We have AC Back

 Having the AC go out last night was not the end of the world. We did have some options. My sewing space used to be the garage. It has a mini split AC. We turned that down and put a fan in the door, pulling the cooler air into the main house. We also turned on our overhead fans in the LR and the BR. The final bonus, the Mister has a portable AC unit at the workshop. He went over last night and retrieved it, so we also have a cool bedroom, and can use a fan to blow that cool air into the rest of the house. It hasn't been too uncomfortable, but it is heating up.

Despite the fact that it was heating up rather quickly outside, I decided to attack a sitting area we have in the back yard. Leaves collected there, and were never cleaned up. We even had some weeds growing on top of the concrete in small amounts of dirt and mashed leaves. It really needed attention. 

The concrete pad has two 6" round wood poles embedded in it. 

Each pole has a large steel screw eye in it. 

We think it was a wash rack that the original owners used to wash their horses. 

I was going to hang some plants from the screw eyes....

then noticed that one of our industrious woodpeckers made several holes near the top of one pole. 

Maybe we will just leave them for the birds...for now! 

I raked up the leaves and started a fire. While I worked I listened to the end of Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi. It was a very good book and the Audible version was enjoyable.  If you read or listen to it, be sure to read/listen to the author's comments. They are insightful. This is the author's first book, and his explanation of how it came to be is interesting. I'm thankful his friends convinced him to have it published.

I had some palm fronds and Palm boot jacks I had collected before we had the trees trimmed. I burned those. The Mister brought some small oak branches he had cut a while back for me to dispose of as well. By 12:30 it was hot outside. I was hot. I was finished; with the job and with the heat. 

I retreated to the somewhat cooler house, took a shower and made/ate lunch; crab salad (using 'fake' crab). I lay down for a bit, watched a bit of a video on YouTube, read a few pages of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife, by Anna Johnston. I adore this book! Set in a nursing home, it has moments that make me laugh so hard I get tears in my eyes, and moments that bring tears to my eyes for the emotions the book evokes. 

Later in the afternoon I worked on quilting my bff's quilt. This is the first time I've used block designs, instead of edge to edge quilting. I really like how it is looking, and look forward to trying some more block designs with variations of size and quilting designs on other quilts.

The AC service technician finally came by around 5 pm. He thought he knew exactly what the problem was, based on the pattern of emergency repairs he's had to make this week. Sadly, it was not our capacitor. It took him a bit of sleuthing, but he finally found that the condenser fan needed a new motor. It was installed and we have cool air circulating through the house. He is my hero...and he didn't even ride in on a white horse...it was a white truck! 

 Dinner was a shared rib eye, pasta salad and broccoli. 

Showy

While visiting in NC one of my sewing friends from the area mentioned that many ladies in the group were going to the quilt show in Rutherfordton. The Mister and I had to do some shopping anyway, and Rutherfordton, NC is one of the areas where we often shop, so......

There were many pretty quilts on display.

Many were very traditional. I loved the color choices in this one.

Here's a different take on a quilt. 

I have not tried making a quilt with large motifs,

nor one with so much negative space needing quilting!

This is a "Dear Jane" quilt. 

Jane Stickle created a quilt with many designs during the Civil War,

and quilters are still using her designs in modern day quilts!

This quilt is make up of 195 different block designs.

I was drawn to the quilt on the left. 

The fabric in the background has some iridescence to it.

Several of us examined the quilt, and never could

determine how the quilter accomplished the color variation 

from yellow to black.

The quilt on the right had one many awards at previous shows 

and was on display only. 

This quilt was created using needle turn appliqué designs.

Here is another needle-turn appliquéd quilt. 

I fell in love with the motifs along the border.

The dense quilting around the designs

really made the appliqués pouf.

I think the creator may also have added additional 

batting behind each appliqué design.

And, if visiting the quilt show wasn't enough creativity for the day, we stopped by the Lake Lure Arts and Crafts Festival for a quick walk through.

It was a beautiful day for a show.

We wandered around looking at the variety of crafts/arts on display.

The young gal who welded these items was a delight to talk to. 

She had some jewelry pieces made with copper.

The copper came from wires she found on the roads after Hurricane Helene.

She said she can't afford to buy much in the way of raw materials, 

but does repurpose a lot of found metal! 

The gal who made art out of the pages of books was busy,

so I didn't get a chance to chat with her about her art.

I caught a glimpse of this fun shirt at a tie-dye booth. 

I liked the flannel checked shirt with its fun colors! 

I didn't notice the quilt block design in the front until now.

I wonder what that was about?!

There was one thing I noticed at this show that I don't see at shows in our area:

Pretty fall leaves on the ground and decorating the trees!

And just like that, our time in NC has come to an end.

It's time to head back home and get on with our day-to-day lives there! 

 

It's Fall, Y'all

The trees are showing their true colors!

 Did you know...

chlorophyll (the substance that helps plants create food)

masks the "true" color of the leaves?

As days grow shorter, 

plants stop their food making process and

chlorophyll is no longer produced.

This allows the true color of the leaves to show through.

Happy fall, y'all!