I’ll bet there’s a bushel of green tomatoes on these plants but we’re done here.
I spent 2-1/2 hours this afternoon on the phone with the Brother customer service. I know a lot more now than I did this morning BUT the copier is going back. It’s ridiculous to keep a machine that is so touchy and will hardly make one copy at a time.
Reader photos
So what’s with Three? He’s in love with me! I can’t get away from him – haha!!
Tomorrow night is the next game in the WNBA playoffs – I’m cheering for the Lynx. Right now I’m watching NY and Cleveland. What are YOU watching?
Such pretty quilts and wonderful fall decorations.
It’s my favorite time of year. I have many things to finish outside, but it is so enjoyable to have cooler weather.
I am studying Rick’s tomato crop. What are the tubes he has the plants in? My husband uses large PVC drain pipe for his tomatoes and that way he can weed whip
around them w/o damaging the plants.
I’m glad Three is do comfortable with his country home. He knows a good thing when he sees it!
Pat – the big black things? Also PVC!
Beautiful pictures today, especially if that beautiful cat, Three.
I’m hoping that the sky is clear enough to see the comet tonight. Right after sunset in the western sky. Should be above the trees tonight. Think of it. Going around the sun every 80,000 years. How they, the astromers, figure this out is beyond me!
We missed the freeze last night.My geraniums look so alive after they about died in the drought. Next week it is supposed to be warmer.. I love the flowers in the fall.
Carolyn – am I remembering correctly thst it was your mom’s service on the 12th?
Wish I was there to take your green tomatoes and make green tomato mincemeat. Your acorn squash recipe looks delicious. Three just wants to hang with you. He is beautiful.
I love all the ornaments. Sometimes small projects that can be finished quickly are so satisfying to make. I really like the two quilts with the large squares and the 4 patch blocks. Two great examples of how simplicity can work.
Sorry about the exasperating copier issue. It just should not be that hard to find products that work.
We are watching WNBA and baseball playoff games. May have to do some channel flipping tonight with the timing of the games. I have been crocheting a rug while the games are on. Amazing how much I can get done by keeping my hands busy.
Heading out now to volunteer in my daughter’s classroom.
I have always loved Three; he is so cute and cuddly. Does he still hang out with Gracie and Greta?
So sorry about all your copier trouble. There is surely one out there to suit your needs.
Your acorn squash meal looked great! My sister bakes the squash bowls and puts taco meat in them-also good.
I know you were having a bad day w/copier and all, but I just like to send an extra hug some days, and I see you enjoying that lovely porch next spring. You have totally got this! 🥰🤗
Jeanie – yes, Three still takes Gracie and Greta “under his wings”. He cleans them and hugs them – it’s very sweet. An extra hug is always welcome!!
Three knows who cares about him, and who gave him a home. I remember when he first showed up, with his bad leg. Someone had probably dumped him. I remember thinking, “Thank you, Mary” when you took him in.
The waiting is the hardest part of having cancer, I think. Waiting for the biopsy results, waiting to have surgery. Some treatments are hard, but you know what the plan is, and what you’re going to do next. It’s been 46 years since my cancer surgery and chemo, and I’m still here.
Dot – 46 years! You go, Girl!!! Yes, Three has gotten quite big – he is always first when I open a can of food – ha! Yes, the waiting – grrrrrr.
So sorry for your copier troubles! What a pain to be on the phone with customer service for over 2 hours and still not have a working copier. Three is a gorgeous boy and so sweet. I’ve almost finished my fall yard cleanup, including pulling out the prolific cherry tomatoes. All that’s left to do is plant a few bulbs and trim the huge clematis vine. Good thing to be done, since weather turned last night from beautiful warm sunny weather to cool and rainy.
I spent yesterday afternoon ( part of it) cutting down the tomato plants and cleaning up some perennials. I plant my tomatoes in Earth boxes and haven’t dumped the soil and cleaned the boxes but I’ve decided I’m not messing with tomatoes any more. Going to give away the boxes and reduce the amount of annuals I plant next year. No longer want to do yard work, or at least not as much of it.
Caitlin news: when the Fever left the playoffs, the sports guy on WTHR asked Caitlin what she was going to do in the off season and she said “Play golf!’ She’s an avid golfer. So yesterday on the news they showed her out on the course. SHE CAME WITHIN 3-4’ OF MAKING A HOLE IN ONE! Apparently she put the video on Tik Tok but I’m not on Tik Tok and don’t intend to start. She is just a phenomenal athlete !
Hit the wrong key—she was within 3-4 INCHES of the cup—amazing.
Sue – I heard that press conference and I saw the “almost “ hole in one, too, but not on TikTok – don’t remember where – but what are the odds! A year or so ago Becky got a hole in one and it was pretty special. I, too, will cut down even more on yard work. PS – if the League keeps beating Caitlin up she could quit BB and go golf pro!
👍😁👍
Last night I was watching my 2 grandsons play flag football. My favorite sport to watch is whatever the grandkids are playing at the time! Baseball,softball, soccer, basketball, golf, swimming, flag football!! There is something to watch all year long!!
Mary,
Really nice pictures on the blog this morning. Love the colors and the quilts. Three is a beautiful cat. And looks to be so helpful with every household chore!
Your adventures sound great, Pattie. Keep us posted as we love to hear what you’re doing. And Pamela, I hope you start to feel better.
My 12 new chickens are settling into their new home. My older nine chickens seem to be tolerating them. I had a few squabbles between the old and the new to break up, but mostly they’re getting along now. The problem I’m having is that one of my old chickens is breaking the eggs. I don’t know what to do about this. Does anyone? Has this ever happened to you, Mary and your chickens?
I’ve got my vegetable garden and backyard flower gardens all cleaned up. Getting a load of dirt today to add to the soil. Still have the flowers around the front of my house, but they are so beautiful. I’m not taking them down yet. Have lots of yardwork to do in my son’s gardens. But I like helping so that’s good.
Finished a quilt back early this morning and I’m going to take it to the long arm quilter. When I send this one in I’ll be picking up a small quilt I dropped off a few weeks ago. Lots more projects to keep working on!
I’m heading down to Indianapolis for the weekend to dog sit while my daughter and her husband go to a wedding in the Cape Cod area. I’m sure I’ll be working in her garden when I’m down there! Have a great day everyone.
Loved the quilts. Three is a sweet looking kitty.
We have 25 this morning. Wonder about tire pressure on my car. When drastic change in temps, pressure can drop. I have an appt. this morning so if they are down I will swing by auto shop and have him fill. I know I could do it but bending down not always easy.
Working on sewing room cleaning and organizing. Got sidetracked to the walk in closet where fabric is stored. Straightening the fabric on shelves is a fun distraction. I did finish a pin cushion for a swap yesterday. Figured out what to do on another inspired project. Worked on an EPP project last night while watching a movie. I will have to set aside the cleaning mess to just sew this afternoon. A friend is coming over to sew with me and she just ignores the mess although it must be hard for her. She can’t have anything out at her house . There is a method to my madness so she ignores it all. She loves to sort my scraps but she refused to do that. Told me I needed another tote for the pile ready to be sorted and filed! Ha
Fran – well, you’re a good friend to let someone come and sew with you when they’re neat freaks! Ooh, That would be hard – I’d need an ice tea. 😂
After reading the prices of newer lines of printer ink, I see why the packages are under lock and key cabinets at Walmart. I bought a cartridge for my older HP recently. I hope you can find a decent printer as you need it to support your pattern printing business.
Thanks for the acorn squash recipe. I brought one home from the farm market across from camp so will have to try this recipe now. They were a dollar. I think of San of NC who wondered what produce prices were around the country this summer and how her area is dealing with gardens wiped out now from the hurricane.
Good morning from Kingfisher, Oklahoma. I left Colorado a week ago and have traveled south to Gallup, NM where I spent 2 days admiring the native made turquoise jewelry that is eye candy to me, and yes I did purchase 2 new cuffs. Then on to Albuquerque for one night. I did see about a dozen balloons floating in the air the morning after the ballon fiesta ended. That event is on my bucket list, maybe next year.
Then a stop in Amarillo where I visited Cadillac Ranch and overnighted at a Cracker Barrel. The property had the most beautiful grass which I hadn’t seen in months. It’s the little things that mean so much at times.
Now I’m here in Oklahoma with friends I consider my other family and will enjoy visiting a few weeks until I head to Austin to visit my step daughter and her husband. I’ll text a couple pictures to you Mary.
Pattie, Cracker Barrel’s were our favorite spots to pull into overnight coming home from Myrtle Beach. We’d always try to get into one early enough to go inside and order a hot comfort meal to take out to the motor home to eat. I loved it when the large horse trailers would pull into a spot next to us so I could see them peeking their heads out. So good to read how your travels are going for you. Stay safe.
Pattie – got the pictures and I’ll post them. The jewelry is gorgeous!! Love Samantha’s new spot – haha! We all love to hear where you’ve been traveling
How wonderful for you to be able to travel. Thanks for the update. Happy trails tonyou!
Good reading this morn, Three is so hansome. Still no frost here in nw Nebraska. Awful winds for three days and so very dry. We have been ubder fire danger for weeks. Been watching the b-ball playoffs, guess I am the onll=y Dodger fan, there are in our division, the west. Been sewing on a large Swoon quilt. Take care. carol l
Carol – the Dodgers are a great team – I just had to decide at the beginning who I was going to follow and Tony on CBS Mornings always talks about the Mets
I bought an expensive HP copier that guaranteed thousands of copies on the ink cartridges provided which it did – beautiful color and black/white copies. After a couple of years it was obvious that I needed to replace the ink cartridges. I looked on the HP website and a set of four would be almost $1500!!! So I looked on Amazon and the total was $1200. So I bought non HP cartridges for around $500 – copies are just mediocre. Most of my copying is quilting related so I would be better off going to the library. The strange thing is I only paid $700 for the copier. How can the replacement ink cartridges be double the cost of the copier? Rant over for the day.
Quilt pictures are beautiful and what a vibrant red tree!!! I love the fall! The frost yesterday morning didn’t affect any of my perennials but I’m sure at 26 degrees this morning they’re gone. We desperately need rain. Going into winter with no moisture is going to devastate trees. We’ve been watering the six maples we planted over the last two years once a week.
Gloria – I bought the only copier Staples had that would accommodate 11×17 paper and I spent over 2 hours yesterday afternoon with customer service. It’s going back. It would have been cheaper to buy a new copier instead of ink, wouldn’t it? I’m so sick of this issue.
Absolutely I should have just bought a new copier. I would have been money ahead.
I feel your pain on the cost of replacement ink. For us we could purchase a new copier cheaper so we did. Recycled the copier small deposit charge at the recycling center.
We picked a lot of our peppers and tomatoes on Monday, then pulled the plants we had stripped bare of veggies and covered a few remaining ones to see if we can extend our season a bit. We did pull the green beans, so no more picking them every other day. Yay! I am ready for the garden to be done. I love the orange tree in the one reader picture. Sue’s Christmas ornaments are sure pretty. Thanks for sharing. It reminds me that I need to sew a few ornaments.
Sue in Pa, your ornaments are darling. It looks like tedious work but worth the effort.
Mary, This may not work but I have had good luck with HP (Hewitt-Packer) products. My copiers aren’t used very much so that has a lot to do with it. When I want a color copy, I just go to our library and spend the $.50 cents. It’s cheaper than the frustration with my little copier. It’s too bad your store isn’t more helpful. Three is a beauty and such a lover.
Our fun yesterday was the phone and internet were down all day and into the night. First, I thought it was a nuisance for me but my husband went to the grocery store and they were having a dickens of a time trying to figure out prices etc. What a nightmare that must have been.
We haven’t seen a freeze yet but 34 is close enough in central Minnesota.
Have a good day everyone.
Janet, the ornaments are pretty easy using the foundation papers sold by the Fat Quarter Shop. The pattern is 4” Vintage Kite. I already have next year’s picked out, the 4” woven star, also using the foundation paper piecing. I like to start early so I don’t get caught in the Christmas rush since I make 25-30 of them for family and friends.
Sorry your copier turned out to be a lemon. Good riddance . Afterall you did give it your best effort. Is it the usual brand you have used ??? The green tomatoes were always a favorite of my father. They even canned them. Like one of your other readers they were passing them out before and after the frost. They finally cut down on how many they planted when my father realized several people didnt bother with them knowing they would have plenty from Mom.
i hope you will have a sales person at your office supply store that can be more helpful
Hi Mary,
I don’t know if it would be an option for you, but we hire our copier from Xerox( (via a local office machine firm) so we pay per year. If something goes wrong with the copier the man from Xerox turns up and fixes it and if it can’t be fixed, replaces the machine. It has turned out to be a reasonably fuss free way to have a good copier.
We’ve had our first frost here too last night: so the fall colours are really ramping up. Such a beautiful time of the year!.
Fiona – my old copier IS a Xerox but won’t do 11×17 copies anymore – it’s old and Xerox won’t help unless I do sign another contract – for a few copies per year? Doesn’t make financial sense. No local office firm – guess I could look at farther away places. I think I’m out of options.
Mary, do you have a Costco near you. We bought a copier there last year. It does not use the larger paper, but they might have one at Costco that does.
I love seeing Three. He certainly has thrived with you after his leg injury. You are the animal whisperer for sure😀. Lovely bright quilts again today. I am almost through all of the patriotic fabrics for Honor Flight quilts. Now to bind some, label some, and make more kits. I accosted a Vietnam Vet in the voting line. He had been on a flight, but had not received a quilt. Now he will.😀. I am usually a little shy, but nowhere veterans are concerned.
Hi Mary, Three is a sweetheart! I got a medicated shampoo from the doctor, he said to rub it in wet hair, do waterproof suduko in the shower while l wait 5 minutes before rinsing! Not sure if l could do suduko in the shower, but would be a good idea for the ba,th(if l had one!)Take care everyone, best wishes from Sandy
I am glad you are sending your copier back. Sounds like a bit of a nightmare machine. Maybe you could find one on Amazon. At least they give pretty good info on things and you can ask questions.
The acorn squash dish looks delicious. Thanks for the recipe. Looks like you got it from Connie.
We haven’t dropped out of the 40s at night yet and the days are still in the high 60s. Love this fall. Now though lots of rain has been predicted here on the coast and snow in the Cascade Mountains.
About tomatoes!!! I am so sick of them. It was lovely having such an abundant crop and I made lots of sauce. Froze some, dehydrated them, ate them, gave lots away, and so on. I am done too with or without frost.
I have been trying to send you some photos but they won’t send. Our phone service here is horrible. We are lucky to have one bar and then some days have 0.
Sue – if the pictures won’t go thru via email, maybe you could try texting them. Here’s my number : 641-512-5188
Yup, m sick of tomatoes, too. I’m looking forward to crock pot meals – those wonderful meals that are easy – unlike stuffed acorn squash!!!!!
lovely photos today. lovely quilts that will make people happy. mary, i’m sorry your tomatoes froze.
prayers for those of you dealing with health issues. sometimes i wonder where the answers are. it seems as we get older, that we are visited by more aches/pains, etc. just to make us uncomfortable.
today, i did get the center of the quilt quilted. discovered the back was not large enough to cover the borders, so figured that out. may get to finish it tomorrow or not.
wednesday is go visit the lung doc and get results of the pet scan. i don’t see anything on it but who knows what they will say. i know it will disrupt my day from 2 pm on.,
temps are supposed to be about 15 degrees cooler tomorrow. was 84 degrees at 6 pm, so that will be a change. mr. ed will freeze and i’ll be happier because i won’t be so hot.
i’m sorry you are having so many issues with the copier. when i think about kids learning how to write computer code in first grade, i think about who is designing our new equipment – like copiers. not for us older folks who know mechanical things. i was having an issue with my watch and sent mr. ed off to get a battery for it. he came home telling me that ‘gee, it is solar powered. i’d forgotten, so i set it under a lamp all day.’ well, geesh. go figure.
happy dreams to all, patti in florida
Too bad about your tomatoes. That copier is a pain. I don’t have an answer for your copier troubles I wish I did. Fall is here but on thanksgiving (I’m Canadian) day we considered eating outside it was weirdly warm and so sunny. We are back to our typical fall rains now. I’m off to a friends home that is on the ocean for five days. We will quilt and I get to have the seat where the view of the ocean is. It will just be her and I, we’ve meal planned so it will be so easy. There is an artist festival where you can drive around and go to different artists studios, in their homes. We are going to spend a day doing that as well.
Teresa – oh, doesn’t that sound like fun! So opposite of my farm life in Iowa. Can you take a few pictures for us – the view of the ocean maybe? It wouldn’t be warm enough to do that here.
We watched the Cleveland/Yankee game tonight too. I was knitting, not so much into it. I’m cheering for the Mets at this stage of the play offs. Got my flu shot and COVID booster today…both in my left arm. I figured if I had a reaction or pain from either one, I could at least work on projects with my right hand. I hate being “laid up”.I love Three. Such a cute face. We had a cat, Milo, that very much like him. Sorry about the freeze. We haven’t had one yet in our part of New Hampshire. I still have dome plants to take care of.
Ginger – I had the flu shot – a drive through – haha! So perfect, no appointment, no time at all. Just drive thru and stick your arm out the window! I still need Covid however. I’m going to cheer for the Mets, too.
Advice from our pharmacist. Get flu and covid shots two weeks apart. Do not get Covid, Flu, and RSV together. He said your body needs to recognize what is being put in and it gets confused with two or three. A friend got all three and was horribly sick for 3 days. Ugh.
I think “three” is in a love affair with you Mary. But how nice that he wants to be with you.
I’m hoping the Lynx can get their act together & win the next 2 games at home!!
Peggy – me, too, and you know I’ll be watching!!!
Oh, Pamela Dempsey, sounds like a rough few days! Feel better soon! Mary, I’m so sad you’ve had a frost before getting the tomatoes in. We’re down to 40 degrees here and we were lucky that we got a frame and row cover cloth over the beans today. Fingers crossed that they’ll be ok. Tomorrow it’s going to get down to 32 overnight so that will be the real test. I love that Three is sticking close to you. He’s so pretty! My Blue is sitting in my lap a lot more than he does in the summer, this cold weather is the reason, I’m sure! Pretty quilts today. Sorry about the printer. Such a pain… Jan in MA
I gave up on Cleveland – they’re going to have to win out to take the championship. Maybe if I DON”T watch they’ll do better! 🙂
🤭 you caught me watching “Sister Wives “ , Kody is a right royal a_ _. So glad 3 of his 4 wives left him! Mmmm, those green tomatoes would be good fried 😋. Sweet,sweet 3. Loves mama. My blood pressure is still high but not as bad as before, thank you Lord! My ear is still stinging off and on from the biopsy, my knee is still hurting from the injection and now I’m going to have a colonoscopy 😣. Just let me sew…..