Saturday, September 7, 2024

September to Remember?

This has already been an eventful September, one I’m sure will stay with me for the rest of my life. And we’re just hitting the first week mark! But I’m doggedly remaining cheerful (if not naive) as I work through this. Do you remember an old musical (and book) called “Stop the World - I Want to Get Off”? (1961). I was only a little kid when it came out and I never did see it, but the title has always stuck with me. It pops into my head now and then when the going gets rough. But I’ll share more about the ups and downs this week at the end of the post. That way, it’ll spare those of you who are just here for my Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) blocks. 

September’s colors for the RSC are dark neutrals. I believe next month may (or may not) be the same, but regardless, I will be working on them for two months. There’s brown, black and gray scraps that are threatening to take over my sewing room. In addition, I need more time to work on my green scraps this year. Usually we devote 2 months each to the greens and the blues, but when we did greens in January, I was getting the old house ready to put on the market and did not do justice to my scraps. So, in September I hope to focus on brown and green, and then in October I’ll focus on black and gray. At least, that’s the plan. 

So here are the three blocks in brown that I sewed up *last* month, when I mistakenly started on the wrong color!

Two Color Sticks blocks (pattern by Cynthia Brunz)


And one Scrappy Star Block (courtesy Julie’s Quilts and Costumes)


All the blocks for the It’s a Jungle Out There quilt top are now sewn. I’m beginning to sew them together and will try again this week to finish the top. But this past week was a real sewing bust for me as I had an accident involving a rotary cutter.

Sometimes the plates we’re spinning or the balls we’re juggling just come crashing down and we have to rethink what and how much we are doing. It’s a recurring issue for me, taking on too much, getting overwhelmed, crashing and burning (figuratively speaking), then rinse and repeat. So, on Sunday, while Kim and Ruby and I were sewing and cutting fabric, listening to music, gabbing and laughing, I sliced the tip of my left index finger and fingernail off with a rotary cutter. Not paying enough attention. Being too much Tigger and not enough Owl. 

They took me to the Instacare where the doctor was able to get the finger to stop bleeding. Then it got cleaned and bandaged (nothing to sew back together as it was gone) and I was sent home. The fingertip will grow back. My self-confidence may not. It’s going to be a slow, deliberate process.

And then came The Intervention. Kim, Bruce and Ruby kindly lectured me to take on less responsibility, relax more, pay attention/be more mindful in the present. And they are right. I’ve given my notice to the HOA Board that I’ll not be running for an office in November. I will make more time to relax and do things I enjoy. I will no longer multi-task (talking on the phone while cooking, laughing and joking when I’m rotary cutting, daydreaming when I use my curling iron on my hair). Paying attention to what I’m doing. What a concept! 

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Only minor progress on the kitchen this week. The flooring (baseboard) trim was installed. The painting begins on Monday. The hood fan was never ordered from the manufacturer by the supplier we bought it from…they had a change of management and it fell through the cracks. But our general contractor got on it and they put a rush on it, so it should arrive and be installed sometime between Wednesday and Thursday of next week if all goes according to plan. This was the first real glitch in the process (well, other than Bruce and I getting Covid and having to postpone everything for a week). 

Bruce had two visits to the VA hospital this week - various clinics there - as part of the screening and exam process for getting benefits. Eventually. And he has two more next week - one at the VA, and one at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. I’m trying to get him to eat without being reminded and to eat high protein foods as his doctors have stressed. He’s getting better about it, because I told him I will not babysit his food intake. And he feels lousy when he doesn’t eat enough and/or properly. Cause and effect. Duh.

The kitties had to go to the vet yesterday, and since Bruce had his own doctor appointment, I had to take them myself. It was an epic battle. The cats managed to open the bathroom door (where I had them stashed while I got ready). I have no idea how they did it. Then I caught Alfie again and put him in their carrier in the back bedroom while I hunted (chased) Darla. When I got her and took her into the back bedroom, the carrier was empty and Alfie had busted out of the carrier, which was heavy duty plastic and made for two cats. There were eight locking clips that he managed to thwart! I found him hiding under a bookcase and eventually got them both into the carrier securely. Talk about Little Rascals! I couldn’t use the carrier handle to transport them, but rather had to pick the whole da** thing up by the bottom and wrestle it into the car. Smooth sailing from there. They got their exams and shots and clean bills of health. But we have to buy two new individual carriers. Oh, and change Alfalfa’s name to Houdini. 

Today I’m going to make a couple batches of raspberry and raspberry-peach freezer jam. My son Ryan and daughter-in-law Kim are coming over for dinner tonight. It’s a belated birthday celebration for her as she was in Italy last month for her birthday, and we had Covid. Should be fun! Then the rest of the weekend will be devoted to relaxing and sewing. Life is good, especially when you pay attention!

13 comments:

  1. Welcome to my world of getting overwhelmed, Cathy!! We "intense" people always get over involved and take on too much for sure!! I am taking this whole weekend off from anything craftwise!! Iam. really....
    Tom and I are getting our covid-19 shots this noon and I figure--Well, that will slow me down for sure!!
    It is not that easy to sit back and relax==I find myself saying (I so often have these conversations with myself!!hahaha) "What is this strange "lethargic" feeling I'm having?" Duh...it's you slowing down and relaxing!! My piano teacher used to say to me, "Julie, drop your bones!" So, I've evidently always been like this!!
    Anyhow...I digress again...I love that scrappy star block--somehow it looks so pretty with those brown shades ...hang in there--hope your finger heals quickly. [ Too bad we can't just kick back and have a cuppa and slow down together]
    ...hugs, Julierose

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  2. Oh my goodness - my worst fear when using a rotary cutter! I'm glad your friends were there to take charge and get you the proper medical attention. I'm also glad they staged an intervention because you need to slow down!
    Cat wrangling can't have been fun. They are sneaky devils sometimes and can manage to get out (and into!) the strangest things.

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  3. What a scary accident!! So glad your friends were there to help! Good luck with your finger and. your new commitment to being more mindful.

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  4. Glad you're still able to "sit up and take nourishment" as my mom would say. Take a deep breath and regroup.

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  5. sorry about your fingertip that is always so sore while it heals. You must have started out that sewing session with a fresh blade. Yes husbands must tend to their own when it comes to tracking what food they eat - they are not children and we don't need to take care of them the same way!!

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  6. We've already chatted about your adventurous week....thanks for sharing the brown blocks. Brown can be beautiful! Hope your fingertip is healing well and that Bruce vs. bureaucracy is successful.

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  7. I always think it's a nasty trick that we can get injured when having the most fun! Hope the pain isn't too bad and you heal quickly. You always seem like such a high energy person - I can see how it would be easy to get over-involved and then overwhelmed. Take care of yourself! 🩷 Love the 16 patch star - I think I'm going to make those for my next RSC blocks. Good luck to Bruce with his health journey. Mike actually gets quite a bit of his medical care at the VA clinic here, and they do a good job (unlike the stories you hear). Yum on the jam!

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  8. Oh, dang it Cathy! Ouchie! I only sliced mine once, and Mr Busy bought me a Klutz Glove! Now, if I would just use it! Take care, and I applaud the decision to relax, do just enjoyable things and to be mindful! Hope all goes well with Bruce’s upcoming medical adventures.

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  9. Oh dear, so sorry to read about your rotary cutter injury to your finger, that must have been so painful. And then you had the great cat escape, they can be very difficult when you are trying to get them corralled. I remember when Gemma was a kitten she managed to bust out of her carry cage, there was one of the wires which had come loose and she managed to squeeze through a tiny opening!

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  10. Ouch! I hope it heal fast. Enjoy your slowing down, I had to learn how to do that too. We should all be in the moment more often and enjoy it.

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  11. You have an exurberant collection of browns. I like browns. I sympathize with the rotary cutter accident. I "trimmed" the side of my left index finger a few years ago. I called a nearby friend who's a nurse and she patched me up. While waiting for her to arrive, I wrapped the finger in a paper towel and finished cutting the strip I had been working on. I can still see that finger is slimmer than the right one.
    It's good to hear you're cutting back (a little). Sorry to hear the cats were uncooperative, but glad to hear Bruce is making progress on getting his medical care straightened out. It's always something isn't it?
    Mindfulness is good, but it takes a lot of practice.
    Pat

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  12. I love your brown block. It has a lovely collection of rich brown and soft, warm brown. Beautiful! Sorry to hear about your finger. I haven't done it yet and hope I never will. I'm ADHD so doing one thing at a time is soooo boring. I'm glad you are listening to your friends and slowing down now, instead of waiting (like I did) to be sick before registering common sense. You'll see, life will be more enjoyable and more meaningful. Houdini is a great name. I'm sorry you had to go through all chasing to find out his secret talent. I wish you a much calmer and pleasant rest of the month. Enjoy! (and breath out completely) ;^)

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  13. I'm so behind on reading blogs, but had a good giggle about the kitties and their escapes! I had one that I literally duct taped the door shut because no matter how secure I was sure it was, she could figure it out. And she was the one that I literally stood the mattress and box spring on end to be able to get a hold of her. (We were a little late to that appointment and I was a sweaty mess!) I'm glad your finger is no worse than it is, but I, too, know the pain of distracted rotary cutting. Good for you, taking on less. (But if you're like me, how long will it last?!)

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