Hello Blog Friends

 I have been meaning to pop in and do a little post for ages...I would like to keep this blog alive if possible.  Maybe one of these days I will get back to blogging on a regular basis.  

Gus was here for a visit when the above was taken...when it is Copper with him, they are never still long enough for me to get a pic of them together.  They play and play, chasing each other, etc.

Things are still going good, Roger has had no more falls since the last time I posted...and is eating more than he did for a LONG time.

I am still sewing, just not very much.

I don't have room to put any more Boxed Squares on the wall, but probably have close to 200/250 more if I am remembering right.  I stay busy...Copper can be very entertaining.  I have also got them spoiled to wanting me to go outside with them when they go.  Which is fine now...I love sitting outside but winter will be another matter.   My daughter says they don't like to stay out in the cold, so that will work out okay I guess.

That is it for now...hoping to catch up with you in the next few days.

Living the life

 I had a good title for this post because of this pic, but now I cannot remember what it was.  As you can see Copper has it made.

When my daughter came back from taking a shower, this is what she saw.  I told her she was lucky they allow her to sleep in their bed.

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I now have 171 of these  blocks.  Each one is 6 1/2 inches square. I will make a quilt top of them, but just not sure how I will sew them together.    I wish I could stop making them but in times of stress, they are not precision based, can sew and then cut to fit.  They give my mind a rest from everything else.

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Roger is feeling better.  I cannot say he is 100% better, but he is eating more normal, and looks so much better through his eyes.  According to some of the numbers from the labwork, he now has stage 3 kidney disease.  We see a dr. on Thursday.  I am hoping he will repeat the labs because one other time the numbers were bad when he was feeling real bad.  When he got to feeling better, we repeated the labs and the numbers were within the normal range.  

I have had a cold...felt horrible for a while, but have come to the conclusion that I will live...LOL  So far Roger has not showed signs of getting it.  

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The video today is long...it is not funny or heartwarming.  But I found it  interesting. I showed it to Roger and he enjoyed it.  I did not know chainsaws came with blades as long as the one used here for slicing the tree into thick boards.  Whoever thought of doing things this way is a genius...but it does make me think of something Roger would have come up with.   

Finished...

I cannot remember when I first actually started this.  I know it was in February when I got the request to make our granddaughter a 'turtle.'  It had to sit and simmer in my mind...and then I had to sketch it out and decide how to make it.  Lorelei is happy with it.  I have mixed feelings about it...I think that is why it took me so long to finish it.

Edited to add:  This is not full sized quilt.  I did not think to tell but it is a wall hanging.  I am not even sure of the size...around 16 inches wide and maybe 18 inches up long.

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We had a lot of rain/overcast days this past week.  The coming week is supposed to be sunny and bright every day, with temps near 90°F some days.  I look forward to the warm days and sitting on the porch to read a few minutes sometimes.

I saw that my hibisus are both coming up.  I am very relieved.  My red one is much farther along than the pink one.  I really was afraid the pink one was not going to pop up.   I need to pull more weeds, and need to get some tomato plants to go in my pots.  I look forward to have a fresh, home-grown tomato to eat one more time.  

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I have to include a pic of Delta and Copper...they are taking care of Lorelei when she is spending time with her Aunt.  

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I tried to leave a youtube short, but I cannot find a way to link to only mine.  And depending on when I click on the link they provide there are things I just don't like to see at all.  It is a video of the squirrel coming to me.  If I figure it out, I will post it later.

Snow!

Both the above and below were taken late yesterday afternoon.  It did not stop snowing before dark.  I do not know if it stopped at all but I did look outside sometime between 11:00 and midnight and it was snowing pretty hard.  

 

I did not do any shoveling yesterday, though I did clean off the front porch.  You probably cannot tell, but somehow the wind whipped the snow from the back of the porch to the edge and that is a snowdrift on the edge of my porch in the top photo.  Where my steps are.  So I did clean the steps off somewhat.

But I shoveled today.  Not all I need to do, but enough to get back.  From the back to the garage was probably 10 9inches of snow.  But directly behind the garage was only an inch or two.  Out front was probably just 5 or 6 inches.  So got it shoved from the porch to the sidewalk, and the sidewalk out front did so if the mailman comes, he won't have to wade snow up to my door as he must have done at some point yesterday.  

I had mail, but had not seen any tracks...when I went back out there today, I could barely see tracks in front of the porch.  None on the porch or none leading up to the porch.  Just those walking away...and they were barely noticeable.  

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For fun a couple little videos from my daughter.  The first one shows her reaction if you ask if she wants to go to the basement and play.

And the second one is showing her and Delta's love of snow.

Causing trouble...

 So, I took Roger to the Physicians Assistant at the ENT's office to check his ear and remove any wax.  I was not allowed to go back with him, but I told the nurse what he was there for.  He was back there just a few minutes, and out he came.  See that little bitty dome shaped piece.  That was what was in his ear.  I hate to think how long it has been there.

In real life it is  a  bit bigger than a B-B....for those of you have not ever had a B-B gun, B-Bs are not even a quarter inch across.  Anyway this piece is called the dome.  They fit back in his ear and are out of sight when in use.  I can only remember him losing one that we did not find.  My memory is not the best and I hope I have forgotten one.  But thatthe one I remember was over a year ago.  

Anyway, Roger said, "I can hear so much better!"

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This is a pic Lorelei sent me one morning...I am not sure whose lap Rosie is on.  She is sure a loving little dog.

Then my other daughter sent me this pic, along with others of Delta and Copper.  Look how tall and how skinny Copper is.  He is all energy.  

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I have a little feel good story for you.  My windshield wiper messed up a while back...kind of like it was sticking.  Just a bit more than how they do when the window is not good and wet.  Then it seemed to work just fine and I thought well, that was it.

Earlier this week, I had to run to Terre Haute to get the serum for Roger's allergy shots.  On the way there, it really went all goofy.  It was raining...and I almost turned around and came home.  But the sky was beginning to lighten up like the rain was about at an end so I went on, picked it up and came home.  We brought it home cause it has to be refrigerated.  I brought it in to stick in the fridge, and when I went back out, Roger was standing there with the whole wiper blade in his hand.  Not just the rubber insert...he said when he raised the arm, it just fell off.

So off to Napa we went...he went in with me, and told the guy we wanted both wiper blades...he took the old one in.  I had to go to because it is times like when the Napa guy asked what kind of vehicle we had, Roger cannot answer.  So I told him...

I went in there hoping someone would come out and put them on, but I was not going to ask.  We are so short that it is not just an easy job.  Sure enough, he went back and got them and said, let me put them on for you!  He was tall enough till he could reach and do both wipers from one side.   Of course we told him thank you, and that we appreciated it.  And went back in to pay, and he told me they were on sale...I honestly wondered if he was just giving us a sale price because of our age.  

Anyway.  People just do not realize how much little touches of kindness can mean.  If that had been me putting the wipers on, I would have had to get something to stand on, or what I normally do is open the door and stand there on the floor board...for lack of a better word.

A bit of a catch-up

 First I give you grandpup Rosie...Lorelei's little dog.  She just loves her family so much.  Sarah was trying to do some work from home one evening, and could not get any peace till she made Rosie a bed close to her in the office/craft area.

And below is Copper trying to snuggle with Delta.

I think if I were Delta I would be losing my patience.  But she seldom does.

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Roger is still not normal.  He is definitely better than he was for a bit. But wish he could just feel what is normal for him.  

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 Their scent was so strong it smelled up the whole house.  I even wondered was it causing Roger's headache..

I finished this puzzle sometime last week.  It took me forever, but there were days I did not even touch it.  But dark greens are the hardest color for me to work.  

It was one of those with the crazy pieces.  Which normally don't bother me.  But on this puzzle I thought I had lost a piece to the very end.  And we won't mention the time I spent looking and looking for one piece, only to find it UNDER an extra lamp I set on the puzzle for extra light.

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Can you find the car?  I did find it with relative ease.  But have been looking for another photo where I had to have Lorelei find what I was looking for.  I cannot remember where I seen it.  But it was Simon's Cat running with a bunch of Dalmatians.

A Copper update...

I just posted this over on my photo blog.  I am posting it here, too, cause some that visit here do not visit there and those there do not visit here.  And some of you are kind enough to visit both.

Every time I look at this one I smile...be sure and expand the view till you can see his eyes.  He is continually doing something.  Then just has to crash  for a bit.  

This is an edit his mom did of him from the photo below.

And not to leave Delta out..below is an edited photo of her:

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I had to take our Rav in for shocks today...I know they have been needed for at least a month and a half.  Maybe a bit more.  Really needed.  Just had things we were doing that I did not want to take time to get them done.  The appt was at 10:00, but they were a man short.  It was after 1:00 before I got home.  

But let me tell you about this place.  I have left money laying in the car more than once, not a lot.  But still it is always there when I get back in the car.  I did not really plan it...just happened to notice it.  Also, I went in thinking I might need shocks and struts...no, they said I only needed shocks.  They could have easily taken advantage of me.

And the funny thing, there has been twice we had an appt....and one of them we were going through the drive thru first, so was out early.  And the other one we were just leaving a little bit early.  But both times we went out and had a tire going real low and have gone to this place, and they have fixed the flat right away.  And we were able to get to the appts on time.  

It really makes me feel good to know they are honest.

Smile!

 This is on of the latest of Copper and Delta....Copper was just too tired to make it the rest of the way up the stairs.  It makes me want to giggle.  Delta is such a patient girl.  

Here is the other...I don't know what he is looking at.   I don't know why I didn't ask.  But he only has his ears up like that when he is really interested in something.    He went to the vet last Friday.  He weighed 22 lbs around October 18...I think that was the day she got him and she took him to the vet shortly after.  Then last Friday he weighed 45.7 lbs.  He is a growing boy!

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I am slowly trying to get ready for Christmas...the kids will do the cooking except homemade noodles were requested.  

Just thought I would show a couple ornaments.

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I leave you with this little graph that I show every so often.  Usually after a day of hunting for things.  I won't tell what the item was that I thought I must be crazy.  Ends up I had put in the drawer below the one I normally use.

Then I started to get the cards ready for the girls...I could not find them.  I made myself calm down and look again where I thought I had put them.  They had slid behind the books. 

Unexpected mail...

 I have orders coming, and knew the mail was bringing two packages today.   I finally figured what one of them was but the other tracking number did not match any of my order numbers.  Crazy me, I was trying to think what was I forgetting.

So this afternoon, the mail came...and look what the 'Unknown' package was:

It was this devotional by Susan Young.  From 'the lady who used to write my paycheck.'  That is a sort of joke.  Oh, she did write the paycheck.  But I always said that to her husband when he was trying to get me to take 'sides' with him over something.  I always told him I would always choose the person who wrote my paycheck.  Not the exact words...that has been so long ago and so much has happened since, that I don't remember exactly how I said.  

I opened it up and half read first that it was from her, to me, then I scanned the introduction.  And looked at the first page (January 1) and what should be the first verse:

What a verse to start the new year with. 

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 We had so much fun at work...I wonder how many people think of their bosses with such love and fondness.  I seriously doubt there is a week goes by that I don't think of them.  Sometimes daily.  There was love and caring as well as there were funny things that happened.  It is the only place I ever had a stomach ache from laughing so hard.

When it was just me there,  lots of times they would tell of their life when young.  I would give anything if I had came home and written down the stories I heard there.  Mrs. D was raised by her grandparents, and Mr. D's mom and dad had a boarding house and restaurant.  I remember  lots of bits and pieces, but it is not like hearing them talk about them.

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I will leave you with a recent photo my daughter sent me of the pup and Delta.

He is growing like a weed.  How they both fit on the couch is more than I know.  Delta is a big dog...I think she weighs aroud 90 lbs.  I forget what Copper weighs.  But though he is skinny, he is not little.   I get tickled every time I look at this photo. 

Lazing on a Sunday

 It is dark and dreary here in West Central Indiana...I thought while I am not tired I will try to do a little post...

Last weekend we were at our daughter's house...had to be there Friday to be there while a guy was working on her kitchen...I will try to think and download get some pics from that in my next post.

One evening she and I made a run to JoAnn Fabrics...they were having a sale on Christmas fabrics.

The above is something Daughter is making with some of hers.  It is going to be either a small throw or something to use as a table topper or to just hang on the wall.

She is also in the mood to start another quilt using 2 1/2 inch squares of fabric...using all neutrals.  these above are not sewn together.  If they were, it would would only measure 10 1/2 inches x 20 1/2.  It will take a lot to squares make even a twin sized quilt.  

So towards that end, I brought home a bunch of her neutrals and cut a bunch of strips 2 1/2 inch yesterday.  She will do the next step an cut them into squares.

She only wanted one strip from each fabric, or what is equal to a strip. Some were just small pieces that I totally cut up.  I tried to count the different fabrics and to the best of my ability I got 49, but I am thinking I probably missed at least one or two.

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On the fun side, how about a little synchronized chewing?

It is funny, Copper does the same thing of acting like she just has to go out and gets Delta to thinking she has to go out too....then when Delta goes out, she runs and gets her bone or whatever chew toy she had that Copper wants.

That is about it from my little corner of the world.  I hope you are having a great day.

More Copper....

 You would almost think that Delta is his real mom...

She puts up with a lot from him.

And this one made me laugh out loud when my daughter showed it to me...

Furbabies

The kitty is on up on the upper part of the steps...Copper is trying to make friends with her.  Not sure how long it is going to take.

Just have to share the views  my daughter sends...I guess Delta is also teaching him that the landing is a good place to have a view of the surroundings.

and third

Who can resist a face like this?

And now a little video of a puppy  doing what puppies do...it is very short.  But still soooo cute.

It's a boy!

 I would like for you to meet our new Grand Furbaby:

As of right now his name is Copper.  He is a rescue...

Daughter drove to Dayton, Ohio to meet the people to pick him up last night.

Guess what?  He likes to watch TV, too.  We drove over to meet him today.

She sent this after we had been gone about 45 minutes or so.    They were worn out.  

I am so glad she got him....he is an intelligent puppy.  Delta likes him and he likes her.  He does howl...she is going to crate him at night or when she is gone.  And she plans to come home at lunch for a while to check on him, take him out, give him food.

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While dog sitting those two weeks, I got a lot of hexies ready to make 'flowers'....

And actually finished one yesterday.  It is somewhat of a struggle for me to see to hand stitch, but I do like to do it.

That is all for now...have a good week ahead.

Out of my natural element...

 I am at my daughter's house, taking care of Delta while she is away for work.  

Thought I might as well share this short video on here, since I just mentioned her....I had watched The Journey of Natty Gan the night before I tried to watch the above video, Iron Will.  She really enjoyed The Journey of Natty Gan, but it did not hold a candle to this.  I had to turn it off because she got so excited, I was afraid she was going to tear something up.  She would bark and bark, and grab her toy and shake it, then hold it and raise up on the shelf there thinking she could offer it to those huskies and them play with her.  Also along this line, she recognizes animals whether it be real ones, or cartoon ones.  Remember that.

She is so funny.  Daughter house is two stories...she watches the comings and goings of the neighborhood from the window in in her office that looks out to the street.  If something gets out of her sight there, she is up the steps like a flash to get a better view from the upstairs window.  and she knows enough to go from one room that faces one way to the other if they turn a certain way.

My daughters live about 3 miles apart, and when time permits, they walk together.  And most of the time they take Delta.  Sarah said, "Mom she is something else."  She said she never pays attention to other dogs...only if it is a German Shepherd.  

Remember the statement about her recognizing cartoon animals.  They passed one of those 'No dogs doing their business signs'....you know the one I am talking about.  Showing a dog in that position.  Delta seen the sign and ran over and poked it with her nose!

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I had several things to tell about but am having a hard time remembering them.  I thought I would share the above pic from the 29th...this is from the driver's seat as I drove to Crawfordsville.  Being here I had to go a new route, and let me tell you, I sure enjoyed it.  I was so afraid that there would be a lot of traffic on this road, but I doubt I seen over a dozen vehicles on this road.  How I wish I could have captured the farm scenes and the atmosphere.  It was just glorious.

Lots of fields of soy beans have been harvested, as well as some corn...such wide open spaces.  I always think how happy farmers must have been to find this rich soil.  

I would have loved to have stopped and taken some good shots...these are while I drove.  I just sort of glance at my screen and shoot.   I have a whole lot more bad shots than good.  And the 'good' ones could always be better.  Anyway, I could not stop...I had to continue to the dermatologist...and not knowing what all kinds of construction I might run into, I had given myself lots of time.  

I got up there early enough to run into Walmart and pick up a few items, then continued on the doctor.  She took a mole off.  She does not think it is anything, but it was very close to where I had a mole that was skin cancer a few years ago.  I think she did it till I would quit worrying.  And it is not like I worry about it constantly.  Really, just once in a blue moon a second of real dread will pop up.  But am now waiting on the pathology results so I would appreciate prayers for it not to be anything.

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OH!  I know what I wanted to share.  A good feeling story.  The other morn, I took Roger through the drive thru at McDonald's.  I was in the outside lane and had placed our order and was heading on to the pay window.  Well the lady on in the inside lane finished her order and I swear I thought she was going to just hit me.  I stopped, and there was bare enough room for her to go on when the car ahead of us went.  

I told Roger, 'Look at her!  I think she would have run over me if I had gone on!'  He realized it was happening and agreed with me.  But for one I did not even get really aggravated. When the car ahead went on, I just let her go...thought maybe she was running late.

I got to the window, and she had paid for our breakfast, too!  

That is it for this post....I am having a hard time concentrating.  Have not read a single line of a book since being here!  Just hard for me to settle in somehow.

Hope you guys have a good weekend...