Dear Reader,
Thank you for your patience waiting on my letter. The last two weeks have been interesting merely because they have not gone to plan. In my last letter, I left you with a hopeful closure on the wasp story. Multiple sprays later, the wasps are mostly eradicated. I then discovered yellowjackets have decided to make a home in the corn, and I am so over them. I need to mow the lawn, but I read they get agitated from the vibrations of the mower. I have yet to work up the courage to mow the lawn, but will probably need to do it tomorrow.
I hosted friends for lunch last Saturday, and I had a lot of fun visiting with them. We had a rotisserie chicken and a baked chicken, salad, rolls, fruit, and cheesecake topped with strawberry preserves. I also discovered (at 2:30 am) that the air handler for my HVAC system was leaking water in the garage. My dad and I spent a lot of the weekend and this week attempting to troubleshoot the issue on our own, and we learned the drip tray is broken and will need to be replaced. Like the great hero he is, Dad went to the local repair shop and talked with the owner. Thankfully, they were willing to accept Dad’s description of the issue and what we saw in the air handler without needing to make a housecall, and we learned in our investigation that all of the wiring is attached to the upper side of the air handler and out of the liquid, so I can continue to run the unit until the repair is made, I just need to catch the water as it pours out.
Which brings me to the third big project this week, which is getting a head start on projects for the holidays before school starts again. Sanswinda has one surprise gift and two she knows about. The first gift is a scarf, hat, and mittens set I am knitting from yarn I acquired last September while visiting the west side of the state. I finished the scarf on Wednesday and will start the hat and mittens as soon as I find my double-pointed needles. Her second gift is in progress today and tomorrow. Our mother makes a rhubarb cobbler Sans really likes, so I am going to can the rhubarb I have into smaller portions and put the topping components in jars with instructions for her, and am planning to gift it to her so she can have a little taste of home whenever she needs one. The third gift is the surprise, so I will be unable to share it with you all until after the holidays. Our brother, on the other hand, is very unlikely to read these letters, so I can share his gift. I am making him a quilt, and have almost finished the quilt top. When I finish it, I will have made one for each member of my immediate family, and can start on the second one my son requested, and a couple of others I have in bits and pieces around the house.
This week, the photos are primarily of the Christmas gifts in progress, and I’m adding in a bonus picture of my loyal companion, Zablob. He likes to be near me even if I am making lots of noise. The sewing machine is not a deterrent for him. I hope you enjoy them. Until next time.
Sincerely,
Cyndars
This week’s progress: #1 (Sanswinda’s scarf).
This week’s progress: #2 (Sanswinda’s scarf).
This week’s progress: #3 (Sanswinda’s scarf).
Zablob sleeping at my feet while I sew.
The fiddly parts of my brother’s quilt. Pictured are 99 2.5×5″ rectangles and 2.5″ squares that had to be strung together.
My brother’s quilt (5″ rows).
My brother’s quilt with horizontal sashing laid out.
