Where did the time go?

Time is getting away from me. They say that time flies when you are having fun. Time certainly has been flying past me but I have not been having enough fun.

It is feeling more like autumn now than summer. The temperature has dropped. It has been windy, at times, extremely windy. We have been having clouds and it has threatened to rain. We have been getting the gardens ready for winter.

In the evening, I feel so tired I cannot keep my eyes open.

At last, I have a couple minutes to write an entry. It has been a very busy day. As usual, we went to the health club for a little exercise and then stopped at the grocery store on the way home. We had only a few short minutes at home after unloading the groceries and repacking the car with food and cooking utensils that I know we do not have at church. We went to church to prepare and serve a lunch to an unknown number of people who were doing outside autumn clean-up and inside painting.

My family tradition says that you figure how much food you need and increase it a little and then double it. All the time you wonder if you will have enough and just know that you do not. I would be absolutely mortified if I ran out of food. As I said yesterday, I prepared the meat sauce and brought it over to church to have it ready to assemble my casserole. I think that in Minnesota, I am supposed to call it hot dish.

Last night, one of our sons made a recipe of very delicious ginger squares with a thin lemon frosting. This morning he made two recipes of the most sinfully delicious chocolate cake/brownies. Another family brought the remainder of the lunch items and snacks and refreshments.

I am extremely honored to have had the opportunity to feed these wonderful people.

When we got home, Roger and I packed the extra hot dish and popped the bags in the freezer. We left out enough for dinner tonight. Then I washed the two roasters we used to bake the casserole.

When we were done with that, we popped over to Jo-Ann's to use their 40% off coupons to buy two zippers. Because the grocery store is right next to Jo-Ann's, we all of a sudden needed a couple more things.

I think I need to go into the kitchen right now and eat a piece of the sinfully rich chocolate mud cake.

This morning we finished preparing our passport renewal applications. I am just back from the post office to mail them. I think that is the last thing hanging over our heads on the to-do list. At least for now :-)

On the way to the post office, it was raining. I hope this is a sign of more to come. I know that some places are way too wet but we are way too dry.

This morning I went swimming. You would hardly know that my eye had been repaired yesterday. One of my swimming friends said that she also had laser eye surgery yesterday. It turned out to have been done by the same ophthalmologist. Hers was done in another office. If I had known, I could have just as easily gone to that office and then he would not have had to drive between them.

I do need to do some prep work for the casserole I plan to prepare for tomorrow. The remainder of the laundry is moving right along. It looks like a fairly nice day.

Oh and BTW, have you ever heard of Caramel Bits? Wednesday I thought I bought two bags of regular caramels, little cubes wrapped in cellophane. Was I ever surprised when I opened the package. It was full of little unwrapped pellets of caramel candy just a little bigger than early spring peas. I put a small handful down in front of the computer to nibble as I worked but they rolled all over.

Just a Quickie - - -

Thank-you very much for every positive thought. The procedure was successful. It was extremely quick. I am very impressed by medical technology.

Later in the morning, I could have driven myself but my son drove and we both went out for some shopping. I got materials for some sewing projects. He got some desperately needed new clothes. We bought the ingredients to make casserole for people who are working at church on Saturday.

Tomorrow I probably will not be posting. If you can, please send me good thoughts and positive vibes. Sunday a small tear developed in the retina of one of my eyes. The eye doctor checked it this afternoon and scheduled a laser repair tomorrow morning early. It seems like a very simple, straightforward procedure. I think it prevents the tear from becoming larger but does not quite "stitch" it together. I am supposed to be good to go when I leave the office and do what I want to do. I wonder if I will be able to swim Friday morning. I hope this resolves the disturbances in my vision.

Today, the little chipmunk with the short tail was out in the backyard garden. It was a little day brightener.

I feel so overburdened with much to do and not enough time in which to do it. It seems to be contagious. I might have picked it up from the hospital yesterday when I went in for Tuesday morning volunteers. I generally assemble generic record packs that then become personalized for each new patient as they are registered. Somehow, someone got into the blank forms and mixed them all together. It took a while to sort everything out and I felt like I was behind all morning.

I think I brought that feeling home with me because I felt behind all afternoon and still do this morning. I think I need to look for and watch those little chipmunks outside. They are very entertaining.

Whine, whine, whine, complain, complain

Yesterday I went out into the garden to make places for the irises I still had not put back into the garden. I moved a Siberian iris to make a little space and planted the tall bearded iris close together because I just need to see them bloom to be certain that I am not throwing out something I do not have anywhere else in the garden.

The soil is so dry, I had a hard time digging out the Siberian iris. There were extreme fire danger warnings during the weekend. This morning we have the sprinkler out on the backyard gardens. I probably cannot air the pillows today. I have a load of bed sheets in the washer because I know that I can hang them out to dry later. We can only water the lawns and gardens until 11:00 a.m. or maybe as late as noon. We can turn the water on again about 5:00 p.m. That should give me more than enough time for the sheets to dry. I will probably air the pillows tomorrow.

On the to-do list for today is to dust and vacuum the bedroom. I only work in the one bedroom. Our sons are responsible for their bedrooms. I probably ought to give their rooms a little attention because heaven knows they give their rooms precious little attention. After that I need to begin to finish the banners for the two baptisms next Sunday. I did stitch in the names and dates yesterday. Sewing is always fun for me.

Let's see what did I accomplish yesterday? Yes, I did clean the main bathroom; I was going to leave the floor to wash today but decided to do it all. Although I know it will not stay clean, it did make me feel good to know it was clean for a little while. To reward myself, I had a small root beer float.

I finished making these two small project bags. That was not on the to-do list but I did it anyway. I cut them out and began assembling them as prototypes to go with the prototype of the project bag that I have been making. When I finished the prototype large bag and went on to make the first large bag, I set these aside because I had solved the construction problems. It felt satisfying to finish these two yesterday. I gave them to the person to whom I had given the first prototype. I used different stripes of the same fabric for the first prototype so they are all co-ordinated.

Oh yes, Kathy, I will try to remember that you like red but don't you like other colors too? The two prototypes have red in them so I suppose that you like them too. But maybe chocolate is also a factor. :-)
It is too bad that we do not live closer together. I am certain I could help you learn how to do these sewing projects.

It is another warm weekend. As autumn approaches, we have been having summerish weather. I will take what I can get and enjoy it. Yesterday I looked through the cookbook that I picked up at the library. There was a gorgeous picture of a delicious looking vegetable frittata. Unfortunately it was called a fritter. It really makes little difference but it does make one think again about a chef who is supposed to have an international reputation. Maybe he does and it is that he does not necessarily know terminology. That picture inspired me to make vegetable frittata for breakfast. We all enjoyed eating together.

The fabric that was drying on the line yesterday is folded and waiting for me today. It is going to wait for a little while longer. I am planning to make some project bag and fabric envelope sets like the blue and white one and dusty rose one. They may eventually be for gifts or I may give some to the church bazaar which will be in a few weeks.

Today I really need to clean the bathroom and stitch the name and date in each of two banners for the two baptisms next Sunday. Our calligrapher already has the information she needs for the certificates. During the summer, she has a break and I make the certificates on the computer.

I am pre- washing some fabrics. They are all intense color co- ordinates. My back- yard looks like an Eastern bazaar. Is that redundant? - Eastern bazaar

Roger and I went out this morning to take care of some errands that we combined into one excursion. It was fun to be out just the two of us together. We also stopped at the library just because we were out and nearby. We walked through an upscale grocery store and drooled over the gorgeous foods: salads, breads, pastries, olives, cheeses - you get the idea. The good thing about just looking is that we did not consume any calories. But, I think we might have just by looking.

The time marches on whether or not I am ready. This week I am returning to my rest of the year except for summer activities. I understand that I am to prepare a lunch for some people who will be working on maintenance of our church. I do not yet know how many I will be serving and probably will not know until about three days beforehand.

As I walked this morning, I discovered there was ground fog. Upon returning home, I went out into the back to see if perhaps there was another dew laden spider web but there was not. In fact, there was little to no ground fog in the park.

The tomatoes and peppers continue to produce well for us. This late summer warmth is quite a nice bonus.

Another unexciting day. What is going on here? Not only is there nothing going on at home but there was nothing going on at the hospital. When I got there, we discovered that someone else had already done what I normally do on Tuesday mornings. There was very little reason to stay. I used the found time to finish the banner for the baptism on Sunday.

Our son has sprayed the lawn for weeds. I can only hope that he stayed far enough away from the gardens.

Speaking of gardens, we have some lovely tomatoes and peppers. The peppers are turning a deep, delicious red. The sweet peppers from the garden taste so much better than the peppers from the grocery store. I need to give away some of the tomatoes and peppers.

The chipmunk was sitting in the wood shed chattering away when I got back home. It was sitting on the top of the rail. When a neighborhood cat walked through the backyard, the chipmunk was quiet but as soon as the cat was gone, the chipmunk was as noisy as ever. The crows have also been making a lot of noise. It is now the middle of the afternoon and it seems like everyone and everything are as quiet as can be.

This morning as we left the health club, we walked out into the pink light of dawn. I like so much to walk in the pink light; that was just a nice little treat.

Outside of that, it has been a monumentally unexciting day. I worked at warp speed to clean, dust, and vacuum in the bedroom and to wash the sheets. We were invited to lunch today. We were out much longer than I had anticipated so I am very glad to have gotten my housework done promptly.

For this time in September, our weather is unseasonably warm. It is also quite humid. It feels like a lazy, hazy summer day; and it is hazy too. As soon as the sun sets, the temperature drops much more quickly than it does in July or August.

The chipmunks and squirrels are busily running to and fro. I can only assume that the squirrels are preparing for winter. Quite a few seedling oak trees have sprouted in our yard compliments of the squirrels. I frequently see that the squirrels have something in their mouths. The chipmunks are also very busying carrying things around in the backyard. In addition, they spend a lot of time chattering.

Small birds, primarily chickadees, are very interested in the hollyhocks that are going to seed. We saw a couple hummingbirds checking out the tomatoes last week and think they may be the last ones of the season. A couple weeks ago, lots and lots of little beetles were all over our bean plants eating the leaves and mating. There are still a few last ones in the beans. I wonder if this means that we will have lots more beetles next year. I wonder if we want any beetles next year.

The little beetles are a very handsome iridescent bronze with an iridescent green head. They have seriously eaten the bean plants. I hope we do not have an infestation next year because we hope to try growing some French filet beans.

It has been a lazy day today, maybe a little too lazy. This morning one of the little chipmunks looked like it was chasing a little bird. It also spent time in the wood shed chattering away. I think that we called too much attention to it because it jumped down from its elevated and very highly visible perch to a more secluded one and continued chattering. I wonder if it feels compelled to chatter a certain amount of time during the mid-morning.

I have done a little preliminary work to line the inside of a metal tin with fabric. I have also done a little cross stitching. I charted the name and date for a baptismal banner. This morning it finally dawned on me that 20 September is next Sunday. I have to have the banner ready next Sunday.

Today is the day that is recorded in history as 9/11. On this day in 2001, I returned home in the morning to discover that the first tower of the Trade Center in New York City had been hit by an airplane only I did not yet know it was the first tower. As I watched the television speechlessly and I can only assume my mouth wide open, I saw the second strike in real time. I stood there transfixed by the horror not knowing worse would happen. At that moment, I had no idea the towers would fall several hours later. I had no idea how many people would be killed, some leaving no trace of their last earthly hours and minutes.

At my home, that day was perfect. The sky was a beautiful cloudless blue. Today there is a little haze. The temperature may have been the same as it is today but it was not as humid as it is today. It was a perfect day and such a dramatic contrast to the perfect horror of the day.

On 11 September 2002, we were in England, Wells to be precise. Above are pictures of Wells Cathedral. The interior picture shows the US flag in tribute to US military forces during WW II. On the lapel of my blazer, I wore a bow tied of red, white, and blue ribbons. I had attached a little crystal tear drop which hung from the knot. Before we left home I made my little bow as a memorial. Since returning home, it has remained in a dish on my dresser. Every time I see it, I say a prayer for the survivors. Later on our journey, we saw a 9/11 memorial in Germany.

Last year on 11 September we were traveling from San Luis Obispo, California to San Diego. Other than the first anniversary of the date, I have not had as strong a reaction as this year.

Laundry was the primary focus of the day with a little personal time while the washer was washing and the drier was drying. During one of those times, though, I spot cleaned the mats in the kitchen. When I took the mats outside to dry, there was a little chickadee eating hollyhock seeds. Chickadees are very cute but some of their calls are a little harsh and seem extremely loud for such a small bird.

On another trip into the backyard, I startled a little chipmunk that was sitting on the ramp that leads to the garden shed. I did not see it at first because my view was blocked by the petunias and pepper plants but it knew that I was there. Just like the chipmunk that I saw run into someone's closed garage yesterday, this one darted up the ramp and quickly flew under the shed door.

Yesterday I finished this little project bag and pocket duo. The blue dish is the depression glass that I found Saturday.

School is in session every where in Minnesota now. I am not certain that our neighborhood is any quieter I know that some neighborhoods are. The sky is quite cloudy and rain is in the forecast. We have had a lot of sunshine lately so it is time for a little rain.

We must have a high chipmunk population. As we drove home this morning, I noticed that a chipmunk ran into the garage of someone who lives down the street from us. The door was closed but there was a little gap at the bottom. The chipmunk obviously was aware of this as it raced to the door and squeezed right under. This summer we have a high rabbit population. That could mean trouble for our gardens and plants during the winter.

Today is Labor Day; it is a national holiday and is as late as it can be this year. I will explain for those who are not in the US. Labor Day floats; it is always the first Monday in September. Last year it was as early as possible, 1 Sep. Since this was not a leap year, it is as late as it can be.

Thanksgiving is another floating holiday. It is always the fourth Thursday in November and unlike other national holidays, must be declared by the President. Even though it must be officially declared, the probability of its not being declared is zilch.

Labor Day usually signifies the end of the summer. I hardly need Labor Day for that. When I walk in the morning, it is hard to avoid noticing that the sun is coming up later. There is now not even the glimmer of the pending sunrise when I get to the health club. In fact, by the time we got back home this morning, the sun was not even fully up. Because there was no sign of the sun when I got to the health club, the birds were not yet singing. It will be really silent after the first heavy frost.

Yes, isn't that little perfume bottle amazing? I have it in the living room where I can see it as I stitch. I can actually see the cut glass designs in it. Scroll back down to look at the little detail.

It is a gorgeous late summer day. We are all being a little lazy. I will be doing a little stitching.

I want to show you an exchange gift that I received. It is a design by Tony Minieri. The first picture shows a detail of the perfume bottle. The metallic and shiny threads give a nice representation of cut glass.

This morning I took a picture of a co-ord- inating project bag, pocket, and flower pot pin cushion all of which I made. I showed a picture of the pin cushion a little while ago. This picture is a little dark because I took it in the mid-morning sunlight. The sun can be a little more tricky then than at noon or early afternoon. I made the set as a consolation gift for someone in a gift exchange. It looked like her giftor had forgotten about the exchange. On my target date to send the consolation gift, I found out that her gift was on its way. Now I have a little bonus to use as a gift some time in the future when I might need one.

We are home alone on a Saturday. One of our sons is out with friends painting the inside of a friend's townhouse. Our other son is working. We dropped him off at work and then went on to see an estate sale. It was not very much but I found a nice royal blue depression glass bowl and Roger found a couple books.

On the way home we stopped at the downtown St. Paul farmers' market. I got three poblano peppers. I need to roast and peel them so I can stuff them for dinner.

Hi, did you think I had forgotten about you and my blog? I hope not. I am here; it is just that I really needed a break. I have been working on a difficult stitching project which has been frustrating me. I think that, at last, I am getting everything under control.

I am posting some of the pictures I took this morning in the park behind our home. The ground fog made everything look magical this morning. I wish that I had had a chance to experiment with the spider web a little more. I was trying to "clean up" the picture a little and ended up destroying the spider web. I wanted to move in for a couple really close up views. This will just have to do until I can find another spider web some day. The view to the left looks like an elegant bib necklace made of dew drop beads. If you click on the picture, you can see an enlargement showing these fairy beads.

We did go to the Minnesota State Fair on Wednes- day and had a wonderful and exhausting time. I have pictures that I need to upload to my SmugMug account to make it easier for you to see them. That takes time which I do not have in abundance right now.