Sometimes you just have to wonder. . . . .

The past two days have just not been "my" days. . . .

In my area people have a habit of "dropping off" their unwanted cats instead of doing the responsible thing & taking them to an animal shelter.

This means that the cats. . . and their kittens (heaven forbid these animals should be spayed or neutered by their loving owners) do their hunting in my backyard.

I happen to like the variety of birds, the chipmunks, and the squirrels that like to be in my yard better than I like feral cats.

And I also need to protect my Bogart who is blind from diabetes & deaf from old age.

So, last night I see a cat and one of her kittens (there had been 2, don't know where the other one is) scaling my back fence --- and Bogart is in the yard --- so I go running out to chase the cats out of the yard. Well, they left the yard & I ended up falling full on my face on the grass because I tripped.

Took a hot soak last night to get the mud off & figured that the muscles would need it. . . oh boy was I right. . . the muscles in my waist, chest & back are absolutely killing me today.

After a non-eventful day at work I get in my car to leave. . . look both ways before I put the car in reverse, don't see anyone so I proceed to back-up. . .all of a sudden BAMM. I stop & see this big, black SUV thing sitting behind me.

Well, this guy, that hit me starts carrying on that I hit him. . . . now, if I am backing up & my car has damage to the DRIVER'S side back bumper & tail light. . . and his vehicle has damage on the PASSENGER'S side front bumper HOW DID I HIT HIM???

The fact that I was almost completely out of the parking space by where my car was hit just proves the fact that HE wasn't watching what he was doing.

I was so shaken up I just wanted to go home & then call the insurance company. . . but I decided to call them right then & there. . . .which then caused more questions. It seems that Mr. "You Hit My Car" forgot to give me his name & only gave me the name & address of the WOMAN who carries the insurance on his vehicle. On top of that he didn't give me the NAME OF THE INSURANCE company.

Now, if he was the wronged party would he have been so "cagey"??? I think not!!

So here I am trying to calm down (couldn't stop shaking) while I'm talking to the insurance company & I can't even explain to them what was damaged on the car --- I kept telling them that it was the headlight on the back of the car.

Man, I HATE sounding like an idiot. . . .especially when I WASN'T the cause of the problem.

Hopefully the repairs on the car won't be too extensive. . . . it just is not good timing because my DH just dropped his truck off to be repaired because it is not running well. . . . and we are supposed to go camping this weekend!!!

Can I just shape change into a bear & hibernate until I'm old enough to retire???

God was good. . . .the car was damaged but I wasn't so I should just put on "my big girl panties and get back to it".

Thanks for listening. . . . ..

In peace and pieces,

I guess the good times are over!!

I'm in a junky mood today. . . .for a number of reasons, some of which I won't put on this blog. . .but one of which I will.

I had to have blood work done yesterday. . . partly because the dr. hadn't had it ordered since 2005 & partly because I am in the middle of the 2nd case of phlibitis (sp??) that I have had, in the same leg, in 4 years.

That also happens to be the same leg that I had a raised birthmark on that was treated with dry ice back in the early 1960's to remove it.

So, I bet you are all thinking that the blood work came back terrible, right? Well, actually it didn't, well at least not exactly.

Now those of you that know me in "real life" know that my life has never exactly run the normal course of things. . . I seem to live "on the edge" in alot of different ways.

Well, that must be the way God put me together. . . .because my blood work is all "on the edge" too.

The cholesterol is "on the edge" of being a concern (both the good & the bad). The tryglicerides (sp??) are "on the edge" of being a concern. My glucose levels are A. too high for the first hour (which is somewhat expected because they had me drink this orange sugar stuff) and B. "On the edge" of not being low enough after the 2nd hour (which is not what they are looking for).

So, where does that put me. . . .yeah, I know, alot of you will be saying "all things in moderation". . . .and that sounds good in theory, but it ain't gonna be easy & I ain't gonna be pretty to be around.

1. Reduce dairy consumption (I LOVE my cereal in the morning, ice cream when it is hot, milk and/or cream in my coffee, bread & butter could be my middle name!! etc., etc., etc.

2. Reduce carbohydrates. . . HELLLLOOOOOO, I am part ITALIAN, bread & pasta are part of who I am!!

3. Increase fiber intake. . . ok, so the dr. suggested Cherrios, Fiber One, BUT WAIT, that means MILK to me (so see #1). . . .there ain't no way this puppy is going to eat Fiber One dry!!!

4. Reduce drastically the amount of red meat I eat. Ok, I've read enough about this one to be willing to do that. . . .but there are just some times when a thick, juicy, medium rare steak is going to be the only thing that will get me through. Well, guess that will be for weddings & holidays since they don't come through my life too often.

5. Start taking multi-vitamins & include an Omega 3 fatty acid pill. . . .yeah, right, this sounds simple, right. I've tried every trick known to mankind to remember to take my vitamins. . . .and they continue to sit in my refrigerator, unused.

Oh well, the dr. gives me three months & then I have to do the blood work thing all over again. . . .and if I don't have improved numbers we start the "medication dance". . . which will be the same problem for me as with the vitamins.

UUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!

All of this on top of being told that the pressure on my optic nerves is increasing to the point that I am "on the edge" of glaucoma & will probably have to start taking eye drops for that!

Gee, I thought my body wasn't supposed to start falling apart until I turned 50. . . .I thought I had at least 2 more years.

I am just plain old depressed. . . .


In peace and pieces,

Ok, so I changed my mind!!

I know I said that I wasn't going to be doing any new swaps once I finished the ones that I had. And I know that I said that I wanted to work on my own projects. Yes, I even know that I had a bad situation with a swap that I was involved in.

But this swap sounds like just so much fun that I had to take part in it. Helen is hosting a Quilted Angels swap (http://hugsnkisses.typepad.com/hugsfromhelen/stitchers.html) and I think that there is one more day to sign up. . . go over & check it out if you are looking for something else to do (like we don't have enough to do as it is!!) LOL

In peace and pieces,

Saturday Quilt A Thon

I did not get a chance to sew for the entire day. . . in fact I didn't sew at all, but I did get some cutting accomplished.

I am in a swap through About.com for Bouncing Betty blocks. . . . and there are 10 blocks in each set. I cut fabrics for that yesterday afternoon after coming home from a day trip to Allaire Village with my DH & our dog (it was too beautiful to be in the house all day).

Here's what my pile looks like:



I still need to cut 20 triangles in order to have all the pieces cut; then need to do the sewing & trimming (for the triangle blocks) and then sew everything together.

My goal is to have all the blocks for my swaps that are due in September completed & mailed this month so that I can "clear the decks" and start working on my own projects.

In peace and pieces,

More progress on swaps

I have completed & mailed the 2nd block in the Birthday Block Swap II. Here's a picture:


This block was so easy to sew that I may use it with the fabric that our quilt guild has for charity projects. . . I think it would look really good even if the background fabrics weren't exactly the same.

I am also working on getting my Twisted Mystery quilt started. . . .I have changed my mind about the design at least 4 times; but I think I have finally settled on one of 2 patterns (which are nothing like the original pattern that I thought I would use!!). The quilts have to measure at least 30" square. . .and the patterns I have narrowed down to finish at 36 1/2" for one and 56 1/2" for the other. I just need to measure that fabric that was sent to see if there is enough to make the designs.

I hope to have more eye candy for the next posting. Until then,

In peace and pieces,