Hello all – I have not had much in the way of free time this week. So much so, I find it hard to believe it is Friday already! Here is a peek at the past week.
Last weekend was a special one because my youngest son, Ian, was here for a quick visit. He had signed up to participate in a run up in the Lake Tahoe area. That is approximately an hour drive from our home so he slept here and took off early in the morning for the run. I love all four of my kids and when I have time with one of them – one on one – it is a special thing. As such, it was a treat to have Ian here. We snacked, visited, watched his silly dog playing, and then ate some more! I made a yummy cinnamon swirl bundt cake and a nice pot of beef stew. Yay for family time!
Monday we had our deck refinished. A few weeks ago, Ray and I painted the railings (a tedious task for sure) and then a painter came and stained the deck. Check out the difference!
We are so happy with the look of the tinted stain. It took two coats which the painter meticulously applied with a small roller and a paintbrush. He is a great guy and has painted for us several times in the past. Ray and I just keep looking at the deck, admiring it. We haven’t even put any furniture or plants back on it – It is so pretty!!
The roof on our gazebo has been falling apart for several years. Finally we hired a roofer to come replace the roofing. There is a sky light at the peak which they broke (purposefully) when taking apart the old roof. Ray replaced it when they finished.
He got this all finished and, because he isn’t a fan of heights, was happy to come down from the roof.
Colors are starting to change here and I love the reflection of these maple trees on the pond. With the drought here, this is really the lowest we have seen the pond in years. As always, we are crossing our fingers for any amount of rain.
When the sky light was finished, I helped Ray carry the tools back to the shop. When he went inside, he found water on the floor. We have a pump which pulls water from the pond above and it used to water plants and the lawn. It had a leak and was making a mess of things. Isn’t it frustrating to find things like that! So the rest of that day and the following two days were spent cleaning up a mess in the shop. Thanks goodness for the wet/dry Shop Vac. It cleaned up the water quickly. This was one of those events that really just spurred a clean out that has been needing to happen for a long while. The shop is 1200 square feet and there was a lot of debris stacked up. So we have been working on it. I help where I can but it is akin to cleaning out my sewing room. Ray would have no idea which fabrics I want or don’t want, right? Similarly, I don’t know which stacks of wood are to be organized and saved and which are to be tossed out.
Moving on…. It was time to pick the pumpkins from a pumpkin patch Ray planted this year. We had our neighbor kids (two little girls) come and choose pumpkins and kept a few for ourself. The rest are ready to be delivered to a memory care unit in town. They seem excited to have them for the residents. We are more than happy to donate them.
Three more blocks are completed for my RSC 2021 quilt. The colors look terrible but that is what happens when you try to take a photo inside the house when it is dark out. Just two colors, orange and bright/lime green remain for the year. Then I can start to assemble the blocks. Feels good to be catching up on this project!
Even though I am supposedly working through my WIPs now, I pulled some fabric for a baby quilt. You know how it goes… I had the best intentions of not starting anything new but then Sew Preeti Quilts asked me to give a pattern of hers a try and I can’t say no to Preeti, can I? It is a cute pattern and uses strip piecing for efficiency. I have my strips cut and sewn and then cut again. Next up is to sew the blocks together. This weekend is not very busy so I am hoping to get the blocks together over the next day or so. I should be able to share this one soon!
Finally, I want to show you these pretty hydrangeas. I love when they start to turn from white to a faint pink blush. I cut a handful and have them drying here. I also cut some of the lilac bits that were turning color to. It makes such a nice arrangement and should last quite a while. I do this each fall with these particular hydrangeas.
OK – that is it for now. Not a lot of sewing this week but such is life. The weather has cooled off considerably which makes me so happy. It gives me more energy to get things done outside which means less time in the sewing room. If you could all do a rain dance in the hopes the west coast can get some relief from this drought, it would be much appreciated. Enjoy your weekend – do something creative!
You have been busy, with even a bit of quilting in the mix! Your deck looks so pretty, I can understand why you just want to admire it before you put things back. You have some lovely views on your property, and could I have a few of those punkins? I haven’t picked any up yet! I know what pattern you are making for Preeti – mine is done and going to Connie next week. I look forward to seeing yours!
You sure do keep Connie busy! Did you make a lap size or bigger or smaller? I worked on blocks a bit last night and hope to get back to them this afternoon. Yesterday was busy with a lot of running around. If I could send you a pumpkin, I would!! The woman at the memory care unit was thrilled to have them which felt good. 🙂
I love the newly painted deck. The pond is so lovely and the pumpkin haul is terrific. I have to get some…I am always late. I can’t believe you got some quilting in too with all that upkeep! Can’t wait to see what you are testing for Preeti.
Sometimes it feels like maintaining a house takes all a person’s time. Especially for my husband since much of it falls to him. It is time to clean up the garden for fall. Lots of plants to cut back and as always, there are weeds to pull. But after some morning gardening, I should be able to get back to the quilt blocks I am making. 🙂
Hi Bernie! Lots of good things happening about your place. The deck finish looks gorgeous – as does the nice, wide space!! It looks very welcoming. Your pond view of the tree reflection looks so peaceful. {{Hugs}} Enjoy the weekend. ~smile~ Roseanne
Thank you Roseanne! We love the new look with our deck. It makes me so happy to see it all fresh and new. I hope you have a great weekend!
Bernie that deck really looks brand new!! Well done. I’m exhausted just reading about all your projects around the house. I love that you planted a pumpkin patch. The residents on the memory unit where I work are now looking for a pumpkin patch to go visit. I’m so happy hearing that you’re donating the pumpkins to a group near you. There is something about a pumpkin that gets our residents talking, sharing stories and thinking about when they were little. I have found it to be a wonderful conversation starter. Thanks for sharing your fall scene across the lake…oh and the sewing projects too!! Stay well.
Hearing about your residents responses to the pumpkins is gratifying. When I dropped them off, the arts/crafts director seemed very pleased to have them. I also brought a huge pumpkin to decorate the front lobby. Pumpkins are great fun to grow. They seem to get bigger daily. Plus we had so many different varieties. I hope they bring the folks a lot of smiles!
Ah, the pond view is lovely- do you lke a cuppa and some relaxing viewing of a morning? The water always calms me. I’m is SoCa so a rain dance coming your way as I know the drought too well.
Oh man – I am sure you are very familiar with lack of rain. It was so chilly up here this morning – 37* outside when I woke up – so at least it is cooling down. I just want some rain!! We need it desperately – this poor state is suffering for lack of water and so many others are dealing with floods. Yikes!! (And Yes!! We do love our pond. It is so peaceful and pretty!)
It’s amazing how the days and weeks can fill up, even when you’re retired! You live in a beautiful place – thanks for sharing the views. So glad you got to spend time with your son, too! Your boxes of pumpkins made my jaw drop, truly! I bought a couple just like you grew. So nice of you to share them with the older folks – I bet they will love them!
Sounds like a busy, fulfilling week. I’m glad you got some one on one time with Ian, and wow the fall color is looking so lovely there. I hope you have a great weekend!
Bernie, what a beautiful view you have. How nice to have the deck all refreshed like that. I have painted railings before so know what a pain that is. You two are kind to share those lovely pumpkins. I enjoyed seeing your RSC blocks in the last post too. The best part of this post was hearing about your son’s visit…the pleasure that gave you came through in your words. Family really is the best.
What a lovely post reading about your week. You have kept busy in your new retirement! The porch looks great and loved seeing the pond picture. Thanks for taking us along on our your week there. It was a little of everything with family time and giving back time with your pumpkins.
Your deck looks terrific! I always feel the same when I paint a room. I don’t want to ruin the fresh new paint by actually moving things into it. I love the fabrics you pulled for the new quilt. I’ll bet it will look very happy! Hope to talk to you soon!