Hoping For A Sunny Day

If I can fit it in the trunk with everything else I'm bringing, I'll take my laptop on my trip. Then I won't have so much mail to answer when I return home. I'll do my blog every day as well. My suitcase is in the trunk along with many other items. My sister-in-law just called and told me to bring my bathing suit with me so that I can go to water aerobics with her twice this week. That'll be fun. I'm looking forward to it.
The weather is threatening to be snowy north of us. After speaking to my brother, he said that there may be snow when we go through the mountains near them. I'm praying that the sun shines brightly instead. I don't like to drive in snow. If there is snow, I'll suggest that we stop and consider taking two days for the trip instead of one.

A Family Visit

Today went quickly as do most days. There is always something to be done. I went food shopping and picked up some items to take on a car trip this week. I've done laundry, and attended to some things which Mom needed done. Tomorrow she has a doctor appointment. After that, I may go to a local craft store to pick up something for my great nephews. They like art. So, maybe I'll find something I can bring down to them that they will enjoy doing. When I go to visit I will bring Kathie's quilt so that I can tack the binding down on the back of the quilt. It'll be ready to give as a gift when that is done. I'm hoping that without the interference of Sandy and Coco, I'll get the entire thing done this week. I've decided to give two Christmas dolls to my great niece. She can have a tea party with them and use the tea set I am bringing for her. I'm hoping that we can introduce her to "tea parties" while we're down there. I'm bringing scone mixes so we can indulge in them at our party. I look forward to a nice visit.

Golf

We played 18 holes of golf today. We started our day later because it is colder out and there was frost on the grass. We were playing the first hole at 11:00am. It was a great day for golf. It was chilly when we started but by the time we were done, it had warmed up nicely. We went for pizza afterwards. I needed to remove my sweat shirt because I was too hot with the 3 layers on by that time.
Don't let any one tell you that golf is not a sport which gives one a lot of exercise. I had a good workout today by walking and swinging the golf club. It was a lot of fun to be with these 2 friends also because we laugh. You know what they've always said, "Laughter is the best medicine." I might add, whether you're sick or not. We like to laugh. It feels so good and the effects last so long. It's a mood enhancer. The healthiest kind, and it's free and has no negative side effects.

Not Sandy's Day

Poor Sandy, he's at his wits end, so to speak. Coco won't let him alone when he's sitting on my lap. She's jealous. Whose idea was it to get a companion for Sandy? Several well meaning people, actually. Sandy doesn't know what happened to his world or Who this intruder is and why she's still here. I try to keep her at bay when I'm holding Sandy, but she is very insistent that she'll be held also. She bites, nothing serious, doesn't break the skin, thank goodness. He went somewhere to be alone. She's sitting across the room right now. I hope her behavior improves as she gets older.

Home Again

Home again. It's always nice to come home. I met two very nice ladies while waiting for my turn for the MRI. One gave me her card. She is a breast cancer survivor and offered to give me a ride if I ever need a MRI core biopsy. She has had one. The two ladies were waiting for a third friend who was having a procedure done. She is also a breast cancer survivor. I'm hoping and praying that everything is normal with the results of the test. They wished me well. One can't hear that enough.
The ride home was very pleasant since the trees along the highway are so beautiful and colorful. It's warmed up more than they predicted it would. The sun is shining and all is right with my world. Sandy and Coco have come alive since I've returned. I'm hoping that after they play for awhile, they'll go back to napping. I may join them while I listen to light classical music playing in the background.

The Saga of Coco and Sandy

Coco continues to torment Sandy. He's been so good with her! She won't let him near me. She runs around like a "nut" when I first come in the house or when I first arise for the day. She's cute but naughty. Yet, she can be sweet when she wants to be which doesn't happen too often.
Yesterday I went to a birthday party. When I arrived home they were both sleeping in a wing chair. I like to think that they behaved that way the whole time I was gone. I'll never know unless I put in cameras.
Today I'll go out for the Sunday papers. In the early afternoon I need to go to the hospital for an MRI. I hope that I remember to bring my film with me. I'll get home later in the afternoon and will have a chance to rest and to read the papers. That may not be an easy thing to do. I'm sure that Coco will want to be on my lap when I open up the paper. Sandy use to always sit on the newspaper when I was reading it. You can't get too much reading done that way. At any rate, it'll be good to be back home. After all, Sunday is a day of rest. Thank goodness we get one.

A Visit To The Quilt Shop

This morning I visited the quilt shop and bought some material to make the 2 quilt blocks for the quild. One will be due in November, the other is due in December. I chose the material on my own. The gal who cut it said that she liked the combination of colors I chose. That was enough to convince me that the block will appeal to someone. I only needed 3 colors for the second block. I chose what the directions said to choose, a rusty brick color, a tone on tone green and an off white. I hope that the other members don't choose dull colors for the last block. The sample they showed us was so drab. I wouldn't want to work on something that dull. Of course, I'd have to win the blocks first. I'd like to win a set of blocks sometime this year. Only, I hope it's a block I like and enjoyed working on. I also hope that the colors appeal to me. I seem to win things when I least expect to win. When I'm hoping I'll win, I never do. I guess I'd better just do the block each month and hand them in with no expectations.

The Colors of Fall

Aren't they beautiful, the colors of Autumn? Greens, reds, oranges, and yellows adorn the trees I see as I drive down the street. This season is my favorite. I love the beauty that nature surrounds us with, and the cooler, crisper air that we breathe and feel all around us. It's a time to dig out the warm, comfy sweaters which I've collected over the years. Today's sweater was a burgandy colored sweater. It fell below my knees. I needed it when I went out early this morning, but as the day warmed up, it was not necessary any more. That's what makes early autumn nice, it's cool in the morning, but the sun warms us up by the afternoon. Later in the fall season, we'll be donning winter coats in the morning and peeling down to sweaters by the afternooon. Just before the return of winter we'll be in full winter regalia, coats, gloves, hats, scarves and perhaps a sweater underneath to keep out the chill which will be in the air. There's something nice about the winter season also. My only complaint is that it lasts too long. Winter weather and winter temperatures don't actually end by the first day of spring, cheating that season a bit. Until then, when I begin to complain about the cold, I'll enjoy Autumn with it's vibrant colors and moderate temperatures. The promise of the holidays to come makes this time of the year exciting!

A Day Of My Own

I consider Saturday to be a red letter day this week. It's a day with no obligations, a day of my own. I may quilt at home. I may visit my favorite quilt shop and get some material for the next two month's "Block of the month" blocks. In any case, the day will be "special" because it's a free day. Later that day, in the late afternoon/ early evening, I will attend a birthday party. I'm looking forward to seeing some friends who I haven't seen in awhile. Since this event is later in the 24 hour day, near evening, I will still be able to get some quilting done.

A Quick Day

The Quilt Guild Meeting today was very interesting. We had a guest who showed us "Quilts From Around The World" with a slide presentation. She also had some of her personal quilts to show us. They were beautiful. She is a lecturer and an author. I purchased 2 of her quilt books which she signed for me. I hope to make one of the Fairy Quilts for my great niece some day.
After the meeting I had to go to the hospital to pick up my film for an MRI this weekend. After that I went to the bookstore to pick up a book which goes with the theme of the quilt I am making for a gift. I will present the book with a note about the quilt and announce it's arrival for a later date.

Alone and Well Behaved

Mom is home. We got her there at about 11:30am. I got her lunch, unpacked her suitcast and got her mail. I left a couple of hours later and arrived home at about 3:20pm. Both Sandy and Coco were sleeping peacefully on the wing chairs when I walked into the house. No damage was done while I was gone. That was a relief. I had closed the bedroom doors so they only had access to the living area. I'm glad that they behaved while I was gone. Sandy had always done so and I wasn't sure how the addition of Coco into the mix would work. I opened the doors and windows upon my arrival home. We enjoyed the fresh air all afternoon. When Coco decided to climb the screen door, I closed the door for the day. She had resisted doing that for most of the afternoon. She must think that she lives in a big box which she can climb out of if she goes high enough. We do live in a box but it has a roof. Thank goodness!

Change In Plans

Today was a wasted day because I had to cancel my plans and stay at home. I was sick. Luckily, I feel better now. I did get some of my sewing done the other day. Mom is still with me. Hopefully, we'll get her back home tomorrow.

Another Quilt Goes To The Quilter

The quilt which I am giving to a friends grandson is on it's way to be quilted. I doubt that it'll be done for the day I need it to be done. Isn't that always the way? It can be used on a bed or be used as a wall hanging. It's blues and lime greens with other little touches of color. I hope that they like it. I do. I'll give a card with another small gift announcing the arrival of the quilt in a couple of weeks. Now I can concentrate on putting the bindings on the other two quilts which are all quilted. Then I start on my sister's quilt which I hope to have done by Christmas. I'll give the top to her on Christmas and then take it back and send it to the quilter after the holiday. She's waited this long for it, I'm sure she won't mind waiting a bit longer. Quilting is fun, especially when you see the finished project and how nicely it turned out. I have several waiting in the wings to be sewn and then quilted. I'm hoping that down the road a piece, I can quilt them by machine myself.

A Quiet Weekend

Today my sister came over for a visit. Mom is still here. We had a nice chat and ate supper together. The kitten has settled down a bit and Sandy is still adapting. I made arrangements to play golf after the retiree breakfast on Wednesday. Tomorrow I take Mom for her physical and take the kitten for her next shot. I'm going to ask the Vet to trim her nails. They're definetly like weapons when she kneads me. The usual weekend chore of laundry has been done. I'm hoping that I can get some quilting done this week. The weather promises to be lovely. I can't put the shorts away yet. Maybe in another week.

Sibling Rivalry

The two cats are becoming more tolerant of each other. They are however, jealous of one another. I was holding the kitten on my lap and the 5 yr. old also jumped into my lap. He is so huge that there was barely room for him. Yesterday while I was holding Sandy, Coco came over to see what she was missing. They were also chasing each other down the hall earlier tonight. I know they'll "work it out" and become good companions for each other. Waiting until that happens is the hard part.

The Quilt Group

Our quilt group met tonight. I was able to trim each of the two quilts which I had quilted. Perhaps tomorrow I can cut the binding for one or the other. Then when I get the chance I'll sew the binding on and tack it on the back of the quilt. I also have to make 2 labels for the quilts. I spent the last part of our meeting perusing a new quilt magazine which I received for December. There are always so many beautiful quilts in these magazines. One would love to make one of each of them.

A Beautiful Fall Day

Golf went well on Tuesday. I played 10 holes and putted a couple more. None of us played the whole 18 because C. had to get back to let the dog out. C. invited us over for lunch which we enjoyed. While we sat there and talked, the dog untied our shoe laces. I've never seen a dog do that before. He was very friendly. Our friend didn't own the dog, she was dog sitting for a neighbor who was having surgery. So we all had a good laugh at the dog's "talent".
Today I brought Mom back for a visit. She needs a flu shot. We had an interesting day of conversation and laughter. Who or what were we laughing at? Coco, the new kitten. She's very entertaining.

Golf Again

Tomorrow my friends and I will play golf again. We'll be starting at 10:00 am instead of 9:00am this time in the hope that the dew will be gone from the grass when we are ready to tee off. It'll be cool in the morning but should get warmer by the time we finish playing. I hope that I show some improvement over the last time we played. Relaxing while I'm playing is the key for me. I like playing with these friends because they're not so serious about the game that you can't laugh at yourself . If we want to skip a hole, we do. If we want to lift the ball out of the sand trap we can. Two of us don't even keep score. Why? You ask. Because we are learning and we don't have to enter any tournaments. We play for fun, exercise and to be outside in the fall air. Hope there's no one behind us. If there is we'll let them play through. Life is short! Don't rush me on the golf course. I'd like to be able to converse with my friends about the shots we take etc. After the game the last time, we had lunch at a local restaurant. I hope we'll do that again. I'm looking forward to a great time!!

Laptop Back

For the past hour and a half I have been sitting here "playing" with the laptop in order to see if I can get it to work again. I'm not sure how I did it, but it IS back. The manual was helpful. It gave me a couple of ideas for "playing". I'm very thankful that I don't have to pay to have the problem solved. Who has money for that at a time like we're living in now? It would be unacceptable to have this repaired since I still have a desktop I can use. I would have just had to learn to live without my laptop. I like the comfort that has been returned to me as I spend the evening watching CNN and doing computer work at the same time. Oh, yes! Sitting in my recliner with my feet up.

Without A Laptop

My laptop computer died last night. Now I'll have to spend some time and money to get it working again. I'm not quite sure what has happened. Hopefully, it won't require "major surgery" and won't be too expensive to fix. What an inconvenience! In the evening I like to use it while I watch the news or listen to music. It's so perfect for using while sitting in a comfortable chair and having your feet up. I guess I'll have to give that pleasure up for awhile. Unfortunately, it's going to be a few days before I can get it taken care of. You see, my calendar is full and I wasn't planning on this.

Another Day With Coco

Sandy has learned to live with Coco. At this point, he is tolerating her. Although he is much larger than she, Coco taunts him. Some day he'll send her flying and hopefully, she'll get over her teasing. She doesn't let him get near me when she's around. So, right now, she's tucked in for the night in the master bath and he has the whole living area to himself. She's a happy little thing and very frisky! She's beginning to learn what she's not allowed to do. Hopefully, this won't take too much longer and I'll be able to leave her out in the living area when I'm not here. I'm not taking any chances yet.

Autumn's Delightful

Today was an overcast, typical late fall day. It was cooler than I expected it to be. Not ready for what looks like November yet. I went grocery shopping this morning. When I got home I played with Coco. It has been a restful day. I didn't accomplish very much. Every now and then I need a day like that. I got out some fall decorations, a Jack-O-Lantern which has a bulb inside it and doesn't require a candle, a wreath of fall colored leaves which I hung on the fireplace, and a wooden jack-o-lantern with a welcome sign which I hung on the front door. I also have a large bowl filled with apples and tiny pumpkins on the dining room table. I bought Halloween cards for my great niece and nephews which I'll send some time next week. I do love the fall season, but I prefer crisp days with the sun shining, not overcast days which threaten to rain.
Tomorrow I've promised myself that I will go hit a small bucket of golf balls at the driving range. First, I'll go to church where I'll be the lector for the mass. I'll stop for the Sunday papers afterward. I will change the sheets and put the down comforter back on the bed. After lunch I'll go out to the driving range. When I return home I'll catch up on some laundry. The sewing room needs attention, but I'll get to that some day next week. When that's accomplished, I'll start the bindings for the 2 finished quilts. My Monday and Tuesday are full on my calendar, Wednesday morning is planned with a ? mark. Thursday and Friday will be free. On Friday night, we play Pinchle again. Hopefully, G. will join us this time. Sometime in the next few weeks I have to read "Age of Innocence" by Edith Wharton. We plan to discuss this book when we get together in November, when we visit a former colleague who lives in DE. I've seen and enjoyed the movie. I'm sure I'll enjoy the book as well. That's all for now, here's hoping for more fun filled days ahead.

Sandy And Coco

It's time to go to bed. I'm wide awake so I know I won't be able to sleep. Sandy is asleep on the couch and Coco is tucked away in the master bath. Sandy couldn't stand the lack of attention he was getting today. He started to cry around 8pm. I decided to put Coco in for the night and give Sandy some time. He sat on my lap for awhile and I petted him on the head. When he was satisfied that I still loved him, he got down and went to take a nap. He's getting to the point where he sits and watches Coco. He will come closer now than he had been coming, but will always turn and walk away. He watched her play earlier today. He's adjusting slowly. I'll be glad when I don't have to lock Coco up when I'm away. Right now she's too young and I can't tell what she'd get into while I'm not here.

What To Do In November!

For the past several hours I've been listening to the cable news programs discussing the Vice Presidential debate which took place last night. Frankly, I'm tired of hearing about it. I did watch the debate. I stayed awake through the whole thing unlike the evening I watched the Presidential debate last week. The two participants of this VP debate weren't boring and had personality. They related to real people. That being said, I must say that I have confidence that Joe Biden could take over as President if need be. I don't have the same confidence in Sarah Palin. She is personable, and I'm sure intelligent, but she doesn't seem to know much. I think that she's out of her league! Go back to being the governor of Alaska. Read, study hard. Come back again in about 8 years from now. I think that John McCain made a mistake in choosing her as a running mate. I can't vote for John McCain and I don't want to vote for Baruck Obama. Can I write in "Do Over"? I don't like our choices. Hopefully, whoever gets elected will only serve for four years so we can try the process over again. I've never not voted in a presidential election. I really don't know what to do.
I guess I'll make my decision as I walk into the voting booth. I won't let anyone know my choice either because no matter who it is, I'll be ashamed that I actually voted for him.

Quilt Blocks Are Done

Thanks to a good friend and fellow quilter, I have completed the 4 quilt blocks which are due for the guild meeting in 2 weeks. We met together this morning and did the blocks. It's so much more fun to do your "homework" with someone else incase you need help.
I went down to Mom's afterward and returned home at about 3pm. Coco is walking all over me as I type, and Sandy is nearby. He's getting braver about being with Coco, but he's still distant. I wish he'd get over it!

Quilts And Tea

Today was a fun filled day. I picked up two of my quilts from the quilter. I was pleasantly surprised that they were both ready for me. They look great. All I have to do is put the binding on each and they'll be ready to be given to the designated recipient.
I met the Red Hat group at a tea room this afternoon. We had a nice lunch and good conversation. Before I left the tea room I bought my great niece a plastic tea set which she can play with whenever she pleases. I'm reserving the china set for when she gets a little bit older. I know which one I'll purchase for her but since I won't be there to teach her how to care for it, I've decided to wait about 2 or 3 years before I give it to her.
Tomorrow is a busy day. After meeting with friends in the morning, I'll be going down to Mom's in the afternoon. I won't stay over because I don't want to leave Coco and Sandy at home alone. Therefore, Saturday will be a "free" day for me. I don't have any obligations at this time. On Sunday I will be the Lector for one of the masses at my church. The rest of that day is "free" also. I'm thinking of a few things I can do in relation to my hobbies, but nothing is set in stone. I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.

My Nothing Much Day

Today went quickly, as do most days recently. I was able to get my hair done and also get a pedicure. This will be the last pedicure until sandal season again next spring. Since I didn't get a good night's sleep last night, I didn't have the energy to do everything else I had planned to do.
Tomorrow I will have lunch with the Red Hat group. I will also pick up my finished quilt. After lunch I may go to the grocery store. That will eliminate one thing to do this weekend. Then maybe I'll be able to go to the driving range this weekend. If I can do that I may do better next week when I play golf again.