Catch up!

Finished this table runner last week, 

Just couldn't manage a photo!

 Rain, camera battery and just plain forgetfulness all to blame.

I've been working, long hours every day, on Nora's Stocking.

I got such a lift finishing the big black and gold quilt

 that I decided I'd finish it this month.

I think I'm going to make it!

Only a bit more finishing up on the bulk of the sock,

Her name

and assembling into a Christmas stocking.

In other areas,

I've spent hours working on sorting out all the "Hickam" stuff!

I got quite a bit off Ancestry

and Family Search.

Now I'm checking, fixing mistakes as I find them,

 deleting, merging and printing out clean copies.

I have one family that's giving me fits!

Will go back to them next week.

Soon it will be onto the Weddles (my Grandmother Hickam).

It will take longer!

We've had rain, though not enough to end the drought.

Cooler weather for a few days (once I even put on a sweater!)

But, the heat and humidity came back!

Now we are under a heat advisory, so must stay inside.

Only a few more weeks of horrid heat.

I hope!

A little sewing!

 First up.

Orange Granny Squares for Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

 Then Catch up!

Red Granny Squares for Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Last Month's color.

Had them cut out for weeks

Finally got them sewn up.

Finished top of what I'm calling the Pink 4 patch.

The blue hanging beside it will be the back.

There may be some yellow added if needed as I have some left.

I've already cut the binding strips.

Unless I have to buy batting

(really hope not but haven't looked)

I've only bought the yellow border fabric,

All the rest is from the stash.

I've also nearly finished the quilting of the fall table runner.

All in all a great week sewing!

Makes me so willing to go into the studio to work!

Speaking of the studio. . .

I had to clean up a bit.

Needs still more tidying.

Perhaps today.

(Only if I can't find something!)

FINISHED!

As you can see,

Tanya's Black and Gold quilt is finally finished.

I decided that having it hanging around

 was negatively affecting my energy so I finished it!

There are two more rows of blocks behind 

the hangin quilt.

It's a BIG one!

Making it was simply one issue after another.

I try to remember that perfect is the enemy of done.

I did learn, too late for this one,

That I should use a 6 foot table to quilt big ones.

Or perhaps all of them?

Now that it's done I feel more like stitching again! 

Housework-be gone.

Stitching to do!

Mass Murder!

The patio door has become a killing field!

There are now enough fly guts on the glass that a proper wash-up will soon be required.

In the past two days I've killed at least 20 flies.

I have no idea where they are getting in.

I didn't have this problem last year.

I think that there's at least one  I haven't managed to kill though.

Maybe more.

Now you know, 

I 

Am

A

Mass

Murderer!

Exciting times!

Yes, that's my driveway!

They cut away a big section and jack hammered away the cement!

All to repair a water line that was leaking.

Leaving a constant puddle and runoff on the street.

They dug a VERY deep hole and replaced the pipe under the street,

then filled the hole in with gravel.

Tomorrow they will pour concrete on the torn up area.

In two weeks my drive with be useable again!

Such excitement!

Adventures!

Martin pond, Iowa

Last Thursday I picked Ceili up from storage and headed east on US highway 24.

Ended up at Wakonda State Park quite near the Mississippi river!

Close to Hannibal, hometown of Samuel C. Clements better know as Mark Twain.

On Friday, I worked on the changes I'm making to Ceili so she will be more comfortable.

Did a bit of cooking for the next day.

Drove into Quincy, IL to purchase the things I forgot to bring!

Well, some of them!

Quincy had some very unusual houses.

I wished for my camera, 

but of course I'd left it behind.

When will I learn?

On Saturday, I managed to get myself lost.

Going from the campground to Larry's sister's place.

Thank goodness for Lucas!

Who talked me through sending him my location on the Iphone

and then found me and led me in!

There was an afternoon and evening of visiting,

most of Larry's family was in attendance.

It wasn't hot which was seriously welcome!

As was the rain that came off and on all afternoon.

Speaking of rain.

It rained at the campground off and on all night.

Woke both Quinn and I several times,

Well that and the folks talking in the wee hours.

Several folks lost dining canopies and one trailer lost it's awning!

Must have been windy,

I didn't notice that.

The rain continued most of  Sunday morning,

finally driving me out of the trailer from the pounding on the roof.

That pounding brought on a pounding in my head!

(I'm not complaining that it rained! 

For one thing we are in desperate need of much more.

Then, if I did, thinking of Chookyblue and how desperately she needs rain-

well I'd feel guilty.)

I had planned a trip into Iowa for Sunday.

When I think of Iowa I think of corn and flat.

I don't think I'll drive up and down hills through a pine and hardwood state forest.

Then we wandered up and down roads like this:

Osage Road to the south

and to the north.

 Not flat.

Although there was plenty of corn!

Finally, we arrived at our destination.

Center Chapel Church.

More specifically the cemetery at the church.

I was looking for this stone in particular.

John and Mary Ann Evans Watkins.

Emigrant ancestors from Breconshire, Wales.

The last of my families to come to the United States.

Arriving in 1881.

On the return trip I thought it would be interesting to see Keokuk, IA.

I don't know why.

Crossed the Mississippi river, unintentionally.

Decided to drive along the river instead of turning around.

I did drive beside the river for a bit then through farms of corn.

Had to go clear to Quincy to cross back over the river.

I've never been fond of Illinois.

I haven't changed my mind.

The deep hole that is my office

My desk.  It never looks much better.

This week I have spent quite a lot of time in this room.

Cleaning out the closet.

Sorting through the boxes and notebooks.

Making piles of materials to give away.

Beginning to get the Family History research organized.

I moved the bookcase from the wall behind the desk to the wall along side the desk.

The scanner wasn't working well from the other spot.

The cord connecting it to the laptop just wasn't long enough.

(I will say that the photo scanning process has been moving along.

Another lifetime and I'll be done!)

All the notebooks on the shelves are either holding family information,

or are empty waiting to be filled.

I won't have any trouble filling them.

See the two white boxes?

They hold folders with notes etc in them.

That all needs to be added to one of the family lines.

The bottom center shelf holds yet more files.

And then there's this file!

Most of it on one family!

I have been sewing,

I have been reading,

I've even done housework

and COOKED.

But it seems I've mostly fallen down the office hole.