I'm a Lumberjack and I'm Okay

If you're a Monty Python fan, you might recognize that title. And if you're not, I'll explain in a minute. First...see that big tree there just off to the right a little?

Tractor Man, aka the Lumberjack, is down there with his chainsaw. The tree came down yesterday. I hate cutting down a big tree like that, but I'm sympathetic to Mike's concerns too. We paid a pretty penny to have full body paint on our new RV. Usually they come painted white with decals for some design. The problem is those decals deteriorate from sun exposure and they look awful within just a few years. When we bought the new fifth wheel, Mike had his heart set on full body paint...no decals.

The tree is growing so close to the RV pad, that it scrapes at the paint when we have it there. But that's not all: it's also a haven for carpenter ants. They drop onto the roof of the RV from the tree. Don't even get me started telling you about a visit to Crater Lake NP one year when we discovered our bed was infested with carpenter ants. Ew. It gives me the heebie jeebies remembering it. So, okay...the tree comes down, with just a little bit of regret.

While he was outside running his chainsaw, the kitties and I were hunkered down in the house working on our latest embroidery. There was just a little bit left to do on the base, and so I finished that.

And then there was just a little bit to do on the right side, and so I finished that too.

It was getting time to hit the shower and get dressed, but I was worried about getting in the shower with Mike outside felling a big tree. I was getting ready to go outside and check with him, when he appeared at the door wanting me to hold his iPhone and video the last seconds of the tree's life. So...okay...I was game.

He'd cut a notch on the far side and driven some wedges into the near side, hoping to put it down out in the empty field. (He's done this before, and so he's pretty good at it.)

While I was waiting I took a couple of pictures of our big mushrooms. They aren't as much fun as the ones we saw at Cape Disappointment, but work with me here.

It was about another two minutes of cutting, and then the tree came down with a big CRACK!

Counting the growth rings, we determined that the tree was about 30 years old...younger than we thought. I felt a little better knowing it wasn't a very old tree. To be clear, that isn't a #MAGA hat he's wearing. Also, he put that tree down right where he wanted it.

As for that blog title, you can see the Monty Python version in this video here. But be aware that it gets a little bit naughty. If you have tender sensibilities, you might want to scroll on by. And if you can't see the video, then click right here.

As for yesterday's sewing, I spent the afternoon working on the 6th row of the Shop Hop quilt. The first block was from one of my favorite Oregon shops, The Stitchin' Post in Sisters, Oregon. This is the shop owned by Jean and Valori Wells, and the home of the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show. This is the blog post I wrote about my visit there, although I visit every time we drive through Sisters...frequently. The link takes you to a post from 2012, which was well before I started collecting specifically regional prints. This one is just a fabric I liked. It's a pretty batik, and so it's apropos of nothing in particular beyond my fondness for the colors and design.

This next one is another early acquisition. It's from a shop we visited as we were leaving Glacier National Park back in 2012. (It might have even been from the same trip.) You can read my blog post about it right here. It was a beautiful shop, kind of out in the middle of nowhere. And, again, I picked this fabric only because I liked it, but it does kind of have that woodsy feel. It appears this shop is still open, fortunately, and you can find their website right here.

This next one was from the last shop we visited while on our trip around the perimeter of the USA. We were in southern California, and we'd been visiting Temecula wineries with friends we knew from high school. This wine print seemed like the perfect thing.

Quilters Cottage was a great little shop in Fallbrook. You can read my blog post about it right here. With this being such a recently visited shop, I feel fairly certain they're still in business. You can find their website right here. I note that the name on their website has an apostrophe in "Quilters." When I looked at the receipt from the fabric...no apostrophe. I'm going with that.

This next one was from a wonderful day I spent with my friend Robin in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. We visited four quilt shops that day...all winners...and I wrote a single blog post about our day. You can read it right here. Weavers is kind of an institution in the area, and you can find their website right here. With Lancaster County being the home of so many of the Amish faith, this Beatitudes-inspired fabric seemed like a good choice.

This next fabric was an easy pick. We'd been seeing warning signs about alligators all along the way from North Carolina, down into Florida, and beyond. When we reached this shop in Orlando, only a fabric sporting an alligator would do. I found it in this aboriginal print.

Wandering Stitches was another winner of a shop...huge...with lots of fabrics. It was hard not to buy out the store. You can read my blog post about it right here. Their website is right here.

This next shop was in Decatur, Georgia. We'd come to the area specifically to see the whale sharks at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, and so this fish fabric was the obvious choice.

Intown Quilters was one of the friendlier shops I visited, although they were all friendly. These folks seemed so delighted to have me visit that it was especially enjoyable. You can read my blog post right here. Their website is right here.

Oh yes, and if you missed our visit to the aquarium, you can see my video of the whale sharks right here. If you can't see the video, click right here.

This next shop was one that several of you urged me to visit, and I was so very glad I did. What a wonderful shop. If you ever find yourself near Summerville, you simply must find a way to get there. Also, I'd been on the hunt for some palmetto fabric for South Carolina, the Palmetto State. Although I'd visited other quilt shops in South Carolina, this was the first shop to have palmetto fabric. Go figure. You can read my blog post about it right here. And this was another shop where I ended up spending a lot of money. They had so much I loved. You can find their website right here.

Finally, this one. We were visiting the Texas Quilt Museum in LaGrange. Little did I know there would be a quilt shop right next door. The museum visit was enjoyable, but I really loved the quilt shop. It was also a yarn shop, and so they had something for everybody. You can read my blog post about it right here. Their website is right here. And this was pretty much our first stop in Texas, so what else could I choose but this fabric.

Those are all the blocks for the 6th row of the quilt. They're all finished except for the last two. Today I'll finish putting the flange on those and then sew the blocks into a row to be added to the quilt. It doesn't seem like a lot of sewing, but it will probably take a couple of hours.

First, though, I'll get back to work on the Snow Globes block. I'm to the globe now, and so it's about half finished.

Did you remember to fall back this morning? I love it when I get up at the same time and get an extra hour in my day.

I know some folks are really bothered by changes of time, but I don't mind. It's easier in the fall than it is in the spring. And I don't know about you, but I find that the older I get, the less outrage I can muster about things not related to my sewing machine.

As for my sewing machine, I got a call it was ready to pick up yesterday. When I asked if she'd fixed anything, she told me she'd seen the error, but then just reset everything and now it was sewing fine. And this kind of made my blood boil all over again. The Resident Engineer called her back and discussed electronic things with her...which she had no understanding of at all...and in the end, she agreed to "open a ticket with Bernina." Thank you. That's all we wanted. Fix it...don't just reset it. Fix it! They did make us a good deal on a new machine, but I don't really want to get a new machine. I like my machine. I just want it to work right. So...long story short...the machine is still in for repairs. I can be patient.