Tag Archives: doing

four things | thirty

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Wow, this week’s gone by fast! I’ve been busy but do not have many pictures to show my busyness.

Let’s just right to the reading, watching, loving/not loving, and doing…

what I’m reading

I’ve been reading about altering furniture to make it work better for my needs. This is something I’d love to do to my IKEA knitting storage table but I would have to modify one of the drawers to make it fit. I need to think about this some more.

what I’m watching

Mr. Aitch and I have been watching the old, old, old Gunsmoke series. I think we are still on the second (of twenty) season and the early episodes are only 30 minutes long. One thing I notice is that the dresses Miss Kitty wears zip down the back.

Zippers that we use today have only been around for a little over 100-years so Miss Kitty’s dresses would not have used a zipper.

Elias Howe, the inventor of the sewing machine, developed an early version of the zipper in 1851 but failed to market it. Along came Whitcomb Judson, who debuted his “Clasp Locker” at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair. He patented it but it didn’t have much success. Gideon Sundback improved upon Judson’s closure and patented his version in 1917. That’s the design we know today.

These closure devices weren’t used in clothing but for boots and tobacco pouches. Click here for more information on the zipper.

what I’m loving/not loving

We’ll be attending a party this afternoon. Yay!

It’s a going-away party for our neighbor who is moving after living here for 29 years. Not yay. We understand that her house is too big for just her and there is a lot of upkeep but will be sad to see her go.

what I’m working on

I finally got back into the knitting groove! I started these socks at the beginning of the year and was going full steam ahead until my knitting mojo snuck off during the night. I’m so happy that my mojo is back but she brought an unwelcome friend – the Dreaded Yarn Chicken.

It never occurred to me that I didn’t have enough yarn to complete the second sock.

I have 18 more rows before the toe. I found another yarn in my stash from the same manufacturer and it’s going to be close enough.

The tweed yarn has little slubs instead of little pops of color. These will be going into my sock drawer and they will be good enough for my feet.

Stay cool this week!

four things | eight

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March is finally here and spring is just around the corner. The snow flurries we had Thursday are just a memory. The wind has picked up so even though the sun is shining, it’s still cold. This is what March is all about.

what I’m loving

Our new dishwasher was installed this week! YAY!!

It was a “special” order because of the color – black stainless. It’s right next to the refrigerator so I thought it should match.

It’s got three racks and holds much more than the old one. The inside is stainless as opposed to my old one which was white so that makes it seem darker, however, it won’t stain! Looking at you spaghetti sauce and wine drips. I read the manual and evidently some models come with a light inside. I didn’t know that, did you? I never had a light so I don’t miss it but the next one….

what I accomplished

I finally finished the yarn swift bag that I started in January. The fabric is a heavier weight cotton from my stash and at least 35 years old. I bought it to make curtains for my daughter’s bedroom but never did. The lining is cotton from my M-I-L’s stash (also old). I sewed a pocket on the inside with a snap flap to keep the dowels and washers in for easier access. The cardboard square helps stabilize the bottom.

I miscalculated where the grommets should go and didn’t leave enough fabric to fold down for the casing for the draw string. It took me two months to figure out how to fix it. I cut out the grommets, added another piece of fabric to hide the hole, bound the top edge, and sewed on a casing. I had some nylon cord for the draw string and a spring action cord holder (or whatever they are called).

what I’m giving up

Lent began on Wednesday. No, we didn’t have pancakes on Pancake/Fat Tuesday. Actually I didn’t know that was a thing until ten or twelve years ago. My understanding is that (before my time) people gave up butter, eggs, and sugar for Lent so they indulged in pancakes before having abstaining from those foods. In my family we gave up candy. Our parents didn’t give us a choice – we were told that was the edict from God.

We also don’t eat meat on Ash Wednesday or any Fridays during Lent as a form of penance in honor of the death of Jesus Christ. Before 1966 Catholics didn’t eat meat on any Friday but Pope Paul VI changed that to just during Lent. Fish sticks, mac and cheese, tuna noodle casserole, salmon cakes, or meatless spaghetti were common Friday meals in our home.

So for Lent this year I’m abstaining from two iPad games that I’m addicted to and candy…not all sweets, just candy. I have a stash of chocolates in one of the drawers next to my knitting chair. The temptation is there but so far, so good. I’m also getting back into walking around our neighborhood (weather permitting) everyday. Maybe by giving up candy and burning extra calories by walking, I’ll lose the five pounds (or more) that I gained in December.

what I’m working on

Our house sits on about eight-tenths of an acre. That might sound like a lot of land or not so much. When we built our house, we tried to keep as many trees as possible – less to mow, shade in the summer, birdwatching, etc. The downside? More leaves to rake and twigs and branches to pick up!

Over the years we’ve lost some trees, some dead or dying and some that grew too tall and close to the house. We had seven trees removed last summer. Yesterday I marked more trees that (IMHO) should come down.

A few of the dead trees are too big for Mr. Aitch to cut down and several are too close to our house or our neighbor’s fence and shed so we need to get a professional to take those down. Wish us luck in finding someone to do the job!

Have a great week…and don’t forget to turn your clocks an hour ahead tonight.

Patti nona

four things | six

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It’s still winter, at least for this past week. We had bitter cold (for us) with temperatures in the teens and twenties along with high winds that only made it feel colder. One good thing is that when Pepper needs to go outside, she gets the “job” done quickly!

I don’t mind the snow (retired and all that) but those winds ripping through hats, coats, gloves/mittens, pants, and boots are wicked.

what I’m reading

The articles about Joann’s closing 500+ stores is saddening. My local store is now a “liquidation store” with sale prices hovering around 20% off retail. I realize they are trying to recoup some losses but will wait for deeper cuts before I buy the flannel I need to sew burp cloths. The only other fabric option within 50-miles is Walmart.

what I’m watching

Two turkey vultures were scoping out the surrounding area this week for snacks or lunch. I usually see these huge birds gliding above the trees so this was a real treat.

They were probably 20-24 inches tall just chatting away or whatever birds do when they rest in the trees.

Pepper stayed in the house for the hour or two that they were there. I know they feed off of dead carcasses but I didn’t want to give them any ideas that she was around.

what I’m not missing

I’ve used a wireless keyboard and mouse for many, many years and when they decided to stop working, I went back to the wired ones that came with my computer (close to ten years ago). These cords are long enough that they don’t pull when I use them. The mouse died first about a year ago and no matter how many times I tried different mouse pads or replaced the batteries, it would skip, not click, double click, not move or move on it’s own. Ain’t nobody got time for dat.

The keyboard lived until a few weeks ago. Most keyboards have the same key placement though does take awhile to get used to the different feel and pressure/touch of the keys.

I am not missing the cordless features.

what I’m working on

Our priest adopted a three years old basset/terrier mix dog earlier this month. He doesn’t have to deal with the biting, chewing and teething stage that new puppies go through but there is definitely a learning curve for both of them.

People are gifting treats, toys, and advice. I made a dog poop bag holder that he can clip on his belt loop or dog leash. The pattern is free when you sign up for the weekly newsletter.

I used some bone printed fabric I got from my BFF. it’s easy to refill with the zipper opening. The open space on the bottom is where the roll of bags can be pulled out as seen below.

I try to take most of my indoor photos in the window seat in the guest room. A piece of white felt on top of the padded seat helps reflect light without glare. Pepper had to do the sniff test and see what was going on.

till next week…

Patti