What’s new at my house is a clean house! My cleaning lady came today and I just love how it feels when she leaves – smells good and looks good, too. I don’t like to clean but right now my shoulder won’t let me shake a rug, run a vacuum, or scrub a basin. Ugh.
Tomorrow is my appointment at the clinic – I’m hoping I’ll get an RX for Athletico – maybe that’s all it will take – some time and some therapy. Sleeping is the hardest – this time of night I’m starting to dread going to bed.
What am I working on? I still have 16 – 5” basket blocks to make for the calendar quilt. Sigh. I have 6 more cut out ready to put together and then I’ll cut again. I want this done before March Madness begins – I have a new start from last year.
A request was made for another picture of Civil War Modern. I’m happy to do this but if there’s a quilt you want to see again, you should be saving the photo to your camera roll so it’s readily available. Just a thought. Pattern is $5 and SASE. Cash or check only – and if you want your check cashed immediately, better send cash because I don’t drive to the bank for $5 or $10.
There’s one thing I wish I had done differently – why didn’t I use that wonderful sour green as binding??
I let the chickens out of the barn today – it was above freezing and they loved it! On these kind of days I always need to do a head count before I close up the barn for the night. Yup, 23 chickens inside at 5:30 along with 2 goats and 5 geese.
My days are pretty boring – tell me about yours!
And from Linda in Ohio:
A reader asked about this quilt – it’s actually a printed panel from MANY years ago. If you like it, however, it’s a log cabin block and could be pieced easily.
If you forget the second stamp, don’t worry, I’ll put it on.
Listening to the 10 o clock news – another animal neglect case – 2 dogs found starved – one died. I wish they’d make this a jailable offense! Make the punishment severe enough that the next person simply will think twice before they mistreat their dog. On the 5:30 news a dog was found was found inside a compacting trash receptacle!!!! Thankfully a passerby heard the pup crying.
I don’t have to tell you how I feel about this.
In 1997 we adopted a brother and sister kitten. They were found in a box at a recycling drop off and were very young about a month old. They were fostered before we adopted them a few weeks later. They brought us much joy for almost 18 years. I’m so glad they were found and became part of the family.Our current cat in our 43 married years is a ginger like your Mortie😊. It sickens me that some people are so cruel to animals.
Mary does some Tylenol and/or a heating pad help with your shoulder? I sure hope and pray the doctor can “fix” it. I’m right there with you on the pets. That makes me so angry!!!! How anyone can be so cruel I cannot fathom. My current baby is a rescue — previous owners food deprived her! plus she’s a lab so totally food fixated!!! She is one of the most precious dogs I’ve ever owned.
Doesn’t a clean house feel good? Good luck with your appointment.
Love Cindy’s scarf and Linda’s quilts.
Linda from Saginaw, I am so sorry about your husband.
Praying for a world without cruelty of any kind.
I am recovering from a dental implant procedure I had yesterday. Have to take it easy with gentle activity and soft food for a couple weeks.
Yes, abusing animals should be severely punished. We have stories every week about animals found in horrible conditions. Humans can be so thoughtless and so cruel. Poor animals at the mercy of humanity. How I love seeing photos of your pets. Thank heavens there are animal lovers on the earth too….people who fight for proper animal treatment.
I do love the pictures of your animals! And I love to see all the quilts! I’m so sorry about your shoulder. I hope you get news that you don’t need surgery. You have so much to do around your place and bad shoulders do not help with that!! We have a lot of ice at our place this morning-St Croix Falls, WI. Take care Mary and let us know how you come out at the doctors.
Elaine – I love that you put your location I. Your comment!!!! I wish others would do that
Yay! I see the sun and some blue sky! It is rare these days.
It’s a day for doctors in Sioux Falls. Nice weather is a great plus! Better get working on my list.
Mortie is back to her posing for pictures, she is so pretty!
My cleaning lady is due this week, but haven’t heard when….
Cindy – I really like your scarf! A couple of years ago I made a few like it using old flannel shirts that I wanted to repurpose into a ‘mobius’ shape. The recycled shirts made them so so soft and just the right weight for a scarf, and it was fun to use some of the shirts with some ‘memories’ built in.
Thanks. I also made it out of flannel shirts. Years ago I used to make denim rag quilts with flannel stars. I have a large container of cut up flannel shirts and thought it was time to use them up. I showed my teenage granddaughter the not quite finished scarf at Christmas and she loved it and said she would like to have one. My sister also wants one. So will be making several more and need to come up with other projects to use the flannel up.
I’m new to commenting. What is the address where I would send the $5.00 for the Civil War Modern pattern? Thank you.
Mary’s mailing address is at the top of her blog on the right, under the picture of Connie and her.
I’ll help Mary out here — the mailing address is at the beginning of the blog on the right hand side under Mary and Connie’s picture!
Tena – if you look at the right hand column my address is right below our picture – for future reference.
Mary Etherington
2345 Palm Ave
Garner, IA 50438
Tena make sure if it is a check that it is made out to: Mary Etherington.
Don’t forget the extra stamp on the BIGGER self-addressed return envelope if it was requested.
And I hate hearing how these animals are abused. There’s so many of them. It’s just heartbreaking and yes, it should be in jail off fence.
My days are at home waiting to hear what is going through my husband’s mind. He had a head CT because his pacemaker is not MRI compatible and there are some brain changes. The neuro is sending him to UofM to the Neuro physc department to determine his cognitive abilities and manage his depression. I took his keys because he is having hallucinations and I am also concerned about his weakness and if he can react fast enough if there is an emergency. He can barely walk and sleeps most of the time so I need to be close. I escape to the grocery or on short errands but that’s it. I cleaned house yesterday and have been slowly cleaning the barn so today I hurt from head to toe especially in my bad back. I try to sew but with all the interruptions it’s hard to keep on track. I have discovered how I enjoy listening to audio books when I sew. I love to read but nowdays if I try I fall asleep! Tired!!
Blessings to all. How long do we have before spring? It snows almost everyday and I’m tired of it but the dogs love it. Nelson comes in with a snow beard, he keeps checkig to see if there is earth under the snow!
Linda:
What a difficult time for you and your husband. You both must be exhausted both mentally and physically. Praying you get some answers and solutions so life can get back to normal.
I agree, spring can’t come soon enough. Snow and cold and bad roads gets old real fast! Take care.
Oh Linda, my heart goes out to you! I took my husband’s keys too! It’s just the responsible thing to do. After my husband couldn’t figure out how to pump gas at the gas station I decided it wasn’t safe for him to drive. There’d been a couple of other mishaps, too. His reflexes were too slow. When his doctor told him it was best he didn’t drive anymore, he was good about it. I also remember trying to run errands & not be gone very long. Very stressful time in my life!
Linda, so sorry about all you and your husband’s troubles. Will be thinking about you.
Linda – oh, no! You are trapped – not only with the weather but your husband’s health issues. You were smart to take his keys – my husband would have another set hidden in his shop. So Nelson loves the snow! My barn will need cleaning by the time my shoulder recovers – guess I’d better line up some help so I don’t have a setback. When is your appt at U of M?
Linda. One of my favorite books read by Simon Vance is “His Majesty’s Dragon” Naomi Novik. If you like it there are several more books of the series. Youth fiction.
Very glad to hear that you are able to stay in close proximity. Best wishes to both.
As always, the pictures are so fun to look at! Cindy’s scarf is just wonderful!
I used to have a wonderful cleaning lady, and loved when she came to do her magic. The whole house was clean at once. Fabulous! Those were the weeks we would have friends over for dinner. All I had to do was cook! That Mortie is a cutie! I’ll be thinking of you today at your appointment.
Grands went back to school yesterday, so a little sewing time for me.
A friend gave me 13 old quilts a while back. Not in good shape, but she knew I repurposed old quilts. I took the best one and made a coat for her. Just need to put the binding around the neck and front on. She has no idea I’m making this!
Fireplace is mostly done. He’ll be here to today to seal the hearth, and caulk around the stone edges. I’ll take pictures today.
Bored with my kitchen walls, so after I finish the coat, I’m starting Be Still. I have the perfect wall for it.
Foggy this morning, but I’ve seen it worse.
Prayers for some relief for your shoulder.
Diana – your 3 day fireplace project will finally be finished? Ugh. Be sure to take a picture of the quilted coat for your friend. AND now I have a huge favor to ask – I cannot find Be Still pattern – would you loan me your copy so I can make a new master copy? If you’ll send it to me I’ll copy and return your copy.
Sure, I’ll send it soon.
The 3 day fireplace turned into 3 weeks, plus a new year!!
Diana, Great idea repurposing the quilt so it can be enjoyed once again! I have an old quiltI am thinking about repurposing as well..have the pattern, just to get started I guess.
It is interesting to see the times people post comments – some of us are staying up very late and some are getting up very early. I usually go to bed around 9:00 p.m. and wake up around 4 a.m. Even if I stay up later, I still am always awake by 5:00 a.m. It’s nice in the summer because I can get out early and work in my flower beds before it gets hot. We have been packing our red pickup truck for our annual migration south for the winter – leaving tomorrow. We have two homes in Alabama – a small house in Gulf Shores where our son’s family lives and a recreational property outside Selma. They are three hours apart so we go back and forth. I have a Featherweight at each house. We are so lucky to be able to escape the cold weather and to spend time with our grandchildren. We usually return around Easter. As for harsher penalties for animal abusers, I certainly agree, but there is sometimes a death penalty for killing humans, yet it happens everyday. Hard to understand how people can be so cruel and evil. Hope everyone has a great day!
What is wrong with people! It is simply incomprehensible to me how someone could abuse an animal. Any animal. In my world they are no different than people. They just look different. Jane Goodall said she hopes the animals will forgive us. My heart hurts.
I’m anxiously awaiting news about your Dr appt. Hopefully an MRI is in your future as well as some relief.
Linda in Ohio – what is the name of the quilt pattern you used to make the two quilts? I’m looking for a pattern that has a big block. I am in the planning stages to make my grandson a John Deere quilt. The fabric I have is a large print so I need big blocks so they will show up. Thanks, in advance, for your help.
Mary, my day was spent putting away the last of my Christmas decorations.
Spent another day in my sewing room. Great start to 2026. One day closer to finishing my dirty dozen quilt for January. Mary, thank you for giving me my sewing mojo back. The dirty dozen is what I needed as my kick in my backside. Lol. I’ve been so wrapped up in unpacking, organizing, then decorating for Christmas, baking, etc, the last thing I wanted to do is sew. I was burnt out I realize now. I will sew again tomorrow, just need to machine sew the binding on to the front of my quilt and then I can hand sew it onto the back. I have arthritis but still enjoy sitting and sewing the binding on. I’m just a little slower but that’s ok. The next preemie quilt I make I will practice sewing the binding on both sides with my sewing machine.
A clean house is always wonderful. So glad you have a cleaning lady. Good luck tomorrow with your appnt for your shoulder. Hopefully something will be done for the pain.
I hope all goes well with your Dr appt tomorrow. Mortie is such a cutie pie. We just moved from Oregon to Washington. I know Oregon has very strict animal cruelty laws. I just looked up Washington’s laws and they are just as strict. I wish all states would have those types of laws. It’s sickening to think there are people out there that are cruel to animals. I can’t fathom that kind of cruelty from animals.
Judy – I’ve been told that the animal cruelty laws in Iowa are nearly non-existent because of all the livestock raised in the state. They DO NOT separate domestic pets from livestock!!!! Many businesses support this because they depend on the livestock industry. And then I ask – why are we not kind the livestock, too? When I die I’ll never have to hear about animal cruelty again!!
Hi Mary, l can’t watch TV shows about animal cruelty, n tears with even the title etc! Thought a thrush was going to nest in my carport, or had been hurt,stayed in the same place for 2hours with a mate visiting it,so l took out a plastic plate and some seed ,but it flew off, so l guess it was oGlad to see you have a cleaner to help you,would love one myself! Take care everyone ,best wishes from Sandy
Thanks for the pictures of Mortie; she looks good after her surgery and is hopefully soon back to normal.
I will be thinking positive thoughts for your appointment tomorrow.
It was so warm and sunny this afternoon, we put away our outdoor Christmas decor and pulled out the (childhood) runner sled adorned w/Mom’s ice skates and a warm neck scarf. I think I am ready to put away my indoor Christmas decorations, too. And that is about as exciting as it gets around here in January.
Thanks/Take Care 🥰
I hope your Dr appointment will give you something for pain so you can sleep. My friend had one of those implanted devices that replaced the CPAP machine during sleep. The first 3 days were awful. Now, she gets a headache every time she chews something with a slight resistance. This side effect could last 8-12 months. She prefers that over the CPAP.
A clean house is a wonderful thing. I find after taking the Christmas tree down, I keep cleaning, organizing, purging, finding treasures I haven’t seen for years.
I watched a PBS show about puppies tonight. They are so cute. It’s amazing how much they grow and learn in 8 weeks.
Good luck tomorrow.
Today is was in the 50’s here in SW Ohio! I decided to rearrange a few things in the garage & put away Christmas decorations. At 8 am I had an HVAC guy scheduled for routine winter maintenance come. The afternoon was spent putting away the Christmas decorations. I was hoping to have time to do a bit of sewing , but Boots wanted to take a walk. He sure loves being outside! I still have the Christmas tree to take down tomorrow. All this time Boots never bothered the tree….today he decided those ornaments looked like a fun ball to play with! I did rescue it finally, but couldn’t find the hook for the top! I thought he had swallowed it, but did finally find it. Talk about panic until I found it! At almost 2 he’s still an ornery puppy! Hoping to be able to sew tomorrow! Mary, sure hope your Dr appt goes well tomorrow & no surgery is needed! Saying a prayer for you!! Love the pictures of Mortie &:Hazel!!
I think people who are cruel to animals should have to endure the same treatment they gave them. Freezing cold no shelter or fresh water or food. Should be the fine. I saw where a shelter dog slept with a stuffed animal he came with and husband knitted him a sweater so he would feel like he was being hugged. Made me cry. My rescuers have been my adoptees.
Great photos – thanks for sharing! I (and all of us, I’m sure!) will be thinking of you when you have your appointment.
Mortie looks like she is recovering nicely. She is so photogenic! I loved seeing cute little Hazel in her bed! Cute pets Mary. I hope your Appointment goes well tomorrow. Fingers crossed.
Great pictures of “ critters” and quilts tonight. Thank you for sharing all with us. I’m always inspired by all you do. I am hopeful your appointment will be beneficial tomorrow and you will get some relief for your sleeping dilemma. I have managed to get most of my Christmas decorations put away. I need to pick up in my quilting studio where I set up my gift wrapping center so I can get back to a couple of quilt projects that have been stalled! Happy New Year greeting to all!