Just Two

 There were just two Trick or Treaters who arrived together last night.  The bowl remains full.  

Had I known that there would be no more, their haul would have been spectacular.

My daughter's neighborhood had about 150.  The neighbors get together at the start of their cul de sac with candy for the kids and snacks for themselves.  It's an event.

This morning is unusually quiet.  It's forty degrees.  The dog walkers must be postponing their walks until later. The construction workers the next street over have a day off.  There is little traffic noise from the interstate near by.  No one is up early to mow their yards.  So quiet.

Happy Halloween

 

The rain has moved out, and we're ready for a dry but chilly Halloween tomorrow.  

The big pink Pyrex mixing bowl is full of candy.  I'm always hopeful that this will be the year when lots of kids come to the door.

But the reality is that my street is up a hill, and the kids Trick or Treating below likely look up and say "no thanks," moving on to where there is more reward for less work.

Also, very few kids live in my neighborhood.

The grandkids from next door will show up, the little ones around the corner and at the end of the street.  Maybe another grandkid or two.

Still, I'm hoping for more

Lipstick Salvia

 

I noticed this red plant in my garden today, I think it's called lipstick salvia.  Or at least lipstick something.

I think it's one of the polinator plants, looking attractive even though all the self-respecting butterflies must be on their way to where they go.

It's been a day.  I hemmed a pair of pants for my neighbor's mother, met up with a friend who brought a table runner to be free motion quilted, baked lots of cupcakes for the chili cook-off at church tomorrow, cut up pieces for the next quilt block.

I oiled the bobbin case of my quilter so I'll be ready to do a practice piece, it's been a long time.  That bobbin oiling is always a bit of a challenge because I don't do it often.  t involved the instruction book and a screwdriver.  I quilted on a scrap and things look good.

The YAG laser procedure on my eye Thursday - wasn't.  The doctor took into consideration that we'd cut back the steroid sooner than planned and that it's only been three months since the transplant surgery.  And, my vision is improved, making the laser procedure less of an issue for now.

I was happy enough to walk out the door and not come back for two months.

By then it will be almost Christmas.

Close To the End

 

We're getting toward the end of the Moda Blockheads blocks, with the last on November 12.  There will be 24 total.

My goal in starting this project was to learn to piece more precisely, and I'll meet that goal, plus, bonus, I'll have a quilt top or a couple of wall hangings, depending on how I put things together.

I'm glad, really glad, that I'm doing this, but as it comes to an end, I'm realizing that I'm missing more creative work.  By its nature, making these blocks means carefully following directions for cutting and piecing, with limited fabric colors so everything will hopefully look cohesive.

I'm missing branching off into smaller projects with different colors, pattern adjustments, maybe some art quilting.  Definitely free motion qullting.

In a perfect world, I'd have finished my weekly block each week and gone on to other projects, but my world wasn't that perfect.  Still, I'm not disappointed.  It's been a good journey.

Goals Can Shift

 

This quiche represents my feeling about goals for my day.  Just because they aren't done on the day planned doesn't mean they don't get done.

That doesn't mean that this mushroom/broccoli quiche is delicious, it's only ok.  The recipe didn't call for any spices and I added a minimum of salt, but it wasn't enough.  Next time, salt, pepper, and just a little nutmeg.

But points for lots of veggies and just milk and eggs and cheese, no cream.

Does anyone else not buy milk?  I'm not a milk drinker, I wish I was but it hurts my stomach so I get my dairy other ways.  I use a dry milk powder when I need milk for recipes, which is often.  Milk in cooking or baking is ok.

I'm pretty excited, no getting up and out the door early for two days.  That feels really good.  Last weekend I was too sore to enjoy it, and I'm hoping this one will be better.

Not Getting Things Done

 

This comforter, knotted at church, was bigger than usual, with a pattern that required more knots than usual, and we didn't get done.  We can finish it another day.

And that's been the story of my life recently.  I'm finding that the early morning rehab sessions, helpful as they are, take a chunk out of my morning.  An hour there, plus the hour and a half total commute, make a difference.

Just writing that out helps me realize why.  I've been thinking in terms of the hour session but not considering the commute time.  I'm not sure how long this will last, I should have paid better attention.

Yesterday my daughter brought me two big pumpkins.  She said she had to dig way deep into the bin to get pumpkins with stems.  I'm glad she did.

I've been having internet connection problems again, not with my internet provider but with my laptop.  I'm hoping this latest fix does the trick.

Catch Up

 

Two more blocks finished.  I'd been waiting to use the Christmas tree fabric for a block that could use this directional fabric.

This morning was my first pulmonary rehab day.  We worked on warm-up exercises, with cardio coming on Wednesday.  I wasn't sure about the 8:15 start time but I found that I enjoyed the drive down my town's main street and across one of the bridges.  I thought there might only be a few people there at that early hour, but I was wrong.

Maybe the structure and being out early in the day three times a week will be good for me.  Maybe not.  

There would have been a time when I'd reward myself on the way home by stopping at the Reading Road Graeter's for a donut, but those days are over.  That location is where the baking and ice cream magic happen.

This afternoon was the dentist, the first time I'd been in a couple of years.  I know, I know, but I was busy recovering from the other unplanned medical things.  And now I'll need scaling and gum treatment.  Maybe that's better than cavities, we'll see.

There is an excellent chance of rain tonight and tomorrow, and that would be welcome.  High's in the upper 70's, so fall may be here.

I shopped for a mum for a friend who had oral surgery last week and left it on her door step.  I'm not always a big fan of mums, but they are so pretty this year.