I still have my headache (and queasiness) from yesterday, so I'm not getting a whole lot done today... 

although I did get my checkbook balanced, laundry done, sheets changed, and made a little progress on the NY Times crossword puzzle.

I did hear from Alex that he isn't hurting quite as much as yesterday, so at least he's going in the right direction.

 Tomorrow I hope to wake to a clear head/stomach, and get stuff done!

You know what they say about the best laid plans?  

I was just getting ready to head out around noon today to run a couple of quick errands, and then spend the rest of the afternoon working on the quilt backing.  But that was not to be... as often happens <g> my plans went awry.

A rye you say?  That would make a good cheese sandwich!

Alex called - he hurt his back last night (or rather a 'friend' hurt it for him.)  Apparently they were just goofing around, and for no apparent reason the guy slammed him onto the tile floor, stunning everyone.  Alex was in serious pain, and worried that he'd done some damage to his back (after seeing me deal with back issues all his life, he knew he did not want that!)  So I drove over to his apartment, picked him up, and took him to the ER.  Because of the way Alex described his symptoms, Tom and I figured he possibly cracked/broke a rib.

  The good news is that the x-rays didn't show any damage.  They did give him some pain meds at the hospital, which made him less miserable.

Alex was just at the doctor yesterday because he hasn't been able to shake his respiratory 'thing' (sure sounded pretty horrible when he came by the house to pick up a copy of the insurance card.) The doctor put him on antibiotics, steroids, and meds for his nebulizer machine.  Of course every time he had to cough today it was incredibly painful, but at least it seems that he didn't do any real damage to himself.

By the time I got home from dropping Alex back off at his apartment it was 5:00, the day was gone, and I got nothing done on the quilting backing.  But it could have been worse, and there's always tomorrow!

We went out to dinner last night at Valle Luna, and even though we went early there were people already sitting outside waiting.  As I was heading for the door to go inside, a girl exclaimed, "It's the Word Wizard!" totally confusing her parents.  She turned out to be one of Diane's students.  

The quilt top is finished!

(Yes, as a matter of fact I do have to piece together the backing before I can deliver it to Pennie for quilting, but this is still a major milestone.)

  

Guess next I'll check with Jeff and Priscilla to see what colors they want in their wedding quilt...

This morning we're scheduled for flood irrigation.  All of the frost-damaged trees, bushes, and hedges that Tom had to severely cut back are budding wildly, and after today's deep soaking they should be even happier.  Spring is busting out all over!  Mom, these are for you!

I refilled the hummingbird feeders yesterday so there's more than enough nectar to go around.  But those little guys are so territorial they spend most of their time wasting energy chasing each other away instead of sharing the bounty.  Despite the feeders having multiple spots to feed, I never see more than one at a time drinking, but do see lots of swooping and chasing.

Patti came over yesterday and we watched some movies (Words and Snow White and The Huntsman) since she has to stay inside away from the sun for a few days after her laser treatment - all the while nibbling our way through the afternoon on fresh cantaloupe, raw almonds, and dried coconut.

And no, I still haven't gotten those last two strips measured and added to the quilt.  

Fun morning - Pokey and I had visitors:  

Summer's four boys, plus four other kids she's watching during Spring Break.

Feeding Pokey lettuce was a big hit with the kids.... 

and (of course!) Pokey was more than happy to oblige.

And check out this perfect t-shirt for a little guy with three older brothers:

(It's my brother's fault)

The ladies at quilting yesterday were properly impressed with the wedding quilt top (which isn't quite finished).  I'll be excited to be able to share it with all of you once it's quilted and bound and residing with the happy couple in Texas.  But here are some of the pix from yesterday that I can share with you.

Joni showed the next month's Row Along, happy butterflies.

Susan, Louise, Melissa, Joanne and Patty showed off their finished stars from last month's assignment, and a couple of over-achievers already had their butterflies done !

New member Joyce shared this quilt that she made for the 2002 Hoffman Challenge.  While it didn't win a ribbon, it scored quite a coup: it was chosen to tour the country with the ribbon winners, and was also displayed at the Paducah Quilt Show!

Joyce titled it Friends - the back shows why.

Her t-shirt also made us smile.

Pat made this quilt to go with her newly redecorated bedroom... and I think I heard her say it only took her three weeks!!!

Louise made up this very practical steering wheel cover that slips right on when you park.  I may have to whip one up before the weather gets really hot.

Of course I got lots more congrats on winning the machine, and heard (from more than one person) that I 'deserved' to win after this past year.  Don't know about that - seems that everyone deals with stuff in their lives - but I was sure happy to win.

We had a Chinese auction, and I scattered my tickets into various cups.  Didn't actually win (used up all my luck with the sewing machine?) but when Bobbi C. won a book I had my eye on she passed it along to me.  She's a sweetie - and happily she did win some of the other books!

On the way home from quilting I stopped in at Walgreen's to pick up a Rx, and instead of using the drive-thru I went inside because I wanted to grab a package of the refillable coffee pods from the As Seen On TV aisle.  It turns out Tom had already picked up my Rx, so I was just going to buy the pods - but she said he'd also picked them up.  He's going to try them out this morning - if they work (easily washable, no grounds in the coffee, etc.) his morning fix of coffee will just cost a fraction of the cost of the store bought ones.  Definitely worth a try at 4 pods for $9.99.

I was tired and napped some of yesterday afternoon away in front of the TV, which made me a little surprised when I found myself falling asleep on the couch before 9:00.  So it was off to bed for me, where I slept another 8 hours.  

Maybe I was just disappointed over the No-Show NOVA show on PBS last night?  There was a program that sounded right up Tom's alley, "Hunting the Elements" that we planned to watch.

Why are some elements, like platinum and gold, relatively inert while others, like phosphorus and potassium, are violently explosive?  Why are some vital to every breath we take while others are potentially lethal?  Punctuated by surprising and often alarming experiments, NY Times technology writer David Pogue shares some of nature's secrets.

Instead, a there was a program on the meteorite that landed in Russia.  

Still, no real biggie since Hunting the Elements was slated to be repeated on Friday at 3 am and Sunday at 2 pm. Except that when I went to record one of the 'repeats', both turned out to be repeats of the show on the meteorite.  Sigh.

This morning I should get those last two strips onto the quilt, and then I can start piecing the backing.  

So I guess I'd better quit fooling around at the computer and Get To It!

I spent most of today sewing the borders on - 

and now the quilt is almost finished!  

The four final outside edge strips are sewn together, but won't actually go on until tomorrow. IF I get up early enough, I'll do that before I head to the Busy Bees meeting.  

In any event, I plan to take the top for Show & Tell (it's been SO long since I've had something to show!)

Teresa and I had a delicious lunch at Olive Garden (had my usual all-you-can-eat soup and salad, and yummy breadsticks before Passover starts at sundown).  It was her first real outing on crutches, but she managed just fine.  Around the house she's using a chair, and hoping to get a walking cast in another week or two.

I got to see their day-old chicks.... too cute! There were probably a dozen of them, but it was hard to count since they didn't all come out of the bushes at the same time.

On the way to Teresa's I had stopped at Walmart and picked up a mattress pad and sheets for Alex's old twin bed; once I got home I made up the bed so now that room is all ready for a guest.  Of course with Summer coming up fast, not sure if we'll be getting many visitors...

Feeling a little tired, so not going to tackle the quilt borders.  They can wait until morning, when I'm nice and fresh.  

There are plenty of other things for me to get done around the house!

Today would be Dad's 94th birthday.  Still miss you as much as ever, Dad!   

Here are some pix from his 88th (when the kids were 16 and 14):

 It's also Steve's birthday, and Heather's birthday (and 'possibly' a few other people's birthday...)