GUESS WHAT I FOUND ON THE KITCHEN FLOOR THIS MORNING WHEN I WENT TO EMPTY THE DISWASHER -

It's certainly starting off that way! 

I lost one of my favorite earrings yesterday!  

Realized it when I got up from the couch last evening (and where I performed a very diligent, but ultimately unsuccessful, search.)  Since I have NO idea how long it had been missing it could be almost anywhere.

  

Sent this apology e-mail to Sue at the irrigation office:

Looks like I really messed up!!!  When it got light out I saw that we had gotten water even though I’d cancelled this cycle to let our new block wall ‘cure’ (and you did your part leaving us off of the schedule.)  BUT apparently I had still left our main gate closed off.  Since the water would have come through in the wee hours of the morning, it must have really caused a major headache for the next person in line.  I AM SO SORRY!  We have been there (on too many occasions!), and it is NO fun getting up in the middle of the night to let the water go only to discover that it never arrived.  I’m glad our gate was unlocked (which is not always the case) so that someone (Terry?) could let the water go.  Aside from apologizing to the people next in line for water (will you please pass this along to them?!) and paying for the water we got, is there anything else we can do?  In our “defense” we do have a good 20+ year track record….

☹ Bobbi

I also stopped by Terry's yesterday morning to apologize to him in person (though no one answered the door), and after Sue forwarded my e-mail I received his reply this morning:

My first inclination is to have you strung up and flogged 20 times, but it might not pass the headline test and I do not think the Board would approve.  We had a few others who “messed up” this week mainly because we haven’t done it in 2 months.  I will recommend a “SEVERE” letter of reprimand (for our files), so that the flogging can be brought up in future infractions.  Lastly, I was thankful I was able to get in your back yard to release the water without being shot.  Terry

I was glad the gate was open (that's not always the case) 

so he didn't need to also wake us up!

We really hope to get back on Terry's good side since we rely on him to take over irrigation on those occasions when both Tom and I are out of town.  Hope that Sue was correct when she said "an apology goes a long way, " and relieved that flogging seems to be off the table (at least for the time being....)

I FEEL TERRIBLE!!! (And did stop by your house around 9:30 that morning to apologize in person, but no one was home.)  As you know we are on automatic, but when we decided to cancel a second cycle because of our new block wall we just spaced out opening the gate.  We take full responsibility (though glad flogging is off the table, at least for now.)  The good news is that a mistake like this on our part is not likely to reoccur.  As for a severe letter of reprimand for your files – I agree that a running list of infractions should be kept as rationale for actions that need to be taken when people keep screwing up.  (While I hope those actions don’t include flogging, having been on the other end many times I certainly can understand people feeling that way!)

 Bobbi

This morning I had an appointment with my PCP, basically to follow up on the Sleep Study results.  Good thing I moved today's dentist appt forward an hour, because even though I had a 10:00 appt she didn't see me until 11:00.  I'd forgotten to grab my iPad on the way out the door (a tad distracted with company here) and was only a block from home when I realized, but didn't want to risk being late so I didn't go back for it.  So naturally the only things to read in the waiting room were golf magazines. 

I had a good cleaning at the dentist; some of my bad gum numbers (around teeth in the back) had improved. Unfortunately there are cracks in yet another tooth (which has recently started being sensitive to cold) so I promised I'd make the appointment with the endodontist (for the 3D x-rays) that I've been putting off for over a year...  Which I did.  The possibility of needing a root canal (or two!) does make me apprehensive...

After the dentist I swung by SAS since I was already halfway there - and was shocked that they didn't have what I was looking for, something like a copper lame fabric.  

I thought SAS carried everything <g> but apparently not.  Of course I don't need the fabric for the lettering until the very end of the project (which I haven't actually started) but it may not be quite as easy to find as I expected.

There was a message from Monica on the machine when I got home; she already has the charity quilt done!  At the moment we're playing phone tag, but she's planning on going to the small quilt show on Saturday (as am I) so maybe we can make the hand-off then.

At Busy Bees yesterday I dropped off some things on the "Please Rehome This Stuff" table, and came home with this fun pie fabric and a quilt book.  

Thought it would work up into some fun placemats, though wasn't sure what pattern to use. (The pix I took in Wickenburg Saturday, of a number of placemat ideas, were not retrievable from that memory card.)  And then this block came across FB, and think it's a winner.  I should be able to find two coordinating fabrics in my stash, right?

Once it got light this morning I could see that we got irrigation last night.  I had removed us from the sign-up list for this cycle (and Sue hadn't put us on the schedule) so I was confused.  But then it dawned on me.  We had opened up the main gate during the wall construction, but then closed it off afterward.  Unfortunately when we decided to skip a second cycle WE forgot to open up that gate again.  I immediately sent an apology to Sue this morning, but no doubt the folks that missed out on their water were pretty puffed in the middle of the night.

Looks like I really messed up!!!  When it got light out I saw that we had gotten water even though I’d cancelled this cycle to let our new block wall ‘cure’ (and you did your part leaving us off of the schedule.)  BUT apparently I had still left our main gate closed off.  Since the water would have come through in the wee hours of the morning, it must have really caused a major headache for the next person in line.  I AM SO SORRY!  We have been there (on too many occasions!), and it is NO fun getting up in the middle of the night to let the water go only to discover that it never arrived.  I’m glad our gate was unlocked (which is not always the case) so that someone (Terry?) could let the water go.  Aside from apologizing to the people next in line for water (will you please pass this along to them?!) and paying for the water we got, is there anything else we can do?  In our “defense” we do have a good 20+ year track record….

The ladies at Busy Bees loved the wedding quilt.

I also showed the bright and cheery charity top I'll be donating at the quilt show, and reminded the ladies that if they bring a top they'll get tickets for the sewing machine drawing.  I also mentioned that if they bring a completed quilt they'll get lots more tickets.   And that's when Monica offered to quilt my top for me!  (She'll return it to me next Wednesday so I can bind it.)  I was thrilled with her generous offer, and I told her we'll split the tickets.

Sandy did a demo on hexies and paper piecing. 

(Why was Bobbi's hand the only one waving in the air with questions?)  

There was still an 'opening' for Tip-of-the-Month at the business meeting in April, and I offered to do it with the caveat that I'll be offering tips meant for newbie quilters, things I wish I'd known years ago (and that 'real' sewers probably just assumed "anybody" would know.)  If nothing else it should be good for a laugh for the seasoned quilters!

There were only four of us who'd completed 4 UFOs in 2019, so the odds were good that Laura could pull my name out of the bucket.  But it was Jan who went home with the fat quarters.

Pennie is re-joining the Bees, so I'm hoping at some point she'll do another quilting tutorial.  When she did one years ago I wasn't quite ready to absorb most of her lesson.  This one she brought in today has beautiful quilting, with one side done with a ruler and the other side done free-hand.  They look the same to me!

This quilt looks like a Row-by-Row, 

but is actually a panel that she used to practice her quilting skills. 

Donna scored these nicely quilted panels at Goodwill - for only $3 apiece!

Sharon made this happy pink quilt for her granddaughter.

She had enough fabric leftover to make a lap-sized quilt -

and a baby quilt.

Since she doesn't want any scraps sitting around, 

here's where the rest of the fabric ended up:

Alex spent a lot of time today mucking out the second bedroom at the back house, and then came over to get Tom to help him schlep Mom & Dad's old couch over here.  (It'll hang out in my garage until the end of February, when Elinor & Richard visit and then haul it back to Colorado for Michael & Loretta.)  

I moved my car out of the garage and swept - and when the guys still hadn't shown up I went back to discover that in all that time they hadn't been able to get it through the bedroom door.  They'd even taken off the legs (one of which is currently 'hiding' somewhere), and turned the couch every-which-way.

Eventually they got it into the hallway, but then were fighting to get it out of the house.  We know it went in the house (and then into that bedroom) so it's a bit strange that they are having such difficulty.  In the end they had to take the front door off of its hinges.  The entire ordeal took well over an hour!

At least that room is now useable, though the beds definitely needed changing before all the company arrives. I stripped both of them of their sheets and blankets, along with the bed skirt, bedspread, and mattress pads.  Now I'm washing everything, but even with our extra-large washer it'll still be three loads.

I took Brownie with me to drive the car back into the garage, and he was confused about the short trip.  He sure didn't want to get out of the car, I'm guessing because he thought I was going somewhere and he didn't want to get left behind.

Bruce and his sister Susan just arrived from Quartzsite, and will be taking us out to dinner.  (They're traveling in an RV, so I don't have to get the beds done tonight.)

Yesterday morning I spoke briefly with Mom.  She couldn't talk long because she had to get ready to head to lunch with Sandy, Emily, toddler Maggie, and baby Greta (who, according to Mom "has two golf balls in each cheek.")  I hope Sandy or Emily took pictures! 

When I went out to pick a couple of bags of grapefruit to take to gym I discovered "someone" had been digging a hole by fence; my best guess is that Brownie was trying to get under it  to go after a bunny.  Tom had recently worked back there and I saw that he'd cut down a volunteer plant along the fence.  Had he noticed the hole?  "Yes."  Would have been nice if he'd mentioned it to me...! 

The other day Brownie had accompanied me into the Back 40 to 'help' snap a pic of the new baby oleander, and ended up chasing a bunny out of the hedge and across the field.  This time the bunny escaped through the irrigation pipe leading into the backyard, and again Brownie planted himself at the opening waiting for it to reappear.  (Finally I had to pick him up to get him back into the yard.) 

Before the gym I worked up "Copper Canyon" from the script alphabet (which had been lurking in the Downloads folder after all) and also went through my brown scrap tub and collected more possibles for the project.  Fun!

On my way to the gym Shirley called to see about picking grapefruits.  Since she and Carol were both at the gym they each took home a bag of grapefruit.  Then around 2:00 Shirley and her friend Michelle came over and picked more bags-worth, though of course there are still PLENTY remaining on the tree. I, of course, am more than pleased to see them 'go to good homes' (since Marilyn isn't going to help with that this winter) instead of going to waste!  Alex actually popped over for a bit before his scheduled work conference call, and he was a big help picking some from way high up for them.

After the gym Wanda stopped by to drop off a tub of her scrumptious fudge, and then we went out to lunch together.  I introduced her to the Panini place at 35th & Bell, where she agreed that virtually everything on their eclectic menu sounded yummy.  We decided to share the chicken avocado panini and a 'busy' salad.  Both portions were hefty so I ending up bringing a good portion of the salad home.  It will proved a great lunch for me today when I get home from Busy Bees.  

The restaurant was a hit with Wanda.  Not only did everything on the menu look good, but she agreed that their portions are generous and their prices are certainly more than reasonable, so she'll definitely be a return customer.  I used my gift card from Alex, and still have enough left on it for another meal.  Thank you, Alex!  (Have some fudge!) 

Tom has been working in the yard, and yesterday he mowed and weed-ate the front yards which were looking shaggy..  I swept out there (again) and then watered plants.  When Tom moved to backyard, I trimmed.  Things are really looking very spiffy.  Paul's crew returns in a week or so to work their magic on the big trees out front, and then address whatever else they can squeeze into that day.  With all the attention the property has been getting in recent days it should stay looking nice - at least for the time being.

First company (a last minute surprise) arrives today.  Bruce (and his sister?) are here for the Quartzsite show, and since they're in his RV we really don't have to do much to get ready.  More company arrives in just a few days.

(I WISH!)

I'm off to Busy Bees in a bit when I get to show off the wedding quilt!  I posted a pic it to Scrap Quilt Enthusiasts (about 48 hours ago) and it's already collected almost 1,000 'like', 'love', 'wow' hits, as well as several hundred very laudatory comments.

This clip of a very happy dog reminds me of how Brownie acts now 

whenever he sees me pick up his leash.  

https://www.facebook.com/LADbible/videos/2397459923903621/

It's SUCH a welcome change from his first couple of months with us (!) 

when I despaired of him ever 'using' one!  

FYI February will mark Brownie's first year's anniversary 

of joining the family!

Speaking of Alex - he popped over yesterday with a box of GS cookies for me. (There's absolutely no need to ask what kind!) 

When I commented on how much the box has shrunk he said he'd noticed that also.  Of course that means I should have NO difficulty devouring a entire sleeve in one sitting - not that I ever did before!  Haven't yet opened the box (can't eat chocolate in the evening) but after seeing this picture I'm almost afraid to!

Guess I'll go drown my sorrows in the hot tub now that it's light out.