Same ole, same ole, just more so. And one more boring post. Extremely boring since it involves crossword puzzle talk, and nothing is worse than hearing about a puzzle that you aren't doing.
I wrote this Saturday night but forgot to finish it, but little has changed except I got a good night's sleep. Very quiet, cool even with windows closed. Air inside seems fine. I turned on the bathroom fans. I can't remember if that's considered a good thing or not.
I've seen a day or two of smoke from forest fires in the past few years, even some ashes drifting down, but this is the worst one in terms of air quality and number of fires, length of time, etc. I can hardly read the news without it breaking my heart. So many people lost, so many home and towns, and so much wildlife. The animals don't know what's happening and only know to leave or die, and the people do know but can't always escape.
I keep reaching out feelers to the younger generation to see if we might be in danger and need to think about leaving, although our main route, I-90 was closed the other day. We can't all go to the ocean.
My text with Emily today to check on her:
M: Do you need to get out, just to drive somewhere? Ice cream?
No answer.
An hour later...
M: Do we need to leave? I'm serious.
E: Go where? It's awful out.
M: South Dakota.
E: Drive there? SD? For ice cream?
(She had just awakened from a nap)
M: Evacuate. Ice cream is optional, but I bet Millie would get us some.
E: Haha. OMG, I thought you just wanted to leave the apartment, and I thought that's not like her.
So I guess the answer is no, we don't need to leave.
It feels so oppressive, like a rainy day without rain and just hazy, gray and pink. But cool, thank goodness. I have just looked out windows and not been out at all except to take a picture from the balcony but I'm going to check and see if there's a sunset worth recording.
I thought we would have rain Monday, but now it looks like Tuesday. It's not good.
I got these sweet pictures. I may have lost my job permanently. Probably not, because Graysen still likes to be read to. I miss reading snuggles so much! They won't even fit in my lap soon!
Even the cats are bored. They usually stay in, but I leave the balcony door open for them to come and go all day, so they're probably feeling a little claustrophobic today. This is the lazy way to play with them.
Emily and I were planning to go shopping for some fabric to replace the binding on her old quilt Monday. Project 1. I took the frayed binding off last night.
I tried another couple of fabrics that I had around, but they wouldn't do.
This one was too blue, although it is similar to one of the strips.
We had looked at this one and thought it might do, but I only have a scrap. It was the closest I had. Maybe a little busy.
Then I saw this. I have a couple of yards of it and somehow had neglected to consider it.
I've never used it, and I think it's because I've never really liked it. It won't commit to being pink or coral and therefore seems dull, but what we needed was dull and old-looking.
Placed here, it seems to be right at home.
It's only when it's next to that old binding in the middle of the quilt that there's a little contrast. I can't replace that, although I wish I could. It's embedded in the construction and sewn to the batting and backing.
A preview of the approximate width of the binding strip was sent to Emily, and she said, "Go for it."
I didn't want to pressure her because we'll probably go out tomorrow and visit some fabric stores, but she seemed to like it well enough to go forward. I showed it to Elise, and she loved it - and Elise likes nothing to do with sewing.
If all goes well today, I should be starting on that soon. I probably should wash that fabric a few times since I know the quilt has been washed hundreds of times. I love the binding part of quilts, making that mitered corner and even the hand sewing for the final step. Hope it works like that today.
I worked on the crossword puzzle some yesterday. Those NYT Sunday puzzles are tough.
I should minimize that picture because of the mess. That was one thing Mike and I differed about. He used a pencil and ended up fairly neat, but I can't stand not to use a pen. He also strictly forbade looking up answers. Once I lose interest in a puzzle, I will Google something, but once I do that, I feel like I've cheated, and usually abandon it.
One clue was Hello Kitty Company. I felt like I should know that, as much "stuff" as we have bought through the years, and even saw that it started with an S, but I could not think of it. I was so close to Googling it. So easy. But I didn't. And when I came back after a break, it came to me immediately: SanRio. There's so much satisfaction in figuring things out. Or maybe it's just clearing out the cobwebs.
The puzzles always have a clue at the beginning, but it's very cryptic, and unless you figure it out, it makes it extremely hard to get those long clue-related entries.
Today's was Alternative Cinema. That meant nothing to me until the letters aligned under "Another Name for To Kill a Mockingbird" started spelling out something with some Bs and some Ys. I finally got it! Bye-Bye, Birdie. "Cleopatra" turned out to be "African Queen" and I was off and running. "Dirty Dozen" became "Twelve Angry Men." I know. I'm strange. But that was so neat. I also talk to myself while I'm working on them. I still have half of it to go. I've only completed one in my life, and this one might be the second one. I'm stuck on one at the beginning, so I have to go back and brood over that one. If I have time.
Oh, this happened last night.
I had heard sirens earlier, but these were very quiet. It was darker than it looked in the pictures, and I couldn't really see anything. I'm not one to stand on the balcony in my pajamas and stare, so I went back inside and texted my neighbor Susan. She had no idea but had a clearer view. I was worried about my downstairs neighbors whose phone number I don't have, but there was not much noise or talk or rushing around. Another neighbor texted and said it was an elderly (probably my age!) man who had moved there a month or so ago and had either a heart attack or a stroke. Praying for him this morning as well as all the fire victims.
So much to worry about and agonize over. I have my little bubble of people who comfort me and uplift me, and I'm so thankful for them. I have some friends here (porch coffee therapy) and family, of course, but my far-away friends are so important to me too. South Carolina texts and phone calls weekly, a Georgia phone call - lasting hours sometimes - every week or so. My Louisiana and Alabama and Georgia emails about quilts and grandchildren. And all with that overlying sense of despair about our country and our leaders. Just talking about it helps. One comment that struck a chord this week from one of them was, "Where have all these angry people been? Were they here all along?" One theme with us all is that God has everything under control, but when His believers are supporting terrorist groups and corruption and not questioning it, it makes me go places in my mind I shouldn't.
It's a good day for escaping to the sewing room, as promised, and a good day for talking to my babies. We need to get the Duo going. I just passed by and saw this sweet picture. She's dressed in her Grandma Millie's little dress. Time just needs to slow down!
I got these cute pictures from Debby of Sophia. So precious. She's going to be a big sister in a few months! She looks like her Nana did at that age when I was "taking care of her." If Debby knows anything important, I taught her!
I just got this exciting text from Emily: We're making a special dinner for Daddy tonight, and we'll bring you some over.
Wow. How did she know that just one sentence could lift me so high. More than the food, just seeing her for a minute will be nice. What would a special dinner be? Chinese? Something smoked, I bet. Ryan and Mike bonded quite nicely over smokers and grills. Can't wait.
Now I have my plans for the day all mapped out, so I can stop wasting time and get started.
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