Thursday, January 28, 2021

Really Random Thursday, 1/28/21

 Very shortly after last week's inauguration, the memes with Bernie Sanders and his mittens went viral. I saw so many and they all made me laugh.  My friend, Erika, even sent one that she had made using a photo of my Night Blossoms quilt.


Here are a couple of my favorites. Especially this one, because we are Big Bang Theory fans...



I was stunned at the beauty of First Lady Jill Biden's inauguration coat and dress. The embroidered flowers were from every state and territory, and on her dress, the Delaware flower is positioned at the heart level. So meaningful and beautiful. When Mark and I were in Washington, DC, in May 2019, one of my favorite museum exhibits was that of the dresses worn by the First Ladies. I hope to be able to see this one in person someday.


Photos from @gabrielahearst

Aaron and I are attempting to learn to knit socks. Our first hurdle is learning "Judy's Magic Loop." We watched a three-minute video. Over and over. We asked Charlotte to help stop and start the video, but she said she didn't have that kind of time. I think it took about an hour. At least, it felt like that long.  I'm not sure we completely have it figured out yet, but we're giving it another go tonight. We are trying the two-a-time toe-up. Wish us luck.

We have a lot of mourning doves in our neighborhood, but Mark has been following a bird who spends a lot of time in our yard. He is sure it is something other than a mourning dove, as it is noticeably larger. When it sings, it sounds different from the mourning doves we are used to, and its chest puffs out. Any birders out there? 

For quite a few years, I had a serger that I stored in the garage. I took a class to learn how to thread it, then promptly put it back in the box and back in the garage. I finally sold it. Mark saw this at the thrift store the other day and thought maybe I'd be interested.

Looks about my speed. But...nope.


Have you taken any sewing classes via zoom? My second class with Tara Faughnan (highly recommended) started on Monday afternoon. We are doing her double wedding ring pattern. I've attempted a double wedding ring before but never finished. I'm going to try using some of those parts but applying Tara's phenomenal color expertise and see if the outcome will be different...aka better. This is what I'm starting with. Not my normal palette, that's for sure, so the challenge for me is a big one. It may either be epic (unlikely) or an epic fail (much more likely). In that case, I'm prepared to chuck the whole thing, but I just had to give it one last try.


Seriously, if you have a chance to learn from Tara about how she puts color together, don't pass it by!! (The picture on the right is the inspiration for my project. Fingers crossed.)

Here's a little story I have forgotten to write and something I wish to remember. My father is 40 minutes away in skilled nursing, with Alzheimer's. I have seen him a total of about 90 minutes in the last year, Mark has seen him for 30 minutes, and because my brother drove all the way out from Washington, DC, they allowed my brother and sister-in-law a total of 60 minutes at one time. Anyway, shortly before Christmas, the nursing staff called to ask if we had been sending my father honey roasted peanuts. I said, no we had not but maybe my brother had, and I would check with him. My brother also said he had not been sending peanuts. Who was sending him peanuts remains a mystery. But the funny part of the story is that my father then tried to sell them to other residents! The nursing staff had called to check because they didn't want us to be using our money to send something that he turned around and tried to sell. I'm sure if asked, he would have no clue what anyone was talking about. Also during that conversation, they informed me that he had put a piece of paper on his door, a petition for signatures so that they could have more Christmas decorations. Apparently, in his opinion, the staff had not done an adequate job of decorating.

How I like to end my day once in awhile:
Have a lovely weekend.

8 comments:

05 08
Grandma G said... #

Check out this dove: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Eurasian_Collared-Dove/id#

FlourishingPalms said... #

Oh yes! I'm all over taking virtual workshops and will start my SIXTH virtual workshop today! They're fantastic because you can SEE everything so much better because instructors have more than one camera. Up-close viewing is really easy - way better than in a live workshop. Also, I really appreciate that I've been able to take workshops with people I would NEVER have otherwise had a chance to learn from - instructors in England, Australia, and Alaska (I'm in Florida). I took a color workshop with Tara at QC and made what I call my "Ick" quilt, because I learned that brown is my "ick" color. Happy for you to be in the workshop. I know someone else who's in the same one! Have fun!

Edna said... #

Look at RING NECK DOVE Evidently they make good pets so this one might have been someone's pet and might be tame? Cheers, Edna

French 75 said... #

Hey, your serger is happy in its new home!! Yes. Jill Biden's coat is absolutely gorgeous. It is a lovely tribute to the US. Good luck on the 2 at a time sock project. Once you master it, you'll be getting lots of requests for socks! Hope to see you real soon. xo

Patti said... #

Just want to say I always enjoy you blogs!

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said... #

An interesting story about your Dad. Apparently he is not doing too badly. Like the petition idea and selling those peanuts is pretty innovative for someone with Alzheimers. Those Bernie memes always make me smile.

Anne / Springleaf Studios said... #

Ring Neck Doves have overtaken the mourning doves around here. I don't think their song is as nice. There's just something about zoom that I don't like so no classes for me but I'm glad you enjoy them. It's certainly been a game changer for a lot fo people.

OPQuilt said... #

I love that photo of you in the evening. Perfectly perfect in every way. I tend to spend my time at night on the computer, wrapping up the day with reading the news (I'm selective--some stories I don't want to read!), but I like your way better. I just got a new serger with my new Bernina (free with purchase if you can believe it), so now I have two sergers. I also just ordered a pattern from Tessuti fabrics because I am SICK of all my clothes. I hope to make something soon. This post was lovely, with the mention of Jill Biden's beautiful dress. I loved that night!