Today we reached 101 degrees again. In fact, we're expecting 100+ degrees for the rest of the week. We are so desperate for rain.We spent the day at the farm today and had about 100 visitors. I complimented them all for braving the weather. It's not easy walking outdoors under the glaring sun. The wind was blowing a little, but not enough to ease the oppressing heat.
I had plans to fire up the wood burning stove, bake some biscuits and have a cup of tea, but I was running late this morning. I know it sounds crazy feeding wood into a stove, when it's so hot outside, but think about how our ancestors fended for themselves. They didn' t have refrigeration, or the luxury of enjoying a nice cool glass of iced tea. Food had to be cooked and prepared. With no microwave or gas stove in sight, they had to pile in the wood.
For lunch, the kids and I dined on peanuts and raw carrots. Which was fine. When it's hot, appetites aren't out of control.
To be honest, I think I'm getting used to the hot weather. This year, buckling down on the rising energy costs, we decided to run our air conditioner only in the evenings. For the most part, I work at home with the indoor temps at around 82 degrees. At night, before I retire to bed, I turn the airconditioner back off, and run my fan. This has saved us a ton on our electric bill. I think.
I paid $254.00 today for last month's electric bill. We'll see.
Taking advantage of the shade...
With no cooking projects, I decided to tackle some sewing. It was a real lazy day and I visited with the guests as they arrived in sporadic groups. Their curiosity is so encouraging and I never tire of their questions.
I'm not a "quilter" so I tackled a basic block pattern. It has been a while since I've ran a treadle sewing machine, so at first, I wrestled with the wheel. If you don't get the momentum right, the wheel will spin backwards and start to stitch the opposite direction. This includes keeping the treadle going forward as it too wants to switch directions. After about 4 tries, I started to get the swing of things and began sewing my blocks together.
To reinforce the stitches, I hand sewed over the seams.
This worked out so well, I think I'm going to work on a full size quilt. It was a fun and relaxing afternoon.
My finished project!
Some of the quilt samples that fellow volunteers have sewn at the farm...
2 comments:
You should save the stitching by hand over the machine stitches until it is time to hand quilt it, that way you "kill two birds with one stone"!
You're making me miss my old treadle machine. It was so peaceful to sew on it.
What a shame we can't share some of our rain with you.. we have way too much and the rivers are predicted to flood even worse then it did in 93. People are already sand bagging and expecting the worse.
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