I woke up before 5:00 this morning - definitely earlier than I would have liked - but at least I logged a solid six hours of sleep.  At first light I was out back, scraping and shoveling and sweeping the pad by the shed, and the porches and carport around the back house.  While the day started out nice and cool, by the time I quit at 8:00 it was quite toasty.  Raised several blisters (obviously should have worn gloves) but at least everything is in much better shape before the predicted Rosa rain arrives.  

Then after a much-need shower I finished up the t-shirt quilt 

(knew it wouldn't take long today) so that's done.

Steve was working next door on John's irrigation pipe by 7:00, and thus finished up over there by mid-morning.  However he had other equipment to move before the rains arrive, so he had to leave and never did start on our pipe.  Guess that'll happen next Saturday?

Patti stopped by for a visit this morning.  Between computer issues and some misbehaving 6th graders things have been rather stressful at work.  At last it'll be another short week (no school Friday) AND a 4-day weekend because there's no school on Monday either.  She wasn't kidding about there being very few 5-day weeks in the schedule!

After just 30 minutes of Boot Camp I decided I'd had enough since I got more than my fair share of exercise in the yard this morning.  Wasn't home too long before Marcie and Latina popped over.  Since I want to get started on the baby quilt I "twisted Marcie's arm" to make another run over to the quilt store for the white and gray fabrics I need for the shadows.  (Latina came along with us, and behaved herself.)  So first thing tomorrow I plan to get started on that project.

Alex called while we were on our way home.  His event ended today around 3:00 and he was able to pack up and get on the road.  Mostly he was calling to see what the weather was like (it had definitely clouded up by this afternoon) and is going to try to make as many miles as he can before the bad weather sets in.  At least no rain is predicted for Texas or NM, so he should have clear sailing until he approaches Arizona.

Shortly after I got home from the gym yesterday, Wanda texted to suggest lunch once she finished at the chiropractor.  I ended up dozing on the couch during the hour I was waiting for her arrival.  And even though the house phone woke me up twice, each time I fell right back asleep.  Marcie was available to join us since her doc appointment wasn't until 2:30, and the three of us returned to Saffron, the Indian restaurant at 43rd & Union Hills, for another delicious meal at their Friday buffet.  We three left there quite stuffed, but "somehow" once back home I found room for dessert, the "used" chocolate cake Wanda brought me.

  

Back here we did some Show & Tell.  Marcie had her quilt (with the binding, label, and sleeve for me to attach) and Wanda had her Tula Pink 100-block challenge, made from Kaffe Fasset fabrics. 

She also brought along the book that Jo Ann Rice, one of her Delightful Quilters friends, had surprised her with a couple of days ago.  What a wonderful gift!  

It's full of pictures of Wanda and her DQ friends, with many of her quilts.  I especially loved seeing pix of the Arizona Centennial quilt when it was on display at the Capitol in DC - and this winter we hope to make a trip down to the Tucson museum to see it again on display there!  Can't find my pic of the front, but here's the back of the two-sided quilt:

 I got some advice for my outer borders, which I had planned to start yesterday afternoon.  But once the ladies left, I crashed on the couch until almost dinner time, making it quite obvious I would need to halve my new sleeping med dosage!  Of course I did not get any work done on the quilt borders as planned.  

Naturally I was somewhat worried about whether I would be able to sleep last night after so much daytime sleep yesterday.  But I'm very happy to report that I managed almost 8 hours <yay!> proving that a single .5 mg tablet is still enough to do the trick.  And that dosage did not put me in sleep mode during the day today!  

So I was able to get the outer borders almost done today; unfortunately I ran out of Michael Miller black when I got to the last step. (Still, it's almost done.) That meant I needed to make a run to the quilt store for some of that, and also to JoAnn's for flannel for the backing.  And Marcie was agreeable to being my partner in crime. 

Flannel, not that expensive to begin with, was on sale (50% off) - plus I was able to use a 25% off on top of that - so they practically paid me to bring the flannel home!  And Marcie also found some perfect flannel for Baby Castellucci's quilt, next in line.  So even though I haven't started that quilt yet (maybe on Monday?) I already have the backing for it.

Irrigation in the late afternoon yesterday went well, though once the water breeched our center ditch we ended up letting it go ten minutes early.  Still, the front yard got a better drink than usual, so everyone's work up-ditch definitely seems to have improved the flow.  (After all the pipework is done we may even be able to cut back on our time?)  This morning Steve yanked out all the shrubbery in the ditch next door (and also in the horse pasture), which certainly should improve the water flow even more.  He also actually started laying their pipe, and as much progress as he's already made we expect him to finish that by tomorrow.  Not sure of Steve's timeline, whether he'll end up having time to start ours tomorrow or have to wait until next weekend.  But things are definitely moving along!

My laptop died Wednesday evening, so I was unable to help Joy 

with the Foothills blurb for the Chatter.

And then I had the crappiest night’s “sleep” yet... couldn’t fall asleep until after 11:30, was awake to glance at the clock at 1:23 and 2:something, and then was up for good yesterday at 3:30.  

On the plus side, I got a very early start to the day and made excellent progress on the t-shirt quilt... and my laptop turned out not to be fried.  YAY!  

While the charger was plugged in to the laptop, with the other end securely attached to the power strip, further investigation show that the other end of the power strip (hidden behind the table) somehow had become loosened from the wall plug.  So that was an easy fix!

Sleep deprivation takes a toll, so I guess it’s no real surprise 

that I was confused about what day it was yesterday.  

For some reason thinking it was Friday, I got dressed for the gym and headed over there.  But after I did my warm-ups I couldn’t find Jim... because he doesn't work on Thursdays! Let’s just say I left there feeling pretty foolish.

After I added the last of the inner borders to the t-shirt project (I'd almost finished before going to the gym) I ended up over at the Flying Pig, watching ‘Marcie’ <g> quilt her Acid Yellow Waffle.  It is turning out stunning!  

Brought along the t-shirt quilt so Marcie and Cindy could give me suggestions for placement of the mini-blocks in the outer border, and they did a right fine job!  I picked out shiny red thread and a heart pattern for my quilting session in October, and expect to have the borders done well before that appointment. Mike delivered lunch for us (and Cindy’s husband) and the 5 of us enjoyed a mini  luncheon.  

I'd called the doctor's office yesterday morning when they opened, and left the PA a fairly urgent message about the refill I've been trying to get for the past week. Wonder of wonders, I got a call from the pharmacy a little after 4:00 that it was ready for pick-up.  It turned out to only be a month’s worth (not sure why the switch from a 90-day supply) so I may get to have the same fun the end of October.  However the last week or two before I ran out it didn’t seem to be very effective.  So last night I tried something else that Marcie has suggested, which she brought over in the afternoon before the pharmacy called with their good news.  AND IT WORKED!

I was VERY tired mid-day, but as I arrived home from the Pig a little before 1:30 (with thoughts of a nap swirling in my thoughts) Bella and the cleaning crew were pulling into the driveway right behind me.  The house is now clean, but once they left, I wasn’t tired any more.  This has been the pattern lately. 

Tom moved all of his lapidary equipment out of the living room and back into the shop yesterday morning so the ladies could clean.  It's supposed to cool off next week (courtesy of storm Rosa) and he wanted the ladies to actually be able to work in here.  It is nice and clean - but looks strangely empty... though I assume we'll 'adjust'!

Agenda for today (which really is Friday) includes starting on the mini-block borders, working out at the gym <g>, and maybe dog-sitting Latina briefly this afternoon.  With a solid night's sleep under my belt (for the first time in a while) I hope for a very productive day!

Yesterday after the gym I stopped at the post office to remail Logan’s birthday card and send off a packet to Mom.  Despite a good-sized line things moved along at a surprisingly nice clip, so I was in and out faster than expected.  Here's hoping both arrive at their destinations safely (Mom's includes the sleeve for her giraffe quilt.)  It was weird when Logan's card was returned to me a few weeks later as "unclaimed".

 My next stop, at the pharmacy, was less productive. Despite a couple of faxes to okay the refill, they still hadn't heard back from the doctor - and at my request sent a third one right then.  But now I seem to remember something similar happening before, and think that Lunesta is a 'controlled substance' requiring a paper Rx; I will look into that today. It may mean a run over to the doc's office for that.  (Would have been nice to get notification of that, though!) 

I didn't get a solid night's sleep, dozing through the wee hours (looked at the clock at 2:something and 4:something) so will work at being productive this morning before I fade!

Tom Ford stopped by yesterday to talk about the irrigation project (I really need to walk over and check out his piping) and we caught up on all sorts of things. (Too hot still to be out and about walking, and chatting with neighbors.)

Yesterday I attached Marcie's second label, finished binding the charity baby quilt, and started binding the chicken quilt.  But today it’s back to working on the t-shirt quilt.  The next step, figuring out which blocks need to be trimmed down so all columns line up, is something I have been putting off.

Finally got my fish dinner last night! Of course it was as delicious as expected - and yes, I definitely pigged out.  We don't eat much fried food, so it's always a treat.  Tom had bought a deep-fryer yesterday, so as a bonus there was no splattered oil mess, from a skillet, to clean up in the kitchen.  

This week the new season has started on TV. I'm enjoying the continuation of a favorite, This Is Us, and have also watched the pilots for a couple of new shows, like Manifest and New Amsterdam (with more to come this week.) Time will tell! 

It was so easy sewing on the "new and improved" Mystery Quilt label last night, and I expect the same cooperation from the remaining label going on Silas' quilt.  

After that, it will be back to work on the t-shirt quilt since October, with its next Flying Pig appointment, is fast approaching.  And as soon as Steve's quilt top is completed I can get started on Baby Castellucci's quilt, with the goal of getting that done and in the mail by the first of November for its unveiling at the baby shower.  No wonder my own projects seem to have difficulty floating to the top of the list!

Cheri called yesterday, and has asked for my help on an upcoming project of hers with a looming October deadline.  It will be fun (and shouldn't take long) and considering how much help she gave me making the fabric flowers for Mom and Marilyn she certainly deserves any help I can give her with her projects!

After a 3-month absence (late June) my phosphenes have returned, first on Saturday morning and then again today.  Since they are easily (and rapidly) dismissed with a small bit of sugar it's NO biggie, just annoying.  

Guess skipping dessert last night (sure wasn't going to have a brownie or chocolate chip cookie and risk disturbing my sleep... and if it's not chocolate, why bother?) lowered my blood sugar too much? <g>  But despite my avoidance of chocolate I still was up during the night, so am happy I slept in (somewhat) today after taking (my last) Lunesta in the wee hours of the morning.  I hope my refill will be waiting for me at the pharmacy today since each 3-month refill needs a doc's approval.  Unfortunately sometimes those are not done in a timely fashion....

Sure was a pretty fall harvest moon last night, even though summer isn't at all ready to give up its triple-digit grip on Phoenix.  The high temps too often "linger" until Halloween, but we sure are tired of them!

Still, turning the page on the calendar next month will be encouraging, and everyone I know is looking forward to saying hello to October!

Now it's time to get some stuff done before I head to the gym.

After Rod left this morning I had a productive trip to Target, not only finding everything on my list (more than a dozen items) and not buying anything that wasn’t on it... but also getting out the door for less than $100.  

I was home in time to head over to Park Meadows during Diane’s “break” (when the kids are at PE, or music, or art) to give her the bag of goodies I had for her.  But the new policy at school didn't allow me to head over to the classroom, so she had to come up to the office.  Not as private a place for a chat as her classroom, but we're hoping to squeeze in a lunch one of these days.

Marcie brought over the laundered labels this afternoon, and they should be much easier to attach to the backs of her quilts without all that stiff stabilizer.

I've been looking forward to a fish dinner since Tom got back from his trip.  Yesterday he thawed out a batch from an earlier trip, but when he opened the package it had freezer burn and wasn't any good, so we ended up having breakfast for dinner.  Today he thawed out another package - but at dinnertime realized we'd used all the eggs (needed for dipping before Panko crumbs) last night so we ended up at Sweet Tomatoes.  (I had put eggs on the list, knowing I was going to use most of them for deviled eggs this past Saturday, but before Tom shopped he saw we had plenty of eggs and figured we didn't need any more yet.)  Maybe the third night tomorrow will be the charm?

Alex just called to check in and say hi.  He hopes to start heading home next Monday, so we should see him in a little over a week - at least for a day or so before he heads off again.  Busy guy! 

Since I was up so early yesterday, I did manage some work on the t-shirt quilt, adding a “perfect” blue and red border to one of the shirts to make it as wide as the others, while trimming all the others down to a "standard" width.   (A lot of Steve's overseas work was making and setting up equipment for Voice of America.) 

Packed up Nancy’s quilting stuff to take to Busy Bees later this month, and put away some piles of laundry that had been stacking up (I think they multiplied when I wasn't looking) so the bedroom is considerably less cluttered, with only one more big pile to sort through!  Things have piled up since I can't muck in the mornings while Tom is still asleep, and during the day the A/C unit on that part of the house is turned off, making it rather unpleasant to be back there.  And of course by evening, when we turn it back on, I am usually somewhat tired and useless!

Yesterday I got caught up with various family and friends.  Andy called me (he was driving to somewhere on the Eastern Shore) to answer some questions I had e-mailed him, Mom returned my earlier call and let me know what she's been up to, and Patti and I chatted up a storm when I popped over there for a much-needed hair cut. 

On my drive to Patti's I took Topeka, and noticed that house behind us (with very funky horse stalls) is now up for sale.  That property has always been an eyesore, though in recent years (since Don passed away) Carrie has worked at cleaning it up.  I assume (hope!!!) that whoever buys it will make improvements since that's what has happened with virtually every other property in the neighborhood that has sold over the 20 years we've lived here. 

At Boot Camp I made it through the first 30 minutes without too much difficulty (it did seem to be an easier session than most) even though I was still a tad sore from Friday's workout.  So next Sunday I will shoot for 45 minutes.  Making progress!

After a quick stop at the bank to deposit a check I got home just as Marcie and Latina were arriving.  She brought over her pix from her trip to Machu Picchu in 2009 (a trip there is on our Bucket List) and took home both quilt labels to launder; removing the stabilizer (necessary for embroidering on the machine) should make it easier for me to sew onto her quilts.

Steve Cordova, who grew up in the house next to Marcie's (and spent a lot of time over here swimming in the pool when our property belonged to the original owners, the Crawfords) has been piping in the irrigation ditch for our neighbor, Tom Ford. (Yes, it was quite a comedy when he and Tom first introduced themselves to each other!)  

(FYI: His wife's name isn't Bobbi.... but it's Billie!)

Steve came over yesterday to look at our property, and will be getting us an estimate, probably later today.  The good news is that John, our immediate up-ditch neighbor with the horrible ditch, has agreed to pipe in his.  So at some point (soon?!) we should be eliminating a lot of the issues and fight to keep the ditch clear.

Last evening I did some binding on the UFO baby quilt, getting it about half done until I just got too warm under it and the light.  Of course I wasn't really interested in the football games (Tom had taped 3 of them during the day so he can zoom through them later in about an hour) so I started listening to Fear (surprised I didn't have nightmares last night!) before I crashed around 9:00.  I was very pleasantly surprised to have slept-in until a little after 6, logging an excellent night's sleep... which I needed!

Now we're waiting for Rod, owner of Island Life Pools, this morning.  He's going to look at our pool and give us a quote for taking care of the chemicals.  We have been so unhappy with our current provider for quite a while, and this guy came highly recommended.