Settling In

I've been tippy toeing around the outside edges of my sewing room these past few days, trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do to make a dent in the various cubby holes and bins of material that keep growing.  I do love being surrounded by material. Feel the same about books, knickknacks, and junk food.  Can never have too much in the house.  Ha Ha

Joanne Gilles (who I've discovered is really good at sewing) gives me little bags of her excess scraps from time to time and I'm glad to get them.  I counted up my "row-by-row" patterns that people have sent me and I've collected on my own at various quilt shops and although I've sewn maybe half a dozen or more, I've still got 28 waiting for me!  I look them over from time to time trying to decide if they look too hard.  I don't like hard.  But, sooner or later, I do intend to dig in and see if I can't get them all sewn up.  Good for my brain to work outside the box, as they say.

As I look at the many many strips of different sizes that I have, I've decided I'm going to try and separate them into piles by size. After pressing, I'll begin sewing them together so I can make a strip quilt or two.  Going to take a while but at least it's easy work.

I tried sitting down to read yesterday and TWICE I ended up putting myself to sleep and had to nap. It's going to be a miracle if I get through the Pulitzer Prize books that I'm hoping to read.  I wanted to read The Way West by A.B. Guthrie but the library doesn't even have it in its system so I found a copy on Ebay for $4 and free shipping  I'm also planning to read the three books by Conrad Richter -- The Trees, The Fields, and The Town.  I got the first two from the library but that last one (The Town) is really elusive.   And that's the one that won the Pulitzer.  On eBay the ones for sale are expensive. Anywhere from $28 to $250.  Not sure why.  It was written in 1950.  I guess I'll have to start hitting second hand stores or yard sales to see if I can't find a copy.  It'll be my challenge.

Been taking my blood pressure at home and the readings were high.  Come to find out, the cuff I'm using might be off. Going to take it in next week to get it checked at the doctor's office.  I thought the extra pill she put me on was for b/p but no, I guess I misunderstood and it's to bring up my kidney function numbers.  I suppose it's always going to be one thing or another now that I'm in my 70's.  Saw an obit in the PA paper this morning of an old neighbor I had at the mobile home park in Sequim.  Nice lady. First one to come over and introduce herself. She was in her 90s and her husband was a preacher.

The bird bath that I fixed up with a plastic garbage lid the other day ended up not holding water either. Had a crack in it.  This afternoon I replaced it with a metal garbage pan lid. One way or another I'm going to have a bird bath out there.  I do have a smaller one but I really like the larger size.

Noticed my tree got buds overnight and my tulips and daffodils blossomed as well. Funny how they all seemed to do that on the same day.

And that's about all I got this afternoon.  Plan on sewing and reading this weekend. And I'll start this puzzle I picked up at the library. Only paid a dollar but now that it's home, I see there's a note on the bottom of the box telling me it has a missing piece.  Even has the area circled on the box cover.  So I guess I'll put it together and then toss in the trash.