We spent most of today watering and harvesting. The temperature kept creeping up and by 2 PM, it reached 92 and we were all for staying in the house and resting.
Monthly Archives: August 2016
Slow and steady
Another inch knit this week. Slow and steady, they will get done. Another slow and steady has been the elliptical machine. Just 5 minutes a day, but every day. In October, I’m planning to increase the time, when other activities calm down. So I push myself for those 5 minutes and 10,000 steps daily thinking I must keep moving or get old.
The all day class I attended today was loaded with information on working with the simulator and setting up the information to send to the quilting machine computer. There is so much to learn and practicing what I learned will help me to really learn it. However since it was a computer type course (in a very cold room), there was nothing of which to take photos.
August Sew Fun
Holiday creativity was the focus this month. These are sweet little girl aprons that could be started now and actually finished in time for Christmas.
As you can see there was a lot of emphasis on placemats, table cloths and runners as well as bed runners and pillows which make perfect gifts for yourself or someone special. These are terrific because they don’t take a long time to make, but make a big splash. 
This book by Leisure Arts has several nice runners.
And that, my friends, was the Quality Sewing infomercial for August, called “Sew Fun”. Then over to Lowe’s to get some shelves cut and back to all those wonderful things, we need to get done in the course of a day to survive. I hope all of you are doing okay with the heat wave. It was 81 here today and is scheduled to go to 90 tomorrow ( I’ll be in a class with air conditioning). Then up to 95 for Friday and Saturday – I may be moving to the basement. Then we drop back to upper 70s and lower 80s for a week IF the forecast is correct. So take care, drink fluids, rest, and survive.
New Additions
A good share of our day was spent acquiring these wonderful new Shetland sheep and getting them settled. We decided we really wanted smaller sheep because they are easier to handle. Now we will be spending time getting them used to us and to being touched. They are a primitive breed and have lovely wool. The second and 4th are sisters and the other two are this years lambs from one of them. So we will also be looking for another group and/or to trade the fellow with the horns before breeding season.
Hectic life
Today’s raspberries totaled just over 2 cups. Chickens helped me pick them.
Then a bag of string beans and 2 more zucchini and 4 ears of corn of which I forgot to take a photo.
Then a trip around the neighbors property they are wanting to sell. We sold it to them about 16 years ago and were interested in having it back – BEFORE we took the tour.
Now it’s out to pick tomatoes and water the hoop house. I’m still resting from my giant day yesterday. In the morning, we go look at sheep, Wednesday is a Sew fun day, Thursday is an all day class involving the quilting machine. Friday may just be a collapse day. Temperatures here are in the low 80s and predicted to be low 90s starting Friday. So the blog may be very brief this week.
PEACHES
There’s not much to report tonight as the entire day has been spent canning peaches. We now have 7 dozen pints and 14 quarts for the winter. There is still half a box of peaches left in the refrigerator – some for jam and some for fresh eating.
This was lunch – everything from the garden – and oh, so good. (salad, carrots, beets, potatoes).
Bear is finished
The bear is finished. Next week he will go through a wash and dry cycle and then into the charity pile.
We spent the morning driving into Seattle to get 6 boxes of peaches from the co-op. They aren’t quite ripe and look like it maybe Monday before I can start canning them. I can already imagine how wonderful they will taste mid winter.
Quilting class and garden
We were each given a sample pack of quilting stabilizers and batting when we arrived for class.
These were some of the quilts hanging on the wall and laying across the table – all created by Alex Anderson of quilting fame. And yes, we were allowed to touch them to see how soft they were using these products. This is a whole new line of quilting products by R & K distribution specifically to make quilting easier. There was so much information that the best way for me to give it to you is to give you their website where they describe each of the products and how to use them. I was impressed with how soft the appliques were especially as that is one area, I’ve have had trouble getting the softness I wanted when I use a fusible product. The glue in these products wash out when your done, so the stiffness is gone. Go to: http://www.quiltersselect.com/video-gallery.php. There is also a list of times where you can attend seminars on-line for free. Some of these products can be used with the creative cutting machines.
I thought you might like to see how the personal sized cantaloupe are doing. There are about 20 of them now. These 3 are about softball size but not ready to pick just yet.
The peppers are coming along nicely, but none have colored up yet. And most of what I planted were the orange and red.
This is my first try at sweet potatoes. Can you see where I lifted the leaves back? They are trying to take over the aisle and they are getting tall as well. However, when I reached around one of them by the stem, I don’t detect any underground potatoes. Should I? Have any of you ever grown them? I don’t know if I’m just wasting fertilizer and water and time or if they will actually give me some potatoes.
A successful day
I started the morning by opening an email that I should not have opened. Then I waited for the Geeksquad to remove the virus or whatever from my computer so I could again use it. After that a phone call to Handiquilter and I believe my machine may be more cooperative.
In between those chores, I did get a pattern copied onto pattern pellon for a jacket. I even was able to get the main pieces cut out of this cotton fabric. It will be a loose, lightweight cotton jacket using the new serger. However, I do not have the right thread, so will pick that up tomorrow.
Off to the grocery briefly for a couple very good watermelons and out to the garden. We picked the funniest shaped carrots. Next year the ground will have to be worked deeper. These poor carrots just could not break through the hardpan. Still they are delicious.
He is on the quilting machine and ready to go, but I have not been able to get the tension right today. I’m just giving up and will go knit for the next hour. Tomorrow, it may work like it is supposed to as I find sometimes walking away and coming back the next day works magic.