First of all, so many of you liked the mitten picture and I cannot take credit for it! My friends, Donna and Shirley, often send me wonderful photos that they know I will just love and I pass many on to the blog readers. I’m not even sure where they find them but it’s like looking at an old Country Living or Country Home magazine. Remember those? I lived for the day the mailman delivered them!
Rat information:
Here is the box it came in –
There’s lots of info on the box that couldn’t be seen online, such as:
“Kills up to 20 rats” – does that mean it’s worn out when you get to the 21st?
“Do not use in barns, stables, or similar dusty conditions” – what the ___! Where do they think the rats live?
“When a rodent is caught, the green light will flash for one week. Turn the unit off, remove old batteries and dispose of rodent. Bait the trap again and insert the batteries. A red light indicates that the batteries no longer have enough power to kill a rodent. Replace with 4 new batteries. The old batteries may still be used for other products that use AA batteries.” —- I’ll bet you have to replace the 4 batteries after each catch.
“Do not let your scent be transferred to the trap.” What? How am I to bait it and get it to the barn? And what about the dogs’ scent?
And when I ordered it I read the number as xxxxx-4 rat trap. I thought that meant I was getting 4 traps for $45 but no, that was the cost of one trap. Yikes! Guess I should have read more carefully somewhere. Ugh.
Bullseye – nope, not a word from either Simple Simon or Martingale. Hmmmm. Betty suggested I use sashing between my wild blocks and I’m going to try that. I’ll bet I will like it. And many of you are searching for and finding your unfinished blocks from our sew-along last year. This is a good time to finish! I’ll be expecting lots of Bullseye finishes by spring.
I was at Connie’s house last week and she is sorting and organizing for her sale which, by the looks of it, will be huge! It will be either March 25-26 and/or April 1-2. She had intended to offer Civil War fat eighths by mail this month but time got away. After a visit to the post office, she discovered that the cost to mail 1 yard of fabric cut into 8 fat eighths was $5.10. At our last sale we priced fabric at $4.50 a yard making this 1 yard of fabric for $9.60. We all know how sky high postage is but what do you think? She is leaving for Florida next week and will be gone a month so you have time to consider. If you’re in the Midwest, think about coming for the sale – you could even stay over at the Garner Inn and Suites – we could all go out to eat Friday night! It would be like the good old days!
When we’ve had sales in the past, readers have felt left out of the fun because they couldn’t shop so we have tried to make fabric available but she also has tons of antiques and primitives. Makes me sad to see them go because I remember when she bought them and where but I know they’ll get good homes!
Have I covered all the questions? If not remind me.
Here’s Telly for a change.
So it’s Saturday – college basketball all afternoon! I’ll watch from the sewing room because it’s too cold to go anywhere.
Hi Mary, l find poison has been the best way for me to deal with vermin, can’t cope with disposing of rats! There is a lot of Bush behind my old house, but we’re l am now has had a programme of trapping rats and possums to protect birds etc and its successful. Going to pin a quilt this weekend, hexagons cut out 40 years ago in England by a friend, they came to New Zealand 20 years ago and l have got them together, hopefully it won’t take long to quilt. Keep warm everyone, best wishes from Sandy
Hi Mary! I may have missed this but is Connie going to auction her primitives online? Or just have a local sale? Thanks so much!! Bonnie in South GA
If Hazel touch the zapper trap what would it do to her? Just a thought.
Stay warm and enjoy the sports this weekend, Kansas Chiefs are my favorite for football!
from Iowa
Marie – the trap is quite long and enclosed so Hazel can’t reach the zapper plate – she’s safe but thanks for thinking of her. The sports this weekend are great – makes watching one game impossible!
Hi All,
I loved and miss Country Home and the old Country Living. The new CL is too full of ads.
This past week has been a tough one. My husband was diagnosed with dementia. The family and I suspected this. Knowing for sure has set things in motion for us to get help for him, and me.
I know God is beside us and will help us meet this challenge.
Connie’s sale will be wonderful! I wish I could pop over to Iowa for it!
Have a good weekend everyone. Stay safe and spend a few minutes doing what you love! ❤️
Mary, thanks for sharing your pictures and stories about what you are up to 😊
Bonnie, in Oregon
The mitten pattern is in the American patchwork and quilting magazine #173. A recent Christmas issue.
Hi, Telly! Yes, that answered all the questions about taking care of the rodents. Yikes! I’m similarly confused at the limitations of electrocutions the device can perform!??! That’s over $2 a zap. I don’t think adding that amount (to cover postage) is at all out of line, everyone understands that. Sadly, postage is getting ridiculous and our services are reduced at the same time. SMH.
Oh my on the rat situation. Hope it works. I remember my grandparents had that problem due to fram store block down from them. Hope the bull eye gets solved. Here living 30 miles from Cincinnati- the Bengals playing in big game. Everyone so excited! Maybe the curse is over for Bengals. It cold here woke up to 9 degrees now 25. Have clean up pop that I forgot on porch! A mess! Sew day on hexies and quilt top! Take care and stay warm.
I would so love to attend Connie’s sale but only if it’s April 1& 2. The other dates I’m busy. I’ve eben checked into the Garner inns & Suites. I may rent a room & once I know the dates Connie has picked I can cancel if it turns out to be March dates. It would be a fun mini vacation for me.
Hope you catch all those rats & Hazel forgets they ever existed. Did you do something to the dead tree where Hazel had that raccoon trapped? That was quite the adventure & long night for you.
That warning about not using in barns, stables, & similar dusty area …could it be a fire hazard! Good heavens, that’s something you don’t need. Poison might put your other animals at risk if the rats drag it to a different area. Wonder if cage traps might work?
Telly looks so cozy! ♥️🐾🐾 It was -2 this morning here in PA. Stitching & watch football on TV weather.
xxoo
Ann in PA – yes, I would imagine it could be the fire hazard – and I guess I’d put up with the rats before I’d want that.
Mary, put on rubber gloves when you are going to bait or touch the trap. Even to put the batteries in or out. Good luck.
I went to 2 Country Living Fairs (Rhinebeck NY and Ohio) and thought they were spectacular. So much fun! Now I just subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens magazine and do look forward to it.
Bonnie, take advantage of all the support groups too that will help you navigate this diagnosis of your husband. It takes a whole lot of understanding, that’s for sure.
Most fabric on line is average around $10-$12 per yard so that is not an unreasonable price to pay as it includes postage. It’s hard whittling down our treasures. I have been doing some deep cleaning in my sewing room as my tastes have changed in recent years and why hang on to things that I don’t see myself wanting to display or give away once I make them so time to move a lot on to charity groups and thrift stores that someone else might spot to do. Plus I can do a refresh on buying some new fabrics I see that I like and will use.
Kathy in NY – thanks for your “take” on getting rid of things we liked in the past but would rather have something different now.
I would buy a bundle or several of civil war fat eighths at that price. 😊 I’m sure Connie has a wonderful collection & I’d probably want one of each!
Peg in Missouri – and that’s the other thing – there is no way can email back and forth with pictures so you can have a choice. It will be “as is” with no two packs alike.
Loved reading all the comments and wish each and every one of you blessings. Mary look so forward to you post and what is happening in your world. Love hearing about all the animals too. Lost my very bestest friend I. June and haven’t sew. A stitch. She would come and we would quilt together , so having a hard time with that. We made 2 civil quilts with quilters station in Lee Summit Mo. and I love them. Now I have 2 granddaughters getting married and am trying to get motivated to make their quilts..
Thanks again
Margaret
Margaret – what can we do to ignite your quilting motivation? Your granddaughters would love getting a quilt from you AND you’ve got time. I am so sorry you lost your quilting partner – I’ll bet she would want you to get back to quilting!
Discovered Lee’s Summit and Quilter’s Station rather by accident a few years ago. A group of us planned a road trip to Hamilton. We couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t find a hotel anywhere near there. Lee’s Summit was the closest we could get! Turned out our plans had us there during the eclipse (2017). That area was right in the dark band of the eclipse. 🤷🏼♀️ Missouri Star Quilting in Hamilton was amazing, being there for the eclipse was a very cool experience, and Quilter’s Station was a real FIND. I’d love to go there again with patterns in-hand to pick for!!!
Sorry for the loss you are experiencing. Go there for some inspiration and motivation.
Hi Margaret. I get it about your friend. My best friend died of Ovarian cancer in Dec. of 2016. It took me a while to accept it. One thing that helped was a small group of us who get together each week. Most don’t sew anymore, a couple of us do, but we sure do talk and laugh. About 6 months after she died, one of the women said,” It sure is nice to hear Diane ( me) laugh again.” I hadn’t’t realized that I had quit cracking jokes and making them laugh. It also helped me to organize my whole sewing room and help her husband with most of her sewing things. Take care of you and your sewing will come back. I’ll keep you in my heart❤️
Loved Country Living magazine! In fact we got the idea for our house from that magazine. The back cover of many issues showed a house that was designed by Russell Swinton Oatman and we liked the house so much that we contacted him. He was in Massachusetts – Princeton I think. Anyway it’s a reproduction of a house in Lakeville, MA – the George Ward House. That was close to forty five years ago! I still have issues of Country Living! That’s something I’ve got to “let go”, magazines. I have old Fine Gardening magazines, Rug Hooking magazines, not to mention Mother Earth Magazine, lol. So much stuff to go through, no wonder my husband keeps putting off moving! Anyway, I hope the rat problem gets resolved. We had some a few years ago I think from feeding the birds too close to the house. That plus having chickens. Hope we don’t get them again. Geesh I wish I could come to the sale! Jan in MA
Jan Hebert – I’ll take a picture of my collection of Country Livings mags – you’ll faint!
Wish I lived close enough to come for Connie’s sale. Staying over at the Inn and going out for dinner with you all sounds like heaven 🙂
A trip to Garner sounds like fun. I remember fondly all the times I went to Garner.
Polly Perkins – we all did have a good time, didn’t we?
I read the article that Simple Simon wrote on FB…they really need to contact you to resolve this. It wasn’t a very sincere post, I didn’t think.
I hope the rat trap will work for you, especially if you have to replace the batteries with every rat zap.
It has clouded over now, snow to start soon, I guess. The heat can be turned back on soon…I’m not enjoying this .I just stay in. I really need to get in the mood to sew I have things to make.
Enjoy the football games!
I still get Country Living magazine, I still enjoy seeing what people are doing in their homes. Country Home is back but it only comes out about 3 or 4 times a year. I don’t know if you can get a subscription, I just keep an eye out for it on the magazine rack. Hugs,
I would buy a bundle or two at that price…still much less than a yard costs new today. It would be best if they could be color coordinated, i.e. so I could buy a bundle of reds, etc. Living in PNW, it would be only way I could participate.
Neena – I don’t think there will be enough manpower to handle requests. What if everybody wanted only reds? This fabric cannot be “ordered” at $4.50 per yard – I’m so sorry if I didn’t make myself clear.
Hi Mary! I hope you remember me and feel ok about me writing after such a long time. I have SO many wonderful memories of pet-sitting for you and wish I could do it all over again.
I read about Connie’s sale and would love to reconnect then, if possible. I’ll keep watching the posts.
Linda Lutz
Linda Lutz – Yes, of course I remember you and just keep reading the blog – I’ll keep posting about the sale as it develops. Connie is leaving this Thursday for a month in Florida! Then she’ll come home, pack up or sell her household and move to Okoboji. I could never do it but nothing rattles Connie! Ha!
Mary be very careful with use of that trap. Use in dusty places can cause explosion or flash fires. Hubby is a firefighter, I’ve seen the demo of of sprinkling a light dusting of dry coffee creamer over a lit candle. If you try this be careful it will be a fireball. This also explains the explosions that happen at grain storage sites. Hubby did the demo at my cousins wedding. He was also a firefighter as were many guests. Cousin was from large city near Detroit, we’re from rural northern Michigan, discussion was of a grain silo explosion. Chuck shocked the hell out of the city firefighters. It’s safe to say the venue quickly removed the powered creamer and supplied milk. Just picture fireballs blooming from table tops across a darkened room.
Gayle s – I did not know that!!! Dry coffee creamer – who knew! We are familiar with occasional grain storage issues around here.
Mary,
My husband bought the mouse n rat trap. Think I recommended it to you? Plenty dusty here before 5-6 feet of snow! No problems since it killed a huge pack rat in garage! Husband changes batteries now n then! Well worth the cost! Better than using poison bait.
Some shops offer free shipping depending on online purchase amount.
Back to football games.
Launa – yay! Your rat is gone!!
I think I would send the rat trapper back to Amazon. They should have shown photos of its no-nos and been more clear about the price. Deceptive advertising I would call it.
In one of my husband’s magazines, I found a great plan for a homemade rat trap. If you would like, I will take photos and email it to you. I want one too. It will take a bit of woodworking skill, so I don’t know if Rick feels up to that or maybe you could do it.
Tell Connie she could send fabric in a poly bag like these https://www.amazon.com/Metronic-Envelopes-Shipping-Waterproof-Tear-Proof/ instead of a USPS bag for much cheaper. If under 1 pd. they can go for 1st class. Plus, she could tack on a bit to pay for the bags. They are thin, but they are strong and I have never had a problem with them opening or splitting during travel.
I finally had to let go of my collection of Country Living Mag. It was hard to do and I still regret doing it. Those oldies were the best.
Sue in Oregon – I will forward this info to Connie – and thank you! I’m going to look at it, too.
Hi Mary and fellow quilters! Your comment in response to ‘do not use in dusty barns’ had me chuckle. Haha…where do rats like to go? In clean, spotless barns? 😅 Material: I think people are willing to spend a little extra for postage when fabric is under $5/yard. I buy on destash sites all the time. In regards to copyright issue; would it help if we, as customers, contact Riley and Blake to voice our opinion, or would it just exasperate the problem? It’s such a sad situation!
Janie Lang – I don’t know what to say about contacting Riley Blake – lots of readers have but I don’t think it will hold much weight. I will tell Connie your thoughts about postage. Where would I go to read about destashing? Maybe I’ll start with Google.
I have purchased from a destash group called SewItsForSale. Maybe you can get some information from them. Good luck!
Mary, I found the picture of the bullseye quilt with the alternating blue scrappy squares. Go to your 1-15 Blog called After the Storm. It is one of the reader quilts you included in this blog. I really like it better because it gives resting time between the bullseye blocks, which show up nicely.
Betty in Rapid city
Betty – thanks – I see it and I have looked thru my fabric to see if I have anything that would work but nothing has struck me just yet. No hurry – I may get to a fabric store someday! Haha!
That’s my quilt! I was in such a hurry to get a picture taken and sent off to Mary that I neglected to put my name on it. My Bulleye quilt is all flannel … it is cozy! I just used whatever I had enough of. I love the look of scrappy quilts, but when it comes to putting them together, I struggle with the riot of color. That’s why I separated the bullseye blocks with plain blocks. I really like how it turned out. I also like Mary’s idea of putting sashing between the blocks.
This is the group I like for looking for fabric. SewItsForSale(EverythingSewing,Quilting,Crafting, Buy,Sell,Destash,Chat.) Its a facebook group. At the top of their group page you can find info on how to sell and their rules. You can get frpe(flat rate padded envelopes and boxes up at the post office for free. I believe there are two sizes of envelopes and several different sizes of boxes. They are displayed on a table back in the post office where you buy your stamps. They will ask you how many you want. A lot of the sellers can stuff up to nine yards of fabric in a frpe. Sometimes those pkgs come looking like they contain a football. The sellers will wrap clear pkging tape around the package for a little more security. You ask for the buyers email and zip. The zip is so you can figure out the postage on paypal ,pay and print the label and you also do the invoice through paypal. There are other places you can do the postage too. You can go to paypal and look around at the invoice section and see how to do it, it looks easy. On most of the buy and sell groups they require you to use paypal its secure and you have protection if their is a dispute. I don’t know who buys 1 yard of fabric but you would pay more by the weight and being first class, usually it would be more than the fabric cost. Why wouldn’t you just fill up a flat rate envelope or box. You can get those poly mailers at Walmart or on Amazon. I have received books and patterns in them too. I suggest joining one of the fabric destash sites on facebook and looking at the posts to get a feel for how its done you can also ask questions and people will help you.
The weather is this and that. It has warmed to 34/degrees in NWest Iowa and guess what….freezing rain!! Ugh! Well, it doesn’t matter for me….I cannot go anywhere anyway…but hubby was planning to go to church tomorrow. Hmmm! Crazy! I think Hazel is a better rat catcher than that thingy. And a lot more lovable! Love you! Stay safe
Aww, Love Telly, so cute, good luck with the rats, we get them to but cat in the yard have handled them so far thank God. stay warm, its been cold here in New England also between 5 and 14, feeling like 2.
I just deleted all my thoughts about Simple Simon and Riley Blake.
Good info on rat traps and fires…who knew?
Connie has more courage than me. Leaving her beautiful garden and elbow room. The lake house is beautiful, but I’m not sure I could live that close to my neighbors. I think I’d get another cleaning lady before I downsize. It would be easier.
Hi Mary – boy – that rat killer is expensive! But if it works as promised it’s probably worth it. We’ve had mice a couple times in the 11 years we’ve lived in this house. We use outside poison bait stations (but close off the opening pretty tight so chipmunks won’t get in). We also use the spring loaded traps in the basement and there’s one or two killed each year. I’ve been doing a lot of cross stitching but I’m trying to get back into making quilts once the dreaded t-shirt quilt is finished.
Jackie in NY – went to check the barn at 10 tonight and guess what? A dead rat in that expensive trap!!! Yay!
We seem to get a lot of feral cats in the neighborhood. There was a BIG black one awhile back. If he made eye contact with me he was gone fast. One day I came home and found him completely stretched out against the wall under the drier vent, dead. The animal rescue came to get him. She figured he might have gotten a mouse that was poisoned as he looked very healthy?
I’ve got some of the sticky traps, but didn’t get them in the garage before winter hit.
Candy, I really like the way your bullseye quilt looks. Good job, especially using scraps. My gramma always said “don’t waste it” and she ruined me for life!
Betty in Rapid City