Smokey Saturday

 Guess I'll be entertaining myself inside today.  Sky is looking mighty hazy.  From the tv news shows I've seen about those folks caught in the middle of the fires, sadness is heavy. I just can't imagine losing everything I own in one quick sweep.  My nose has been running all morning and I assume that's because of the weather.  My chest also feels kind of tight.

One of my projects for today is to start putting together the large quilt I need for my bed. It'll have to be something not terribly heavy as I don't like heavy blankets on me when I sleep; they bother my feet and I think contribute to my foot cramps. Anyhow, I spent days and days sewing simple square patterns using up odds and ends of material in my stash.  Since it's for me, I don't care if nothing really matches.   My space is limited in this apartment so I opted to a "quilt-as-you-go" method. I figure I can use my machine to sew four blocks together and then in the evening in front of the tv, I'll proceed to handsew the backs together. Time consuming but preferable over having to stand too long trying to put together one large quilt on a table. Here's sample of the front and back.

I had an old Goodwill navy blue sheet in my stash but it won't be enough for the whole thing so I'll have to hit the store again and see if I can't find another sheet for backing. Even if it doesn't match in color.

Are you bored yet? Sorry, it's about all I got for now.

My sister-in-law, Lill, is here using my machine right now as she has two squares to quilt.  She walked right on through the lobby as no one was around. It's not all that often you see anyone in the halls.  The management here continues to insist we can't have guests in our apartment.  Irks me no end as this isn't an assisted living building but they seem to think they can use the guidelines for such establishments. I know of several other apartment buildings like ours where there is no such blocking of guests and I've complained more than once that their tactics are a form of intimidation. But enough on that subject. We hear it day in and day out on tv so most of the time, I turn off all news shows. Between the numbers of doom and gloom and listening to the buffoon, tv has become a source of constant irritation.

My cousin in Tacoma sent me this picture of an afghan she found in her grandfather's belongings (my Uncle Arthur) my dad's oldest brother).  Katy (my cousin) says she's pretty sure one of his sisters made the afghan for him, either Elva or Velna.  After emailing another cousin who said the afghan looks exactly like one she has, we decided that Velna was the one who had crocheted it as a gift.

Katy is contacting some of Velna's other grandchildren to see if one of them might like to have it. Below is a picture of Arthur who died in 1989 and Velna (my dad's oldest sister) who died in 1982.

Cousin Bonnie, daughter of Velna's son, Claude Walker, told me that Velna used to buy old sweaters at thrift stores (she frequented Goodwills, Salvation Army, and St. Vincent de Paul shops all her life) and she'd unravel the sweaters to make afghans.  Velna lived through the depression and lived her entire life recycling and preferring old stuff to new.  I still remember the day we visited her in Bellingham and my ex husband said we were taking her to lunch. We asked her what place she wanted and she said K-Mart's lunch counter. Prices were way better. hee hee

My calendar has a tad more on it than usual this week. Tomorrow Mary Norton and I are buying a Penny Saver sandwich and parking at Fort Worden before heading over to Russell Kunz' house on 49th to drive my honking a happy birthday. He's 101!  Monday I've been invited to my sisters for pizza with her and Carol Plaster. Tuesday, Mary Gaboury and I are meeting Jo Lammers and Jo Rogers at HJ Carroll Park in Chimacum for a potluck picnic.  Thursday I'll have an alumni meeting at Mary Crozier's house.

The activities director had a guy come in for entertainment yesterday. I listened from my window as the performed in the courtyard.

Other pictures or cartoons I saw on Facebook include this one of my grandson, Hunter, and his girlfriend, Haley.

And these that made me laugh....

I finally got the border done on my latest jigsaw puzzle so I plan on playing with that this weekend. It's a 1907 Charles Russell painting of cowboys and horses.  I ordered a book from the place where granddaughter, Catie, works called On the Black Hill.  It was a movie I saw on Amazon Prime about two brothers who lived together all their lives.  Catie's gonna come over next month and bring her water color supplies as I'm hoping to get a lesson on how to water paint.  I have the paint, paper and brushes but don't really know how to proceed.

I sure had some crazy dreams last night. My cousin, Linda, had a baby named Wolf, and my cousin, Lee Arey was carrying around a pack of Pall Malls.  Somebody was throwing me a baby shower and the house was a mess and I had to food to serve them. It went on and on with all kinds of struggles along the way. I was glad to wake up!