Sunday, November 09, 2014

Sunday-9:30am

It's a filtered-sun morning.  I caught a dirty-cloud afternoon one day this last week.
Leah picked me up and we went to vote on Tuesday. 
I promised Ian my sticker if I got one. 
We've had a lot of cold, cloudy days.  In fact it's 25 degrees right now (-4 C) and it sounds like we'll be lucky to hit 30 this whole week (-1 C). 
Last Wednesday evening it snowed.  I tried to take a picture when it first started. 
It did snow enough to put a white fluffy layer over everything.  By the time I remembered to take a picture the next day it was already mostly melted away. 
Winter.   
Well, I did get the new sewing machine unboxed. 
The big white thing in lower right hand corner is the carrying case I bought to go with it.  
The machine is mostly plastic.  Feels so different than my old metal one. 
I have to confess that I am feeling overwhelmed and intimidated.  Have picked up the manual half a dozen times and gone into brain freeze.    
Has that ever happened to you?  It's like my mind can't focus.  I can read a sentence or paragraph over and over and not retain anything whatsoever.  I remember this happening to me in college or even way back in high school when I went to tackle a book in a class that I knew was going to be really difficult for me...like Spanish.  (Yes, had Spanish in both high school and college but to this day can only remember a few colors, numbers, and a mere smattering of words...like meatballs--duh!)  I felt like this when I first got my McLap, too.  Everything was alien to me with a laptop...the keyboard, the little touch box thingie...took me a long time to get used to it.
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Now, the alien computerized sewing machine sits at my table...waiting for me to force myself into pushing past the brain freeze.  This week.  I have to do it this coming week.  And I pray we become as good of friends as me & McLap.  (Which, sadly, means I only knowing the functional basics and nothing more.)  
This week....
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Meanwhile, on these dark days...   
You'd have to enlarge this to see that the automatic lights outside and on a few buildings were coming on...and this was at noon!!  And as you can see the movers of the earth are busy pushing dirt about before it freezes up...all across my horizon.  Will be a lot of building next year.  
The floor is colder.  Miss Karma spends more time up in her warm brown bed.  
I made up a dozen bookcards with the paper-towel "papers" for covers.  Used all the ones I had added color to before I glued them together. 
Got down all four sewing stuff banker boxes from my bedroom closet.  Doesn't Karma look more relaxed. 
We did have a couple glimpses of blue sky and sun, too, this week. 
McFamily went visiting this weekend.  They plan to come by to pick up Phil tomorrow night. 
Phil is slowly dying in my dark bedroom.  I keep picking yellow and dead leaves off of him.  He would not fare well all winter in there...and he's too big for the new desk hutch which is narrower.  I hope he survives the move to Dagan and Leah's.  We figure if Leah trims him down he could probably make several baby Phils...and I would definitely like one of them.
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Oh, and I forgot to tell you!  Cashwise delivery finally worked with my EBT card this month--tada!!  Now it's just a matter of the corporate web team getting all the products back online and (possibly) fixing the website issues--LOL!  The natural foods department is obviously not high on their priority list...and the website is still worse than their old one...but I can finally get deliveries again, at least.   That's a relief!  
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Been busy cleaning, purging, baking, cooking...  
Took me a whole afternoon to go through two drawers in the soon-to-be-removed other end table.  Everything needed to be thoroughly examined...several items needed new spots...and, therefore, some needed new containers...which sidetracked me in the bedroom for over an hour...then I found the forgotten laser pointer...which led to recharging batteries...and torturing Miss Karma...  
Yes, I am a world class putterer.  But I am busy.  And I am slowly getting things done.  Really.  :)
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Now I just need to push through the brain freeze with the scary-complicated new sewing machine...  ;)
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  I had to find a self-bolstering quote for me for today.
Dive in and have a great week. :):)
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"A problem is a chance for you to do your best."
Duke Ellington

15 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

glad you can get groceries delivered again!

yes, i've gone into that brain-shut-down mode. with my camera and its manual. even tried getting a 'for dummies' version and still my eyes cloud over and i read and re-read. just a brain block that i've not pushed through - and its been years. :(

Intense Guy said...

You will have that sewing machine figured out in no time. And then you can put stickers on things you sew - for Ian!

:)

Zue said...

I bought a new sewing machine this year too.
But, I knew I wouldn't cope with 'complicated', so I got a much simpler one than yours.
But I still need to read the manual every time I use it.
Good luck, I think you are going to need lots of luck. But knowing you, you will come out on top.
Have a great week....
Zue x

Anonymous said...

Are meatballs "albondigas" or is that just the meatball soup?

DJan said...

I bought myself a sewing machine a couple years ago, and it's also complicated. Every time I get out I have to re-read the stupid manual. And I cannot make it do most of what I want it to. Drives me crazy. :-)

andi filante said...

You'll get over your brain freeze and be sewing up a storm before you know it! And lucky you...you got some nice pictures of Miss Karma there....the only picture I took of Izzy this weekend was when she was eating a mouse. Yes, I ran in for my camera. That's just how I am. :P

-andi

Janie Junebug said...

The same thing happens to me with some new tech gadget or an appliance. It especially happens when I try to repair something. My brain shuts down. I hope Ian is a Democrat.

Love,
Janie

Carol said...

The brain freeze is a part of my daily existence :( I swear I loose brain cells by the minute . My sewing machine is 4 years old and I have yet to master no more than the basics. It's on my list of things to accomplish this winter ♥ The cold is suppose to hit us later today so I'm shuttling firewood to the basement a little bit at a time. Then I need to clean my art room...it's out of control AGAIN!

Victoria Zigler said...

It might not have been much snow, but I'm jealous of it anyway!

I have that problem every time I try to read an instruction book. I learn by doing, and if I try to read a book that tells me what to do instead, then I just can't take it all in. I have to either be shown, or physically examine whatever I'm trying to figure out until I manage to work out how to do it.

Serena Lewis said...

YAY on being able to order groceries online again!

I am so envious of your sewing machine. It makes me think of my Bernina I had many years ago although mine was all metal like your old one. They made them much sturdier back then but they were very expensive too. I guess with using more plastic, it makes it cheaper for the buyer.

Ian looks quite happy with his sticker. hehe

Good luck with beating that brain freeze. I had brain freeze back when I was first introduced to computers. I was so afraid that I'd do something wrong. lol

Crossing fingers that Phil survives.

Nice and apt quote! :)

Love and hugs. xo

Deanna said...

You can do it! Just take it one step at a time and before you know it, you will have it all figured out. The minute you feel overwhelmed, go do something else, and then return later. Baby steps.

Jo-Anne's Ramblings said...

I cannot sew, I learnt in school way back when but it is not something I am any good at, Tim is the one who does the sewing in this family just like my dad always did it out of mum & dad

Far Side of Fifty said...

I only know how my Kenmore from 1973 works, any other sewing machine would drive me nuts...that one nearly pushes me over the edge sometimes.
You can do it!! Think of all the sewing for Ian!~ :)

Feral Turtle said...

Good luck with your new sewing machine. Even remotes for TV's are a big learning curve! Thanks for sharing Ian with us!

Harvest Moon by Hand said...

I have an older sewing machine which I use for basic sewing. It seems like the new ones have so many different features...kind of overwhelming. Looks like you're getting the same frigidly cold weather as we are here in Minnesota. Brrr! Where did fall go?