This was the next started thing...

Long Dog Sampler - Lo & Behold.  Using Anchor Black.  I am nearly to the top on the right side.  I had the horrible thought that maybe I had the fabric turned the wrong way.  I think it's fine, but now I'm going to finish to the top corner just to be sure.  It's maybe a third of a page.  I am filling in, but not all the back stitching.  Since I stitch one over one, back stitches can sometimes just make something solid - that looks better to my eye without the back stitching.

I was gonna say that things are calmer - it's not.  But it's funny on some silly level.

First the kitchen faucet had a drip.  Moen sent me the parts free.  But then I was nervous about trying to replace the cartridge, even though I have replaced the cartridge before.  Then on a Sunday night, the kitchen sink clogged and would not drain.  It would go side to side - and luckily not back up into the dishwasher.  I have been starting the dishwasher in the middle of the night on the trips to the bathroom.  So this could have gone worse.  I have never needed to clean out that pipe.  Lived here since 1982.  That was a Sunday night.  I tried to gently use the plunger - did not help.  But the next morning - it had leaked somewhere under the sink - and made a mess.

Went to see the plumber - appt Thursday.  The rest of the plumbing works - just not the kitchen.  He came and replaced the faucet for a different brand.  My area has hard water.  I tried to pull the old cartridge after he left.  It was miserable.  So replacing the faucet was fine.  He repaired the leaks under the sink.  He tried to run the drain line - but he could only go 20 feet.  That was not far enough to open it.  So he left - $750 and I still could not use the sink.  I called the better drain people after he left... it was Thursday - they could come.... Monday.  So a week without kitchen water.  

Somewhere in there... I find out moms car, which I drive all the time now - a 2002 impala,  But it has only 36000 miles on it.  But it is due for new tires before winter.  Then it had a low front passenger tire.  So I went to the Goodyear dealer - cause I was not sure why it was losing air.  It had a screw in the tire.  Not the sidewall, the tire.  But they would not repair it.  The tires are simply too old.  They said if the tires are older than 6 years, they won't repair it.  Those are 24 years old.  So I priced tires while there.  I never heard of the brands.  And they don't make the tires that are on it anymore.  The store guy said he had worked there 11 years and never seen them before.  So they basically said - buy our tires NOW - and we don't actually have any in the store that will fit.... or leave while we know your tire is leaking.  I left.  I stopped at the bank, got cash to buy tires, and went to Sam's Club.  I asked what they had that would fit.  They priced me some Pirellis - 85,000 miles - at less than Goodyear wanted for some 65,000 mile tires I had barely heard of.  But they would have to call me when they got them in - and that depends on how far to get a set, and get them delivered.  I had to up my membership from the $60 version to the better version.  But they prorate the time left.  So I paid $45 to get $80 off in stall charge.  That made the better tires, cheaper than the Goodyear nonsense.  The car also needed a new battery and they will install wipers free.  So I write down and track on the calendar when car batteries get replaced.  It had said on Oct 4th - but I have learned to ignore things.  But a new batteries with new tires sounded like a good idea.  Turned out the battery was four years old - which is crazy good for a battery.  And I said they could replace it then if they had an opening - or when the tires arrived.  They had time to do it then.  New wiper blades too.  So I spent $650 on tires, and $170 for the battery and wipers.

So I grab a few grocery things so I can go home, and stay there.  Wait for the call that my tires have arrived.     

Monday the drain line people are gonna arrive.  I take the kitchen trash out to the garage.  But when I hit the opener button - nothing happens.  Dead opener battery?  One of those nickel batteries.  Doesn't work.  Maybe I am putting the battery in upside down.  I will have to get the other opener.  But I keep the doors locked - I have to find a key.  Which I can't find...  

I go inside and call my friend.  I have a dental appt tomorrow - and my luck is clearly goofy.  I don't want my tires to go flat in the dentist parking lot.  She says she will.  

Back to trying to get into the garage.  I finally get in - it's dead.  Nothing.  Reset the breaker.  Still nothing.  I call for an appointment.  They will come today.  I know how to get the car out with no power - pull the cord - lift the door.  But my luck, the door will fall on the car as I back out.  

Drain guys come - I have them run the line to the street every other year - it's due this year.  I just need the line from the kitchen cleared too.  Those guys are nice - get it cleared - clear the line to the street.  I have a low spot between the house and the street.  If I don't clear it - it starts to back up by the washer, by the furnace.  So I just run the lines before winter - then I don't have a problem.  That was a quick $200 plus tax.  

Then the garage door opener guys come.  The board is just gone -  $350 for just the board.  plus labor.  And I need a new garage door - mine was bent - the insurance would have bought me a new one - but I got cancer about that time, and had no insurance.  So I am gonna need a new door soon - might as well start with a new opener too.  And I need an extra wall opener....  But they could actually have it and install it right then.  So I said okay - and it all got replaced - and working again.  $720.   

Friend took me to the dentist - that was $280.  And I asked if we could stop at Sam's to ask about when the tires might show up since nobody has called and the next day will be a week.  We stop.  They look up my tire order - oh, you ordered them that day?  yes... Oh, they actually came the next day.  

And nobody called....  nobody was ever gonna call I guess.  Most of that day was over... they were busy the next - but could install on Thursday.  Fine - so I got new tires last Thursday.

During all that time - I was trying to donate blood and vote early.  I would make a blood appt, and then the plumber would pick that day.  I made a new day, new time - and somebody else would come that day....  So I donated blood and tried to vote on Friday.  The vote early place was a pretty long line in a mall.  I sat and watched the line for a while.  It was not getting shorter.  I just didn't think I could stand in line that long honestly.  I would have needed a cane.  If you give me a cart - grocery store, target - I'm good - happy to walk.  But even stepping up a curb, I am iffy.  So I left.  Next day was Saturday - they were doing early voting at the place you get your car plates, and pay taxes.  But none of those other things were open - so it was me and about a dozen other people - i let them all go in first - I knew I would be slow going down the steps inside.  But it was fine.  It was a line of six people - not 60.  And there was no line when I left.  

So I had put off and ignored several things...  till it all just made me fix stuff.  Somewhere in there was Amazon sale. - I ordered 4 pairs of sweatpants - $30, and none of them were the right size - and two of them were just other colors.  How do you return something that is gonna be not at all what you ordered?  So they were fat mens sweatpants - which is a hard size to buy at Wallyworld for example - so I just decided to donate them to Goodwill.  I was okay with that idea.  But I always thought the packing person checked the items against the order sheet - clearly they didn't.  And my luck trying to send things back has not gone smooth - so just donating it saves my sanity.  

And I was able to donate blood - with no problems.  

I was able to get a few of the Primitive Needle patterns on Halloween.  Even better - I was able to print them all today - last time it was just one pattern, and I had to put in two new ink cartridges.  This time - I just printed the non color versions, and the color cover photo sheets.  But I'm gonna try to keep going on the Long Dog pattern for a bit more. 

Finish #6 for 2026

 

Finish #6 for 2026.  Finished Lizzie Kate - ABC's of Parenting.  28 count Lambswool, one over one, and used suggested Classic Colorworks other than I thought Queen Bee might not work, so I picked Ye Olde Gold instead.  I have stitched it before, on a different fabric, and didn't remember.  So I bought the pattern again, and picked a different fabric before I decided to look...  It's fine, and finished. 

Here is another photo as I was making progress...  before I got it finished.

Then I picked up Lizzie Kate - ABC's of Christmas.  Filled in the letters with the white before taking the photo.  I did grab something else to start, but I have not put this away yet.

I've been working on sorting out my kitchen cupboard after the measuring cup shattered.  I was also trying to take apart my moms old office chair to toss a section each week.  A friend helped me - cause I could not get the swivel part off.  So he got it off, and then got the rest of the glass cleaned off the shelf. 

Then I got a letter from the county because my mom's house had not been mowed.  It was awful.  So I had to hire somebody.  I asked a guy that I know had connections.  He went to look...  and gave me an estimate.  $2600.  It was not just mowing...  This guy is a crew of four guys...  And it took them four days.... they loaded out 18 loads of trees and bushes.  They basically cleared it down to dirt.  

I went down to talk to the county lady... she asked if it was now mowed.  I said - there is not any grass left...  there really kinda isn't.  It's crazy.  She offered to come look right then... it was 2pm Wednesday.  I think she figured I had to be bluffing...  I wasn't.  But she came out to check, and they still had 5 loads on the driveway to take to the dump - trees and bushes and brush.  So she took me off the list of problem propertys....  and closed my file.  In the end... it cost me $12,500.  Not kidding.  The penalty if the county is not happy after a week - is $750 a day....  Seriously.    And we were not sure where the line was that would make her happy.  He said the it really costs to stop and start.  Once the equipment is there, you do everything you need.  So he did.  And it needed to be cleaned up to sell it...  so get it over with.  So he took it down to dirt.  I told the county lady - it's not gonna have grass for a while.  The budget got blown to pull everything out.  Yard guy guesses it would take $10,000 to put grass back on it.  The yard guy is interested in buying it...  

When you need men to absolutely just save your butt... these were the men that could do that. 

While there, I grabbed the vacuum from moms house... I brought it home, immediately spent an hour trying to fix it, it needed to be cleaned out... new belt.  Then I started it, it worked about two minutes before it sounded awful again...  and started to smell like it was gonna burst into flames...  So that meant it wasa getting tossed.  I have another one just like it - I decided since I have had two other ones, and the other one blew a motor... it was time to just toss it too.  

But the trash is full of the office chair - there is a line to get in my trash now.  I did get another vacuum.  I am still cleaning up the dishes.  And I tossed expired food.  But again, not enough room to toss all the expired food.  I am trying... I have some more things I want to toss from the kitchen...  Even if the plan is to toss things, and I did... then it doesn't all seem to fit back in the cupboard again.  And I want to get rid of some other things from other cupboards, but I don't have room to put it in the trash...  I keep trying... it just feels like I am losing if I can't actually put it in the trash and have it go away.

More Finishes for 2026

This is finish #4 for 2026.  272 Words - Primrose Needleworks. 28 count Lambwool Jobelan, one over one, using the suggested fancy floss, except the green, used dmc since the store was out of the fancy floss version.  This photo is not great, but it does show the floss colors accurately.  And yeah, they are kinda weird.  But it was my choice for the 250 year - celebrate the 4th of July - choice.  

 This was finish #5 for 2026.  Primitive Needle - Follow Me.  Used 28 count Dove Grey jobelan, one over one, dmc 3799. Started it this year, set it to the side to do 272 Words.  I only had that bottom line weird thing, so a photo would have looked like nothing.  Picked it back up after 272 words, and added the rest over a few days.  It was fun, and a lovely stitch. 
 

 Picked back up Lizzie Kate - ABCs of Parenting.  I have grabbed the wrong green, stitched, then unstitched.  Then re-stitch with the correct green.  This is the second time I have stitched this - but this time it is a different fabric.  But it's fine.  There were many things I did between then and now.  

I did manage to print out the pattern I had ordered.  I DID indeed run out of ink halfway through printing it.  I try to keep the next cartridge in the house - so it was not a huge deal, but it ran out of both the black, and the color - so about $50 in new ink cartridges.  

Oh, there were other weird things.  I had glass measuring cups stacked in the cupboard.  A four cup, then a two cup inside that, then a one cup inside that.  I had not used them for months.  But the middle two cup SHATTERED.  Sending glass everywhere inside the cupboard.  I did not hear it.  And actually, most of it stayed in the larger four cup - and the smaller cup held it in the larger 4 cup,  But it still blew the glass everywhere, into other dishes.   So I need to take EVERYTHING out, wash and clean EVERYTHING.  But it was on the middle shelf.  Which I can reach, but can't see without standing on something.  And there is not surface that is cleared, my food shelves were full, so the extra is on the counter - cereal, canned things, so I have a folding table - that I can put things on - but that is a project - not just a - oh, wipe it down - and you are done.  

Then my main tv decided to have a row of pixels go bad.  I had wished for a bigger tv - not a huge tv - then the row of pixels goes bad.  So that was a put it in the car, and go to the dump/recycling place.  Then shop for a new tv.  It was an adventure.

Things were just not really going my way.  Nothing awful.  My friend had a bowel problem, and got a ostomy bag - so compared to that.... and a week or two before that - he had his prostate surgery for  the second time - he did that two years ago too....  So prostate surgery he expected - to poop bag he didn't expect, all in a month.....yeah, I am not complaining about a tv or the fact it's gonna take me a weird long time to clean up glass in a cupboard.  

But I did get a new tv - again, it was an adventure.  I had moved the bedroom tv to living room, and was screwed trying to sleep without a tv.  I slept with the computer and youtube on day two....   Now it appears the computer is going to need a new battery power thing....  it's the - just try to fix one thing, and watch as something else breaks.  I had the antenna cable fall behind the dresser while putting the tv back today.  The dresser is full.  I have one of those old people grab it things - a stick with a pincher at the end....  took me hours - and at some point - the pinchers have suction cups on the ends that pinch.  One of the suction cups came off, and it was then behind there too....  

See, nothing horrible - but a test of my stamina.  I did put packing tape all over the end with the sticky side out - and again - it took a crazy number of tries - I got back to suction cup, and was able to fix the tool.  I can laugh about it - cause, it could be worse.

Just to show how silly.  I had two cds due at the bank.  The dump to recycle the tv had me right next to that bank.  So I stopped.  I even explained - shattered measuring cup - bad tv.... so don't screw this up.  When I went to file the paperwork - I had two renewals for one, and none for the other.   That took the Saturday morning, and a trip to two more backs to fix that.  What she had done - was to change and update ONE cd - THREE TIMES - and the other cd - not at all.  But she clearly understood there were two cds. 

I could not make that happen if I tried.  But the second girl told me that all of the customer help people had only been there three to six months - so they were all new...  So I just brace for the next thing.  And maybe you can understand why standing in a chair to clean up shattered glass just sounds like a bad idea.  I'm just not prepared for what might go slightly sideways when I try to do that.  It maybe won't be awful - maybe I drop and break something else.  I just am not ready to find out yet.  But it could be worse things.  So I am not whining or complaining.  I am smiling and trying to just consider it as silly. 

Still working on 272 Words....

Still on 272 Words - Primrose Needleworks.  Of the 20 pages, I have just four left, all in that upper corner.  Plus a bit more of the border.  

I have been picking up some odd older patterns.  I even ordered the Primitive Needle - ABC Hornbook from the site as a PDF.  But my computer is old - and as soon as I open it, it closes and says there is a problem.  I tried to simply print it - that makes the printer say - it has no paper.  Over and over and over.  Cancel, retry - turn things off and back on again.  Nothing is working - Adobe hates me.  I tried to get the adobe program again - it wants me to scan some QR code - That's not reasonable - so I will consider if there is an alternative.  But at the moment - I can't even see the pattern for more than 3 seconds.  ***  Additional....  I did finally figure out I can open in with Firefox and Chrome?  and it doesn't just declare there is an error.  Haven't tried to print it yet - as I have said, that seemed to be it's own adventure.  But now I have a bit of hope that something will work.  I actually already know that it will get halfway done printing out a copy for me to stitch with, and it will run out of ink.  So I will have half of a pattern.  I don't have air conditioning - so I was literally dripping sweat on the computer and paper, as it is telling me the printer is out of paper.  I have a fan 4 feet from me.  I have been giving the delivery drivers - Fat Boy Ice Cream sandwiches - and today - I was coming home, and I picked up three of the Wendy's $1 frostys.  So the driver today got a small Frosty.  I figure they have their drinks and snacks - but ice cream is harder - and it has been just miserable for weeks.   

My version of something patriotic for the 4th and 250 years

 A new start - 272 Words - Primrose Needleworks.  Using fancy suggested flosses.  Using 28 count lambswool jobelan.  One over one.  Oh, they were out of the fancy green, so I got the suggested dmc instead.  I wanted to do something patriotic for the 250 year thing, but not exactly.  I have liked this since it came out, but my ex was a big Lincoln person, so when it came out, it was too soon.  Now it is years later, I still like the pattern, so I decided stitching the Gettysburg Address works for me.  So far I have 106 words stitched of the 272 in the main text section.  There are fifty stars, and I don't have them all in yet, but I have more than half.  I don't mind words - if I did, this would be awful. 

Finish #3 for 2026 and other progress...

Finish #3 for 2026.  This is Bloomin' Hens by Teresa Kogut.  I used the suggested fancy flosses, on 28 count PTP Vellum, one over one.  I wrote before, that the finish is about the size of a recipe index card.  It has some bees on the pattern, but I was fine without the bees.  

This was what it looked like when I picked it back up again.  I like her designs, but even small designs just seem like there are a million stitches, and you are never gonna finish it.  I have another of her designs started, and it feels the same way.  I have no clue why they feel that way.  They ARE lovely - and actually, I know I have at least two more started.  But this is the first of her patterns that I remember finishing.

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  I did get a bit more added, and a photo before it got tossed back.  

Harriett Salt 1866 - Hands Across the Sea Samplers.  I added just a bit more going up, but the spacing needed to change.  Sometimes I know immediately what to do, sometimes I take longer to commit to change.  There have been a couple of these lately, so I think this was one I changed, but I would not swear to it.  Then it got tossed back.

This is Lizzie Kate - the ABC's of Parenting.  I found another pattern to order, and this popped up on sale.  I have the others in the series, but I am not a parent - so I did not remember if I had finally gotten this or not.  So I added it.  I grabbed it, and started it when it arrived.  It is on 28 count Lambswool lugana, one over one, using suggested Classic Colorworks flosses, and dmc. Except, I felt like the Queen Bee was gonna be too light, so decided to try Ye Olde Gold instead.  It is used around the letters "Q" in Quit, and 'Y" in Enjoy on the right side bottom, and "U" in Unlock.  I'm happy with the result.  When I started stitching it - it felt familiar, so I looked it up on this blog - and I finished it the final day of the year in 1999. 

So here is the my photo of my finishing this way back in 1999.  This is the second time I have bought a pattern I already own this year.  But the fact I certainly had the choice to start the new pattern, or this pattern, and I started this one, one I didn't remember - from 6 year ago - mostly shows I still love the silly patterns in that series.  I did not immediately think - oh, I will toss it.  I felt - it's on different fabric, it will look different.  I added a photo of both versions of the suggested flosses on a post from back then.

I had to look at what I had used to stitch that version - here is a photo with both the Weeks suggested, and the Classic Colorworks suggested.  The Weeks version of the letters are a much more gray version, and the Classic Colorworks is a more midnight blue - and I did pick to use the Classic Colorworks floss both times.  The pattern doesn't show the Weeks version - for a while, there was just a slip of paper in the pattern.  And early on, the patterns came with the floss - so mine came with the alternate Weeks version.  At the time - I bought the original pattern flosses too - hence the photo.  But I think it is information worth showing, so I am including the photo.  I obviously like the pattern, I have stitched things twice - even a Long Dog.... on purpose.  Had I known I was stitching it again, I might have used the Weeks flossess - but I am happy with the version I am stitching now.  Again, my camera does not show colors accurately - but it gives you kind of an idea.  And it's not showing the 3 dmc flosses - red, green, and brown - like around the house.  Dyelots change - I have no clue what the flosses look like now.  Even mine - I try to pull from my stash.  I just bought a second pattern that was on sale, to travel with the first one.  I was honestly just too lazy to look - it was like $6.-$7.  I thought maybe I had it started, and not finished - so I was glad to learn I had finished it.  And this is also why I blog - to find it on my blog when I clearly am clueless.  I used to remember all this...  before cancer.  After cancer, and chemo, and all that for breast cancer.  I just don't remember certain things.  I don't know if it is because of the chemo - or if I decided it didn't really matter - and I was only gonna buy new things as they were released.  Or a bit of both.  

I have patterns kitted up - and I recently grabbed one of those - it had fabric cut to size, and floss - and a pattern on huge sheets of paper.  I had no clue what or where that came from.  I don't have a printer that could have printed that.  It ended up that it was missing the edge and two corners - so I HAD to figure out what it was - so I could try to find it, and order it.  But I had no clue.  It's clearly MY style - it would have been something I wanted to stitch.  But I have no clue where it came from.  I DID figure it out.  It is a Scarlet Letter pattern called Sarah Selfe 1784,  and it was a whole $8 plus $5 mailing it to me.  This is another one where I need to shift the rows slightly.  But I got it - and I can pick it back up again since I have it started.  Just no photos.  It's just a row of border with a few lines of text.  Not much to see.  But I really have no clue where it came from.  But I clearly measured the fabric - cause I double checked the math before adding the first stitch. 

Finish #2 for 2026

Finish #2 for 2026.  Swedish Horses from Modern Folk Embroidery.  Used 6 skeins of dmc 3799, one over one, on 28 count Colour and Cotton lugana in the color Haunted.  A start and a finish this year.  

Sampler Game Board was added to - from way back in 2018.  I had 2 houses finished before, and I finished 4 more houses this time, and 2 more are almost finished.  There are 32 houses total.  But just a couple days had me wanting to pull something else.

This is Alphabet Song from Courtney Collection.  I added just one word....   Why.... which does not show in this photo since this was a picking it back up photo, not an after photo.  It was last worked on in 2019.  I was actually looking for a different Courtney on this fabric, so after one word, it got tossed back.

Long Dog Samplers - Life After Death.  This was something that was also a random grab, and with another pattern in the same bag.  I started Death By CrossStitch - Long Dog Samplers - but I could not tell you if I ever finished it or not.  I knew I certainly would have bought Life after Death, and it was last worked on in Dec 22, 2022 according to random notes that could be wrong.  So I picked this back up, and I have worked on it for a day so far.  I'm enjoying adding to it.  Below shows my progress.

The last two photos certainly show how far off the colors are on my camera.  Neither is correct.  It's a bit more golden than the bottom photo.  But not as golden as the top photo.  I am using Anchor black.