Journal: The Jaw Or the Tooth, That Is the Question

 

Last Tuesday, I began putting together blocks for Keira’s ‘Puppies & Kittens in the Flowers’ quilt.  But first, I had to remove some stitching from the panel with kittens and puppies printed on it.  I found it with Janice’s fabrics.  She’d hemmed the edges of the piece, and left the selvage at the sides.  She used to do that to make a ‘fake sham’ – a long piece that was for laying over the top of pillows on a bed, to look like a sham.

After removing the stitching, I cut it apart – the kitten block, the puppy block, and the two little border pieces.  Next, I made a couple of 17” blocks to go with them, and a little folded fabric flower.

The pale green fabric in the alternate blocks was from Keira herself a couple of years ago – a little ribbon-tied fat quarter she picked out for my birthday, because it has kitties and foxes and owls and squirrels on it.  💞

And now, Kamala Harris offers her definition of culture:  “Culture is — {dramatic pause} — it is a reflection of our moment and our time.  Right?  And present culture is the way we express how we’re feeling about the moment, and we should always find time to express how we feel about the moment.  That is a reflection of joy.  Because you know... it comes in the morning.  We have to find ways to also express the way we feel about the moment in terms of just having language and a connection to how people are experiencing life.  And I think about it in that way, too.”

I wonder how horrified she would be to know that she allllmost quoted a phrase from the Bible? – “joy cometh in the morning.”  Unlike the vice president, however, the Psalmist made sense.  The entire chapter, Psalms 30, is comprehensible and uplifting and full of praise to God.

As for that ‘definition’ of ‘culture’...  well, George and Charles Merriam, founders of Merriam-Webster, Incorporated, are simultaneously rolling over in their respective graves.

The following excerpt has been drawn from a multitude of Vice President Harris’ speeches on any number of topics, and it’s nearly identical every time:  “We want to see the moment in time in which we exist and are present, and to be able to contextualize it, to understand where we exist in the history and the moment as it relates not only to the past but the future.”

I wonder how long it takes her to memorize all that codswallop and claptrap?

After church Wednesday evening, we went to pick up a small order of groceries at Wal-Mart – jams, peanut butter, honey... and I forgot to order Cherry Jam!  Rats.  Cherry is my favorite.

Thursday, one of the spray planes that have been flying over for the last couple of weeks sprayed the cornfield up the hill to our north.  It got so low over the trees, the birds all squawked in unison and flew for their lives.

That evening for supper, I made a big salad out of garden produce Victoria gave us from her garden:  black cherry tomatoes, romaine tomatoes, sweet green bell peppers, and a cucumber.  Larry brought home a head of lettuce and a bottle of Lite Ranch Dressing to add to it.  Perfect for a hot summer evening.

Late that night, I finished the central section of Keira’s ‘Puppies & Kittens in the Flowers’ quilt.  The quilt now measured 40” x 44”, and needed to be at the very least 65” x 70” when done.

Here’s one of the little folded 3D flowers with the petals flipped right side out.  I’ll fold them shut when I quilt it, then turn them all right side out and sew little pearls at the tips of each petal, and a larger pearl in each center.

Friday, I remembered, I remembered!  I remembered to enter (online) my things into the Nebraska State Fair – I even got it done four days before the deadline.  Now... will I remember what all I entered?  Will I remember which items go to which building?  Pillows and fabric books and small matching quilts to the Textiles building... bigger quilts to the big Expo building.  And mostly, will I remember to deliver them to the fairgrounds in Grand Island on Thursday, August 17^th?!  That’s only eleven more days. 

Here’s what I’m entering:

Quilts: 

Kurt and Victoria’s ‘Birds of Colorwash Patch’, Eva’s ‘Little Darlings’ quilt, and ‘Brooklyn’s Little Sweethearts’ quilt.  (There’s a limit of three quilts per person.)

Textiles:

Willie’s ‘Split-Blade Pinwheel’ quilt and pillow, Oliver’s ‘Little Ones’ quilt and fabric book, and Brooklyn’s ‘Little Sweethearts’ pillow.

That breaks up Brooklyn’s ‘Little Sweethearts’ quilt and pillow set, but that’s all right.  They can stand on their own.  The other sets are better together.

Saturday morning, Caleb sent me a picture of Eva – with a little shirt that says, “Big Sister” on the front!!! 

I replied, “!! You a-tryin’ to tell me sumpthin’??”  😂

Yep, we now have two grandbabies on the way.

Funny, I no sooner discovered some baby-print fabric in my own stash and also in those old bins of my sister-in-law’s and wondered what in the world I’d do with it, than we learned these new babies are on the way.

Since a good part of the week I’d been having a whole lot of jaw pain, swollen glands, headache, earaches, and other ailments, I decided I’d better stay home Saturday, rather than visiting Loren.  The worst symptom is the severe jaw ache.  I can’t tell for sure that it’s a tooth; I’m more inclined to think it’s in the jaw itself.  Maybe I clench it when I sleep... or maybe it’s inflamed (I have arthritis in the jaw hinges) (is that what they’re called? – hinges?)... or maybe a virus has settled in it.  Some of my symptoms match some of those that come with the recent strains of Covid; but then doesn’t every symptom always match up with Covid?  🙄

Whatever it is, I don’t want to spread it to anyone at the nursing home.  

Friday and Saturday, I put together borders for Keira’s Puppies & Kittens in the Flowers.  As usual, it complicated itself when I wasn’t looking.  But I successfully used up the rest of that fat quarter Keira gave me, and that was one of my goals.  The quilt needs one more narrow, dusty-green border, and then it will be ready to quilt.  It measures 65” x 73”.  With the final 1½” border, it will be 68” x 76”, perfect for her little bed.

It was just as well I didn’t go to Omaha, as there were storms scattered here and there about the area, and we were in a tornado watch until nighttime.

Here are some pictures Hannah took of the storm, and their Australian shepherds, Chimera and Willow.  Willow is the smaller dog with black fur.

I told Hannah, “You captured Chimera’s entire personality here!  Or at least his whole tongue.”

I decided to stay home from church today, as I’m still running a low-grade fever, and fear I might be contagious.  But I do believe I am starting to get better.

It occurred to me that I had not received an electric juicer that I ordered on Amazon over a week ago.  I looked up the order – and discovered that it was supposedly delivered last Sunday!  (We practically never get any deliveries on Sunday.)

“Delivered on or near the front porch,” said the delivery details.

I gave one quick look around the porch and initiated a chat with an Amazon representative.

A replacement juicer is now on the way. 

Problem:  the reason this missing order occurred to me is because I was suddenly thirsty for lemon-limeade, and there are bags of both citrus fruits in the refrigerator.  waa waa waa

Ah, well.  I’ll ask Larry to cut the pineapple that’s in the refrigerator.  Mmmmm... I love fresh pineapple.

There are pork ribs in the Instant Pot, along with baby carrots.  They should be done about the time Larry gets home.  Because I put four racks of ribs into the pot and enough carrots for tomorrow, too, filling the pot quite full, I added five minutes to the usual 35 minutes of cook time.

 

* * * * *

 

And now supper is over, and I can give a proper cuisine report:

I let the pot depressurize on its own without venting it.  That keeps everything cooking for a little while after the cycle ends.

The pork was falling from the ribs when I got them out of the pot.  The carrots were tender and tasty from cooking with the meat.  Mmmmm, I could’ve eaten tomorrow’s portion, too, just as soon as I finished tonight’s!

The fresh pineapple was sooo juicy and good.  That’s one of my favorite fruits.  We had cherry juice to drink.

And then, even though we were full, we had blueberry streusel muffins for dessert.

It’s almost bedtime.  I think I will now waddle over to my recliner.  My jaw isn’t hurting much, even after eating.  I’m about to decide it’s only a jaw ache caused by a virus, and not a toothache at all – and I’m very thankful about that.

Tomorrow, after adding the final border, I will put together the backing and some batting for Keira’s quilt, and load it on my frame.  I’m going to have a hard time refraining from quilting this one to death!  All that empty white canvas, just crying out for feathers and rulerwork...  😏😊

,,,>^..^<,,,          Sarah Lynn          ,,,>^..^<,,,