Feline Friday - 11/20/20

 Momma says these are my sleepy, bedroom eyes...

I'm pretty sure I was just enjoying those crunchy leaves and squinting in the sunny sun...

Mystery Hexagon Quilt

It will come as no surprise to several people that I started another hexie project. LOL.

It's a 16 clue mystery project hosted by jemimascreativequilting.com. We had the choice of fabrics and paper sizes - mine are 1" because it allowed me to fussy cut my inspiration fabric and end up with a bed sized quilt. The clues are posted every fortnight so you still have time to join in.

I started with the fabric in the back to pull my colors

I found out about the project after it started so I was already late to the game when clue 5 (a doozy of a clue) was posted. 

Clearly, my sleepy assistant has helped pick the black & white fabrics

Clue 6 was just posted this weekend and here I am still finishing clue 3. I just have to remind myself to take one bite of the elephant at a time and enjoy the process. 

These are so not my normal color combo and I am loving every minute of it. Clue 4 will be more of the wine color and then 5 brings in the dark green. I will be near a non-local store this weekend and hope to pop in to see if they have a green I can fussy cut, otherwise I'll be using the minimal strip I have on hand.

Wednesday Weather Report #183 - 11/18/20

 We had a wind and rain storm create a little havoc Sunday evening...

It was hard to show in the picture but the top left & right edges of the bricks were leaning away from the wall. Shortly after the photo was taken Monday morning, the loose bricks were removed and the wooden wall was covered with plastic sheeting to protect it from yesterday's snow. Thankfully the bricks fell on the weekend instead of when cars are parked in the bank lot!

The building currently houses a bookstore/cafe, cable access, CPA and architect. This postcard is postmarked 1907 and shows a grocery store on the bottom floor - I'm not sure what was upstairs. The building to the right (now a parking lot) was a hotel before it burned.

November 11- 17, 2020
65 - 45 - 49 - 44 - 50 - 39 - 33 F

PS - as of yesterday it's 2 months until my birthday!! So far I have received cake blocks from Australia, Norway and several States in the US. There is still a lot of time to participate as I don't expect to start sewing them together until my birthday in January. I was hoping for a big party but I think we'll be on lockdown again so sewing will keep me busy in the snowstorm I'm hoping for. LOL. I promise to share pictures of the received blocks soon...

Feline Friday - 11/13/20

Happy Friday the 13th!!!

Last weekend Momma bought a new old chair. She thought it would be nice for a plant or a Christmas decoration. GrandMomma says it would be nice with a little quilted seat cushion. 

I think it’s nice when I sit on it!

(Momma promises to share again when the cushion is done for her my chair)

Wednesday Weather Report #182 - 11/11/20

Happy Hump Day! Happy Veterans Day! Happy Mayflower Day!

I heard your rumblings - where did that last one come from? Left field?

Long story short  - today is the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower arriving in the US and I am a descendant of Stephen Hopkins who first arrived in Jamestown and then went back to Europe to return on the Mayflower on 11/11/1620. 

However -- I was Monday's days old when I found out that my friend Denise is also a descendant of the same man. Is that not wild?! We met years ago through our blogs and have a shared  love of hexies/quilting, cats, choco, tea, birds and so many other things. When they say it's a small world, they really mean it!

November 4 - 10, 2020
67 - 67 - 69 - 70 - 71 - 75 - 76 F

Feline Friday - 11/6/20

 Nope. Don't want my photo taken. I'm busy taking a bath.

Nope.

Nope.
Not gonna look no matter how many times you call my name.

Wednesday Weather Report #181 - 11/4/20

October 28 -31, 2020 :: 45 - 45 - 35 - 41 F
November 1 - 3, 2020 :: 47 - 34 - 41 F

We are experiencing all the weathers this week - we often joke locally that if you don't like the weather then give it 5 minutes and that could very well be true!

Monday

Tuesday.
It was a stunning sunset under a very dark cloud.
I clearly didn't take it while driving - I even
told my iPhone I wasn't driving so I could access the camera. LOL.

Wednesday - it's a high of 68 today with possibly higher/record setting temps this coming weekend.

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Long before cars were widely available, horses were the only means of transportation and those horses would get thirsty. The Village of Perry had 2 water troughs for the horses.

Northern water trough in the bottom right of the card 
This photo is looking south
Someone wrote (in purple pen?!) 1903

Northern trough is just visible on the left, behind the horses
Photo is looking north
postmarked 1909
Robeson Cutlery is on the right - we'll discuss them another day.
One the left is a tannery that is rumored to have been part of the Underground Railroad

Northern trough, looking north

Southern trough, facing west where the Silver Lake Outlet runs under Main Street

The plaque reads: 

Historic Water Trough
This water trough was originally installed on
Main Street in the year 1896. A second trough
was located further down the street. These
troughs served a vital role in satisfying the
thirst of horses and others before the advent of
the automobile. The troughs were removed
 and stored for decades to preserve this iconic
part of Downtown Perry. As part of the Main
Street Improvement project of 2016, this
trough was restored to its original location.

The Bibliophile Files - 11/3/20

 It was another good month of reading here at Casa Grande.

I'm now 9 books ahead of schedule for my annual reading goal and should probably finish my current book tonight. Well, I hope I finish it as I'm dying to know who dunnit and why. 

FINISHED
     Firestorm - I found this old book while looking for another book with a similar title. I wasn't keen on the unexpected paranormal angles but as the daughter and sister of firemen I enjoyed the arson investigator part of the story even if it was a little thin.
     Something in the Water - When the book description says their choice (about what's in the water) will trigger a devastating chain of events, it's never a good thing. There were plenty of "well duh" moments and twists. Good but not a favorite.
     The Operator - watch out for this nosy operators, they don't let rumors die - especially when it is about their own family.
     Weather - meh. Keep looking - this isn't the book for you.
     The 17th Suspect - another good book in this series.
     The Sacrament - I enjoyed another Icelandic book by this author but the mixed up timelines could be a little confusing if you didn't pay enough attention. The constant notes on the nun not being up to date with technology were superfluous to the story.
     I let You Go - Oh hello!? A happy little story bookended with a terrible story which has ... wait for it... a twist! LOL. 
     I Can Only Imagine - I ordered the (short) book and the DVD from the library at the same time. I'm so glad I read the book first as a lot of the details were left out of the movie to fit the typical movie length. The book has more of a religious undertone than the movie but it's not preachy or pushed down your throat - it's just the story of his life and how religion helped him cope with an abusive dad.

     The Hunting Party - the story of these affluent, snobby, old-time friends and one of them being murdered, is told out of order, leaving the middle until the end. I think the epilogue was superfluous but I really liked the book as a whole.

IN PROGRESS

     After Anna - the story is not told chronologically and each chapter is from a different character's viewpoint. It's a fantastic way to tell a story that would probably be boring if told in the proper order - I'll find out when I get it finished.

And now it's your turn to share - what have you read recently? Anything counts: novel, magazine, quilt pattern or cereal box!