My 201 Singer

This is what I have been doing today.

When I took the picture of this cabinet I was trying to make it look as good as possible. So I opened the lid and let the nice interior wood show. The top of the lid was badly discolored and some of the stain was gone. It had no shine and some rather clumpy color. Today I worked with it and now the top looks like this.The inside looks way better too. I am waiting for some Howards Orange Feed and Wax to put a finish back on it so it will be protected. The local hardware doesn't carry it and the sewing machine site that told me how to do the restoring suggested it.

I am not about to change to something else since their other suggestion worked so well.

I used up what was left of my Murphy's Oil soap too so I will have to replace that at the Mayville Hardware Hank.

Now all I have to do is learn how to fix the machine!. I know I need some parts too. Maybe I will learn how to look more closely next time I see a six dollar machine. (Maybe not)

Love,

Nancy

What is up on the Design Wall

Hi there Mary,
I have been working like crazy on my quilt for Operation Migration to raffle off during this years migration. I went into Faye's on Thursday to do some extra work on it and got all the hexagons finished. Like the previous two it will be a One Block Wonder style quilt. I have two versions. The white triangles are supposed to represent the cranes flying behind an ultralight. The only difference is that in one quilt the ultralight is shown with two triangles and in the other quilt it is shown with six.
I am fairly sure the six sized one is a better proportion to the cranes. I haven't decided which I will use. At this point the triangles are just placed on top of the area where I intend to sew them.
I hope to get the top finished and to the quilter before I come back to Minneapolis.
Love,
Nancy

Home at Last

I got home about 6:30 last night. It sure felt good to be here. I was surprised at how green it is. When I left we had hardly any rain for a month, but now Jim says they have been having rain since I left.

Before I left I took some pictures of views I like at 4425.

The east window in the morning. It is a favorite sight for me with the tree Dad planted shading it.

The clivia plant in the front bedroom with TWO blooms. This is the most open one in the sunlight.

and Mary, computing in the 'sitting room'.

And finally, one of the two things I absconded with. The first one was the yellow stretchy exercise band. I got caught on that one. This one has remained undetected.

Someone had started to use one of them for dishwashing. I am going to use it for its intended purpose. The FACE!

Love,

Nancy

Heading your way.

I'm looking forward to three beautiful days in a car with Christy. I wonder what we'll talk about? I wish we had more time - I've got a friend in Butte I'd like to see.


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But at least we might get a chance to see Clifford; maybe visit the post office. I'm leaving to get to Christy's tomorrow after I get off work. We'll leave Missoula on Sunday morning. See you soon : )

What a difference a day makes....

Last time it snowed in June, it accumulated so much that a number of trees broke in two, and there were branches all over town. It's only been snowing for about an hour and a half so far with rain before that. We'll see how far it goes. Love, Mary

Rain

It's been an unusual spring. So cool and rainy that someone was calling it "sprinter." And it was sooo cold yesterday that I started a fire in the wood stove. I kind of like it, but I'm not allowed to say so because everyone wants it to get hot and sunny. Anyway, here's my new birdbath, filled with rain:

It's a very small birdbath, with an iron finch on it. Occasionally, a squirrel comes by and drinks out of it. or Fatty Kitty. But no birds except the iron one yet.

Meanwhile, the sump pump goes on and off and on and off. Thank god for sump pumps. How's your spring going?

The last day of May 2008

Well Saturday the 31st was quite a full day. We (Jon, E, Jeni, me and Dad) played hand and foot. Mom went for a walk and we had a hell of a hail storm. I have pictures....I mean movies. If Abbie can do it then I can do it.

Today is a quiet afternoon. Jeni has been taken to the airport, the 'rents are all tuckered out from their exercises and walks today on the first day of June, so I have time to play with this program and put up all the video. So, back to yesterday.

First Mom went for a walk. The day was sunny and bright, not too warm. Just a perfect day for a walk. I was outside helping Jon plant potatoes when she came out the back door and I didn't think about my camera for a few minutes. She went haring off down the driveway when I thought "I should take a picture of this!" and went inside for the camera. I didn't catch up with her until she was on the front walk.


If I ever figure out how to edit these they won't have so many minutes of Mom's butt off in the distance. I tried to fill in with Iris. :-)

After the walk we waited around for a while, you know what it is like. We ordered some Chinese for lunch and then Jeni went over to talk to Cal Oss and I went over to get her so we could start our Hand and Foot game. While we were there the sirens went off. It was still wonderful and sunny, but we came home and turned on WCCO and they were talking about bad weather way up north (near Hugo MN again) so we kept it on in the background and started our game. After about 20 minutes we started to hear thunder and the beautiful sunshine went away. WCCO kept inteviewing people with storm stories and they mentioned hail and high winds. Then we noticed the trees were all blowing about like crazy and we adjourned for a few minutes to close windows.

I was upstairs doing that when the rain started to come down lightly. I decided to shut off the new laptop and unplug all electronics which included my camera which was recharging after the walk with Mom.

Downstairs we started to play again when the hail started. It sounded like we were being bombed. I took the camera and pointed it out the back door for a little bit. I tried to open the door for a better view but hail came banging in the slightly open door and banged off of me, so I quit that.

I went back upstairs and everyone else, (well, Jon and Dad) was crowded onto the front porch looking out. The hail wasn't hitting the house as hard on that west side so I tried that view for a while.

About this time Mom took off her headphones and said "What is going on?" We told her it was hailing, and since she had put her hearing aids back in she could tell for herself. We milled around for a while and tried to play some more cards but were quite distracted by the weather.

After about 25 minutes the hail finally stopped. That is when I went out to take the pictures of the driveway and the front yard.

The rest of the story is a month ago Jim talked me into taking the comprehensive insurance off the van.

YOW indeed.

Love

Nancy