Quilter's Journey

5:16PM

Happy Birthday, cathydalek!

1:32PM - Celebrity at the Library

No, not me, but Ronald McDonald. I saw his truck (you know, I would have thought he'd have a little car, but he's not a circus clown) in the parking lot and didn't think much of it. A McDonald's is in the plaza on the other side of the library's parking lot. So, as I was leaving, he was coming in. There were a bunch of kids and parents waiting in one of the meeting rooms for him and a line of minivans coming into the library parking lot as I was leaving. So, a close encounter with a celebrity. Sort of.

First day of summer and the doldrums have settled in on TV. The past few weeks have seen the season (or series) finale of most of the scripted series and made way for the reality series. (BTW, if you've been watching Charlie Jade on the SciFi Channel, they pulled it for repeats of Dr Who. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, well, that's why they pulled it.) I must admit I don't care for many of the reality series, but this season, I found a few worth watching while quilting or crocheting.

I've come to the conclusion that "reality" shows with celebrities just are not for me. They can dance, or go into rehab or the circus, but they do it without me watching. No interest. I rather watch regular people. However, I don't care to see them in yelling backbiting situations or doing totally stupid things - that's why people make movies. I rather enjoy competitions.

( Summer Entertainment )

1:43PM

Happy Birthday ase and serendipoz!!

1:58PM - We're Still Here

Wow, that was quite a storm yesterday. It seemed like just minutes for the sky to go from blue with puffy clouds to almost black with strong winds and rain. Mimosa and I watched from the safety of the family room before she decided that there was nothing better than to curl up and take a nap while the humans sorted out whatever they wanted to do.

Turns out there was a lot.

The tree (our neighbor's) next to the driveway had a huge limb break off, blocking off most of the street and our driveway. The tree across the street was more sensible and the two limbs that broke off were entirely on the grass and off the street. However, a huge tree near the top of the hill broke off near the ground and fell blocking the whole road. I only knew about the first two trees until I went out and one of the neighbors who had walked up the street told me about the tree blocking the street.

I'm not sure why, but when the rain slowed to a sprinkle, everyone who was home was out roaming the neighborhood. I saw two young women moving tree branches so cars could get by our house. Considering they couldn't get to the end of the street, many of them had to turn around. They also had to get up on the curb to get pass the tree in front of the house.

Fortunately, the people up the street had a chain saw and soon had the street cleared. While I was talking to the neighbor who had walked up the street, a county truck drove slowly up the street and back.

About half an hour later, another county truck came back, three burly men - one holding a chain saw - hopped out and proceeded to dismantle the tree limb, moving the branches to the side of the road. This morning, the whole crew was back and cleared the tree branches away, leaving only sawdust behind. rwl couldn't get out the driveway to work until they were done, but that was OK.

The schools in the county are closed due to power outages and one man in the grocery store said the traffic lights on the main street in Rockville were out. Still, we didn't get it as bad as they did in Chesapeake City, which may have gotten a tornado.
Our power went out for about 20 minutes when the second storm came though in the early evening.

With all that rain, it should have been cool today, but it was hot and humid, even at 8:30 in the morning. Summer is indeed here.

5:26PM - Memorial Day weekend

For some reason, I have thinking about stores. You know, the kind people tell when they get together. Not the gossip kind, well, not really, but the stories about family. It was that kind of weekend.

We had tickets for Garrison's Friday show (A Prairie Home Companion) at Wolf Trap in Vienna, VA, so as usual, we spent much of the day in Northern Virginia. And it was a very nice day.

We started out with our usual breakfast out at the Amish market. After doing some research and lunch, we headed out. First, we dropped by one of the local thrift shops, run by the Humane Society. Found some books there. Next we stopped at Micro Center (an electronics store) to pick up some headphones for rwl. After a bit of refreshment at Panera, we hit the road to Virginia.

The day was warm and sunny. The traffic didn't get bad until we crossed into VA. It was a holiday weekend and many people seemed to have gotten out from work early. Still, we made the trip to Unique Thrift without problems. What a fun place to look around.

A few weeks ago, we had visited the two Unique Thrifts in Maryland and had come away with a few treasures, among them a 9 CD set of The Lord of the Rings, re-mastered from the original 1979 recording. I haven't had time to listen to them yet, but the disks seem to be in very good condition.

As usual, we found some hidden treasures. The best is a small teapot shaped like an old style vacuum cleaner. We also found a teapot shaped like a carousel horse, but they wanted a bit more than we wanted to pay for it.

One of the things we've been doing is becoming part of the various library systems in the area. Since there is reciprocity in the area, we spend a long afternoon, a few weeks ago, getting a D.C. library card as well as registering in the adjoining two counties. Since there was a library on the way to another thrift shop (which was closed by the time we got there), we stopped in. Yes, we could get cards and we did.

After a very nice dinner at Olive Garden, we drove to Wolf Trap. As usual, we had no problem finding a good parking space and followed the crowd in. They don't allow people sitting in the main part of the building to be seated until 25 minutes before the show, so we had to hang around for a while.

I'm not sure how we did it but we were pretty close to the front. We didn't need the binoculars that we brought. We also were one seat away from the end of the row and had single seats on either side of us.

The show was very good, maybe better than the actual radio show they did on Saturday. Well, the Guy Noir skit was better on the next night and a Dusty and Lefty skit was added. Pat Donohue did a fun song about touring Washington in a day and Garrison did Casey at the Bat from the rival team's point of view, neither of which made the Saturday show. Oh, well. It was a great evening.

Until we got to the parking lot. Where we sat waiting for the line of cars to move. For 20 minutes. Until rwl decided to get out of line and follow another line of cars. Since turning either left or right would get us out and back to the Beltway, we managed to get home just before midnight. You know, a lot of gas is wasted trying to get out events like that.

The rest of the weekend was spent at home, just enjoying the good weather.

4:56PM - It’s Been A While

Time does fly. The Friendship Star Quilt show has come and gone. I had a number of quilts in the show and it was a very good show. As usual, I was in the boutique and sold, maybe, one item. I also had a number of quilts in the silent auction and sold most of them. I had the first bid set on two of them at $100 and both sold. I was totally amazed. I also sold a few more quilts and one gift bag.

Working on a quilt show is not unlike working on a convention, except you don't have to deal with GoHs or panels. You do have to deal with actually hanging the show, which can be stressful. However, that part of the show seems to go very smoothly.

I decided that I had worked on the show for two years, distributing the fliers, and that was enough. However, at the pot luck lunch final quilt show committee meeting, I volunteered to market the show's raffle quilt. This means, I have charge of the quilt when it is not out being shown and keep the calendar of where is should be when. Sounds good to me.

7:07PM - Quick Hello

Just a quick hello. The deadline for the Guild's show is This Saturday and I'm hoping to have all the quilts I put the paperwork in for ready to go. One quilt will have very little quilting, not my usual quality, if I decide to put it in.

Starbucks must know I need all the energy I can muster. I got a card for free coffee, to try their new Pike Place blend coffee, every Wednesday until the end of May in last week's USA Today. Yesterday, there was another card in The Washington Post. So I have an extra card, should anyone want it.

First day of the Pope's visit to the U.S. is the big news, along with the first year remembrance of the VT killings. I noticed in Friday's USA Today a story about it, featuring Michael Bishop.

8:58PM - Sigh

Well, the second Nextar mp3 player is acting just like the first. It turns on to a menu. And there it stays. I'm following the instructions and pressing the MENU button. Nothing. Unless someone has the same model and can tell me what I'm doing wrong, I'll have to break down and register the damn thing to get a tech to tell me they have no idea why it doesn't work. Sigh.

9:24AM - For St. Patrick’s Day

10:04PM

A bit early, but I might not have time to post tomorrow Happy St. David’s Day!

11:21AM - Of Audio Books And MP3 Players

When the weather is nice, I like to walk during the day. It's a nice walk and I often see a number of people around, if I go at the same time each day. However, it can be boring. So I got the idea to pull out one of the small portable radios that people used to use and listen to radio as I walked. Which was OK, but unless you hit a time of a 10 songs in a row, you listen to lots and lots of commercials. Which is not good.

Since the radio also played audio tapes, I pulled out some of the tapes of music. Which were OK, but didn't seem to be just want I was looking for. One of my friends was talking about listening to CDs of books while driving and exercising. Well, I don't have a portable CD player, but audio books are available on tape. So, I dropped by the local library, checked out a book or two and haven't looked back. (Except to return the tapes and pick up more.)

I enjoy listening to the tapes even when I'm not walking. I play them while I'm quilting or doing housework. It's a great way to "read" a book. But, you know, I worry. Technology today doesn't not believe in backward compatibility and it's difficult to find a radio/tape machine that is not a huge. The days of the hang-on-your-belt tape players are gone. If the small tape player dies, when it must one day, carrying around a huge sound system when I walk just will not cut it. I also don't expect audio tapes to be around forever. Currently, if you go to one of the major book stores, you will find a lot of books on CDs, but a small, and getting smaller, selection of books on audio tape. And then coruca had a post about downloading audio books from the local library. Ah ha! Current technology might be the answer.

( Exploring new technology )

9:33AM - Year of the Rat

Happy Chinese New Year - Year of the Rat.

1:32PM - The Singing Cow

I like quirky things. My latest quirky item is a Singing Cow Ornament, currently hanging on our tree.

I found the first of two Singing Cow Ornaments at a local thrift store. I liked the look of a cow holding a Christmas Carol book. I was even more thrilled to squeeze the cow and have it sing, in a male baritone, "Deck the Halls" in moos. You know:

Mooooo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo

MooMooMooMooMoo MooMooMoo Mooooo

Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo

MooMooMooMoo Mooooo MooMoo Moo Mooooooooooo

I found a second one at the local flea market and it also still sings. From the product tag still on it, the cow is a "Carolin' Critter," which implies there are others. I have been unable to find any other "Carolin' Critters" as the website on the tag is just a supplier and the term "Carolin' Critter" doesn't seem to have a page on the web, other than the supplier. Oh, well.

So the Singing Cow has a place of honor on the tree. Every now and then I walk up, squeeze his stomach and

Mooooo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo

MooMooMooMooMoo MooMooMoo Mooooo

Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo Moo

MooMooMooMoo Mooooo MooMoo Moo Mooooooooooo

fills the air.

Happy Holidays!

12:59PM - The Booth and the Bottle

Every Sunday, we have lunch out at Panera. Sometimes the place is full and sometimes the place is next to empty. Sometimes we get there ahead of the crowd, we part of the crowd, or we're just after the crowd. No matter what, rwl stands in line to order and I look for and save a place to sit.

Yesterday was no exception. I headed around the back of the booths because there looked like there was an open one. And there was, except there was a bottle of soda on the table.

Now, my thought was that the bottle was to save the table, while the owner was getting his/her food. This is not unusual to leave food or an article of clothing as a place holder in this restaurant. So I bypassed it and got a table a little farther on.

As I sat there, I realized that the bottle did not serve as a place holder because when we came in, there was no one waiting in line and no food was waiting to be picked up. It was a lost bottle. rwl agreed with my thought, suggesting that6 the owner had placed the bottle on the table while checking the take out order and left without placing the bottle in the bag. And there it sat. Guess we could have moved it and sat in the booth, but we had settled in and well, you know....

Apparently we were not the only ones fooled by the lost bottle. We had happened in just before the crowd and by the time we had eaten and were ready to leave, not one person had moved the bottle to use the booth, even though the restaurant was crowded at that point. So, rwl took the photo of the bottle and we left.

How long the bottle stayed there, we have no way of knowing. Maybe the person who forgot it returned and got it. Maybe some person, rude by nature, moved the bottle and sat down. Or maybe the clean up crew finally moved the bottle when they cleaned up before closing. No matter what, it was interesting how people were being polite to a lone bottle left in a booth.

1:08PM - After Thanksgiving

You know how you swear you will not go near a store on the day after Thanksgiving? You know how despite this you find yourself getting up at 6:15 AM to go to a store?

Well, K Mart wasn't that bad at quarter to 7 in the AM, but the drill rwl had wanted was sold out. I think he was surprised that one could actually walk around the store. He expected it to look as if it had been looted and the lines at the check out counters to be endless. (I told him that would be Jo Ann's.) He consoled himself with buying two pairs of needed dress pants. I bought a dark grey turtle neck sweater. The lines for checking out were longer than when we entered the store. There was next to no one in line when we arrived, but about ten minutes later the lines were 3 to 4 deep. Naturally, we were in the line with a shopper who demanded the item she bought was in the circular at one price but it was ringing up another price. Surprisingly, K Mart resolved it quickly, and line moved along.

We had time to pick up the groceries before heading to the Amish market for breakfast.

Later, I did indeed drop by Jo Ann's to buy a "fringe cutter", actually a smaller version of a ruler that allows one multiple cuts on a strip of fabric. Turns out it was on sale, along with the self-sealing cutting mats and lots of fabric. I didn't need a 40% off coupon as everything I wanted was on sale. I did use the "20% off total purchase" coupon. The store did not look looted and the crowd there was much smaller than what I've seen in the past.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving dinner and the day could not have been nicer, despite the brief storm.

I also, finally, finished listening to The First Man in Rome by Colleen McCullough. It was a 30 tape book from the library and it took a while to get through. A big thanks to jrittenhouse who suggested the book!! Since it's part of a six book series, I now have to decide if I want to listen to the rest of the books, assuming they are in the library system, or read them. rwl said I was probably the only person who had taken it out and listened to the whole thing. Well, possibly. The second tape was half way though, the only tape not rewound to the beginning, so someone could have decided it was just too much.

I do have another book on tape to listen to - the third in the Jane Austen as detective series - Jane and the Wondering Eye by Stephanie Barron. I don't know what the Austen crowd thinks of these, nor do I care. I like them and I'll probably go on to read some of her books. Or listen to them.

Hope your Thanksgiving was delicious.

7:06PM

Happy Turkey Day from us and...

11:42AM - It’s Been a While

I hadn't realized it had been a while since I posted. The hoarder sale we went to a few weeks ago - Oprah is going to feature her on the show today. I'll have to remember to watch it. We're not going to be on TV, but I'd like to hear the background story.

I suppose you've all been wondering what I've been up to. Yes, the snores are that loud. Well, not a lot has been going on, but the holiday season is upon us and the parties in D.C. and other places are starting to stack up.

This past weekend, rwl had both Friday and Monday off.

Saturday we dropped by a church flea market and ran into ashcomp and his wife. I found a few books and some fabric there.

Monday was Veterans Day and a holiday, which meant the thrift stores were having 50% off sales. Since we hadn't been in a while, we decided to check them out. ( Veterans Day. )

Tuesday was one of those days where events seem to stack up. A few weeks ago, we R.S.V.P.ed the buffet invitation from the Coal Council for the evening. Then rwl received an invitation from the Polish Embassy to celebrate the anniversary of Polish Independence that same day. Fortunately, it was a lunch celebrate, so he accepted. And took some annual leave so we could spend the day in D.C.

As we're putting on our coats to catch the Metro, the zipper tab came off in my hand as I was zipping up my long time jacket I got ages ago when my favorite store closed at the mall. And the little metal piece that holds the tab on fell on the floor. "At least we're at home," was rwl's comments and he was right. It just so happened I now have another coat to wear. So I put on one of the new coats and off we went.

The main parking lot was closed, but we found parking in the farther away parking lot at Metro and made it down to the Polish Embassy just as the speeches were beginning. Perfect! ( Busy Tuesday )

We left to hop on the train and get home in time to see House. While we had a lot of good food for one day, my pedometer indicated we had walked for a little over 6 miles, so I guess it all evened out.

The next adventure? Stay tuned!

5:42PM - This just in

Happy Birthday, samthereaderman!

4:12PM - November shopping

rwl has a work schedule that gives him every other Friday off and today was his day off. I noticed in the local paper that there were two big ads for sales that were on Friday. It was fate.

The first ad, the biggest, was for an estate sale in Rockville. The second ad read "Gigantic Warehouse Sale" in town and went on to describe it as the liquidation of a hoarder's home. The ad further cautioned that **Shoppers MAY appear on National Television**. Who could resist that?

Now, we like to go to flea markets and estate sales. Some days the sales are a bust and other days we find lots of treasures. One never knows what the day will hold. So we got up at our usual Friday time, dropped by the Amish market for breakfast, did our grocery shopping and stopped at the house to drop off the food and pick up the page with the ads.
( Our shopping adventure. ) If you go to the warehouse sale tomorrow, there are still lots and lots and lots of purses, shoes, clothes, toys, holiday décor, furniture, crafts, collectibles and much more, BUT there is no cotton fabric. I found and bought every scrap.

1:46PM - Happy Halloween

I didn't realize I had a Halloween Pooh userpic. Not bad. The one I took earlier is a bit blurry, so I was pleased to find I already had one. Hope you have a lot of trick or treaters!