Wednesday, August 17, 2022

Busy Days

Scrappy Nine-Patch Blocks

Sunday night, I couldn't fall asleep until past 6:00 a.m., then, I slept and woke up at 9:00 a.m. feeling wide awake!  I thought I might have a nap in the afternoon, but, I didn't!  I did a load of laundry and dusted the living room and parts of the dining room.  I couldn't dust the dining table because it was full of my fabric scraps!  Once the laundry and dusting was done, however, I was able to relax and spend the whole afternoon sewing!  I sewed all the 3.5 inch squares to make scrappy nine-patch blocks.  I made 24 blocks.  They are not enough for a quilt top, of course, but, I wanted to do some sewing as I was getting tired of just cutting out squares. 

Later in the evening, I cleaned the litter box, took all the trash cans to the curb for pick up in the morning, and watered the garden.  It was 8:00 p.m. by the time I finished watering and it was starting to get dark.  After I came inside, I chatted with friend R, cooked a dhal curry and warmed up a packet of frozen chicken curry to have for dinner, with rice, and zucchini.  Then, video chatted with my daughter.

I felt a little pensive on Monday, because it was one of those days that I call "anniversaries of the heart" - an anniversary of a day that is special to me for various reasons because something happened or I did something which changed the course of my life.  On those days, I tend to ponder, what would have happened if such and such an event didn't take place or if I had made different choices, etc.  Those questions don't have any answers, of course, because the said events did take place or I made the choices I made.  There is no going back from that point in time; there is only going forward.  I know that none of this makes any sense to anyone reading this, but, August is full of those life changing anniversaries of the heart for me - it was in August that I left my country of birth, back in 1973; it was in August that I arrived in the US, in 1974, it was in August that my daughter left home to do her graduate studies in 2014 and I became an "empty nester", it was in August 2015 that I had to have follow-up scans and a more focused mammogram when an earlier routine mammogram detected an abnormality, which led to the biopsy (in September) which confirmed the breast cancer, and resulted in the lumpectomy (in October) and chemo treatments (starting in December) and so on.  

I had no problems falling asleep on Monday night (well, it was Tuesday morning by the time I got to bed).  I brought the trash cans in and checked on Mama Cat in the morning, giving her more fresh water and dry cat food.  I moved the bowl closer to her hiding spot because she was not coming to eat by the front door any more and a possum was eating all her food!  I was wearing a long white skirt when I went outside and I didn't realize it at the time, but, a little unwelcomed guest had hitched a ride on my skirt!  I was seated on the sofa, when I noticed a black speck on my skirt.  I touched it thinking it was a bit of dirt, meaning to brush it off, and the black speck jumped!  Oh, no!  I pulled out the sheets I use on the sofas as dust sheets, did a load of laundry, covered the sofa with other sheets, and sprayed the sofa with flea spray!

In the afternoon, I replied to blog comments, read and commented on a few blogs, and ironed all the patchwork pieces I had sewn on Monday.  I also chatted on the phone with friend A, with Aunt C, and with neighbor T's daughter K who informed me that her mother has completed the number of days she's allowed to be in the convalescent home under Medicare and because she is not yet able to live at home on her own, she will be going to an assisted living facility, as of Wednesday.  K was mostly calling me to inform me that her brother, who lives out of state, will be visiting and staying at the house, just in case I notice his truck parked in the driveway and wondered who was living next door while T is away!  

In the evening, I checked on Mama Cat, again (she had enough water and food and didn't need any more), spent 10 minutes walking up and down the drive way, and brought in the mail.  This time, I checked my skirt before I came inside, brushed off whatever specks I could see, and immediately afterwards, took the skirt off (I was wearing a pair of shorts, under it) and rinsed it off at the bathroom sink and hung it up to drip dry in the bath tub!  M will be returning from his week of vacation on Wednesday and I will ask him to spray for fleas in the front yard, again!  

Later, I chatted with friend R and video chatted with my daughter.

Brunch was a salad (lettuce, carrots, sliced zucchini, part of an apple); dinner was rice, chicken curry, dhal, and zucchini chutney followed by the rest of the apple.  I snacked on some roasted peanuts when I had my cup of tea in the evening

I am grateful for:
- Working appliances
- Electricity to run them
- Flea spray!
- Chats with family and friends
- Having food to eat

My joyful activity was playing with fabric.  

Wednesday's To Do List:
- Have M set up the window a/c unit in my bedroom
- Have M spray the garden with flea spray
- Vacuum

Speaking of fabric, this is a photo of my scrap fabric stash from August 2015:

Scrap Stash August 2015

There's that green basket, again!  Filled to the brim!  And those stacks of small squares in the foreground when to make this quilt:

Nine Patch/Irish Chain Quilt


I wrote about it here.  The finished quilt was gifted to friend A's younger daughter.  The quality of the photo is not good because I used to take photos with my laptop as my old flip phone couldn't take pictures!  

So the question is, am I going to make another Irish chain quilt with my current nine-patch blocks?  We'll have to wait and see, won't we?

Hope you have a lovely day on Wednesday!

Edited to change the date my daughter left home to 2014, not 2914!

38 comments:

  1. Another upcoming family issue has just moved "quilting" further down my "retirement-to-do-list"!

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    1. Oh, I hope it is a happy issue! Maybe the arrival of the newest grandchild?

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  2. Oh yes anniversaries of the heart are ones that we don't even need a calendar to tell us what day it is. What a brave & large decision it was to leave your country of birth & adventure out to the unknown. There is a both I read "The Midnight Library" in which the theme is a young lady on her death bed gets to pull out a chapter of her life & re-do it making some changes which of course changes the story of her life ... it was an interesting conception to think if we could just change one thing, how would life be.

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    1. Sometimes, we do things without knowing quite what we are doing, hoping that it will work out well or we will make it work! Things seemed to be more of an adventure, back then, maybe because I was so much younger. I had a "can do" attitude back then; it has since turned into a "can't/don't want to do" attitude, more recently. Yes, it would be interesting to think about what we'd do differently, if we had the opportunity to do so!

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    2. This was me ... yesterday Blogger did not want to recognize me ... bad blogger!

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    3. Oh, I wondered who it was! Blogger has been reluctant to recognize quite a few people, recently! Or, maybe it thought that you should spend your birthday focusing on yourself and not visiting blogs! :D

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  3. August does have a lot of things for you to ponder. I'm guessing that those had something to do with you not going to sleep until 6 am. Sending hugs your way.

    I like the Irish quilt pattern.

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    1. Thank you for the hugs, June. They are much appreciated. :)

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  4. Ah, fleas! I am sure they have a purpose but I have no idea what it is.
    I woke this morning at 5:30 and could not go back to sleep. If I go to bed before 2 it happens pretty regularly.

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    1. Fleas, along with roaches and the Covid virus will probably outlast us all!
      Well, at least you got to see the sunrise. I woke up at 7:00 a.m., after going to sleep at 4:00 a.m., and had breakfast, and went back to bed! LOL! My sleep patterns are non-existent at the moment!

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    2. Oh, yes, ants, too! I have them, here, too!

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  5. The nine patch/Irish chain quilt is beautiful. Do you do the quilting stitches by hand?

    Is Mama Cat the last of the outdoor cats or are there still some of the babies around? I hope she's okay if she hasn't been eating her food.

    Is T's move to an assisted living facility going to be permanent or are they still expecting her to be able to return home? I can't remember when she had her fall but think it was quite a while ago now.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen; I prefer to tie the quilts rather than quilt them, but, yes, when I do quilt, I generally hand quilt. I've tried machine quilting once or twice, mostly with baby quilts, but, I don't do it too well,
      Mama Cat is the last of the outdoor cats. She might not be feeling too well, because she is hiding under bushes, these day. I moved her food and water bowls closer to her new hiding spot, this morning, and I noticed she came out of her hiding spot to drink some water. I don't know if she ate or not.
      It's been 3 weeks since T fell (July 26); according to her daughter, the move to the assisted living facility is temporary until she regains the degree of mobility she will require to live on her own. Her daughter said they are renting the room at the facility on a monthly basis for now.

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  6. Such a lot of anniversaries with such strong emotions. Sending hugs.

    It sounds like Mama Cat misses her friend. She is lucky that you are looking out for her.

    When we had a flea invasion in the house, we plugged in a plug in night light and put a saucer of water with a few drops of dish soap in and we got rid of a surprising amount that way, even without sprays.

    Also, your ability to quilt is amazing.

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    1. Thank you, Lyssa.
      Mama Cat is old and probably nearing the end of her life. I will continue to provide her with food and water and check on her; maybe she'll spring back!
      Oh, I will try that saucer of water with dish soap trick! It's not quite an invasion, yet, but, I don't want to be bringing them in with me from the garden! I've asked M to spray around the back and front doorways.
      I enjoy doing patchwork. I don't like the quilting part of it as much. :)

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    2. The saucer has to be under or next to a low light. The outlet for the nightlight was only an inch or so off the floor. But it really helped us.

      Quilting looks hard.

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    3. Thank you, Lyssa. I wish I'd known that a few years ago when we did have a flea infestation inside the house! Right now, it's just the odd flea that comes in from outside when I go out to the garden. I am determined that it will not get to an infestation stage!
      Quilting - the actual stitching, is tedious; I much prefer the patchwork piecing part of it! Once the top is sewn, I usually tie the quilt or do minimal hand quilting. :)

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  7. Well you have certainly made a dent in the stash in the years since 2015! The Irish chain quilt is lovely. (I thought I had seen it before but when I clicked back on your link there was no comment from me so maybe I am thinking of a different quilt you made ... I still need to resume reading your back posts!) I can't wait to see what you make with the latest set sof 9 squares - whatever it is, I am sure it will be beautiful.

    I completely understand what you mean about anniversaries of the heart. I often remember stuff from the past on certain dates, for example events or birthdays of people I no longer see, or who have passed on. Sometimes it makes me feel melancholy, but not necessarily - sometimes it is nice just to note the significance of the occasion, and maybe raise a glass to days or people gone by, and silently wish them well. It sounds as if August has the potential to be quite poignant for you, as it holds so many significant dates.

    Oh gosh, hope M is able to put paid to the flea invasion soonest! You don't want an infestation, specially with poor old Dancer living there!

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    1. I have made a dent in the stash, haven't I? :) Maybe the Irish chain quilt was one you read but didn't comment on. :)
      August does hold many significant dates for me; I think I will do as you say and raise a glass to past events! Maybe I'll play that song by the Beatles about places and people we remember and sing along! :D
      Well, M sprayed both the front and back, today and hopefully, that will help. Dancer gets his monthly flea prevention medications, although he doesn't like it and makes his displeasure known! :D

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    2. Possibly, but I doubt it unless this quilt featured on more than one post, and I'd already commented on it elsewhere. I can't imagine that I would have ignored it.
      I hope you enjoyed your toast, with or without Beatles soundtrack!

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    3. You had commented on it on my August 31, 2015 post, where I had shown the placement of the pieces. :) You liked it then, too! :D

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    4. Looks as if I didn't get as far as seeing it finished then...

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  8. My goodness, you managed well on so little sleep, but I've had nights with only a few hours and still been fine in the day. The sleep you got must have been quality sleep!
    There is something homey and comforting about scrap quilts. I love the planned quilts but the others are the ones that are asking to be curled up under (or on top if you are a Dancer type)
    That was good of K to let you know about her brother's visit or you might have been quite concerned to see a man and a truck there.
    Too bad about the flea hitchhiker. At least you could see it on the white fabric.
    We had a little rain in the night or early morning, as I found a fair amount of water on the patio table. The morning has been sunny and I was able to hang the sheets outside.

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    1. I seem to function OK without a lot of sleep, although it's not good for me, in the long run.
      The majority of my quilts have been scrap quilts. I do buy fabric as and when I find a good sale, but, they are rarely bought specifically for a particular quilt.
      Yes, I was glad that K warned me that her brother will be at the house over the next few days. She also informed me that a friend's daughter will be storing some of her furniture in T's garage, later this month and not to worry if I happen to see someone moving furniture into the garage! LOL.
      I'm keeping an eye out for hitch hikers! I wore a printed skirt, today, and I didn't notice anything, but, I made sure to shake it out in the sink as soon as I came inside (didn't find anything!)
      M has since sprayed the yard and hopefully, that will help.
      I'm glad you had a little rain during the night/early morning and the morning has been sunny. Hope the rest of the day was sunny, too. :)

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  9. I think I understand your pondering past choices and anniversaries. I sometimes think about what would my life be like now if I'd made a few different choices that I realize were pivot points in my life. For some I didn't realize at the time how critical the decision would be, for others I did. Only one do I think was a poor, though not really bad and it's worked out ok. I hope you feel positive about your "anniversaries".
    The quilt is lovely.

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    1. Yes, I, too, wonder how things might have been if I had made different choices. What if I had chosen not to apply for that scholarship to go to the university in Wisconsin? I didn't even know where Wisconsin was! LOL. What if my mother had refused to let me venture off on my own? I guess the important thing is we made the choices we did and it's really quite useless second guessing ourselves so many years later, but, every now and then, I do wonder, why Green Bay, Wisconsin? :D I did love my time there and I went back for my Masters. At one time, I thought I'd like to go back there when I retired, but, I don't think I'd be able to handle those winters, now. :D
      Thank you, Celie.

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  10. Lovely quilting projects.

    I know what you mean about 'those days'. I've been having a lot of them lately. I'm struggling. I know it will get better, but it's still hard

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  11. Your post reminded me the day I left SL and came to the US in August. It's been 21 years!
    I too sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had/had not made certain choices in my life.

    Your Irish chain quilt is lovely.

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    1. It does make you wonder, doesn't it? It'll be 49 years since I left SL and 48 years since I arrived in the US! I told the monks at the Temple that when I listened to some of the speeches people were making during the "aragalaya" demonstrations, I couldn't understand some of what they were saying, because it's been so long since I've heard people using the more formal oratory Sinhala.
      Thank you, Nil. :)

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  12. I think we all have those "what if" wondering times. Mine haven't really been tied to specific dates as much as brought on my current events. Luckily, I don't have too many decisions that I have to look back on with regret. So far, I have gotten most of the big ones right and I take none of the credit for that. I do feel as God has blessed me many times over. But he probably wonders how I manage to mess up so many of the little decisions.

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    1. I think that, as long as we get the big ones right, the little ones will sort themselves out! :)

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  13. Seems I lost my beginnings of a reply so if this comes through twice, my apologies.
    You had a very busy day for only getting 3 hours sleep!
    It's interesting how many of your life's important events (at the time and in retrospect) all happened in August. I'm sure your mind is full of memories and thoughts. Hopefully you are happy and at peace with your life's journey thus far and looking forward to the path ahead.

    I like that 2015 pile of fabric! lol
    The nine patch quilt you made is very pretty. I love all quilts but am always drawn to the ones with more white.

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    1. This is the only one that showed in my comments box, Debra, other than one about ants in response to an earlier comment. :)

      It is interesting how so many important things happened in August, isn't it? Yes, I am happy and at peace with my life's journey so far; no regrets, really, and I'm looking forward to what's in the future. :)

      That's a respectable stash of fabric, isn't it? :D There's more! I did a blog post about my stash:
      https://bless2cents.blogspot.com/2017/07/the-stash-revisited.html
      There's a link to an earlier blog post, too, in that post! Maybe I'll do an update, one of these days!
      Thank you; I like how that nine patch turned out. I might do another one like that; it has to be a bit more intentional than my current quilt, because the pieces have to be placed in such a way that the colors carry the chains, visually.

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  14. Anniversaries of the Heart is a lovely description, and I can understand your feeling a little pensive. I feel much the same during August, which is also amplified by the gentle shifting of the seasons.
    It makes me glad, therefore, that you could enjoy playing with your fabric. X

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    1. They are the anniversaries of days that are special only to you or the occasions that only you remember. :) Playing with my fabric is always joyful! One can never have too many blankets and quilts! :D

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