Since my former boss and Team Lead both work in Roseburg, OR, I took a (relatively) quick trip up to see them and go to lunch with them on Thursday.  It's just a 4 hour drive up, so I basically did a long workday, lol!  I dropped Alli off at her day program at 8:00, was up in Roseburg by 12:15, did lunch and a visit with the people I knew in the office, and was home by 7:00.  I left three quilts there - Kevin and Brittney picked out one for themselves and also picked one out for the LSS Manager, Trina.  

Since I was taking quilts up, I did a big push to get these two quilts completed to take.  They both turned out great!  

I got a couple of fall color shots while at the bank office, too, along with some cool clouds on the way home.

Part of my retirement plan is to take Ripley for a walk daily, if possible, now that I don't have to take her right after work/before her helper leaves (a tight window and super hot in the summer!)  Cindy M and I met up at Turtle Bay this week for a 2-mile walk.  

We spotted a couple of deer in the meadow (they moved a bit before I got a picture - originally all I could see were two sets of ears - too cute!) 

Ripley is a fan of the walks, but Luna isn't up to that far of a walk, so AJ or I take her for a shorter jaunt around the neighborhood.  She had an "episode" on Wednesday night - possibly a seizure??  Not sure, but she seem mostly recovery, but it's getting harder for her to get up, take long walks, etc.  Getting old sucks - my puppies should live forever!

I don't often see the bridge from this angle.

AJ made me another quilting tool with his 3D printer!  This is a thread cutter, designed to cut thread when you are chain piecing.  He printed three pieces, and I put a rotary blade between the circles, and it sits in the third piece - the stand.  Then, I can cut the thread quickly between the pieces.  Working on the Falling Leaves quilt gave it a workout - since the block are all the same, I pieced 4 blocks at a time (all I had pins for) so at new point, I had a very long line of pieces all "chained" together. I put a (very bad) video in to show it.

 

Falling Leaves is taking shape.  I have all the blocks done now, so it is waiting its turn to get put together.  First I need to finish the two quilts that are quilted, waiting for binding (the Surf's Up and the 2026 RBD Challenge quilt).

My retirement present from the bank was a wind chime, which replaces the one I just took down when I cleaned up the patio for my birthday/retirement party!   It may not stay up for long, depending on how windy it gets, but I think it sounds pretty nice (so far...). 

 

Karen found a new hobby for me, now that I'm retired.  Her daughter raises bees, and she gifted me a beginner guide to raising bees book and some honey!  I think I'll pass on raising the bees, but the honey looks fantastic!

 

We had a visitor the other day - they sure look like they come from another planet.... 

 

 It’s official - I just turned in my laptop and keys. I’m officially retired!

It's that time of year - I pulled out most of the garden.  I still have the pepper plants and one zucchini plant left. 

 

I replanted and put the mums that I got as decorations from my birthday party out on the front porch.  Looking fall-ish!!  Now if only the weather would feel fall-ish.  

The latest mini-mystery quilting project...Pot O'Luck - the mini-mysteries are small projects and have the pattern released an hour apart so you can complete it in a day.  I, on the other hand, did not complete it in a day, but I did get it done, 

The fabric: 

Clue #1

Clue #2 

0

Clue #3 

 

The Reveal! Putting it all together, adding a couple of borders, and it's a cute table runner - ready to quilt!  (Which means it's in the pile of things ready to quilt.  Good thing I'm retiring soon - my backlog is growing!)

You turn your back for one minute..... 

I needed something out of my quilt cupboard and while I got what I wanted and turned to close it again, Jessie had jumped in and made herself at home....

I had an issue quilting the Surf's Up quilt - my machine wouldn't move more than a few inches left or right..... 

After moving the road blocks, I got the main quilt quilted, now I "just" need to quilt the borders.  They should be fairly quick to quilt, I just have to make up my mind how I want to quilt them.  I also got the RBD 2026 Challenge quilt quilted last week - it "just" needs the binding added.

When everyone was here for my birthday/retirement party, I was lamenting that my water hyacinths hadn't bloomed all summer.  Even though they provide good shade for the fish, I was hoping they would also bloom.  So what happens?  They bloom a couple of days later....

The new UV filter is still doing it's job, too!

Cindy M and I took the dogs for a walk at Turtle Bay, or at least I took Ripley.  Luna isn't up for long walks, though she loves to go, she just poops out less than a mile in, so we've been taking her on shorter walks in the neighborhood.  Ripley did a 2 mile walk with me, and then AJ took both dogs later in the day for a neighborhood walk.  (He said Ripley walked much better for him since I'd already taken her out.  She has a tendency to pull when walking....)

The trees are just beginning to turn colors, with the poison oak being the first to turn....

We spotted a doe on our walk - watching us very carefully .

 

I got a 99.6% on my first Japanese test! 

 

I don't think I mentioned it, but I started a Japanese language class at Shasta College in August - my first time back to college since ~1987???  I've been doing Duolingo for a while now, but it honestly hasn't helped a ton - mainly because I don't put the effort in.  By taking the class and actually getting graded, I'm more apt to put the time in (I hope, at least).  AJ and I are planning another trip to Tokyo next spring.  My Japanese still won't be great, but it will be better than it was the last trip.

I had a mandatory one-on-one with the instructor yesterday, which she said she usually checks in with the students to make sure they know what resources are available and that they are settling into college life okay, etc.  In my case, we just chatted about "stuff".  Her parting comment was "I mean this in the best way, but having older students in class really keeps the younger student on their best behavior - I haven't heard an F-bomb all semester."  Great - now that I'm old I'm a good influence?? I told her I'd try not to shatter their illusions by dropping any myself, lol!

I found a new hobby for retirement....or re-found one.  Growing up, we did puzzles all the time, especially during the winter when it was too wet to go outside.  As I was wondering through Costco a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed a puzzle "just because".  It has become a community puzzle - set up on the same table we used growing up - with anyone that is here finding a few pieces and putting them in.  Allison's helpers work on it, I work on it, Cindy C. worked on it while she was here, people that were here for my birthday dug through, looking for edge pieces, pieces that fit, etc.  (I had to put out a brand new puzzle on my birthday, Cindy and I finished the Redwoods puzzle the night before.)

The new one is Denali, and does not have regularly shaped pieces, which makes my brain hurt trying to put pieces together that fit, which means that it's a good thing!

AJ painted me a new dragon for my birthday - this is from one of the War Hammer armies - not one that he plays - but he got one for me and painted it - he amazes me with his eye for detail.  This comes a basic grey, and the pad that is stands on is bare and flat.  He added all the rocks and snow.  I don't know if I'm more impressed with his artwork or the fact that it took him over a month to paint it and he planned ahead that far!!

The birthday/retirement party was a success - the weather was nice enough we were outside and we had way too much food, as usual.  Susan and Dave A. ended up staying for dinner (home-made pizzas) so it was a late, but fun, night. 

I'm not sure if this signals Jessie's approval or disapproval of the Falling Leaves project...  

I have all the blocks cut out for the quilt - 21 leaves to make.  Cindy came in last night for the weekend, so I don't know that I'll get much work done on it.  Good thing sewing can wait - I'd rather spend the time with Cindy!

And just like that - a new project!  The Falling Leaves quilt will be using my stash for the leaves, but I didn't have enough background fabric on hand.  This should be a quick quilt to make since I only have 5 more working days left (more time to sew)!!!  I'm on vacation starting today until the 14th, and my last day is the 18th.  That's it!  Weird, but I'm excited! Cindy C is coming in today from Wyoming, and I'm having a low-key birthday/retirement party on Sunday, just cake and ice cream,  Fun times ahead!

 

 

And my final "almost finished" project from the weekend!  I have all the blocks done for the Summer Reading quilt, and found enough fabric in my stash for the border.  I will need to buy fabric for the back, but the rest of the quilt came from leftover fabric - not bad!  (Of course, it didn't even put a dent in my fabric stash - I still have tons of fabric, but it is a start!)  I think it turned out cute, and I love my different colored kitties! 

One more of my semi-completed projects from the weekend - the Block a Month Lady Liberty quilt, which is the one I'm doing through the local quilt shop, Sew Simple.  I'm ahead on this one!  I finished my August block, and had enough scraps from prior month's to make the September block and put all the blocks together.  October's "block" is the border, so I'm caught up until then. 

One of my semi-finished projects from the weekend - the Surf's Up Mystery quilt.  I was chatting with the people at Hokema's (that ran the mystery) and said something about having fabric in the kit that I didn't use.  She pointed out that I was missing two borders and the unused fabric was the outside border.  Sigh....read ALL the instructions....I was so distracted by the options to put it together that I didn't really finished it.  I added the last two borders to the quilt and picked up the backing fabric, so this one is ready to get quilted. 

I spent last weekend "finishing" things - though I didn't actually "finish" them, I just moved them to the next step.  For me, that's a win!  I added a border to the 2026 Riley Blake Designs (RBD) Challenge quilt and have it on the frame to quilt.  Did I start quilting it?  Not a chance, but I'm ready!

I did get some stuff done in the yard and around the house, since I didn't get all my quilting done.  I'm having a low-key birthday party next weekend (cake, ice cream and some friends) so I spent some time out in the yard in the mornings.  The summer was hard on my yard this year.  We are expecting cooler weather this week, and I am ready for Fall!! 

 

Finally!  I'm back to three eggs a day (from 4 chickens).  My two Easter Eggers have been laying green eggs faithfully, but my Sapphire Gem went broody, so wasn't laying.  Either she's back to laying again (after three weeks - the normal time it takes for eggs to hatch) or my older Welsummer is laying again.  Since the Welsummer is just 18 months old, she should be laying too, but both of them lay brown eggs and I haven't had any brown eggs for 3 weeks.  They are both looking healthy, so I'm blaming the heat for one and being broody for the other.  But, at least I'm back to 3 eggs now. 

AJ got a new toy, and the first thing he made was something for me!  He got a 3D printer, and his first printing test was to make ruler holders for me.  I honestly had been thinking about getting another one (don't judge - a quilter needs LOTS of rulers, just sayin'), so it worked out for me - a simple test for him and something for me.  The first test failed - the "ink" he got jammed up the printer.  As usual, when he placed his order, the printer came Saturday, but his "ink" wasn't scheduled to be delivered until Monday.  He ran into Best Buy and got some Sunday morning, but evidently it wasn't compatible with his printer.  Poor guy - a new toy and he broke it first thing. He spent most of Sunday tearing the printer down and putting it back together.  Luckily, the correct ink came Sunday afternoon, so he was able to play with his new toy (and Mom got a present!).