Quilting Once More

 Another unexciting day has rolled by as I listen to the sprinklers hit the window right by my desk.  That and the river of water coming from yet another sprinkler will be the topic of the day on Wednesday when the gardener arrives.

Until then, it was Cold Start number 14 ... at least I think that's the count.  One more and I can take it to the local smog shop.  I'm on borrowed time now, but am carrying all my papers to prove my innocence.  

Every morning I fear the nightmares, almost as much as I fear Kitters bringing in more critters.  The big moth banged around the bedroom last night, looking for light I suppose, so I turned the patio lights off.  Maybe if nothing is going to the light, she will stop the critter catching game.  

The nightmares included trying to park in a too-tight space at a campground while puppies were running all around my truck and my husband (whoever that might have been) was MAD and yelling at me.  It happens every single morning.  It's also interesting to note that Kitters will not get on or walk on the bed.  Maybe Cooper is keeping her at bay.

Or maybe it's the Strawberry or Pink moon.  Native Indians call it that since it coincided with the brief season for harvesting wild strawberries.  This of course is not my picture.

This one IS my picture, but it's not the strawberry moon of last night.  I just could not stay awake long enough for it to get up over the horizon.  It's an early morning for me since I'm on my way out of town.  More on that later in the week.

First things first ... I forgot I had two sourdough starters in the fridge who were starving.  They yell FEED ME by squeezing out a brown liquid on top.  That's when I made my first BIG mistake.  I put regular all purpose Gold Medal flour in the first one the previous day.  Oh that's not good ... it has to be bread flour.

So on this morning I threw one away and made TWO out of the second one.  Here they are, happy as can be, and ready to go back in the fridge.  I've still got one whole loaf in the freezer, so no bread baking will be forthcoming until that's gone.

Sundays are always, and have always BEEN, the worst day of the week for me.  Sitting home alone all day long with nothing to do and no puppy to cuddle just brought on the tears once again.  The urge to go somewhere just disappears every time.  

Having given my quilting machine lots of thought, I decided to use another brand new bobbin holder with a spring that was adjusted considerably and a different bobbin of thread.  It just seems to me the needle is hitting the case and that's what is causing all the problems.  I even put in a new needle and restrung the thread the way it was when I first got the machine.  

I very cautiously hit the RUN button.  Though it still moves fast and slow (when it used to run at the same speed throughout), it didn't make any terrible noises like in the past.  It got through an entire row just fine.

Though I had to crawl underneath and check it multiple times, it continued through seven rows without all the drama.  WOW ... maybe I got it figured out at last.  Apparently that little spring is the key to the whole thing.  I held my breath through the entire quilt and finished it in about an hour.  Again, not Cooper approved.  I will forever remember him walking on every one I threw on the floor for a picture.  

This is what Cooper approved looks like.

I literally spent the rest of the day hand sewing the binding on this quilt.  It takes several hours, which kept me from having a meltdown once again.  I think I have one more to quilt and three to bind.  I'm saving them for Sundays.

Dinner was pretty simple.  I noticed yesterday that everything I have in the freezer (which is full to the brim) was meant for Cooper.  I tried pawning it off on Kitters, but she's weird.  She will not eat anything from my hand, and doesn't like pork, chicken or hamburger.  She only eats that stinky fishy cat food.

Cooper loved all of it, and especially anything that came off my plate, even if it was the exact same boiled chicken from the freezer.  He wasn't much pleased with the Santa hat I made him wear for a Christmas picture, but he sat long enough for one click.  Big hugs to my little boy in Heaven.