of the night and was up at a decent time this morning, I did the dishes and got a pot of soup on. That turkey broth and left over meat is getting used, which makes  me so happy. I really am trying to not waste food. Its too expensive for one thing and its a sin and a shame for another.

I finally found someone to shovel snow for me. I cannot tell you what a relief that is. I cannot do it for myself anymore and I am petrified of falling, well not of falling but not being able to get back up. I called Seniors for Seniors (cause I am one of them now) and they recommended this nice young man to me. He impressed me right from our first contact and he did a fabulous job of shoveling for me. I was tickled pink to wake up to this one morning. He had been and gone and I had not even heard him.

He even cleaned off the tops of the dumpsters for me. I now can get out and about without worrying about snow drifts. IF it snows he shows up, I don't have to call him, not to mention that his rates are good. Its a complete blessing for me to have this finally taken care of.

Poor KitKat had to put down two of her beloved cats over the holidays. It was so sad for her, she is very fond of her kitties. To have two of them go at the same time is so hard. I know a bit about this myself. Its made even harder that we could not go and give her a hug. 

However in true No Cook fashion we did what we could. We all chucked in some funds and The Banker gathered up a nice basket of goodies for her. We all jumped in out cars and did a drive by drop off at her house.

She still has Alex to keep her company although the two of them are lost without the other two. 

I think she was touched that we made the effort. Its what we do, our No Cook group are very good at supporting each other no matter what. 

So here is t hoping this pandemic thing becomes a thing of the past, that things improve, that everything gets back on track and I learn how to sleep like normal person once again.

Toodles

Linda