1. To avoid doing something on my Really, Definitely, Certainly, Absolutely Must Do list, I sewed two kitchen towels.

2. Nothing difficult. The material simply needed hemming, some only on three sides. The towels were made out of medium heavy cotton sacks that I found among Mama's stash of things to sew into something else.

3. I not only inherited the sacks but also the conclusion they will become kitchen towels one day. That was over three years ago.

4. Not all the sacks will be kitchen towels. Some of the material may find its way into clothing, a wall hanging, a painting, and/or a something that has yet to come to mind.

5. Molly the Cat just reminded me that I didn't transfer two house plants into bigger pots. Also, that I wanted to pick apples off the tree.

6. This morning I woke up thinking that I would work in the garden before breakfast. Then I got distracted thinking about scones for breakfast.


7. A half-a-cup of organic heavy cream, more or less, was about to go …

As the Husband and I were starting to unwind into our evening relax mode, I thought about the grumpy ladies guarding the fair's quilt and sewing division's submissions when I went to pick up my entries an hour or so earlier.

"Oh no!" Down thumped my feet from the hassock. "I forgot my elephant!"

Off the Husband and I scampered back into must-get-things-done mode. The fairgrounds is only seven miles away so it was not a big deal to go back, especially since the first time out I caught a ride with a friend who was also fetching her entries.

Back at the fairgrounds,  I wondered if the grumpy ladies wouldn't give me my elephant because I didn't have my claim check.


All six or seven women, middle-aged and older, sitting in chairs and around a table, looked at me. All long-time sewers and quilters, no doubt. Gulp. "I'm picking up my textile," I said, knowing right away that's the wrong term. Amateur, I am. "A wall hanging of an el…

Today's memes to check out: ABC Wednesday and Thirteen Thursday.

Good cheer, One and All!

I baked a lemon bundt cake this morning for my county fair entry, which I hope shall reach a mellow, not so loud, lemon tart flavor when the judges taste it this Wednesday afternoon. This cake has several firsts for me. It's the first time I've entered a cake in the fair, I tried a new recipe, and I experimented with the recipe twice (I wrote about the first attempt last month). I added a lot more lemon zest and a heaping measurement of sour cream to the recipe for more lemon flavor and less dryness. And, yes, I used a bundt pan this time.

Thank goodness that the Husband hung out in the kitchen while I was working on the cake.  He looked up things on Google: How many tablespoons equal 1/4 cup? How do I make lemon syrup? When do I douse the cake with lemon syrup? Which end of the bundt cake do I display (the Husband had it right—the bundt ridges must show)? and  How do I store the cake if I'm not serving it right away?

Sorry, no photo. The cake is nothing truly exciting …

i, ii, iii, iv
Evolution of Love.  That's what has been happening with the mystery craft project I'm working on for the county fair. I have to use at least four items from this list: bandana, feather,  pillar candle holder, magnet, cake pan, sea shells, wooden spoon, domino, yarn, rocks, paper party hat, and plastic liter bottle.

So far, I have rocks, dominoes, and a cake pan in the mix. Yarn, sea shells, and/or a party hat are in consideration.

Can you tell what the dominoes spell?

v, vi
Iago the Iguana is one of my ABC Creatures that I created for Round 22 of ABC Wednesday. The imaginary iguana was named for my dad, Santiago, who was sometimes called Ago (pronounced like Iago).

This handsome dude, Iago, is in love with an egret named Edwina. Imagine that. If you want to read his story, click this link: Iago the Iguana and the Invitation.

vii
"And, love is all that I can give to you," sang Nat King Cole.

viii, ix
I drew this illustration for another ABC Wednesday p…

1.  Sweet Pea Song, my iMac, is 10 years old, more or less. Unfortunately for Sweet Pea Song and me there are few, if any, updates available for her system, as well as for the applications I use.

2.  She fooled her developers with their planned obsolescence. She continues to be a song of a sweet pea.

3.  Lately I've been tippy tapping on typewriters at garage sales and thrift shops. Will I buy one?

4.  Smith-Corona Coronet. That's the kind of portable blue electric typewriter on which I tippy-tapped during my 20s when I was into writing short stories. It gave out a comforting buzz that complimented the tip tip tip tap tap tip tip tap tap of the keys.


5.  I miss inserting paper into a typewriter, rolling up the paper, pushing the carriage back, hitting the space bar three times, and pressing the keys. Voila. Magic words on paper.

6.  Older Brother gave me the used typewriter in exchange for babysitting two-month-old Eldest Niece so her mom could go back to work. I knew nothing…