Silly (stupid?) Tools

 Several years ago, for some reason that I can no longer recall, I bought this silly "vacuum".... most likely from Amazon. It's a desk vacuum, or a crumb vacuum... or something like that. 

Needless to say, I rarely use it. It lives on my desk....somewhere. Today I found it, covered in dust. I pulled it out because I cut some "Minkie". Minkie is a synthetic, incredibly plush polyester knit. I use it as backings for baby quilts, and for quilted "blankets".  Today I finished quilting the blanket for the Mister's friend's husband (Tim). He's undergoing dialysis and the facility is always cold. We decided that I could make him a 'blanket'. I wrote about it on Sunday. 

I finished the quilted blanket and needed to trim it before putting on the binding. One icky thing about Minkie is that when you cut it, you are inundated with little fluffies. I had pieces of brown fluff all over the cutting board...and window sills..... and on the floor...oh, and stuck to my shirt!

I remembered the desk vac, grabbed it, dusted it off, and remarkably it still had a charge. Not only did it suck up all of the little fluffies...but it has broom-like bristles on the bottom that scrubbed the imbedded fluffies enmeshed in my cutting mat. It's a winner!

Oh, and the finished blanket? Here it is:

I've put some coordinating fabric on the long arm and will make a bag. Tim can carry the quilt, books, a phone, whatever, to keep him occupied during dialysis. 

The quilt consumed most of my day....after my 7:30 AM dental cleaning appointment 😳

My cleaning appointment may have been worth its weight in gold. I have not been really comfortable at this particular dentist's office. It's the second I've tried in the area. The first was very 'corporate' and always presented me with a detailed dental plan, prices, and payment options. This second office turns out to also be a corporate office. It seems to thrive on numbers, pushing lots of patients in, and out. Today my usual hygienist had called out. The office had called in a temp. She works, part time, at a dentist in a nearby town...a dentist with a private practice. A dentist who, after a bit of investigation, I learned had a 5.0 rating with over 425 ratings on Google, and very positive ratings on other sites. It sounds like this may be the dentist I am seeking. What a great find. Serendipity!