Fast Forward

I think my blog has been suffering from a drought.  I do not recall how many times I would start a post in my head so I could sit down and type away.  Well I never got sat down or if I did I was exhausted and never picked up my laptop.  So on the last day of 2014, I will try to catch you up and once again we will try better next year. 

Thank you so much for sticking with me.  I love your comments and suggestions.  Several changes in 2015 should help me focus on the things that I enjoy.  I look forward to catching up with you in the coming weeks.  Here goes the last five months in fast forward.

August –

The heatwave in July took a toll on my garden and me.  My canning tomatoes and pickling cucumbers suffered the most.  The heat zapped my energy and I barely was functioning and the weeds in the garden took advantage of this opportunity.  I would never regain control of the weeds in the garden and around the yard.    

September –

Fall was in the air and the weather was so enjoyable. It does not seem like we accomplished much more than just keeping up with the normal yard work.  The weekend before our 24^th wedding anniversary, Don came home and asked if I wanted to go pick up a free boat and trailer.  It needs some engine work and a little TLC but this should give him something to do while I work on a couple of quilts that are in the piecing stage. 

October –

Never seems to be a dull moment and Barry made sure that my first aid skills were kept up to date after he had a disagreement with one of his siblings, Sadie or Cash.  They nicked his ear and as soon as I would have the bleeding stopped he would flap his hound ears and the bleeding would start again.  The month ended on a high note and this is where some big changes will be coming down our path.  We took the big plunge and bought a Baby Lock Crown Jewel longarm quilting machine so I can quilt professionally from home.  This is where the fun really began. 

November –

Time to make room for the longarm by cleaning out and finishing the basement, which will become the sewing and quilting studio.  Wow, we really packed a lot of “stuff” in the basement over the past eight years.  It took two trips to the local salvage company to recycle all the old computers, printers, and other electronic items we had stored in the basement.  As with all our home improvement projects they take a long time to complete since we can only work on them on the weekends and typically just on Saturday as Don has an early load time on Monday mornings.  Then add in a holiday and an extremely early Canadian winter cold front that dropped nighttime temperatures into the single digits, brrrr, our November progress did not see much progress. 

December –

In mid-October my Mom said she would need to have back surgery to alleviate pain that she had been enduring for two and half years.  Before she could ask, Don and I knew that I would be heading to the other side of the state to be with her during and after surgery.  The Monday before Thanksgiving she was given her surgery date of December 30st.  What a way to send a year out and start a new one.  Talk about lots of planning and thinking how are we going to handle this or that.  The everyday household and farm items have always been taken care of by myself since this has been home since I was a teenager.  Don had to request an adjusted work schedule so he would be home each night to keep the fire going (our main heat source) and of course feed the four-legged kids.  Our next worry was would my vehicle be reliable enough to make the 200+ mile journey over the mountain and across the rivers.  And the final worry was how would the weather be???  Mom’s surgery went well on the 30^th.  Then the last night of 2014, the night I started this post.  Boy, I cannot recall the last time that Don and I spent this night apart.  I’m guessing it had to be when he was still long haul trucking some fourteen to twenty-two years ago.  Strange indeed…now to a new and exciting New Year 2015!!!