The Great Toilet Paper Conspiracy!

I am officially 60! I feel kind of free! I even wore a hat to the grocery store.
Christmas was great!. Memphis was so sweet and appreciative of everything. We gave him a 50 cent maginifying glass and he yelled," I've been wanting one of these!" Next week, I am off from work and Memphis and Annie have the whole week together. My sweet Mother and Daddy gave me a new camera. It is a Coolpix P510. I am in digital heaven. Smile, you may be on Amy Lue's camera. Annie has been cooking up a storm and it so yummy and healthy. I am so glad she likes to cook. We have had puppy drama, but not with the new puppy. She is doing great and has quadrupled in size. Sid was diagnosed with heartworms and was pretty much given a death sentence. We have been feeding him  liver, antibiotics, prednisone, and treated him with Ivomec for cattle. He has perked up and is feeling  more like his evil self again. We are hopeful to keep him going.

Now to The Great Toilet Paper Conspiracy. Have you noticed how toliet paper doesn't last as long as it used to. The amount of tissue on a single roll has been steadily diminishing for the past few years. But in the last 2 years it has been dramatic. The companies are now packaging it in 12 roll packs. Are you kidding me? My Mother never bought 12 roll packs. I never bought 12 roll packs. But it is impossible for a simple 4 pack to last more than a week. The cardboard center keeps getting bigger, the roll is looser and there just isn't much there. I believe they are just fluffing it up more and more and rolling it so loosely that you have to buy at least a 6 or 8 pack for a family of 2 1/2.  And the price of that 12 pack is 14 dollars. For TOILET PAPER?  Come on. I don't know the answer cause it's not like people are going to boycott toilet paper. We are way to far removed from the days of corn cobs and the Sears Catalog. You can't even get a Sears catalog. What are the college kids going to do for homecoming, and Halloween? Please, there has to be a way to get this back to a normal price for a reasonable amount of tissue. Write your congressmen, write your senators, write your toilet paper companies. We must overcome the great toilet paper conspiracy!

Well the countdown is getting closer and closer. I sort of stopped counting during the hot weather and some of my friends thought I would be making great philosphical insights.

We are the home for wayward women, yet again. I don't understand some people. How can they be so mean? We now have another Mommy, son and kitty.  Our home is almost full. But wait....Memphis has a puppy now.  Annie found a box of puppies outside the Dollar store. Luckily, she did not bring home all of them, just 1. I gave lots of ultimatums and she insisted she could handle it. I didn't want Memphis to see it unless she was sure she could take care of it. He already lost a puppy because no one would take care of it at his dad's house and I thought that was just MEAN.

One of my co-workers retired and we were all so jealous. I has been a crazy year at admissions. New technology that doesn't work and deadlines with new rules. And is just me or are the students .....well I guess I better not say that. My student went to a really tough school and it is harder that any other school. Blah, blah, blah.

I missed the Bull sale in Missouri because we had to work overtime. I was really unhappy about that. I WAS able to watch the sale online, and they announced it and said SOLD to EVERETT and JUNE PATRICK of BEDFORD, IN. That was really fun. His name is big Bubba...and boy is he ever big.  So handsome, strutting around the front pasture with his girlfriends.

Finally a "sort of" rainy day. Perfect time to learn to quilt! So if you live near Bloomington, IN, I will be teaching a beginning quilting class starting Sept 13th.
Here is my official poster for the class:

I am teaching a quilting class at Hobby Lobby Sept 13 and 20 at 6:30-8:00pm. Cost is $50. Hit me up if you want to sign-up! This will be from scratch piecing and quilting. All you really need is a needle, thread, scissors and some cotton cloth. No fancy gadets and pricey gizomos! Resuse discarded cotton clothing or purchased cotton.

SIMPLY QUILTING

USE IT UP!  WEAR IT OUT! MAKE IT DO! OUR DO WITHOUT!

Hand Piecing and Quilting for the Beginner

Thursday September 13^th and 20^th

6:30-8:00p.m.

Start from scratch with the simplest method of piecing and quilting.

Contact:

Amy Patrick

alpatric@indiana.edu

812-276-3714

Cost: $50.00

Cash, check or money order due at the beginning of the 1^st class

Supply List:         Scissors                     Straight pins      Needles(Betweens Size 10)    Quilting Thread

                                Pencil    Ruler    Thimble    

Fabric:                   1/3 yd. cotton fabric

Here is an opportunity to reuse old cotton clothing in similar weights. You may also

                                purchase at least 2 contrasting colors of cotton fabric.  Let me know if you have any

                questions about fabrics, supplies or unsure about what to bring. I will also have some   

scrap fabrics available for you to use.

View from a Cowpath - Countdown to 60: I can't believe it is time for school already. Our...

View from a Cowpath - Countdown to 60: I can't believe it is time for school already. Our...: I can't believe it is time for school already. Our college students are back on campus and the traffic is crazy and we have lots of students...

I can't believe it is time for school already. Our college students are back on campus and the traffic is crazy and we have lots of students all over the sidewalks. Unfortunatly, I am unable to sign up for a fall class, but am hoping to do some workshops.
 I will also be teaching some classes this fall. The first 1 will be "from scratch quilting" or I could call it sustainable. That is the new buzz word.
The old saying Use it up, wear it out, make do or do without, is appropriate for the class. I plan to have students use old clothes that are no longer wearable for piecing just like the old original quilts which were made from scraps or clothes to worn out to wear any longer. We will be using simple tools. No fancy rotary cutters or mats. Just the basics that would have been available back in the day.
I think it is important to learn how something is done from the beginning and then new techniques and tools can be utilized later.
It's like teaching people where their food comes from. We will not be growing and weaving the cloth but I will talk about that as well.
The venue has not yet been set, but I am working on that. I may also have some classes at my home if we get the studio ready soon.

Grandson update:

1st day of Kindergarten was something else.
Notice the Spiderman tie as he hams it up for the camera.
Daughter update:

Hanging out with the chickies. We are finally getting some eggs allthough they are quite small because most of the hens are bantys. But it's great fun and Memphis likes to cook them himself.
We are really dedicated to getting the studio ready for photography and other art projects for fall. The opressive heat just really kept us from moving forward this summer. But Memphis and I found a door, now we just need to get it installed.
Things are moving forward!

What a week. Crazy temps, drought, visitors from New Mexico, and still pumping iron. But I works. I was able to pick up the 50lb. bag of chicken feed and put it in the shed. We had a good visit with the cousins. I took them around IU and the "old home places" in the hills.
We now have even more roosters. Ruby became Rubin and very proud of himself I might add. He has been put in timeout by himself since he decided my leg was a snack. The other boys seem to be getting along okay. But our egg sources keep getting smaller. No one has layed an egg yet but they are doing a lot of crowing!

I finally got my grandson Memphis bedroom fixed. It is really cute. He calls it his office. I used my mother and dad's dresser and chest from their 1st bedroom suit, and painted it blue and red. I added decoupaged tractors to the top of the dresser.

Weight of the world....

I have decided to start a weight lifting program. Not super body building but enough to get in better shape. I don't like aerobics but I do like "dumbbells". I am only on day 2 but I think I will stick with this.

Pueblo Bonito Chaco Canyon

Petroglyphs in Alq. NM.

Sun rise over Chaco on June 20th

The "kids" have made great time and are spending the day in the mountains of CO.  We will meet tomorrow at the ABQ airport!  I am really excited now because there will be a Solstice program at the canyon. Just confirmed to day!

And so they continue making their way across Kansas. It takes quite a while. I meanwhile am washing dishes. ugh! and covering up the gray hair so I will be photo ready tomorrow!!

Sending out the scouts

The 1st team has started out and have Missouri in their sights. I will be following soon by plane to meet in Albuquerque. That is the hardest name to spell. I have my bag packed and just have to put things in order here. It's really happening.....You can see follow along on Facebook andTwitter @MissAnnie777 and @TN. They are already posting some cool pics. Westward ho!

View from a Cowpath - Countdown to 60: On the Chaco Trail

View from a Cowpath - Countdown to 60: On the Chaco Trail: Soon I will be realizing a 20 year old dream of going to the Chaco Canyon in the desert of New Mexico. There is finally a paved road and res...

On the Chaco Trail

Soon I will be realizing a 20 year old dream of going to the Chaco Canyon in the desert of New Mexico. There is finally a paved road and restrooms. 2 of my only requirements for trips. Thankfully since our animal farm has grown we will have a very capable house sitter. So forget it robbers, you will be crushed.
I have my bag packed and will be meeting my daughter and her friend in Albuquerque. I am flying, they are driving. Age does have it's privileges.
We will be there during the summer solstice which should have some amazing markings on the ruins. The people great knowledge of astronomy and it shows in the placement of certain makers that still remain.
Plus we will get to eat at some great New Mexican restaurants. Yum Yum!
Hopefully, I will be able to post some pictures if I get some technical support. Ha!

2 weddings and a fashion show.

Dressing up poses some challenges for me any more. Either I am just lazy or I am getting set in my ways. Getting all dressed up 3 weekends in a row?
The Roosters are learning to crow and it is the cutest sound. Shogun gets all puffed up and sounds like someone with a sore throat. Right now he can only get out the "er" "er", However we have determined that we have 5 roosters. It be interesting in the coming weeks as try to impress our 10 sassy hens.
Our Memphis is gone with his dad on vacation so it will be lonley. But the judge said he needed a cell phone. An i-phone and a 5 year old is he-larious.

Wandering Indiana

I think I need to take a road trip.  The last one was in the summer and hardly lasted a day.  Sometimes I am very content to hang out at home and play outside on the farm or inside doing my artsy stuff. But I have itchy feet and am ready for a roadtrip. I don't have to go to far to be happy. But I have found out that there are lots of places that are interesting right in my own backyard or county or state. There are still caves and towns and antique shops that are on my list to visit. But I will have to pick one and make a solid plan. Some day....I will just fill up the tank with gas and start driving just to see where I come out.  Maybe Route 66. Or maybe every town called Memphis.  There is even a Memphis, Indiana.
The big trip will be to Misouri with the parents to buy a bull and some heifers at the Circle A ranch.  They let me bid and it is really fun.  As long as we get our signals straight and I stop when I'm supposed to. Mother and I got cofused I thought she wanted me to keep going, but she was trying to get me to stop.  Needless to say the Amos the bull came home with us. :-)
It's easy to get carried away with auctioneer in his cowboy hat and vest standing at my feet looking at me hopefully. And then the loud "YUP"! When I twitch my chin. What a rush!

Launching new venture

So Annie and I have been making wire wrapped crystals and stones.  Very pretty and are showing them at the Venue in Bloomington. We had one art show in Bedford at Thanksgiving but this will really put our work in a busy location to see if there will be a market for what we are making.  It is so much fun and Annie has been studying the properties of each stone or crystal.
The old red Buick may have a new home.  It is hard to give up it always looks clean and rides like a lazy boy. But we need to dough ra me.
I wrote to my state representatives and got an answer.  How about that. An actual person will come out to evaluate the road and fence situation. I think a guard rail might help but at least they are looking the situation over.  At least 3or 4 times a year someone slides off into the fence either from ice or alcohol and we are forever fixing it. Plus there is a real danger for the driver as well. Our goverment dollars at work.

Suprises under the stove

So a project that was waiting till later became a top priority. Not for any special reason but I started to put a couple of plasic grocery bags in the cabinet under the stove and there was absolutely no room.  It was a billowing cloud of plastic bags.I would try to shove one in and 10 floated out. I intended to take them to Walmart to recyle, but I just never thought of it at the right time. So I grabbed a paper grocery sack and started filling it. Then I took out another paper bag, then another and then a shopping bag from Macy's, plus 5 empty paper towel tubes stuffed full of plastic bags.  I think we could have crocheted a giant rug from all of them. Thankfully I have NO emotional attachment to these bags and out they went. The childproof locks are also gone. Now there is lots of lovely space the cookie sheets and pizza pans and a very few plastic bags with a very strick limit on the number. It makes me want to make pizza from scratch. Yummy. So far my New Years resolutions are going pretty well. I told Memphis to go look under the stove that there was a surprise. He ran over opened the cabinet without hinderence and his remark was, "I thought there would be donuts under here!"

Burn Baby Burn

I was rockin' to the oldies on the way to work today. Good beat, great to sing a long with.....Burn Baby Burn....Saturday Night Fever, dancing the night away. And I won a dinner at Mr Hibatchi!. Did you know men are having their ears done?  And I didn't use Google. Plastic surgery on the ears for men. Who would have thought. Although I do  judge men by the amount of ear hair that is visiable.  Sorry guys. I know I shouldn't judge,  women get that random weird goat hair on the chin or lip. Sunlight in the rearview mirror is the best place to see them and get rid of them.
I never thought I would get old enough to complain about modern music but come on, I want to sing along. Even Jennifer Lopez went over to the dark side. I remember that my parents always played the radio while milking the cows. It helped keep them calm and not get startled by random noises. We know all the words to Beatles songs but I don't know what the cows would think of Everybody on the floor!

Deathtrap stairs part 2

This morning Memphis came up stairs to wake me up.  He said he had been waiting a long time for me to come down stairs and play with the barn animals in the pit.  I started down the stairs and Dameon decides to throw himself across the very step that I am about to step on. Squished cat or Amy at the bottom of the stairs.  REALLY? The stairs really look rather strange with nothing on them but a few hair balls.
Memphis says when he is sad, he is mean and that does NOT mean he needs a nap. He put all of his stuffed toys in his bed, covered the top with a quilt and tried to get the cat to stay with him.  I think it was  too hot because he wouldn't stay. If only a snuggley cat could solve all problems. Come to think of it, it does help to make a person feel better to pet a soft squishy cat. Petting animals is supposed to lower blood pressure and produce endorphins.
So for just a little while, Comcast had me convinced I could get cable and internet, for 2 hours I thought I could see IU play basketball and watch some normal TV. But of course that person was in "Bombay, India." When I was finally put through to the "local" installer,  I was informed that my address was no where near a cable.  I knew it. Build me up to let me down. There is cable in WILLIAMS for crying out loud. There is no justice. 
We have been lazy all day today. Although I went to town for a bit. I went to the best store. It had a room full of fancy embroidery and sewing machines.  And another room of thread and fabric.  This, mind you, was in Bedford.  I will definitely have to go back. 

In a rut or a groove?

Yesterday was a busy Monday. The days are gone when everyone did the washing on Monday, ironing on Tuesday, etc. Now I do the laundry when I need clothes, and ironing? Are you kidding me? There are a few die hards out there, my Mother for example. She always washes on Monday. Wednesday is clean the bathroom day. I try to keep that one at least. But I actually did laundry on Monday and it was great. Also got the rod brackets put in Annie's closet, got Memphis's bed moved, put away some Christmas presents,mopped the kitchen floor and made a lot of calls to Direct TV and Verizon.  It seems no one wants me to have access to the IU games without a huge monthly fee. I am too far from Williams and not close enough to Bedford. Come on IU give a raise so I can watch the games!!!!
So, the question for today is: Am I in a rut or a groove? For a long time I felt like I was in a rut, a very muddy rut with my wheels spinning and no way to move in any direction. My 3rd resolution is to get out of the rut and into a groove. So to review the resolutions:
1. put one thing away each day
2.take my phone to bed with me
3.Get out of the rut and into the groove
My countdown to 60 will be the path to the groove.
Peace!

More resolutions

So I am still putting one thing away everyday. But I totally trashed Annie's apartment because I am in the middle of "making room". Then I found out this morning that she was stranded with a flat tire after I went to bed. I usually don't take the cell phone upstairs because I either left it in the car, my purse, or on the sofa. I don't need to call anyone after I am asleep.  But there are those pesky what ifs. What if I get sick in the night? What if there is an emergency from a family member? What if I've fallen and i can't get up? Someone runs through the fence? Or Annie gets stranded with a flat tire? I hadn't worried about it because she has Onstar but the previous owner had put on locking lug-nuts and didn't leave a key. She got a tow to the dealership but still needed a ride home.  Thanks Stacy, I love you. 
So my 2nd resolution is to make sure I have the phone fully charged and with me at all times. And to finish the mess I started in Annie's room. I did get the new shower head installed.  Lots of lovely pressure.
The cold snow blowing around gave me the shivers but not for long. My body thermostat is broken so it is not long till I need a break and a cold drink.  Annie used my car to get to work today so I went out to  start it up and brush off the snow. ( in my summer nightgown) No I didn't get cold. As soon as I get the floor mopped I will start again in Annie's closet. I am hoping to add a rod in the closet so she can get everything hung up and make some more progress on the Meemster's room. I did put up blue curtains with the Cars characters. I don't know how he will feel about me taking out the old sofa, though.  Remember he doesn't like change. And it will have to be dismantled to be removed. But with room for his toys in one place, I am hoping he won't mind when everything is done. 

Death trap(stairway) CLEAR

For those of you with the nostalgic ideas about stairways, let me tell you about mine. There are "count em'"13 steps to get to the upstairs. Not counting the 4 more if you are in the "pit".  That was romantically called a sunken living room in the 70's. In the 80's the stairway was a showcase for baskets and cute stuffed bears. Lots of dust in the 80's. Then it became a way to avoid taking something up stairs till later. I even have a step basket to use for that very purpose. Then at bedtime, who has the energy to take stuff upstairs and put it away then? It slowly turned into temporary storage for shoes out of season, shoes I only wear for dress up, the jewelry and bra I take off right after work, a magazine I want to read in bed, and my broken red purse, which by the way was the last thing I put away yesterday. (more on that later). Then comes a grandchild. Kids love stairs, they climb them, play on them, they fall down them, make a hideout of them, and also an office and a place where Memphis decided he wanted to keep his 'portant' papers and a Hebrew Bible, which he reads frequently, either upside down or right side up. He is five so it doesn't really matter. If I would dare to move said papers or book while he is gone it is a serious crime. Things are to be exactly where he leaves them until his return.
Yesterday, I put the last item from my stairs away. The broken red purse. Yes, I took it upstairs. It is still good except for the strap on 1 side. It could be repaired, it is small and handy for a trip, Memphis loves it, because I would let him play bank with it. But is this the way hoarders get started? There is a fine line between those who hoard and those who are just industrious enough to find a use for everything. Recycle, upcycle, throw it out, reclaim it, give it away, clear the clutter. The artist in me says find a use for it, the Great Aunt Dillie in me says you might need it someday, the practical person in me says get it repaired and then give it away, and the organizational gurus say pitch it and don't look back.
For the new year the magazine racks will be full today of headlines for organizing, clearing clutter, living simply right beside the pictures of houses made of trash and covered with stucco, reclaimed wood and upcycled sweaters made in to coats and skirts.
I guess it is like the Bible says" moderation in all things." From the T-totaler to the drunk there is a happy medium we must all find. Or you may one day be found buried under a pile of magazines, clothes, and a red purse that you MIGHT use someday.
Oh yes, and have a Moderately Happy New Year.