I really had hoped to wake up this morning ALL BETTER, 

but sadly that was just a pipe dream.  

Still, I can move around once I'm up - 

and at least I don't groan as much getting there!

I'm scheduled for the chiropractor again this morning - and am also supposed to be starting back up with Jim at the gym on Friday!  Will that actually happen?

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel... because this morning I was able to get out of bed without having to try countless different positions to do it!! While I definitely still hurt, at least I can tell that I'm making progress!!!  Though I will probably spend today like I've spent the past three (hanging out on an ice pack) hopefully I will be able to actually function tomorrow.

I did make a second visit to the chiropractor yesterday, and it seemed to help somewhat.  But when I woke up this morning I could barely move.  Happily things loosened up some as the morning wore on, so I did go with Tom to see Alex.  We also met his boss Nick, who raved about what a great employee Alex is - and gave us some credit for that. While I did (finally) get to see a bus this time, it turned out to again be a replacement for their usual one.  We stayed less than an hour - Alex had other things to do - but he'll be home in a week or so for some R & R.

Yesterday was a long, miserable day with my back.  By the time we were headed to the chiropractor in the late afternoon (Tom had to drive me) the monsoon was all around us, with lots of blowing dust where we were, and serious dark clouds where we were headed.  The chiropractor figured out what was wrong - my hip was out big time - and even asked if my toe was hurting (and in fact for the past several days I had checked several times to see if I had a sticker in it!) I was glad he was able to alleviate some of the pain (AND figure out how I had done it so I can avoid doing it again!) but this morning I seem to be right back to where I was.  Might have to make another trip to the chiropractor today.  Plus I don't see how I can go see Alex tomorrow, which is a major disappointment.

Awake at 4:00, so I got an early start to the day - and was almost done with Woven Block 5 when my back went OUT.  It's been some time since it did it on this level - as in I can barely move.  Currently I'm on the hearing pad, and hope for some respite before I have to pick up Patti and drive her to the doctor.  (Gary can't drive her because he has a job interview this morning.) She's supposed to be getting her cast removed today, and hopes for clearance to start driving again.  But I may have to "let" Tom take her if I can't move!

Awake at 2:00 and 4:00 - but back to sleep each time, until 6:30.  

I could live with this!

In a bit I'm off to Busy Bees (after picking up June first.)  Louise has asked me to take photos since Jan won't be there today, and that reminded me to bring my camera... though I did remember the Arizona Highway magazines (from two months ago) for the ladies.  

I will be showing the wedding sampler top (yesterday I sewed a white-on-cream heart border to it, added batting and backing and then quilted in the seams) even though it still needs to be made into a pillow.  I plan to stop in at SAS and pick up the form for that today.  THEN I can mail it off, and cross another completed project off of my list.

I just happened to be looking out the window when the coyote appeared from behind the hedge again.  As soon as I went out back to snap a picture it noticed me, and took off - but not before I got one quick pic.

I've been working on the Woven blocks, and am almost done with #4.  I still haven't had to repeat any of the fabrics - and shouldn't have to for quite some time.

We got a few sprinkles earlier, but they quickly fizzled out and the sun is once again shining.  

Probably my fault... I thought about cleaning the pool this morning but with the weather forecast of' 'possible storms' decided against it.

Admittedly that is considerably easier when you get a good night's sleep.  

When I woke up at 3:00 today I thought

BUT the good news is that I closed my eyes and went right back to sleep - 

and slept in until 6:30!

I feel really ready for today, which has nothing on the agenda except one phone call left over from yesterday.  Otherwise, it's my day to do with as I please!  (Unless the universe takes that as a dare?)  

So I'm hoping to get several more Woven blocks done (finished a second one yesterday.)  I rummaged around in the cabinets and in the Black tub and found more white-on-black fabrics, so after I iron and cut  maybe I can whip up a few before breakfast.

You can get a lot of sewing done by 9:30 - when you start your day at 3:30!  This morning I played around with my decorative stitches, and embellished all the cactus spines.

It's hard to see in that picture, but this close-up should help.

Now it's ready to quilt, though don't think that'll be happening today.

Now I guess I'd better go make some of those phone calls 

before I run out of steam.

Good Girl, Frannie! She did us proud yesterday.  :)

BEST IN MATCH!

Cheshire Woodwynd Imagine went Best in Match today 

at the Heart of the Hills Kennel Club match in Texas. 

Good girl, Frannie!

Frannie's my "niece", and while she's no longer officially a puppy, 
who could resist this adorable shot?

Today I finished up the wedding sampler.  It's been a LONG time coming so it feels like an accomplishment!  Of course I still need to turn it into a pillow, but here's the finished needlework (pretty sure Rachelle does not read my blog!)

This morning I decided to try making one of Colleen's Woven blocks.  I used up the last of my white-on-cream fabric (and now have enough rectangles to make up two dozen blocks) and dug out a set of black&white strips to go with it.  I'm thinking that with red sashing it should make an eye-catching quilt.  Here's the first block.

This afternoon I started embellishing my cactus, using some of the decorative stitches on my machine to create spines as I sew down the pieces.  Not enough progress to show yet (a phone call from a friend interrupted my creativity) but maybe tomorrow?  

My agenda for tomorrow has the last items on my list (that I've been putting off?), all health related: deciding on a PCP doctor and making an appointment for September, ordering a Rx plan to go with my new Medicare insurance, and ordering some Rx refills.  The rest of the time I can sew?

Ultimately it was a productive day, but there were so many problems with the first pillow (translation: it was sewed and then had to be ripped out three times) that the process ended up taking more than three hours.  At least we eventually got it put together correctly, AND the next two pillows went much more smoothly.

The first pillow was made from an old shirt of mine from the 80s.  Once it shrank it was no longer wearable, but I loved the picture on the back and never could bring myself to throw it out.  Makes a cute little pillow, though!

And here's the back -

The hummingbird pillow is for Terry

  

and the turtle pillow is for Elinor.

Yolanda also had issues today - she never did get her Featherweight to sew, so unfortunately she got nothing done except visiting.

I had admired Colleen's woven blocks last weekend, so today she had the pattern for me.  Now I can hardly wait to start whipping up some blocks, though first I will need to buy some more white background fabric.

Stephanie is excited about making up a bird quilt, and after Yolanda and I saw the pattern we want to make one also.  Our first thought was to schedule that project for next Saturday, but Tom and I will be heading down to Ak-Chin Pavilion to visit with Alex as he breezes through town again on the Slipknot tour. And no, we won't be sticking around for the "music".  Would you?

Looks like he did have fun on his Colorado Raft trip on Tuesday:

The evening news is depressing: the West is on fire, terrorists are in full force all around the globe, wars continue to churn out desperate refugees, the Republicans continue to sound absurd, etc. so ending with this clip of bears enjoying a backyard pool in NJ provided a much-needed smile last night.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PnzrWJ-GnI&feature=youtu.be

Our front yard looks much better after I mowed yesterday (I had no trouble filling both cans up to the brim), and irrigation seemed to go well last night.  Today I'm off to Colleen's to sew with the ladies, and hope to come home with a pile of completed pillows. 

Yesterday morning my new seam ripper worked great, and I had my block resewn correctly (while listening to audio book) well before my 10:00 appointment at the tire place.  I should have been out of there in about an hour, but at 11:00 they let me know that there was a problem. Apparently someone had sold one of "my" tires (naturally the last one of my size in stock) and they had to send someone somewhere to pick up another one.  Long story short: I was stuck sitting there almost another hour.  Good thing I'd remembered to put a replacement Thermorest into the car until I can pick up the one I left at Olive Garden, and of course I did bring a book with me. At least to compensate for my inconvenience they cut the tire mounting charge in half, so I saved $32.  

I was tired in the afternoon (from all that sitting around?) and took a nap after drifting off while listening to more of my audio book.  But I awoke refreshed, with the energy necessary to cook dinner (Tom was off-duty): grilled salmon, wild rice, steamed broccoli, and cantaloupe.

Unfortunately today I've been up since 3:30, which does not make me happy.  When it got late enough (5:00 here, 8:00 Back East) I gave Mom a call and we caught up on all the (non) news.  

Once Tom wakes up I plan to mow the front yard because we have irrigation tonight.  Same crappy time (the middle of the night) but this time Tom is doing the honors.  And yes, as a matter of fact we do have a chance of rain tonight.

With my sister's help 

I got my first audio book downloaded (uploaded? who really cares....) from the library onto my iPad, and last night I set the timer and fell asleep listening to it.  Of course I was tired so I "may" need to re-listen to all of it, not just the part that played after I fell asleep.

In fact I think I'll go do that while I rip out yesterday's block and fix it.

Stay tuned to hear how my brand new seam ripper (and thread scooper-upper) works.

I hurried to make up a special quilt block this morning before my 10:00 "appointment" - and after it was all together I realized that there was a reason I had two squares of fabric left over. So will be ripping and resewing it later... sigh!

At 10:00 I picked up Wanda at the Honda dealership, where she gave me the knitting bag Perri made for me at Quilt Camp last week - perfect!

Our first stop was at 35th Ave., where I admired this bumper sticker on a car in parking lot.

I behaved myself and didn't buy any fabric.  (Yes, even I was surprised!) But when Wanda was checking out she raved about a seam-ripper do-hickey at the counter (a blob on the end picks up all the little threads after ripping) so I didn't quite make it out of there empty-handed.  I plan to try it out tomorrow when I rip out numerous seams from this morning's (hurried) block.

After a brief stop at Mulqueens (where we picked up their Row By Row pattern, but again I didn't buy anything!) we headed to Olive Garden for lunch; Wanda had a gift certificate she wanted to use.  And driving in the lane next to us was the Quiltaholic car.

I enjoyed my Soup & Salad ( and happily suffered no ill effects, unlike after my Soup & Salad at Mimi's yesterday) and then it was off to SAS; now I have the three 12" pillow forms I need for Saturday.

When we were almost back at the Honda dealership I got a phone call from the Olive Garden; they had found my Thermorest cushion.  Guess I'll be adding a trip to OG to pick it up to my errand list.