How to tell if your Mom loves you

I’m only a mom to some four-legged fur kids.  I really don’t think I would have been an adequate mom to the two-legged variety.  As you know from my whining, we’ve been steeped in the January frozen fog for some time now.  On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, we had spectacular weather.  Bright sunshine but still very cold.  I went to a quilt show at the Oregon Gardens with a friend on Friday, went for a long walk with the dog on Saturday, and on Sunday, I drove back up the freeway to a little shop in Jefferson (The Purple Frog) because they had a fabric I strongly suspected was a match for an unfinished quilt and I needed to take a swatch with me.  I’m happy to report the trip was a success and I will now be able to finish a rather ugly lonestar quilt I started probably back in 2007.

But anyway, back to the fur kid.  The rain began on Monday.  Not much at first, but yesterday (Tuesday) we had some good steady drizzle going.  I decided I’d take my eye-rolling, heavily-sighing dog to the park for a game of fetch.  Of course,  once we got there, it began to pour in earnest.  Lucky for Ozzie, his mom knows how to play in the rain.

 

We have more rain today, with quite a brisk wind, but we’ll probably go back again before it gets dark.  Oregon had the driest year in recorded weather history last year, and we’re happy to do our part to end the drought by dancing in the rain at the dog park.

Another thing that happens when you go to a quilt show

Sometimes when you go to a quilt show, you have a quilt hanging there that you quilted, and someone wants a photo of you by the quilt.  No problem, right?  Well, of course, you’re proud that you quilted a nice quilt, and you’re proud to see it hanging in the show, but you process the picture and then your realize that, even though the scale has been holding steady for a long time, you look terrible!  As I was losing weight after my surgery, I thought I looked terrific.  In this picture, not so much.

I know, it’s not that bad, but I feel like a blob.  So, what did I do?  I didn’t spend all that much money at the quilt show, so I ordered a few things when I got home that will arrive tomorrow.  One is a Fitbit Flex:

and the other is a new pair of running/walking shoes

Pretty snazzy, eh?  Anyway, I used the shoe dog at Road Runner Sports to find the right pair of shoes for my particularly weird feet.  I have really high arches and I over-pronate.  Plus, I’m heavy and I need good cushioning.  I long for the day when I can answer the question that asks about whether you’re a light weight or a heavy weight with the ‘light’ answer.  I really like Asics shoes.  Not only for their motto (Amina sana in corpore sano – a healthy mind in a healthy body) but for the fact that their shoes are really comfortable.  I’ve gotten a bit comfortable with the weight I’ve been at for the last few years.  It’s fairly easy for me to stay at this weight with my current diet and volume of food, but I think upping my activity and limiting some calories will not be too hard, and I’ll feel better when I’m a little lighter.

The Fitbit works to help monitor not only activity and calories burned, but the app you install on your smartphone can help you enter what you eat and it’s supposed to help you figure out how to sleep better.  I really need help with the sleep part – I don’t sleep.  I go to bed usually around midnight or one and I’m awake again at five or six.  Sometimes I take a nap in the afternoon, but not very often.  I’m often tired and groggy, but I can’t sleep when I need to.  A lot of it is being unable to shut my mind off.  I’ll work on that.  The Fitbit also integrates well with the Endomondo Sports Tracker that I currently use on my phone to track mileage and speed when Ozzie and I are out burning up the track or the pavement.  You can wear the Fitbit all the time, even in the shower, so it’s not something I’ll need to worry about taking on and off all the time.

In short, I’m getting older, I’ve got some medical conditions that cause pain, and I don’t want to end up being a complete geezer before my time.  So, it’s time to incorporate another favorite motto of mine:  Success supposes endeavor (Jane Austen).  I’m on it!

Quilts, quilts, and more quilts!

Today will be a very busy day indeed.  I’m cleaning, doing laundry, packing, getting ready for the house and cat sitter, and getting ready to drop the dog off at his cousin’s house.  Tomorrow, I head for Portland and MQX:

This has been an annual ritual for me, going to see wonderful friends either in Portland or on the east coast (Manchester, NH or Providence, RI).  The quilts at this show are stunning – some of the very best in the industry, so if you’re in Portland, OR this week, be sure to stop by and take a look.  I will have a quilt hanging in the show and, while it is very pretty, it pales in comparison to most of what you will see there.  I didn’t do a lot of over-the-top quilting on it, but it was for my friend Beth, who pieced the top, and I really enjoyed quilting the very pretty quilt.  I entered it at the request of the show owner, and it will be nice to see it hanging with the big girls’ quilts.

It’s always nice to go and meet on-line friends I’ve never seen in person.  This year I’ll stay with two friends I met previously.  I’m sure a good time will be had by all!