Tenement Town

 The block for our garage arrived! The truck backed into the dirt driveway that we use for the RV. You can see the flat bed in the distance. Each pallet of blocks was brought over by a mega fork lift. The delivery guy had already brought 6 or 7 pallets in before I even realized he was here. 

The way that the blocks are stacked, and the placement of the pallets

makes me think of tall tenement buildings in a city. 

There appear to be streets, alleys and areas for parks amongst and in between the "buildings".

The grey block reminds me of Soviet apartments we have seen in our travels. 

It won't be long before they are transformed into a garage that our two vehicles can park in. 

Problems with a Purse

My new quilt guild offers monthly workshops/lessons taught by members. The upcoming October lesson is making a cross body purse. The pattern is called "Charade". It's by a company called "Sallie Tomato".  I have only made some simple rectangular, quilted bags for hauling stuff, I've never messed with a purse, and pockets, and zippers. I thought they were a bit fussy - well, actually, I wasn't sure I could do it. 

But I like the instructor, she's become a good friend. The price is reasonable. So.... I signed up for the class. And, oh my....I might actually learn something!

Then I realized I wouldn't be here for the class! The instructor insured me that the pattern comes with great instructions, and with my sewing background I would have no trouble. She also said that she was only a phone call away. And then, she even offered a pre-class get together for several of us to cut the various fabrics, backing and foundations. 

Our instructor provided a kit that included the black "pleather" for the purse corners and straps. We had to provide the fabric. I looked through my stash and found this great mushroom fabric. It was only when I got to the cutting session that I realized what I had was truly a bunch of scraps. I had to pick and choose pieces to get enough for the pieces of the purse. 

I snipped, and cut, and turned, and laid out the pattern to snip and cut some more. 

When I got home, and got back to working on the purse, I realized, Oh Horrors! I had cut the front and the back the wrong way. Yikes! Somehow in all of the maneuvering of fabric to get it all cut out of my scraps, I mis-cut the "cut on fold" piece. I had two pieces that ought to be one. Oops.

This is where my years of experience in sewing supported me. OK...I cut the fabric in the middle....therefore, what if I covered that cut with another piece of fabric?

What if I put some interesting embroidery, that I can do with one of my machines,  on that "inset"? 

Folks would think I purposely placed the embroidered pieces on my purse! 

Ta da! The panels look great! 

Following the great instructions in the pattern, the zippered pockets were created with ease.

The purse came together....

and I think it looks great! 

I love it!

I'm not as reluctant to try another pattern. 

Eiger Mountain - Corgi Style

I looked out at our pile of sand in the front yard, left over from preparing for the new garage slab, and it reminded me of the Eiger mountain in Switzerland. Well, maybe if you squint your eyes!

The intrepid mountain climber poses in front of the mighty FL-Eiger. (Florida Eiger)

I was fortunate to visit Switzerland when I was in 9th grade. The ski club my parents belonged to chartered a plane and we spent almost 2 weeks visiting and skiing in different parts of the country. We were in Grindelwald, Wengen and Lauterbrunnen for several days, at the base of the Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau mountains.

The Eiger mountain is left of center in this 

map of the ski runs and towns.

When I think back to this opportunity I had, I can only shake my head in awe. This area was so amazing. I can't describe the 'bigness'. I was a mere spec in a field of towering mountains, rock and snow, with a huge expanse of blue over it all.  We'd take the trains, funiculars and lifts to the top and then would 

spend 2-3 hours skiing back into town.

This part of the trip was also memorable as an American climber* fell to his death, in his attempt to climb the Eiger. I clearly remember seeing the headlines in newspapers while at a restaurant at the Eigergletscher - the end of the train, near the top of the accessible mountain. 

But I digress.... back to the FL-Eiger: The girls decided to try some mountain climbing of their own.

Dissension breaks out

A challenge is uttered.

An "I'm the King of the mountain" skirmish ensues.

A threatening move sets the stage.

I double dog dare you is heard.

A hasty descent ends the battle of the FL-Eiger.

At least for today!

* John Harlin, 1966
 

'Tis the Season - Autumn

 You know it is Autumn long before the leaves turn our forests into glorious Jackson Pollack canvases.

All you have to do is sniff....the sweet smell of pumpkin spice is everywhere. It heralds the season.

Even here: 

The store evidently sold out of the Mr. Clean Spiced Harvest scent.

There were no more bottles in the end cap display, nor on the shelf. 

I mean, I love the scent.

I love my spiced pumpkin coffee creamer.

I love pumpkin spice muffins, or cake, or doughnuts.

But cleaner?

Seriously?!

If you look up 'antique' in the thesaurus you receive the following:

My favorite? "Superannuated!" I think that will be my 'Word of the Day'! 

I plan to use my 'superannuated' sewing machine today! This is my serger. It is an overlock machine, and for the uninitiated, it creates the sort of edge you often see on t-shirts. The machine can rub its tummy AND tap its head....it sews a seam in a straight line, while at the same time three other needles are stitching and the thread is looping this way and that way binding the seam. 

My hubby always liked surprising me at Christmas with a gift he thought I'd like, but would never consider buying for myself. One year it was a microwave oven. Another year it was a knitting machine. And in 1986 his gift was a Singer serger sewing machine.  

After all of those years...here it is!

 

This particular machine is still described as a tank! And it is. It can sew through quite a few layers of even the heaviest fabrics. Like a Timex ( showing my superannuated state), it takes a licking and keeps on ticking. It has very few plastic parts...it is metal and it weighs a lot. But, it purrs. It almost hums as it sews. 

When my serger turned 30 I treated it to a service at our local sewing machine shop. It's first service, ever! Before they took my (then) antique in, they insisted on seeing it run. The gals in the shop all stared in amazement at how smoothly, and quietly it worked! 

My mother had a more modern serger built by Baby Lock. At the time she purchased her machine (turn of the century) it was the up and coming model to have. It was bequeathed to me. I was so excited to have a "new" machine....until I used it. It bounced all over the place. It was pulled in different directions by the fabric and it rattled and clanked. It was very "plasticky". I didn't care for it at all.

I kept my trusty machine, and I pull it out and dust it off whenever I need this sort of stitch.

RV Port...a Garage by any other Name

This has been a long time in coming! On April 20th construction began on our RV Port. The Mister didn't like the idea of our RV standing out in the elements. We know what the sun, rain, heat and moisture can do  to an RV over time. Especially in Florida!

He found a builder specializing in metal buildings, sheds and car ports and work started by drilling massive holes, ones that I could get buried in, at the corners and every 12 feet along the sides and front. 

We had to wait for inspection, then the beams were erected and concrete was poured to secure them.

A roof with gable ends was erected in HOA approved colors to match the existing barn and house.

Our RV Port was completed. 

We thought.

Then, the Mister began to think about our awful sandy soil, 

and what a mess the RV would be with us tromping in and out of it,

going through the sand.

The Mister decided he'd like to have a concrete pad poured.

 (The fact that the RV buried itself in the sand 

at one point also entered into his decision!)

We had to revise the permit and get more inspections,

but soon that was completed.

We had a beautiful, perfect RV Port.

Then the Mister began to think about how nice it would be to have sides, 

and enclose the space so that wind driven rain didn't come into the RV Port.

If we enclosed the space, he could have his own workshop!

Back through the permitting process we went.

Back through various inspections we went.

Work recently began on the next step of our construction.

The crew of three men worked three days to put up the bracing

and the metal sheathing.

On the last day they were running out of time.

The boss said they were to begin another job the next day,

and they must complete our job,

regardless of how long it took them.

I felt sorry for the men working out there until about 9:30 PM

We didn't have power nearby they could use as this was also the day they were grading 

around the new garage and as a measure of safety, 

the power from the house to the outbuildings 

had been cut. 

The men's generator quit working.

They had no light,

so they completed the job by the light of their truck

and flashlights.

Then, the cherry on top:

the battery on their truck was dead.

It would not start.

The Mister had to take jumper cables out, 

and help them start the truck.

What a long day for the men.

 I felt terrible for them, 

but appreciate their stick-to-it-tiveness!

But, the job is done, except for the overhead doors.

They might be coming next week today!   

....and, at the end of the day: 

 

I Will Survive

 I had a nice spot next in the front of my house that just begged for a garden...so I thought. 

It faces SW, and is framed by the wall of the garage and the front of our home. The area is behind the variegated Liriope, lined by the landscape hedge - don't ask me what it is, I can never remember! This area is blazingly hot. It still begs for a garden...but maybe I need to rethink the sort of plants that would love to live there! 

One would think I had taken pictures of my garden area. But, alas, I did not. 

I planted a variety of flowers; some mums left over from last fall, a few gaillardia I picked up somewhere. I had some lovely snap dragons early on, but they finally succumbed to old age and the heat. There were a few others I tried that managed to survive...some others that didn't care for their location. For example, I adore Dahlias. Of course I planted some. Dahlias don't care for afternoon heat. (But, a few have begun to grow again as the heat recedes. I'll have to see how they fare!)

I also planted Zinnias. I love Zinnias. I picked up a packet of seeds early on and spread their seeds and waited.

I picked up another packet of seeds and waited.

My wait was rewarded with a few Zinnia plants. Nothing with glorious blooms. But Zinnias they were! They have blessed me with a flowers from mid summer....and they still stumble on, despite being leggy and displaying burned-out lower leaves with the others looking rather moth eaten and ragged.

I went to deadhead flowers a few days ago. Look what I found! Did you see it? At the base of "mama"?!

Here's another:

....and more:

 

Mama (and papa) Zinnia ought to be proud! 

They will live on!