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.

Friday Night With Friends plus!

I joined up with Cheryll for Friday Night With Friends.

Only I started on Wednesday!

And I'll go on until Monday.

While the heat has broken-a bit- for a couple of days, 

I spend my time in the studio (aka basement)

where it is much cooler than the upstairs even with air conditioning.

I spent enough hours on Nora's stocking that I finished

 all the known cross stitches to be filled in.

I'm sure I'll find some are missing as I backstitch,

I always do.

The back stitching brings the entire piece alive,

adding details and definition.

I also stitched the first two rows of this little quilt together.

I dug the 4 patch blocks out of a box 

where they'd been lingering for 6 or 7 years.

Leftovers from a couple of quilts I made for Nora earlier.

I fiddled with placement on the design wall for a couple of days

and ended with this.

I might just have the blocks together by tomorrow night.

I think this will be a donation quilt.

Pink is quite prevalent and I'm seriously short of girls!

I've also spent at least and hour each day on this.

It is now halfway quilted.

Perhaps I'll finish this quilt this month?

I think it's doable.

Now, I'll just be off to hibernate some more!

Waffles

This morning I tried a new waffle recipe.

From a cooking for two book.

Called for Seltzer water.

Not a bad waffle.

Not likely to make the recipe again though.

Just let me say. . .

Seltzer water should always be opened

OVER THE SINK!

Stitching catch up

Literally.

I am now caught up with Rainbows Scrap Challenge! 

Well, at least the Grannies are.

I don't think I have enough of either pink or turquoise/teal for tumblers.

When I finished those-

I stitched up this table runner top.

Bought this as a kit in Montana 2016 and just getting around to it.

It will get quilted when Tanya's Black and Gold is done.

As for Black and Gold it is now 1/4 quilted.

It's big.

It's Heavy.

I can only work on it for about an hour before my shoulders give out!

Terribly hot here.

Humid as well.

Heat index today 111F!

I'm staying in so more sewing tomorrow!

Sirens

Earlier today I was in my second floor office

on the phone with the mail order pharmacy.

Not talking about that!

I hate that I am required to use one.

Anyway,

I'm on hold and the weather sirens start wailing!

I look out the window to see its blowing a gale.

Sirens don't go off on Tuesdays unless there's a weather event 

so I took phone and laptop and headed to the basement.

Turned on the TV for the weather guessers.

There where both severe thunderstorm and tornado WARNINGS!

Had to go back up stairs for a leash and Quinn as she refused to come.

(She does this every time there's a weather emergency!)

Soon everything was over so I went back up to the office.

When I came down later it was to discover this limb down in the back yard!

You can see (maybe) where it broke off.

Funny thing though

that's all that broke.

No plants upended,

no chairs turned over just that one branch.

The break is so far up the tree I may

need both the pole chain saw and the ladder.

Think it will stay the way it is until my middle son gets

home from vacation in 10 days!

New garden shots

On Thursday and Friday I pulled up the grass and planted this Hosta garden.

On the North side of the house beside my patio.

It will take a year or so but most of the Hostas have 36-42" spreads.

They will eventually blend into one another.

I have a few impatiens at the front adding a bit of color once they get settled in.

Only thing left is to replace that soaker hose.

It has many-LARGE holes and sprays all over the place.

So not much true soaking going on!

This little bush tomato is loaded with cherry tomatoes!

Tasty, too!

I will definitely plant this one again.

Not so 

the other two small tomatoes in pots.  

The yellow pear has blossom end rot on every tomato! 

Not good.

Last up my fountain and some of the potted plants around it.

Very soothing, 

the sound of water,