Thursday, February 16, 2012

Quilting

Have been working on a quilt for our friends Hugh and Consuelo's new grandson, Colby.  I call it "Doggy Love".  It is made up of 6 inch squares of alternating doggy fabric and a nature pattern with die-cut hearts machine appliqued on each square.  I have the quilt sandwich made and am in the process of machine quilting it.  I am actually enjoying the machine quilting!  I already did the top and am now working on the borders.  The sides are leaves and I will possibly put a long tree trunk behind the leaves.  The top is going to be clouds and the bottom border will be waves and possibly fishes.  I have lots of leftover binding from my previous two food quilts and plan on using that to bind it.  I am in no hurry so there is  no stress to get it done.  Perhaps that is why I am enjoying doing the machine quilting!

On another front have I mentioned all the concerts (3) we have been to this year?  Most recently we went to the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley to hear Woody Hanks and Deborah Robin.  They sing old time folk music a la Woody Guthrie.  The new Freight is a lovely venue.  There is parking right next door and they serve COFFEE!  And you can drink it in the auditorium. 

Well, unfortunately my time at the library computer is up so I have to close.

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Miscellany

Well, I finally got my ten year old laptop back from the repair person and it came home with a different problem!  The hard drive comes on, I get the first screen then the hard drive stops!  Bummer.  I have decided not to spend any more money on it but that leaves me without a computer.  Saw one at Office Max that I just love but can't afford so have been shopping for a cheaper one.  In the meantime, I am using the computers at the library. 

The downside of the library computers is I cannot download pict ures (which really doesn't matter as all my picutres were on my stolen and broken computers anyway.

I have been quilting!  Had a top that was finished and am machine quilting it.  Halfway done and my sewing machine foot pedal bit the dust!  My very handy man husband tried to fix it but it is caput and unfixable.  So, I have pulled out my little feahterweight and will finish it on that machine.  Good thing I have more than one sewing machine!

As I may have mentioned I visit my grandson every week.  We had been visiting on Thursdays but when he joined tennis club and stayed at school til five on Thursdays we changed to Tuesdays.  Now he is preparing for a tennis tournament and stays at school til five every day.  So we saw each other for about five minutes yesterday.  So we will see how next week goes and then re-evaluate my 164 mile weekly drive.  I love watching him grow up but don't love watching him grow away.  A natural thing, though.

On a brighter note, The Big Guy and I have been going to concerts!  The first one we went to in January was The Sons of the San Joaquin.  They sing western songs, most of which they wrote.  Very mellow and upbeat.  We went out to Angels Camp to the Bret Harte theater for that.  It was lovely.  Afterwards we had dinner in Copperopolis at an Italian restaurant whose name escapes me.  But they had gluten free menu items which were delicious!

February first we heard Judy Collins at the Gallo Theater in Modesto.  We were in the nosebleed seats, third balcony, second row from the back! But the sound system there is wonderful and they have an elevator.  If possible, Judy Collins, at 72, has a better voice than she did in the sixties and seventies!  The warm-up act was Amy Speece, a new artist from Nashville.  Her voice was gorgeous and her patter was hilarious!

Tomorrow night we are going to the Freight and Salvage in Berkeley with friends, Dave and Sandy.  Can't decide if we will drive or take BART.  Am afraid The Big Guy will not be able to walk the two or three blocks to the venue.  We will see how he feels tomorrow.

Thursday will be a late night.  I have a Birding field trip to go on Friday morning at eight a.m.  I really want to go but will give myself some slack if I am not up to it.

So you are now caught up with my life to date! I hope to soon get my own computer so that I can blog regularly again.