Where oh where does FEAR come from?

In Tobermory, on retreat with the Beach Girls, normally I share a room with Deb.  Because Karen couldn't make it this year, Deb and I each got our own room.  I was praying to the Universe that I didn't have to take Karen's room... because it has patio doors.  I might be sitting up in bed reading, with the light on.  A bear might see the light through the curtains, burst through the glass, tear me to shreds, and then eat me.  Right!?  Right!?  One year I got up in the middle of the night to make sure the UPSTAIRS patio doors (on the second floor) were locked...so the bears couldn't come in.  seriously???

I have never seen a bear in my life.  I am terrified of them.

These bears did NOT scare me. 😀

The Annual Project

I dragged it out as long as I could, but really, pillowcases only take so long to make.

I was trying to avoid my annual day of torture.  The one row of Double Wedding Ring that happens every year up here.  Diane remarked I'd better sew a little faster so we can see a completed top in this lifetime.  I suggested she delay any planned illnesses.

Mission accomplished

Job #1 was supposed to take one day.  Hah.  We're on day three.  Am I slow?  Do I sleep too late in the morning?  Yesterday while I was cutting these blocks in half I mentioned to Carol Anne that I should not  be cutting AND drinking.  Then she cried "OUCH" because at exactly that moment she cut a big chunk off the end of her finger.  Oy yoy yoy.  She seems to have very thin blood because it took four bandaids and a hunk of gauze to staunch the blood.  When I found the missing hunk of skin later that night and offered to glue it back on...😉

Here are cocktails on the deck - day three.  Today we're enjoying French Martinis.

I think my next project will be the Christmas pillowcases.  Stay tuned.

This is no way to start the day

Even a non-quilter should be able to figure out that something is not quite right here.

No. I don't have any more fabric with me.
No. There is no quilt shop within 80 kilometers of here.
Solution. Colourful language, then Baileys in my coffee.

Retreat!

Sleep.  Sweet, deep sleep.   In spite of two glasses of wine and a two-pak of Dark Chocolate Reeces Pieces.
Yesterday I started at 5 am, so I could pick up Deb at 7 am, so we could be in Elmira by 9 am, so we could enjoy a trunk show/demo by Kelly Cline before we headed up to Tobermory.

Kelly was fabulous, she works with heirloom linens and creates beautiful works of art, drawing on her art degree and interior design background.  Excellent day!

Following that was a very tedious drive which seemed to take forever, up to Tobermory.  I slept until 8:30 this morning!  Cause for celebration!
Today my project is the Kleenex Box Challenge for the Caledonia guild.

Why can't I be like normal people???

Before we get to talkin' about me, we will discuss the change of the seasons.
This is the end of the Summer Quilt for 2017. (Washing quilts:  do it in the washing machine, on gentle "wash" cycle but full "spin" cycle.  Use a gentle detergent.)

Say "Hello" to the fall/winter quilt.  This was made with the fabrics I collected in Asia in 2009.  Wool batting, which is my absolute favorite.  Wash as noted above, but use cold water.

Now... Why can't I be like normal people?  This is a patio planter.  A big pot, about two feet across.  Those are sweet potatoes growing in there.  I have TWO of these pots.  Oh, sorry, yes.  That's my cutie patootie too. 💗

DH loads up the pot(s) on some man-equipment thing and hustles them over to the garden, where he dumps the contents.  Yahoo!!  Produce!!

See, a 'NORMAL' person would buy their sweet potatoes at the grocery store.  Or  get all crazy-like and go to the farmer's market.  But me?  I have to do this all myself.  idiot.  FYI, sweet potatoes are not sweet until they are CURED for four days at 85 - 90 degrees, and then they need to "rest" for a couple more weeks.  So they've been living in my oven with the lights on, staying all nice and cozy.

And again, a 'NORMAL' person would buy their pumpkin at the grocery store.  In a can.

Uh huh.  I noticed when I posted this pic that there are TWO bottles of wine on my counter.  Was I expecting to be thirsty?  Or was I planning ahead? 😀

And here's the cleanup crew.  I pointed out to her that she missed the pumpkin that sprayed all over the front of the dishwasher and gooped up the handle.

I've been workin' too.  Great quilt - jelly roll friendly.

I am leaving tomorrow on the annual retreat in Tobermory with the Beach Girls.  I cannot wait.  Hopefully, while I'm away the Universe will take pity on me and bring in a deep frost that will kill everything left out in the garden.  But I suspect I'll come home next weekend to more produce that I will feel compelled to do something with.  banging head against the wall

Winter is Coming...& Final Zucchini Report

Yes.  Winter is coming and the Christmas quilts are starting!

The fabrics in this quilt are just beautiful.

Stitch in the ditch, plus 1/4" outlining outside the motifs.  Trees in the trees, and a swirly thing in the stars.

Straight lines, x-hatching, and the cutest angel/tree/star border design.

Because Winter is Coming, the spiders have been very busy.

I took these pics on a morning just after the fog had burned off but everything was still wet.

I am scared of the big spiders that build these webs.

But I must say, they are certainly beautiful when covered in dew.

In my last post I was regaling you with the list of shit the Universe had rained down on us.  The following week DH came down with pink eye.  Gaaahhhh.  The week after that, the front doorbell quit.  That wouldn't normally be a big deal, but the doorbell is wired into the whole-house intercom system.  Pfftt.  One of us should have checked that one of us hadn't accidentally turned the power button to "off". 😉

ZUCCHINI REPORT TO CLOSE OUT THE 2017 SEASON
Picked over the last, what, 2 weeks?  say... 6, because I'm not really sure.
Picked YTD:  89

Today I picked the remaining three weird football-ish orange squashes, three ripe pumpkins, and two wee immature pumpkins.  There is one more pumpkin out there that I hope will finish turning orange.  It was SO HOT here last week I had the air conditioner on.  Never before in my life at the end of September!!! Then on Wednesday the temp plummetted.  I think the coming week should be nice and "normal" for this time of year, like "Sweater Weather", so fingers crossed for the pumpkin, ok?  I've promised the Beach Girls a pot of Spicy Pumpkin Soup on our Tobermory retreat.  And lemme tell you - I'm counting down the days.  I've saved my best bottle of wine.