Category Archive: Life
Machine repair
Machine repair #1
Then I picked up the weed whacker that I took in yesterday for repair. In case you didn’t know, one must use it either at full speed or no speed or the oil doesn’t evaporate properly and clogs the filter. There is your $30 tip for this week.
Machine troubles
This is the fly wheel of my sewing machine which thread wrapped around because I was not paying attention to that part of the machine = machine troubles. I spent a considerable amount of time looking for the proper screw driver to take the machine apart and then couldn’t get to the thread that way. I have one piece not back on, because I need help with that. Then I took out as much thread as I could with a tiny seam ripper and a targeted flashlight. Unfortunately with these computer machines, one can’t just back off the fly wheel like we could in the manual types. I’m not sure how far in the thread can travel and how much trouble it can cause. So maybe I’ll just have to live without it for a couple weeks and have it serviced. First I’ll see tomorrow if a neighbor can help with it.
Putting pieces together – Hunter Star
Putting pieces together – Hunter Star
Using the above two blocks, I am making one block.
Which becomes one quarter of this block
Here there are two sewn together and you see the flower starting to develop. I am ready for this step with all the blocks now.
Then I will be creating rows like this and
pressing the seam between blocks open, so the middle of the flowers won’t be bulky.
Last week
Last week was spent in the car. Somehow we managed to put 6 appointments into one week. There were eye exams, hearing tests and doctor (on different days) as well as the second stem cell treatment and a chiropractor visit. I’m going to be careful to not let that happen again – at least not in the near future. That is all that I got done. So today, I took the day and sewed and sewed and sewed. What luxury! I really hope this week will be a normal week. Normal is good.
KnitPicks Felici yarn
Just dropping in to let you know Knitpicks has several new colors and is having a sale on this yarn.
Hopefully you are on the “drop 5# this month” program are doing well.
Yes, I have had to go to appointments everyday this week, but will be back on Monday.
Hope you are enjoying summer
Warm weather and appointments
16 block hunter star
We are getting warm weather! Summer has come and I really want to enjoy it. Plus we have 3 days of appointments this week, so I am planning to take the week off and enjoy it. If something comes up that I think you’ll enjoy, I’ll pop on my computer and share, but mostly it looks like we will be in the car a lot, driving to appointments.
Hunter Star: I now have 25 of the 150 blocks I need for the quilt.
Hunter star update #3
Hunter star update #3:
It is such beautiful weather that it is almost impossible to stay inside and sew. And this is the forecast for the next 10 days! I now have 60 of each of these triangles ready to put together to complete a square.
Winter prep
While out shopping today, I did get this refrigerator and microwave for the barn, so now I am ready for baby feedings if we have a mom who can’t for some reason. I can also keep the medicines in the refrigerator. There is even room for cold drinks when we are up there working on hot days.
Sheep paradise after halter tying
Halter tying lambs
Today we had a different, but very good reason to halter tie the lambs. They needed their last baby shot. I do not have the skills yet, to hold a very squirmy, escaping, lamb and put the needle in the right place. When I halter tie them, I eliminate the escaping and if I hold them sideways to the feeder, they don’t have much squirm room either. So the whole process goes much smoother for both me and the lamb.
Pasture Paradise
I took so many photos of them enjoying this. Here they are coming down the hill from the barn on the right. They are so excited about the green, they must stop to taste on the way to the pasture.
Some of them have made it to the far side of the nearly dry pond.
After a rest and cud chewing time, they explored even more of the area that we had prepared for them. When it was time to come in, I had to have the neighbor come over with her border collie and encourage them to come back to the barn, safe from coyotes for the night. This will soon be routine for them and they will come back easily.
Immortality. Garage clean-out
Since earthly immortality is out, it was time for a garage clean-out. You know all those things we save because we might need them someday, etc. Or the things that we don’t want to deal with. Today, those things were dealt with. There will be two 3/4 ton pick-up loads going to the dump in the morning. One from the garage and one from around the farm. And that does not include the items which will be recycled. It was a long, hard day – hard because some things still might have some use. We will probably go back through this pile in the morning to see if more can be recycled. But it is out of the garage, which is now amazingly tidy, and not returning. There are still shelves to clean, but one can only deal with so much in one day. There were so many decisions to be made.
A mini trip
We had to try out our new car yesterday, so went to visit my sister who lives about an hour away. The weather obliged and we got to drive through rain and sun, giving me a good feeling of how it handles. . 
This dogwood is at the end of her driveway. Her yard is beautifully blooming and she knows the name of each plant – something to which I never pay enough attention.
Since we were going, I went out to the hoop house to see if there was a gift I could take. Look at this beautiful 5 1/2 pound cabbage. I did not weigh the zucchini, but they were nice and long. The garden is doing well, except for the green beans which I will replant tomorrow.
I had plans
Today, I had plans to make a quick trip to the auto repair shop to get an estimate for a cap that was broken. Then i would stop at the grocery store, pick up a few items, come home and clean the sheep pen that i didn’t get done yesterday.
God laughed because He had other plans. I did go to the repair shop for the estimate. In fact, I was there just before my 8.30 appointment. Once the mechanic got the car up and the wheels off, he found the car unsafe to drive and would not let me leave with it until they had the dangerous items repaired (They have known us for over 30 years so we trust them).
At 11.30, I went straight home, and talked with my husband. I relayed to him that the shop thought that 27 years and nearly 300,000 miles on that car was enough. They explained the things they felt had to be fixed in the next few months if we kept driving it as the main vehicle. This was not good news to me as I hate having to deal with cars and though I enjoy the fact they get me where I need to be, I don’t enjoy buying them. DH has been after me for the past 5 years to replace this one and I kept putting him off.
So to better deal with all this, we first enjoyed our favorite Mexican restaurant’s offerings. Then we set out to look at cars, really not knowing whether it should be a car or a small truck. We did know we needed something easier for DH to get in and out of and possibly carry a lot of feed bags or a dog.
