Back on Schedule

I seem to be back on schedule after all our outages.  I got my newspaper column written and sent in today, read and replied to all my emails,  finished making a crockpot of beef stew did a few odds and ends in the village.
I got a call this morning from Xplorenet about my internet problems and our wonderful local installer came out to check that everything was fine.  No charge.  He will come back in the spring to see that the cable is secured.  Again, no charge.
One of my conditions before moving to the country was that I would have reliable high speed internet service.  We found that satellite was the only hook up that would provide that and have been happy with both the company and service every since.  We did try something else and had nothing but problems so I am very pleased to find something that works.
I thought I might get some quilting done today but I haven't and we are out this evening.  Tomorrow Heidi is back to the vet's for her last needle so perhaps then I can turn on the machine.
I have been mentally working on the quilt along that I will be doing something in the near future.  In answer to the question from a couple of readers: no, it won't be a mystery.  I am not overly fond of them either.
I am hoping to have a photo of my completed batik quilt to share with you tomorrow.

but, in the meantime, here is a reminder that spring will soon be pushing back the snow piles.

Blessings, 

Storm Woes.

We have had an adventurous few days.  The freezing rain and wind storm that hit a lot of Ontario knocked out our hydro,  phone and internet.  The lights went out Sunday afternoon and came on for good Monday evening.  The phone was back in service on Tuesday and today our internet was restored.  The latter we were able to fix ourselves.  The cable that ran from the satellite dish to the house was damaged by the weight of snow and ice and had to be replaced.  The most difficult part was getting to the dish and then the cable.  Hubby had to dig through 4 feet of snow.
It is nice to have everything working again.  I was able to get some hand quilting finished and did a bit of culling of unneeded clothing.  I am dying to get at hubbies closet but that will probably have to wait until spring.
We had a couple of large traffic piles ups during the storm.  One consisted of 70 plus vehicles.  My son got his transport stuck and then couldn't get back to the yard because of closed roads.  A bad day for a lot of people.
The rest of this week seems better and March is only a couple of days away so spring should be along soon.
Blessings,

Quilt Along

I love getting comments from my readers just to get the feed back but also because you frequently say something that triggers an idea or thought.  Mary mentioned that she is enjoying watching the progress of my red and white quilt (from now on called Return of the Snow Geese) and, if it were a quilt along, she would join.  My immediate thought was 'quilt along, what a great idea'.
I have a quilt that I am going to make in the very near future and if you would like to join me, I would love to share the steps with you.  I will work out the fabric amounts and steps and then we can start.  Thanks, Mary.

The first 3 rows of the Geese quilt are finished so now it is just a matter of repeating the steps.  I have set it aside for a moment while I work on my mother in law's lap quilt and then I have another to do for a neighbour.  There isn't a rush to finish it but I will get back at it after the other two are completed.

The weather has been much nicer this week although we have another weather warning on its way for Saturday evening and Sunday.  If we lose our hydro, I have a lot of hand sewing to do but I would rather it stayed on.  It hasn't been that bad this winter which, given the weather, is unusual.

Enjoy your weekend,

blessings, 

A Group of Projects

Our weather has finally become more seasonable.  We have had sunshine for three days and no snow.  We did get our shopping done on Saturday and, tomorrow I have great hopes of finally getting our Heidi to the vet.  All three of us went for a short but enjoyable walk in the afternoon.
I have completed two full rows of the red and white quilt and a 3rd is over half done.  I have also got a good start on my birthday quilt for my mother in law.  I took it to quilt group on Monday and one of the ladies had  really good suggestion about the sashing.  I am using pinstriped fabric and she suggested cutting it on the diagonal.  I have and it looks great.  I haven't taken a photo yet but will get that done shortly.
Why is it that projects always come in groups?  I have decided I would like to make a lap quilt for a neighbour who has developmental challenges.  He lives with his sister and she and her partner have been great friends.  I have been trying to think of what I can do as a thank you and thought of a quilt for her brother.
Did you see the full moon tonight? I was at our village council meeting tonight talking about our art club.  On the way home the moon appeared over the trees and I had to stop and take a photo.   Unfortunately, my phone camera didn't do a very good job but it was certainly magnificent.
Blessings,

One Quilt Section Finished

Today was a lot better weather and we got both vehicles operational again.  It took us quite a while to get my car dug out but we finally succeeded.  We then took the van into the village to fuel it and get some much needed supplies.  Tomorrow going to town to do our major shopping.  

Being housebound meant being able to get a lot of quilting done.  I have finished one of the sections of my red and white quilt.  It is done in rows so the photo shows three partial ones.

It should go fairly quick now that I have each step figured out.  

My son, who drives transport, had a long day yesterday.  I asked him to call when he got in because the weather was so bad.  He arrived home two hours later than normal.  It made for a long day.  I used to drive buses and sometimes the charter runs would go a lot longer than expected because the group wanted to do something extra.  And then I had to get up early the next day for the transit job.  Glad I don't have to do any of that anymore.

Weather is supposed to be okay again tomorrow except for light snow and not getting any worse than that for the weekend.  A follower commented on the amount of snow they had and hoped it didn't all melt quickly and cause flooding.  We don't have that problem at our home but there are areas around us that will be in trouble.

Hope you had a good Valentine's Day,

Blessings,

And the Snow Continues to Fall

I am afraid I don't have anything particularly interesting to share tonight.  We had another heavy snowfall overnight so today everyone in the area has been shovelling.  I had to do the deck and a path for the dog first thing as she was dragging her belly in the drifts.  I need to try and push some of the pile down in front of the one studio window as I can no longer see down the driveway.  Like most people, we are running out of places to put the snow.
Our plow arrived late afternoon to do the driveway but he didn't get as far as the vehicles.  He usually does a good job so we are assuming he just did a quick pass so we would be able to get out and then will be back later to finish.  Unfortunately, I can't move my car.  I was going out this evening and even after shovelling around the vehicle, it still wouldn't move.  Hubby and I will go out tomorrow and  do more shovelling as I really have to get some groceries.  I don't think I am going to be able to get to the town and do a big shopping but if I can get into the village I can take care of the most urgently needed supplies.
I am continuing to work on the red and white quilt in between getting some other odds and ends done.  I should have enough done on it by the end of the week to share a photo,
blessings,

More Nasty Weather

We had another nasty weather day.  It was worse in the south than it was here but I still cancelled the dog's vet appointment again.  We will try again next Wed.  I also cancelled the art group meeting which was scheduled for tomorrow.  A lot of the members have to drive from another community so I didn't feel it was wise to put them through the stress unnecessarily.
I have got quite a bit more done on my red and white quilt.  I have made all the various sections now so I know what size each one needs to be.  It is going to be a really lovely quilt
Nothing else exciting happening.


I have been using this method to make my flying geese and thought you might be able to use the cutting chart.  If you would like to see the instructions, here is the link:

https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/no-waste-flying-geese-for-quilts-2821760

Blessings,

No-Waste Flying Geese Cutting Chart

Finished Size of Geese	1 Large Square	4 Small Squares
1" x 2"	3-1/4" x 3-1/4"	1-7/8" x 1-7/8"
1-1/2" x 3"	4-1/4" x 4-1/4"	2-3/8" x 2-38"
2" x 4"	5-1/4" x 5-1/4"	2-7/8" x 2-7/8"
2-1/2" x 5"	6-1/4" x 6-1/4"	3-3/8" x 3-3/8"
3" x 6	7-1/4" x 7-1/4"	3-7/8" x 3-7/8"
3-1/2" x 7"	8-1/4" x 8-1/4"	4-3/8" x 4-3/8"
4" x 8"	9-1/4" x 9-1/4"	4-7/8" x 4-7/8"
4-1/2" x 9"	10-1/4" x 10-1/4"	5-3/8" x 5-3/8"
5" x 10"	11-1/4" x 11-1/4"	5-7/8" x 5-7/8"
5-1/2" x 11"	12-1/4" x 12-1/4"	6-3/8" x 6-3/8"
6" x 12"	13-1/4" x 13-1/4"	6-7/8" x 6-7/8

Calculate Additional Sizes of Flying Geese

• Add 1-1/4" to the finished width of a Flying Geese unit and cut one square with sides that size.

• Add 7/8" to the finished height of a Flying Geese unit and cut four squares with sides that size.

Forlorn Fur Child.

Wasn't able to get much actual quilting done today as the leak over my sewing table s still dripping.  I didn't want to take a chance of my machine getting wet.  I did sort and organize my Island Batik fabrics-I still have quite a few so will have to come up with a design for them.  I am thinking of something simple but haven't sat down to work out the pattern yet.
I also got started on cutting the fabric for the red and white customer quit.  I am writing down the steps so if anyone wants the pattern, I will have it.
Hubby and I thought we might go grocery shopping today but the wind was really heavy throughout most of it and, combined with the falling snow, it created severe visibility issues.
The lady that looked after Heidi while we were at the hospital for my tests forwarded some photos she took.  Our fur child looks so forlorn but really comfortable sitting on the husband's lap.
The sunset was spectacular this evening.  It was quite red so I hope the saying holds true that there will be a nice day tomorrow.  Do you know that saying comes from the Bible? (Matt. 16: 2,3)
Blessings,

Challenges

Thank you for your good wishes and prayers regarding my tests.  The results showed that I do not have asthma but allergies.  I was advised to take an over the counter medication which I am now doing.  Dear hubby cut a bunch of pills in half and I take one in the morning.  Still having some problems but not as bad as before.  

You will probably not notice most of the changes but Blogger is deleting some of the features that I use.  One of them is comments although I am not sure if that is completely disappearing. If it does,  I hope you will use either my Facebook site or my emails as I really like hearing from you.

Our Heidi was well looked after by a friend and her husband while I was at my appointment.  I think all the special treatment convinced her that she  was top dog.  You can see she still thinks that way.

Some quilting projects just have to be accepted as they are.  The blocks for this top were donated to the Burk's Falls Village Quilter's along with a lot of other fabric and partially constructed tops.  We are using them to make donation quilts.  I took this bundle to assemble and didn't get very far before running into some challenges.  The blocks were part of an exchange (I have the instructions) and it seems that many of the participants didn't follow the instructions.  Instead of having half the blocks the reverse of the others, they nearly all have the four corner and center blocks in dark colours.  I decided to ignore that and just sew them together.  Some are slightly different in size so they had to be left out.  At first, I thought it all looked rather hodge podgy but the overall effect isn't bad.  I need to add some borders and then it will be done.  It might not win a prize but it will keep a child warm.

Blessings, 

Is It Worth It?

It is pouring rain here in the woods.  The day started with freezing rain, turned to drizzle and then became a steady rain.  The temperatures are supposed to drop through the night which will make for interesting road conditions tomorrow.  We have to leave quite early in the morning to get to a hospital north of us for my appointment.  It should be okay when we get to the highway but our back road will no doubt be a challenge.  We will be giving ourselves lots of extra time so there won't be a need to rush.
Wee Heidi will be staying at a friends as it is going to be a long day.  I  have packed her kit and now have to do ours.
All this is one of the conditions of living in the country.  Driving at least  hour to a hospital is the norm.  Is living in an area like this worth the challenges?  You bet.  Every area has draw backs.  Large communities deal with noise and crime which are  lot more serious than putting a few more kilometers on a vehicle.
I am hoping this will be my last test and I will get an answer as to why I have so much trouble breathing-now that is an inconvenience.  I will be there for nearly 3 hours so they should be able to come to some conclusion.
Stay dry and warm.
Blessings,