For, lo, the Winter Is Past

“For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;  the time of the singing of birds is come...”   Song of Solomon: 2:11&12.

Yes, the winter is past, and what a winter it was.  Weather wise we did not have a lot of snow.  We did not have a white Christmas.  Ken only plowed a few times.  But, it kept snowing here and there until May 6th.  The ole groundhog of Punxsutawney had predicted an early spring.  We should know better than to trust famous ones who make predictions!   Finally, finally, the leaves are almost all out.  Our flowering crab was lovely in the last week, as I have pictured it here.

This is actually a practice blog post for writing with pictures.  I haven’t yet figured out how to move pictures.

Home, sweet home!  We love our home very much.  But in March, we became part of the global coronavirus pandemic and were required to shelter in place, stay at home, to slow the spread of the virus.  During that time we were to only go out for groceries and medicine.  That meant no Bible meetings or visitors for us.  No weekly quilt club for me, either.  Most stores were closed, crippling the economy.  Now, over two months later, the restrictions have slowly lifted.  What a relief it is to feel more normal!  Someday I may write a blog post to put down what it was like to live through the pandemic for posterity.  Right now we are pretty much sick and tired of it and want to move on!

So I will sign off with the lovely crabapple tree, and hopefully get some help from somebody or somewhere on how to insert pictures and move them around!

New iPad, New Adventure

Here I am with a brand-new (ten days or so) iPad. Wow, what a learning curve it is!  One thing we wanted it for is to FaceTime with our family.  Plus I wanted to be able to take pictures and easily send them to family and Facebook.  Then it dawned on me that I could do some blogging!  Pictures make blogposts way more interesting, I think.  And, wow, does this iPad take wonderful pictures.  So, here goes!

What am I going to blog about?  My blog title says it all—musings about my life in general.  Some days it might be about cooking or baking.  Some days it may be about a quilting project.  Some days I might be getting on myself soap box about something.

I have to learn how to insert pictures.  I am learning that on Facebook.  I am going to close out this post with a picture of the place we have called home for nearly forty-nine years!

I tried and tried but couldn’t seem to get the picture from point a to point b.  I am giving up for now.  I promise I will learn it!

Winter-Weary

I love the change of seasons and always look forward to the upcoming one (even winter!).  I love snow, and stormy days.  But as February moves on, I find myself with more and more thoughts of spring!  Oh, to be able to go outside without a coat, or go to the mailbox without worrying about falling down (I am 65, you know!).

I decided the best antidote I could think of for this winter-weary condition was to start a new quilt.  I have had some thirties fabric since last April when Jill and I shopped in Lancaster and decided today was the day to cut it out!  It was Go-cutter friendly, and I did lots of cranking, and my shoulders feel it some tonight!  I didn't used to like thirties fabric, but it has grown on me, enough that I want to make a quilt.

I am resisting the urge to make a few parts and sew them into blocks.  For this quilt, I want to make ALL the components and then start assembling them.  There are 20 blocks in the quilt, and 4 4 1/2 inch HST's in each block.  I have all 80 of them sewn, pressed, and the dog ears trimmed off them.  Then I started sewing the 2 1/2 inch HST's.  There are 16 of them in each block, 320 total.  I got 50 some done and pressed tonight.  Progress!  It is always a thrill to start a new project.  Wish I had some pictures!

My decluttering project continues.  Right now the path through our bedroom is pretty narrow.  I will need to work on it tomorrow!!  I have three file boxes of convention notes that are going to go under the counter top in our bedroom.  I have been hauling them in and out of the laundry room for a few months.  I treasure them very much and will be glad to have a good place for them.  I worked on a shelf in my laundry room today.  There were some old clothes there in a laundry basket, probably to be ironed.  Some went to the garbage (Ouch!  I sewed them myself!) and some went for donation.  Great!  I found space on the shelf and started stacking tablecloths and table runners.  How nice to have a home for them, too!!  Little by little, I am making progress.

Gathering Up More Stuff

Decluttering the Dana White way is interesting.  Instead of just hauling everything out, you just grab some obvious things that need to go.  There is something about doing it that way that feeds my motivation to do more.  I think I wrote that I pull out skirts to donate every laundry day when I am hanging my clean skirts back up.  Little "tricks" like that keep the whole project from being overwhelming.

Today I gathered up a large box of yarn to give to a lady who knits and crochets for charity.  I may have some more stashed in my laundry room to add to it.  That will mean more room in my laundry room cupboard!

I also boxed up some old, old books to give to Ross or Roy.  Both seem to be enjoying doing ebay this winter.  And both seemed somewhat interested in trying to sell them that way.  Ross and Kate are planning a 25 cent yard sale in the spring, so perhaps if they take them and can't ebay them, they can move them that way.  Room on the bookshelf will be used for cookbooks, which I have loads of, but can't part with...yet anyways.  Maybe some will go when I move them.

The important thing is that these things are going OUT OF MY HOUSE!  And, they are leaving some space behind, which will be good to re-adjust things I DO want to keep and use.

I have an ongoing project in our bedroom, which has badly needed some help.  In our futon room upstairs, we had a small desk with four drawers in it.  We brought it down to our bedroom to put the laptop on.  The printer sets on the left side, with a lamp in between.  The computer mouse sits to the right of the computer.  Wow, not much space.  But, guess what--there is not room for junk and untidiness!  Our printer paper and ink tanks are stowed away in the drawers instead of setting on the countertop.

The goal behind the desk move is to get the counter top by the door of the room cleared off so Ken can put his scroll saw items on it.  I didn't work on that project today, but hope to tomorrow, some anyways.  Today's focus was laundry and finishing a twister table topper.

All in all, I am pleased with my progress so far.  Even though I know I have a long ways to go, it feels good to be getting unnecessary stuff OUT.  And, I am looking at things in our house differently, too--like noticing an old Mr. Coffee sitting down cellar on my canning cupboard.  No, I am not going to ever, ever use that, and I don't think it is good to anyone else.  Next trip there, I will bring it up to the garbage.

Until next time...ALG

Donating, Donating

Yesterday I posted on two facebook pages, one from DuBois and one from Brockway.  I asked the question--where can I donate clothes, household items, and yarn?  Wow, did I get feedback!  I had already taken things to the Salvation Army, but wanted to know what other options were available.  We are not enamored with Goodwill.  Come to find out, there are a couple of churches that accept clothing and shoes and have times when needy people can "shop" for free.  Sounds like what I want!  Another lady responded that her elderly mother knits and crochets caps and scarves for veterans  and items for NICU in DuBois.  I will box up my yarn for her!

Somehow, my mindset is changing and I am starting to get my mind around the concept of TOO MUCH STUFF!  For many years I kept things because, "I might need this someday".  Now my thought is, "Am I using this or just storing it?"  There is so much useful information in the book How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind,  I figured out that many of my drawers and cupboards are full if things that I am storing, and the things I am wearing/using sit on top of the counters, etc.  Solution: Donate what I am not using!

Another epiphany:  It seems to me that when I reduce the amount of stuff I have, organization will be unnecessary!

My method for reducing my number of skirts is:  when I put my clean laundry away, I must take out as many skirts as I am putting away.  That way my overload will be reduced by seven or eight skirts a week.

And, if I donate two bags and one box a week, how long will it take me to get my house pared down?

At least I am making a beginning...

There are a few things this winter that I am "into".  One is milling flour with a Nutrimill that I got in November.  Next is that I have started collecting Pioneer Woman kitchen items, thanks to daughter Jill's inspiration.  More recently I have read a book called How to Manage Your Home Without Losing Your Mind by Dana White.  She also has a website/blog/facebook page called A Slob Comes Clean.  These three things I will probably be writing about.  I wish I were better with pictures.  Someday I would like a smart phone to better post pictures here and on facebook.

Well, I have made a start at re-enacting my blog.  Here goes!!

January 31, 2018

I am trying to decide if I want to write my ramblings here or start a facebook page for them.  Facebook is SO easy, but maybe if I practice here it will seem easy.  I have just had a yen to share some of the things that are going on in my brain and life in my 65th year--or is that 66th?  I turned 65 Dec. 7.  This is a test.