Deer, Quilt and Glass - trying to keep busy here in the Hills of Brown County

As you can probably guess not much going on around here. Had one day with lots of rain. Now most of the fields and lawns are green again. And I guess from listening to the TV that we will get in on Isaac over the weekend. Sounds like they are expecting a lot of rain. For us it’s okay as we are way up here on the hill. Time will tell.
Of course watched the races last weekend. Not the results we wanted but kind of fun to watch. Especially Tony Stewart – he is from the town where we always go to buy our groceries – Columbus, IN. Still lives around there. Then the soccer games during the week. Barcelona won their game and Madrid lost theirs. Liked that. Still put out that the games for the SuperCup between them is not on television. Grrrrr.
Warming up here again. I was just down in the basement (the coolest part of the house) getting my quilt ready to quilt – Fusing the top, batting and bottom together. Will quilt it during tomorrows racing activity. This is a lot like the other one I finished for our first great granddaughter - this is for the second great granddaughter. Not really girlish but I like the colors.

Also fixing a little hand towel I made. Didn’t get the towel up into the topping so had to rip it out and will resew it tomorrow too. I made a bunch of new ones. The old ones were beyond usable. They come in handy and are easy enough to make. Just cut a dishtowel in half and sew on a top and ties.

Also hung my balloon sun catcher. Looks really pretty with the sun coming through it.

The deer and hummingbirds are about eating us out of house and home. Going to have to get a cardboard sign and stand on the corner begging for corn and sugar. The fawns are starting to lose their spots already. Saw a buck eating the other day but didn’t get to the camera in time to get a picture of him.

Bill is starting to get a real close relationship with the FedEx and UPS guys – they are here once or twice a day it seems. Don’t know what all will be on that truck when it is done but it should be pretty nice.
Still talking about this winter. Should we go south? Should we stay home? Should we take the Alfa or Jennie? I'm kind of leaning towards Yes and Jennie. Especially if we want to go to Guadalajara and Guanajuato and El Fuerte. Hate taking the big one there.
If we are just going to stay at a couple of places like Mazatlan and Aticama - then the big one of course........
Bill's work is now on another web page - the Art Alliance of Brown County.  It's at here
http://www.artalliancebrowncounty.com/fiber_textiles_leather.htm
and here

http://www.artalliancebrowncounty.com/wood_metal_sculpture.htm

Did I mention that he sold quite a few items at the Hoosier Gallery - but we've taken his stuff out of there as neither of us want to work there a couple of times a month and they don't like the fact that we will be gone during the winter so can't work then. Oh well. Good while it lasted.

Lazy Life in the Country

Weather is heating up again, just turned on the ceiling fans and AC for first time in about 10 days. Getting hotter for a few days, then down to 70s with rain Monday and then back up to the 90s.

Bill is like a kid at Christmas. Every day he gets more stuff delivered for his truck. But can’t do anything with them ‘cause the truck is at the mechanics getting brakes. (We knew that when we bought it.) Don’t know what all he bought – I’d rather be surprised when it all done.
Took some pics of the deer but forgot to bring the camera upstairs to off load them. – tomorrow – They wait in the morning for one of us to throw out the corn for them. Then they stamp their feet until we go in so they can eat in piece. Worse than kids.
Lots of NASCAR on the tube today. Practice and qualifying for both the Nationwide series and the Cup cars. Then the Nationwide race tonight.
Watched the final show of this seasons Burn Notice last night. Darn that Who Shot JR syndrome! Leaves everything hanging until it starts up again. And by the time it starts in November we’ll probably be in Mexico and I won’t be able to watch it.
On Direct TV the soccer channels have changed with a new one starting called beIN Sports TV – and Goal TV moving to a different channel. Which would be fine but now different companies have bought the rights to different leagues. So yesterday one of the bestest games between Barcelona and Real Madrid wasn’t shown on ANY channel!! Only shown on ESPN3 which is an Internet channel that we can’t get using Verizon…….Kind of annoying when things that are working great are changed.
Well off to watch practice.
Kobe Bryant is too old to win another title???? When did that happen???
And people ask "aren't we afraid to go to Mexico because of the violence"  No I'm afraid to go to Chicago, to the movies, to church etc. here in the US  Quote from  NBC  "Nineteen people were wounded in at least seven shootings within eight hours overnight Thursday in Chicago, police said."  TV news last nite - two shootings in Indianapolis. Other news today  nine shot in NYC.

Pretty Days and New Truck

Another beautiful day in Brown County. The weather has been perfect for almost a week now. Blue skies, puffy white clouds and in the high 70s.

But by the weekend it is supposed to be back in the low 90s. We even have been getting some sporadic rain –last night we were lucky to be in the 10% of the state to get a drenching. Flowers and grass are pretty happy now. For the first time in a long time we could smell newly mown grass while going into town. For two months no one had to cut their grass, it just didn’t grow. Smells so good.

The hummingbirds are here in droves? swarm? flocks? now. At least ten of them maybe more they move too fast to get an accurate count.

So many that I’ve had to start cooking for them. Cheaper than buying ready made nectar.

Had an interesting weekend. Lots of races and soccer games and company. All enjoyable. At one time was watching the Cup race and a soccer game at the same time. Quite a spectacular wreck Mark Martin had - sure glad he could walk away from it. The #18s day was not so good. Just never got the car right I guess. Didn’t do so good in the Canadian race either. This weekend Bristol! Did you know that RACECAR reads the same front yo back and back to front.

And this week there is a great soccer game on Thursday. A must see. Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Bill got his new (old 1998) truck. A Dodge Ram Sport 4 x 4. Now he is like a kid in a candy shop looking on the internet to find parts and pieces to “trick it out.”

Had to go down to the Winery and pick up some of his work there and take it over to the Gallery to replace some that were SOLD!!!!

Yes – he has actually had a pretty good month there. Exciting. The town is starting to get busy with tourists now that the weather is not so horribly hot.

Murphys Law Day

Wednesday was kind of a Murphy’s Law day for us. To set it up – Tuesday afternoon late we were in Columbus and stopped in our favorite restaurant for an early dinner. About half way home I looked over at Bill driving and wondered why he looked so different. Hum? “Where’s your hat?” “Crap! [I cleaned that up a little] I left it at the restaurant.” So when we got home we called them and they knew it was his and it would be at the register next time we came in.

So Wednesday morning we went into town, stopped at the restaurant to pick up his hat and have breakfast. Mind you we eat there all the time and Bill likes the omelets only when Char the very experienced cook is making them. So first he asked if Char was there. Nope it was her day off so he wanted a little time to decide what he would have instead. Waitress said Okay she’d be back for our order in a couple of minutes. Well a couple of minutes stretched on and on…….I think she completely forgot us ‘cause she went on her break. 40 minutes later we left – no breakfast but we did have the hat.
Then on up the road to the RV storage place. Bill wants to do some work in the small RV, Jennie. Just some minor things that need fixing. We’d called and said we’d be there to pick her up so the staff had given her a jump (after sitting there for over a year she needed one.)
Got interrupted the other day so back again now. Back to Jennie. Bill jumped in her and started down the road when he noticed she needed gas. Pulled into the first station he came to – about a mile away and gassed her up. Got back in turned the key – NOTHING – not even a click click. And of course the jumper cables we always carry in the jeep were at home in the garage. The gas station didn’t have any either so he drove the jeep back to the RV place and came back with a pair. Still nothing. Back to the RV place for a bigger? better? set of cables and a big honking pick up. Now she started. Also for some reason the brakes got hot in that little bitty drive. So back to the RV place Jennie went. Will know more next week. Busy all day and didn’t get anything done.
So where are we now – well Bill has bought a pick up truck. Used. A Dodge Ram 4 x 4. Cleaning and fixing it up will give him something to do. He wants something to use around here to run around and haul things(?) in. Doesn’t want to put so many miles on the jeep, rather keep it for traveling.
We did get a real nice rain storm one evening. Lots of steady rain hardly any thunder or lightening. Already the grass is green again. And weather is perfect – in the mid to high 70s. Wish it would stay like this the rest of the year.
Today and tomorrow are racing and new season soccer games watching. Good thing we have separate TVs. Truck and Nationwide race today, Cup race tomorrow. And two soccer games tomorrow.

Bees, Birds and Deer

The weather is wonderful – for me anyway – I’m in shorts and tee shirt and Bill is in jeans and a sweatshirt! His hands are like ice – I love it when he puts them on the back of my neck. Feels so good. Guess I am one hot cookie – or maybe its just age. Have got little drips and drops of rain off and on for a few days. Not enough for the plants so again they have to be watered daily. Bill says “next year no plants.” I tend to agree.

We’re supposed to have some high temps tomorrow then down into the low 70s during the day and maybe high 40s at night. Can’t get too excited though as there will be more hot weather in the future.
No comments about the two races over the weekend – enough to say they didn’t go the way we (me and driver #18s fans wanted.)
The little deer are growing up. A quick shot of him/her licking some of the salt.

And then they noticed me taking their pictures and hightailed it back into the woods.

Also watching the hummingbirds buzzing around – this is a great big black bee that chases the hummingbirds away –

Checking for the bee

The boot is a bird house - always used in the Spring

It’s not there so a quick sip of nectar.

We have only about five or six that hang around this year. Haven’t seen the raccoon for a couple of weeks. Hope he stays gone.
Watched the end of the Closer last night I will miss the series. Not sure about the new one with most of the same cast.
Finished my balloon sun catcher – so now looking for another little bigger project. Still have to finish my quilt too. Been reading a series by Mariah Stewart – good writer.
Bill just said "lets go to Bloomington." So we're off.....

Life in the country

For the first time in weeks and weeks the air conditioning AND the ceiling fans are off. It is almost – almost – too cool for shorts. Blessed relief. Only going to be about 72 today. And we even got a bunch of rain last night without the thunder and lightening and wind.
By the end of next week it will be up in the high 90s so going to enjoy it while I can. Here’s an interesting tidbit I gleaned from the TV last night. Black bears can climb a tree at the rate of three feet a second. So if one ever chases you don’t climb a tree he’ll catch you.
If you ever go to Google Earth and zoom in on Indiana we are the green square in the south central part of the state. Most of that green square is Brown County. The only hills covered with forest in the state.
Reading a book by Joseph Wambaugh about the arson investigator from Glerndale, California who set most of the fires he investigated. Creepy. I remember when it was going on and when they caught him. He set a couple of business fires not too far from where we lived at stores that we shopped in.
Interesting couple of entries in the Sherriff’s Log this week.

8:01 p.m. Chief deputy advises just reunited a 6- to 7-year-old female with her parents. Town officer advises missing female now 4 year old.

Boy I want to go missing where ever she was – she got younger pretty quick.

8:03 p.m. County officer out with female subject now. Advises child has been returned to owner.

Owner????
Lots of trees down the past week and many cows loose – wonder if the one had to do with the other?
Ah - life in the country.

I did finally get myself downstairs to repair my blue bird sun catcher. He is all fixed and back hanging in the window. And while I was down there of course I had to start working on a new piece. It is another small sun catcher of three hot air balloons. Going to be colorful. I still have to smooth out the copper foil then solder it and color the solder and wax it. Might or might not work on it today. I'm getting itchy to do something a littler bigger again. Need to find a pattern I like.....
We had company yesterday - twice. The lady who stayed in the house the first couple of years during the witner came by. She has got into mural painting in a big way. Like on the sides of buildings. http://www.facebook.com/bluechairart#!/BlueChairDesigns lots of pictures of the mural here. They sure picked a hot time to working outside on the side of a building.
The couple of showers we've had here have already made a difference to the plants. Everything is starting to "green up" again. Too late for a lot of trees though I'm afraid. Today it is back up to 97 again. Enough already. Though the weather report says rain tomorrow 60% chance and by Sunday only as high as mid 70s - Please! Please!

Good food and Bad Drinks

This morning it is beautiful out. We have all the doors open for now. Supposed to go over 90 by afternoon. But a cold front is coming through tomorrow or the next days and then our temps will be in the low 90s for a while. That will be so nice. And we might get more rain.

A big storm rolled through here early Sunday morning. We just got lots of rain (the plants look so much happier!) But up north of Indy they got lots of wind and damage. Thousands of people without power caused by the drought stressed trees toppling.
Where to begin – I want to share with you a lovely dinner Bill fixed for us the other night. Breaded cooked chicken fillets covered with hard cooked egg and red and yellow peppers - the little ones from Pero- and onions and a nice salad. So so good.

Watched all the races over the weekend. Glad to see Jeff Gordon finally get a win but not happy that my favorite driver #18 had his brakes blow up and finish 33rd. Right now he is not eligible for the Chase. Guess that Black Cloud still hangs over him. He’s got five more races to get a win and get back in contention for the Chase. Go Kyle……
There is one deer that has come here for a few years actually since she was little. She has one blind eye so is easy to recognize. This year she had triplets. They are so cute following her around. Wondered about multiple births with deer so looked it up. 79% of whitetail deer have twins or triplets. Only 21% have single births. No wonder the deer population grows. The third little one was hanging back so didn’t get him.

Today they are mad at us as we ran out of corn yesterday, will get some this afternoon. A couple of them have come by and stood out back looking up at the house as if to say, “So where is it?” Then they stomp their feet and leave.
Got a notice that I had to go to the bank as they were going to change my checking account and I had to pick out a new one. LEAVE THINGS ALONE PEOPLE! Turned out to be less of a hassle then I was imagining. Everything on the old account just automatically goes to the new one. They’re just looking for ways to charge new fees. Luckily got set up with one that has no fees – yet.
After going to the bank we drove up to the storage lot where Alfie and Jennie are. We need to replace the faucet in the bathroom on the Alfa so Bill wanted to check it to make sure we got the right kind. While he was checking that I was checking other things. Opened the cupboards and was pleased I didn’t find any of our flying bugs. Whoopie. Opened the refrigerator – which was supposed to be open when parked. Guess when they moved it it closed. Looked fine in there – clean and nice. Wait a minute what is that black down on the bottom in the vegetable drawer. Lean over for closer look. OMG ICK UGH it was black moldy gunky liquid. What the heck? Pulled the drawer out – about two inches of the swamp slime in it. Where did it come from? Soon found out. Right above that drawer was a couple of baskets that held cans of beer and ginger ale. DO NOT leave full cans of liquid in place during a very hot summer. Most of the cans were empty. Slime and mold gluing them together. ICK ICK ICK…….Sure glad we found it and got it cleaned up before we moved it. Thank goodness they were in the refrigerator and not the cupboards.
Still debating about going to Mexico this winter. Will we or won’t we that is the question. And IF we do go should we take the big one or the smaller one? So much to decide. Wonder what the weather is going to be like here this winter?
Need to get downstairs and repair one of my stained glass bird suncatchers. His hook gave way and he hit the floor. His tail and leg broke off so just needs to be resoldered.
And that's about it for today.

TV, Trees and Travis

TCM – Turner Classic Movie channel is highlighting one Movie Star a day this month. First day was John Wayne. Gee he was young once – in his first movie he was blond! Yesterday it was Tarzan. Didn’t watch any of the movies but did watch a bio on Johnny Weissmuller (sp?) Very interesting especially about his Olympic career. Included information about Jane, Boy and Cheeta. Cheeta hated Maureen O’ Sullivan and at one time they had to keep him chained so he wouldn’t attack her. The next movie they used a different Cheeta.

In the a.m. yesterday we went to Bloomington – about 20 miles west of us – to pick up Bill’s new sunglasses. Driving through the countryside we can really see the damage the lack of rain and high temps has done. Brown fields that are usually bright green. So many trees that are full of brown leaves or almost completely without leaves already. Yesterday was another 96 degree day. Thought we were going to get some rain but the black clouds just missed us here on the hill. Stopped at a used book store and exchanged some paper backs. Really cuts down on the price of the ones we get when we take some with us to trade in. This is the first time we’ve remembered to take some. Did find a book there by J D MacDonald one of my favorite writers – He wrote – died quite a few years ago – the Travis Magee novels. Read one if you can find one.
Finally can wear shoes with out little foot finger bothering me.
Went to a meeting of the Art Alliance Thursday evening. Kind of interesting – speaker talked bout how to present yourself and your art in writing. Writing bios, describing your art and what influenced you and writing web pages etc. Been thinking about it and will probably make some changes to our web pages – one of these days. Made me remember a class I took in college when the professor had us write an essay but told us we could not use the word “the” any where in the essay. Interesting project.
Today is a race day. Qualifying for the Cup cars in the morning and a truck and a Nationwide race today. It’s better than watching all the political crap on TV.
Heard an interesting comment on TV last night – talking about new congressmen going to Washington. The comment was, “When you first get there it is a cesspool. But later it becomes a hot tub.” I guess ideals only last so long when “everybody else is doing it.” Also mentioned that Washington DC is one of the richest cities in population in the country now. Enough of that…..

Dear deer

She was out back yesterday and nice enough to stay there till I got my camera.

Later on I saw one turkey hen out back. She heard me and ran. No pics.
The MiFi Internet has been working fine since I talked to Tech Support. Guess (I hope) they got the problem fixed. Even with the glitches it is so much better than HughesNet. So glad we changed.
Some bad storms around us last night straight line winds and gusts to 60mph and big hail – in fact one was in the town where the RVs are stored. But they must be okay haven’t heard they aren’t.
Bill hung a lot of his work yesterday at the Winery. I didn’t go with him so no pictures yet. Yesterday I couldn’t put my shoe on. Today toe feels much better but is a really weird shape. Still going barefoot here in the house.