The Gas Man Cometh

There are so many good things about living in a very small town in South Dakota, one of which is how nice people are. Of course there are a few bad eggs everywhere but on the whole your genuine South Dakotan grows up with a "you-betcha" attitude and an innate kindness. I often think there is more Aloha in this state than in Hawaii any more.

Winter is coming.

My little house has a gas furnace coupled to a heat pump. The system is very energy efficient using heat exchange until the weather gets below 20 degrees, then it is all gas. I cook and heat water with propane too. I last filled the tank in mid February and was down to about 25%.

So far the weather has been much better than I expected. Sunday it was 60 degrees and I enjoyed the sunshine on my front porch. Today it is cloudy and chilly with a mean wind. By Monday we are forecast to have snow on the ground. I have been watching my propane levels and dithering.

The prospect of snow made up my mind. This morning I called and within half an hour my tank was full.

There is a fine line between filling too early, gas is more expensive if you buy less than 150 gallons at a time; and filling too late, you do not want to run out. Running out leads to all sorts of humbug, line pressure check testing etc.

Kent, the gas man (shown at right - click to enlarge) tells me letting your tank run out is actually dangerous, most gas explosions happen with empty or near empty tanks. I learn something new every day.


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Boysie's Toys

Today I put Boysie's toy basket up out of his reach for a few hours.

My husband and I created a monster.

Twice a month we go grocery shopping. On these days Boysie is left home for five or six hours. Because my husband is a softy he always buys Boysie a toy. Always. The dog has this figured out, left alone = new toy.

This is a policy that has not changed here in South Dakota. If I leave for more than a few hours a toy is expected. Treats do not count.

Boysie is not at all shy about looking for his present, he wants it "right now" and will go through the grocery sacks to get it.

Like a small child he has favorites and knows when one is missing. On the right are the "queekymans", naturally they no longer squeak.

The blue one is the favorite although the orange will do in an emergency if the  blue one has been mislaid. Also like a small child, the best place to keep your toys is everywhere, including my bed. I spend a lot of time picking them up, they are quite hazardous underfoot, under seat too. A Nylabone underbum will make you sit up quite smartly.



This advertisement is one of Lori's favorites, I wonder if Boysie would agree with the beagle?


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Iggy

This is Iggy. He was added to our family in May. I would estimate his age at about ten months then. He was very thin and appeared to have been existing on a diet of grass snakes.

He is quite a character, chatty and very friendly except to Boysie. Boysie is the enemy.

Although Iggy is quite a bit larger than Blue and looks to have had a much tougher life he is quite content to be number two in the katten pecking order. Blue pesters him and bullies without mercy.

Iggy has been neutered and vaccinated, neither of which bothered him at all. 90% of his focus is on the next meal, the other 10% on getting outside, although he doesn't actually go anywhere when he succeeds. Favorite hangout is on the shelf where the cat food bowl lives, second favorite is in the basement, both he and Blue spent a great deal of time down there.

Iggy was very fortunate in that Janet, who adopted Blue agreed to take him too.


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Pillowcases For My Upcoming Hibernation

Here in the frozen North (I capitalize with deep meaning,) certain species hibernate for the winter. I sympathize. I may join them.

I have always made pillowcases.

In the days when we were struggling to pay fees for two kids in private school, and later, college, I couldn't see paying as much as $9 per pillowcase when I could simply buy an extra twin flat sheet for the same price, or less and make four.

Grazing through Lori's stash the other day I discovered the most wonderful sheep fabric. Naturally it came home with me together with some pretty beige co-ordinating contrast fabric and I whipped up a plain pillowcase, shown at left.

Strangely (to me anyway) it looks fabulous with all my other pillowcases which are assorted estate auction bargains in pink. The 'box of assorted linens for a dollar or two' bargains which abound here in South Dakota.

Discussing this with Lori she offered to teach me a specific method for making fancier pillowcases than is my wont (def.#2). This will be pretty cool!

I plundered my own fairly puny stash and found the three fabrics at right. I have enough to make two matching pillowcases. Expect a post on the process in the not too far distant future.


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Design wall Monday

My design wall is like my brain these days, scattered. See many more design walls here on Patchwork Times.

At the very top of my wall are four blocks of a leader and ender project inspired by an antique baby quilt I saw at the Vermillion Quilt Show, shown below.

My tribute to this unknown quilter is made (mostly so far) from 2" finished off-cut triangles from the scrappy red and green Poinsettia Block quilt on the left of my design wall in the picture above. Inspired, not a copy, my triangles all march in the same direction. I will make more as the mood strikes.

To the right of the Poinsettia quilt are more leaders and enders in "stamps" and snowball blocks.

All the fabrics in this project except the Kaufman Kona Snow used in the snowballs are from several years of rootling through Lori's cutting room trash box. I cut most of my gleanings into 2-1/2" squares. I also cut 1-1/2" and 3-1/2" squares.

The triangles in the corners of the snowballs are 3-1/4" squares cut once diagonally and then trimmed. The plan is for a throw consisting of  10" blocks set 5 x 7 with a plain inner border and probably a pieced checkerboard outer border, if I have enough squares.

Finally the Poinsettia, I had an urge to make something in red and green and saw a picture on the Interwebs. I later discovered the original pattern is a freebie from Timeless Treasures which you can download and print here. Needless to say mine is not made from the pattern but that works for me.

I should confess there is yet another project hidden under the poinsettia, did I mention I am somewhat scattered these days?


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The Block From H E Double Hockey Sticks

There it is. Looks quite innocent doesn't it? Smug, simple even.

I have made many of these blocks. This one was different.

This block is made in four units, the first three were totally uneventful. Then I sewed one piece with the wrong sides together, no problem, just unpick, press and resew, right?

My ripper broke. I went to Lori's and got a new one out of stock and went back home. That one broke too, must be a defective batch. I went back to Lori's, again, set that box aside to return and got a new ripper out of a different box. That one did its job and I resewed the segment. Next comes press.

I had spilled something on my ironing board, a huge scorch appeared instantly. The air turned blue and it was not from the burning whatever I spilled.

OK. Deep breath, clean the iron, scrub the ironing board. Iron it dry with a paper towel. Place a clean paper towel there just in case the goop is not all gone.

Unpick block, again. Throw away the scorched bits and search madly for the last little piece of the right fabric. Resew very carefully -

with the wrong sides together.

Unpick. block. again.

You ever do things like that?



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My Boy

Boysie likes to lie in a patch of sunlight on the living room carpet. In the nice air conditioning of course. Sunbathing with all mod cons.

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