Life Up Down and everything in between

I don’t tend to use my blog to whine and complain because what fun is that to read right? So let me say though this life is not always fun or adventurous. Sometimes it’s like a storm at sea or a major roller coaster. And that is what the last almost 30 days have been like with happiness thrown in and about. I try not to let it get me down but my daughter told me to to snap out of it and she’s right but sometimes I just can’t help it. I’m not in control of my surroundings and it affects me then I choose the happiness. Okay I’m good now. Awwwww breathe…………………………….

Now on to the better stuff.

This past Thursday I went to my book club meeting. It had been my turn to choose a book and location for the meeting. It’s always nice to get together with this group. Even if I feel bad they make me smile. It’s crazy to think that most of us have been together for 18  ½ years. Friends that read together stay together. Well this group has. There’s 19 members and 12 of us were the charter members. 

And no we don’t all show up to every meeting.  I think I have missed 3 meetings in these 18 ½ years. Not a bad record at all. For this meeting only 5 of us were present.

Anyway I chose the book The Captain’s Wife by Douglas Kelley and we met at the Redfish Grill. 

The book starts off a little slow but then the action kicks in. The book is based on a true story about Mary Pattern. At the age of 19 she takes over the navigation and command of the clipper ship Neptune's Car when her husband the Captain falls ill. If you click on the book title you can read my review.

Besides reading for my book club I was asked by a friend of mine who’s an author to join a street team to read series of 5 books and review them to get the word out. I think most of the team has already finish all 5 books but I’m a straggler and I’m only on book 4 of the Linger Series by Edward Fallon. I have enjoyed the first 3 that I've read so far. Book 4 was in truth written by my friend William Graham. The books were publish under one pseudonym You can find them on Amazon now. If you click Here it will take you to amazon and the Linger series. The books are murder mystery/paranormal to thriller. Sometimes they’d start off a little slow and then boom things start happening and I didn’t want to put the books down.

Last Friday marked the 1 year anniversary of my step-Mothers unexpected sudden death.  On that same day our Dad was declared cancer free (Remission) I still can’t believe she’s gone. My sister(s) set up a scholarship in her name and issued the first one this past spring. Carolyn was quite a woman. She supported the community and education thru various donations or volunteer work that none of us were aware of until going through her papers. She owned an abstract company and at some point in time she probably touch every piece of property via paperwork in the Grundy county area in Missouri. She is dearly missed by all her family. And a little over a year our Dad remains in good health and free of cancer. He did recently have a maintenance shot of chemo but he's doing very well. He's even amazed the doctors and I personally am glad for that.

Yesterday my neighbor came down to borrow a dog crate for her grand-dog that’s coming to visit for the next several weeks. We were talking so I walked her out the door and was walking down the road toward her house when we both stopped and looked at this dark line in the road. It was just about dusk and I'd had full glass of wine. I kept thinking that’s weird and took a couple more steps closer, Deborah didn’t move, and it was about this time the head of that black line in the road rose up. I did a quick back step as did Deborah and the whole time we were yelling for David who was in the garage with the music going. I never took my eyes off the snake. He was moving slow and I wanted David to hurry before he slithered into our front yard.

David arrived with a hoe like tool just as the snake slide into the grass but David was faster and got it. Sorry if you’re a snake advocate but the only good snake I know is a dead one. This one was about 3foot long and about as big around as broom stick handle and…… in the picture it is  now a headless copperhead. Yep a copperhead. He's not a good snake at all. That was my first snake up close ever and the first I’ve seen in our neighborhood since we moved in 4 years ago. It can be the last and I’d be just fine with that. 

I’m just about done adding the extra border and the quilting of said border for Pamela’s guest room quilt.  Too many things have gotten in the way and the fix hasn’t been real easy for me.  I pray I never again make this mistake. I still can’t figure out how I didn’t make it long and wide enough for the queen bed. See why I tend to hesitate when I say I try to be a quilter. I mean I even laid the damn thing across her bed that took with her to the house. Oh well about 70 more inches and quilting will be done and then all I have to do is trim and square up everything and bind it. I hope I can finish it this week and take it to her this Friday. I may take my sewing machine so I can hem the bedskirt I made and make her pillow shams.  Her quilt, my screw up is jamming up my Project list and crossing off finished projects. And top off the fact that working 10 hour days kinda messes with your energy to do things after work. Oh Pamela has added 3 more baby quilts to UFO list. Yikes.  Hopefully I can cross a few off the UFO list in a couple of weeks when I go on my quilt retreat. This will be the 5th one I've organized. The hardest part of the organization is trying to figure out what to take and work on.

Oh well I guess I better get busy on this quilt if I even hope to have it ready this weekend.

Until Next Blog.....Quilting Fills My Days..My closets, My trunk and My cabinets.!