Cleaning out the bird feeders and trying to work on some quilting stuff

I really need to be out running errands but Frank called DPW (Dept of Public Works) about a huge tree that is covering the street drain ditch in the rear of our property.  So DPW has sent men three times to look at it.  It involves rounding up the dogs and getting the locks and ropes off the gates and getting the men back there to look at it. So far, all any of the three (separate) men have done is LOOK.  But the last one assured me he will be back after lunch.  He did not use the word WORK.

So I an just sitting home while my errands pile up.  And that means I miss the boxing classes this morning and I was going to take my mom with me running the errands.  So we shall just have to move things on to tomorrow.  So much for a slower less hectic week, I imagine.

So I am doing things that need doing here.  Like vacuuuming you say?  NOPE!  That is too much work and it is in Frank's realm of stuff.  I cleaned out the bird feeders.    As you can see Chloe the Smelly Basset is helping her bird friend find the dome feeder I moved to fill in the gap of the other long feeder drying out in the sun.

Oh, I think I hear the DPW guys coming back!  Gotta Run!

glen

Design Wall Monday 9-27-10

OK.  Let's see if I can actually get this posted on MONDAY..........aughhh!

For the last two weeks I have "woken up" like around 4:30 PM on Monday and thought, OHHHHHH!  Design Wall Post!  So I need to set my alarm or post notes or have someone call me and say. POST TO THE DESIGN WALL!

This week I have been busy -- a funeral, my mom, having the grand-dog stay for the LSU game last night, a much needed 11 mile bike ride and of course the Pirates of Penzance this afternoon.  You know, I have no idea why anyone would want to write a perfectly good play only to have perfectly good actors get up there and SING it.  I guess you noticed I don't particularly like musicals, right?  This one could have been in Italian for all I heard and understood.  But they moved around the stage a lot and I stayed awake.

Design wall, oh yeah.  My design wall is part of a fabulous free thinking Virtual Bee I am a member of that is attached to Bumble Bean's blog called 15 Minutes of Play.  I have been wanting to find a Virtual Bee for a long time now.  There are 12 of us and we each get a month.  And in our assigned month we choose a block and everyone sends us something.  Only rule is that you have to make up fabric from scazillions of scraps and use that as the major part of your block.    The block chosen for October is a very interesting one.  We make up the fabric and then slash it with a contrasting color strip and re-attach it.

See the Wizard of Oz fabric, the yellow brick road?  And the green dots are from the watermelon Christmas present.  Oh look there are some of Dorothy's Ruby Slippers up in the top corner.  And some stripes from Carnivale.       

It has been a really fabulous learning piece.  I learned that if you want the slashes to show, you need to do it in DARKER fabrics!  LOL.....that was certainly a duh moment, right?

V is loving these blocks as they begin to appear on her site.  The rest of us can't wait till we see what she has planned for the final outcome!

glen

PS:  Oh Oh OH, I just have a fabulous Idea for my 15 minutes play blocks I have been making.  I love the black fabric strips through everything, so that is what it will be!

Totally overwhelmed and not enjoying it

Ever since Frank was elected President of CAAWS (Capital Area Animal Welfare Society) I have become overwhelmed.  And not in a good way.  Our Past President had taken on way too much and in some ways, improper things as her duties.  And she was overwhelmed.  But how?, you ask, am I the one overwhelmed when it was Frank who was elected President?

Good question.

Our treasurer had a brain aneurysm in February and no financial stuff has been done since then.  And with our Past President vacating the position it now falls to Frank.  And he has not been involved with any of the finance of the organization at all.  So he is way over his head, but struggling to keep afloat. 

I have taken on the donations, making sure they get thanked, the deposits, the making sure all the bills are accurate and ours, figuring out who is spending money where and with what vet for what cat or dog, and making sure it all gets sorted out and paid.  And I am having to learn all this quickly.  So I have spent most of today working on CAAWS stuff.

And the end is not in sight for tonight!

Sigh.........glen

Funeral and then back to quilting

Lots of his family there. Ruthie was not happy I didn't bring my mom. And Stan's brother kept going to Frank and saying that he didn't understand why she wasn't there.

My brother came with his daughter and wife, cousin Karen, and Andrew and Carrie and Frank and I-----so that was a good representation of her side.

Stan's grandsons were his pall bearers. They all wore those white fishing boots, it was a good tribute to a man who hunted and fished for a living.

Oh, I forgot to tell you this. I wish I would have had a camera with me.  But on the way back from the funeral Carrie and Andrew and Frank and I stopped and ate that fabulous thin fried catfish at Middendorf’s (a total necessity if you are nearby). Then Frank and I drove down Hwy 51 along side the interstate rather than on the interstate to look at the new Wildlife Management Area they set up into the swamp.

And when we pulled up into the parking lot—-what did we see? A huge fine rooster and 4 chickens and about 15 baby chicks! He was dark irridescent brown with green longer tail feathers and a bright comb. I didn’t get a good look at the hens. They scattered too quickly.
We were shocked, out there in the middle of god forsaken nowhere swamp! And you know there are aligators and mink and snakes of all kinds out there too. But they are making it.

And the first thing I thought of was “Judy  at Patchwork Place would LOVE this!”

 glen

A sad day and a dilemma

I received a call early this morning telling me that Stan had passed away.  I had been expecting this, but then again I had been expecting this for the last year and a half.  It came as a surprise only because it finally came at all. 

Stan was my mother's husband.  People will say, oh, he was your step father?  I have always replied, no, he was my mother's husband.  She married him after my father died and I was in my mid  30's.  He never played a role in my life, other than to prevent me from bringing my mother to Baton Rouge to live after my dad died.  And while he had 7 kids and multiple grandchildren and great grandchildren that they celebrated and had cookouts and parties with, he rarely attended anything that belonged to us.  So being married to him, my mother gave up occasions with us and her grandchildren to cleave to her husband and his life.  And so did my father's money.

Then we had the quack doctor event where I tried to get my mother help for her Alzheimer's and Stan refused to follow through with anything I did.  The quack doctor told me my mother did not have Alzheimer's I was just trying to control her.

So there was little love lost between us. 

But that said, I understand what it is to lose someone you love.  And to lose a father.  So I understand the sadness they are feeling.  Stan had suffered a debilitating stroke nearly 2 years ago and was in a coma for over 4 months.  His kids refused to let him go.  And he lived all this time on tubes and medications in a nursing home where he was alone.  He knew what was going on, and he would beg them to let him go. 

Well, he finally went this morning.  And I am glad for him that he is at peace.  He needed to be at peace. 

After talking with my mom's doctor and friends who know her, and my brother, we have decided not to tell her now or take her to the funeral.  She has long since believed he was gone already and that is why she was up here in Baton Rouge.  She cries when she finds pictures of him.  And when his kids came to pick her up while we were on vacation, she was emotionally and physically upset for over a week after she got home.

I think she already knows he is gone.  Her bowel problem resurfaced two weeks ago and she has lost control of them on three instances with me in the last week.  Messy and embarassing for her.  And there has not been one instance of this problem since I moved her here in March.  Now it has resurfaced.  Maybe this is why.  She knows in some way already.

I sent flowers to the funeral "from" her that said simply:  I am sorry my mind can't hold the memories of you, but I always miss you.

And I will be there in her stead, to feel the sadness and grief.  And to take responsiblity for my decision.

glen

Toys get a bath and design wall monday --21-10

I am actually writing this on Sunday night because my Monday is spoken for a couple of times over.  I have the carpenter coming to replace the back door that has been scratched by dogs and cats for 26 years now.  Whitney, my sweet fluffy black and khaki cat who sat on my shoulder would climb the outside of the door and hang on until someone removed her from her eye level perch.  Bonnie Doon, the Queen of All Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs would hit the door with her huge paw over and over and over again until we humble human servants jumped up and opened the door for Her (not so) Patient Highness.

But now both of my beloved girls are gone and the door will be replaced. 

Then Valerie and I need to make some Tumeric Capsules.  Tumeric is the great cancer fighter and anti-inflammatory.  I buy in bulk and we capsule it, take it ourselves and give it to the dogs.  I read an article sent out by the Alzheimer's Association last week saying that their studies are showing that turmeric also breaks up amaloid plaque that they believe causes Alzheimers Disease.  The article stated that if you have Alzheimers and take it, it breaks up the plaque and helps cognition.  So I guess I have to feed this to my mother now and see if it makes a difference.  It will help her arthritis as well.

I spent the last hour or so watching the dog toys wash in the new washer's bulky cycle.  See how dirty the water is, yuck!  Dog spit is really bad when you have a basset hound who eats poop.  The toys begin to smell like the opposite end from the mouth and poor Dutch refuses to play with them until I wash them again.  Soon they will be nice and clean.  They are currently tumbling in the new dryer on a low heat sensor mode.

And the design wall is actually a Design Valerie!  I am helping her with a Memory Quilt for her mom made from her father's t-shirts and flannel pajamas.  He went on to his great trooper car in the sky in February and Valerie brought home a huge box of flannel and t-shirts.  We are working on the borders, which will be a piano key border but I need to have a stop border in there.  So after the door is installed tomorrow, if it is not too late, we can head out to the fabric shop to see what flannels will fit in the space between the center and the final border.

This is Valerie's second quilt ever.  And I am trying to let her do all of the functions so she can make the hundreds that will follow when all her family and friends see how fabulous this one is!

glen:  have a great day, and thanks for stopping by  -- check out Judy's blog to see more Monday Walls.

http://www.patchworktimes.com/

Bike Riding Tomorrow and Flannel Quilts Today

We are going bike riding again tomorrow.  I hope to have some new pictures and maybe another picture of Amber.  What a coup that would be!

Meanwhile, I have been working on the Memory Quilt with Valerie.  This is made with the t-shirts and flannel pajamas she took when she went home to her dad's funeral.  It will be the second quilt for Valerie.  And it is also the second flannel quilt for Valerie, imagine that here in South Louisiana!

She proudly showed the center of the quilt at the guild meeting on Thursday.  We worked on the piano key border tonight while Frank and the dogs watched the LSU game.  Valerie's mom will ultimately end up with the quilt so she can have her husband's favorite t-shirts and flannel pjs to cuddle with.  What a great thing to have.  I am so glad to be helping with this project.

glen

Design wall Monday on Tuesday

I must admit.  I was busy this morning and forgot about the fact it was Design Wall Monday until I logged in my computer and checked out a few blogs.  When I hit upon Judy's I realized I forgot.  But I am glad to see Louisiana was represented by Jamie in the number 3 spot!

My design wall is in the quilting stage, and it is one of the Christmas presents I am making.  My inspiration was on a trip to the Goodwill Store with Valerie after we had lunch of corn and shrimp chowder and buffalo wings at the Chimes.  I hit upon a veritable treasure box full of Christmas ideas.

So I am in the quilting stage of one of them.  And you can see a bit of the piece underneath the pathetic armadillo.  This little guy came into the Squeakie Hospital after being transported by a Smelly Basset.  Well, more like ripped from her jaws as she was sucking his stuffing brains out!

So he immediately went into  Squeakie Surgery but had to have most of his brain stuffing removed to facilitate the closing of the huge wound in his head.   I would imagine that armadillos are no worse off for having their brain stuffing removed than they are with it intact.  They are not the most intelligent of creatures.

We had one in Hammond who as such was not so bright and he had all of his brain stuffing.  Our house was obviously built in the middle of his path from one side of the pasture to the other.  And every night he would walk his path, run into the side of our house.  He would stand there fussing for about a half an hour until Frank would go out with a broom stick and moved him back down the path from whence he came.  He never made it to the other side.  I felt bad for a while, thinking he was on one side at work and his family on the other side just trying to survive.  And they never saw him again, and never knew what happened to him.

He probably met someone else and got remarried.  And left the first wife with all the kids.

$*#%(^   MEN!  Maybe they do have stuffing for brains. 

glen

Bike Ride Sunday or Full Frontal Amber

Seems our Sundays have turned into Bike Ride Sundays.  Once again we tossed the bikes in the back of the van, this time we picked up Valerie.  Carrie came by to show her mum  her mum purchase but decided not to ride this week.        

We headed out from Dan's house with the idea of riding to some different lakes and then on to George's for Onion Rings and Poboys again.  We ended up on the trails through White Oak Landing.  The trails took us through the Swamp, up and down tiny hills, yes they were pretty small.  You would not think elevation would matter much, but it does here in extreme South Louisiana.  An tiny hill can be rough.  These people who live in this house don't have it rough. 

Oops!  Didn't get the front view just yet!  (but look how skinny she looks here!)

We rode just a tad under 10 miles this week.  Frank had my famous nutritious shake this morning so his stamina was high. I keep telling him to listen to me, I am not trying to knock him off.  One day he will finally believe me.

Here is one of the lakes.  There are definitely snakes in there, it did look inviting however.  Not!

We went though the swamp and I was most positive of snakes being in there.  So it was not a happy place to have one's feet.  You can tell a Swamp by the palmetto leaves growing in and about.  This picture probably has none, but I did see some palmettos somewhere in there.

AHHHH!  Here is full frontal Amber!  See she does have a beautiful face after all!

And the fact that she is smiling is good!

Food was incredible!  Look at those Onion Rings!  Ahhhhhhhhh!

glen:  go ride a bike, it feels good --- just don't do it in a swamp!

Where's Waldo-----Oh, I mean the Smelly Basset?

No one can see me --- I am built for camouflage!

Mom!  Get away!  They will see me!

Geez!  Can't you see I am lying in wait here?

juror #246 - Dismissed!

Well, I figured it was going to be a good day when I got out of the house with no dogs in a state of distress, got on the Interstate and traffic was flowing like it was mid-morning straggles and the parking garage had a place near the staircase.  I arrived downtown in record time, like under 18 minutes, which has to be some sort of a record.  The city was ready to have me serve!

Once in the Old State Capitol building with the other 499 prospective jurors, I read multiple chapters in my book.  I was reading The Hunger Games but had Glenn Beck's newest book in case I needed to make a statement.  I could just carry it around and flash its silver cover for grand effect.  They weeded out the first level of those who could not read, speak or write English (which could have been said of several people who "maded it passed dis partition of the budniss of the cote system".  Those who were over 75 got a free pass for just looking it, as well as those who had served the city in the last year.

Then we were given numbers and moved to the State Library, an unassuming building of indeterminate age.  It looked old but it was neat to have new quilting books to browse through.  I finally went outside to text Valerie that I would not be home for lunch and she had dog responsibilities at my house.

We were moved to the courthouse next according to our Panel number, I was on #3 Panel.  We went up to the courtroom to sit a spell.  When I heard the info about the case I knew immediately they did not want me on that jury.  It was a sexual abuse case against the State Foster Care Program. 

I carefully detailed my work with Capital Area Animal Welfare Society and that as a Board member for the last 8 years I had to make decisions about abuse cases of animals, at times extreme abuse.  I saw both legal teams furiously writing in their notes.  A few times both lawyers challenged me on my ability to look at the information objectively, and I assured them I could do so without a problem, as I was a fan of Law and Order for years. 

Ultimately I was dismissed along with several other people who had stated their opinions about abuse, the Child Welfare System in Louisiana and the Foster Care System. 

So it was a day where I got a lot of reading done and several new wrinkles in my brain with new information about the legal system works in the great State of Louisiana.

glen

First bike ride of fall

Don't be fooled into thinking that fall has actually come to South Louisiana just yet.  For some reason, the same front that pushed Hurricanes Earl, Fiona and Gaston out to the Atlantic and away from the Carolinas has brought some cool weather to us.  It is an odd thing, August and September are generally hot months. 

But we woke on Friday to 70 degree temps in the early morn and felt the pull of the bikes.  So we took a 12 mile ride on Sunday to the Lake.  Dan and I want to ride the Tammany Trace this fall at least once this fall.  The Tammany Trace is part of the National Rails to Trails program.  You can find more information about it here:  http://www.tammanytrace.org/index.shtml

I know several people though the hiking club who have ridden similar trails in other parts of the US.  And maybe you know trails near you.  They say Wisconsin has the most beautiful and developed trails to ride. 

Riding is far easier than walking, you distance quicker with less effort.  We have ridden with a group out of New Orleans and then another several years later out of Hammond.  The roads around Hammond were wonderful back country roads.  And the New Orleans group rode through the French Quarter, across the 24 mile Pontchartrain Bridge and on the levees in Jefferson and Orleans. 

There is a bike club here I looked into and am considering whether to join a group or just bike with friends.  The group will offer new friends and new ideas.  But current friends are good too.  This is Amber.  I can't show her face only her beautiful hair.  She does have beautiful thick shiny hair.  She has a beautiful face too, but I can't show it.  I should be the one hiding my face.   Her hubby Dan has no such hang ups!  Here he is!

Daughter Carrie came with us.  She started riding with us last spring.  It is enjoyable to ride with the cool breezes hitting your face.  By the time we were heading back it was already beginning to warm up.  So we headed over to George's on our bikes and ate hamburgers and onion rings.  I am sure we replenished any calories we used up in the ride!

glen

design wall monday 9-6-10

I almost forgot about Design Wall Monday.  And it is an event I love much. 

I have to take a very small picture because I only have one block, oh heck, I will show you the colors.  The new block is overlaid on top of the "old" blocks.  I need to get working on the orange set.

I have jury duty beginning tomorrow.  Last time they called me was in mid May 1985.  I know that because I walked in, very very very pregnant with Carrie, and they all panicked.  I got a pass for the next 25 years!

So we shall see what tomorrow brings.  I hate going downtown. 

glen

Another Christmas Present almost there

It just needs to be sandwiched and quilted.  Fabrics were chosen to enhance the tea pot.  I think I will find some crumpets and maybe some nice jam or lemon curd. 

I love the colors together, they are some of my favorite.  And while it didn't bust a lot of stash, it did it what it did with meaning!

So if you are reading my post, and are on my list of Christmas people and like this.........speak up.  And hurry, Valerie likes every one!

And if you want to know how long is it, it is just under the length of a Smelly Basset!

glen

I even stole the comment!

(I blatantly stole this comment from one I left on the 15 Minutes Play blog.  It sounded inspired, so I used it to start my own post!) 

I have had such small bits of time this week, I don't know where it all goes. Maybe tonight I will get in the Quilt Room and sew up the rest of my second Mystery Quilt.  LSU is playing tonight, the grand-dog is home with his momma and the quilt room is a bit more tidy and neat (if you can call it that).  And the chicken salad I made this afternoon is ready to spoon on to the bread when Frank is ready to eat.

QUILT ROOM HERE I COME!

Friday morning Carrie called me and said she missed her dog something awful.  She wanted him home for the weekend.  He would come back on Monday or Tuesday and stay until a new crate was constructed for him at home. (He chews out of whatever they put him in.) I suggested she meet us for lunch at the Thai place we like and then head to the house for the dog.  When we arrived at the house together, I opened the door and stepped back so her baby could greet her with effusive wild gyrations of joy! 

The unimaginable happened.

He passed her up and ran to me with effusive wild gyrations of joy.  Oh, oh.

I was shocked, I looked at her face and she looked like she was going to burst into tears!  I shoved him to her and he said, Hi Mom.......oh but Grandma is home!

Poor Carrie, she took him home and I am sure he is loving up on her now, glad to be home. 

glen:  he obviously had a lot of fun here, chasing squirrels, flushing birds, eating dog bones all day long, dragging around huge stuffed squeakies, sleeping with grandma on the sofa every night, going to Petsmart, getting yogurt in his dinner, getting Nupro in his dinner, eating bananas   

Clean Up Your Crap Day

V at V and Co will be proud of me.  Maybe.  I got up early this morning with the full intent of making a dent in my room and clearing out some of the clutter, stacking it nicely and getting to where I can walk in and actually find stuff.  Well that was about 6:30 am. 

 

The overwhelming task is overwhelming.  I need to break it down into several groupings.  I do have a corner now where the "kits" I am putting together live for the time being.  A bag of dinosaurs got added to the pile because I bought a dino panel at a quilt shop sale recently and decided to make it for my nephew's kids.  Then I found the group of real dinosaurs at a neighbor's garage sale and thought they would make a perfect pairing with the quilt.  I have several Christmas projects in that pile as well. 

Here it is nearly 10:30 AM now and I am still procrastinating.  By taking pictures of my room for you to mutter about

Here is a picture of Dutch peeking around a tote bag.  And here is Grand-Dog Hugeaux sleeping on what he thinks is a cushy dog bed but is really my unfinished pile of crap box. 

The good news is that I have a lot of quilting and sewing waiting for me to plunge in.  The bad news is that I am posting to my blog rather than actually doing any work  I will do ANYTHING to get out of cleaning that room up---it is just so daunting.  I really need Carrie to come over and clean up my stuff.

Only problem with that is she tosses out more than she neatens.........

Hey, V, want to go to lunch???????

glen
PS - I did  go to lunch with Valerie.  A V who wants to go to lunch with you rather than cleaning out your messy quilting room is better than staying in and cleaning out your quilting room, isn't it?

And I did come home and dutifully start putting things in order in the quilting room.  I put a few more "kits" in boxes in the "Kit Corner" of the room.  I moved some boxes out of the room, empty now.   And I actually moved some things off the bench in the den which is pile high with my stuff.  So I am making progress!

Yeah! V and Co!