oh where the bison roam ???

  after the cabin disaster yesterday -- mom and I took a drive to see the bison -- the buggers were about 2 - 3 blocks from the road -- the new camera has a spiffy zoom lens eh?  .. they were contentedly grazing away .. it was a nice day

  it would have been nicer at the lake -- just saying -- i'm a little irked over that early winterizing .. a preemptive telephone call would have been nice ... just saying

  so today (since I had no happy place) -- I was at the office and working away by 9:30 am ... the endless payroll, financial statements, income tax returns and quarterly payroll reports wait for no one ...

  I'll quit whining about the happy place in a couple of months (hopefully) ...

soul soother

the happy place is my soul soother ...

and alas

Mr. Landlord shut off the water and winterized it this morning -- with no notice -- mom and I were packing up and heading out there when the text arrived ... WTH  it's a 65' day ...

they are worried about the forecast and cooler temps later in the week ..

dude -- you are jumping the gun

I have to admit -- I already miss the place -- the end puts me in a mood

it is the one place I sit in my chair, do nothing and don't feel guilty out doing nothing.

so -- we packed out more stuff ..

still need to be vac'd, the furniture cleaned and stored .. the fridge cleaned and shut off ... the others have some stuff out there yet ... 

shit -- i really wasn't prepared for the end 

or it ending today ...

yeppers

this is i ...

in all caps  :)

nope, no way, no how

Cousin Layla (3 years ago -- she's almost 4 now) 

Anyhow -- this was my reaction to a request for copies today -- Cindy took the call ... "my attorney needs copies of my tax returns from 1988 - 1994"   == what the hell --

-- I bought the practice in 1994

-- in 1998 an F3 tornado hit our building

-- in 2001 we moved to the new facility

it was 31 freaking years ago -- no we don't keep those copies ... there ain't no building big enough to store that much paper peeps ... there just ain't ... I bet the attorney doesn't have stuff that old in his files ...

and frankly, this client isn't really complicated/sophisticated to warrant keeping 31 years of documents .. I mean seriously ...

change

I really don't want to let go of summer -- I need more summer.  Part of it -- I really haven't had any time off - too much of my time is explaining tax policies of idiots at the federal and state level to others -- it gets exhausting.  Yes, that is what I do for a living, but it gets exhausting -- numbing, repetitive and endless.  Daily ... hourly ..   I'm whining and it is not attractive.

Imagine my dismay -- I thought it was 3:30 and it was only 2:30.  

The combine arrived over the weekend and yesterday it ate the soybeans at the farm -- I believe all of the soybeans are gone.  It doesn't take long anymore -- 16 rows at a time ... remember the days of 4 rows.. I do.  

The weather is changing .. it was an awesomely beautiful morning -- the clouds have moved in and the weather dude is predicting thunderstorms and rain.  Lots of rain.  My evening plans include my favorite (one of my favorite) TV shows and time at the Bernina .. binding and bags.  

pix of the week ..

these last minute shots out the bedroom window are just way to cool ... no thought process no planning .. literally held the camera over my head to avoid the screen on the lower half of the window ... and snapped the shutter ... 

Thursday night at the cabin ... looking into the hole -- it was almost perfectly still and the clouds kind of reflected on the scummy water .. water seemed scummy -- very little movement on the lake, boats, waves and otherwise

so since 5:10 this morning (like 4 hours ago)

I've

1.  pieced a crib quilt

2.  pieced a table topper (from the leftovers of #1)

3.  two loads of laundry -- wash and dried

4.  long armed a crib quilt .. struggled with thread breaking

       (fixed that -- moved needle)

5.  long armed a throw -- no thread breaking

6.  stripped the bed and tried to tidy up the bedroom - tried

7.  coffee .. 

and now we have a thunderstorm -- so I might as well return to the basement and sew some more ... 

maker fair 22 days and counting

perhaps I can also solve the water backing up from the drain issue -- plumbing ... argh

I really like

my new camera ...

it was a friday night drive -- drainage ditches, sileage cutting, mud on the road and home to check some new cement -- projects, the endless projects

happy friday y'all

supper at the lake

I called Mom and we had an impromptu supper at the lake -- leftovers with a view .. it was such a beautiful day  -- I was inspired to take advantage of it

the skeeters were out ... the leaves are turning fast ..

someone was actually water skiiing

change

took the new camera on a jaunt with the ATV last night .. top shot was milkweeds populating next years crop (on the old airport runway), middle shot -- headed out the field road from the house and bottom shot - on Nick's driveway looking north to Bakker's pastures (not sure but I think they still have horses) .. the Valley dips and rises dramatically beyond their driveway ..

there's been a lot of chatter on wastebook and a couple of the blogs I follow about change/self care/self improvement and yes, it's chatter but it is purposeful for some, and should have purpose for others ... me, it should have purpose for me.  Added a sidebar -- one day at a time eh.

list of the week

gotta go back to the lists

1.   get all those damn tax returns done (the pile is dwindling)

2.   get all that scanning done

3.   make all the meetings

4.   get some quilting done

5.   get some lake time

6.   get those damn tax returns done

7.   clean the garage

8.   clean the basement

9.   wash both vehicles

10. mow the lawn

11. pull some more weeds

Sunday's on Evergreen Lane

 twas a foggy start to the day on Daisy Lane

but by 9:30 we were eastbound to the happy place ...

it was a beautiful day at the lake ..

Moon Shots

I lost my trusty camera -- it's somewhere .. seriously -- I've been losing shit regularly -- at any rate it was over 10 years old ... so I went shopping on Amazon last Sunday for a newer updated version and this is the beast ...

it's a lot larger looking than the picture ... so last night I finally got it out of the box .. no SD card with it ... dead battery ...cause why not ..

mind you this was 9:00pm and the moon was waffling in the clouds ...

and of my first 12 pictures 10 were fabulous .. this is without reading the manual -- and a barely enough battery ... after 12 -- there was no battery 

what a crazy end to the crazy week -- I'm headed back to the office this morning ... and then a spot of craftyness from noon to midnight at the local Legion .. ya -- who knew -- my bins are packed and I'm going to spend my time binding -- lots of binding, miles of binding  (8 or 9 items to bind) ... and tomorrow it is a day at the happy place -- i need happy time.

The Money Place is getting a new copier on Monday -- yesterday I ordered new computers (2) upgrades to existing computers and hosted email and website development ... holy smokes spending money is painful -- really painful ...

I had nightmare during the Thursday morning monsoon -- that the old house fell into a sinkhole on 3rd street -- and I was happy -- the insurance picked up the tab ... wth --- call that one rain brain.  

alas, no sinkhole and back to 3rd street I go ... 

hmmmm

hmm ... is the only sound I utter lately -- hmmmmm  

sorry sometimes it is the best I can do ..

after 5.5 inches of rain this bird pix is what we curly haired late middle aged women look like .. truly 5.5 inches ... the driveway at the farm is kind of a hot mess -- 

it has just been a messy week -- good projects, bad projects - meetings -- events always on the go --  and never getting anywhere -- so I made time to sew last night -- finished the binding on a throw -- black print and black thread -- dang near blinded me .. it didn't go well -- I pressed / made backs for two crib quilts and did laundry

I leaped out of bed at 5:05 this morning (quit laughing) -- started another load of laundry, got my morning face, hair and teeth done, loaded the long arm and started the first pass ...  ready to finish this evening  .... got dressed, got the laundry in the dryer .. best way to start the morning.

today's projects include a couple of tax returns (well, more than a couple), Mrs. Campbell's funeral -- an office purge and another meeting 

the scrapping diva's have an event tomorrow at the local Legion -- noon to midnight -- I'm going to watch the weather -- hit up the cabin and then come in and sew at the Legion (that will be a first) .. I have 7 or 8 items to bind  - so ...

but truly life is all about attitude adjustment .... and I need adjusting

hmmm

   my thoughts are scrambled this morning.  on weekends i'm pretty lax on checking the various email accounts and i try to avoid life. 

   a client (and county co-worker) lost her battle with cancer on Saturday - she was 40, yep, 40.  three weeks after her diagnosis, three weeks.  three kids, lots of family -- always had a smile for everyone --
 
   we've lost a lot of good people this year -- makes one think ...   


 
   so nothing fun happened over the weekend.  I worked at the office, I worked at home and I watched it rain on Sunday while reading my book and attempting laundry ... I started a binding project and well, I started a binding project.


  need to get my sewing mojo to return ... and soon...



M

fall is in the air

this shot is from last year -- I did not get to the Happy Place this weekend.  Duty called and I worked most of yesterday and it's been raining on and off today .. so I'm home being a slog.  Literally a slog -- well there was some laundry, I made a trip to the office to unload some projects and clean off my desk from yesterday :) .... I might sew this evening and well, I might not.  If it quits raining I think there is a walk in my future. 

a crazy couple of days ahead and a looming deadline for next Monday.  I keep telling myself -- you got this, you got this -- sometimes I'm just not sure ...

I got this
I got this

I'm not ready for fall.....

Diva

garage moments

I was pulling out of the office garage last night and this was the sight. 

it was a heck of a day -- 2 1/2 hours of phone time with Directv -- don't even ask ..... argh
and hour of FaceTime with Cousin Gayle -- that was good!

Finally a spot of work and out the door ... to this ...
It was meant to be ...

Happy Weekend.
I'll be the one working ...
deadlines wait for no one ...

Taking Charge !

the weekly "take the trash to the curb and take a pix at sunrise" moment ... I actually walked across the street and took pix -- and of course -- the trash is in the shot ... good to be be

so taking charge -- for morning attitude adjustment -- I finished the binding on a table topper before I came to the office ... yes, it was dark out ....

spent some time at the sewing machine last night -- binding -- finishing -- it was a good thing for mind, body and soul ....


today's therapy includes more sewing projects, a walk, some weed pulling and a couple more projects to completion ... see I got this ..... and if the weather cooperates -- there might even be supper at the Cabin ...

toodles
M

Labor Day ....

I took this pix this morning at the office ... flocks of large white birds ... silent white birds -- it was kinda weird

it may be a holiday for some -- but some of us actually went to work today -- I got up and headed to the office at 6 ... to finish up a couple lots of projects  -- my newly upgraded / spiffed up income tax software arrived -- I've been waiting more than a month for it .. 

so there is a pile of tax returns ready to copy and process (like 15+) ... I did a payroll (or two), I reconciled my own bank account ( ooo ) and I worked on a couple of sales tax returns ... 

I went in on Saturday morning and Sunday night too

some times it sucks to be responsible -- but life is crazy enough so I went to work

the trash got emptied, the roomba did the floors and I ordered my final piece of office furniture.

snarfed this from someone else's facebook page ...

besides the trips to the office 

I've 

-- pieced two crib quilts

-- one throw and one table topper 

-- quilted 2  table toppers and

-- one large throw (on the long arm) 

-- the long arm is re-loaded with the next one (thread decisions)

there was 8 loads of laundry while sewing ... it was a pile! (heap)

I even made it to the cabin and I'm headed out there now .. the sun is out and my deck chair awaits me.