Father's Day in Texas

Oh my! What a lot has happened since I last posted. On Thursday night, about 11:00, the AC quit working. It clanked and buzzed, so I shut it down and took a look in the interior part in the closet. There was frost all over the works, so I left it  off and went to bed. In the morning, it was already 80 degrees in the house, so I commenced calling AC repairmen. Fortunately, I found a place that could come right away. The guy was wonderful, and found the problem, a burned out motor. He ordered a new one and will come tomorrow with it to do the repair. Meanwhile, I have been staying at Nancy's and staying cool. Penny and I in a twin bed is a bit of a squeeze, but we're okay. Daytime temps in the high 90s.

There will be steak on the grill, some fresh asparagus and baked potatoes for Father's Day dinner. I hope I don't blow up the grill!!

I had Kizzy for the day while her owner was in the hospital having his knee replaced. His wife has traveled to and fro to visit him and try to get him home, but he has had pain complications and stayed three days! He is now at a rehab for his therapy. Kizzy and I bonded in the three days she was home alone, and she is such a laid back sweet dog, I didn't mind at all.

Kizzy made herself at home and ate Penny's breakfast and drank her water!

Penny gets the lion's share of a twin bed. Good thing I sleep on my side!

All snuggly this morning.

Meanwhile...Nancy and I have been sewing and chatting and having a good time. She made this table runner and I did the machine quilting on her Bernina as well as the binding. She thinks she'll keep it...it was going to be a gift for her granddaughter, whose birthday is the Fourth of July. Oops!

I finished all the blocks for the blue and white quilt, and when Nancy gets her project down from the design wall, I'll begin arranging.

This was a kit Nancy got from my sister. I love how it turned out!

I was a bit out of practice, but I was comfortable by the end!

I did stars and loops, then stitched around all the motifs and in the ditches.

The backing and binding are the same fabric.

Penny is always ready for her ride. After her run at the dog park, the long tongue comes out!

After her run, she 'helps' me water the flowers.

Funny picture of the week was taken on an outing to Freddy's Frozen Custard. 

I thought the custard machine looked like a face with the tongue out! Just like my Penny.

Warnings about electrical use

On the news, the reporter said there will be problems with the power grid here in Texas again. This time, it will be due to the excessively high temperatures, and last time it was the bitter cold! We have been told to really conserve from 4pm until 5pm when usage is at it's peak. I am usually cooking then, so I'm okay. I cook with gas. Honestly, if the power goes out and we don't have the AC I'll be very very unhappy.

I made another 16 blocks for my blue and white quilt yesterday, and I have another 16 in the works. When I finish those, I will be ready to square up all the blocks and start assembling the quilt top. Yippee! I am anxious to start another quilt, so I have incentive to finish the blue one.

Components ready to be sewn

Pile of finished blocks and the next ones to be assembled.

I finished another binding for Nancy. I think she has one more in the works.

Just a cute video of my 5 year old grandson learning to swim. I love the thumbs up gesture while paddling to stay afloat!

84 at 8:00

 It's a beautiful morning here in Texas, but it is already sticky and hot. Penny and her friend Kizzy did their morning run and frolic, and Penny's tongue is hanging to her knees! She will chase a ball, but won't bring it back.Who is fetching? I think it's me!

I was a complete slug yesterday. I took Penny for her twice daily frolics, tended to Dad and made a nice supper. Otherwise, I watched old episodes of Midsommer Murders while working puzzles in my puzzle book. I should have thrown in some sewing or cleaning...nah, it was Sunday. French toast breakfast was the only extra.

Today, we are off to the bank and Sams Club, then I will be sewing at Nancy's. It is time too get back at it and get something done.

                                                 

Every time I put my feet up (this time, I was hand sewing) Penny comes for what we call Footsies. She sounds vicious, but is only growling and barking for effect. No feet were harmed in the making of this video!

I finished the hand sewing on another of Nancy's quilts. A perfect job while watching murder in the small Midsommer villages!

I caught my Dad walking back to his house with a long extension cord. He was trying to reach the neighbor's house with the weed whacker. No dice. I will get the caretaker here to do it today.

Penny is wiped out after her run. She always either sits or lays pin my foot. Silly dog.

Same old, same old!

 Hot. Muggy. Mosquitos. The days sort of run together here, and sometimes I don't know what day it is! I haven't been sewing much...I did a binding for Nancy and made a few block components yesterday, but otherwise, I have been occupied with errands, cooking, cleaning and dog training. Unfortunately, Penny doesn't seem to care about 'come' or 'stay'. It's a challenge! The pool is great, the people are super nice, and it is wonderful to spend some time with my Dad. I'll be fine.

Nancy's quilt is  ready to send!

Penny loves the freedom to run at the dog park. She and her buddy Kizzy have a frolic every evening.

At home, after the frolic, , I watch episodes of British mysteries while Penny amuses herself with her toys and blanket.

Family visit

Two of our daughters came for the weekend and we had a wonderful visit. #1 came from Arizona, and #4  came from Portland, Oregon! They each made a long trip for only two days, but we were so happy to see them after over a year. Needless to say, I didn't sew at all, and will probably need a day or so to recover from the late nights. I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Four trips to the airport should have the route seared into my memory, but I still rely on GPS to get me there and back...especially at night, in the rain! Mr Wazoo patiently waits for daughter #1.

Nothing yet...

Here she is! Safe and ready to visit.

Her son, (my grandson), sent this picture from his oath ceremony. He joined the Navy! She got the pictures while we waited at the airport.

Recognize the stairway? Daughter #4 came in at 12:15 AM after a delay in Dallas for bad weather here. We drove to the airport to pick her up in pouring rain. Not fun. We were all exhausted when we got home.

At the airport, there is a sculpture made from trash that washed up on South Padre island, about 20 miles from here. The sign that was with it tells the story.

Humberto is beautiful, but very sad. I wish people would pick up after themselves and think about their actions before leaving trash on the beach or in the water.

Speaking of in the water...We girls went in the pool to cool off. 

The gang, after a big spaghetti dinner.

We all went to the dog park with Penny.

Penny and Kizzy having a frolic

#4 being coy behind her morning coffee

She's a PA, and gave Dad a once over, helping him with his blood sugar testing.

My Dad

Dad and his happy granddaughter

Back at the airport to see off #1.

Before we knew it, it was time to say good bye. Mr Wazoo flies out on Tuesday, so I will make the trek to the airport again! He will be home in Georgia taking care of some business. There had better be some sewing happening while I am here by myself! I want to finish the blue and white top and start something new. We'll see... Its really quiet here. I think I'll take a nap.

What can I say? Nothing is happening.

 I haven't posted for a while because it seems dumb to report I spend most of my time running errands, and that Penny has unresolved diarrhea. There has been a small amount of sewing, but mostly trips to the grocery, bank, hardware store and pharmacy. I am slowly making progress on the blue and white quilt, but haven't taken a recent picture. Oops! There are interesting non-quilting things happening, so here we go.

Nancy, her friend Sharon and I all went to McAllen to a quilt shop there called Around the Block. It was a very nice shop with a huge classroom and up to date fabric. I wish they had more to choose from, but I did find some wonderful sale fabric with alligators on it as well as some grunge for a border on the blue quilt. I also got a layer cake to make a quilt I saw on Youtube. With these fabrics and the ones I picked up from Wallmart and Joann's, I have a great selection to choose from while also making the quilts I brought kits from home for.

Here is the loot I have acquired since arriving here over a month ago.

The layer cake is in the front, and I have the pieces paired up in preparation for cutting. Blue grunge on the far right with some nautical fabrics for a charity quilt.

These frutilicious half yards are from Walmart. I have a plan for them.

In the background, you get a peek at the yellow and green alligator fabric.

I got the clothespin fabric and the cute support fabrics from Joann's.

These cute piggies and their supporting cast also came from the sale rack at Joann's.

The grocery store here is called H.E.B. So far, we have never been there when there weren't a thousand other people there, too. No matter what time we go, it is packed. Waiting in line to check out, there are employees stationed at each row to keep social distancing intact. Mr Wazoo isn't the most patient person standing in line, so it is usually a stressful undertaking to get groceries. I have to say, though, the store is wonderful and has a terrific selection of items. That's why there are so many people there.

Mr W, a comfortable 6 feet behind the next person in our line

Every checkout is full.

Our buggy, full of goodies!

The rest of the day is taken up with cooking and cleaning up, some TV and crossword puzzling and taking Penny for a ride and a run around the park. I'm getting a better rhythm going and hope to get back to sewing soon. Tomorrow two of our daughters are coming for a long weekend to visit with their Grandpa and the crazy folks. Now, if we can just get Penny's diarrhea to stop...

On our nightly ride around the park we spotted three new campers! These are fawn and white Indian runner ducks. They are the pets of a couple from Saskatchewan, Canada. They also have their two little granddaughters, a big dog and two cats with them!

The group travels in a big fifth wheel, and have a swell enclosure for the ducks, complete with a paddling pool with what looks like a diving board!

After supper, we settle in for the evening jamboree of fun. ha ha ha. The guys fall asleep, I do puzzles and Penny entertains herself with toys. 

She has loads of toys, but prefers to do this weird game with her blanket. 

Gotta love her.

Okay, at first glance, what is this? A strange smiling native with wild hair? 

Nope, it's my Dad's hat, right where he left it, hanging on a candle wall sconce!

Hey, I get my kicks where I can. See you later!

Back in Business! My power cord came.

 Halleluia!! My power cord arrived today and I can get on the computer again. Unless you have had some mishap (like the dog chews your cord) and have to go without being able to get on line, you haven't had fun. Trying to read mail on my phone was a dismal disaster because after a few  posts, my eyes got goofy and wouldn't focus correctly. I now have 197 emails to look at and some I have to answer!

Meanwhile, I have been working diligently on the strawberry quilt and finished the repair!  After a nice laundering, it was packed up and sent to the owner in Georgia.

After I finished all the replaced strawberries, I set into repairing the other 16 blocks. Here is what they look like when I start working.

Ta Da! The finished and washed quilt looks great. I think the customer's daughter will love it.

I hope Grandma is looking down and is also pleased that they had her handwork repaired for many more years of enjoyment.

I repaired a few places with holes, too. This one was in the background of the block.

There were a couple of worn through spots on the binding edge, too.

The corner patch.

 The other corner

A few days ago, I made this lap quilt from a layer cake. It was fun and easy. Forgive me if I have already shown it to you...my mind is foggy.

I made the blocks and tried to sort them into rows without the aid of a design wall. 

I am totally useless without it.

Another look, while re-organizing on the cutting table.

Moving blocks yet again...oh dear!

The finished top. I will leave the three yellow blocks next to each other because of all the unpicking I did while sewing the top together. I accidentally sewed the last row (6 blocks) to the side of the top instead of the bottom. It had 6 blocks in both directions, and I got confused. That's why I like to do the Eleanor Burns Swiss cheese method of chaining the rows together as I sew them. I unpicked the row and attached it upside down. Another unpicking to get it right. It's done!!

I thought you would enjoy the fish tank at the eye doctor's  office. It was very soothing to sit and watch the fish glide around in the huge tank in the wall.

It takes your mind off the fact that there are no magazines, everyone is wearing a mask, and it takes at least a half hour to get to see the doctor.

I tried to get a picture of the tank without the reflection, but couldn't manage it. People probably thought I was crazy anyway.