It was a Fabric Day

 Look MA ... NO TOMATOES!  In fact, no fruit whatsoever.  It appears that 102 degree days aren't all that good for vegetable gardens.  Not that I actually HAVE a garden, just three tubs and a 10 sq ft area.  I'm not sure if it's burned from the heat or from sap sucking critters.  Maybe it's just bad soil ... or ants.  

Things are looking pretty sad as the squash plants are melting in spite of being weighed down by ten mini squash, growing no bigger than 3" long.  The cucumber is completely dead except for two long tendrils lying on the ground.  Oh but wait ... the hot peppers are producing like MAD!  Too bad I don't eat those.

And so when it was time to head on out to the quilt shop to drop off the last two Veteran quilts for quilting, I was fairly sure the garden was toast!!

I drove the back route ... meaning I followed almond harvesting equipment at a screaming 5 mph (with only one flashing light on the back, like a turn signal), not able to pass for three miles due to traffic coming from the other direction.  Then there was the hay hauler, with no hay, going 40 in a 55 zone for ten miles.  He must have been playing a game on his phone.  That's farming country for you!

At last I arrived and quickly picked up two big chunks from the end of bolt sale for next year's Veterans quilts.  That was followed by a consultation over whether I can use a directional fabric for a new pattern with lots of little squares.  The consensus from all six ladies was a resounding YES.  Thank goodness, because I thought I would never find a use for that piece of fabric.  Maybe they knew that.

I was literally shocked when I found the two colors for borders on this quilt.  This fabric is quite old, meaning you can never match it to anything!  Once home, I was on a sewing marathon, determined to finished this one if it killed me.  

I was interrupted many times with accounting phone calls ... I had to unreconcile six months of work in order to allow 2024's work to be included ... try to include a company I had never HEARD of until now and generally got distracted for several hours.

No problemo ... I handled it and STILL finished this quilt top.  I really like this design ... and it's a good way to get rid of that stack of six jelly rolls (rolls of fabric already cut into strips) that have been sitting on the shelf for probably 15 years.  

Next I was on to this one.  It has been sitting in the sewing room for almost a year, if not more, simply because I was too busy to finished the edges.  This is my second all time favorite quilt.  Now to hand stitch the binding on and it will be hanging in my living room.

I tried to gather up a little gumption for this job ... killing the back yard weeds.  It has seriously become overrun by more weeds than grass.  Obviously, I didn't get very far since it's still sitting on the counter.  It's not going to happen today, or tomorrow since I will have company (no idea what time), but maybe by Thursday, if I don't get hung up on another closet clean.

This morning I'll be gearing up in my armor because ... you guessed it ... it's BINGO TUESDAY.  This is the last day I will be in charge since the King returns this week.  This time I'm going to mimic him ... sit on the bar stool and watch the latest baseball game.  Wishful thinking I guess.

There are just not enough hours in the day as I sit here looking up at all the cabinetry above my computer, thinking GOSH ... those are full to the brim with stuff I will never EVER use again.

I feel the Voodoo Doll coming on .... can you hear her????

I Can Feel The Voodoo Doll

 It was 6:45 in the morning, and we were out on the road once again.  Mr. Cooper has gained two MORE pounds, equivalent to TEN for me, and more exercise is required.  By the time we returned, it was already in the 80's.  

This was our first view.  Boy am I glad this happened NOW and not on Tuesday.  This is the August moon, more aptly named the Sturgeon Moon.

It's not that you can see any fish up there, but sturgeon were easy for the native Indians to catch at this time of year.  It's also called the Red Moon since it takes on the reddish color from the haze in the air.  Some people want to visit the moon.  I'm not one of them.  I'd rather just look from afar.

I should have looked away instantly, because THIS moon had a terrible effect on me, or maybe it was that vision of a Voodoo Doll I had the night before.  By 7:00 am I was in this closet pulling junk out right and left.  It possibly could have been the fact that I have no place to stick the wreath stuff I purchased, but I would never admit that.

Let the cleaning binge begin.  The entire time I kept thinking "why am I doing this ... where did THIS idea come from?"  SOMEONE is sticking pins in a Voodoo Doll, I just KNOW it.  I even had to get out my ladder to reach the top shelf.  This is a BIG closet.

I found several picture albums I had been looking for, for at least five years.  I even found the 1800's fancy green parrot hat I used in photo shoots.  I truly thought I had thrown it away by mistake.  I looked for weeks and could not find it.  There it was ... up in that box on top.  

I even found several of my photography class images.  This was one of my favorites in about 2009 when I was skinny ... still running marathons.  Yup ... that's my Yella Corvette.  I loved that car, but I required a tow car for the big RV, so it got sold.  No use letting it just sit in the garage to rot.  Now I wish I had it back.

Truth be told, I didn't get all that far with the reorganization.  I didn't touch the left at all, but the entire right side is now much more organized.  Some things, like that 100 year old cowboy tablecloth, were just worth keeping.  

That's when I discovered this.  Good grief ... it's my mother's wedding dress.  They got married in 1940, making this dress at least 85 years old.  My grandmother made it by hand.  Kind of silly to keep it since I'm sure no one is going to wear it again, but I'm ordering a special box to store it in.  Maybe I'll stick mine in the same box since it's stuffed in the back of my OTHER closet.

It took a few hours, but I finally gave up the ghost, when a problem arose.  The door would not shut.  That little rolly ball thingy just would NOT cooperate.  Up on my tallest ladder, I finally got it adjusted, but of course now it won't STAY closed.  

By now I was wondering what bug bit me that made me clean out that closet.  I kept hearing Patty Chance say PURGE NANCY, PURGE!  Instead, I opted for brunch.  That was the last WONDERFUL tomato from my friends.  I see another trip to their house in my future.

Easting just spurred me onward to the sewing room.  I could not walk through here two hours prior.  By the way, this is the same room where the closet lives.  I really need more shelving, but there no room to put it, so I began yet another purging session to remove all the bags and boxes from the floor.  

I'm happy to say NONE of it went in the closet.  Heavens to Betsy ... now I can feel those voodoo pins ... I even VACUUMED the floor.  Maybe I ate something that caused all this cleaning craziness!  

Quite happy with myself for organizing things better, I decided to make another wreath, rather than stash this stuff SOMEWHERE.  It needs something, but it never came to me.  Maybe today or tomorrow.

Truly, I think that heat got to me yesterday because here I am BACK in the sewing room on yet another project.  I finished this quilt months ago, but never got the binding sewed on.  I was busy making those 14 quilts for the Veterans.  Yup ... 14 of them stashed in the same closet.

This one became a problem child.  My machine started skipping stitches.  With a big sigh, I began the dismantling, thinking maybe the feet needed to be cleaned.  I took it all apart and began the surgery.  It takes tweezers, q-tips and screwdrivers to delicately remove huge chunks of fluff from running so much fabric under the needle.  

Once that was done, I tried it again.  Apparently it's the four layers of heavy fabric, along with a very thick layer of wool batting that was the problem.  I ended up going so slow I could count the stitches.  Once done, I tested it on just TWO pieces of fabric and it worked just fine.  Hopefully it does NOT need an expensive trip to the Doctor.

By now Mr. Cooper is exhausted, having followed me around all day long.  We sat on the couch for a while before hitting the sack.  I think we are BOTH a bit sore today.  I don't have any idea what got into me, but I'm hoping it doesn't happen again for a couple of months.

Purge Nancy, purge.  See ...... there it is again .... and I've got three more huge closets!!!

We Survived ... Barely

When it's hot, it's HOT and when it's not, it's NOT.  But yesterday ... the oven was set on BROIL.  I suppose we just don't notice it all that much when we are inside all day long.  It really wasn't THAT hot ... until I got out to the lake.  Isn't it supposed to be cooler around water?

I wondered why the boat dock was so quiet as I entered the park.  Many MANY moons ago when I was something like 21 years old, I worked for Parks and Recreation, so I spent a lot of time here.   

Only one thing has changed in all those years.  They torn down the concession stand.  So sad ... they made the best burgers and snow cones!  The entire park is about 2 miles long, covered in grass and trees.  I was surprised it was so empty on this day.  

Except for these guys who were basking under the tree.  There are four block buildings along the way, all set up with kitchens and barbecue pits.  I was headed to the very last one at the dead end.  It already seemed to be filled with people at 9:30, when the shindig didn't start until noon.  

My job was appetizers ... something I fussed over.  I'm not really a fan of eating myself sick, but I participated like a champ.  That is Hickory Bacon dip from ..... wait for it ..... THE BIG TENT in Quartzsite.  I finally got to use up some of that stuff I bought.

Meet Nick, Kathy and Janet, good friends who always keep me laughing, though on this day we were all pretty quiet.  The heat began to come on at 11:00.  By noon, we were rare, soon to be burnt to a crisp.

Here's how this worked.  You pay $20.00, they give you a steak, which you then have to go cook YOURSELF.  The heat from that huge barbecue was cooking my legs right through the brick wall, not to mention we were standing in the sun.  Oooweeee!!!

Luckily I saw them putting two steaks on, so we ran to the front of the line.  On the second barbecue, they were cooking up some delicious corn on the cob!  Add to that a salad, though I probably would not have called it that.  It had big chunks of bell peppers and onions with barely visible tomatoes and no dressing.  Add to that chili beans, though our first cup had no beans in it.  I had to return to the line and have them stir the pot!!

To be honest, no one was really interested in the food anyway.  We were all stuffed to the gills on appetizers.  The beer was free, but I opted for water ... lots of water.

By this time the Devil had arrived and it was scorching hot.  The usual cool breeze from the lake completely disappeared.  We were dying, even with nice shade under the easy up over our table, and Janet was soon in distress.

No kidding ... 30 minutes after our steaks were cooked, we were packing up to leave.  There was just no reason to dance with the Devil in that horrible heat.  I think Janet was on the verge of heat stroke.  

My truck temperature read 107 as I slowly drove back out the gate.  By this time the park was packed to the brim.  I was so surprised that so many people would come for an outing when the heat was this bad, but here they were, parked on every available patch of dirt.

 Next year I'm advocating for maybe a 5:00 pm steak dinner like they used to have back in the old days.  At least the breeze off the cool lake water would be preferable to broiling.  

We are in for it again today since it's already 73 degrees at 5:30 am.  Mr. Cooper and I are headed out for a nice long walk before the oven gets up to scorching.  Like me, he's now on a diet, though I'm sure he will partake of some of that leftover steak I brought home!!!

The good news ..... I checked on Janet and she was better.  We survived another day!

Yes I DID!!

 There are only good days when you get this old, but sometimes a few of them are better than others.  That was NOT the case today.  Oh it was still a GREAT day because I'm still kicking, and these sunflowers were the perfect way to kick it off.

Mr. Cooper and I went out for a morning walk.  I've been a little lax in that department.  So has he.  We didn't even get halfway around the block when he sat down and gave me THAT LOOK.  He was NOT going any further.  It was a very slow walk until we rounded the last corner and he saw home.  It was a race to the finish line.

I had plans on this day.  Head to the grocery store for some kind of appetizer for the Steak At The Lake event.  Truly, I'm not sure why so many go to this.  You have to pay $20 for a steak, that you have to barbecue YOURSELF.  They supply some kind of salad and a roll.  

Our happy little group of six is setting up an easy up with table and chairs.  Balancing a steak in your lap is a dangerous game.   SO ... that meant I had to bring an appetizer.  I'm not good at that sort of thing and never have a clue what to take.  

Anyone remember those DIPS at Quartzsite?  Yup I still have three in the drawer.  DIP it is, but I had nothing TO dip.  I'll kill three birds with one stone.  First off, get fuel.

I knew better ... their pay-at-the-pump things never work.  You have to walk inside and wait in line.  I did not.  Instead, I drove to a Shell station where their stuff works, even if it is more expensive.  Leaving there, it was a hundred feet to the car wash entrance.  

If it were not for the two cars that pulled out in front of me, I MIGHT have made the entrance.  Instead I had to drive three blocks to find a place to turn around.  I was getting that grumbly feeling.  Just as I pulled into the car wash, the girl who takes your debit card and pushes all the buttons, looked straight at me and walked away.  

I've never used their push button thingy, which of course didn't want to work for me.  All the while, the girl at the entrance to the wash is waving at me.  I said a few bad words as three other cars went ahead while I tried to get the pay machine to function.

Patience Nancy ..... patience!!  With the car now washed, I headed off to the grocery store.  The recipe said 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup mayo.  No problem, but I got sidetracked by this dragon roll stuff.  I like a little bit on occasion, but I should have known better than to buy it at a grocery store.  

I skipped the one that said DRAGON on it and went for the CRUNCHY.  Once home, I discovered the shrimp was less than 1/4" square, surrounded by a tasteless something that resembled dough.  Really?  There wasn't even one whole shrimp in the entire thing, and the crunchy bits were soft as wet cereal.  It just wasn't my day.

Oh but wait .... I bought 16 ounces of sour cream for TWO dips.  Come to find out, the second one required 16 ounces.  Well RATS!!  I can't win.  So now I have one Hickory Bacon dip and HALF a recipe of Onion dip.  Oh well ... it is what it is!!

I think all that frustration brought about this.  Here is the BEFORE picture.  What bothered me the most was its length.  It's too tall.  So yes, YES I DID.  I took it all apart.

It took me four hours to remove the sides, add that strip of white and stitch it back up again.  It's still not my favorite, but it will be more useful being wider.  Truth be told, I'm not thrilled with this pattern at all, but again, it is what it is.

And so this morning I'll get out every bowl and ice chest I have, load up and head out to the Lake for some steak.  It should be broiling hot at the expected 101 degrees.  The good news is I'm fairly psychic ... I see myself coming home early to beat the heat.

Stitching and Puppies

 Oh boy oh boy ... it's going to be a scorcher today.  How do I know?  We didn't even get below 72 degrees last night!  It's a hot potato outside, even for Kitters.  This is now her daytime sleeping spot, though she does spend some time sleeping among the roses on the damp soil.  She's a tough old bird ... the heat doesn't seem to bother her one bit.

She and Cooper went nose to nose yesterday .... a mistake on my part.  I yelled STAY and they both stood still.  That's a miracle!!  There was a little nose pushing, but as long as Kitters didn't run, they were fine, if only for six seconds.  Maybe they will actually get along at some point ... but not today.

I spent a few minutes in the garden.  Notice no tomatoes?  I'm thinking it's because I forgot to fertilize them, so I did ... hoping a few more will appear.  The Early Girls?  Still lots of tomatoes, but nothing turning color.  It's okay though, because my friends are keeping me loaded up.  

And THEN ... I went straight to work.  I quilted the bottom of this one where I removed all that stitching.  It did great until the end when its mind went completely blank.  Luckily I was able to reset everything and finish up the last eight inches.  YAY ... it's done.  You can still see some pinholes at the bottom ... all those internet ideas didn't work ... but I think it will be okay.

On the other hand, I HATE this one.  It offends my sense of design.  Unfortunately, I already cut the backing for it, but I'm considering tearing the sides off and adding one more border.  It would look SO much better.  

On to the third one.  Yessiree ... I was on a mission to get these done.  This one came out okay, except the lettering doesn't show up.  The gal apparently didn't write down the color correctly.  It will do since it looks better in person.  On the other hand, I had a difficult time with the outside border.  This was one that was dropped on me, with very little fabric.  What was there, was cut so badly that the stars went downhill and disappeared into the seams.  

Basically, I cut and pasted many pieces to end up with this.  Not perfect but a whole lot better than it was.

I decided I'm not going through the stress of quilting the last two.  I'm taking them to the quilt shop.  It's worth the $40 each to have them quilted for me.  

Since I'm really terrible at sitting still, I finished this wreath after my dinner of leftover Panda Express.  Gosh I love that stuff!!  This actually looks better in person and the big bow stands out a little more than in the picture.  Pretty soon I'll have this stuff hanging from the ceiling for lack of room.  Maybe I'll donate it to the Elks Raffle.

Just for giggles, here's the latest and greatest new PUPPY to keep you company.  Cute, yes?  It's robotic, moves around and barks.  Buyer beware however.  It doesn't look one bit like this picture, nor does it move like advertised.  It barely turns in a circle, and barks with a SQUEAK (not a bark), so annoyingly that people are returning them in droves.

It also barks incessantly ... it doesn't shut up.  Apparently it doesn't even look like this.  This is a real puppy ... NOT the robotic one you will receive. So much for truth in advertising.  And so my hopes of a travel pal that doesn't mind the heat nor lack of food, are dashed once again.

Today I'm looking for an appetizer to take to Steak At The Lake ... our annual Elks picnic at our little lake park.  It's the only time of year you can go there safely due to the number of men in our group who carry.

When I was in High School, we went there often.  You know, tanning with baby oil and iodine?  I actually used real suntan lotion, but most used the turn-you-orange concoction.  I admit, one time I got a terrible sunburn when I fell asleep.  That ended my suntanning days.  

This time we're taking a huge easy up tent.  Us old folks, we got smarter over the years!!!

TWO TOO LONG DAYS

GOOD MORNING AMERICA!!  We have been enjoying our almost decent summer here for a couple of months now.  As of today however, that is ending.  We are looking at very high 90's for the rest of the week.  That means two things ... either we stay inside and eat ice cream, or we go shopping.  I vote for BOTH!

This should have been me yesterday, or at least I had HOPED it would me be.  Alas ... I was the Energizer Bunny, but with the off brand batteries.   

I started out at the lodge by 8:30, counting the three cash boxes of money from Bingo.  Lucky for me, instead of doing it by hand, the Lodge Accountant (I love this gal) was there to do it for me.  She has one of those fancy dancy money counting machines.  

It can even tell if in that huge stack of bills, you have a bad one.  It looks good, right?  You can even tell someone tried a marker on it to the left.  Makes you think it's okay, yes?  Ummm that would be a NO.  If you actually read the big letters on the right, which absolutely NO ONE did, it says Motion Picture Money.  

Here's what they did ... took a REAL $20, but off the left hand side with the strip, then taped it to the fake money.  Makes it look VERY good.  They took that section off the FAKE money and taped it to the REAL money.  Voila!!  Not one, but TWO twenty dollar bills.  Double your money in a flash.  

I have no doubt they will try to run this on us again next week, so I'll tell everyone to keep an eye out and grab the person before calling the Po-Po.

That whole money counting in the office took up WAY too much time.  I quickly grabbed some Shrimp Feed tickets for the Chairman of that gig and rushed out the door.  

I was heading up north to pick up the last two Veteran quilt pieces.  Once these are complete, I'll be done for the year.  I'm not sure this vocation will continue.  Turns out it's a lot more work than I thought, having to find an embroidery person and make 12 quilts.

Then came the good part!  I stopped in at Hobby Lobby.  Okay, I'm never going to this store again.  I got a little carried away with the sale on ribbon.  It actually takes three of these to make one big bow, so there's that.  

Home again, home again, I completely forgot I was supposed to hit up the accounting job.  By this time I was WAY too tired and hungry to do anything that required mental capacity.  I struggled with yet another huge problem with a computer program.  I finally screamed UNCLE and came home frustrated and exhausted.

I was met at the door by guess who!  This is about 15" from the back door.  She really is a sweet Kitters, and is now very quiet and still when I let the D O G out.  She wasn't too thrilled with the lawn mowers and loud blower noises, but she never went too far.  She knows on which side her bread is buttered!

I finally gave up the ghost and hit up Panda Express.  I needed lots of carbs and a huge bottle of water.  Note to self ... don't do that accounting work when you are starving.  The good part ... this is three meals for me.

I was able to get a little bit accomplished, but still have no idea how to solve that big accounting problem.  I am not going to enter hundreds of pages of data.  The tax accountants will just have to figure that out for themselves.

I soothed my worn out brain with a little ice cream.  Nothing makes me feel better, though I admit the taste of these has gone a little south.  What can I say ... they were on sale!!

I keep telling myself I'm just going to rest up today, but I know that's not true.  I'll be in there finishing up those quilt tops, making ribbons for the wreaths and tending the garden in no time.  

At least the garden part is getting easier ... the tomatoes are coming to an end.  The pickle cucumbers died a horrible death from whatever that black stuff is that is sucking them dry.  The zucchini has hit a peak and is producing like crazy.  OH BOY ... more zucchini!!!  I think I'll just stick with the ice cream!

A Record Setting Night!

 Yawn, YAWN and YAWWNNNN again.  Oh my gosh I'm exhausted.  It was the first night of Bingo without a King in the Castle.  I tried my best to get some rest at the beginning of the day, but that didn't work out according to plan.

I really wasn't worried, I just couldn't slip in a nap, no matter how hard I tried.  I was off to the lodge at 1:00 after feeding Kitters.  She's a sneaky one that girl.  She has made her way INTO the patio now to sleep on my Arizona chair.  If not there, she's on the OTHER side, sleeping on the table.  If I don't see her, I just haven't looked close enough, because she hides in plain sight.  

She is a quick learner too ... if Cooper comes out with me, she remains still as a statue, and just like a puppy ... STAYS if I tell her too.  Movement brings on the cavalry and she knows it.  

At any rate, I was off.  I checked the previous weeks Bingo tallies, signed checks and otherwise did Lodge stuff.  Soon it was time to head downstairs to find my Fairy Godmother hard at work.  More learning occurred when the microphone system was not turned on.  There is always something that taxes the brain.

In a flash, it was time to pull the boxes of game cards.  First box pays $500, along with a strip game of the same amount.  They were a little slow to sell, but as soon as they get down to a few cards, I bring out another box.  It's all in the timing.  This one pays $1199.00.

When the third box came out, I thought we were in the clear .... but NO ..... the peasants were on a roll ... a bankroll.  It must have been payday, because in two short hours we sold not just the usual eight boxes of games, not even NINE boxes.  WE SOLD TEN BOXES OF PULL TAB GAMES.  I think that's a record!  I almost went for ELEVEN, but decided against it.  That would mean we had to PLAY all those games, and stay WAY too late.

That meant the callers had to call an addition ten games of bingo.  The peasants were so happy there wasn't even ONE flaming torch, all night long.  How could that be?  Apparently money makes them happy campers!!

I instituted a few controls in the back room to keep them more on target with the cash box, which made THAT side happy too!  Everyone balanced, except for the one $20.00 bill of funny money they accepted.  Yup ... a counterfeit bill.  Pretty easily detectable, but she accepted it anyway.  Now she knows.

At the end of the night, I checked my watch.  I walked 4.79 miles.  YIKES!!  No wonder I'm tired!!  We closed everything up and headed out the door.  I didn't even get to try my alarm setting skills.  The head bartender was still upstairs cleaning, so out we went.  

I sent a text message to the King ..... FYI, I sold TEN games.  Good job he said ... I'll take another week's vacation.  I told him to enjoy his stay in Germany and have another beer for me.  I can't he said, I have had too many for myself.  

And so ended another night of Bingo.  Hopefully next week will be a little less stressful since we are never as busy on the second week of the month.  

Here's the BAD news for the day.  This is my LAST can of Orange Cafe coffee.  I've been drinking this stuff since 1985.  Forty years of good coffee, gone just like that.  Life will never be the same.  Oh I have a recipe to make my own, thanks to Frances, but that's when I found out just how much sugar is in this little can.  No wonder I'm hooked!!

So I will savor every drop for the next few days.  Hopefully that sugar will help me recover quickly, because today I pick up the last of the Veteran quilt embroidery and run to Hobby Lobby for more wreath materials to make another one for the auction before hopefully crashing on the couch.

Just another day at the Castle!!

YIKES ... ALIENS!!!

 It was a normal day, the sun shining brightly in the sky, the dogs barking, the cat meowing, nothing that would raise your hackles ..... until I saw THIS!!

ALIENS ... for real, these things are ALIENS!!  I hate them ... always have and always will.  They are squishy, sticky, and their feet cling to you so tight they won't let go when you try to!  Masters of disguise, the only way you know they are there is because half of your tomato plant disappeared.  

No kidding ... one entire half inch STEM is now gone.  And so is HE.  I ran inside, got my gloves and grabbed him very unceremoniously.  The rock that fell on him was a BIG ONE.  I didn't see evidence of any more, but I'm sure I will.  EWWWWW!!!!!

After that horrible interaction, Mr. Cooper and I took off for the V  E  T  S  office.  You have to spell it since it is a bad word around here.  I can't believe it's been two months and his allergy shot has worn off.  

I was lucky to get in, only because I've been going to this Vet since 1985 when they first opened.  Yessiree ... 40 years at the same place.  Twenty five of those years with the same Vet.  He didn't have time to see me on this day, but he squeezed us in anyway.  

His decision to forgo the shot and try a new pill was a good one.  It's a miracle that after only one pill, Cooper isn't chewing on his legs, his feet and anything he can reach.  That a relief for both of us.  The best part, he only needs one when I see him scratching or chewing since it has lasting effects.  

The appointment took so long that I missed the meeting at the Lodge regarding the Shrimp Feed.  Oh DARN!!  That gave me more time to grab my glue gun and finish up this wreath.  No bow.  I'm torn between putting this on MY door and donating it to the Shrimp Feed auction.  They could use something original instead of bottles of booze.

Dinner was once again that amazing garlic bread made into a delicious grilled cheese, this time adding in tomato ... fresh from the garden.  Oh my Great Aunt Suzie ... it was Delicious with a capital D!!  I could eat this every day.  Not especially good for my diet though .....

That brought on another round of creativity.  I'm not sure where all this energy or these ideas came from.  I mean really, I haven't done ANY of this stuff in at least 25 years!!  Back in the day we were constantly making things like this to decorate the house.  

The problem with all this is that NOW I have to clean out the big bedroom closet, since I have absolutely NO room to store ANYTHING.  Beyond that, it's the garage ... and boy oh boy, I really do NOT want to go THERE!!

This one definitely needs a bow, but the one I made blends in too much.  I'm on the hunt for a good color, which of course means another trip to ... you guessed it ... Hobby Lobby.  Oh DARN again ... because tomorrow I pick up the last two embroidery quilt pieces ... which live just down the street from the big store.  

Anyhoo .. just to celebrate finishing that wreath and Cooper's not licking and chewing, I ate the first ice cream I've had in at least a month, if not more.  Even Cooper got a little bite.  Funny though ... it didn't taste NEAR as good as I expected it too.  That's probably a good thing!

And so it's another day ... and another TUESDAY ... and the KING is out of town.  What's that saying ... WHILE THE CAT'S AWAY, THE MICE WILL PLAY?  

Probably not THIS one however, since after staying so late at Bingo, I will have to go back early in the morning to count the cash and go to the bank.  I think that's going to require a LOT of coffee!!!  Wish me luck please, that the peasants don't tear me limb from limb!