The Alfa, the Window and the Deer

Another hot day coming today. At least we’ve had some rain the last two nights. Maybe for once out hills are catching the clouds instead of them going around us. Tomorrow a cold front is supposed to come in with temps dropping back into the high 70s low 80s again for a while. Enough of this 90 crap.

Alfie is home with his front painted and new engine batteries! Guess we shouldn’t complain the batteries we replaced were the original ones since we bought him. Over 11 years old. Here he is before

And now after. No more replacing a bra every couple of years because it got worn and tattered.

These are the guys that did the work. They do a lot of classic car restoring and painting. They are in the town of Gnaw Bone not far from us.

Our problems with mechanical things have continued this summer. Mentioned we had to have the alarm company out here twice for malfunctions. And last week we had to call the satellite TV people to get a new remote [the channel buttons quit working - at least the ones we used the most]– hope that is the end of it. I’d say what is left to go bad? – but there are still major appliances that could so I’ll keep quiet.

Here is another picture of the window – the glass work is all done [unless I decided to frame it with strips of glass.] Still have to solder both sides, put the support pieces on the edges, dye the solder, and clean and polish the whole thing. Another week or so of work before it is up.

Next picture will be when it is hanging in window.

Went outside to check out back and she was waiting for me. Where’s the corn? She stood there while I got the bucket full and threw it out to her.

Also saw this clematis blooming. It seemed to bloom overnight.

Today there is a lot of NASCAR on the TV – practicing, qualifying and a race tonight. So guess I’ll watch and knit. Almost have my second scarf finished – then will make matching mitts – Christmas presents any one? Also going to go looking on line for a pattern for a beanie that guys can wear.

Where has this summer gone? Labor Day weekend already……Wow! Soon it will be time to pack up and get on the road again. Sure hope the price of gas and diesel doesn’t keep going up and up and up. What a racket!
Before I forget - Bill is one of those cooks who just adds stuff until it tastes and looks right. No recipes to follow. He is an excellent cook.

Hobbies, hobbies and more hobbies

The stained glass window is coming along. But think it will be a work in progress for another couple of weeks. Choosing the colors is the hardest part. I’m too cheap to cut up full pieces of glass so am working with scraps and am running out of different colors.

Even more done – see the surprises?

All I have left now is the upper left corner.

Had to go Columbus into Hobby Lobby to get a couple more skeins of yarn. Started another scarf and because of the texture of the yarn and the fact I added a little to the width I am using up the yarn quickly. Luckily HL still had some as the ones I bought were on sale and I bought them in Bloomington. So I should be good to go now. 

After the scarf I’m trying a lap robe using two strands of yarn at a time. This is a picture from a few days ago – it is much bigger now. 

BUT – only a couple of rows after I took this picture I messed up the pattern and didn’t notice it until I’d done three more rows. BUT – I figured out how to “unknit” (?) it back to my mistake and then learned how to tell knit from purl so I could figure out where in the pattern I was. To any knitter that is a “so what” moment but I am proud of myself. Now I know I can do it.

Still don’t have the Alfa back! Hope we get it before we want to leave for the winter…… I started writing this a few days ago. We picked the Alfa up and now have the satellite TV in it working fine and it is at the painters waiting to get the gravel guard put on the front cap. Should get it home tomorrow or Friday. Will post a picture of it before and after then.

Good/bad race weekend for my favorite NASCAR driver. He won two races – the truck and Nationwide then had a terrible time in the big Cup race. He was lucky to finish 11^th. There will be three more times this year he can try to “sweep” the weekend by wining in all three series. He did it once a couple of years ago. The only driver to ever do that. 

Bill has been busy cooking lately – made enough spaghetti sauce for the entire winter trip. Then cooked up a bunch of chicken Milanese to last for a while and then he made crepes to go with the dulce de leche he cooked up the day before. YUM!

Something weird is going on – we don’t have squirrels any more – they have just disappeared! We put the corn cobs out and they last for days instead of hours. I wonder if it is squirrel season around here. Sure hope that’s not the reason they are gone. Of course we did fatten them up a lot.

Here is a picture of our blackberry crop.  All five of them. By next year hopefully the bush will be big enough to produce a bowl full.

There was a moving happening in Nashville this weekend. In November of 1943 a solder from here in town was killed on Tarawa Atoll. He remains were just found and identified a month or so ago. They were sent to his family here. On Saturday over 400 motorcyclists, fireman, soldiers, police etc. followed the hearse from here to Madison, IN about a 100 miles away to the Veterans Cemetery there. Here is part of the route going through Columbus, IN.  Notice the firemen in their dress uniforms lined up along the street. Fire trucks are holding up the flag. 

Too hot to stay here up stairs much longer – We are headed into a really really hot stretch of weather – heat indices up to the 100s – good time to stay inside. 

Rude awakening other day.

Good Sunday morning. Right now it is nice out and we have the doors open for fresh air but soon will have to close them and hopefully the fans will keep us cool – don’t want to run the AC until it is necessary. We are starting into a dry hot spell – the humidity moving in tomorrow again and temps going up into the mid to high 90s by the end of the week.

I love to read mysteries and detective novels – addictive to them. Friday night I stayed up late finishing a particularly good but violent [even for me] one. So I slept in later than usual yesterday morning only to wake up to BANG BANG BANGBANGBANG! Gun shots! With novel still roaming around my mind I shot up out of bed, heart banging….then I realized it was the neighbor across the street down in the holler target practicing. Talk about a rude awakening – didn’t need any coffee to wake me up that’s fer sure.

So what have we been doing all week? On Wednesday we went into our little town and walked around some. Wanted to go to a particular art gallery where one of our friends has her paintings displayed. And Nashville being Nashville – the gallery wasn’t open. Only open a couple of days a week. Sometimes this town amazes me. Like now they are giving tickets to motorcyclists who have loud pipes. Good way to bring in business!

But any way on place is now selling Barn Quilts – Wonder if they saw mine and got an idea as they’ve never sold them before. And are they expensive – I should go into business. A 3 x 3 one is $125. And they aren’t even weather proofed!

We also went to look at the new murals that are by the Historical Society building. They were done by different local artists and depict the history [kind of] of the area. A couple of them were really nice. They are 4 x 8 in size.

The building behind them is the Historical Society Building. They are mounted on the back wall of a parking lot. 

The Indians meeting the Trapers

 This one depicts The Huckster wagon delivery supplies to the settlers. The other day I posted a picture of Bill buying chicken in the little market in Bean Blossom. That market started with this Huckster wagon in the 1800s. So a lot of history there. 

The Fall Colors Brown County is famous for. 

 This one is a tribute to T C Steele who was a famous painter who moved to Brown County in 1907 and was instrumental in several artists moving to the area. Then establishing The Artists Colony of the Midwest. More about T C Steele

I like the way this one is painted - Some pioneers

 And this is my favorite - mostly because of the style and detail. It is showing one of the first Funeral Homes here in Nashville. It is still in business. 

 Check out the chickens and the quilts hanging on the line. 

 A tribute to the music - Bean Blossom is the location of the Bill Monroe music park. Bluegrass, Bluegrass Gospel and Blues all summer long. 

Neat aren't they. Will have to go there again when the sun is shinning on them not into my camera. 

Continuing our stroll through town. This church is celebrating 125 years of services here in town.

Just a couple of buildings on the main street.

Couldn’t resist taking pictures of these benches. Been trying to Bill to build us a couple. Cute but probably not comfortable. Didn’t check the prices. 

He waits patiently for me

Checking out some of the wood chain saw carvings. Pretty neat motorcycle.

And I want the piggy – wouldn’t he look cute in our front yard?

A little further on one of the outhouses getting ready for the outhouse races later in September. I never said we were a sophisticated town. 

Also been knitting and working on stained glass – more about that later. 

Flowers, Projects and Deer

The beginning of a beautiful day. Took this a couple of days ago when the temps went down to the low 50s at night. There is fog in the valley and a clear sky.

But guess out wonderful weather is over for a while – today it’s supposed to hit 87 – ugh! And get warmer all week. And very little rain in sight so Bill is having to water the lawn and the few plants we have in pots. A couple new flowering bushes that popped up in the last couple of days.

A couple of days ago we went to the little grocery store in Bean Blossom to pick up some fried chicken for lunch – they make some of the best fried chicken I’ve ever tasted. But you have to be there between 11:30 and 12 to get some it sells out so fast. Bill buying the chicken.

While he was ordering the chicken I noticed that they had corn dogs too. Have not had a decent corn dog in years. So we got a couple. OH MY! Were they ever good.

I finished my scarf and gloves (fingerless) that I’ve been working on. Turned out cute and with no mistakes. Now what to do with them?

Happened to go out back just at the right time. We had six deer out there feeding. Two fawns. They are so pretty.

The first four that came

six in this picture - a little one way in the back just coming out of the woods

Bambi

The Alfa is still at the RV doc getting the satellite for the TV installed. Should come home next week just in time for painting the front cap. 

Very Cool Weather

BRRR…it is almost cold enough to turn on the heater in here this morning. Went down into the high 40s last night and high today will only be 70! – Not complaining just mentioning.

Enjoying it while I can – forecast for next week mentions 90 and humidity.

Finished and put the last barn quilt up.  

Wish I could make more of them but like everything else how many can I use – no place for another one.

Also finished my knitted head scarf – turned out nice. Now I’m knitting hand warmers to match it. Then maybe leg warmers. Knitting fool. Also bought some more yarn to make another scarf and a small lap blanket.

More pictures of the deer.

All four of them in this shot. It has taken me all morning to upload this video - don't know if was me - blogger or the Internet - but sure hope it's enjoyed. It is of Bitchy running off the other deer. 

I'm going to take a nap. I just took some pictures of the scarf and glove and a turkey I just saw outback. Thought I transferred them from the camera to the computer and guess I didn't. BUT I did delete them from the camera! CRAP spelled with a SH!%

It is now 1:00 in the afternoon and only 55 degrees on the back porch. Wonderful summer. 

The Dear Deer

 

 

 

Spent some quiet time today watching these girls. The one closest is really nasty. At one time there were four out there. But Bitchy ran one of them off

 

 

Why is summer going so FAST?

Another week has almost passed. This year seems to be going triple fast. Already talking about when we'll be leaving for the winter. We might make a long varied trip of it this year. Taking in some sights in Utah and New Mexico before getting further west. If we do that we'll have to leave before it starts getting cold in the Rockies area.
Weather is still cooperating in mid 70s to mid 80s - it is humid though - ish! ugh! But another front is supposed to blow through tonight and put an end to the humidity. My kind of summer as far as the heat goes.
I'm putting the polyurethane coat of weather proofing on my new barn quilt. All coats are taking a long time to dry with the sticky weather. Should be ready to hang by Monday. This one measures 4' x 4' - a little too big to work comfortably on.

The Alfa is at the RV doc getting the satellite for the TV fixed/replaced. Did not like the portable one at all. Should be able to pick it up Tuesday or Wednesday and then we're having the front face of it coated with a rock resistant paint. From the bottom of the windows down. We used to have a leather bra but eventually it got all full of holes and knicks.

Then it will be ready to go - but I won't yet.
Bill replaced the glass in the small broken window and work on the stained glass piece for the living room window continues. Now I have to figure out how I'm going to finish it. It will be a rectangle that we can hang in the window.

Went to the doctor and got all my stitches out - had several moles checked - all is well. Don't have to worry about that any more. Now Bill has a terrible cold! - I've never seen any one get such bad colds as he does. Really miserable with them.
Been reading an interesting series of books by Eileen Dreyer - she writes mysteries with her main characters being ER and trauma nurses. Very gritty writing.
Whoa! Tony Stewart -a NASCAR - championship driver broke his leg in a race a couple of days ago. Not a NASCAR cup race but in a small sprint car on a dirt track. This coming after he had a bad wreck in the same kind of car the beginning of the week. There goes his championship hopes. Unless he can figure out how to drive with his right leg in a cast. Wouldn't put it past him.  In about a half hour is the Nationwide race - a road course and tomorrow the Cup race. They are fun and interesting to watch.

Just puttering around the house

Have not disappeared into the woods - just haven't got around to posting.
See if I can catch up some. The new water heater is in and working wonderfully - we have hot water when we want it without out and fussing with it.
The alarm company was here Friday fixing a glitch in the house alarm.
Not getting the broken window glass repaired so I've started on a stained glass piece that will hang in front of the cracked window in the living room. So I won't see it. If you can't see it why fix it. The smaller broken one will have to have the glass replaced but Bill thinks he can do it. Just have to get him out there and interested in it.
He's been spending lots of time in the Alfa doing and redoing things. Cleaning and repacking things especially in the storage areas underneath. Found a couple of lounge chairs we forgot we had. Also a rug and two (?) BBQs. And he found a place to put his remote controlled cars so he'll be able to play with them.
Been looking into getting the graphics on Alfie redone - they are all peeling off and fading. Right now it is just a "look into" project.
Finished my barn quilt I'm giving to a friend and starting a new one for us - this one will be 4' x 4'.
My knitting project is going along fine - only have about 10 more inches to do so I'm being very careful and really paying attention when I'm knitting. Don't want to rip it up and start again.
Been to the doc a few times. Seems like you go in for one thing and they find a bunch more reasons for you to go back. Should never have gone in the first place.
The weather has been great - the hottest day has been 85 with no heat in sight for weeks. And been raining every couple of days so Bill hasn't had to water. Our water bill went from $300 last year this time to $27 this year. Of course this year we don't have 35 hanging plants to water and no heat and no rain.
Have not seen and sign of raccoons - thank goodness.
Still cannot get the satellite dish on the Alfa to go up - so we went and got a portable dome to see how that would work. Well living here in the woods it doesn't work good. No clear sight line to the southern sky. And Bill didn't like the idea of having it sitting out on the ground and having to wander around looking for a signal. So it is being returned.......I don't know which is more trouble the RV or the house. 
Going to go make some bread, paint another color on the quilt and maybe solder the center piece of my glass and then later today watch the boring race from Pocono.
So we're keeping busy just not doing anything interesting to others.