Dan's Ramblings

Dan here ~

Out by the fire. One thing is for sure, I’m not sitting too close. The fire is certainly not needed for heat. Boy hasn’t it been hot, coupled with the humidity breathing can be a struggle. Thank goodness for the heat pump and the AC. It would be unbearable for this old curmudgeon without it. 

I spent much of the day yesterday cleaning up brush around the area. Most of the time I was in under the trees so it wasn’t too bad. Today I opted to do errands because the forecast last night was that today was to be a rainy day. It was far from it. Carol commented, asking me if I could imagine doing construction in this heat. Thank goodness, I don’t remember working many days like these last few, when I worked for a living up in Rangeley.

That said, I did a plumbing job for a neighbor up the pond. I replaced his toilet for him, not a real big deal but doing that type of activity I consider work. The cutting and stacking of all the wood I have been accumulating is just something to do, not considered work. I guess it’s all in the state of the mind.

The wind has come up so my “by the fire” time may be limited. Oh well, it is a lot cooler in the studio anyway.

Speaking of the studio, I finished #16 for 2024. It the same concept as the last few. Two inch strips and squares. I added a double four patch, black and white polka dot framed border to surround the top. This was done after strategically placing several pinwheels in a pattern within the top. This helped to aid me as I try to make each of these quilts unique and at least slightly different than those before it. 

2024-16

The polka dot framed border gave me an idea and #17 for 2024 is well underway and is being created completely with polka dot fabric. I scrounged our stash and pulled all the larger polka dot fabrics from bolts, half yards and pieces. I came up with quite a few pairs.

Well, my math was off and I had no real idea what my layout would be so let’s just say that the next quilt may need to be polka dots as well. When I did the math to see how many total four patches I needed I divided by 2 and not 4. Made a difference of 648 units, no small number. I paired the different fabrics and took off. Several of the pairs were used up fairly quickly making only about 75 units before being depleted. Once I had accumulated a pile I proceeded to lay out one quarter of the top. I then counted how many of each species of four patch were used and multiplied by 4 to figure how many of each would be needed for the whole top. I had to change the original layout because I didn’t have enough of a particular four patch. The only trouble is, that now I have a layout I realize that one type got used a lot and I need over 200 more of that one and a lot of the others will be left over for number 18. I just hope that there is enough of that print to accomplish it. You guessed it, time will tell.

I went picking blueberries the other day and picked a whole bunch. 

Sent about half up to Rangeley with Parker when he went home. I made a blueberry cobbler out of some. 

 

It was good. I will have to eat some of them so I can go pick some more. 

We have picked several cucumbers and there will be tomatoes soon. 

We had our first farmstead fresh beans tonight for supper. They were some kind of good. I see many more meals of them in the coming weeks.

The wind has calmed down and it has cooled a little bit. I may add a little more wood and continue my sit for a spell. I like to sit out here at dusk and count the bats coming out of a crack in the neighbor’s house. The crack is formed where the edge of the add-on has dropped and pulled away from the main house. As dusk approaches I switch chairs so I can see the neighbor’s house and count the bats as they swoop out. My highest this year, I believe, was 49. I counted almost 80 one night last year. I guess I’ll sit out here a while longer. I might as well count bats before I go in and make more four patches.

You enjoy your weekend. Stay safe and try to stay cool.