I Just Need A Reprieve

Ever notice that if you have a deadline everyone has something you suddenly "Have-To-Do", something goes wrong, or things just get out of control?

The garden wasn't too bad, but the last couple of weeks with mild warm days and rain overnight has become overran with weeds.  The lawn is now green and needs to be mowed every couple of days, and the veggies have been actually rotting on the vine I just cannot keep up.  This is my out of control. 

Saturday I shared about helping mow the field, and I pulled some weeds.  Sunday DH and I attacked this half of the garden pulling all the weeds.

Just that small section produced a wagon load full of weeds.  My wagon hooks onto the lawn tractor, thank goodness and it is about 3 feet wide by 5 feet long and has sides which are about 3 feet high.  The wagon was heaped about 2 foot higher than the sides.  It only took DH and I about 1 hour to pull all the weeds in this portion of the garden.

 I have been picking up the hickory nuts, and noticed that the widow next door has a lane of them going toward the back of her property.  I think I will be going on a foraging excursion every couple of days so that I can beat the squirrels.

The giant pumpkin needed to be picked before the voles and squirrels discovered it and tucked in. 

I had a bunch of zucchini which were hiding in the tall weeds, and even the chickens are sick of tomatoes. 

My Have to Dos are checking on the Ancient ones a couple of times a day.  Making sure they are eating, running to the grocery store for them, sitting in on the physical therapist and visiting nurse and taking them to appointments.  Today was a dentist appointment. Tomorrow is a doctors appointment. 

The something that just goes wrong?  Well there were two things actually.  Both were mechanical, and both I was basically told it is operator error.  Now I don't know about you but telling me it is operator error at times makes me feel like I am an imbecile. 

Mechanical problem one.  Remember this fancy lawnmower?  The one that has went back to the dealer several times?

Tuesday while I was mowing, going around trees, telephone poles, guide wires, it would start to "buck" which is the best description that I could give to DH.  After 2 hours of fighting it I put it away, and the next day my back, neck and shoulders were killing me.  When I tried to show DH he told me it was operator error.  I just said OK, and walked away.  (Hey it is illegal to run over them with the mower right?)  That would be assault.  I have mowed for a couple of years with that mower and never had a problem before.  All of a sudden I can't work it right?  Come on.

Saturday DH got to experience the bucking action.  And hit a tree.   And tore up the lawn at the widow's house next door. And almost turned it over into the ditch line.  Yep DH was down at the dealer this morning to get a new hydrostat so that he can replace it when he gets back from work.

Mechanical problem 2.  My fancy, expensive (to me) sewing machine was dropping stitches, breaking threads, bird nesting.  You name it, it was doing it.  I had managed to sew about 2 passes on my quilt for the quilt show when it started doing it.   DH cleaned it out for me, I switched needles, did practice FMQ quilting.  I pulled out the manual, read different things online, watched videos.  Basically they were all pointing to operator error. I actually had DH get another older machine ready for me, he removed the feed dogs and was going to help me move it into the dining room to butt against the dining room table to create a huge surface to quilt on. 

Today I quilted on it for a couple of hours and only had the thread break once.  When it did I realized that it is coming unseated up at the spool pin as it is coming off, which is causing the breakage.  I just have to slow down a bit and watch as it feeds to make sure it does not get too much slack.

I was calculating how much time it was taking me to get this done. I spent about 1/2 an hour this morning marking the the quilt about 1/2 way and had sewn about 1/4 of it.  I was getting a big panicky because I have to have my entry form, with a color picture turned in by the 1st of September and that is a holiday! 

I decided to take a wee break and check my e-mail and there was one from the guild.  The quilt must be finished by the time of the quilt show but the entry form and picture the quilt does not have to be completed.  (queue the angels singing)  there was my ray of sunshine!  The panic subsided immensely.  I printed out entry forms, and filled out two.  With some help from DH I will get some pictures and in the mail my entries will go.  Since I am allowed 3 entries not including the challenge quilt.  I am thinking of entering my Tropical Tubix.

Just needs a label and a hanging sleeve.

I am also considering finishing up this oldie.

Ginger Rose is all sandwiched and just needs quilting. 

It is so nice to feel like I am going to be able to breathe again.