Everything Is Getting Smaller

 Except me ... I'm NOT getting smaller!!!  

 It was a gorgeous 70 degree day.  Now we're talking Arizona!!!  Too bad I still spent most of the day inside.  First up .. check the game camera.  The coyotes were back in spades after having disappeared for two days.  The bunnies had a big party with another 18 videos.

This is Big Daddy ... the leader of the group.  They came in from a different angle on this morning, howling from tree to tree as they greeted their family.  They pretty much hunt separately, then gather (which is what all the howling is about) before heading to their den, wherever that may be.  In some cases, around here, it's the golf course.

How do I know this is Big Daddy?  One because of his attitude ... and two, he's marking everything in site.  He's also easily spotted because of how he holds his tail.  I just love seeing these guys.

Mid morning, after spending quite a bit of quality Cooper time, I loaded another quilt on the frame.  It was almost another booboo ... but this time I measured twice.  The backing was sideways, requiring another hour of re-loading.  It's not as hard as loading the top, especially if the pattern is not such that a little crooked would show.  This would have been a disaster, so worth the hour spent fixing it.

By then it was time for lunch, whereupon I made a HUGE discovery.  As you know, everything has been shrinking.  Toilet paper, Kleenex, paper bowls and plates and now THIS!!!    Tillamook has changed their containers to 1.5 qts.  I probably wouldn't care except the price remains the same for so much LESS product.  I guess everyone is jumping on the "let's charge more" bandwagon!  SO disappointing.

So on a quick run to the store, before the light bulb went on, there was a girl restocking the ice cream.  She moved out of the way so I could see the Tillamook.  I mentioned the much smaller containers.  "Not ours" she said.  WHAT?  I moved a little closer.

We haven't made our containers smaller, nor our prices higher she stated.  Even better, they have a processing plant just down the road.  I put the Tillamook back and got this one.  Let me just say it's one of the best ice creams I've had.  Next time I'll try another flavor, because there will definitely be a next time!

In between playing with Cooper and trying out the ice cream, I was on the phone with the insurance agents for about two hours, trying to compare apples to oranges.  I even called my current agent to tell them I was shopping in an effort to get a better deal, but it was a NO GO.  Believe me, NOTHING is getting smaller in the insurance industry, especially the cost.

Nothing like waiting until the very last minute, because here it was 4:45 on a Friday afternoon when everyone closes for the weekend.  Here are the final numbers.  I can save about $1,000 a year by going with State Farm, HOWEVER, they will not insure my Arizona home.  That may become a problem if both home policies are attached somehow.  Well shall see.

Cooper and I tried to go for a walk, but that lasted 100 yards up the hill when I got another insurance call. Turns out State Farm here has an office not a mile from me and the gal in California is an old friend.  How nice to have someone you KNOW to talk to.  I think the final decision has been made, but I will wait until Monday.  I've been with my other company for over 30 years.  It's hard to change spots!!

 Even more frustrating than insurance, I spent a couple of hours going through all my papers for paying taxes.  Nothing makes me madder than paying SO much money to the government who then uses it to buy and give away CRACK PIPES!!!  

 Is this true?  I haven't triple checked that fact yet, but one state has proposed legislation to stop it, so I'm guessing it is.  Our President is promoting drug use.  How nice!!  What better way to get everyone dependent on them in their move to socialism.  I won't get on my soap box because I would say a lot of very VERY bad words.

 In other news, just a hint for you men out there.  Monday is VALENTINES DAY!!!!  Don't forget to find something nice for your sweetheart, or at least DO something nice like vacuum the entire house or even cook dinner!  A little goes a long way!!!

Celebrate!! Celebrate!!

 Dance to the music .......... even if it's just in your head.  We are definitely celebrating the warm 70 degree weather in Arizona at long last!!  Not that it will last, I think it's going to snow next week if the weather guessers are correct.

AND I'm celebrating another quilt that stitched out perfectly.  I must finally be getting the hang of it.

This is one of my favorite quilts I think, being made out of leftover fabric from a pillowcase marathon for cancer patients.  It's also the biggest one I've done yet.

Yes, I held my breath a couple of times, literally running out of bobbin thread in the last two stitches.  That seems to be the Achilles heel.  You never know how far that thread will go, and it all depends on the design.

I celebrated with an entire can of Pepsi, something I haven't had in the house in almost a year.  It was a mighty tasty treat and my sweet tooth was a happy camper!!

Then it was off to town.  That little $5.00 coupon was burning a hole in my pocket.  Mostly, I wanted to be sure it didn't expire.  That's when I found out I get a 20% discount on everything I buy until the end of the month.  You can't save unless you purchase, so I'm making up a new list!!  

Needles were numero uno since they recommend a new one for every quilt.  I haven't done that exactly, but have gone through several already.  I've now learned more about needles than I ever wanted.  There's a different one for every different type of thread, which is why I'm sticking with only ONE brand.

Next up, a quick trip to Ace Hardware for a wire cage.  It seems in the big wind last week, the little solar panel that keeps my motion sensor lights working, broke off.  Too much time in the sun I guess.

I had a hard time describing what I needed ... heck I didn't even know what I wanted ... and was sent to the back of the store.  On the way, what should I find but the bird feeder section.  There it was, ingenuity staring me in the face.  It's for a big hunk of suet, but after measuring, I discovered it's the perfect size!!

I'm not sure it's secured exactly, but for now, it holds the solar panel in place and my lights work.  YAY!!!  I did a little happy dance.

Time for a celebration dinner!!  This meatloaf burger was one of the best things I've made in a long time.  

Don't forget the chips!!!  All served up on my best dinnerware.  I'm trying to use as little water as possible until I hear from the plumber ... who by the way has not called me back like she said she would.  She did sound a little frazzled on the phone.

AND of course another call is in order for the insurance because they haven't called or sent me anything either.  Sadly, I guess service is definitely a thing of the past!!  

On the other hand, I'm celebrating those truckers at the border of the US and Canada standing up for freedom of choice.  Yes we may be short of some supplies here and there, but it's working.  Providences are stopping the mandates for vaccinations and proof of same, as have many other countries.  All I can say is I'm celebrating their HUTZPAH!!!  If anyone can, Jerry can!!  

The Bunnies Are Jealous

So SO many bunny videos.  I thought they came out during the day time, but I was wrong.  They are out all night long, using up video space.  Apparently they are jealous that coyotes and raccoons are getting all the air time.  So I finally decided to post one.  I mean really, out of 23 videos, 20 are of big bunny eyes.   I guess that's so they can see better at night!  I thought that was the big bad wolf!!

On the other hand, I wish these guys would come out every night.  I just love the way they are always washing their hands.

The kids and I hung out inside most of the day.  I finally gave the quilting a rest, although I did load the next one, being particularly careful which direction it was headed.  From there on it was hand sewing all the binding for two quilts.  

My fingers are poked full of holes and very tender to the touch this morning.  I put bandaids on my fingertips, but every once in awhile, the needle eye goes right through flesh!  OUCH!!  

There were a couple hours in between where I contemplated all my insurance.  If I add it up, I think I could have bought another house with all the insurance payments I've made.  Most of the problem is of course California.  

Besides that, I've noticed companies seem to give you a deal the first year, maybe two, then they SOCK IT TO YOU!!!  Anyone remember Goldie Hawn?  Right now my insurance is up to $6,200 for this year.  In spite of talking to the nice guy who I complimented on being A+ with the Better Business Bureau, he has never called me back.

On to the next one ... a friend who sells for State Farm, and I may even call up Farmers.  I mean really, $1450 for my 2012 Jeep is pretty ridiculous!!  It's the same price for my entire house!!  Being an accountant, you KNOW this is not my favorite way to spend my retirement!!!  I've cutting coverage at every corner.

Dinner was a very blurry plate of meatloaf and scalloped potatoes.  Thank you Elva for the reminder that I love meatloaf!  

And finally, a beautiful sunset.  Not really ... this actually happened two days ago and I forgot to post it.  

I think I need to get out of the house more often!!!

Finally ... The Perfect Day!!!

Besides drinking my fake flavored coffee, morning chores always involve the game camera.  Apparently something or someone spent some time rubbing on this bush.  This guy, and later his buddy, spent even MORE time smelling the bush to see what had been in their territory.   I would say bunnies, but the bush is too tall for that.  I'm guessing that happened when my camera fell down.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't Jonathan, as he's always cozy in his little warm house.  As you can see, he's molting, probably brought on by the cold Quartzsite weather followed by his whole house heater.  Those little feathers come out by the dozens ..... all over the floor.  SO much fun to pick up every day!!

He's been very vocal the last couple of days, discoing, bobbing up and down and screaming for the kitty.  Sometimes I wonder if the neighbors can hear!!

Then things all went to ..... well I try not to use dirty words.  It was time to dump the RV tanks after 10 days of living in it.  I dumped a couple more big buckets of water in before hooking up.  Gee ... that seemed to be way too easy!!  

I tripled checked everything before leaving for the Pima County Fairgrounds.  I took the long route and made lots of stops to be sure everything was shaken loose.  You can dump at the fairgrounds for a measly $5.00.

Lucky for me the lane was open with only one guy ahead of me.  Either I can use this rig for over a month using my water skills, or something is really wrong.  I'm guessing the tank lights are VERY incorrect, unlike my other rig, because it seemed there wasn't much to dump.  

Backing in when I got back home seemed easier too ... maybe I'm getting used to it.  I added some chemicals and a couple big buckets of water.  So here's my question of the day.  What chemicals do YOU use?  I've always used Aqua Chem ... never had a smell or a problem with anything.  Now it seems you can't buy that any more.  I have a jar of Happy Camper, but it's a dry mixture and I've no clue how to use it.  Anyone have a great solution they use?

With all the chores done, I was back to quilting.  FINALLY number eight is the charm, the cat's meow, the first quilt done with NO mistakes!!!  I did a little happy dance around the house while Cooper chased me and Jonathan screamed.  We all got in on the celebration!!!!

That euphoria didn't last long however.  I had noticed a little water leak in the back yard.  Thinking it was part of the drip irrigation system, I carefully dug it up to find this.  WHAT THE HECK????  This is the sewer line!   

You are not going to believe this.  Apparently the previous owners cut a hole in this drain pipe.  To cover it up, they put lots of dirt in a flower pot, then stuck a plug (that won't screw in to the pipe) on the top, turned it upside down and stuck it on the drain line.  I guess that's supposed to seal the pipe???  Good grief!!!

I called the plumber back, but he's on vacation and can't come out until next week.  It's not real bad at this point, but take that pot away and it's a big mess.  In the meantime, I'll just put a big rock on top and hope it doesn't turn into a geyser!!!

As it turns out, it wasn't the perfect day, but it was up until I decided to dig up the back yard.  It's okay, the weather has warmed up a tad and we expect 70 degree days this week.  That can make up for a lot of troubles!!

It Was Perfect!!!

The operative word here is WAS.  Or maybe WOULD HAVE BEEN!!  The video shows how my day began with a big fat CLUNK!!  Not much can be seen with the camera facing the ground. 

To make it all better, I decided to make pancakes.  I've been craving them ever since Patsy and Bill made some for me in Quartzsite.  Not really knowing HOW to make them, I picked up a box of this mix.  It says right on the box ... pancakes!!

Here's just another reason I could use a man around the house.  They make MUCH better pancakes than I ever could.  I'm pretty sure I've never made them before, and it showed.  Sadly the syrup, even though I poured it on like a champ, didn't take away the rather burnt flavor.  I'm not sure if the black crunchy bits were the pancakes or part of my plastic spatula that melted to the pan.  It went in the trash can.

That's when I got the call.  The Chance family has a new grandson ... how could I possibly pass THAT up. I think they said he's an Aussie shepherd, but I was so overcome with cuteness I didn't confirm that.  His name is Caspean.  As you can see, it was sleepy time!!  Sure makes you want to get a puppy!!

However, knowing how much extra work they are, I went back home to my quilting machine that only requires a drop of oil here and there.  It was perfect, this quilt.  The butterflies a nice addition to the flowery fabric.  I'm proud to say it went like clockwork.  

That's when the WAS part came in.  That last row got me again, but this time it wasn't the machine's fault. The neighbors were probably wondering why they heard NOOOOOOOO screamed from the mountain top.

Even though I checked, I had put the backing on sideways.  I even measured.  That means it was too short to finish off the perfect quilt.  BIG SIGH about eleven times!!!  Not to be deterred, I quilted the last row short and cut off the side fabric, adding a section to the backing.

Then I cut a piece of batting and stitched it together so the border would be fluffy and not wimpy.

The only problem is the lack of quilting on that 3" side the entire length.  TRIPLE RATS!!!  Yes I could probably put it back on the machine and do some squiggly line down the side, but I'm not going to.  My enthusiasm went right out the door!!  At least I'm happy these things happen on quilts that are not my favorites.

And so the PERFECT quilting job has eluded me still.  Sniff sniff!!  I guarantee that THAT problem will not happen again!!  

Instead of ice cream to sooth my bruised ego, I dove into an entire casserole dish of scalloped potatoes!  It does look rather weird in this picture, but boy was it GOOD!!!

In the meantime, I'm still waiting to hear from the insurance companies I called for quotes.  It seems they are all still working from home, as barking dogs and kids are in the background.  It's so frustrating that no one actually answers the phone any more!!  I've never been through so many recorded messages.  Apparently not having secretaries saves them money.

Today if the wind stays down, I'll dump the RV tanks.  It's not something I'm looking forward to.  I don't mind the dumping, it's the backing up around the corner when I get back home.  I'm hoping it goes better than my quilting!!

The Wolf And The Lion

 It was a beautiful day yesterday .... just a tad bit of wind along with lots of WARM sunshine.  Boy have we been missing that!  Too bad the wind came up again last night, along with two of the loudest trains I've ever heard.  I could feel the vibration throughout the house!  That meant Cooper and I were up pretty early this morning.

I took the last quilt off the machine, saying thank you's for not letting me run out of thread.  Not that I'm in love with Amazon, but they actually delivered two spools last night about 7:30.  I'm back in business, at least as long as it's white thread I want to use.

So Baby remained idle all day long.  Maybe a little rest will do her good because the next quilt will be a big one!!

In the meantime, the Chance household called about going to the movies.  Heck YEAH!!  Anything to get out of the house for some R & R.  This is The Wolf and the Lion.  If it's playing near you, I recommend it. If you are an animal lover like me, you are going to hate parts of it.  

This is a true story (most of it anyway) about a lion cub snatched from Africa and send via airplane to a circus in Canada.  The plane crashes.

At the same time, a snow wolf has a baby puppy that she hides in a house after being chased by a guy trying to save the species.  I won't tell you any more since that would ruin the story.  

In case you were wondering, it cost us $6.75 each to get in (Military discount) which Dan paid for, meaning the popcorn was on me.  If you ever wondered how theaters make their money ... it's the food.  One medium .... not even the usual HUGE .... and one small bag, along with one small drink came to $23.25.  At least I think that's what it was because I was quickly shocked into mental unconsciousness!!

Thank goodness the movie made it worth it!!  Let's see ... popcorn $.50 and $.25, 2 bags $.50, total $1.25 ... oh, and $.30 for the soda water.  Profit $21.70.  Or something like that.  Anyway ... the popcorn was really good!!!  

I got home in time to hit the store for groceries.  This time the parrot was low on supplies.  It's a good thing I did that first, because today is INSURANCE day.  That's a subject I hate completely.  It's time to get ripped off on house and vehicle insurance, which always seems to require an adjustment (up of course) in my budget.  It's okay though because I got a $30 a month raise in retirement.  WOOHOO!!!!!

Back to quilting ... I think I have at least ten more to go!!

I'm Seeing RED!

 Whoever turned the switch OFF, thank you so much!!  The wind finally subsided, making for a nice quiet night!!  It's only 36 this morning and I'm happy to report I don't see any water dripping from under my rig from broken pipes.  YAY!!!!!

I did finally retrieve photos from the game camera, to see my favorite guys (or gals) digging in the water.  I actually think there were two, but at different times.  The three seen previously seem to have broken up their little group.  I just love these critters and certainly never expected to see them in the desert!!

They did have a little trouble digging in the ice, but this time they were early enough to catch it melted.

Finally up and running ... still listening to the crazy wind ... I donned my biggest coat in order to remove the propane tank from the rig and have it filled.  I bought tie-downs for this job, but apparently you need MAN hands, because once I got it set up, I couldn't get it to release.  Don't ask where it went.   I went back to my trusty yellow rope.

It turned out to be $2.71 a gallon.  I don't know if that's a good price or not since I've only filled them once.  I think I have finally regained most of my strength.  Although it was a struggle, I got it out of the truck and into the hole in the rig, after a lot of grunting and one bad word.  No doubt the other one will need propane soon, but hopefully it will warm up enough I can turn the heater off.

With that out of the way, I put another quilt on the frame and tried out a new pattern.  This one follows lines already quilted quite often, meaning it was a thread user extraordinaire.  I love the pattern, but fussed the entire time knowing I was going to run out.  Sure enough ..... every single row I had to fill a new bobbin.  

I have taken to heart the tip from Ray Warner about quilting ... buy TWO spools of thread, one for the machine and one for making bobbins.  I had to remove the thread, go over to the bobbin winder, fill a bobbin or two, then rethread the machine.  

It took an entire bobbin to do just one row.  There are six rows!!  I was seeing RED in no time.  Still, I'm happy to say it went really well until the very last row.  Even though I reset the machine five times, it was just tired and being stubborn at the end.  Not as stubborn as me however, since I finally got it done with literally three feet of thread left over.

Yes, I ordered more thread today, along with my previous order that hasn't arrived yet.  I'm going to be thread poor, but at least I won't run out!!  Prefilled bobbins are also on order, just to make it easier on myself.

So now the big marathon of hand sewing begins while I bind the edges of the six I've done so far.  Cooper will love that part because he can sit right beside me on the couch.  Maybe I'll even take a break to get groceries, since the cupboards are bare.  Quilting can be time consuming, but I love the challenge!!

Someone Turn Off The AC Please

 I hope everyone is tucked away in a warm spot.  This weather is nothing like I've ever seen here.  It was another 27 degree night, but this time the wind blew ALL night long.  Not just a little wind either, so the first thing I did was make sure my RV cover was still standing.

It was a ferocious blower that kept that one tiny branch hitting the patio cover near my bed.  If it hadn't been so cold, I would have chopped it off at midnight!!  It moved my garbage can four feet from the side of the garage, spinning it around sideways and made my very heavy rubber foot scrubber fly like a magic carpet to the bottom of the hill.  Maybe I'm in Kansas!  Sadly, there were no plumber dreams.

I did expect to have some new videos, but upon checking the folder where they are stored on the SD card, it had magically disappeared.  That meant no videos.  I reprogrammed the card and should find something this morning.  In the meantime, here's Big Momma who I recognize by the markings on her back.  She has passed the same markings down to two of her babies.  

I was a little slow on the uptake as far as quilting.  Cooper has been feeling completely ignored and showed his displeasure with sad little cries from the living room.   Okay little buddy ... so I sat with him for about two hours while he soaked up some love.  

While doing that, I checked my email and discovered this!!  Just WOW ... it's rock painting and gourds all rolled in to one beautiful piece of art.  I may just have to try this since I already have everything hanging out in my cupboards.  

Finally at noon I decided to try quilting again.  What I've found so far is that most all of the patterns that come with the machine are just not my cup of tea.  Most of them are for specific areas ... corners, borders, triangles ... while I just want to go from one side to the other (edge to edge) and do the entire thing.  Not only that, but there are no cowboy/western/horse patterns at all. 

That of course means a trip to the internet where for $15 each (sometimes on sale) I can download patterns that suit me better.  Needless to say, that adds up pretty fast!!  I'm also discovering that PICKING a pattern is harder than expected.  I finally decided on this one, a sunburst design, because the fabric is all kokopeli and it seemed to work.  

HOWEVER ... little did I know I was going to cut the threads and restart 35 times!!  I was so amazed .... the first 30 times went beautifully with NO problems at all.  Maybe I'm getting the hang of it after all.  That last row decided to give me trouble, but I finished it.

The different overhead lights throw the color off a bit.  This is what it looks like in real life.  That's four down and many more to go.  

In the meantime, I'm learning more about needles and thread than I ever really cared to know.  There are specific needles for specific threads, which makes it a miracle I finished all these quilts since I'm mixing up everything the way it should not be.  Sounds about right for me!!!

As the wind howls around my house, I'll be sitting on the couch warm and cozy until the next quilting marathon where I stand and watch it every second just in case it goes crosswise!!  Today I'm going to try a queen size, just to see how much trouble I can get into!!

From Lukewarm to HOT!

 Am I still in Arizona?  Although it's a warm 34 degrees this morning, yesterday was chilly city!!  I was up early in an attempt to be presentable for the Plumber.  You just never know!!  Breakfast was the last of the cheddar biscuits and shrimp.  YUM!!  

While waiting, I was able to retrieve and check out the previous day's videos.  This was a big surprise.  Sorry I had to cut half of the video out because it just wouldn't load such a big file.  This gorgeous lady came trotting up at 7:15 in the morning, highly unusual!  She was soon joined by another while she marked the exact same spot she has the last few visits.  Apparently this is HER water station.  Just look at those eyes!!!

From early yesterday morning when it was 27 degrees, the raccoon came by for a drink, but only found ice.  You can tell he can't figure out what's wrong with the water.  I went down later and discovered a 1/2" slab of ice covering the entire top.  It took one big rock to break it up.

Then came the plumber.  My oh my .... come right on in!!!  Matt was a tall hunk with a dark black beard and dark brown eyes.  Too bad he's married with three kids.  Turns out he's an animal lover too!!  Anyway, he did a couple of water tests to determine exactly where the problem might lie, then used the auger to clean out the drain.  

Just to be sure, he removed the access panel and used it again at another opening.  I envisioned the pipe under the house coming apart, requiring Matt to stay a little longer, but it didn't happen.  He filled the washer and let it drain ... which it did perfectly.  Problem fixed.  

I asked him about my hot water heater only putting out lukewarm water, so he volunteered to take a look.  In five minutes I got a lesson on all things gas and how to set it correctly.  My water went from lukewarm to hot!  Since I couldn't think of anything else for him to check, you know, just so he could stay a little longer, I paid the bill of $200.  It was worth every penny just to have a nice man in my house!!  

With that out of the way, I went back to quilting the next chunk of fabric.  Let me just say it's a good thing I'm not THAT strong, because surely the entire machine would have been thrown out the window.  If it could go wrong on this one, it did.  The biggest problem is the slick thread, all I have at the moment.  It eyelashed ... meaning big loops of thread hung down from under the bottom ... to the tune of about 1,000 stitches, which I had to remove by hand - one at a time.  

I'm a perfectionist ... so I persevered, determined to make this new pattern work no matter what.  I've become a pro at resetting the needle at the last spot it sewed correctly.  This small quilt, 55 x 68, took me SEVEN hours to complete.  My feet are still complaining.  You can enlarge it to see the neat longhorn pattern.  In the end, I'm very happy with it!

20 to 25 mph winds most of today, along with one more really cold night will probably keep me inside again.  At least I have quilting to do, so I won't be bored.  In the meantime, I'm trying to think of another reason to call the plumber!!!

A Hiccup or Two

 There's been more than a hiccup or two in the last couple of months, but thankfully, nothing that couldn't be quickly passed over.  You just have to learn to roll with the punches.  You would think that by MY age, I would be an expert.

This morning I'm typing as fast as possible since the plumber is coming at 7:00.  I'm rarely moving around much by that time, so this morning has to be fast and furious!!  

I have only ever heard about how hard quilting is, which is why I have always left it to the experts.  But as you know, I LOVE a challenge ... and this is a big one!  Please overlook the ugliness of this quilt.  It was a quick way to use up a lot of leftover fabric.  It makes me cringe every time I look at it, which is why it was one of the first I would finish, you know, so all the mistakes would be on one doggie quilt.

Actually, it's the third practice one, and although I had some issues, it came out pretty nice.  The biggest problem is running out of bobbin thread.  It doesn't tell you ... it just keeps stitching.  So far I've been lucky enough to never leave the side of the machine, so I can catch it.  Getting the computer back to the point where it stopped so it will continue on with the pattern, is a challenge.  As with any piece of machinery, you are constantly listening to the sounds ... the motor, the needle, the movement.

Although this one looks pretty good, it was done strip by strip instead of the entire quilt at once.  Hopefully you won't notice the last strip is rather squished in there.  I have since learned how to quilt it as one whole piece.

And yes, every one so far has used the same pattern because I couldn't find anything in the 900 patterns I have that I thought fit this quilt.  That is a problem!

Even with a hiccup or two, it was a good day as the weather dropped some wet stuff and the temperatures started to drop.  It's 26 degrees right now with two more mornings requiring big heavy coats before it warms up.  Brrrrrrrrr!!

I'm happy to say the game camera works in the chilly weather, but I was so sad to see Mom Bobcat limping back down the hill.  I hope she caught that meal!!  I would show you more videos, but 15 images of bunnies running back and forth by the water is just too much!!  My my those little guys are active!!

Here's hoping my plumber is a master at unblocking drain clogs.  I do love to have handy men around the house, even if I have to pay them!!!

IT'S HERE!!!!!

 Finally, after all that waiting, my new quilting machine is here!!  I was so excited when we pulled up a pattern and it actually quilted like a champ.  SO many buttons and adjustments!!!

I asked him to stay and help me a bit, but his exact words were ... "Oh I don't quilt, I just repair the machines", meaning he knew about as much as I did when it came to the computer part.  Anyone remember when you got that first computer plunked in front of you with no training at all?  Yeah, it's like that!!

I was able to get a pattern loaded and hit the start button.  While that was working, he tried out my bobbin winder ... the one with terrible instructions.  He didn't have much better luck than I did!!  I'll be ordering those pre-wound ones for sure.

We did one pattern, then moved the quilt up to try a couple more.  It all seemed to be working just fine, although I was still confused about how to quilt part of it, then move the quilt up in the machine before quilting again.  I never could quite get the AGAIN part.

And then he left (there's nothing more boring than watching a machine quilt) and wished me good luck as he walked out the door.  In less then five minutes I was on the phone looking for help with the "real" quilt I wanted to make.  

The first thing she said was to watch the videos and read the book.  Yes ma'am I did that.  Nothing tells you how to make that pattern fit your quilt.  Truly, I was absolutely thrilled that I got the basting part down.  

Three phone calls later, it was finally quilting this beautiful pattern.  That's when the thread broke.  It took me forever to figure out how to get back to that point to start quilting again.  Then it ran out of thread, but just kept stitching.  A new bobbin, which happened to have different thread on it, made a huge mess of things, causing an hour of ripping out stitches.  Luckily I found a bobbin with different thread that seemed to work just fine.

Next problem ... it should stop, let me cut the threads, then continue on after I move the fabric up.  Nothing ... it wouldn't do anything but sit there.  Try as I might, I couldn't get it to see where it was.  

Rather than spend another hour on the phone, I set it up to do one single row at a time.  Yes that made the pattern a little wonky since it didn't really like the new dimensions, but it's getting done.  Maybe this will be a Cooper blanket.  Most likely no one would even notice, but I would.

Everything came to a halt however when I got a text from the Chance house who was heading to Red Lobster.  I'M IN!!!  I remembered Patty ordering the coconut shrimp some time ago, so that's what I ordered.  I should have gotten the appetizer with 6 shrimp.  Good grief there are a DOZEN on that plate.

Add to that their new bacon Mac 'n Cheese (yum yum), Cole slaw and those oh-so-yummy cheddar biscuits, of which we ate a dozen ... and we were stuffed to the brim.  In fact, I brought eight of those shrimp home!!  I can't wait for lunch.

Maybe I'll even sneak a couple in for breakfast!!  In the meantime, I'll be at the quilt machine, trying to learn how to launch a spacecraft.  

Who's Sneaking Around??

It was a busy night at Lost Horse Ranch.  I couldn't wait until daylight to see who or what had caused my alarm to go off.  I'm pretty sure I caught the culprit a little further down.  Boy was I surprised!!

This is part of the coyote family who stops by almost every night now.  It appears that Mom rules the roost, since she always get to drink first.    There is an order of things, and they stick to it. 

This sweet baby snuck up to the side of the water and drank her fill for quite some time.   At last she wandered on off up the hill.  I almost always see her going the same direction, so I assume she comes back a different route.

This was very interesting to watch.  As I said, there is an order, and you must wait your turn.  He was very patient and waited until Mom was finished drinking.  I think he got "the look".

Then THIS guy popped into the picture.  WHAT??  There's a dog running loose in the desert?  I'm pretty sure if he weren't such a big dog, he wouldn't be around long.  This is just too weird.  I haven't seen him in my neighborhood of barky dogs, so I'm guessing he's lost.

I also think he's the one that went down the driveway and set off my alarm.  He didn't stop to drink and instead of going up the coyote trail, he went right up the steps to my garage.  I'm hoping he's found by now.

The day went rather slow since I was waiting for the quilting machine phone call.  It's finally being delivered this morning.  In the meantime I trimmed those bushes, sewed a little, took Cooper for a walk, made a pot of pork loin soup with leftovers and fixed the insulation falling out of my garage door.    

I called the plumber, but he won't be here until Thursday.  It' a good thing I already got my laundry done.  I'm hoping it's a simple fix.  You never know about these modular houses ... it could be something little or it could be something huge.  Fingers crossed for little.

I'm off to gather the game camera again and see who showed up this time!!  It's always a surprise!