Great machine quilting class tonight! Good job ladies. Remember practice makes perfect. It’s very rewarding to me to see the progress that someone can make in an evening and then see it multiplied over a week’s time. So keep up the good work, and be at one with the force of the machine!

I’m totally obsessing about my webcam. How cool is it? Let’s just say that my herd of cats now have a small but dedicated band of watchers all around the world. They wait, as I do (and the cats) for the nice patch of sunlight to come around the house and hit the top of my cedar chest. Then, right on schedule, parade o’cats. One after another they hop up, look out the window, take a snooze, groom in ways that seem physically impossible… in otherwords – they act like cats. Only now – we can see them.

I suppose it’s a good thing that we now know that cats really do move during the day when no one is home watching. And I can only speculate on why this is of interest, but it is. Despite some suggestions that it be titled the “all-naked-quilters-all-the-time webcam” it’s not so just get over that. On the other hand, I could see setting it up next time I start working on a big project! Time lapse quilting. Stay tuned.

Hit the refresh button to see the photo change here…. If it’s dark – well, it’s dark.

The sad news….. Well, Jeremy over at Antipixel found something that says it all — No war is inevitable. Go out tomorrow and be peaceful towards your fellow earthlings. Pet a dog or cat. Be nice to someone whether they need it or not. Do something strong whether you think you can or not.

In other news, also sad: I am in the process of transcribing my recipes to the Cookware Deluxe software. That’s going along ok. Last night I was to the point of copying a couple favorite cookie recipes given to me by the mother of my first boyfriend, in college. What a coup it was getting those recipes. Anyway I wanted of course to attribute the recipes to her. I remembered her first name but not how to spell it. Knowing she was pretty active in her community I did a couple web searches and discovered the news that she died in April 2002. Mother of three boys, all now married and I’m sure ecstatic grandmother of six; wife of 50 years.

What memories I have of wonderful meals created by her. And her baking was non-stop. I have only a handful of recipes from her hand but I use them regularly and I hope that serves as a small tribute to her — Claire Salzbank.

And in the “ain’t technology great” category — I snagged an iBot today at work. Thanks whoever you are who bought this thing without knowing you didn’t have firewire! First off, we played with it all day long and that was wonderful. I found out how to set it up and what software would allow me to do what I want. Finally I bought the thing (thanks again!) and brought it home. I set it up while listening to sad news on the radio. (I can’t talk about that now) Then I tried a few things to get it up and running. Finally I checked in with my work guru. Thanks David! And voila, we’re live and in virtual.

So if you want to see me or the cats….. bookmark this. It may not always be on, but it will be interesting when it is.

What a week. Hot (at least, hot enough inside work to merit short sleeves and no extra layers!). Long (long enough that when the manager on duty said Go Already to the other manager and me, we both BOOKED and giggled like giddy school girls.) Be that as it may, along with some other low points.

I will tell you that I have only a short stack of pink squares left to true up. Yeah! And I have been very productive in the kitchen today. Lasagna. Chicken Soup. Red Sauce. Meatballs. Whooo hoooo!

The chicken soup seems like a particularly good batch, having benefitted from the carcass of a roast chicken, along with one specially made for soup. It’s simmering now with its last round of veggies and smells great.

With that the newly cleared out freezer will have some good stuff in there for quick meals – chili, red stuff, meatballs, chicken soup, lasagna, veggies.

Now I’m toodling off to bed.