A Little Bit Aimless, a Little Bit Amish, Not a Speck of Rock n Roll

Good evening, friends! I thought I would have my little Almost Amish quilt to show you today, but it just wasn't happening.

 I just couldn't see to sew the black fabric with the black thread in the machine, with dark footplate[ clear with the black bobbin, on such a dark day. This despite the wonderful new LED bulbs my son installed for me over my sewing desk a few months ago. And when you can't see your stitches, you can't sew straight so nothing was fitting together. And when I realized I was about ready to cry in frustration, I shut everything off and walked away. Quilting is fun, right? Yeah, right.

Why was it so dark? you ask.  We've had two fairly ''big '' storms, yesterday into this morning and also last week. [view from my kitchen]

This was last week's storm. It even had a name!



Very unmentioned on the Weather Channel or online WeatherBug, but huge waves crashing on the upper dunes, the entire beach under water!

My son said, Good, when it goes away, we'll find treasure! I do admire an optimist!

The current overnight storm was a somewhat unformed nor'easter. Very dark and very heavy rain, I think we got about 4". Winds were at times as much as 60 mph with a recorded gust of  83 mph! Yes, eighty-three. That's pretty windy, but it was never from the south, so not too bad or scary. [I'm always afraid my big windows will blow in some night, with a gale ff the water.] It also was unpublicized, and I just expected a rainy day. It is so stupid, we hear endless about hurricanes in the Caribbean or Gulf, for weeks on end, yet when a storm is actually here? Nada. So there I was 1 AM bungeeing the umbrella and chairs and taking down shells strings etc. Not my fave, in the dark, in the rain, in the wind
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Before the storm came, Mo and I enjoyed some deck days. I finished my Country Year September block.

 The embellishments are just set on, may not attach since they all have to come off for quilting.

The momma bird is sad. I was going to add the words Empty Nest but it's busy already, and not sure the extra info is needed. I am famous for hating when Summer ends and  the kids go back to school.

I like the acorns! Don't look too closely at the botanically ridiculous stems that attach nowhere. Maybe they blew loose in the storm and are swirling down?

Here it is with its companion block August and one of the sashing strips, the blue.

The blue is part of a group of South African indigo prints sent to me by Penny who also gave me the Year patterns. I wanted to use a smidge to remind of her generosity and friendship. But it's hard to cut into because the reverse has the manufacturer's logo of Three Cats printed on it. Adorable, which side to use???

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In other news, ''they''--the town, the county, the mayor's brother in law?--decided to repave our main road suddenly, seven years after H Sandy---and  a remarkably not-potholed stretch of road too. The local Patch/ online newspaper says "take alternate routes". The bad news is, that is the ONLY freakin' road unless I drive home on the beach. I feel very claustrophobic, the traffic jams snake back for miles to the larger town, and even the few side roads there are massively clogged. It took me an hour last week to drive home from the supermarket, a ten minute drive. So we haven't been to the pumpkin patch, very sad, or anywhere else not essential.

On Tuesday my friend said , Let's just go ahead and do everything in one day. Exhausting! Old Navy had nice tee-shirts, long sleeve for layering, for 5.oo.

And we went to the fancy organic supermarket. Um. I love healthy organic food but 15.99 for a  box of six meatballs is ridiculous. The flowers were all very $$ too, most bunches were 25.99!, but fun and different, just to admire.
Autumn hyacinths, so rare! In fall colors too.

!2.99 for three stems, so you'd need to buy at least two bunches. Out of my budget range.

Fabulous tropicals. I have never before seen these to buy even.

lovely shades of Fall, two palettes.

Nosegays. And I like the fancy Paris flower market  tin buckets. Note the beautiful distressed, greyish stained real hardwood floor too, $$$$$$. Eye candy.

I think the 17.99 price in the top left corner was for three lilies.

 And these ''roses'' were so cool. They are ornamental cabbages! Trimmed into rosettes and somehow grown with very long stems. Amazing, I loved them. 25.99 for three flowers.

And beautiful calla lilies, in a color I have never seen before.

A plus for unique gorgeous blooms, but a big red F for affordability.
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Speaking of food, my latest Mexican rice casserole was a fail [fourth recipe tried?]. Dry, tasteless, too much rice not enough meat/ veg.

The pumpkin seeds/ pepitos were nice though. If anyone has a fave Mexican recipe that is not TOO spicy, please share?

Hope your weekend is good. If you don't hear from me, I'm stuck in traffic behind the asphalt laying trucks.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....

"was that a raindrop, mommy? On my head?"

Abalone skies most nights. I love the deep blue that lingers high in the sky til full darkness at around 7, 715.

 Amber dunes soon?

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